much of my world has been turned upside down.

Thanksgiving was great. My mother cooked for 17 people. It was great.
My Mother's side of the family showed up, along with my In-laws. My Aunt got Miette a gift, and my sister was the only one to hear her hyperactive daughter say, "I got that teddy bear for my birthday, and I didn't even play with it!"
No matter. Miette loved it. The food was great, as was seeing my cousins.
Friday we stayed at home, by and large. My wife, Miette, and I and My in-laws, all stricken with that cold I referenced a few posts back.
Saturday it happened. I have been casually looking at other homes in our area because ours seems to have shrunk since the baby came. One I was looking at experienced a $25,000 price drop, so I figured it was time to look. It's a 1955 brick bungalow. 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. Currently being used as a duplex, but we'd change it back to a single family home. It's on a HUGE half-acre lot in Westmont. It needs a lot of updating and some other work, but the potential is huge. I am wracking my brain to see if I could afford it. It would more than double our existing living space, but we'd have to re-do the kitchen right away. Also, it has radiators, so that's another ball of wax. However, there's TONS on the plus side. One of the HUGE plusses is that my Father-in-law is an experienced builder, so we'd have no labor costs for any of the improvements we did.
This is one of those things I haven't been able to get out of my head. I guess I'll have to wait and see, but it'd be great if we could do it. I love our current home; it's just that we're outgrowing it. It's 2-3 bedrooms and one bathroom.
I've got to T H I N K !

I'm back.

With 2 cases of Yuengling and an awesome cold.
Somehow I've been on this pattern of sickness all year. It starts with an allergy attack, moves on to a sore throat, and then becomes brutal post nasal drip. I've seriously had it 4 times this year. At least. Next Time I'm marching my ass to the doc and making the germs stronger by throwing antibiotics on them. I can't stand this ball of snot in my throat and this feeling like I'm swimming in glue.

Before I get to the trip, my brother had a procedure yesterday to widen one of his bronchial tubes that involves them lasering out the scar tissue and removing some junk. Yes, Junk. He was sore as hell yesterday when I went over there to watch RAW. He might be the toughest person I know. So much for whining about my sniffle. Guess I'll soldier on.

