Sympathy Pain

It’s 3:00 am. I just gave up on burping the Binja. I would feel better with even a small eruption, but nothing after 20 minutes. So, with little hope that he;s actually asleep for good, I put the little bundle down in his bed and retreat to the living room.
It’s amazing how quite the house is. Sarah is asleep. All the animals are chasing rabbits in their dreams. I can hear Vivaldi playing in Tony’s room over the monitor. I hear him grunting. He’s in a new pattern of sleeping for 4 to 5 hours, eating, then staying in this mostly asleep but stretching and grunting for about an hour. It’s actually not as cute as it sounds…at 3:00. I don’t feel I can just go to sleep, afraid his squirming is from some pocket of gas I missed. If that’s the case, he will finally come unglued in about 30 minutes, about the time I nod off and hit “Well, why didn’t you burp when I was burping you, you little SOB” stage of almost sleep.

There’s a misleading quite that hits at about 3:10. I am given the false hope that he’s asleep, then one of his monster grunts comes over the monitor, and I’m back on edge again. I really don’t want him to wake Sarah up, who has the next shift around 6:00 while she’s trying to get ready for work.

About 3:30 now. He’s still squirming. I’m going to go lay down. He’s had no “Jesus God, My chest is going to explode from the pressure” cries, so I’m hoping we are done for the evening. I no I’m slowly starting to hit REM with my eye’s open…which is just freaky.

Good night from binja central…I hope.

I’m a nerd. I have a tendency to read reports that are extremely dry to get the “pros” view on things. Sarah hates it sometimes. I “prove” that I am right by e-mailing her clips from different reports.
I was curious about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, so I went to the top of the class, the American Academy of Pediatrics report. Yep it’s dry, and has alot of…words. But I found their list of recommendations. If you want to read the entire report…which is pretty interesting, you can do so here.

If not, here’s their shortened list:

(more…)

I was driving in, listening to the radio, when I heard this story. It got to me, so I wanted to share alittle world view today…

In Kabul’s trendy Shahre-Naw neighborhood, Jamal, a waif of a salesman in faded pink boots, is hawking gum for about 20 cents. Determined to score a sale, no matter what, he chases after pedestrians and darts in and out of snarled traffic.

“I’m a little scared of the cars,” he says. “One hit me coming the wrong way down the street. But I wasn’t hurt too bad.”

Jamal says he has worked on this corner for four years.

Kabul is the capital and largest city in Afghanistan. It has a population of about 3 million. So street salesman shouldn’t be surprising, right? Now consider that Jamal is 10 years old. He’s been selling on this street corner since he was 6. My son, at 6, was only concerned about his spelling homework, baseball, and getting ready for a new brother.

“Majority of them, they are not going to the school because they are working full time,” says Mohammad Yousef, who heads Aschiana, a nonprofit group that helps street kids. “Early in the morning, they are starting, they are working. Until evening they are working to have a piece of bread or something for their families.”

There are estimated to be over 600,000 kids hawking anything from gum to plastic bags or simply begging for alms. Some of them are the only means of income for there families who have been the victim of almost a quarter century of war. They have no education, and probably will only continue the cycle when they are adults.

Groups like Aschiana are trying to break the cycle by providing a few hours of education a day. Street kids can come in and learn to read, different skills, and musical instruments. The group hopes to get some sense of a better future into these children’s’ head. But none of them can give up there “day jobs”

Ahmad Zia, 14, learned to play the accordion-like Armonia and wants to become a famous musician. But he has no plans to give up his day job.

“Why should I be upset about having to work the streets?” he says. “I have no choice. My father is old, my mother is weak and only I can make the household run. So I need to sell plastic bags.”

NPR Morning Edition

My ex- and I get along pretty well. We share in Jack’s needs and wants. There are times we butt heads, usually falling into old patterns that caused the divorce to begin with. At other times, we are a united front. Here’s examples of both…within a 24 hour time period.

I dropped Jack of Sunday night, after a very full weekend of sports and family. He had no homework, which was awesome. However, not 3 minutes after leaving her house, she called me.

“Why didn’t he read his book? I sent it in his book bag.”

