Some of our friends know that Amy and I are huge fans of the movie Stuart Saves His Family. Well, today I really felt like I needed to channel Stuart when I was driving along the 101 to the Sunnyvale Skatepark. I am, for the most part, an even-tempered person and do not find myself “losing it” very often. What I do have? Low-level anger that leaks out from time to time (usually on the freeway in or out of traffic jams). I think an example would help illustrate my point here. I was cruising along in the second lane from the right about to pass the Ralston exit, when from out of nowhere, a bloated Lexus sedan (looked like the same one Ari drives in Entourage) decides to sweep from the middle lane all the way to the far right exit lane. I actually said out loud “Everyone is in a big fuckin’ hurry … why don’t I just steamroll 3 lanes of cars to make my exit just because my car is bigger than yours … Douche!”. I made this statement in a fairly loud manner and afterwards, I shook my head and moved on. At the moment it happened, it was very serious business. I think I have always had some issues with anger, but I can dig deeper into that in another post, or in the therapy I will surely need when I hit my mid-life crisis.
Due to Elliot’s physical state (he got hand-foot-mouth from daycare), he needs to stay home for a few days to recover and heal so as to not spread the fun to other little ones. My mother watched him yesterday, and today it’s my turn. Since he is currently napping, I thought I would embrace the whole ‘Mr. Mom’ thing and try to squeeze in a blog post. I have been awake for approximately 2 hours and I’m already tired … not good. So far, he has sat and watched dad make breakfast and coffee, played on his playmat and in his seat-spinner-table contraption and just moments ago, Elliot and I listened to the Vampire Weekend album while we scoured the web for decent tabs to learn.
He is not easily going down for this nap, but hopefully he realizes what’s good for him and crashes out soon. I may try to get some work done today, but I already notified my team that the chances of being “productive” are quite slim. Well, wish me luck, because I will certainly need it. This is the first time I’ve been with Elliot for an entire day by myself, and I’d be lying if I said I felt completely comfortable. I told momma not to dawdle on the way home and she just laughed.
There was so much great music released this past year, that creating a list of the top 10 was very difficult. There were a number of great songs that for one reason or another, were just not able to break into the top 10. I think it’s important to acknowledge those songs that were on the bubble, and I’ll refer to these as my (how original?) honorable mentions. “Spring And By Summer Fall” by Blonde Redhead, “Bros” by Panda Bear, “The Underdog” by Spoon, “The Only One I Know” (Feat. Robbie Williams) by Mark Ronson and “The Well And The Lighthouse” by Arcade Fire were all incredible tunes in their own way … but just not quite there yet. To the aforementioned artists; better luck next year. And now, without further ado: My Top 10 Songs of 2007.
#10 Why U Doin’ That? - X-Clan
From Return To Mecca
This whole album is great, but this song is clean, catchy and the message is def’ on point.
#9 Elephant Gun - Beirut
From Lon Gisland EP
Brilliant. This EP runs on like an extended single, but every tune follows the structure of this song. The spanish?/italian? style horns are sick … great song.
#8 Past In Present - Feist
From The Reminder
This is definitely her best album and after seeing her earlier this year at the Fillmore, and hearing this song live, I knew it would make the list. I really dig the acoustic guitar in this piece. She rocks.
#7 Reckoner - Radiohead
From In Rainbows
Great song from a great band. This album is quite a bit different than past efforts, but even though the songs don’t have the same sort of depth, “Reckoner” is way to catchy to ignore.
#6 No One’s Gonna Love You - Band Of Horses
From Cease to Begin
This album is a little bit folksy, a little bit country and a lot of rock n’ roll. This song has special meaning as I was listening to it a lot around the time Elliot was born and it appeals to the sappy new father in me.
#5 The Girl - Dr. Dog
From We All Belong
I heard about this group/album from Jake and I was instantly hooked after hearing this song. This group has an obvious beatlesesque quality, and I think that’s why I find them and this song, so enjoyable.
#4 Paper Planes - M.I.A.
From Kala
I must admit, I’m not as high on this entire album, but this song is something else. What’s not to love about a song with gunshots and cash register chings so tightly integrated into the beat? Dope.
#3 Australia - The Shins
From Wincing The Night Away
Not even the throngs of slutty teenage girls at their last show (Berkeley) can dampen my enthusiasm for this band. This is one of the more complex songs on the album, with a great solo to match. Not the easiest song to play on guitar, but that’s another post. Love it.
#2 Melody Day - Caribou
From Andorra
This song has some of those mystical or dreamy qualities that stuff by Panda Bear has, but a bit more traditional in it’s structure (and song length). This song, as well as the album are extremely impressive.
#1 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse - Of Montreal
From Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Just listen to this album. I was blown away. You can tell that this guy’s music is his therapy. Awesome!
