What's in a name?

Most of you already know this, but the lovely Mrs. Wookiee and I are going to be parents again this June. It is going to be a girl and the wife is thrilled. I am thrilled and scared to death at the same time.

I know how to deal with a boy, I have been one all my life. I know how boys think. They are goofy and stupid but can be controlled.

Girls on the other hand are a whole different ball of wax. Girls get their daddies wrapped around their little finger as soon as they are born, eventually get to be teenage girls, they get all emotional (funny how that never changes from that point forward), and start liking boys. Good thing my boy Tom and his lovely wife Jill just had a beautiful daughter. After our daughter is born, perhaps he and I can get some sort of discount on shotguns. I guess I will figure out to raise her as we go?

The most pressing issue is what to name the kid. We had a name all set, but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't like it. So Imade my feeling known and we have got it narrowed down to either Savannah or Emma for a first name and Nicole or Grace for a middle name. We have tossed different combinations back and forth and are almost ready to commit to one.

The last thing we want to do is saddle her with a name that she will hate us for. I mean, she will have plenty of reasons for hating us when she gets older but I do not want her name to be one of them.

Any thoughts?

P.S. Congrats to my best mate Dave and his wife Steph on their 6th wedding anniversary.

Not fan enough?

I have been away from the blog lately. I haven't really had much worth writing about. The mood has struck me and now I feel I have something I need to get off my chest.

There are people who say that if you root for more than one team in the same sport, then you are not a true fan. On the surface, it may not appear to be that big a deal. It probably isn't, but the "Holier than Thou" attitudes of some of the people who espouse that belief get on my flippin' nerves. It is about time someone put them in their place.

Just because someone still has a rooting interest in a team that is not their alma mater, does not make them less of a fan. If a Small State U. grad still keeps up with Another State U. because said Small State U. grad grew up in a Another State U. family with Another State U. grads, and the two teams never meet on the gridiron, then that does not make them less of a fan of Small State U. Nevermind the fact, that when the two schools meet in other sports, Small State U. grad pulls for Small State U. with all his heart and would do so if they met on the gridiron.

They say, if you have any love at all in your heart for Another State U., then somehow your Small State U. fan card should be revoked and you should be excommunicated from the Small State U. fan base. If I am a member of one political party and occasionally vote for someone in the other party, does it make me less of a party memeber? No it does not. Rooting for another team when they are not playing good ole' Small State U. is not the mortal sin that some think it is. It is really that serious to some people. To those people I say the following:

1. Get a grip

2. Get over yourselves

3. Bite me

I know a few people who are like the people above and it bugs me they would be like that. Why do you care, if all of Small State U. alum's sports entertainment money goes to Small State U., that someone may still have still have an affinity for a childhood team? Some of the things those "real fans" say about fans with other interests are downright rude and hateful.

Those of you who know me know that myself and some other friends are grads of Small State U. and also follow another favorite team. We are good fans of Small State U. We do not show up at Small State U. events wearing our other rooting interest's colors like others. Even if someone would show up at a Small State U. game wearing another team's colors, then why do some people go out of their ways to be downright hateful to those people? If those people are looking for another rooting interest, then why do those "real fans" treat those people like crap? As long as they show up at Small State U. games rooting for Small State U., then I could care less who else they root for and what they are wearing.

To make it short and sweet, if you are one of those "Holier than Thou" fans, just hush.

That is all.

Adventures in parenting!

Those of you who are parents will really appreciate this. Those of you who are not, you will see what you have to look forward to.

All was calm at the Wookiee Lair last night. I had a long day of watching Elmo, Mickey Mouse, the Backyardigans and Wonder Pets (I really hate that show)!

I gave Wookiee Jr. his bath and put him in his jammers (pajamas for those of you without children)and we hung out it until it was his bedtime.

Putting WJ (Wookiee Jr.) to bed can be a real ordeal sometimes. He needs this particular blankie, Mickey Mouse or his stuffed tiger, milk, etc. If we happen to venture out of our room while he is still awake he is out of his bed wanting more milk. So usually we just close our bedroom door until he falls asleep. Last night went surprisingly well in terms of bedtime. Or so I thought.

