Sympathy Pain

Evenflo Recalls Million Infant Car Seats

VANDALIA, Ohio (AP) — Evenflo Co. issued a voluntary safety recall Friday of 1 million Discovery infant car seats after tests showed that the seat could potentially become separated from its base in high-impact side collisions.

The recall affects Discovery Infant Car Seat Models 390, 391, 534 and 552, made between April 2005 and Jan. 29, 2008. Evenflo is providing owners of the seat models a free supplemental dual-hook fastener to ensure that the seat remains attached.

Testing by Evenflo and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed a potential safety risk to children, said NHTSA Administrator Nicole Nason. Rob Matteucci, Evenflo’s chief executive officer, said there have been no reports of any serious injuries or deaths.

The privately held company, based in suburban Dayton, said it is not necessary for owners of the car seats to stop using them or return them. To order the fastener, seat owners should call Evenflo at 1-800-356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST or visit http://www.evenflo.com/Discovery.

In high school, I had a crush on Ami. We went to the Braves game, I bought her a bracelet, but we never “went out”. I was shy back then. Towards the end of our senior year, we had a falling out and lost touch after school. I always wanted to get back in touch with her. When they started working on my 10th year reunion, I got in contact with the organizer. She got me Ami’s information, and we began talking again. I was contemplating divorce, and she was divorced and happily remarried to a police officer in Savannah.

In the last year, I have not heard much from Ami, then I found out why. Her husband was in trouble:

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Officer Antonio Franklin Taharka was indicted today on a voluntary manslaughter charge in the May slaying of another man.

The Chatham County Grand Jury found that Taharka shot Anthony Smashum with a gun “while acting solely as the result of a sudden, violent, and irresistible passion.”

The grand jury found that action resulted “from serious provocation sufficient to excite such passion in a reasonable person.”

The indictment stated Smashum had resisted arrest, prompting the officer to shoot him.

The same grand jury refused to indict Taharka on a felony murder charge in the case. That charge would have meant the officer committed aggravated assault by shooting Smashum.

Ami sent me this link for his defense fund. Please read over the articles and see if you can help in any way.

Thanks,

I got this email fowarded from Sarah. I new Jamie had had the baby a last week, but I didn’t have any details. So here you go…

Thursday, December 27, 2007
4:47 PM
20 inches
7 lbs, 7 oz.

Congrats Jamie and Michael!

We got home from the hospital today around 1:00 and are working on getting
settled in. I will email more details (and pictures) tomorrow when I have
some time.

If you are interested here is a link to the hospital site and her first
“official” photo:

“We don’t need another cat…” Famous last words.

It was 1996. My ex-wife and I had been married about a year. We had traveled to Birmingham from Atlanta to visit old college friends. While visiting, we went to a pet store where another college friend of mine worked. We were not there to get a cat. I mean, who travels 200 miles and gets a cat on a whim. But there she was. This heart shaped faced, slender, black little girl. She was a very slim, slinky cat. My ex fell in love with her.
(more…)

Not ours…

Congrats to Eric and Nina! Baby Ethan was born at 1:15 this morning.

Yehaw!

I came in this morning, with a list of things to try to accomplish. Most little selfish task, some for the greater good. I was hungry and wanted some caffeine. I saw the same people coming in that I usually arrive with. It’s a Monday.

I clock in and start to my desk.

“That sucks” says our accounts payable person.

“what” says I, expecting dome little fire that the bean counters have to deal with.

“Pete died”

I didn’t know Pete Malvizzi all that well. He was a road guy who popped in and out of the office. We talked about Pittsburgh from time to time, he being from the north, and my ex-father-in-law being from there. Pete was a tough son of a bitch, having 2 donor kidney operations in his teens and a brain aneurysm just a couple years ago. You wondered who he knew to still be around. It was like he didn’t have time to let that stuff slow him down.

Well, this time he couldn’t. He was on the road when he got sick this time, doing what he did better than anyone. It surprised doctors that he fought for the almost month this time before his body lost the battle. Damn, he’ll be missed.

