| Tuesday, February 28, 2006 |
| Still Yellow, But Less Mellow |
This is me . . . turning the corner.
By far, the best day of the past couple of weeks. I'm still a little out of it, but I'm heading out into the clearing.
This morning Kelly and I were preparing to go to her doctor appointment. Her appointment got cancelled so we went out and bought Kaelyn a crib. We now officially have everything we need to bring the little girl home.
And speaking of the little girl, my nine-day hiatus ended this evening as I felt good enough to spend an hour with her. Holding her was great; she had this grin of contentment on her face as I explained to her where daddy has been.
Kaelyn is growing well; she's regained the weight she lost and is now at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. Unfortunately, she had another apnea episode last night so it restarts the clock. She has to go seven days with no episodes. So now we just wait till she's ready to come home.
Life's getting better. It looks like we've made it. |
yet another musing of steve-o @ 9:12:00 PM
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| Monday, February 27, 2006 |
| Day By Day |
This was probably the most depressing week of my life. To go an entire week without getting to see your new child is nothing but suck. I think I've turned a corner, but I'm still struggling. I'm still trying to keep a positive attitude about things, but if I don't get back to normal this week I might have to go on a shooting spree.
In an effort to let you in on my world, here's some of my observations about my Hepatitis A.
- It's felt like someone punching you in the gut. I guess it's a swollen liver that puts stress on your stomach that makes you feel this way. My appetite vanished; I finally forced myself to start eating on Thursday. And even though I haven't eaten, I feel bloated.
- My temperature would spike in the evenings. So I'd feel OK through most of the afternoon only to get a fever at night. Fortunately I've had two nights in a row with no incidents, which is another thing that has led me to believe I'm on the back end of this.
- I'm jaundiced. Kaelyn had some jaundice and I struggled to see it; mine is noticeable. Since my liver isn't working right, I have a yellow pigmentation in my face and upper body that looks freaky. The worst is that the whites of my eyes are yellow too. So far this has no sign of stopping.
- I'm constantly exhausted. Simply walking a few steps causes me to lose my breath.
- In addition to all this, I lost my ability to concentrate which made it almost impossible to read. So it was a full week of watching television. I forgot how much bad TV is televised in the course of a week. And this is the first day I've felt like typing in a few days as well.
But, like I said, I think the end is near. Tomorrow marks two weeks since I first developed symptoms so that's quite long enough as far as I'm concerned.
So here's to no more Hepatitis. That would rock. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:21:00 PM
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| Thursday, February 23, 2006 |
| Thriller Night |
Well, since Steve is on hiatus with his hepatitis status, I figured I should entertain the masses in his place.
Steve's jaundice gives him a look as if he has a bit of a tan. Except for those yellow eyes. A little creepy and yet kind of cool at the same time. Reminds me of the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Remember it? I had the video with the whole behind the scenes making of stuff (that we take for granted on DVDs today). Anyway, I remember when they showed how they made Michael Jackson into the werewolf character pictured here. They put these HUGE yellow contact-like things that covered his entire eyeball. Ick! I can't imagine what that felt like! Anyway, when I see Steve right now, I am reminded of these yellow contacts. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 8:55:00 PM
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| Wednesday, February 22, 2006 |
| Me and My Hepatitis |
Why the silence? I've still been sick. Really sick.
Went to the doctor [again] and this time they ran blood work on me. They even sent me over to Deaconess Hospital to get an ultrasound of my gall bladder [it's a boy]. The bloodwork confirmed:
I have acute viral hepatitis A.
Ain't I special?
Unfortunately there are no antibiotics they can give me so I'm left to ride it out, which could be up to two weeks.
Overall, we're upbeat about things but this is getting a little crazy. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 12:06:00 PM
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| Saturday, February 18, 2006 |
| "Bacon?!?! I smell Bacon!" |
 Nothing implied here: Kobe Bryant to Joel Osteen in six steps.
1) Kobe Bryant plays in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Lakers.
2) Bryant, who is averaging 35 points-per-game this year, was voted an NBA All-Star.
3) The NBA All-Star Weekend is being hosted by Houston this year.
4) Houston was awarded the game because of the Rocket's new Toyota Center.
5) Their old arena, The Compaq Center, was sold to local Lakewood Church.
6) Of which, Joel Osteen is senior pastor. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 9:31:00 PM
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| Friday, February 17, 2006 |
| An Olympic-Sized Joke |
 Attention American Olympians:
The USOC has asked me to inform you of a fact they that thought you already knew:
YOU'RE AMERICAN.
If you know this fact, you're not acting like it.
It's rather unlikely that all of you immigrated to the US, so you should know that only one thing matters to us Americans:
WINNING.