Don’t strangle my pen
Chemicals
Don’t make me sick again
I’m always so dubious of your intent
Like I can’t afford to replace what you’ve spent
Come on, chemicals!
For a very limited time, you can listen to all 10 of these songs in this Yahoo! Easylistener music player. It’s flash-based and does require version 9 of said plug-in … but if you have it, you’re set. Enjoy!
I bet you’re wondering, what would make this Christmas the best ever? Was it because Amy answered my Christmas wish and got me an iPhone? Well, she did, but that’s not the reason. Is it due to the fact that around this time, each year, we lift our ban on junk food and go nuts on everything from cake to donuts to chocolates and more? Well, that’s part of it for sure. This is the best Christmas in memory because I have Amy, and we have a happy healthy baby boy. We have friends and family to spend time with, and we get a well-deserved break from our jobs. If we desire, we can stage an O.C. Season 1 marathon, to enjoy all of those episodes that didn’t suck (think of Luke with his unforgettable “Welcome to the O.C. Bitch”, Chrismukkah and the creepy/kooky Oliver Trask). We made donuts this morning … cinnamon-sugar and powdered sugar varieties. We were able to spend the day with my mom, dad and my sister’s family in Brentwood. We spoiled our niece and nephew and were even able to sit for a spell and just shoot the shit. This time of the year can be so enjoyable for Amy and myself.
I woke up this morning thinking about Amy’s mom Pam. She passed away many years ago (right before Christmas) and from that year forward, Christmas always took on a somber tone. I would like to think we’ve turned a corner and although Pam isn’t here to share the holidays with us, she is always remembered and her spirit is incorporated in all of the new traditions we start. I also feel extremely blessed that Vivian, the daughter of our good friends Vince & Hannah, is through her surgery and on the mend. We’re looking forward to spending time with all three of them once Vivian is feeling better. With all of the good times we’ve had up to this point … how are we going to spend the rest of our vacation? Visiting friends, storing gifts, preparing our new/used Subaru wagon for Amy’s work commute with Elliot, eating, skating and hopefully sitting on our asses. I will probably not post again until I release my highly-anticipated Best Songs of 2007 list right after the new year.
Amy posted this on her blog, but I just couldn’t resist adding it to my own. I am absolutely addicted to his giggles. Even at night, when I get home, and he should be going down to sleep … I can’t help but just sit and engage him, hoping to get some smiles and a laugh or two. I realize I sound a bit sappy here … but I don’t give a sh!t. My son is so awesome … he’s freaking awesomely awesome.
I am not going to bring up any of the fond memories of my youth spent pitching in little league. Nor will I try to explain the feeling I got the first time I walked into a big league stadium and saw the green grass and the pristine diamond that seemed to radiate in broad daylight. Why? Because I’m done with baseball. It’s not worth it. The sport has no credibility at all. None. I was already starting to lose my enthusiasm for the game. Bonds home run chase kept me interested (to a degree), but I knew that the game and all of those involved, from players to managers to Selig and commissioners before him were responsible for this debacle. After the strike some years back, they all turned a blind eye to steroids and performance-enhancing drugs. When I look back at Sosa and Big Mac and the battle for HR supremacy that year … the way McGwire got all teary after he broke the record … saying that he touched Maris’ bat “with his heart”. F*ck You. Simply nauseating. And then Palmiero, Gagne (a big douche and not surprisingly … dirty), Pettite … hell, even the golden boy … Roger Clemens. I want to watch all of these guys talk their way out of this. It’s everyone else and not them. It’s all shit.
Many people have lost their patience with professional sports in general, relying solely on College sports to get their fix. I hear the same thing from many people. The players are childish, selfish and arrogant. They’re paid too much. They’re given too much control. One thing I do know is this. Major League Baseball and all of it’s problems have been fostered by those running the league. There have been many times where the league could have stepped in to clean up the game, but that would mean a drop in revenue. In the end, all any of them care about, really … is money. Sad.
My lovely wife Amy, who has apparently become a blogging experts of sorts, notified me that if I want people to read my blog then I should make an effort to keep it fresh. Well, even though I don’t have one major topic to expound on, I do have a number of thoughts and updates to share.
- An update on Mr. Graham - Elliot is doing very well and continues to amaze us with his giggles, smiles and thunderously loud farts. Keep up the great work little man.
- New & Improved Yahoo! Maps - We just released a new version of the maps product, and I am very proud of it. It’s still technically in the Beta ‘bucket’, but feel free to take a peek. http://maps.yahoo.com/map
- Had a very nice meal with some friends at Divino in Belmont … and even though I am fairly critical of Italian restaurants as a whole (it has to be pretty good to compete with my family’s cooking), I found the food to be very fresh and meticulously prepared and presented.
