The next one on the baby train

So, it was a good day today. We had the first picture of the baby taken...AND...Brian sent me a European tour poster from Louis XIV's tour. How cool is that? Is it sad that I was almost as excited about the poster as I was about the first ultrasound? That was so sweet of Brian. He is such a great guy. On top of that, I am ALMOST done with school and the NIN show is coming up. YAY!
-Amy

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I've kind of mentally moved the Iraq war onto the back burner in my mind because I've been so enthralled with my baby. But as I watch him grow and take in new things I can't help but hurt for those 2,326 sets of parents that went through the same stages with their babies and then wound up out living them. My dad believes that for every birth there must be a death to keep things even. Here's hoping that the 2,326 new lives in the world lead us to a better place than the one where GW took us that cost 2,326 lives. And counting...

Too cute to be a punk rock baby.

Check out the latest pics of my favorite guy in an outfit made just for him by Aunt Ames.


Rock star in the making. I tried to get him snarl, but he just wasn't having it. Maybe I'll dress him up again one day when he has indigestion.


Lookin' for groupies. After all, there's no point in showing off on the drums if there aren't hot chicks around...


Ready to rock out. And then maybe take a nap.

New Music

I have been on a new music binge the last few weeks. Because I am a rockchick. And that's what we do. AND, I am going to share the fruits of my labor (and my many dollars that could have been spent on paying bills, but WHATEVER!) with the folks who read this blog, whoever you are!

OK. The last two CD's I bought were Matisyahu's Youth and Prince's 3121.

Matisyahu (whom I will be seeing in concert this Saturday with a group of people, yay!) is a Hasidic Reggae genius from New York. I think I've mentioned him once or twice. His new album is so... pretty. It is a gorgeous, beat-filled lullaby from start to finish. My favorite songs are "Time Of Your Song," "Jerusalem" and "Indestructible," although there are at least 4 more songs on the CD that I love as well. "Time of Your Song" is a beat-box driven, melodic number. The beatboxing isn't shoved at you, it is made part of the song. You don't even realize half the time that those aren't drums, it's his voice. Matisyahu, aka Matthew Miller, is a MASTER beatboxer. Seriously. Beatboxing is obnoxious if it is tried by someone who doesn't have talent. He has turned it into an art form. I have NO clue how he makes some of the amazing sounds he does. Anyway, I digress. "Jerusalem" is the most heartbreaking song on the CD. It is about the Holocaust and tells the story poetically and powerfully. I cry every time I hear it. And "Indestructable" is my favorite. It has the most catchy, sticky chorus and the BEST 80's-inspired beat.

The other CD I bought (yesterday, on 3/21) was Prince's 3121. I've never been a huge Prince fan. I like the requisite stuff, "Little Red Corvette," "Kiss," "Rasberry Beret," "7," etc. I think he's very talented, but I don't consider myself a fan. Or at least, I didn't.

Until Now.

3121 is FUNK. I use that both as a noun, verb and adjective. The CD is funky, it funks and it IS FUNK. It is so much fun. Prince is a guy who knows how to get wallflowers off the sides of a club and onto the dance floor to gyrate and sweat and sing along to the lyrics. (The CD is named after Prince's house number for his purple mansion in Minneapolis. I would love to see it.) The title track opens the CD and I KNEW it was a winner from the first track on. My favorite track is #9, "The Word." It's going to be a huge hit, I can see it coming. Lots of great instrumentation and lyrics, although the song is religious. I still think it will get major exposure. Mark my words, YOU WILL ALL BE SICK OF "THE WORD" BECAUSE IT WILL GET SO MUCH AIRPLAY. You heard it here first. The rest of the CD is great, although there are some rough patches. I like his dance tracks a lot more than the ballads. He tends to go cheesy on the ballads, and I like him at his hip-shaking, body-rockin', foot-tappin' best. But that is my only fault. I think he should go the Madonna route and do an entire album of upbeat dance tracks with the style he is using now. It would KILL!