But apparently winning just isn't a big deal to some of you. First there are Bode Miller and Jeremy Bloom who made statements that winning medals isn't as important as the Olympic experience [tell that to your sponsors and see what they say]. Then there is men's figure skater Johnny Weir who, after falling from a sure silver medal to fifth place, blamed a late bus ride, bad vibes, and feeling "black inside."
And now, our friend, Lindsey Jacobellis.
Jacobellis was competing earlier today in the first women's Olympic snowboardcross final [Is it just me or are they just making up events as they go?] This "sport" consists of people racing through a snowboard track. Lindsay had the event sewed up. The gold medal was hers. She was excited about the victory, so she decided to get some big air, do a little trick, and grab her board during the final jump. Unfortunately, she bit it.
This wouldn't be too bad if not for the fact that THE RACE WASN'T OVER YET! She lost her gold medal and was forced to take home silver. They just showed the tape of the race on NBC. Her lead was massive. She said she was just trying to stabilize herself, but that's damage control. It was no accident she lost; it was just a case of her showboating.
And these, proud Americans, are the Olympians we sent to represent us in Torino.
While we want to be embarrassed by them, it might actually be an accurate representation of what our country has become:
1) We are a country of excuse-makers, justifying all our screw-ups.
Instead of taking responsibility, we're looking for something or someone to blame. And not only do we make excuses, we do it preemptively so we have that defense in advance.
2) We are a country of glory hounds, always lauding our own accomplishments.
It's no longer enough to get the job done, but it must be done with panache. I have to point my finger in your face. I have to pump my fist. I have to thump my chest.
How sad is it that, in order to get back on track, the voice of reason becomes eccentric Oakland Raiders Al Davis. His rather American mantra: "Just win, baby."
Maybe this Winter Olympics will be worth something afterall: it'll provide a scary reflection of what we Americans have become. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:30:00 PM
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| Thursday, February 16, 2006 |
| One Last Blast |
And while I'm on a roll, why does our local media feel the need to bust into regular programming with a "Special Report" whenever it starts to rain?
Notice there's no way that they'll ever interrupt a commercial break, but will wait right until the show you're watching comes back on.
Now they'll say that they're doing this because they care about the community. But if this "breaking news" is really so important, why don't they wait till after the commercial break? It's like they're saying, "Yes we care, but not enough to tick off the sponsors and lose advertising money."
My take: They don't care. They're attention-starved media whores.
There, I said it. I feel better.
Seriously, they're becoming the boy who cried wolf. I'm starting to tune them out. They've broken in so much that someday something serious is going to happen and I'll refuse to listen. They'll interrupt my show, I'll flip over to Comedy Central and be sucked away by a tornado while watching The Colbert Report.
I never switched over to the DISH because of the local channel thing. I now ask myself why I cared.
I need some sleep. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:55:00 PM
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| Pay For Play |
Just watched an ABC Primetime segment on how record labels use bribes to get radio stations to play their artists' music. The reporter was appalled that these labels could manipulate the public, forcing them to buy their music. One of the offenders they listed was J-Lo.
I just laughed.
We get that bent out of shape? If the music sucks people aren't going to buy it; Trust me: the only money J-Lo is getting out of my pocket would be me paying her not to sing.
Yes, this might seem unfair to these small bands trying to make but whoever said the music industry was fair? It's all about who you know [or who you're willing to fornicate with]. It's rarely about how talented you are [I rest my case]. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:40:00 PM
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| Kelly's Home |
. . . and I'm glad.
She looks great, but is still moving around slowly.
Now once we get Kaelyn home, life will be wonderful. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:38:00 PM
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| A Hackweight Takeout |
Being sick sucks. This we know.
What makes it worse is suffering through daytime television. But fortunately for me, there's the Twentieth Winter Olympiad.
"WHAT?!?!" you ask. "The Olympics are horrible!"
I agree. Except for one event:
CURLING!!!
Yes, Curling is awesome! I hope that ESPN comes to their senses and launches a Curling Channel in the near future. That would be rad.
I just watched the USA kick Sweden's butt around the ice. Seriously, I watched the entire match and even gave a fist pump when the US clinched it. I guess there's only one problem:
I have no freakin' idea what the rules are.
I feel like an idiot watching them slide their stones and sweep their ice [what other sport involves doing housework?] because I don't know what they're trying to accomplish; I'm still not sure how they score. And the commentators use all these technical terms about the sport. They were speaking English, but it might as well have been Swedish.
You know, I could spend some time researching the sport, maybe checking out a website like this to figure out all the lingo. But . . . honestly, I don't care that much.
I don't worry too much about feeling like an idiot every four years. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 11:28:00 AM
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| Wednesday, February 15, 2006 |
| Quick Update |
Kaelyn: Doing well. At this rate in her development, I'd say she'd have three weeks or less in the NICU. Kelly's loved spending some upclose time with her. Getting her home will be awesome. She's a beauty!
Kelly: Doing better. She had a rough day and a half recovering but his flourished the last 24 hours. Unless something changes, she'll come home tomorrow morning- having spent 16 days in the hospital. I repeat: Getting her home will be awesome. She's a beauty!
Me: Doing crappy. Yesterday morning I felt sick. Had a fever all day yesterday and through the night. I didn't like not being able to see Kel or Kaelyn so I even went to the doctor this morning [very rare for me]. He said it's just a virus and antibiotics would be no help. Told me to rest, fluids, blah, blah, blah. So I've been staying away from the hospital. Thankfully Kelly's parents have stepped up big time, staying at the hospital to help out. This has meant I haven't been able to see the baby. Hopefully I'll be better by Friday so I can see her. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:42:00 PM
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| Monday, February 13, 2006 |
| All In One Day |
 As I sit here in the quiet of this hospital room, my wife asleep on the bed next to me, and my daughter four floors below me, I'm still trying to assimilate what has happened in the past 24 hours. I can't remember anything like this. Nothing in the world itself changed but I can't help but know it'll never be the same. And now, despite that I'm totally exhausted, I know I can't let this day slip away without trying to put into words what I feel.
Kaelyn is one of the most beautiful things my eyes has ever seen. I know that statement might sound a little off, but I have to be honest: I've seen some pretty amazing things with these eyes. To me, the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on is Kaelyn's mother. Not to put the two of them in competition with one another, but Kelly will always be first to me. You see, Kaelyn didn't choose me to be her father, but Kel chose me to be her husband; I wouldn't be the man that I am today without her. That's why, when we were doing the great big name search, the name just seemed perfect. I couldn't very well name her Kelly Lynn Jr., but our little girl will now always know the high regard that I hold her in. Kelly's sleeping now, but she's still so beautiful.
This little girl is amazing, though. She's so frail, but I had to participate in the obligatory new father custom of putting my finger in her hand. And she gripped it tightly. Like I said, I've seen some beautiful things, but that might be the most precious feeling I've ever experienced. I know, years from now, Kaelyn won't remember that she took hold of my finger but I'll take it to the grave. In that one touch of her hand, I knew that I was ready to be dad. She's my daughter, and I love her so much.
Last night, Kelly was only able to spend five minutes with her. She woke up this morning determined to feel better so she could get downstairs to spend some time with out baby. Kelly's been a trooper the past two weeks, with all the magnesium and such that they put her on, but she always blazed on. Today was her toughest day yet; but she fought through it and this afternoon I wheeled her down to the elevators, to the ninth floor to spend quality time with the little girl.
After a few moments of staring at her, Kelly asked the attending nurse for what she truly wanted: to hold Kaelyn for the first time. Gingerly the nurse wrapped up our child and handed her to Kelly. As I stood behind her, I looked down and saw my wife holding our child. And I was breathless.
And I celebrated the moment by taking this picture. Yeah, kinda cheesy, but it was a Kodak moment that I would never have again. Another moment in my life that I will never forget. Again . . . no words.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a parent, to experience things that I've never dealt with. I'm not fooling myself that it'll be a cake walk. There will be dirty diapers, bruised knees, temper tantrums, rebellious teenage years, but just for today I'm basking in the glow of being a new dad.
Thank You, God, for life. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 9:07:00 PM
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| Kaelyn Rhae Carr |
Friends,
Allow me to introduce you to our daughter:
Kaelyn Rhae [pronounced "KAY-LIN RAY"] was born at 10:42pm on Sunday February 12th. She weighed 4 lbs, 6 ozs and was a little over 16 inches long. Kelly was amazing; both mom and baby are in good shape.
Just in case you're curious, Kaelyn was my choice as an abbreviation for my favorite girl, Kelly Lynn. Rhae is Kelly's mom's middle name. And, um, Carr is our last name.
Because she was premature, Kaelyn will have to spend the first few weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit here at Good Sam. But fortunately we get to spend the rest of our lives with her.
Thanks for the prayers. I'm sure I'll have more to say soon but, believe it or not, I'm actually at a loss for words.
Praise God!
steve |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:24:00 AM
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| Friday, February 10, 2006 |
| Amy Lynn Doerr |
I only met Amy twice: once a few years ago and when she visited our church a couple weeks ago. A dedicated wife and mother, Amy passed away Wednesday. She was thirty years old.
Amy's husband, Chad, is a minister near Falmouth, Kentucky. I'm really not close friends with him [Aaron and him grew up together], but I've known him for about seven years now. When I first met him, he wasn't even in the ministry; he was working for his dad's printing company. But he answered a call to the Antioch Mills Christian Church as their youth minister, later becoming their preacher.