Pennsylvania -
So we left Thursday Morning at 8 AM and had to drive a different route due to 8o being closed by a jackknifed semi on account of lake effect snow. I took us across Indiana on route 30 through my bitrthplace, Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Yep. I lived there 'til I was 5, so no drug dealer jokes, mkay?
We stopped at Rally's Hamburgers there and pressed on. Not much to report through Ohio, because, well, It's Ohio. Sorry, TaraD. We arrived at 6:30 PM, 7:30 local time at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh. It was a lovely old-school luxury hotel. The hottest part was the group rate of $150 a nite! We dined like true Pennsylvanians on room service; Perogies, Fish & Chips, and a 6 Pack of Yuengling! Worth all the $53 they charged us for it. At night (after 8 PM) central, we had to be almost completely silent because the baby was in the same room as us. We also had to sit in the dark, but we brought flashlights and had a lot of fun.
Friday, Kiki had to go present, so she left us to our own devices. I strapped Miette to me and went out in the cold about a block to Kaufmann's, a local department store. That night, Pittsburgh was lighting all its Holiday lights, so Kaufmanns was all decked out. Coincidentally, the day was bittersweet, because people were lamenting kaufmann's becoming Macy's next year, just like here in Chicago.
I went back and my wife and her co-presenter were in the room. They brought sandwiches and were talking baby, since Kiki just had one and her co-presenter is due in January. I'll call the co-presenter "Lenny" for the sake of anonymity. The reason is that Lenny reported to Kiki that even now almost to her 7th month, she's still having sickness. The reason? Pregnancy and Prozac don't mix. Scary crap, y'all. I know part of Lenny's issues manifested themselves in Bulimia, and part of me wonders if the weight gain associated with pregnancy isn't contributing to the vomiting... mostly because her cheeks and nose look pregnant. Low blow, I know, but it's to be expected with pregnancy, and I seriously wonder how this previously bulimic ex-cheerleader is dealing with all this weight. Her bigger issue, in Dr. Thompson's mind, is her daddy. This is a guy who smells like a molester let alone his unbelievably creepy gaze. He gives me the willies every time I see him. His Father-Daughter dance at her wedding was to " Thank Heaven For Little Girls" Seriously. It makes ME want to be bulimic.
Most of Saturday was spent with Miette napping and me surfing the internet in a dark luxury hotel room. Kiki KILLED at her presentation, and to celebrate that and Miette's 6-month birthday, we went to the opulent hotel restaurant. Miette was an angel to such a degree that people around us commented on it. We had a fabulous dinner and returned to the room for flashlit giggling.
Saturday we went into the hill country to see Kiki's relatives. We passed by the Monroeville Mall where Dawn of the Dead (The original) was filmed on the way to once-fabulous Portage, PA. First stop was her cousin Marcy's. Marcy has 4 boys. One's in Iraq, I think, and 2 were home. They went from beinmg awkward country kids at our wedding to trunk-necked athletes. Also, Miette got to see her first live pig! It used to be a 2 pound potbelly that the 4th boy who's now in college got as a gift. It now weighs 66 pounds. 66 POUNDS! and llives in their laundry room. It lives with 2 dogs, and no shit, acts like a dog. It wags its tail, and rolls over so you can scratch its belly.
We then moved on to Uncle Tom's. Uncle tom has a beautiful piece of property on a wooded ridge. On it he's built the foundation to a magnificent house, and he lives in the foundation. The only light is from skylites at ground level. Uncle Tom was real defensive about the way is property and house look, but I sure wasn't judging him. The guy lives comfortable and though it is in a foundation, it's not uncomfortable, and he has no mortgage. It's paid for. We had some godawful pizza and then hit the road.
Portage is a really depressed area. The big topic everywhere we visited was finding work. Lots of it has to do with the fact that they live in Portage, but it's tough to imagine them living elsewhere. I can't imagine having to leave my home to find work. I mean, Kiki's cousin Marcy lives in the house that Kiki's dad and all his siblings live in.
We moved on to get my precious Yuengling - $18/case of 24 bottles. I seriously wanted to bring back 6. Kiki stopped me at 2.
We then stopped by the market because Miette was out of baby food. It was pretty scary looking. Kind of like a warehouse with a single door and no windows. Kiki half jokingly said, "Hope I don't get kidnapped!" Miette and I waited in the car.
Unscathed, Kiki made her way out and we headed up the mountain to cousin Charlene's. When we got there, her husband Barry was outside, and said he'd be in after he and a friend got done shootin'.
We went upstairs to one of Charlene's 4 girls' rooms, and I tried to set up Miette's Pack 'n' play. The Pack'n'Play, for the childless, is a combination playpen, portable crib, and changing table in one convenient 50 lb. bundle. I could not for the life of me get it set up. After 20 sweaty minutes of me almost swearing in front of her religious cousins, we got it standing. I offered to soothe Miette to sleep so that Kiki could visit, and because I needed a nap myself.
I slept more than Miette did. In 2-minute bursts before she fussed again. Kiki came up and decided we'd forgo the nap, which terrified me, because I know how Miette can be when she misses a nap. She was exactly the opposite. Whe was a playful delight to the assembled 25 or so relatives. Including 9 girls between the ages of 6 and 14 that passed Miette around, much to my terror.
Later, we gathered Miette and got ready to feed her. I was putting away the pack and play and discovered that the directions were printed on the back of the mattress. Following them, I broke down and set up the thing about 6 times in a minute. Gah!
Miette continued to perform thoughout her feeding. We grazed among several crock pots of food, and then decided to head for the Hotel. Miette did not want to get back in that carseat.
Kiki's family are all wonderful, loving, generous people. As we drove home, she lamented not being able to see them more or do more for them, since they live in such a depressed area. I asked her if she thought they seemed deprived, and they sure don't. They are all so pleasant. We'll just have to visit more.
The Johnstown, PA Holiday Inn Express was our last stop, and it was something of a dump. Standard Motel crap, but 3 of the 4 lamps didn't work.
We were on the road by 7 AM central.
10 hour drive back. Ugh. One last complaint about Ohio; they have like 7 rest stops on I-80 through Ohio. The 5 eastern ones are all brand new beautiful buildings with several non-hardee's choices in them. The last 2 heading west are dumps last updated in the 1960s, and since then, even the Hardee's and Roy Rogers have pulled out. Our choices consisted of combos and a hot dog drawer.
We waited 'til Indiana.
I had a great time, especially spending all that time with Miette and Kiki, but I'm glad I'm Back.

We're on a mission for Yuengling

I'm accompanying my wife to Pittsburgh this weekend for a conference, and then to show the baby off to her Pennsylvania relatives. Never been IN Pittsburgh for ant length of time, so we'll see how it is. Regardless, I'll be east of the Alleghenies, which means Yuengling will be in abundance. If you ever make it east, have some. It's one of the world's finest beers from America's Oldest Brewery.
It takes 8 hours or so to drive without having to stop to feed the baby. I'll let you know how it goes.

Eddie Guerrero passed away Sunday. He was an outstanding wrestler. His heart quit on him. Though he'd been clean and sober for 4 years, all the hard living caught up to him and stopped his heart. Kiki and I watched the tribute RAW, and we both cried. It was a very moving show. Especially to see iron-clad badasses sob. Powerful. I will miss him, as will thousands of wrestling fans. He understood character, and would do really funny things with his.

I then caught a special on him on MSNBC's Rita Cosby show last night. My Rira Cosby Impression was coming along great until I saw the Daily Show play a tape of her and Bruce Willis last night and make fun of the fact that you could barely tell whose voice was whose. Oh well. I'll have to find another celebrity to impersonate.

