Social Networking

So obviously I've taken the plunge into web 2.0 or whatever you want to call it. I think it is because I miss being tied to the computer all day. The Army adapted e-mail as it's only means of communication (unless you needed to call someone to tell them to read their e-mail) so somedays I did nothing but read and reply to e-mails. Anything that had to be done was via a website built for the Army by the lowest bidder. So for the last six years in the Army I was on the computer all day.

For the last year all I have received is junk mail, the occasional pictures, jokes or forward this now warnings that were totally untrue. I missed the excitement of opening and reading something that was truly important or exciting. While I do enjoy, and happily fix, the problems that my kids come to me with, I need adults that need me. So I joined a SAHD's forum. It's great and I heartily recommend it to everyone, except my wife (it's for me). Dads post a problem/funny story/cute picture/help with their computer... and they really, really want me to reply with my sage like knowledge in all topics. It is really set up like e-mail messages ought to be, seriously, look at a year old work e-mail that keeps getting dredged up and forwarded. Now, go to a forum (any forum) and you will find a thread that has been around for years. It has every comment ever made, the picture of the poster (avatar), and the date/time/order that it was made with quotes back to the comment that is being commented on. But that is not the point.

I have joined MySpace, Cre88tBuzz, Twitter, MyBlogLog, Linkedin and this blog. That is too much. I do not have time to keep up with them all. MySpace is working well to keep up with some friends and family around the country (except my cousin who will not answer my friend request) and share some pictures. Cre88Buzz is o.k although I am not sure how different from MySpace it really is, I think it is more of a “look at all the cool things I do on the web” place which is cool I guess. I will keep up with that for a while. The rankings are neat and kind of give you a goal to shoot for (especially since I will never be Major Dad). Twitter is just too damn much, “I just woke up, I am eating, watching t.v., typing in what I just did on twitter, the kids are crying, eating again, t.v. again, going to the park, eating, t.v., sleeping” if you Twitter and care what I am doing call (but I probably will not answer so leave a message).

I could go on but you probably came here from one of the sites I mentioned so go network, get back to work or get back to your family (and come back here soon).

Run

Last year when I started this SAHD gig it was about this time of year. It was just me and the boy, Savannah was on her way hanging out in mom's belly, but in the beginning it was just us guys. It was nice out side, warm and sunny most days. Sometimes it was down right hot and humid but that never stopped us from going outside to enjoy all the day had to offer. We would go to the park and slide or swing. Jake was and is great at making friends so I never really had to worry about him getting bored. I on the other hand was about the only guy at the playground (this is before we started hanging out with our neighbors). It turns out that most mom's do not care to make friends with the dads' at the park. I needed something else so I got a running stroller and off we went. The deal we had was that we would run then play at the playground. He was great, of course he normally fell asleep within the first few minutes of a run. Then along came my sweet, beautiful, perfect, best baby ever little girl. Then the cold hit. Then we stopped running.

Thursday morning I started running again. Someone in a forum I frequent mentioned the urbanathalon sponsored by Mens Health in NYC and it got me thinking. Something I have needed for a while is peace and quiet, time alone. I almost miss my 1 ½ - 3 hour commute each way everyday. I think my 6 a.m. runs will give me that time I need. Today I ran at Rosedale Park. It was a nice run, first time I had run there, although we have played at the playgrounds and fished there a number of times. The trails were wooded, unpaved and poorly marked but it is definitely a nice place to run. I am sure that I will run there again. Hopefully I can keep this up, I am not a morning person and every minute awake sucks more and more motivation out of me. I am posting my runs on the dads forum I am on so maybe a little peer pressure will help. If your interested Thur-Sat I ran 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5 miles. My legs hurt, tomorrow I rest.

Now I need a double running stroller.

Jimmy!!!!!!!!

So the time is almost here again. Just over a week and we will be slamming Corona's, Captain Morgan and Tequila in the parking lot. You just can't beat the smell of hot asphalt under your feet, Cheeseburger in Paradise blaring from 20 different stereos or to see those scantily clad ladies (way too old and probably too young) walking around in coconut bras. Actually there are quite a few guys that wear the coconuts also. Everyone drinking and sharing, hunting for the free jello shots, free boob shots and whatever other stuff you want to find. This year we are going to the Philly show at Citizens bank Park, never been to the show there before. We did hit the parking lot the summer after Jake was born for a little while but he was 6 months and a little too young to really enjoy it.

Don't see the excitement? Then you have obviously never experienced it. I have been going at least once a year since probably 95' (most shows are pretty hazy to me) most years before the kids were born we went to more every summer. Now that we have gotten older and have responsibilities one gets to be hard to manage. Last year we did the Dallas show which was great and probably my favorite one ever (I remember most of it).

Why do we still do it when we could just hook up the iPod and drink in the driveway to avoid all the hassle? This is our time to connect with our friends. Although the traveling crowd has dwindled it has become the only time of year we can get together. This year we crash at our house for the weekend, stay up late laughing at the stories from last year and waiting till the last minute to prep our supplies. I hope Bill brings a bar this year, nothing we do can beat John and Alicia's set up.