I've written about it before, but the ministry is a different profession; it's unlike any other job I know. Because of that, there's a certain camaraderie among ministers. That's why, despite Kelly being in the hospital, I knew I had to go to the visitation tonight.
Their church, where the visitation was held, is in the middle of nowhere; it's small town. There was a police officer directing traffic because the crowd was so large. We waited in line two hours just to get to see the family. There were hundreds of people there. It was an amazing sight; an incredible testimony to Amy's life.
Chad said in Amy's obituary that, "she was a joy to be around. She was generous and always giving. It didn't matter if it was money or cooking a meal for somebody or just teaching a [church] class, it was always about other people. Just to walk with her made you want to give and give and give."
Amy played piano at the church. This past Sunday, two days before her death and weakened by her illness, she forced herself to get out of bed and play for the morning worship service.
But perhaps more meaningful than all of this were the words of a guy I stood next to in line named Charlie. Charlie was an older gentleman who lived his entire life in the Falmouth area. I struck up a conversation with him and discovered he attended Antioch Mills. He had nothing but great words about the Doerrs and the church. "Those people have made a huge difference around here," Charlie told me. And as his voice began to quiver he added, "everybody loved her. This is the biggest viewing I've seen in this county in all my life." You never know how your life has affected others. A simple conversation with Charlie showed me that Amy touched lives everywhere she went, even the life of a rugged old country boy.
Thank God for people like Amy who fight the good fight and finish the race strong. If my daughter can be half the woman that she was, she'll do well for herself.
Keep Chad and their daughter Emrie in your prayers. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:09:00 PM
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| Thursday, February 09, 2006 |
| More on CityLink |
There have been more CityLink Center developments. Last night there was a meeting at the Lincoln Center in support of the project. Also yesterday, Cincinnati City Council voted 8-1 in a resolution against the center. The vote was meaningless, but I guess it helped them feel better . . . or something.
These happenings have spawned more debate about a post I did about CityLink a few weeks ago. You can read it all here. Feel free to contribute your thoughts. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 6:43:00 PM
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| Wednesday, February 08, 2006 |
| Lifting The Lid |
 Note: the following article might gross some of you out. If you're the faint of heart, you might want to skip this one. Just keep in mind I've been in the hospital for more than a week now with too much free time on my hands to think about life's greatest challenges. I believe this post affirms that.
Today's hospital observation:
The toilets here could be just what women need to get men to lift the seat.
Honestly, I'm one of those men who lifts the seat. It's the right thing to do, a common courtesy. I just think how cruddy [pun intended] gas station bathrooms can be and that's enough to convince me. Men have the obvious advantage in using poorly maintained restrooms; no matter how bad they are at least we don't have to sit down. I feel bad that women have to sit, because there's always the great unknown of who was the last person to use this seat. So with my toilet use, the Golden Rule applies. I wouldn't want to sit down, therefore, I lift the seat.
Why don't some men lift the seat? Hard to tell, but I came up with two reasons.
Reason 1) Overconfidence in their ability to aim. Males are conditioned from an early age to work on accuracy. We spend years perfecting it. In adulthood, we're the John Wayne of commode-town: never missing a shot. Why bother lifting the seat when we're obviously going to avoid it? Unfortunately, most of us aren't nearly as precise as we believe we are. Sure there are still some marksmen among us, but many don't lift the seat because a brash attitude has gotten the best of them.
Reason 2) Sheer laziness. Because men have the ability to go standing up, bending down to lift up the seat is an extra step in the process. I think the line of thought of the male mind goes like this:
"I am male. I can do my business standing up. That's the way God intended it to be. If have to bend down to use the john, I might as well go ahead and sit down- and that's not going to happen. Too much work; I'll just rely on my aim."
Now back to these hospital cans. They aren't sufficient to solve the first reason that men don't lift the seat [leave that to Dr. Phil], but could prove quite valuable with the second reason. With the handles on the side, it requires little effort to lift. That's what men need to make us function better: simplicity. Remote controls. Velcro. Handles. It could be perfect.
I'm telling you, friends: handles on the side of toilets could change the world. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 6:35:00 PM
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| Tuesday, February 07, 2006 |
| A TKO from Tokyo |
 Great Tiger. King Hippo. Von Kaiser.
Men who have made an impact in history? I think not.
These were opponents in the game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. Like most boys growing up in the 1980's I was addicted to a little thing called the Nintendo Entertainment System. Everyday after school I would escape into a virtual land where I could eventually become Heavyweight Champion of The World. Despite only weighing 113 pounds and never having hit someone with a boxing glove, I could go to war. Living vicariously through Little Mac, with Doc Louis in my corner, I made it through and won the championship belt. Glory indeed.