I finished Tipping Point, and am on to Terry Funk's book... another wrestling book.

Bundle up.

5 sucky questions

Okay, none of you will be surprised by this, but the latest "5 questions with the champ" on WWE.com are totally lame. In their place, I present 5 questions I used to use when interviewing active brothers in my Fraternity.
1) Hometown: Westmont, IL, by way of Lisle, IL. I think I'll rep Lisle 'til I die. It's probably the lamest place in the world --drive down Ogden Avenue from Downers Grove through Lisle to Naperville, and you'll see why I've nicknamed Lisle "The Land that Time Forgot". Still, I love it.
2) Most Admirable quality: Tough to say. I used to have a quick answer, but I've been so reflective lately that I find it tough. I've been told I have a talent for making others feel good, and if that's the case, I'll take it.
3) What do you treasure most in your life? My wife. I love my daughter, and the rest of my family for that matter, to no end, but there's a connection between my wife and I that I don't believe exists anywhere else. Recently, a columnist for some newspaper came under fire for saying she loved her husband more than she loves her children. She may have even been fired. That's rediculous. Too many people fuck up and have kids to save a marriage, but nothing's better than the foundation two people that love eachother can make for a family. Print THAT, Assholes!

Sidenote- a cafe in Andersonville on the North side of Chicago recently put up a sign that out of control kids were not allowed in the cafe. It's called Taste of Heaven, and some crackpot mother's group is boycotting it. Who wouldn't want well-behaved kids? They can tear around all they want, but that's not the way they should be allowed to act in a restautrant. What happened to discipline? Speaking of assholes.

4) What's your most prized posession? My wedding ring.
Other up-theres that help paint the picture of me include my vintage Star Wars collection, my Blackberry, and my black velvet blazer with the gold Rolls Royce-logo buttons.

5) Do you have any Hobbies? Impro counts as a hobby, I guess... eBay is probably my other. Then Wrestling fanaticism.

Let's hope next week's champ questions don't suck. Coming up with your own is for the birds.

A Tip

A quick note on the previous post: the doctors say that can't see what they need to in my brother, so they'll do an aspiration of the quetsionable mass in his chest. For you laypeople, they will stick a needle in and draw out some of what they want to look at. Awesome.
And with that frame of reference...
Back to the insipidity!
Sorry no updates for a while, loyal readers (both of you), but I have allergies that made themselves into a cold. So me, my daughter, and my wife are all snotnoses. Since Miette can't blow her nose, We have to pull the snot out with a suction bulb. She LOVES that. Nothing gets her screaming faster.
The upside is that she's been "talking" a lot lately, babbling mostly, but my favorite babble that she does goes, "Da-Da-Da-Da". Won't be long now...

I'm taking a break from reading wrestling biographies, and I'm reading the Tipping Point about what makes an epidemic. Mostly it's about harnessing the power of epidemics for marketing. However, there's lots in it about trendsetting and the power of cool. It's pretty interesting stuff. The idea is how trends start, reach a tipping point, and then spill everywhere and spread like wildfire. The best recent example is Cell phones. There was a point where everyone had to have one. It's loaded with sociological and psycholigical maxims. I really like it. Here are some nuggets I'd like to share:
1) Phone numbers are 7 digits because that's the largest number you have the least trouble memorizing.
2) Teen smokers overestimate the adverse health effects of smoking when polled, yet continue to do it. Why? The cool kids do. Seriously, there's a whole chapter on how cool people tend to smoke. I never have even tried. I guess that makes me an unbelievable square.

...Much of my attention lately has been devoted to the holiday season. Largely because it will be my daughter's first EVERYTHING. My biggest obstacles, though, are what to get her, and what to get my wife. It's not usually difficult to shop for my wife, but I've had some mild failures in the gift department of late, and don't want to screw it up. The other thing I'm working on is a reduced budget.
Miette shouldn't be too hard. Something cute that she can also chew on. The tougher thing will be a gift "from" her to my wife.

Speaking of shopping, I quite accidentally stumbled on this site that specializes in scooping the ads for Black Friday, the shopping day after thanksgiving. It seems exclusively for the set that show up at 5 am that day looking for bargains. I may have to get out and bust some doors this year...

Anxiety

So, my brother had a double lung transplant on May 22nd, 2002 due to Cystic Fibrosis. He's been relatively healthy ever since, but lately has been feeling like crap. He went in for an x-ray the other day, and then today for another appointment. They found abnormalities in his lungs and aren't sure what they are. He's having a CAT scan Thursday.
The tension of the what-ifs is killing me.

I had a fine weekend. Did my shows Friday so I could go to a teacher party on Saturday nite. Got lots done except for rest, and am now feeling under the weather. Miette's had a runny nose for a couple days. I hate it. You have to take the suction bulb and suck out the snot, since she's too young to blow. She hates it too. She slept like crap last night. In turn so did I.

Usually when I have a sleepless night, I get a few winks on the train. My night was so bad that I DREAMT about sleeping on the train.