Big Day

Today's a big day for the little boo. She's cutting her first tooth AND she hoisted herself up and stood up for the first time. It wasn't a full on stand on your own two feet kinda thing, but very, very close. All this on the crest of seven months of life - she *must* be gifted!!

Madison Discusses Politics and Current Events

Giggles

We know a couple of people who could use a smile - hope this helps.

Madison vs. The Happy Star

4th of July

The 4th was fun and low key. Some baby time, some yardwork, some grilling, some more yardwork, some golf. Good times. Here's Madison enjoying a faux sparkler/party favor.

That's MY Girl

Yes, it's true, my baby girl likes to watch golf. I think we can start the countdown to the LPGA tour now...

Maybe I don't want to go into space anymore...

Astronauts Suffer Agonizing, High-Pitched Death After Helium Leak

Uh, whoa...

This is too cool.


MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Mama Day

Yesterday was Michelle's first ever Mother's Day and Madison and I conspired to make it special. Well, I did most of the work, but I'm happy to share the credit with her. We had a tasty breakfast with eggs, hashbrowns, and some delicious coffee, then headed down to Navlet's to buy more plants for the front yard. Michelle placed em and I planted em and I think I can finally say that the plantings are DONE for the front. Mother's day dinner consisted of some baby backs (ribs, that is) I smoked on Saturday and some homemade coleslaw. All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with love, giggles, and smiles.

Purpose and Perspective

I've been a bit of a bitter beaver lately, what with all the tumult and issues and such. I don't want to get into all of it, but it's been pretty depressing and has been stressing me out. So, I've taken a step back, reestablished some boundaries, said my peace to some people, and removed things that were bothering me. Now it's time to focus on what matters, time to set new goals, to embrace my purpose in this world and gain some perspective on all that doesn't directly contribute to that purpose. That purpose is, of course, making the best possible world and life for my daughter and my family. She has a remarkable ability to help snap me out of a funk and put a smile on my face. Since I work in the City all day, I don't get to see a lot of her, and it was really getting to me. So, I set up my computer desktop background to rotate through my photos of Madison every 30 minutes so I get to see her all day long. And who couldn't feel better looking at such a cutie-pie all day??

A Minor Rant...

Dear NOR*CAL Guys:

Congratulations on the purchase and subsequent modification of your very, very large pickup truck. I am sure you are very happy with the assortment of large decals you have placed on it, most of which have something to do with MotoCross, WaterSkiing, Snowboarding, Tattooing, Sunglasses, etc., and almost all of them are in Old English typeface. The lift kits and free flow exhaust systems compliment the overall aesthetic nicely and give you the awesome combination of horsepower and high center of gravity that leads to so many spectacular rollover accidents. Thank you so much for hurtling by our home with the accelerator buried in the floorboard, doing 50 in a residential neighborhood, so radically embracing a complete and utter disregard for the safety of those around you (that's totally EXTREME!).

Congratulations also on your matching nautical star tattoos above (or sometimes on) your elbows. This is truly becoming the 'tramp stamp' for 18-35 year old males in Northern California. Way to assert your individuality, en masse. And, for those of you who have not yet gotten any tattoos, congratulations on your recent purchase of a Hart and Huntington shirt, wristband, and cap (worn snugly down on the eyebrows, right next to the piercing). Similarly, for those of you who have never sat on a motorcycle in your lives, congrats on the Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, or Harley-Davidson swag that you wear so proudly.

Enjoy this time in your lives, but try to remember, someday you'll look back on this and realize that you didn't need to try so hard, pose so much, and act so tough; really all you accomplished was pissing off your neighbors and looking like a total douchebag.

Thanks for the chuckles...

Family Update

Yesterday brought Madison's baby shower and introduction to our friends and family. Bill and Carol next door hosted a wonderful party and we were blessed with a great turnout of wonderful people. The day could not have been more perfect and we were grateful for the kind words, thoughtful gifts, and loving support of everyone who came and those unable to attend. Madison continues to grow with gusto, getting a little bigger every day and adding new weapons of cuteness to her arsenal.

Yardwork

Yardwork. A glorious tradition, steeped in majesty, beer, and small irritating cuts on the hands and forearms. This year, we decided to stop procrastinating and finally get to the front yard remodel we'd been dreaming about since purchasing the house in August of 2005. With the help of a very skilled gardener and his crew, we cleared away all the old plants, except for a couple of very healthy roses, removed all the "decorative" rock, and put in a 2' retaining wall. I ran new irrigation infrastructure and did all the plantings. We have brought in about 5 yards of soil thus far and some bark is on the way. So, there's a lot more to do this weekend and we're off to the nursery as soon as we've achieved coffee-stasis.

So, here's BEFORE:
and here's ALMOST AFTER:

Who's my boo-boo?

Michelle took this pic the other day and I absolutely love it. I think it captures Madison's more cerebral side.

Austin, Texas

I wanted to get this posted a while ago, but was joyously derailed by the arrival of our daughter, so the timeline may seem a bit out of sync.