I really think this is why people are still fascinated by Iron Mike: cemented in the minds of many male Gen X'ers is the idea that Tyson was the man. We spent our childhoods trying to defeat him and we still view him as unbeatable. This image of Tyson [circa 1988, before he married the Head of The Class chick] dominates our minds, so that we still watch his fights in awe . . . or maybe we're just waiting for him to bite off another opponent's body part. I'm still not sure why we watch.
For those, like me, who have spent years wondering what this video game would look like in real life, we now have an answer. Click here to find out. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:56:00 PM
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| Holding Pattern |
OK, the update from the hospital is SOS- no not an call for alarm, but Same Old Situation as we now play the waiting game. The extended stay is providing moments of boredom for both Kelly and I, but the baby could arrive like a thief in the night, so we have to be ready. I swear, though, that if my daughter ends up being a kleptomaniac, she most definitely will be grounded.
Changing subjects . . .
Two days later, I still think the big news is the poor officiating in Super Bowl XL. Some of you might dismiss this all together as excessive whining, but I really didn't care who won the game [actually that might be a fib; I didn't care who won the game as long as it wasn't Pittsburgh]. The NFL has a big problem on their hands here, and they're not taking it seriously. I'm shocked that Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner, hasn't come out and made a statement; the silence is deafening.
The integrity of their product is at stake here. On their biggest night, in a game that more people watch than any other televised event, their officials goofed. Now people who aren't even football fans, who tune in just for the commercials and the chance of eating those little cocktail hot-dogs, questioning the legitimacy of NFL officiating. And it doesn't help with the recent news that Bob Waggoner, the official who called the phantom pass-interference play against Seattle, IS A NATIVE OF PITTSBURGH! Are you kidding me? Allowing a guy who probably grew up with Terrible Towels out his yin-yang to referee a Super Bowl in which the Steelers were playing? Bad idea. Like Bob's going to want to come back home to the family reunion on Memorial Day and hear it from all his family how he did nothing to help the Yellow and Black win. He did what he had to do to keep his family intact.
Look, I'm not saying that Bob was rigging the game. I'm sure he tried to make the call he needed to make. But if I'm at the Final Four refereeing when UC has a chance for a national championship or behind the plate in the World Series with the Reds I'm sure I'd be impartial. But in my impartially, I'd lean towards the 'Nati.
And this isn't just unfair to Seattle. It's unfair to Pittsburgh. At a time when their fans should be able to enjoy the fruits of a Super Bowl victory they have to constantly defend how, despite playing a horrible game and benefiting from questionable officiating, they are worthy champions.
The NFL needs to do something, and do it quickly. And they should look no further than the Atlantic Coast Conference who suspended an officiating crew one game for blowing a call. Their bad call in second half of Saturday's Florida State loss to Duke game led to the ejection of a leading Seminole scorer. The ACC, aware that Duke is perceived as being the least penalized team in the conference, wanted to avoid even the hint of a fix.
Who knows, this could spawn the return of baseball to the official role of America's pastime.
Well, except for that whole steroids thing. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 9:37:00 AM
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| Sunday, February 05, 2006 |
| Super Bowl XL Recap: Second Half |
This is PART TWO of my Super Bowl XL recap. I thought I'd break up my thoughts to make it a little more digestible. First, check out PART ONE, and then read continue reading this post.
-You're going to find this crazy, but I'm really having a problem with these black and white photos of Steelers/Seahawks players holding the Lombardi trophy. Most hockey players refuse to even touch the Stanley Cup before they win it. Is there nothing sacred left in sports that the networks won't exploit for publicity? 'Tis a sad, disturbing thing.
-Grey's Anatomy looks interesting, but I liked it better the first time when it was called ER.
-Jerome Bettis should shut his mouth and be thankful that he still has a career. Willie Parker just proved that he's good enough to get the job done running the ball for Pittsburgh. Bettis should be embarrassed for stealing, what should be, Parker's touchdowns. And if it weren't for a Ben Rothlisberger tackle, the lasting memory of Jerome would be him committing the biggest fumble in NFL history.
-The advertising in the first half was so bad, I feel OK about peeing during commercials now.
-Back to Big Ben, I give to you Trent Dilfer and Tom Brady. Rothlisberger had the chance to be just like them: Super Bowl winning quarterbacks who benefited by playing on teams with good defenses. In these situations, your job is simple: don't screw it up. I know there's a lot of football left but, halfway through the third quarter, I think Ben is due for one more interception.
-The commercials are boring. Right now, the game is boring. It's making the halftime show look good. We need a good fourth quarter here.
-When is a tackle an illegal block? Another great officiating job.
-Just saw an ad from Boston Legal. So Tom Selleck, the former love interest for Courtney Cox on Friends, is now Candace Bergen's beau? I'm sorry: downgrade.
