Fathomable Depths: September 2005

Ahhh, hello m'ladies!

Annabelle suited up to go run errands with Daddy

Triple P-Parents Partying in Public

Good morning peeps, the Wizard is here to rock your world. Last night the Wifey and I got a hankerin' for a good old fashioned street concert, so we loaded up the car and headed for Market Square in Knoxville. This was the venue for the Autumn in the City concert series. We have not been to any other events like this in Knoxville, so since the weather outside was quite cool, we headed out to experience some nightlife. The musical act was called the Brazilian Girls, although there was only one girl, and we were too far away to tell if she was Brazilian. They were loud and energetic and the lead singer gyrated around in an angelic-sleeved outfit while the band pumped out all kinds of sounds. We saw an incredibly diverse group of people at the event and it was a great slice of socialization. We saw a lot of other young parents with Baby Bjorns on like us. The place was clean and well-organized and except for the cigarette and cigar smoke that was hard to avoid. We had a lot of fun swaying to the tunes and Annabelle had a really good time attending her first concert. Today the weather is spectacular, so we are going outside to play in the fall breeze. Hopefully the weather will be good next Thursday so we can sneak out again to see Blues Traveler at the square. Oh, and the best part...it's all free! Go Vols!

No skewl means cheaper fyuwell

On this blog I try to keep my political views to a minimum and in the spirit of remaining sensible in a time of national emergency, I have refrained from passing any judgment on how our government responded to the catastrophes that have befallen this great country. I learned about something today that is so disturbing, however, that I must temporarily modify my commentary policy. It came to my attention that President Bush has commended Georgia governor Sonny Perdue for his actions in averting a "gas crisis". So just what did ol' Sonny do to deserve the Presidential tip o' the cap? Why, he decided to cancel school for a few days! Why not save the gas it would cost to use the bus system for two days and take a couple of early "snow days". So that's exactly what he did! Why did he feel this is a good idea? Well, as we all know, there is a supposedly a run on diesel gas in the making? Whatever will we do when we can't fire up our tractors and heavy machinery because our greedy, gas-wasting children insist on riding the bus(read--MASS TRANSIT!) to school to learn some stuff?! Way to go Sonny! Good choice letting parents know Friday afternoon that they need to find daycare for their children for two workdays so you can save some gas for the rest of the state! So what did the majority of parents do about these unexpected holidays? Well, the stay-at-home parents loaded up their SUV's and drove their kids to the malls in record numbers today. The parents that had to work ended up calling in sick or taking days off to care for their kids, impacting the workforce a bit. The people without children took notice of these drastic measures and filled up their vehicles, exacerbating the supply strain. And the children? Well, they have a couple of days to learn that the State of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, and President Bush care more about a temporary fuel cost increase than childrens' educational needs. With all of this posturing about cutting "pork project spending" to offset the costs of reconstruction and recovery, it is painfully evident what is considered expendable. Besides, children don't vote and nobody listens to kids anyway. You'll thank Sonny and Dubya when it costs $5.15 less to fill the tank this week. Hey, that's about what your uneducated child will be earning per hour if they are lucky enough to work at McDonald's! Way to go.

How can you resist this face?

Hey Annabelle, How's that workout regimen going?

Just like Grandpa's porch

Buongiorno mi famiglia! Today I am writing you with a happy feeling that begins in my belly and goes all the way to my extremities. Why is my tummy so happy? Perhaps it has something to do with the Tomato Salati alla Aulisio that Wifey and I prepared last night. This delicious dish brought back memories of sweltering afternoons on the porch, slurping up spaghetti and homemade hot sausages leftover from breakfast while watching the antics as the children gulped down Chek cola and the adults told jokes and discussed the news. The ice cubes that resided in the penguin-adorned ice bucket melted into slivers almost instantaneously when they were plunked into the tepid soda that came off the shelves in Grandpa's garage. These were the days that taught me about family and sacrifice. Sacrifice we did--namely the creature comforts that I have come to appreciate so dearly. So I turn down the thermostat and rejoice in the flavors that define my childhood, although the ice lasts longer and I now drink a cold beer instead of a hot cola. If your curiosity is piqued and you want to get a little taste of one my childhood favorites, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. The only modifications are to coat the rinsed tomatoes in flour mixed with a little salt and pepper before you fry them. I also love the onions and nickel-thick potato slices that Meemaw and Grandpa would sautee up to go with the tomatoes. Thank you both for shipping me the delicious tomatoes that made this culinary delight possible. I love you Meemaw and Grandpa!

Lazy Daze

Hello my blog-starved compadres, I am back to spew some more randomness. It has been over a week since I have posted, and I am sure some of you must be getting frustrated. Sucks for you! Just kidding, you know I love all my readers! I am still adjusting to the time demands a baby presents, and some things have been shifted to the back burner. The young one is doing well--she even smiles and laughs at her silly Daddy every so often. Wifey went out for a social evening with her friends yesterday, and it was just Daddy and daughter time. She is amazing and well-behaved. I never tire of watching her and every day it seems she learns new things. I caught the season premiere of Lost on Wednesday which was awesome. I think that show is one of the best television programs I have ever seen. I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance. I guess I have to say something about current events, so here goes. Hurricane Rita is coming ashore and once again the Gulf Coast is in turmoil. New Orleans is leaking, Galveston is under water and more deaths are imminent. I spoke with a gentleman from Biloxi the other day and he said he recently left his duties with the sheriff's department because he could not deal with collecting dead bodies from trees. Hard to believe this is happening just a few hours away. I started a collection jar at work and we have collected over $200 for the Red Cross in the last week. It makes me realize how unimportant certain things are when daily struggles are reduced to basic survival. I wonder if we will become so dependent on modern conveniences that we will no longer be able to exist without them. I look forward to teaching Annabelle to camp and be familiar with outdoor survival skills. Hopefully there will be some pristine land and water left to show her when the time comes. Until then, have your survival packs ready and help those less fortunate than us. Good day and have fun with some new pics.

Da Family

What a looker!

(Mommy + Baby) x 2

Annabelle's first play date with Laura & Niklas Kidd

Back on the Air

Hello blogees, the Wizard is here with some new posts for your viewing. Sorry about the extended absence, I have been occupied with the ever-changing happenings at work and home. I hope the following smattering of photos will amuse, entertain, and smooth over the frustration of not getting new information as frequently as B.B. (before baby). I will get some more posts up soon, so don't give up on me. Have a great day and enjoy!