Song of the Day

Today's song of the day reflects my absolute favorite Sesame Street cameo of all time. REM does "Shiny Happy People", which successfully redeemed its worst, what were they thinking song.

I love it because of:

1) The muppet version of Kate Peirson

2) Monsters having breakdowns amidst a sea of fur

3) REM, a band I worshipped throughout my formative years, is now back in my life on any given , PBS morning.

Enjoy (and stay with it until the 1:20 mark)

Confession Time

I watch American Idol.

Babies in the News

During my blog-atus, an irreverent group of celebrities decided to go ahead and bear children and name them egregious names without giving any consideration to my self-appointed sabotical.

Horrible.

But not as horrible as the names they chose.

The Highlights:

5) Buster Timothy Miller (child of Jonny Lee Miller nee Jolie) - Pass the courvoisier

4) Viggo Moriah (child of Taylor Hanson)

3) Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip (twin daughters of Rebecca Romjin and Jerry O'Connell)

2) Seraphina Rose Elizabeth (daughter of Jennifer Garner and Ben Afflek)

1) Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa (son of Lisa Bonet and some guy)

***This is just a temporary list until Jason Lee (father of Pilot Inspektor) reveals the name of his daughter....which is sure to be a gem.

That New Perspective

Just when you're prepared to throw yourself the pity party of the season, take a cue from Atticus and consider a day's walk in someone else's shoes.

My brother, for instance.

A seasoned marine, my brother is the father of four unbelievable kids ranging in age from 13 years to eighteen months. He also happened to marry one of the most unbelievable people I know (a sister of the heart, if not the blood) in Nurse Julie. He is my older brother and, having barely survived two cross country trips in a cramped car as kids, I consider him one of the most important people in my life.

And yet, today, he is returning to Iraq.

I actually just got off the phone with him, needing to talk to him one more time before his feet found themselves standing on sandy soil and my heart is broken all over again. The first deployment was tough (baby Charlotte was but a few months old at the time), but this one seems tougher.

So here is my new perspective, my new reason for getting over my own self-indugence. Paul will be gone from his wife and children for an entire year. Four little birthdays, a dance recital or two, countless soccer and baseball games, the first day of school, their anniversary, fireworks on the 4th, Halloween costumes on the 31st, Christmas morning, and every morning in between.

365 days begins today.

And every day I will include a post about this deployment; it may be an anecdote, a diatribe, or just a sentence. Whatever it is, a year is a long time and consider this Day 1.

Semper Fi.

A New Year, A New Perspective

So, I'll admit I got a little indulgent as the dreariness that was 2008 trodded along with each month unfolding another disappointment, another reason to wallow. As my blog intimitated along the way, the year was tough and I decided to whine my way through it.

But here's the thing....I got it all wrong. All the energy I put into moping, eye rolling, and the occasional tantrum would have been better served working on removing the rather large chip that had found itself residing on my precarious shoulders.

Of course, these little epiphanies don't usually come to pass while you're standing in line at the grocery store (shout out to James Joyce); instead, they often come when you confront someone else's reality which thereby puts your own into perspective.

Enough of this....it's a new year, with a new blog, and a new perspective.

Cheers.

Quote of the Day

"It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't." -- Barbara Kingsolver

Picture of the Day

In addition to lessons in loyalty, integrity, and tenacity, a godfather is always good for lessons in self-defense.

Ahh....the old thumb-to-the-eye trick never fails....

Send your favorite kid pictures (especially ones from the holidays) to: dalessandrochristine@gmail.com