-Pittsburgh's going to win. Just great. I'm ready to hook up to Kelly's IV. That's IntraVenous line, not four.
-The fumble by Matt Hassleback is overturned. Eight minutes remaining in the game and the officials finally get one right.
-Four minutes left, and I'm contemplating whether or not I want to watch the postgame. I'm thinking I probably will. We're now going to have to endure an entire year of hearing from Steeler fans. Hopefully the birth of my daughter will help me forget this ever happened.
I'm done with this. I'm retiring to my hospital chair/bed. Maybe I'll wake up and Super Bowl XL will be a bad dream. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 8:17:00 PM
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| Super Bowl XL Recap: First Half |
So here we are, in the hospital, watching the Super Bowl. I'm not sure I've ever watched the big game with just one other person. And I'm not sure that Kel is going to be able to stay awake through the duration, so it might just be me. There's always much to be said about the NFL championship, but I'll make some observations to keep my self entertained.
-Is it just me, or is Aretha Franklin's diva bit a little played out? I'm convinced she thinks that everyone around the world tuned in just hear her sing. Why should we R-E-S-P-E-C-T you when all you care about is your rep?
-What was up with the voice of the woman introducing the past MVP's? It was the audible equivalent of a car accident: incredibly horrible but I could not turn away.
-Kimo Von Oelhoffen just got jacked up by Seattle's center. It won't un-tear Carson Palmer's ACL but it sure made me feel better.
-The pass interference call against Seattle's Darren Jackson could be the worst call NFL officials have made all year. And calling Rothlisberger's goal line dive a touchdown was just as bad. Why is it that the age of instant replay have produced some of the poorest officiating in NFL history.
-Thinking about Budweiser's streaking sheep commercial, I think "Didn't need to see that," could become the day-after-the-Super-Bowl-around-the-water-cooler-catch-phrase. [Scratch that. I'm now going with the guy who clobbered the woman playing touch football saying, "You were open but NOW YOU ARE CLOSED!"].
-This just in: Pittsburgh still sucks.
-Why do companies like Career Builder and Go Daddy, who spend $88,000 a second to advertise during the Super Bowl, rehash their lame commercials from last year?
-I can tolerate Michael Irvin on ESPN, but whose idea was it to give him a microphone on Super Bowl Sunday?
-A quick note to ABC concerning their new show Sons and Daughters: no wonder CBS is cleaning your clock.
-It's the halftime show and all I can think is, "PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE BRING OUT DAVID BOWIE AND DO DANCING IN THE STREETS!" OK, that's a little out of line but I swear if Keith Richards has a wardrobe malfunction I might never be able to have another child. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 6:57:00 PM
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| On Being A Pastor |
I forgot to mention that Wally and Barbara Rendel came to visit us on Friday. Wally is the minister at the Southern Acres Christian Church, Kelly's home church in Lexington. Wally did our wedding ceremony and he and Barb took us out to dinner for our final session of premarital counseling. He's the founding pastor of Southern Acres and will retire in June.
The fact that they drove from Lexington, Kentucky [a three-hour round trip] just to see us for an hour is rather humbling. Southern Acres has about a thousand people attend each week. There are constant demands in a ministry that size and making a trip to see us would seem like low priority. And especially doing so as you're nearing the end of your ministry, when you don't need to put in that kind of effort, is very impressive. But that's just the kind of pastor he is.
As I recently wrote, I didn't get into ministry to be a pastor; I just loved to preach. To be a good pastor takes a set of skills entirely different from just preaching. You need to love ministering to people. Investing in people's lives demands a lot of time. There are definite joys, but a whole lot of heartache. That's why there's a lot of turn-over in the ministry. But I've learned over the past few years what it takes to be a good pastor. I'm doing my best to put those skills in action.
If I can be half the pastor that Wally is, I might make a good minister after all. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:33:00 PM
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| Here Comes Baby! |
OK, not really; sorry for crying wolf.
But if she's going to come, now is the time because Kelly's parents finally left to go home. They've been here since Tuesday night waiting with us, but it was time they try to get back to their lives as we wait for the big arrival.
It was a blessing to have them come up, giving me the chance to slip out every once in awhile to go home, shower and get some more clothes. And it's been great to have them around for all the encouragement they provide. No joke: I have some awesome in-laws. And I'm not just saying that because I've gotten used to them hooking me up with Egg McMuffins every morning. Thanks so much, Dave and Bev!
Yesterday Dave and I were able to tour the Good Sam neo-natal ICU. The realization is sinking in that our little girl will be here at least a few weeks after Kelly gets to go home. It's a top-notch facility. It's a beautiful, high tech nursery where all the babies can be closely monitored. And the nurse giving us the tour reassured us that our baby is in great shape with her maturity and size. I don't know what it'll be like having to leave our newborn here and go home, but we're about six minutes away. Some parents with babies here live as far as two hours away, so this is another blessing for which we're thankful.