So I tried to explain that he had read other things, and she began to dove into my not being responsible for his education needs, and I…and so on. It was really kinda ridiculous. Not what the argument was about, but that the argument happened at all. It should have taken 5 minutes with the agreement being made that I would make sure reading books are considered homework and her agreeing that she needs to be clear about things I may not know since she is the primary care giver. But, it was 30 minutes of accusing and pseudo name calling. I guess 9 years of marriage will leave a few sore spots that take just a small verbal bomb to set off.

So the next night, After I had called to tell him goodnight, I was on the couch, feeding Tony, and the phone rings…as it does when your hands are full. It was the ex-
“Gotta second?”

I figured she was either still steamed about the book or going to apologize for the conversation.

“I’m feeding Tony, but yeah.”

“I’m going to talk to Jack’s principle and insist that he be taken out of this teacher’s class.” Hmmm, thinks I.

“What happened?”

“Well, he was asked to complete a math question on the board and got it wrong. It was the only one he got wrong out of the ten on his paper. The teacher, in front of the class, said ‘He didn’t belong in second grade’.”

My jaw hit the floor. Who says that? What kind of person says that to a 7 year old. He was crushed. He spent all last night saying he wasn’t smart enough to be in second grade. Now, he has an ‘A’ in math, and most of his grades are ‘B’s or high ‘C’s.

“Do you want me to come up?” I ask.

“Well, I don’t know if I can get a definitive time for a meeting, and you are almost an hour away. If I can, I’ll let you know and you can come up.”

“Well, do what you have to do. That’s not ok to say. If the principle won’t do anything, let me know and we can take other actions.” I was pissed, and so was she. We had a common enemy. We’ll see what happens

I guess that’s the way it will be. Their will be times when we go toe to toe over things, mainly because of our past, and others where we will be willing to go shoulder to shoulder.

Jack’s team won the region championship. 21-18 was the final game. We played another team from our city, so we knew the kids really well. It was a good game, and a great ending to the undefeated Threat. I’m so proud…

Of course, there’s always a but…or Butt. In the semifinal, we were up about 20 points, had taken out our lead scorer in the 3rd quarter to try to make it fair, and the other teams crowd was still pissed off. In the 4th, our lead guy got fouled…hard. The crowd actually cheered. One of the adults stood up and said…with his big girl panties on…

“He’s the only one on your team worth a damn, the rest are crap.” To a bunch of 7 year olds…He was ejected. It was a great moment in little league history.

But I digress…Congrats to the Triple Threat for a perfect season!

Tony gave Sarah a shock this morning…projectile vomit. It’s a little unnerving with the entire contents of a babies stomach and intestines come out of his mouth at the speed of sound. She woke me up at about 7:00 as she was getting ready for work. I know her Monday’s are crazy, so I sent her to work while I took care of the baby…and not 15 minutes after she left, this is the baby I had…

He had no fever, and took a small bottle without any issues…then a full bottle 2 hours later. I think he was refilling his tank. I did look up the PV just to make sure, and it looks like I did the right thing.

I have to admit, I hated spend 4 hours at home with a happy baby

Cause she has a weakness for the puppets…and I love pigeons.

I remember the first time I heard this song…”Before he Cheats” by Carrie Underwood. I thought, “Damn, that’s one crazy chic.”

Now, many of you will think, “You Go Girl!!!” (Sorry about the gay 80’s flashback), and I would guess that would be a female reaction. “He had it coming, the SOB!”

Let me take you into my thought process…Here’s an attractive female, who seems to have lots going for her. However she take the time to even care that this guy is scum. Just walk away. Her destructive actions make me think…”Hmmm, maybe there is more to this story.” So going off personal experience, I have created the following scenario in my head:

She meets this guy at a bar, one of those with the ever present smell of nicotine, beer, and hay. It has a name like “Mickies” out front in dim neon. He stops shooting pool long enough to send a tall one her way. She’s disinterested at first, there with her friends to drink and maybe ride the bull. As the evening progresses, he becomes more persistent and she grows more approachable. They leave together, in his ford truck with the roll bar, confederate flag, and small member compensastion package.

The next morning, he is gone. She was smart enough to get his phone number by using his phone to call hers when he was in the bathroom. She’s also glanced through his wallet to see his address. She’d played this game before.