OK, so that is my music review. On another note, I have recently managed to get back into contact with two of my old best friends from middle and high school: Nicole Spaeth Thomas and Kristy Towne. It's so weird that I reconnected with them within days of each other. I was inspired to do it because someone I knew in high school called me out of the blue (haven't talked to her in 12 or 13 years) and apoligized for the way our friendship broke up. It was so weird. But it inspired me to reach out to people I have lost, and it worked.

Pass it on!

OK, time to go eat something.
Amy

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Also, a short rememberance for Ed Hampton. He passed away suddenly last Thursday at the age of 56. He was a Vietnam Vet, a husband, father and grandfather. He was a truly kind man.

Thank God for the Miracle of Modern Medicine

Only 4 days old

I was in labor with this little guy for just over 25 hours, but thanks to my best friend, the epidural, I was able to sleep through a lot of it. And see how happy he is that mommy got her rest? James was born at 10:15 am on the 19th weighing in at 8lbs. 12oz. and 21.5 inches long. I don't care what you say, he's the cutest future rock star on the planet.

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There have been 2,474 coalition deaths, 2,271 Americans, one Australian, 101 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, two Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 26 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, two Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians in the war in Iraq as of February 16, 2006.

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Bye, Charlie.

I have never mentioned him here, but my parents dog Charlie was one of the best dogs, the happiest dogs, the sweetest dogs, I've ever known. He even saved my life once. He died yesterday of a birth defect. My family knew it was there when they got him from the shelter, but they had to take him home. He lived for three years before an infection finally stole him from us.

People who don't have dogs won't understand the ache this loss has left sitting inside me. I never got to say goodbye. People who do have dogs get that they are family. This one was special. He had the nuttiest, most loving personality. He will be VERY sorely missed by me, my husband, and the rest of my family.

There won't ever be another Charlie.

State of the Union

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Do you think that little fact will make it into the president's speech tonight? I wonder if the Vegas bookies are taking odds on it.


P.S. Thanks, Shannon for your support. My old high school buddy, Shannon, has taken up our cause in remembering all of our losses in Iraq. Click here to see what she has to say.

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Hey, Mr. President, care to define "transition of power"? Cuz if this is what you mean, we need to talk.

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11 in one day

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My Alien Love Child

See the fist? Leave this kid alone!

I made a horrible mistake

I got so wrapped up in the number of American fatalities in Iraq that I neglected the men and women who come home wounded. In many cases their entire lifestyles have to change due to amputations and other medical complications from their wounds. The military tries to help these people medically, but they are limited in what they do beyond that.

That's where Homes For Our Troops comes in. This organization builds custom homes for troops who are forced to make lifestyle changes due to their wounds. You may have seen them on Extreme Make-over Home Edition or in a bunch of magazines -- their amazing work is getting the recognition they deserve, and need in order to continue.

Please stop by their website to see what they are all about: http://www.homesforourtroops.org/
If you are able, send them a little something; help make a difference for people who put everything on the line for you.

--E

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Katrina tolls have soared past 1200 people.

If you are able, please donate to Toys for Tots this Christmas. It is especially important this year with so many families still in shelters and temporary housing.

Save the Bluths!!!!

Fox is threatening to cancel my beloved show, Arrested Development, again. Bastards. They've done pretty much everything they could to kill it this year, so some bigwig out is Fox is probably patting himself on the shoulder right now. But whatever. We must save them. Or the very least, give them a dignified death.

Arrested Development is a fantastic show. Sure, it may take a few episodes to get you into it as the story is fairly well developed at this point. But who could watch a few episodes when Fox couldn't decided *which* Monday night they were going to air it? Duh! Hard to follow a show when its not on regularly and when the network never advertises which weeks that it actually will be on.

Again, I digress. Let's give the Bluths the love they deserve, check out this website to save them: Save Our Bluths they link to some pretty cool merch. If you have the cash splurge for one of the items and become a member of an elite club of people with a smart sense of humor. And by the way, Fox sucks.

New Ink

I promised the guys that when they headlined a tour, I would do this. I love the band; it is such a cool thing to be able to keep in contact with them and watch them get the recognition they deserve. This tattoo was a long time coming and I'm really happy with it. A side benefit is, when customers ask me what it means (and they have), it's like a free advertising. I am a walking Louis XIV billboard. ;-)

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