Back to School

If these photos look similar to those on the last blog, it's because they were taken at the exact same place, for the exact same reason, but on a different day.  Apparently when you have a child, you are expected to attend the birthday parties of every kid whose parents might have had some contact with you at some point in your life.  I have also learned that there are very few places to have a birthday party for a toddler in this town.  I actually feel a little cheap that we just had Ethan's party at the house.  All things considered, I can never get enough pizza and cake.  Ethan was more interested in the jumping castle and playing basketball than the food.  Those are Sesame Street stickers on his face and legs.  I don't know why they are there.

I started writing this a couple of days ago.  I got sidetracked, and now I have completely forgotten what I was going to write about.  It looks like I covered the birthday party already.  Based on the title, I may have had some commentary on going back to school.  I don't know if there was something specific there, or what.  I guess I will just wing it.  Here's what I can tell you about this time of year.  My drive to work in the morning becomes exponentially longer.  I guess that everyone that lives between my house and the school is either a teacher or driving their kid to school.  None of these cars are on the road in the summer.  There are a few kids hanging out on the corner in the morning waiting for the bus.  I guess their parents have jobs.  Another thing I had to hear about all week is how people are sad that their kids are grown up and going to school.  I personally cannot wait for my kid to go to school.  I will feel like I am getting a fat raise.  Daycare pricing is ridiculous.  Actually, for the number of hours they watch my child every week, it's a bargain.  School is essentially free, except for the taxes which I am already paying.  I have been told by everyone I know that I will be sad when my kid starts school, but I just don't see it.  Since he has gone to daycare since he was about four months old, I don't really see much difference.  We actually refer to the daycare as school anyway.  Ask me about all of this again in three years and I will let you know how I feel then.  As for now, school is just another step toward getting him out of my house.  And yes, I do love my child.

I know these pictures are almost the same.  I liked them because it actually looks like he is playing something resembling real basketball.  I have purposefully left out the other 100 pictures I took.  There is one or two more on Facebook for those so inclined.

Chasing Amy

Starting off, these are some pictures I took at a birthday party a couple of weeks ago.  They aren't great for two reasons.  First, I was still trying to figure out how to use a new camera.  The other reason is that two year olds can move faster than the speed of light--unless it's early in the morning and I'm late for work.  The party was for another two year old.  Apparently when you have a child, you get the privilege of attending these things all the time.  I'm just glad that this one was inside.  We are still in the middle of what seems like an endless summer.  I am beginning to feel like the heat is never going to let up.  It's sad that I now consider any temperature below 105 a cool day.  Basically, I never want to go outside anymore.  Currently I am typing this from my air-conditioned living room while watching the latest episode of Food Network Star.  I don't know why I even like this show, but I have spent a lot of time watching this channel lately.  Ethan is also a fan, and he can correctly identify Bobby Flay.  Watching Food Network just makes me hungry, which is fine because I love to eat.  I have also been watching a great deal of Man Vs. Food, which is actually on the Travel Channel.  Weird.  In other entertainment options, I am now hooked on the podcast The Tobolowsky Files.  If you have any interest in the entertainment industry, or just good storytelling, you should definitely check it out.  In non couch potato news, I went out on Sunday night to see Filter and Saliva.  Neither of these bands are huge, but they are huge for Abilene.  The first time we saw Saliva, they opened for Kiss and Aerosmith.  I thought they were fun then, and we have seen them a few times since then, including a club show in Las Vegas.  Filter is a band that I have been a fan of since I was in high school.  I had tickets to see them in 1996 when they opened for White Zombie.  I no longer remember the reason we were late, but we got there in time to see them walking off of the stage.  A few years ago, Tiffany and I went to Edgefest in Dallas.  Unfortunately, they played early in the day, and I missed them again.  I did hear them from the parking lot, but I really can't count that one.  I was thrilled when I heard they were coming to Abilene, and I am glad that I was finally able to check this band off my list.  They didn't disappoint, and actually I think it was better this way.  I don't remember much about the White Zombie show, but I do remember being so hot that our clothes were drenched in sweat.  It was nice to see the show in a small little bar, with a couple hundred of Abilene's weirdest people.  As a side note, the band stayed around after playing and talked, took pictures, and shook hands with anyone who wanted to.  I always love a band that is good to their fans.