And it figures that, with everything else happening, there was trouble at the condo. Kelly's parents called last night saying that the heat wasn't working. They insisted on spending the night anyway, but it was a cold 52 degrees inside. Considering we have a brand new heat pump, I was a little hot under the collar. This morning I was able to find out that the electric line supplying the heat and our stove had ruptured in the ground. So Cinergy is coming by this afternoon to take care of it. Hopefully, by the end of the day, the heat will be on.
And still, we wait. Place your bets now. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:18:00 PM
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| Saturday, February 04, 2006 |
| A Room With A View |
After spending the first two days at the hospital in a windowless room, I was giddy when they said they were moving us to a room with a window. Kelly really didn't care too much, but even the thought of natural light put a little jump in my step.
The fabulous window view we now have:
 Um, huge improvement. At least it's something. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:52:00 PM
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| Friday, February 03, 2006 |
| How To Win The World For Jesus |
We will debate the pagans into submission!
The best part of this article is the correction that reads:
In the original version of this report, NEWSWEEK misquoted Falwell as referring to "assault ministry." In fact, Falwell was referring to "a salt ministry"—a reference to Matthew 5:13, where Jesus says "Ye are the salt of the earth." We regret the error.
Imagine that? Jerry Falwell misunderstood. He's still my hero. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 2:33:00 PM
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| Patience |
When I was growing up, the bathroom at my parent's house had a slate hanging on the wall. It was from the 100 year-old building where our church met; the building was demolished about 18 years ago. The roof was tiled with these 1'X2' slates, a perfect canvas for our craft-minded neighbor to decorate. This certain slate had a sea-scape painted on it along with a quote from a book called Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Yeah, it's chick-lit, but seeing the quote every day caused it to be etched into my mind. And I can recite without hesitation:
"Patience is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach waiting for a gift from the sea."
Like almost all people, I've struggled hard with patience.
Remember when you were younger, you thought, "wouldn't it be nice if we were older?" That's the story of my life. I've always looked young for my age, so I always anticipated getting another year under my belt. Everyone was like this, but when I was twelve, I wanted to be sixteen. When I was sixteen, it was eighteen. When I was eighteen, it was twenty-one. And I also liked to round up my age, just so I could feel legitimate. I just wanted what's next. Just a note, it's funny that at thirty, I finally feel comfortable where I'm at. But my patience issues aren't all about age.
When I graduated Bible college, I was ready to preach. That's why the whole reason I wanted to go into the ministry, not because I wanted to pastor people but because I liked to preach. Think about it: a half hour every week when I talk and everybody has to listen. Are you kidding? That's like getting paid to go to therapy! But out of school, I couldn't get a preaching job; I guess I looked too young. I kept waiting and waiting, through three different jobs, for the opportunity to live out my dream [fortunately God used this time to teach me that the ministry is more than just a homily]. Honestly, if I knew I would have to wait eight years to see that dream become a reality, I might have given up and moved onto a different profession. I am Veruca Salt: I want it now.
And that brings me to right now. 4am in a hospital room striving to be patient. I know we're most likely just beginning this waiting process for our baby, but my stoicism runs thin. But I have a some patience incentive. Now it's not about me getting what I want when I want it. I want so bad to see this little girl's face, to finally hold her in my arms. But I know that my need for instant gratification works against the health of our child. For that, my friends, I'll do all I can to get patient . . . as quickly as possible.
Phillipians 4:4-7 says it best:
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Now, I can wait. Thanks, God, for getting me here. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 4:31:00 AM
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| Thursday, February 02, 2006 |
| Survivor Is Back |
I'm not really an addict, but what else is there to do? Watching The Survivor premier, two quick thoughts from the first segments:
1) What's the big deal about Exile Island? There are crew members all over the island. So it's not like the people are alone. I love them trying to show how lonely it is via a camera man doing a nice fade-out.
2) When I see a huge dead turtle on a beach, I don't think of mother earth or that North America was once called the Turtle Island [What the ?????]. I think, "Man, I'd love to poke it with a stick." |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 8:24:00 PM
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| 48 Hours |
As we reach a full two days of hospital time, with both wife and baby healthy, and still waiting on the big event, I focus my thoughts on some little observations from the past two days. Try this one on for size.
Printed on every television in this hospital [or at least the two rooms we've had so far] is the following announcement:
"Local Phone/TV Service is $7.50 per day"
Now I have definite issues here. Call the doctor because I feel a rant coming on.