Around 8:20 or so, I heard a thump outside my bedroom door. I figured it was one of our cats running around being stupid. It happens all the time. So I am going about my business when I hear my wife exclaim, "What have you done !?!?!?!?!?" I think to myself, "This ought to be good." Boy, it sure was.

My wife opens the bedroom door and in marches WJ, covered head to foot in Balmex. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a cream used to treat diaper rash. It is in his hair, on his jammers, his arms, on Mickey Mouse (He had a "boo-boo" according to WJ), on his bedsheets and blankets, and a streak of it going straight down the middle of his face like he was an extra in "Braveheart."

Mrs. Wookiee snatches him up and takes him back to the bath tub to begin the degreasing. She had to wash his hair 4 times and it will take a few more cleansings to get his hair totally clean. The story would be mildly amusing if it just ended there. But wait, there's more.

Mommy takes WJ into his room for a fresh pair of jammers and to put new sheets on the bed. Then I hear, "Don't pee on the floor!" Yep, my kid had peed on the floor of his bedroom. He then comes running buck naked into my room trying to escape the wrath of Mrs. Wookiee. I didn't immediately answer her cries for help because I was laughing my butt off. If I would have gone in there immediately, I would not be writing this blog because I would be dead. I managed to get him in a nighttime diaper and his new jammers. We managed to get him in his bed and retreated to our room for a well-deserved rest.

Did I mention the irony of this whole situation? Right before the Balmex incident, we were sitting in WJ's room as the boy watched the Backyardigans having a discussion about trying to have another child.

After last night, I am thinking we might be better off just getting a puppy.

That is all.

Best service ever!

Recently my best mate David$ made a post on his blog about a negative dining experience that he had recently http://broadwaydave.blogspot.com/2009/07/little-tip-for-you.html We have all had dining experiences like that. Those types of experiences suck.

Well, my family and I had the exact opposite experience last night. Let me set the scene. I had a very trying day keeping up with Wookiee Jr. The poor child, through no fault of his own, was getting on my last nerve. Mrs. Wookiee sensed that I had experienced a very trying day with out son and recommended we go out to dinner as a family. I was all for that.

We decided on the Chili's in Fultondale. It is relatively new and we have only been there a couple of times and had a decent experience both times. This one took the cake, in a positive way.

Haley, our server, greeted us at the door with a big smile and took us immediately to our seats and also remembered to bring the crayons and activity page for the kid. Major points there. She immediately went and got the booster chair for the boy. Okay, things are off to a great start. Surely it will go downhill from here. Nope. Things just got better.

She thoroughly explained the 2 for $20 deal where you get an appetizer, 2 entrees and a dessert. We gave her our drink orders and perused the menu, expecting to have a little more time. She was back in a flash with our drinks and I still wasn't sure what I wanted. In the meantime she brought us some Chips and Salsa. We ended up getting some sort of queso stuff for our appetizer. It was awesome. I ordered the chicken tacos, my beautiful wife got a cheeseburger and the boy got a cheese quesadilla and mandarin oranges. All during our wait she checked on us and kept our drinks topped off. More points there. Our entrees got there in short order and we proceeded to chow down.

My entree was great. My wife was enjoying hers. Our child loved his mandarin oranges but would not touch the quesadilla. Typical. Anyway, he wanted more oranges, and Haley (very cheerfully) went and got him some more oranges. All the while our kid is turning around in his seat flirting with the bartender (a young blond girl). Complete strangers usually just come up to us and tell us what a cute kid we have (which we do BTW). I think he has picked up on this and goes fishing for compliments now.

For dessert we chose the molten chocolate cake (or something like that) and it was absolutely beyond delicious! on the top of this chocolate filled dream was a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream and some Magic Shell type chocolate sauce. To top it off she brought the boy his own dish of ice cream. Wow!

Anyway, I have to make a pit stop in the Little Wookiee's Room and when I get back my bride's left over burger and fries have been boxed up along with our left-over chips and........extra salsa! She brings us our check and lets us take our time in paying. She mentioned in passing that we looked like we had been having a rough day and needed a pick-me-up. Boy was she right. I don't know if she was being genuine or not (I think she was) but it was most appreciated and when we go back, we sure hope get her as our server again. Needless to say, she got more than a 20% tip. She earned every penny.

