Questions

When you think of someone "having a baby", it's such an abstract concept.

"Hey, so-and-so are having a baby."
"Oh, Really? That's great!"

I'm sure you've had this conversation with someone many times before, but when that so-and-so is you, it takes on a whole new meaning. Suddenly, that abstract concept becomes all too real, and you understand what that really means. It means that in the body of the one you love more than anyone, a child is growing. A baby that is a little of you and a little of her, but at the same time it someone entirely different. Every time I see these ultrasounds, I think of the life we've created. Who is this person going to be? Will it look like me or Steph? Will we like the same things? Will she have Steph's eyes or will he have mine?

Will I be a good father?

Sometimes these questions can completely overwhelm me, and I may spend 5 minutes just staring into space. I know we have months and months before these questions will be answered. I know that in those months more will pop up, demanding answers. I really can't wait to find out.

MORE Furniture....

Yes, we've bought some more furniture. We have way too much already, but these items could not be passed up. With the baby coming in 7 or 8 short months, we'll be slowly turning my office into a nursery. With that comes the need for furniture that we just don't have. We took steps in that direction tonight by picking up these two pieces from Steph's boss, Linda. Her daughter took this dresser and rocking chair and completely refurnished them. I have to admit, she did a fantastic job. This stuff is really beautful, and very affordable. It's a good start to the baby's room. Here's some more shots:

Ultrasound #2!

We had the second ultrasound today, and this time I actually got to see it! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Not only could we make out the head, legs, and arms, but the baby was actually moving the enitre time we were looking. It was really funny how it was kicking its little legs and moving its stumpy arms, Steph and I were laughing the whole time. We got to see and hear the heartbeat, and that was pretty great. The baby is about 2.5 cm (around an inch) long, and they say Steph is is now at 9 1/2 weeks. We go in for another ultrasound at 20 weeks, and by then the baby should be pretty well developed so it should be pretty exciting.

GM's New Contract and Why It Matters to Me

Today was a big one. As I'm sure most of you are aware, the UAW has been on strike against General Motors for 2 days, but all that ended at 3 am this morning when a new tentative agreement was reached between the two. I won't go into detail, but as most news outlets are reporting, this is a landmark contract with landmark concessions by the Union. Traditionally, the Union will negotiate with one of the companies in the "Big Three", then will use that negotiated contract as the pattern for the other two companies. The reason I'm explaining this is so you can understand the significance of the following paragraph from MSNBC.com:

"The person also said GM would hire temporary auto workers at full company wages and benefits. The company has approximately 6,000 temporary workers, the person said. Temporary workers who have been at the company for less than 90 days would be hired at a lower wage, the person said."

This is huge. If Chrysler, as expected, agrees to a contract along the same lines as GM's deal, this means all the people who fall under the "Enhanced Temporary Employee" brand should be hired in after the contract is ratified. This means me! After a year and a half of uncertainty and fear of losing my job, it seems that all the risk may actually pay off. This is what I've hoped for since that day in June '06 I left my job of 11 1/2 years to pursue something that wasn't guaranteed, and in fact was a huge gamble. It should be interesting in the upcoming weeks to see the direction Chrysler heads in their negotiation.

Leftovers

So now I have this pretty substantial pile of tree clippings in my yard. I really need to burn them, but with the unseasonably warm and wet weather we've been having the last few days, these things are just as green as the day I cut them off. I really doesn't help either when I'm getting out of bed around 6pm every night. That doesn't really give you a lot of time for things like this.

When I sent the return letter to the mayor of this little town, I included the following paragraph:

"I have one final thing to ask while I’m writing this. In 2005, our well dried up. We were forced to have a new one dug, and due to financial constraints, we decided to try to refinance our home to include the cost of the well. During the application process, we discovered that our property was incorrectly zoned as commercial. This is obviously a mistake, as this has been a residence for many years. We would like to have the property zoned correctly, but we have absolutely no idea where to begin. We’re concerned that if it isn’t changed, it will be virtually impossible for us to ever refinance or sell the house. Any help or direction you could give us would be greatly appreciated."

It's been over a week since I mailed this letter to the mayor, and to this point I've received no response. I know a week isn't that long, but I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I really don't expect one. This town's leadership is so unprofessional and unresponsive to its constituents, it will be a miracle if they get re-elected. Actually, now that I think of it, the last election was just a mass popularity contest, so I'm sure these people will be re-elected. Meh. I can't wait to move.

No!

I think it's quite possible we have the dumbest cat alive. Don't get me wrong, when he's not randomly running away from you, he's really a sweetheart. I discovered last night that he has an inexplicably irrational fear of the word "no". I don't know why, and we really can't figure it out, but it's proven to be true. I can be petting him, with him purring and meowing nonstop, and all I have to do is say "no" and he'll go tearing off away from me as quickly as he can. It's completely baffling and completely hilarious.

Tree Trimming

They're putting in a new sidewalk out front within the next couple of weeks. It really sucks to have to dump nearly $1,000 into something so unexpected, but it certainly does need it. Today I spent about an hour trimming back the enormous evergreens along the sidewalk. I didn't really want to do it, since they form a nice barrier against idiot drunkards stumbling into our yard. Unfortunately, they need the space to work, so I trimmed them back. I think after they've finished with the walk, we're going to put up a privacy fence along the tree line. It should make it look a little nicer. There's a pretty massive pile of branches from the trimming that I had planned on shooting, but it got dark a lot quicker than I had expected. Look for it later.