couldn't have said it better

People don't seem to understand me anymore. If I was still a teenager, looking at this version of me, I wouldn't understand me, either. This version of me is a surprise. But I like her. And I can't explain it to you in a clever, read-able way. Because, despite my teenage dreams, I'm not a writer - at least not a very good one. Thankfully, Matthew Archbold (and his brother Patrick) over at Creative Minority Report is a writer. And he summed up how I feel about this point in my life very nicely in this post. Here is a particular meaningful passage:

The question sometimes comes up in conversation with old friends. What was the best time of your life? And I'm sometimes embarrassed to admit it but right now is the best time of my life. Truly. And I'm a short chubby bearded dad living in the suburbs. I mow my lawn. I pay bills. I talk to my wife about what she did that day. I change diapers. Lots of them. Sometimes we go get ice cream. I do all those things that angsty pubescents jeer at.

I've lived in the suburbs coming up on ten years. And I've yet to feel my soul sucked. I don't really do angst. I think I used to. But I think I've forgotten where I put my existential angst. I'm happy. And even more importantly, I'm content. I'm focused.

So often his characters are running around and saying they're looking to "feel" something. I think I'm content because I don't consider my feelings all that important. And because of that I feel things more intensely than I did ever before in my life. A child's utterances can have me laughing all day. I feel the pain of a parent who sees his child hurt. I feel tired just about all the time but it's the tired that comes from doing something you love. It's not the weary kind of tired that Mendes' characters seem to feel.

And finally, there's one thing I don't ever remember hearing from Mendes' characters: God.

God, thankfully, is at the center of my life. And that puts me in proper perspective.
Now if, like Mendes' character seem to often do, I found myself at the center of my own universe I'd be pretty depressed too.

Obviously I'm not a dad. And I live in an apartment so there is no mowing of lawns. But most of the rest of it fits. So, while you and my teenage self may not understand me, there are people out there, thankfully, who do.

mainstream media

Is the mainstream media finally chafing from the chains?

a few things...

that I'm grateful for:

• an old acquaintance becoming a new friend
• my sister helping us out today
  
• no rain predicted for Friday

that I'm hopeful for:

• some clouds and a nice breeze on Friday
• that I get my packing and chores done early enough for a good night's rest
• a response to my e-mail
  

What's on your list today?

new way of watching the news

These guys have more videos, but I wanted to share the latest. Watch them on YouTube.

history

Inspired by this post, I decided to look back and see what pictures were taken of us on this day. Well, we didn't have a digital camera until the fall of 2007, so that only left last year to pick from. And, no pictures were taken on June 19th of 2008. The closest were these little beauties, taken on the 17th.





photos removed by blog owner







What in the world are these? They are very poorly shot pictures featuring (then) three year old Amelie covered in cheap purple lip gloss, because at the time it was funny. Sadly, these don't really hold up over time. They seem dumb now. And I don't suppose they'll ever find their way into a scrapbook.

social commentary

This morning at breakfast Amelie said something really profound. I don't remember exactly what conversation led to this little gem, but she looked at me and said, "Sometimes I'm bad. Sometimes I'm good". Exactly.

In other news, here's a baby that's bad (well, the parent is, anyway).

happy kids, happy Mother's Day

I had a good Mother's Day yesterday. Amelie was really into it, and even wanted to give me more presents after I opened the two she (and Aaron and Aiden) got for me. I had planned to post more, but I was wiped out yesterday. So here are some more pictures. Enjoy!


Um...not sure what happened here. This was supposed to be bigger. I don't have time to fix it right now. Maybe another post perhaps.

Oh! If you click it it makes it larger. Good to know.

attention

Some of you may know that I have a penchant for old buildings. What these people are doing is so wonderful. I will be making a donation in the near future, and I hope you will consider doing so, too. Oh, and I think a detour to visit this summer is in order. Hopefully it's not too far out of our way when we drive to Iowa.

Be afraid.

Read this blog post. Watch the video. Cry. Pray.

Do you watch CNN?

If you do, I hope you don't think you're getting unbiased news.