She calls him, but there is no answer. Repeatedly, she hears his voice on the voice mail, but he never returns the call. “He must be busy” she thinks. They had shared something…whispered promises through the haze of alcohol fumes that would last a life time. She had begun to figure out how her name would sound blended with his.

The day progressed and still no call. Maybe she had done something wrong. Maybe he was upset with her for not being “pretty enough”. Well, that couldn’t be it. All her friends told her how amazing she looked, especially after she asked them.

Day turns into evening, and she knows. He is with someone else. She could see it all now. At the bar, saying the same things to some fat slut. Buying her a girly drink. Promising to call the next day.

“I’ll show him!”

As he exits the bar with his brother, he sees his truck in shambles.

“Dude, who did you piss off?” the brother ask.

“I don’t know,” he answers “I only had 2 beers tonight, and played pool with you.”

As they examine the beat to death truck, he sees a name carved in the seats.

“What the…wait that was the girl I took home last night!”

As he continues he slides his hand under the seat and finds something he had been missing since that morning.”Damn, here’s my cell phone…12 new voice mails and 21 missed calls…all from this chic…”

And that’s how it rolls in my head…

3 million to go…

I feel a sort of vengeance as I read this. It felt as if I wasn’t just shouting in the wind. I have the law on my side…how often does that happen?

Police in Clearwater, Florida arrested 75-year-old Jean Merola because she wouldn’t pull her car forward at a McDonald’s drive-thru, despite being ordered to do so by an officer. She had ordered coffee and french fries and was waiting for them.
Merola said the McDonald’s employees told her to wait there for her food.

Merola was handcuffed behind her back and put in the cruiser.

Another officer arrived and took her to the Pinellas County Jail.

Merola said she was searched, photographed and fingerprinted.

Tongue firmly in cheek there…

LONDON (Reuters) - A British bus company has apologized to a girl who is led around on a leash by her boyfriend and describes herself as a human pet after one of its drivers threw her off a bus.

Tasha Maltby, 19, told British newspapers she was the “pet” of her 25-year-old fiance Dani Graves.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper Wednesday she was thrown off and told: “We don’t let freaks and dogs like you on.”

Arriva would not comment on specifics but said it apologized if the couple felt they had been discriminated against. It added, however, that the driver was worried about safety and the company told Maltby to take the leash off in the future.

“We have spoken to the driver who has talked about health and safety,” a spokesman said. “Should she be attached to a chain and something happens on the bus, that could be dangerous. All we are saying is that she is very welcome to use the buses but not when she is on her lead.”

Maltby — who lives on state benefits and got engaged in November — said her choice of lifestyle might seem unusual but was harmless.

“I am a pet,” she told the Daily Mail. “I generally act animal-like and I lead a really easy life. I don’t cook or clean and I don’t go anywhere without Dani. It might seem strange but it makes us both happy. It’s my culture and my choice. It isn’t hurting anyone.”

I love that she lives on State Benefits…I wonder if there is a special amount paid to house pets…I got 3.

How is this ok, God?

So, it seems, there is some link between prostate cancer and having children. Men who have not fathered a child are less likely to develop prostate cancer than men with a child. Then, if that isn’t weird enough, the more children you have, the less chance you have. And one more thing, it you father boys you are less likely to have your prostate rot than if you have girls. I guess your screwed if you are the parent of a single girl child.

Well ain’t that a kick in the …head.

So, last night, we changed formula to the Nestle Good Start brand. They have a milk based formula that has cultures in it to help digest. Sarah eats yogurt with these cultures to help her digest the milk. It seemed like a good idea, and he seems to be doing ok. Milk based formula seems to be the closest fit to breast milk.

But wait…I looked up Nestle formula online today, and there is some kinda world wide boycott. It’s Nestle for gosh sakes. They make such yummy chocolate goodness…how could they be bad? Say it ain’t so. I love the Kit Kat.

