I decided to break out the old video camera last night and shoot some footage of Linette and me around the house. The idea was to make a video for the baby to see twenty to fifty years from now. I thought that it would be kind of cool if he or she just stumbled across this tape sometime later in life, a tape of his/her mother and me just walking around the house, talking about why we wanted a kid, speculating as to what kind of parents wed be, and ultimately apologizing for anything we might have done wrong along the way. I got the idea after a discussion with Linette the other day about her own parents and how she only has one photo of them during the time her mother was pregnant with her. (I believe Ive got a few more than that of my mom, but not many.) I began to think about how cool it would be if we could somehow see our own parents during the week leading up to our births, sharing their hopes, dreams, concerns, etc.

So, that was the plan. Linette thought it was goofy, but she eventually got on board and we began strolling around the house, just shooting stuff and talking to the adult version of the baby that was curled up inside of her We talked about how wed spent our lives up until this summer and how we thought that we were ready to have a family now. We showed the baby some of the gifts that our friends had given to him/her over the past few months, like Huhnar the chicken-man (complete with eye patch). We showed some of our own artwork and talked about how we wanted to make stuff as a family. We showed a picture of me as a baby, with my enormous head (which hasnt grown an inch since I was born), as Linette said, And were hoping that your heads not so big. It was fun, and my hope is that someday, when were gone, itll mean something to this child of ours who is, right now, getting ready to come out and meet us.

Even if this child of ours doesnt appreciate it, he or she will, Im certain, be able to get some laughs out of it especially the part where I start openly weeping while discussing the kind of father that Id like to be. (At that point, Linette said that I should probably put the camera away and go up and get some sleep. Thats why Im up early this morning doing my blogging.)

OK, I need to get ready for work now.

I received a card in the mail the other day from a reader in Atlanta named Ken. I think that he and his wife made it, but I cant be certain. I suppose theres a chance that they bought it somewhere, but I think thats unlikely The front of the cards says simply, Assuage Your Liberal Rage. Inside the card, theres an easy to follow three-step method that theyve come up with to do just that. (All you need is a newspaper and a finger. Actually, I suppose you don’t even need a finger. A stick, a prosthetic hook, or even an open flame would probably suffice.) I havent tried it yet, but apparently its supposed to make you feel better. Anyway, heres the card, and a few of the practice sheets that were included.