My Wife

Thought I should plug Melbo's triumphant return to the blogosphere.

My New Favorite Ice Cream

I haven't tried it yet. But I have a new favorite ice cream. It's vanilla with bits of fudge-covered waffle cone and caramel. It sounds good enough, but what puts it over the top for me is a healthy dose of "liberty".... it's Stephen Colbert’s Americone Dream. In a statement released in response to this latest Ben & Jerry's offering, Colbert said "Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda. What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case." I say it's about time.

Fair, Balanced... and Funny?

After struggling with "Fair and Balanced" for 10 1/2 years now, Fox News has decided to get into the "funny" game too. Apparently Dennis Miller's occasional guest rants weren't enough for the network... so now it's had Joel Surnow, executive producer of Fox's "24", create a "right-leaning" Daily Show knock off called "The 1/2 Hour News Hour." To promote this Sunday's premiere, Fox has been floating a couple of clips online that feature a bevy of Barack Obama jokes, a couple of predictable swipes at Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi, guest appearances by both "President" Limbaugh and "Vice-President" Coulter, and a hearty-sounding laugh track (which, from the looks of these teasers, they'll probably want to keep handy). Call me presumptuous... but I don't think the Daily Show has much to worry about.

Back From The Dead

It's good to have you back out of the blogging graveyard Hobby Horse and BillieJean.

The Mighty Wee Block

You know the recycled bit on television shows and in the movies where some inexperienced character finds themselves changing a newborn boy's diaper only to have the little kid squirt directly up in their face? I'd always written the scenario off as a bit of over-the-top slapstick that wasn't all that funny... but the fact is, it's not that over-the-top and actually can be kind of funny.

A little background might help. Our second day home from the hospital, my in-laws and I were kicking back in the family room watching something-or-other we had tivo'd when we hear an anguished cry from upstairs. Melbo had been in our room with the baby Erich and, from the sounds of it, was now trying to teach him several words that babies probably shouldn't know. I exchanged glances with Melbo's mom and brother and we all bolted for the stairs, thinking collectively that something had gone terribly wrong.

What we found was urine. A lot of it. On the wall, the bassinett, Melbo, and lil' Erich, though Erich didn't seemed to mind much. He actually looked suprisingly content.

Like I said, not over-the-top and, in the end, pretty darn funny... at least the first time.

Which brings me to one of the world's all-time greatest inventions... the Wee Block. Days earlier, a close friend had given us a Captain Blast Off (essentially an athletic cup of sorts made of thick absorbent foam and cloth). We were grateful when we received it, but I don't think we knew how grateful we'd be. Melbo hadn't thought to use the block that first fateful time and, in truth, it probably wouldn't have made much difference because technique is rather important. But once you get it down, you're golden. Or not golden. Which is my point.

Long live the Wee Block.