So, it is alleged (cause I don’t know the facts) that Nestle is some bully world wide about formula. It seems they are pushing it as an alternative/substitution for breast milk(which I thought it was). Now, in third world countries and impoverished areas, mothers are using lees of the formula than they should per serving to extend the life of one can, and the child is become malnutrioned or dying. Also, the water supply is tainted, and it the water is not properly sterilized, the baby could develop horrible illnesses. Opponents are saying that Nestle is not pushing the importance of breast feeding in these areas of the world, and therefore liable for the deaths. UNICEF say’s:

“Marketing practices that undermine breastfeeding are potentially hazardous wherever they are pursued: in the developing world, WHO estimates that some 1.5 million children die each year because they are not adequately breastfed. These facts are not in dispute.”

Here’s what comes up on Nestle’s web site:

Baby Foods
Breast milk is best for babies. Before you decide to use an infant formula consult your doctor or clinic for advice.

The production of infant food goes right back to the origins of the Nestlé Company. Henri Nestlé’s ‘Farine Lactée’ was the first product to bear the Nestlé name.

In 1867 a physician persuaded Henri Nestlé to give his product to an infant who was very ill — he had been born prematurely and was refusing his mother’s milk and all other types of nourishment. Nestlé’s new food worked, and the boy survived. From the very beginning, Nestlé’s product was never intended as a competitor for mother’s milk. In 1869, he wrote: “During the first months, the mother’s milk will always be the most natural nutrient, and every mother able to do so should herself suckle her children.”

The factors that made baby foods success in the early days of the Nestlé company — quality and superior nutritional value — are still as valid today for the wide range of infant formula, cereals and baby food made by Nestlé. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that there is a legitimate market for infant formula, when a mother cannot or chooses not to breast feed her child. Nestlé markets infant formula according to the principles and aims of the WHO International Code of Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes, and seeks dialogue and cooperation with the international health community and in particular with the WHO and UNICEF, to identify problems and their solution. Nestlé’s expertise as the world’s leading infant food manufacturer, gained over more than 125 years, is put at the disposal of health authorities, the medical profession and mothers and children everywhere.

So, it seems, there is some rule or law about advertising formula as a substitute in these area, and Nestle may be breaking that. Anyone?

I washed the dogs this weekend…which destroyed our tub. The tub was also missing a screw that held the hot water knob on. So, on the way home from work I stopped at The Home Depot, and got Drano and an assortment of faucet handle screws.

I get home and put the Drano into effect. After dinner, I finish the flushing of dog hair into the sewers, and fix the hot water handle. I rinse out the tub, but it is still pretty nasty, so I set the Scrubbing Bubbles to work.

And I get an idea…

“Hey honey, the tub is fixed…including the handle.”

“owww, thanks”

“And it’s clean. Why don’t you take a nice, hot bath. I’ll watch the binja.”

“That would be nice. Sure you don’t mind?”

“No, go for it…but wait a second.”

So I go give the bath a final rinse and find the Aveeno soothing bath foam. She deserves a good bath tonight.

“OK, I’ll take him.”

Sarah slips into the bathroom, radio on. Tony and I are hanging out, he’s almost asleep…for about 2 minutes. He’s getting hungry, but I want to stave off his feeding until a little later. Usually Sarah would give him a bath to do this, so I decide to do the same. He usually likes his bath.

So I get all the stuff together, throw his towel in the dryer so it will be warm, get the water to an agreeable temp, and derobe the baby. He’s ok for a couple seconds…then the water starts to go cold. I had forgotten that my wife will use every drop of hot water the hot water heater will hold in her bath. It was down hill from there.

So when Sarah got out of the tub, I was putting lotion on a half naked baby, who was starving, and letting the entire city hear that I was torturing him with lukewarm water, baby lotion, and starvation tactics.

Hope she had a nice bath. I asked her, but since my ear drums where bleeding, I missed the response.

This is an example of what I get in my spam folder…Just thought I’d share.

Girls like when you have big male aggregate

You Do not please with your male organ size

Girls joke at you…

Don’t lose time you can solve this problem right now.

Use our male instrument enl,argement and Chicks will love you sure enough.

I have tried! Today it is your turn to change your sexual life.

http://dambaaa.com

So I have talked about Digital Photography and how to share it. Here’s a company that I am going to try out.

Create a free Smilebox scrapbook in 5 minutes. Just drag photos into amazing e-designs. Email them free.

And if you use this link, I get a kick back. Ah…the man and his many ways.