- I realize this is the off-season, but the Giants (even during the “Hot Stove” league) still suck A$$. They’ll probably do nothing to replace bonds and we’ll have a horribly long season. Well, maybe I’ll start watching more Poker.
- There are heaps of good Canadian bands. It seems like every time I hear a good rocking indie band, I am just assuming they’re from Montreal or Toronto. My mother is Canadian and I must admit, I was not always as proud of my roots (despite the accomplishments of Peter Jennings, Rich Little and Matthew Perry), but I’m thinking I might just dust off that Maple Leaf sweatshirt and give it a try, eh’ [It’s worth noting the author used the word eh incorrectly and in no way meant to imply that our great northern neighbors are in any way simple or unrefined. The author always welcomes feedback from his readers.]
- OK, Back to sports … our Golden State Warriors have recovered from a horrific start and are starting to play decent ball again. With all we have to cheer for in our Bay Area sports scene (Niners, Raiders, Giants and A’s … uggghhh), I say we all take a moment and root on our W’s. Go Warriors!
In the coming weeks, we’ll enjoy the madness and celebration that is Christmas and during my time off from work, I’ll no doubt work on my highly anticipated Top 10 Songs of 2007 list. Between now and then? Shopping, cooking, work, gift-wrapping, spending quality time with Elliot and ‘me missus’ and maybe a bit of skating if my body holds up. Thanks for reading my post of completely random thoughts. No pictures to share right now … but I do have a video from one of my favorite artists of the moment: Beirut. You might think it’s artsy-fartsy … I think … Brilliant!
I haven’t written in a while because I wasn’t sure I had anything worthy of a post. Last night, however, was the first night out (of any considerable amount of time) for Amy and myself since Elliot was born. We met Jennie and Gordon at their place in Oakland and proceeded to one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley. After dinner and a brief stop at ‘The Pump’, we made the long trek (thanks Gordon) up to the Greek to see The Shins. The performance was awesome and we were able to experience a night among adults, which I believe, we needed. Of course the minute we got back, we stood in our kitchen and my mom briefed us on everything Elliot did over the course of the evening (right down the burp, poop and giggle). We had a lot of fun, but we felt very strange leaving the house without our boy. Luckily we have the rest of the weekend to sit and stare at him.
I am sitting here before we’re about to crash and Elliot is playing with his Whoozit (a stuffed toy made of different textured/colored material). Quite a day for mommy and daddy, filled with lots of errands and heaps of poo and pee. Most of our discussion these days is centered around Elliot (rightfully so), and when I break it down, I realize that the following phrases are used constantly.
- Are you telling stories? (when Elliot is cooing, we give him a goofy look and repeat this phrase)
- Where is your tushie? I can’t find your tushie (Elliot has a small butt … this is Amy’s attempt at a joke, but Elliot doesn’t usually laugh)
- Is he hungry again?
- Double half-caf lowfat 2 pump no whip mocha (my drink)
- Double half-caf soy 1 pump no whip mocha (Amy’s drink)
- Good boy (we use this for Elliot after a burp/fart/poop)
- Which boob did I start with last time? (Amy has to know which one to start off with when she feeds)
- Burrito or Quesadilla? (When I make a run to Chipotle, Amy orders 1 of 2 things)
- We need more diapers (self-explanatory)
- What about Thomas? (Our little pug still needs to be walked, fed and played with … sometimes this has to wait)
Even though we are both a bit hazed these days, we can take comfort knowing that Elliot doesn’t realize how clueless his mommy and daddy are.
So, at Barefoot this morning, I was reading an article about a girl born on July 7 of this year. To make the story even more “interesting”, she weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces. It got us thinking. Elliot was born on July 4 2007 (7 4 7) and weighed 7 pounds and 4.7 ounces (again 7 4 7). Seems like that could be pretty lucky in it’s own right. On to more important things, like say, fatherhood. I have gotten my first taste of being a father, and although we are a bit tired, it is an awesome experience. We have actually gotten out of the house a little bit, and are so excited to see the changes in Elliot on a daily basis.
My days are filled with the following:
- Changing diapers
- Running errands
- Getting food
- Changing diapers
- Holding, comforting and cuddling Elliot
- Trying to take naps
- Eating (a lot more than I thought I would … thanks too all of those that brought food)
- Playing Guitar Hero II (I bought this right before the birth and I’m completely addicted)
- Changing diapers
I won’t go on about how having a child is the most important thing you will do and I will save the negative rants about how a child sucks your life away, costs heaps and prevents you from doing anything else you desire. Fact is, we have been parents for all of 5 days, so our view is not that of seasoned parents. I can say that from the moment Elliot was born, I feel just a bit happier about everything in life.
For anyone interested in seeing photos of our little man - Elliot Graham Federighi