With Madison's arrival impending, it dawned on us that we would have few childless weekends ahead (this turned out to be so, so very true) and we decided to haul ass down to Austin Texas to visit our beloved friends, Chris and Sandy and their son Jason. Chris and I met on the golf course (Diablo Creek) and quickly became close friends; I'm proud to say I think of Chris as a brother and I know for a fact that my life is enriched by his presence. About five and a half years ago, Chris relocated to Austin from the Bay Area when he and Sandy, a remarkable and wonderful woman, decided to get hitched and have a family. Michelle and I had always talked of going to visit, but the timing was never quite right. Finally, we kicked ourselves in the butt and got down there.

The trip was great - Chris and I played some terrible golf (I played terribly, anyway), we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Jason, who is growing up into a remarkable young man, Sandy showed Michelle around town, we had some great meals (Eddie V's, Rudy's, and HEB breakfast tacos), but most importantly, we got to spend a couple of days with people we love and cherish.

Michelle took this picture on the Sunday of that trip at one of the local driving ranges. The range was enormous with about 1/8 of a mile between the shack where you pay and the actual teeing area. The narrative of this shot, to me, is men making their way to the field of battle, although "battle" in this case is hitting balls on the driving range. I'm not sure how, but it works in my mind. I'm also tickled that the picture captures the symmetry in movement between Chris and Jason.

Almost home

We're almost home. Rights have been officially terminated in Michigan, our hearts are officially lost to Madison the Great. My Dad is coming out to meet her tomorrow and is staying through Sunday. If all goes to plan, we'll all be going home on Sunday. After all this time, our family is complete and it feels amazing. I'm overflowing with gratitude and oozing joy from every pore.

First Family Photo

From Madison Day S...

Big changes

It's not that a lot of things happened this week, really, just one very, very big thing that has sent ripples through all our routines, ruts, and grooves. Remember that whole thing about adopting a baby? Well, she's here! She came on Monday night at 11:33 Eastern time. We got the call from Sara at about 10 Eastern that she was in labor and we should haul ass to Detroit. Before I could get the flights booked, Madison had landed safely at St Joseph's in Pontiac. We've been here since Tuesday and will be here about another week or so. Here are some highlights from Week One in the life of Madison Grace Carmin Cravens.

No Pressure

Just a thought here, no pressure or anything. These will be in the garage, just in case.

Back in the Gym

Well, at the risk of jinxing myself, my back's feeling marginally better and I'm ramping the workouts back up gradually. I did 30 minutes on the bike this morning and have started back with weights again, albeit without squats for now. I've been doing some abdominal work with light weights, mostly situps on the stability ball, some woodchoppers with about 60 pounds, etc. I've been bookending my workouts with stretching and a little yoga, so hopefully I'm on the road to recovery.

You Say You Want a Resolution...

It's that time of year again - pronouncement of plans for self improvement. In the spirit of setting my personal short term agenda, here are some resolutions:

• Be thinner. I lost a bit of weight last year, but I'd like to lose another 25-30 pounds. I don't need six pack abs, nor will I get them as long as I enjoy six pack beers while working on the house, barbecuing, and so forth, but I would like to flatten out the gut and send the love handles packing. I'm declaring a fire sale on flab - more to come on that one, fo sho.
• Be nicer. I'm nice, but I could be nicer, especially to people I don't know (most of whom are in their cars driving like morons). Instead of loudly professing their shortcomings, I will take a breath and try to focus on what I'm meant to learn from the experience. Usually, no doubt, I will be meant to learn that the person going 40 in the fast lane is a damn moron, but it's not my fault if that's what the Universe wants to teach me today...
• Be a better gardener. The weeds aren't really winning, but they're not losing either. Moreover, there are structural changes I'd like to make to the yard this year including new, improved irrigation, raised beds, roses, retaining walls. If possible, I'd like to find a way to either make the dogshit disappear or turn it into gold. More on that one later, I'm sure.
• Be greener. I drive a car with a big V8 engine and I'm not getting rid of it any time soon (unless the Sierra Club would like to float me a couple grand to square away the bank so I can get a Hybrid). To offset this, and just on general principle, I got a compost bin and am starting to compost our green waste. This should play nicely with my gardening goals in a couple of months. I'm looking for other ways to reduce my carbon footprint as well, if for no other reason than to balance out the carbon I release by smoking meat every weekend in the summer.
  
• Be a better husband. See thinner, nicer, and better gardener - they all tie in here. No matter how good you are to your spouse or partner, you can always improve; no matter how much you improve, they can always find new areas of improvement for next year.
  
• Be a better golfer. Being a better husband will be my bargaining chip to get the time I need to improve my golf game. I'm an 11.4 handicap today and would like to be a 7 or lower by the end of the year. This will require commitment, dedication, and focus, not to mention a healthy back and some lessons. I've reached the point where I'm tired of being on the cusp of being good at golf. I feel as though I went through that once with music - I was the guy who was really good amongst his peers at Junior College but couldn't get work when I tried to do it for real in LA.
• Be a better communicator. I've never been one for correspondence; it's easy for me to let long distance relationships lapse. I feel very lucky that I have friends and loved ones in my life, even if they're scattered across the country and I should make more of an effort to keep in touch with them. Not just email, but on the phone as well, and, hopefully in person.
• Be a Dad. Which really means that I probably won't have time or energy to call, send emails, go to the range or play golf, work in the garden, go to the gym, or be nice to people. But hey, it'll be worth it.