Goodbye My Friend

As kids, we all made friends that seemed like the best friend ever but as soon as summer was done or the school year ended, that friend was often gone and new friends were made. As we grow to adults, our friends begin to dwindle and the few that remain become true. These true friends become a part of who we are and can be very difficult to let go of. Today is a sad day for me as I will say goodbye to a friend, a friend that I may have only known for 8 months but will always remember. Over the last 8 months she has listened to my ups and downs, my worries and fears of what is in store in the next year and everything in between. Never once did she ask for anything in return but I did my best to make sure she got what she needed, treating her more like family than a friend of 8 months. I am saying goodbye to my friend today by choice because I know greater things lay ahead on the road my family will travel.

Like Ron White said, "You can't fix stupid!"

At my wife’s baby shower, we received a Bumbo infant seat for our son. The seat came highly recommended from the Obstetrician my wife has worked with for 7 years. From about the time that our son was 2 months old to about 6 months, we sat our son in his Bumbo seat and thought that it truly was a great invention. We would sit him in his chair on the dinner table with us to enjoy dinner or whenever we would eat out. The chair really simplified eating with a baby. As he got about 6 months old, he began to squirm and arch his back while in the seat to attempt to get out. It was then that we realized that the Bumbo seat was getting to dangerous to use and we decided to no longer let him use it. Apparently, this type of built in parental concern is not instilled into everyone. My wife emailed me today to tell me about a ""voluntary recall” of the Bumbo seat. It appears that 28 people did not recognize the danger my wife and I saw and continued to use the seat. Even though there is a warning printed right onto the seat;

“WARNING” – “Never use on a raised surface. Never use as a car seat or bath seat. Designed for floor level use only. Never leave your baby unattended as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement.”

Yell at me all you want but if your parenting skills are that top notch, should you be reproducing? How do you start a business and account for the stupid in your business model? The dangers are printed right there on the seat! It’s just like the children and infant medicine that has been pulled from the shelves of stores because of the dangers of overdosing. Not overdosing because of improper labeling but simply overdosing because parents are just not following the directions. That’s why I believe it’s not always survival of the strongest but survival of the smartest. This is where we should let natural selection run its course.

Where is the music?

Ok, so I sat here and tried to watch the MTV music awards and finally realized that it is not just rap that has taken a turn for the shitter but it is nearly all of music. Remember when you would turn on something like a music awards show and were guaranteed the best of performances because all the current hot acts were bringing their best to the stage? Well, gone are those days because when you start off with a no talent, ex teen heartthrob that is 30 lbs heavier that her heyday, trying to make a come back, you can see where the rest of the show is going to go. Don't get me wrong, I understand that after giving birth to half a little league team worth of brats, that it can be hard for your body to get back to where it was but , come on!

Britney Spears is proof that you cannot suppress the "White Trash" gene, you can only hope to hide it till someone turns the channel or TIVOs pass the ridiculousness. What happened to singing during your performance? Is there really a difference these days between Britney Spears' lip syncing over a heavily altered version of her voice and Milli Vanilli? Hell, I even liked some of their songs. Laugh if up but how many times have you hummed, "Blame it on the rain?"

"You're just too old, you don't understand music these days!" Ok, I am willing to listen to that for a minute since I know my parents didn't approve of the music I liked when I was 13-17 but... did the music awards shows I watched back then consist of half-naked "dancers" with poles, lip syncing their way through their own songs? Isn't that the job of "Tasty," "Delicious," or "Chocolate" at the Pink Pony or Lollipops (our local strip clubs)? I just don't get putting a pioneer like Dr Dre, screw that, the freaking hip-hop genius that brought us N.W.A., Snoop Dog and Eminem on the same stage as a no talent ass clown like Lil John.

Well I just had to get that off my chest. If you have an opinion on the subject, I would love to hear it.