Head on over to http://www.vajoe.com/candidate_calculator.html and find out who you should vote for in the 2008 Presidential election. It's pretty cool, you simply mark where you stand on presidential issues and it matches were you are in line with presidential candidates stance on the same issues. I like that if you don't know what the issue is about, you can click on it and educate yourself about the two sides of the issue. Showing my ignorance, probably about 30% of the issues I didn't know what the debate was about. My match? Mitt Romney. Huh. What's yours?

To be honest, I'm annoyed by all the talk in the media about politics all the time. Essentially to me it's a turn off to politics, so usually I don't take the time to know specifics about issues and who stands where because by the time the election rolls around, I've been hearing it for a year and a half and I'm just tired of it. Maybe that viewpoint isn't as responsible as I should be. Strait ticket is the lazy man's way. Just the same, I'll order a pizza as supreme because I don't what to make the decision about specific toppings.

Years ago I was certainly indifferent to politics, but over the years, seeing a conviction to do my part in making our government a part of what seems right to me, I'm proud to say I'm a red-meat eating, God fearing, flag waving republican. Okay, I can't say I've actually waved a flag since I was a kid, but I plan to fly the colors with a new flag poll when we build our new house in about a year. Does that count?

So this really cool hack3r figured out my random password for my myspace account and posted a bunch of crap on all my friends profiles. Cool, huh? I didn't think so either. I'm sure somehow it was automated with a genius css program and it's pure brilliance. Man, I wish I had that kind of time. I certainly wouldn't spend it sitting in front of this PC.

I've been needing to update my profile and blog for a coon's age anyway, so here's my motivation.

The last time I wrote a blog, it was before Christmas '06. The pregnancy was half over and at that point the question of a Y chromosome had yet to be answered. I guess maybe a few things have happened since my last blog then. mah-boy Lucas is 5 months now and he is literally the best thing ever. He makes me tired, frustrated and sets the record as making the most difficult four month of my twenty-9 years. The whole "anything worth having is worth working for" really is true when it's your kid. All the things people with kids told us pretty much pans out as truth, such as "it's different when it's your kid". Like say he drools on you, or maybe even spits up, it's not nasty, it's like it's your own spit, cause he's part of you.
Okay,.. yes, I don't make a habit of spitting on myself. It's not ideal. But if it happens, it's not the worst thing. Same with diapers. I changed Lucas' first diaper, this was also MY first diaper change, ever. I dreaded it with a purple passion. Turns out, also, no big deal.
I must not forget to mention my wife, she was amazing in delivery and she is amazing as a mommy. She's a natural and certainly her hard work and effort has made being a father seem a lot less difficult than it might otherwise be.

Other events since my last blog: I had sailing school a few weeks ago. Retrospectively, not the best timing to choose to do this, but it was one of the best adventures I've had. For three days I learned seamanship on 32 ft. yacht, with 17 knot winds and warm sunshine. A lesson in patients, timing and leadership. Values I certainly didn't expect to gain from such an experience. I am very much looking forward to me and my son sailing in the future.
Back in Jan. we were lucky enough to travel with four of our closest friends to St. Luca (west Indies) where I had too much to eat, TOO MUCH to drink and too much sun. Plenty of time on the water doing the things I love, sailing and scuba diving. It's amusing that to the locals the water is cold in Jan when the water temperature is well above 80 degrees and very comfortable.
In other news, my wife had unexpected surgery. She came through it well and recovery was slow and difficult, but things seem to be back to some sort of "normal" now and a bit of a routine with our son is providing for some well needed rest for the three of us.

A short and quick update for having not blogged for 10 months, but long on reading.
Enough for now.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain