So last night we were talking about my famous trip to California to play Saved by the Bell trivia. It was a Kramer experience. To get a call just because my name is the same as someone else's and then given an award because they couldn't contact the real Brian Bass. Then getting plane tickets in the mail and getting driven around in Limos, flown to Santa Barbara and appearing on NTN Trivia as a contestant meeting Lisa, Mr.Belding and Peter Engel. I remember really studying the shows transcripts because I had never even seen the show before. Then to get 3rd place out of 20 was pretty amazing for never having seen the show.

Now that I look at it, I have had many weird and wild experiences. The TV appearances last year were also out of the movies. Then playing guitar in front of 1000 people at a school was cool too.

I wonder if I am finished with all of my weird and wild experiences? You never know. Although a vast majority of people don't even have any werid and wild experiences. I am definitely thankful for it all. It was fun.

Here is a quick update. Dr says the xrays confirmed I have plantar
fasciitis in my left foot. I need new shoes and I need to figure out
how to do cardio without moving my feet. I think I will just do
windmills with my arms for 30 minutes a day. I suppose if I did them
at my desk people would think I am crazy. hmm... More tests...

So this weekend we had a party and everyone brought gifts for the baby. On Friday I set up the crib. It took me only 30 minutes to get set up. I guess back in the day those things were harder. The baby room is now complete, except for a changing table. I also got a new toy for taking video. It is called the Ultra Flip Video Recorder. Basically for under $200 you get a 2 hour high definition camcorder that connects through USB and transfers video files to your computer and even to youtube. I figure I will be using this to take videos of Brennon.

So at our party we had 36 people show up. That is a record. People walked up stairs and looked at our new baby room. Alot of our friends have kids so we had a ton of kids there too. Luckily people entertained all of them so there wasn't a big cry fest. We had tons of chairs in the living room and we had some friends bring decorations and the cake and everything. During this time I decided to put the middle name of our child up for a vote. Originally I had picked the name Brennon Boylston Bass. However, after telling my friends about it they nixed the idea with thoughts of the kid getting beat up and thoughts of skin diseases. I then decided to pick another middle name, one that would be popular and normal. I came up with some very good ones. I announced them while everyone was eating:

Brennon Graham Bass
Brennon Alexander Bass
Brennon Oliver Bass

I went through them over and over and like something about each one of them. They are normal middle names and have positives and minuses. For instance Graham is the name of many people in Texas. Our pastor's name is Jack Graham. It is very popular and yet still humble. The middle name of Alexander can also be a first name(although I don't like Alex as a first name). Alexander is one of those middle names that can go with any name. It sounds good and is a little more refined of a name. The name Oliver is also refined and a good first name. However, people did note that the initials would then be BOB. So I put the three names in the baby book and as the night went on people would go over to them and place their tally mark. I made it so that it would be anonymous.

The vote was incredibly close. There was like 15 people for Graham and 15 people for Alexander by the end. I found three people who did not vote and got them to vote and it ended up 17 people for Graham and 16 people for Alexander. Wow. That was close. I am really glad I did this voting thing. I was good with all three names and now there is a mandate that he has a good name. It also gave our friends a chance to be part of this birth. That way they will always know his middle name. It also made me very sure of what the name is going to be. Brennon Graham Bass. No takebacks this time.

Ladies and Gentlemen.

By popular demand and the vote of our friends at our baby shower last night...

The name of our bun in the oven...

Is...

Brennon Graham Bass!

coming to nurseries near you around September 9th...

So I am back from getting x-rayed. Remember when I told you how the Nike Free was the best shoe ever? Forget it. So today I had my usual doctor followup appointment. Apparently they have me recorded as losing 10 pounds in 3 weeks. In the end it was diet and exercise that is what made it happen, but the CBT helped spur that on. So while I am congratulating myself I tell the doc about my heel pain. Basically every morning when I get up both of my feet have this aching pain in the balls of my feet. I can feel it throughout the day as well. Recently it has even been feeling hot. So the doc xrays me for something called a heel spur, where your heel starts to grow bone inwards. By the looks of the xray I don't have it, but I'll get an official diagnosis later. I know it is for sure Plantar Fascitis, an inflamation of the heal muscle. So the doc prescribed me an anti-inflamitory. Which will probably work. But people seem to say it takes about 3 months to heal.

You know I don't know what to think of the Obama insurance stuff. I wonder if it would have allowed x-rays to be taken. I suppose it is good for piece of mind that I don't have a bone growing in my foot, but I don't think it was necessary. In the end I am going to have to stretch my foot every day, and dare I say it, stay off my feet for a while. I don't know if that is good for me though. Even though my heel will heal will it help or hinder my healthy heart exercises if I do half or no footwork? I suppose that negates stairs work for sure. It was even worse this morning as I did 48 flights of stairs yesterday. To top it off I hobble cause my legs are so sore from the workout.

I often thought, well do I really need a doctor to diagnose such a condition? I have read on the internet and learned that it is Plantar Fascitis. There are shoe inserts, night splints, stretching exercises, and even heel pads designed for this condition. However, even though I thought that I could do it all, the one thing I couldn't do is prescribe myself medicine. If I had thought I knew it all then I would have tried all of the home treatments, but I wouldn't be able to get the hotness out of the heel without medicine. Now the cause of this is still unknown because I have changed so much. Is it the shoes? Is it an increase in exercise? Is it being overweight? Is it lack of stretching the foot? It could be all of that. For now though, its gotta be the shoes...

So last night was my cognitive behavioural therapy. The lady says I am making progress. Right now I am down 8 pounds and am on a roll. So what is it about this therapy that makes a difference? Well, a lot of things. She is logically stepping me through a good diet and exercise plan. For instance the dialog might be something like this: "So have you been getting your 45 minutes of exercise daily?" "Sometimes, but most of the time I don't have time to do it so I only do it about twice a week." "How about getting up early to do it?" "No, I can't do that, I have always had problems in the morning." "How about doing it at work?" "Well, 45 minutes is too long and I probably wouldn't stick to it." "How about a 15 minute break in the morning and a 15 minute break in the afternoon and 15 minutes in the evening?" "I can do that, but isn't it hot outside?" "Well what about walking the stairs at work?" "Ok. I can do that." "Ok. It's a deal."

So like that the CBT person has negotiated getting exercise with me. The idea is to get me active with something that I can do. So today I am starting walking the stairs at work. I even scheduled it in my outlook calendar as a daily activity. This morning after 15 minutes I was a little sweaty, but I went to the bathroom poured cold water on my face, dried it off and went and sat at my cubby hole with a fan pointed at my head. After about 15 minutes I was back to normal, although I could sense a little drop in blood pressure. Exercise has always lowered my blood pressure. I'd be willing to bet if I exercise alot daily I would eventually not need pills.

She is also getting me to have a morning and afternoon snack of an apple or a lowfat cheese stick and some V8 juice. I told her when I tried that before I just gained weight so she took the cheese out of my morning cheese and bologna sandwich to make up for it. It's all about wheeling and dealing. This might actually work as long as I let it. That is the key. To be completely honest about what I can and can't do and let her push some small changes upon me. She even called Holly yesterday and told her that we need to eat out healthily on the weekends, since I pretty much drop my diet during the weekends. I thought it was humorous but it does make it more serious. As always it really ends up at will power. But with this therapy not as much will power is needed. I think. More tests.

Congrats go to brother Grant and his family for the birth of Simeon
Khai Robertson. Born at 4:30AM this morning. I bet our kids are going
to be playing together in the future. That should be fun. He was 5kbs
11oz and both mom and baby are doing well. They now have four kids. I
wonder what that is like... I think it is better than 18 kids and
counting plus they now have enough kids to make a four piece band...
Maybe thats something to shoot for, fame and fortune through
offspring. Or did the Jacksons already do that?

So this weekend was a cleaning weekend. We are currently in the middle of "nesting" as the term is called. The mother hen is preparing a nest for her young. We got carpet this weekend for the baby's room. We also ordered carpet cleaning for the rest of the house. Plus all of the Star Wars gear is now delegated to the guest room. Also, I put all of my DVDs in a big case. The bedrooms are being cleaned as well. We did alot this weekend and still have alot more to go. The funny thing is at the moment the house is the messiest it has been in a while since everything has been taken out of the closets.

It is now time to get rid of the extra electronics lying about. My 200 and 400 DVD changers have broken and are just lying there. Plus the old reciever, which still works, is not being used. Top it off with a camcorder that is not being used and some other electronics and we are going to send it to the electronic recycler. So if you want something come and get it. I am even thinking about getting rid of my XBOX and games since I never use it, although I tell Holly we could actually make money by having a garage sale. But it is alot of work to put one on.

Once we get the carpet installed I will put up the crib. Then hopefully we can get all of the baby stuff out of the band area and I can hook it all up. I guess because we are having our friends baby shower on Sunday at our house it is giving us incentive to clean. This is all good because we think our kid is going to come early. Holly had a doctors appointment and thinks the kid is big. So our next appt will be to have a sonogram. The doctor was even talking about inducing labor on September 9th because he could be big. I told Holly that would be cool if the kid was born on 9/9/09 at 9:09AM weighing in at 9lbs 9oz. She said the 9lbs 9oz was too much, but you never know...

Ok, so last night was guys night as we have now moved it to Thursday. It also saw the added friend from Wichita Falls showing up. We decided to go to Chili's. First of all, about my friends. They can be and have been a bit immature. I was made fun of for my last name growing up by my friends and my stepfather all of the time, so I know what being made fun of is like. Now when I told them the middle name of our child that brought out the kid in them. Now that I think about it, any name you think of should be ran by them for a proper vetting before deciding.

So the middle name that was chosen was Boylston. Promptly, Mr. T declared it gay. Benz said the kid would get beat up. Pepper starting making a song up. Benz took to calling him "Boile". And then "Oily Boily". Then it went downhill from their. So I had to explain what the signifigance of Boylston is:

In the year 1635 Thomas Boylston arrived at Boston. His son, Dr. Thomas Boylston, had a family of twelve children, of whom one, named Peter, was a direct ancestor of John Adams, the second President of the United States. The name of Boylston was to become conspicuous later in the history of Boston and Harvard College. A street in Boston was to be named Boylston street for the family. Another son, Zabdiel Boylston was the most famous Boylston. He innoculated people against smallpox - a skin disease, suffered persection for his beliefs that it works, proved he was right and in the end was admitted to the royal society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zabdiel_Boylston

Now Peter Boylston's daughter was Susanna Boyston who was John Adams mother. John Adams brother was Capt. Peter Boylston Adams. Notice how Boylston is now a middle name in the Adams lineage. Peter Boylston Adams had a daughter Ann Adams who married my Great Great Great Grandfather Josiah Bass in 1787 making John Adams my Great Great Great Great Uncle. From then on the Basses have had a Boylston in almost every generation.

The problem is Boylston is a bad name. It sounds like boils, tons of boils. So as I was talking to Beau he was like," So your telling me the name is related to smallpox, a skin disease?" I said, but my granfather's father was named Harry Boyl... You mean "hairy boil?" Then I just couldn't contain myself. Was I about to name my kid after skin diseases? As I was literally dieing of laughter and crying I knew I couldn't do that to him. So now I am selecting a new middle name. This time I'll make sure to run it through the guys.

So yesterday was CBT day. It is rather interesting as this lady calls it likes she sees it. You know she'll ask how I am doing on my diet and I'll say something like, well I did have double cheeseburger at sonic the other day. Then she'll look at me and go, well that's a crock. You've got pre-diabetes and you must not care. Then I'll say, well I had to make it quick so that is what is natural. Then she'll say, that's sounds like an alcoholic wanting a beer. Yeah, this therapy is treating my eating like an addiction. I can see it. I really only wanted to lose weight half way, avoiding my food choices. So then she goes into my childhood and how eating is comfort for me and how I control what I eat by being a picky eater. I can see that too.

It's starting to get psychotherapy like there. You know, going to the childhood, finding why I comfort eat and all that. Even going as far as my relationships with others like my family and my wife. Like how food is my family and friends recreation. When we do something on the weekends it is centered on eating out at Dallas's many fine eating establishments. Exercise is last on the list of priorites. Or was. Now I am pushing that up to a high priority. Apparently exercise is the number one prevention for diabetes, with losing 5%-7% of your fat decreasing your chances by 60%. I've lost 6 pounds so far. I am on a roll.

So I am on this kick now. Got to get healthy and be serious about it. But she also drew a graph on the board and said flexibility is the goal, not total control, because for an addict you end up bouncing back and forth between total control and being out of control. She always gives me homework. This time it is to drink V8 for an afternoon snack so I am not ravenous at dinner. Also to spend 20 minutes with the wife at night with no media and to get some prayer and quiet time when I wake up. I think it is a working and this CBT is getting me straightened out. Sometimes you need to hear the truth from a professional. I no longer can eat unhealthily. Time for tofu... Just kidding. No way.

So last night Holly and I went to our baby class. We are taking 4 2-hour classes in how to have a baby and what to do with them. I may even take a new dad class. Last night they went over the birth. As we went over it I realized that health class in 9th grade omitted some details, like giving birth to the placenta and how the baby's head gets squished coming out so he arranges himself in a good position. Then I also learned that baby's born with their face upward are called "sunny side up". I also learned about the number system as to how far along the women is in labor, but I have since forgotten it. Something tells me I really don't need to know that stuff anyways.

We did end up watching a quick birthing video. I don't think it is that gross cause it all looks so foriegn to me. I have no idea what I am looking at. I think if I was in the room with Holly I would be looking at her face anyways. We did the whole "breathe" thing too. I think I've got it down. I don't know if I am going to be actually in the room when the kid is born, but a minute or two after it happens. I don't know. I guess we'll have to decide before it happens.

There is other stuff to decide to. Should we do the whole cord blood bank thing? They say it can cost $1000 - $2000 and $100 annually to get it done, but it could be worth it if your child needs stem cells for leukimia, hodgkins, cancer or autoimmune disorders. I don't know. Seems like alot of money for a big "what if". I think it is a good bet that the baby will be healthy so I am leaning against it. Should we do the circumsicion thing? Back in the day it was medically recommended. Nowadays doctors are like, well either is fine, but most kids in north dallas are circumsized, plus fathers want their kids to be like them. So I am leaning towards it for vanities sake. Also, should I cut the cord? Is that supposed to be symbolic or is it a tradition or what? I don't get it. I wonder how the cord was cut before there were doctors? Did the first women decide,"you know, I think he doesn't need a huge belly button, I think I'll save this for later." snip. How did humans survive before baby class? The world will never know.

So I was watching a program last night about the six degrees of separation between everyone on earth, not just Kevin Bacon. It was pretty cool and it showed how everything can be tied together in a known network. For instance they created a map of the internet and was able to show how one site can link to another in six hops. Mathematicians were the ones who created the formula but the applications can applied to everything, even medicine.

I have been thinking this past month about tieing all of my diseases together. First, I have/had high cholesterol. Since I am taking Lipitor and Tricor my numbers have all become normal. Then I have high blood pressure. Since I have been taking Benecar and Coreg my numbers have become normal. Then I have GERD and a hiatal hernia. Now sometimes I still get heartburn but Protonix does the trick a little bit. Also, top it off with Rosacea and an antibiotic Tricyclodine to take care of it and my health is pretty normal. So with the drugs all seems normal. Add sleep apnea and a CPAP machine and you have me really taking care of my health. Really? Ah, but there is a tie to all of it and when I researched I found out what it is: Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic Syndrome is a combination of all of the diseases that I have plus insulin resistance. The end result left alone is of course, diabetes. As I researched stuff I found a supplement that is supposed to help in insulin resistance and that is Chromium Picolinate. I thought to myself, wait just a minute... Remember when I lost 60 pounds my senior year of college and I was down to 155 from 212? I found this drink at walmart called Fat Burner. It's main ingrediant was Chromium Picolinate. Woa. So I lost all of that weight because I was no longer insulin resistant. I must have insulin resistance. I remembered when I took that drink I no longer craved sugary foods and carbs. I was able to do a low calorie diet and not have hunger pangs. So I did a test and last week started taking Chromium Picolinate supplements. Right away I had some energy. The next day I did not crave sweets. I have lost 5 pounds with the CBT and Chromium plus caloric restriction. It is actually working. I of course will get tested at the docs at the end of the month, but for now I see a new day in my journey. Thank you Kevin Bacon.

This weekend saw the baby room get painted. Holly and her mom painted half of the room blue. I did the edges. Then the wallpaper got closed to being put up but it didn't stick right and fell off. Saturday Holly and I went to Main Event to go bowling. Sunday we did church/sunday school and then chilled at the house. It is too hot outside at 105 every day.

Oh yes, and for those in the family we will be having a baby shower after the baby is born some time in September. It might be at our house or at a restaraunt. I am not sure yet as we haven't formalized invitations. That way people can see the baby also. Our friends shower will be sometime at the end of July at our house. I think we sent an evite out. If you did not get one let me know.

We took Princess Leia to doggy training at Petsmart on Sunday. I think she doesn't pay attention to the instructor lady. We learned how to walk and how get the dog to lie down. Princess did a good job walking. Whenever the dog starts to pull you are supposed to stop until they come back to you and eventually she won't pull anymore. Now the down command princess didn't know what to do. We can barely get her to sit. It was like her mind was on the other dogs barking the store. Princess was wimpering and didn't care about the treats we were using to get her to lie down. The instructor gave up on her doing it. Maybe princess has ADD. I wonder if they make doggy ritalin? How was your weekend?

Today at BrianAldenBass.com I am celebrating my 1,000th post! It took 5 years to do it to. Wow. I have written probably 3 books worth of posts. I like to read about my dating adventures, my vacation adventures and all of my different job adventures. It is like an online diary of my life for the past 5 years. One day my kids may read this blog to discover what their dad was like back in the day. I often wonder what people think of this blog and more importantly what people think of me after reading it. I suppose a moment of reflection is in order. I can see I have alot of issues, like weight and dieting and pride to still get over. I might think most of these posts show off my tremendous ego. But I think a person who has a big ego usually does not know it, so maybe I don't have a big ego, I just think I do. However, to write 1000 thought requires a big sense of self.

It is kind of weird when a friend mentions something you posted on. It is also weird to think that people may stereotype you based on the posts in this blog. I suppose I should put my best foot forward. But, while this blog is a snapshot of what I am thinking at a time it is also refined and doesn't get too deep and hopefully its not too boring. People may want to know what I am really like so here goes:

I am easy going. If you got to know me on a personal basis you will find that while my mind is opinionated I rarely express it negatively.
I am a positive person. I believe in hope and that anything is possible, but I have also become more realistic in recent years.
I try not to judge anyone different from me. While I may have an opinion I will never pass sentence on someone, which is a true act of judgement
I am an honest person. I tend not to sugar coat things and when asked my opinion will give it honestly. In my language I may seem harsh and not know it. However, I will withold my opinion unless I am really comfortable around you.
I am an empath. I can easily detect peoples feelings and tend to associate my feelings with theirs.
I am proud of my family. My geneology and my relatives like my sister are people to be proud of. Doing great things is a unique trait of our family.
I am smart and do stupid things. Sometimes you have to admit it. But, I have big tendency to do stupid things, so according to Forrest Gump I am not really smart.
I am always trying to improve. If there is a way to change myself I will try it. I believe in personal growth and try to be a better person and if something fails I will quit it and try something new.
I am a Christian. I believe people who do not have a relationship with Jesus and God are missing something extremely important. I feel really sorry for those who turn a blind eye from grace, a free gift from God. It is hard to think that people who don't believe will go to hell, but I did not make the rules. So I try to live my life as an example so that friends and family will see the light even though I know I fall short. I think everyone needs to recognize that Christ is the only true representation of what a Christian should be and not us and our flawed actions.

Anyways, that is another look into who I am. Why? Well, this blog has become a tale, a movie of sorts. The life and times of a 30 something guy in the 2000s. From a wild lifestyle to one of married tameness. From a man lost in the wilderness of corporate america to one lost in the wilderness of governmental america. The story of a man trying to lose weight, gain friends, live life and the persuit of happiness. Something every American is entitled to. I have found my happiness and my wish for all of you is to be happy. Happy 1,000th Post Everyone!

Well, I am back from one vacation day and am tired. We got into OKC at 1AM on Wednesday and came back at 1AM on Thursday. It took alot to get me up this morning. The trip was good. It is always good to see family that you haven't seen in a long time. I saw my Dad, my half-brother Ron and his son, Christopher. I don't know if I ever talked to Christopher before so if was good to talk. That side of the family rarely communicates. We went to Olive Garden for lunch and saw Ice Age 3D in the afternoon. Ice Age was cute and the 3D was amazing. It was really a kids movie with very little plot, but the graphics were excellent. 3 out 5 stars.

Ah the Bass mem all have one thing in common, our iPhones. Naturally the subject of technology is tops and sharing App recommendations is high on our list. I talked about the features of jailbreaking an iPhone and we all talked about services such as mobile me that keeps our calendars and contacts in sync. Even Christopher had an iPhone but he lost it. Dad has technology all throughout his house. I told Holly to expect our child will be a techno geek like his dad. In his childhood kids will all likely have netbooks that they take to class instead of bulky text books. Text messaging and twittering might even be a way for teachers to communicate with their students. I am thinking about setting up our unborn child's blog soon, that way he can talk to the world through ESP.

