A Lost Sign of Spring

It’s around this time of year that the signs of spring start popping up, making winter in central Ohio a little less dreary.

Spring training means baseball (yes, even pre-season baseball) is here.  The days getting longer sets the stage for grill season.  And for the past few years, the new season of Lost has always started right around the first week of February, carrying through right up to the beginning of summer (which in addition to giving me something to watch, has given me something to write about).

Well, the past few days, I’ve been looking forward to the beginning of baseball season and have noticed the days getting longer.  While I’ve thought about Lost, I haven’t really felt like I was missing anything until I read an essay on the New York Times’ Website written by Carlton Cuse, one of the head writers of Lost:

After “Lost” ended last May, the first thing I wanted to do was go someplace far away and clear my brain. But I quickly discovered there was a big difference between getting away and leaving the show behind…Right around now a new season of “Lost” should be making its heavily promoted debut. Instead, three years into the show my partner, Damon Lindelof, and I did something that had never been done before in network TV: We negotiated an end date.

After reading the article, I haven’t been able to stop thinking: Shouldn’t we be getting a new episode of Lost next week or so?  And then reality hits me: the show is over.  So no, winter is going to last a while longer and there won’t be any new episodes of Lost to lead us into summer.

On the show, mostly everyone got a happy ending.  A large percentage of the questions were answered.  And I’m still (obviously) a fan of the show.  But it was such a huge event for the last six years that it’s odd not to have it anymore, yet it’s still around.  A few weeks back, a number of people won  money in the lottery by playing Hurley’s numbers. Apparently, last night on TV there was a Lost reference on 30 Rock.   Also, yesterday, I found a rather odd tie to Lost: if I worked at my current place of employment 80 years ago, Kelvin’s grandfather would have been my boss.

Back in December, I finished watching the whole series (it took a few months to do it).  It was enjoyable watching it again without the mysteries hanging over my head like the sword of Damocles.  To be able to concentrate on the characters again (even Kate), even knowing what would happen to them, was fun.

It feels like this time of year is missing something without new episodes of Lost.  I could always pop in a DVD and watch an old episode any time I want.  At the same time, not having the show continue frees up parts of my life.  And with a baby, there’s plenty to do.  New signs of life and all.  Isn’t that what spring is about?

Weezer Continues to Dust Off the Favorites for Memories Tour

A few years back, I went to a Rentals concert here in Columbus. The highlight of the show was easily the band (which included Rachel Haden) covering the Weezer B-side I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams, which featured Haden on lead vocals.  While the song was the highlight of the show and enjoyable, it wasn’t what I would call a great rendition.  But back then, the Rentals were the only band performing the song at all.

Weezer’s current tour, the Memories Tour, features them performing The Blue Album and Pinkerton on back-to-back nights (and of course, they’re not stopping in Columbus).  In addition to playing the complete album with some other hits, the band is also throwing in some seldom-played B-sides, like last month, when they played Jamie.

Over the weekend, in Vegas, they performed another rarely-played (if ever) B-side, I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams, featuring, you guessed it-Rachel Haden.  Thanks to the magic of YouTube, video of that performance is online.  And yes, it’s better than when the Rentals played the song:

Baby Bigfoot

For the past three or four weeks, we’ve had a situation similar to a Bigfoot sighting around our house.

Hope has been walking.  But only when the cameras were off.  If I had the camera on, she would either just sit there or crawl around. I spent a lot of time sitting around and playing with her with one hand on the camera waiting for her to walk, while she would do anything else.

But yesterday, I finally got my video proof:

The fall into the Ottoman didn’t hurt.  She’s actually started to walk up to things, rather than walk to a few steps away and fall the rest of the way.

Because of the cold weather, The Civee and I spent most of the day inside yesterday, organizing and babyproofing.  We put up a few gates and I think we have a system that will work.  But it’s only a matter of time before Hope figures out how to climb.

Bumper Stickers Don’t Last Forever

On the way home from work today, I was driving for quite some time behind an old Volvo.  And when I say old, I mean one of those Volvos that passed the 500,000 mile mark back during the 90s.