Here’s a link to my other site for more information. It’s an archive of his latest battle, so start at the bottom if you want.

I just wanted to put this here to remember him when I look back on the days before Tony got here. Pete is the kind of guy I hope I will be when faced with adversity, just to stubborn to let it keep him down.

Maddie Is Here!

Here she is, I experienced this birth on speaker phone last night. Sandra (the proud grandmother)was just overwhelmed with emotion. Tears of joy!
She was born at 12:12 am on 10-23-07 6 lbs 6 oz.

Mark

James Anthony…

James, or Jamie as I know him, is Sarah’s dad. Yes, he’s James Brown. He and Leslie raised 2 amazing daughters. He is a musician at heart, and works for Boeing, so he has a touch of mathematician in there as well. I remember the evening I asked for his eldest daughter’s hand. He never said yes. It wasn’t a blessing he was going to give lightly. I respected that immensely. I also had the opportunity to work with him on a production. I was impressed by his professionalism in what I consider to be a less than perfect situation. I feel blessed to have him as a father-in-law and to have Jack look up to him as a grandfather. With our son, we honor him.

Tony was my father’s youngest brother. He was close to my sister’s age. He went by “Dewayne” for most of his life. He was quite but very smart, almost an engineer’s personality, but a musician’s tendencies. He passed away of a heart…explosion…a few years ago. He was 40. He had had some rough years, a couple failed marriages, living with my grandmother off and on for years. He then turned his life around and started going by Tony. He was a computer genius. He had actually just flown back from the Philippines on pleasure, and they think he got a blocked artery from the long flight. He was the only one in my family who understood my choice to get a divorce. He was the only one who saw what I was trying to do for myself and Jack. With our son, we honor him.

I took off at lunch today to go with Sarah to the doctor. we had to grab lunch and let her folk’s dogs out. Burger King and Jeopardy with a couple whinny dogs. That’s a good lunch.

We headed to the doctors. Sarah was about to pee herself. They always need her to make deposit.

The baby is great. 15 ounces, still on track for a December 1st birthday. The ultrasound showed November 30th. Heart rate was 164. The baby had the hiccups and danced alot. It had one arm over it’s face…very cute. The cervix was about 13.5…whatever that means. All the toes looked good. Their is a face. And a penis.

http://www.apileofdogbones.com/index.php/site/hiatus/

So I have to tell you. My son’s coach pitch baseball team just won the regional tournament. I’m very proud of them. They were the team to beat, and lost only once, in what could have been the championship. But it was a double elimination tournament, so we had to play Monday night. They played great and won 15 to 6. Go Chargers!

I only played football at 65 lbs and soccer in junior high. That was my organized sports experience. i was more the “Science Team Nerd” and later the “Theatre Geek”. I always had the crazy parents and yelling coaches image in my head when “little league” was mentioned. We were lucky to land in a good little league community. There are always some crazy parents, but for the most part, it’s like a big family.

One little boy was so socially and physically inept at the beginning of the season, I really worried if he would play out the year. Every week, we saw an improvement. He gained better control of his body, began hitting the ball, and wasn’t so much of a terror in the dugout. He came to Jack’s birthday party, and seemed to almost fit in.

So, my advice for the day is getting you child involved. Rather it is sports, arts, church, or something else. It helps with social skills, as well as, exercise.

I wish I could talk Jack into Tap Dancing. He has the dance in his soul…or maybe he just can’t set still. I think pee-wee football is next.

Thanks to Stephanie who found sent me this :

New Checklist of ‘Daddy Duties’ Supports Dads-to-Be and Delights Moms

I love Nestle…at least the cookies.

I’d like to know how you found out you were pregnant. Moms and Dads. Everything that you remember about that…or those…moments. Leave a comment or a link to a post. Get your friends involved. Have your baby momma/daddy give their view of the moment as well.

Have a great weekend.