So that was a good trip. Now that I am back I get to experience what we in contracting call "being on the bench" since my project was cancelled. Back in the day as a subcontractor I probably would have been let go. But since I am a permanent employee the company is going to try and find me work to do. Right now they are talking about moving me to production support. It is like going from someone who designs cars to someone who works on existing cars. We'll see if I like it. I just need a good attitude about it. Since I am with child my priorites are changing. I'd rather take money to do menial work than to do no work and get no money. I bet my employer knows that. We'll see.

Ah, so what to talk about today? Well, my latest diet/exercise/cbt thing is going well. Put the count at 4 pounds down. I am going faster on the treadmill watching a full episode of Lost. I am also eating low calorie TV dinners. Once you get used to it they are ok. Holly has started her remodeling of the house. I think since we our having our baby shower for the friends at our house she wants it clean. I came home the other day and noticed the mantle was bare. I am ok with it because I do want it to be whatever she wants. The Ankor Watt golden temple rubbing was taken down. That thing mom got in Cambodia for a tube of lipstick from a little girl. It is probably worth $500 since the temples were destroyed in the Vietnam war. There is even a picture of it in a Pittsburgh newspaper with mom holding it and the article was about how a world traveler has returned. Maybe ebay will be a good place to sell it. I have a feeling a garage sale is in our future.

Anyways, that is all I have for now. I will be going to OKC soon to see my father, half-brother Ron and nephew Christopher. It should be good since I haven't seen them in a long time. I've often thought of tracking down all the living Basses and setting up a family reunion or something. It seems like that side of the family is very disconnected. I know we have relatives in all different parts of the US. I wonder if I set something up would they come? It'd be interesting. Hopefully not as awkward as Benz's last family reunion where the host stood up and gave a long soliloquey about not being appreciated. Awkward. Speaking of awkward have you checked out:

http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com

I think I should submit some. I've got gobs of old family photos that scream - awkard.

So this weekend was the weekend of the fourth. I actually had Friday off so I promptly slept in. Then around the afternoon it was errand time which saw me getting a haircut, getting the car tires checked and getting the car warshed. The haircut was not one of the best and at sport clips there was a guy stylist who proceeded to tell me about how he loves to drink beer and chase women. Then he did the usual washing of the hair scalp massage after the cut. I felt like George Costanza and didn't enjoy it at all. Friday night Holly and I went to Snuffers and came home and watched Star Wars Episode I.

Saturday morning was the beginning of the trip. We decided to go to Shreveport over the weekend for our "babymoon". We got a hotel room at the Diamond Jack, formerly known as the Isle of Capri. It took me back as I have been at that hotel for years. I made sure to take money to lose. Saturday night I gambled away a majority of it. At the very beginning I showed Holly how to play blackjack and I was on a roll. I was up around $50. If I was wise I would have stopped there but what fun would that be to only gamble for 30 minutes? The problem with Blackjack on a Saturday night is the $15 minimum bet. Sunday morning it was $5 and if I would have known that I would have waited. Blackjack is the only game where in certain circumstances the odds of winning can be in your favor.

Saturday evening we were at the Horseshoe for their party on the roof. So we went on top of the river boat and proceeded to see fireworks that were extremely close. They put out loud booms and were different colors than I have ever seen, like yellow and pastel colors. They were so big I could see the sparks falling into the river. It was cool. Later that evening it took us an hour to wait for a shuttle back to our hotel. I remembered walking the mile before but I didn't want Holly to walk. Our hotel room had a whirlpool bathtub. If ever I have the extra cash I am going to get one put in. It was very nice.

Sunday morning we went to the brunch buffet and two old ladies gave Holly and I a free buffet. They said they got them as comps so they let us have it. They were from Abiline. One was retired the other was a financial analyst. They were wearing gold jewelry and said they had stayed there 3 times that month cause they kept on getting free rooms. After the buffet we gambled some more and Holly won $100 on a slot machine. That put us not losing all that we intended to lose. So even though we lost on the trip, we still not lose what was planned. All in all it was a good much needed trip. How was your weekend?

So the Fourth of July is coming upon us. America's independance from Britian was declared in 1776. That was a very good thing for America. As part of the ole geneology search my Grandmother's great x 4 grandfather was instramental in America's independance. It is no big deal and most people don't know about him. Who is this person? His name was Ebenezer McIntosh. He was a shoemaker in South Boston and was one of the leaders of the Sons of Liberty. He organized 2000 men to riot against the British. He was a king mixer, a real troublemaker.