First I ask, why lump these two services together? Since when do phones and TV go hand in hand? Of course you could say that Time Warner Cable now provides phone service so "shut-it, Steve," but you don't have to get those services together. With cell phones, we have little use for the room line- and don't get on me about not using cell phones in the hospital, because EVERYONE HERE is doing it!
You might think that the substantial price for the services would mean they have high-tech gadgets to use. You would be wrong. We're watching a Zenith 16-inch television that won't show the entire screen. Watching the Kentucky game last night, we could only see half of the score. A game is a lot less interesting when you have no idea who's winning. And there's no "push-button" remote so, to change the channels, you have to go through every channel along the way. If you're want to watch channel 43 and you accidentally hit the button and go past that channel, you have to start again at channel one and start all over. Oh, and the phone is nothing to write home about either.
Finally do the math here. If you factor this out over the course of a month, which is how long we could possibly be here. That would be $225. Normally telephone and cable would cost about $70 per month. I think I could buy a TV and phone for the remaining $155. This is a racket if I've ever seen one. No wonder the hospital can afford this huge expansion.
With so much downtime on our hands this is a service that I refuse to do without. We'll see just how good our health insurance is [the sign also says that the charges will show up on our home telephone bill. Seeing as we don't use Cincinnati Bell, this might be difficult for the hospital]. We have to have television to watch so now I'm using the phone all the time, randomly calling people around the city. The dialogue goes something like this: "Hey, it's Steve here. My wife's having a baby at Good Sam hospital. We're paying for this phone call. So what do you want to talk about?"
Gotta go. It's time for Survivor . . . |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 7:57:00 PM
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| Didn't I post this yesterday? |
| We've been a tad preoccupied the past couple days, so I apologize if others have already said this. But today is groundhog day and the groundhog saw his shadow and we get six more weeks of winter. This winter is on record as one of the mildest winters in a century. Is anyone really disappointed if we get six more weeks of this? |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 4:33:00 PM
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| Wednesday, February 01, 2006 |
| 30 Hours Later |
OK, here's where we are:
Kelly did better today, better than the doctors predicted. Apparently they really thought she could have the baby last night [but they were wise and didn't tell us]. She only had about five contractions today and was only in mild discomfort. Plus, she was able to eat some food. Hospital food is a drag, but she really enjoyed the Jello; Bill Cosby would be proud.
While time stands still in our world right now, every day that passes is another day our little girl can grow stronger. They're continuing giving Kel magnesium in hopes of keeping things where they are. We're unsure how long she'll be able to hold it; it could happen tomorrow or it could happen in weeks. All we know is that by March 1st we'll have a baby; and Kelly is stuck in the hospital until it happens.
We had a great time as friends and family visited today. We had no idea how many people cared! This was both relieving and exhausting to Kelly. The medical staff here have some concerns with the volume of visitors we've had and asked that we limit the number of people who come to visit. Wanting to respect their request, and wanting what's best for the baby and Kelly, we're going to ask that only our families visit during the next few days. And instead of calling the hospital room to check on us, please call my cell or send me an email [they have Wi-Fi here]. Thanks for understanding our needs.
We deeply appreciate everyone's concern and care. I promise I'll get updates along when things happen. Your prayers have been a blessing.
Soon to be a papa,
steve |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 10:57:00 PM
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| Change of Plans |
I'm writing this post from Good Samaritan hospital. Yesterday afternoon Kelly called me from her doctor's appointment with some startling news: she had gone into labor.
I rushed over [understatement] to meet her at the hospital. The lifesquad brought her here. So much has happened in the last twelve hours, let me give the details.
Kelly just hit thirty weeks at midnight. The little girl is healthy enough that, if born now, she'd most likely be OK. Still, she's better off inside Kelly as long as possible, to allow her lungs some time to develop. They have her on magnesium which makes her whole body limp, but it proved successful. She won't leave the hospital until the baby comes, so sometime in the next couple of weeks the baby will be here. Could be today, could be tomorrow, could be next week. We'll find out more later this morning as her doctors do some consultation.
Of course, this was all quite the surprise. We thought we had a couple more months [at least a few weeks] to prepare. Kelly started having contractions yesterday morning and thought it was a stomach ache. Her doctor said that if she hadn't had her appointment yesterday that I would have delivered her baby last night. There's a scary thought.
Quick blessings:
Kelly is doing an awesome job. Apparently the doctors say she has a high threshold of pain [she married me, didn't she?].
Good Sam is one of the top prenatal hospitals in the world. The staff has been great; our nurse last night was wonderful. We even managed to sneak in some sleep here and there.
Kelly's parents were able to come up last night. It was a relief for Kelly to have them here, plus it gave me the chance to run home a pack the proverbial "baby suitcase."
I'll let you know how things are going. Prayers are definitely appreciated. |
| yet another musing of steve-o @ 7:14:00 AM
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