Saturday, September 23, 2006

Sarah smile

Hey, somebody call Hall and Oates -- that might make a good song title someday.

A few posts back, I mentioned I'd post a picture of Sarah taken by her big sis, Megan. Today is that day my friends.

Megan asked us one day, "Why are we always taking pictures of Sarah. How come when she smiles we have to take a picture?" I think I said something initially about how we were so excited to finally see Sarah smiling when we didn't think it was just gas.

But seriously, we told Megan then, as we've done with a lot of these kinds of discussions we've been having, that we did the same thing for her when she was a baby.

And it wasn't as if Megan could object. The 437 photo albums filled with pictures of her first six years overule that objection.

Overall though, Megan continues to be a model citizen around the house concerning her little sister. She talks to her, laughs when Sarah makes silly noises or faces, and is more than willing to help out when needed, and many times, without even being asked.

Photo album number 438 is off and running, and it's nice to have added a young hot shot six-year old to our arsenal of photographers.

Now, if I can just get her trained to shovel snow this winter...

Monday, September 18, 2006

Tough day for this sports fan

As we were sitting down to have dinner last night, I leaned over to our daughter, Sarah -- who is two-months old today by the way -- and told her to not be a sports fan when she grows up, it's too much torture. After spending six hours watching two of my favorite teams self-destruct, throwing away games they should have won, I was ready to join Sarah in a fit of crying, drooling on myself, and pooping my pants.

It started with the Eagles/Giants game. Since we got the Bears game on TV, and I wasn't able to run off to a nearby sports bar, I was relegated to following the game online. As the afternoon progressed, the Eagles erased an early seven-point deficit, and eventually had a 24-7 lead in the 4th quarter.

Fantastic! "They'll be 2-0, the Giants will be 0-2" I'm saying to myself. "The Eagles are in control of the division now...they could be making a run at another Super Bowl appearance" I'm thinking. In fact, I actually allowed myself to be happy about this game, and this team.

Big mistake.

I really don't want to get into the details, but you know how this story ends...The Giants score 17 points in the 4th quarter, force overtime, and win 30-24.

I think deep down I had a bad feeling about this one as the game headed to the 4th quarter. I called my parents to see how they were doing, and my dad answered. He's gradually withdrawn from watching sports over the years. Oh, he'll watch a baseball game, or a college football game now and then, but if it's a team from Philly, forget it. He's had enough. He simply doesn't pay much attention to it anymore. As I was talking to him, the Eagles were winning 24-7 in the 4th quarter. I knew he wasn't aware of the score, but I didn't even tell him they were winning, because I thought that would jinx it and the Eagles would eventually blow the game.

I hate Sundays in the fall.

So the Eagles game ends, and now it's 3:00, and the White Sox are taking the field in Oakland. Already fading in the AL playoff chase, there's still time left to make a run and sneak in at the end of the regular season. Maybe the Sox can salvage the finale of the series, and start a winning streak heading into the big Tigers series that starts tonight. After taking a 2-0 lead, things looked good.

Well, again, I really don't want to get into the messy details, but you know how this one ends as well. Former Sox star Frank Thomas hits a 3-run homer, the White Sox waste opportunity after opportunity to score, and they lose 5-4.

Yes, I know the White Sox won the world series last year, so even a disappointing finish to what was a promising 2006 season shouldn't be that difficult to deal with, but this team has missed so many opportunities, they're blowing a chance to repeat and really do something memorable. Granted, they're in the toughest division in baseball, but that shouldn't be an excuse.

There was one good thing that happened yesterday in sports for me, the Phillies won another game, 6-4 in Houston, and are just one game out of the wildcard. Given how many times the Phightin' Phils have let me down in the past, I'm not getting my hopes up about this playoff chase just yet. When you root for the teams I do, it's wise to brace for the worst, and just be pleasantly surprised when anything good happens.

And truth be told, I hope Sarah grows up to be a huge sports fan. Well, not that huge, I'd hate to see her have a weight problem. I have Megan brainwashed, I mean, aimed in the right direction. She cheers for the Sox, and yesterday she asked me how the Phillies were doing. Good kid. Now let's get set for the Sox/Tigers series, and the Cubs/Phillies series.

And Sarah, make some room for me. I may need some space to cry, drool, and poop myself later tonight.

Monday, September 11, 2006

September 11th, 2001: Where were you when it happened?

Everyone remembers where they were, and what they were doing the morning of September 11th, 2001. Many of you know exactly where I was, and what I was doing. I was in the middle of another award winning morning show, and the first official news report that I heard was during the 8:00am news from ABC Radio. Their report mentioned a "small plane" had hit one of the twin towers.

We don't have televisions at the station, so getting any visual perspective for us was not easy. All we would get would be through internet sites, and by 8:00am, the internet was moving at a snail's pace as people just like me were trying to find out everything they could.

The newscast ended at 8:04, a minute after the second plane hit. There was no mention of that on the newscast. My boss, Jack came up to the studio and told me that a second plane had hit the other tower. We soon picked up the ABC news audio coverage, and we spent the rest of the morning here at the station listening to Peter Jennings tell us what was happening.

It wasn't until I got home that afternoon that I got to see the horrible video images.

Our daughter, Megan was just a one-year old at that time. I remember sitting with her during the coverage that day and night. She was oblivious to the events and more concerned with simple things like pacifiers, rattles, and Elmo. I just looked at her, wondering what kind of world she was about to grow up in. I teared up a little, gave her a kiss and a hug, and braced myself for a life and a world that would never be the same.

Where were you that day? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Investigate this!



How does this not happen more often? An investigative reporter in San Diego is attacked during a report on a real estate scam. Fortunately, it's caught on tape, and after a minute or two see if you, like me, started rooting against the reporter.

I think my favorite moment is when the wife gives the reporter's head the pinata treatment with her water bottle.

So, if you see Mike Haensel doing an interview wearing a football helmet and a chest protector, you know why.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Chubby Cheeker


As Sarah relaxes on our couch, it looks like she's playing air violin, with the bow in her left hand. Maybe she's trying to do a Bob Dole impression. A funky new hip-hop dance move? Only she knows, and she isn't saying -- yet.

Megan snapped a great picture of Sarah smiling over the Labor Day Weekend. I'll post that one in a few days.