It was August 14th, 1765 and Ebenezer decided he had enough of the British taking over and taxing stamps and instead of being much of a thinker he decided to actually do something. So he fashioned himself an effigy of a tax man named Andrew Oliver and hung it on a tree on Newbury street. He even included a boot with it and had a devil climbing out of the boot. Definitely the work of a shoemaker. The boot was a play on the name of the Earl of Bute and the whole display was intended to establish an evil connection between Oliver and the Stamp Act. The sheriffs were told to remove the display but protested in fear of their lives, for a large crowd had formed at the scene. Before the evening a mob burned Oliver's property on Kilby street, then moved on to his house. There they beheaded the effigy and stoned the house as its occupants looked out in horror. They then moved to nearby Fort Hill were they built a large fire and burned what was left of the effigy. Most of the crowd dissipated at that point, however McIntosh and crew, then under cover of darkness, ransacked Oliver's abandoned home until midnight. On that evening it became very clear who ruled Boston. The British Militia, the Sheriffs and Justices, kept a low profile. No one dared respond to such violent force.

I suppose in today's terms he could be called a terrorist. It was definitely that kind of behaviour. But I like to think it was then when the whole nation knew the Britian was in trouble and the Sons of Liberty were there to bring order. By 1766 the Sons of Liberty had establiced cells in every colony and the royal gaurd were afraid to act. It was then when the thinkers started to take over and organize larger armies. By 1776 the Declaration of Independance was signed. Flash forward to Iran today and all of the violence happening over there. What the top leaders fail to realize is that history is repeating itself. I think as the violence subsides the thinkers will organize a larger army and liberty may take 10 years to achieve. But instead of independance from a foriegn country, they will get independance from a totalitarian regime. Gooo Sons of Liberty! Happy Birthday U.S.A.!

To the relatives I discovered the Bass family motto taken from the Boylston motto the other day:
Libertatem amicitiam retinebis et fidem.
?Hold fast to liberty, friendship, and faith.?

So what to talk about today. Well, now that it is July I can perceive that I will be a daddy in about 2 months. Some men get worried that they will lose their social life, that the wife will desire the husband less and that the kid will trump the daddy. I guess those are common fears, but I don't seem to have them. I don't think I have much of a social life anyways and me and the wife are still on our honeymoon 2 years later. We still date more than any couple I know, 2 to 3 times a week. I also think that we have our priorities straight so that I will still be the leader of the house even after Bacon Burger is born. We are a traditional Christian family with me as the spiritual leader. We pray together and we go to church together. I am even helping out with the newborns at church getting some experience. Yes, it could be said I have become more boring, but I think it will be best for our kid to be in such a stable environment.

Common sayings: Your life is going to change forever. I have heard that one said by numerous people. I get it. I think I will love it.
Common questions: How is Holly? She is fine. We are keeping her indoors as the summer heat gets bad. She is getting bigger and we just found out she doesn't have gestational diabetes. Her blood sugar is just a little high. So the doc told her to watch her diet. So she is now on a diet. There is a place near my work called "Diet Gourment" that makes gourmet organic diet food like specialty salads and green wrap sandwich things with butternut squash. Anyways I can't eat a single thing this place puts out, but for her it works. I am on the TV dinner lean quisine type of stuff. Low cal is the way to go. Also I am still doing this therapy thing so who knows if it will work.

Have you put up the baby room? Well, we have gone back to Lowe's 2 times now to try to get the right color to match the blanket. They even tried a color scanner and it still turned out too dark. I think it is because we are painting over an off-white kind of color and it is mixing darker. So right now we have some stuff outside of the baby room. The idea is to paint the bottom or top half of the room one color and then put a baby border in the center. Then we need to get the room carpeted because the current carpet is ruined from princess leia using it as a bathroom. We shall then close the door and make that room off limits to her. She is currently potty training. Holly is doing that this summer.

Do you have all of your stuff? Well, not by a long shot. We are planning for a baby shower at the end of July for the family and at the beginning of August for our friends. Details are still in the works and I am letting Holly handle that. I think we will send out evites soon. We have already registered at Babies R Us and Target. All I think we really need is a crib, a stroller, car seats and a changing table and of course diapers. Everything else is just fun stuff to have.

Any other questions for me? I seem to be getting no responses on my blog posts nowadays... Check...Check... Is this thing on?