I’m guessing this car had had quite a few owners, because in addition to its age, there were a number of bumper stickers that were obviously covering up other bumper stickers.  And a few of these top-layer bumper stickers were peeling away, revealing the stickers the car proudly displayed during a previous regime.

One of these peeled-away top layer stickers had one of those “Know Justice, Know Peace”-style sayings.  But the middle was torn away and what was beneath it was visible.  The lower sticker looked somewhat familiar, and it wasn’t until I was stopped at a light that I was close enough to see what the mystery sticker once was-it was a Weezer bumper sticker.  It was just the band’s name, but not in the traditional Weezer font.

At first, I wondered why someone would ever want to cover up a Weezer bumper sticker.  But then I thought maybe the power of rock was too powerful for whatever sticker attempted to cover it up.

Either way, it was the fifth time I’ve seen a car (that wasn’t mine) sporting a Weezer bumper sticker.

I’ve had four cars and three of them have had Weezer stickers (or window decals).  My first car, an ’87 Buick Century Limited, was my aunt’s car that was handed down to me.  It didn’t have any bumper stickers or other decorations for two reasons- I wasn’t sure the car would last much longer and when I got the car, Weezer was inactive and band bumper stickers (and other merchandise) was hard to come by.

The Limited lasted me until aught-three.  The first car I bought, a Mitsubishi Mirage had a Weezer bumper sticker, not to mention a Trogdor the Burninator bumper sticker and a WOXY window decal.  The two cars I’ve (or, more accurately, We’ve) had since then have had identical Weezer window decals.

Other than that though, I don’t have much of a desire to adorn my car.  I wouldn’t want to put something on there that at sometime in the future, I’d have to remove or clumsily cover up with another sticker.  Seeing the Volvo made me realized that bumper stickers don’t last forever, but sometimes they last longer than you want them to.

Oh, and also, don’t doubt the power of the Weezer logo.

We’re Still Here

If you were to go through the recent posts of this blog, it would appear that little is happening in the Kingdom.

The last few posts have been Hope-related, and even those have been few and far between.  For an update, she’s still growing and amazing us every day.  She’s taken a few steps and has a great little drunken walk (without the actual drunkeness).

Other than that, it may feel like not much else is happening.  The weather is horrible, which isn’t surprising considering it is winter.  But for an Island native like myself, I get sick of the cold as soon as the temperature dips below 40.  Combine that with the short days and it feels like not that much is going on this time of year.  When the weather is nice and the days are longer, The Civee, Hope and I usually go out after I return from work and go for a walk or run before cooking dinner and settling in for the night.  These days, I get home, hang out with Hope and the Civee and make dinner.  So it feels like there’s not much to write about.

Also, for the past few years, both Lost and 24 started in January.  Sadly, neither of those shows will be back this year.  Without those twice-weekly automatic topics, the blog may feel lighter on content, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing going on.

I’ll keep posting, especially when something new happens with Hope.  And I’ll keep an eye out for other things to blog about too.  But until then, we’ll still be here.

I should add The Civee thinks this is a weak entry.  I don’t disagree.  She suggests I withdraw it until I have something stronger to write.  I suggest she get her own blog.

Clapping And Standing

The other day The Civee noticed that Hope was banging two bottles together in her hands.  For a few weeks now, she’s been able to clap.  Yesterday, she started clapping while standing.  Then it hit me- our baby is now a multitasker.

Around this time last year, I was blogging about TV shows that are no longer on the air (this one, this one or this one), the day The Civee and I spent cleaning out the basement at our old apartment or quirky methods of measuring the size of babies during pregnancy.  Obviously, a lot has changed- we now have a new basement that’s somewhat in order and Hope is a lot bigger than your average butternut squash (not only is she bigger than one, but she eats them too).

I’m sure there will be a lot of new things for Hope this year.  Her next surgery is scheduled for early February.  She’s on the verge of walking.  She’s trying all sorts of new foods.  I’ll be blogging about all of those things.  And maybe if I have time, I’ll blog about some other things too.