Kuiper Sophie Smith was born on 1/13 weighing 7 lbs. 4 oz. and standing 20 inches tall. She’s perfect and we’re all on a babymoon.

And for inquiring minds and their wanting to know…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuiper_belt

I’m taking swing dance classes. This is a little embarrassing for me. Most of my life I’ve been reasonably good with my brain, and my body has been judged awkward and not very useful, as male bodies go. I can’t dribble a ball very well, nor throw very far or straight, nor run very fast. My tetris skills do not hold up to the Master Level. I am a bullet sponge in Halo. When I played soccer, I liked playing fullback (defender) because it meant that all I had to do was kick the hell out of the ball, elsewhere. Finesse, thy name is not D M.

(That said, I am very good at reaching the top shelf, opening jars with stuck lids, and carrying reasonably heavy things that don’t require a true feat of strength. And beer; I can drink a lot of it.)

Now I’m having to learn all this new movement, and I always approach new things with at least a small level of trepidation. But new things that I’ve got it in my head I inherently suck at? I think I’ll try that brand new form of not doing things.

However, at 35 I recognize that learning a new thing requires me to appear a little foolish, and I should just let go of some of the old bullshit in my head when I can. If I can approach it with my own kind of humor then I should be OK, and so far I’ve been allowed to breathe my small tirades. The instructor has been pretty good; she’s firm, but not intimidating. This is after just one class, though–my hope is I’ll improve, but even if I don’t, I can look forward to getting beer afterward. And I only have to take 3 more classes, and then I don’t have to do it again if I don’t want to.

At some point during class I have been struck with the idea that this is love: you will be asked to confront those things you are frightened of, and you’ll be willing to give it a shot because someone important is asking it of you. I’m in swing classes because the Sweetie loves to dance. I might as well try to have a good time.

This isn’t exactly a new idea, I know. But it’s good to come back to the old ideas every so often; they can still teach me something about human nature, I guess.

And, just in case there are a bunch of women out there thinking: Why can’t my guy take me dancing, understand that she asked if I’d be willing, I said yes, and then she set it all up after that. I didn’t have to do anything else, which is good because I’d never follow up on it.
For all the men thinking that I’m making you look bad for going dancing (think Apu on Valentine’s Day) let me say this: before I even thought I’d ever learn how to dance, the girl learned how to play Magic first.
/smiles

Remember those sickening daily affirmation calendars that state the obvious and leave you feeling like someone just patted your head and sent you on your way without listening to you? I hate those fucking things. “Today is your day to shine” or “Give of yourself and it will come back to you.” Excuse me…I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Well, I discovered a book, “Daily Afflictions,” that was written with the purpose of helping you get through life, but more with a shock of reality and touch of sarcasm. What I love about the entries is that after the motivational (or slap across the face) paragraph, they sum it up in a phrase or mantra to take with you.

I’m currently going through some situations at work and in my personal life that are paralleling each other. I have choices and I’m getting close to where I’ll be forced to make decisions. But I hate the idea of not knowing how each would play out if I had the chance to explore them all. This book had an entry that hit it on the head. Here is the entry:

THE TRAGEDY OF COMMITMENT

“Whoever wants something great must be able to limit himself.” –WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

Sometimes you are paralyzed with indecision. You can’t bring yourself to choose any one future because to choose one is to forsake the promise of all others. Yet not choosing is making you crazy. In such a state, drastic action is necessary. You must choose – and then, one by one, murder all the futures you passed over. Like a faithful companion you’ve cherished all through your youth, you must lead each future back behind the shed, and even if it looks up at you with those big eyes, dreamy with possibility, you must put the cold muzzle to its head and pull the trigger. You must do it, again and again, for each future that competes for the attentions of your heart. Only then are you ready for commitment. Only then can you pursue the one thing which will, in time and after much mourning, become all things to you.

           The future is full of possibilities that I must shoot in the head.

When I was an undergrad, one of my good friends was the director of the campus radio station and, knowing that I’m a huge movie lover and was taking film classes, too, asked me if I would be interested in hosting a movie review show. I declined because I just don’t feel like I have my finger on the pulse of what other people will like. With that disclaimer, here’s a blip about two movies I saw this weekend.

On Saturday, I saw Stranger than Fiction and would give it an A. My all-time favorite movie is Groundhog Day and this movie kind of feels similar. I think Groundhog Day is Buddhist-ish and is about karma, consequences, working to be a good person, etc. Stranger than Fiction is about the third-person narrative we have running in our heads. It’s about actions and choices. The chemistry between Will Ferrell and Maggie Gyllenhaal is surprisingly good and for me that’s what it boils down to… the romance…

… because all we need is love, which brings me to the movie I saw today, Sunday, The U.S. vs John Lennon. I would give this movie a B. If you are over a certain age (30??), then watching this movie is like reading the Cliff’s Notes for a novel you’ve already read – a review, but no surprises. The thing that I liked best about the movie (sorry Yoko haters) was the relationship between John and Yoko. It was totally apparent that they just loved each other – trusted each other – wanted to be together – could depend on each other – were intellectually and physically in sync. And this was a documentary, so for everyone who says that romantic movies are unrealistic, here’s real live evidence that it does exist.