If any of you ever venture to this particular Chili's, consider yourself fortunate if you get her as your server.

That is all.

Father's Day/ Birthday extravaganza

Okay, so I was wrong about the Magic beating the Lakers. Oh well.

My lovely wife actually took me out to dinner and a movie the Saturday before Father's Day for a Father's Day/Birthday gift. I got dinner at Outback. I have never had a bad meal there. After that she treated me to a movie. My choice was "Star Trek." I am more of a Star Wars guy but have had a passing interest in the Star Trek movies. A lot of those movies have sucked. I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this one did not suck. We actually got to see how Kirk got his start as well the fact that Uhura and Spock were once an item. After that, my wife treated me dessert at DQ. I got the largest soft serve cone I could. It was delicious! We went back to my folk's house around 10:30ish and was exhausted. Man, I am getting old. Had a great time though. It reminded me of dating in high school and college, except I didn't have to pay for it and dinner wasn't at a pizza place.

We also spent Father's Day at my Mom's and Dad's house. It was almost surreal seeing three generations of the men in my family around the dinner table (my father, my son, and myself). I got a picture frame with several pictures of my son and me. It made my day. I will have to find a place for it in my classroom. My loving wife got me a throwback Cub's cap and a replica jersey t-shirt with the # 1 and in place of a player's name "Dad". I am so proud of that shirt that I wore it two days straight. I actually found a biography about my dad's college football coach and gave it to him. He loved it and had it read before we left on Sunday. He truly loved it. The gifts were nice but it was the time with my dad and my son meant the most to me. I now understand why my Dad has often said that all he wants for Father's Day is to spend time with his kids. That is how I felt. All I wanted was to spend time with my son. For those of you who read this blog and are Fathers, you know exactly what I mean. For those of you who have not yet experienced the joys of fatherhood, you soon will. There is nothing like having your child run up to you, hug you around your legs and say "I love you daddy." It gets me misty-eyed thinking about it.

My actual Birthday was pretty uneventful. I had to attend a workshop for school. However, I did get to treat myself to lunch at Moe's.

The son is spending this week at my folk's house this week getting spoiled rotten. He will be back Saturday and I miss him a whole lot. At the same time, he has never spent and extended amount of time at with my folks and I figured it was time. It's funny, you want a break from your child, but you start missing him the moment you pull out of the driveway until the moment he gets home.

That is all for now. A happy belated Father's Day to all the dads out there and another round of Happy Birthdays for my Deuce mates Mikey Nipp (who has the privilege of sharing my birthday) and Shawn Sharp (visit him at http://www.shawnsharpphotography.com/)

NBA Finals Preview

Everybody and their Grandmas are posting a preview, so I figured I would join the party. This years pairing is the LA Lakers versus the Orlando Magic.

First of all, big ups to my man D$ who had the courage to predict the Magic to make it when everyone else was picking the LeBrons. I have to admit, I enjoyed watching the NBA's (along with Nike, Vitamin Water and ESPN) dream match-up blow up in their face.

We will go position by position:

Center: Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum

Bynum has struggled a little bit since returning from his knee injury. Howard looked absolutely unstoppable in Game 6 against the Cavs. It might have been because the Cavs quit, but he looked really good. Bynum has not shown to be a game changer on either end of floor while Howard has. Big Advantage: Orlando

Power Forward: Rashard Lewis vs. Pau Gasol

Lewis has been shooting the lights out from distance this post season and has shown a knack for making big shots. His range will take Gasol away from the basket and increase offensive rebounding opportunities for the Magic. However, on the other end of the floor, it would appear Pau has a huge advantage offensively over Lewis. His ability to score down low and hit the mid-range jumper over Lewis should pay huge dividends. Advantage: LA

Small Forward: Hedo Turkoglu vs. Trevor Ariza

At 6-10, Turkoglu is a tough match-up for any small forward. He can shoot over them or take them to the rim. His ability to hit the three is a huge weapon in his arsenal as well. Ariza has improved greatly since he left the Knicks. Then again, who wouldn't? Ariza is a "high-energy" guy and a fairly decent defender. Depending on how this series goes, Lamar Odom might gets some starts here depending on how the series plays out early. Advantage: Orlando

Shooting Guard: Courtney Lee vs. Kobe Bryant

I am not going to spend much time on this. Courtney Lee is fairly decent and even though I think Ko-me is a butthead, he is one of the greatest players ever. Big Advantage: LA

Point Guard: Rafer Alston vs. Derek Fisher

This one is tough to call. Alston has been huge after he was acquired to replace the injured Jameer Nelson (more on that later). Other than the stupid head slapping of Eddie House is Rd. 2 he has been a very steadying influence on this team and has shown the ability to hit open shots. Derek Fisher has been around forever and it seems like he is always on teams that go deep into the playoffs. That is not coincidence. The guy is a savvy veteran with a knack for making big shots. I just don't think he can keep up with Alston. Slight Advantage: Orlando

Bench:

Martin Gortat has played quite well this post season when Howard has needed a rest or was out (see game 6 vs. Philly). Anthony Johnson has played well as Alston's back-up and Mickael Pietrus has been shooting and defending very well. There have been rumors that Jameer Nelson might come back for the Finals. I think that would be a spark for the Magic. LA's bench numbers are slightly skewed since it could be argued that Lamar Odom should be a starter. Odom is one of those guys that is a game changer when he feels like playing and a waste of space when he doesn't. DJ Mbenga might get some playing time to try to beat up Howard. Luke Walton will get his minutes. Jordan Farmar plays well in spurts and Sasha Vuajic can be trouble is he gets hot from the outside.

Advantage: LA

Coaching: Stan van Gundy vs. Phil Jackson

You have the hyperactive Ron Jeremy look-a-like versus the condescending smugness of Phil Jackson. People have been dogging van Gundy all during these playoffs, and some people say Orlando got here in spite of him. That may be the case, but here they are. In the interest of full disclosure, I will admit I cannot stand Phil Jackson for reasons too numerous to mention. It is hard to argue with the results though (see 9 NBA Championships).

Big Advantage: LA

Final Analysis:

Everyone has been picking the Lakers and I fully understand why. They have, arguably, the best player and best coach on the planet. However the Lakers have shown a tendency not to show up for every game. They have lost home court in the last two rounds in games 1 and 2 respectively but have managed to get it back by stealing one on the road. I really think Orlando can win in LA more than once and they did sweep the Lakers in the regular season. If they do, I am not so sure LA will be able to flip the switch and regain home-court advantage like they have before. I am calling for the upset.

Magic in 6

Wookout Cookout Part Deux!

We had the 2nd ever Wookout Cookout this evening. As far as I am concerned it was a big hit. Basically what inspired this was that I realized a little while ago we had not been together as a group in a while.

All the Deuce guys (and their wives) had to be there, and they were. Ty showed up first and Shawn shortly thereafter. Tom and Jill were next, followed by Dave and Steph as well as Mikey and Ashley (you look great with weight you have lost). For those of you who don't what the Deuce is, that is another story for another day. Needless to say, some of the best and most important events of my life are somehow tied in to the Deuce guys.

The star of the show, besides all of the wonderful food (btw Steph your baked beans rocked!), was my son. You give him a crowd, and he is in his element. He was playing in the sandbox, riding his tricycle, playing catch with anybody who would throw him a ball. He had a great time with everyone. His faves were definitely Jill, Tom and Ty. He started asking where "Uncle" Ty was right after he left. He loves Jill because she will read with him, play in the sandbox with him, whatever. I think he like Tom b/c he reminds him of me. He had a blast.

We have plenty of leftovers to munch on for a few days. Yesssssss!!!!!!!!! The most important thing to me was seeing all of my friends. The food was just gravy (no pun intended). I hope we don't go so long between get-togethers next time.

It is such a blessing to count them as friends. They are closer to family than friends. If they don't know that, I am telling them now. You guys rock!

Till next time...................................