What is athletic?

What is your definition of athletic? Saturday, I went to dinner with 3 retards (Aya, Shirley & Jenny) who do not play any sports. We got onto the topic of being ‘athletic’ and what sports we thought were athletic.

I said that you do not have to be athletic to run, bike or swim. (Keep in mind, whatever the sport this topic only relates to regular people and not professional athletes). In addition, being athletic is not the same as being in shape. Runners, bikers, swimmers are usually in great shape...but being fit doesn't translate to athletic.

I also said that you have to do multiple sports to be considered athletic. Now, I did mention the sports that I like of baseball, basketball and football.

I thought about this more at home after we left dinner. Yes, you do have to be athletic to do a sport of ANY kind. I guess it has to be interpreted to what ‘you’ as an individual consider athletic. I don’t consider running, biking or swimming to be very athletic, because almost any person can do those events fairly well. The discrepancy of one person to another won’t be that huge.

Now, in basketball, baseball or football as an EXAMPLE, I think there is a bigger discrepancy in people’s athletic abilities. Just because you excel at ONE of the sports doesn’t make you athletic. Sure, you are still athletic for doing well in the particular sport…but it doesn’t make you an athletic person.

So, if you can run, bike and play baseball and do it well, I would consider you athletic. If you can only run, then I would say not athletic...or athletic to a degree. I happen to think that team sports happen to showcase people with greater athletic abilities to those of solitary sports. Perhaps my definition of being athletic involves more eye hand coordination, along with strength, stamina and agility.

Just one person’s opinion….how I got there, I dunno. Maybe because when you go to school you predominately play the 3 sports that I like. Those who are more ‘athletic’ happen to get picked first….those who don’t….well, they run, bike, swim or play in the band.

Hahaha, I just read Jenny's website and she posted the same conversation that we had over the weekend. Saturday we were all over the map, talking athletic, what is a sport, pro athletes....when in reality it started off with, 'what do you consider athletic?"

Fantasy Football Interrupted...

The debate has been, should I do Fantasy Football or take a break this year? Since the baby is due late November that is right in the middle of Football season and I do not know if I will have the time to keep up with football stats.

I decided to compromise and instead of playing 3-4 leagues I would just do one league this year (make that two now). Normally I miss the draft because the commissioner (DREW that bastard) picks times super early on Holiday weekends, but this year I was able to make the draft. Well, I made it thanks to Jeff who subbed for me in bball so I could stay home and do my draft.

I told Aya from 9:30 to 10:30, do NOT interrupt me at all. I want peace and quiet, as I was debating to take a running back or a QB with the #3 pick. I was just about to make my pick when Aya came into the room:

Aya: Ummm…do you have a second?
Miles: I am about to make my pick, what do you want.
Aya: I think I broke the toilet.
Miles: WHAT?! Is water leaking?
Aya: No.
Miles: Go get some towels and then watch my draft and tell me who picks who.

Lemmie tell you, Aya is no good at annoucing draft picks while I am staring at poop.

I go downstairs and the toilet is backed up with bits of crap floating around. It doesn’t really looked like it is plugged so I flush the toilet…um big mistake. It overflows. Eeeww. I run back upstairs make my picks and back. Totally distracted trying to make football picks and clean up other people’s crap…literally.

I figure I need a plunger, so I make Aya go and get the plunger from my dad’s. I then unstop the toilet…I was under the suspicion that Aya used too much toilet paper but I was wrong…she took this ginormous crap that plugged up the crapper!!

As you can see, I was able to put a decent Fantasy Football team together despite cleaning Aya’s doodie.

Our conversations

Does anyone else have conversations like this:

Aya: Did you just fart?
Miles: Umm, maybe.
Aya: Did you??
Miles: hahaha, yeah…<sniff-sniff>…but I don’t smell anything.
Aya: That is because your head isn’t near your ass but my head is right there! (Aya was laying in my lap on the sofa.)

A few minutes later:

Miles: Dude, your breath hella stinks.
Aya: <HHARRGHHPPHH > (aya blowing breath in my face) Huh?
Miles: Dude, I just said you have dragon breath and then you breath right on my face.
Miles: What’s wrong with you?? Good god. My face is about to melt.
Miles: What the heck do you do to get your breath so stanky??
Aya: You just farted on me, what are you complaining about?

Or this one:

Miles: Did you try to clean the stove grill?
Miles: Did you spill making breakfast?
Aya: Oh yeah, I tried to do something fancy and flip my egg.
Aya: I missed and it spilled.
Miles: Why would you do that?
Miles: Now I have to clean that mess, since you only ½ half-assed your cleaning.
Miles: Just wait. When you aren’t pregnant and you have to clean the floors again.
Miles: I am going to try to do something fancy….
Miles: ….like pee behind my back…maybe it lands in the toilet…maybe it doesn’t.

Family News...

Good news to report. My cousin Wendy just got engaged and is planning her wedding in 2007. Looks like that will be the first trip for my son to be.

Also, my other cousin Jennifer was in the local newspaper talking about Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy:

http://starbulletin.com/2005/08/21/news/index8.html

Attack of the squirrels...

Is there anything wrong with throwing rocks and water bottles at squirrels??

Aya and I were at the pool lounging around on the weekend. A squirrel ran down and was about 3 inches from Aya’s foot. Obviously the squirrel is used to being around people and wasn’t afraid of being close to Aya. I on the other hand thought the squirrel was invading my private space.

I then took it upon myself to throw my empty Gatorade bottle at the squirrel. I missed and the squirrel scampered away. The plastic bottle wasn’t a hot weapon of choice because it was empty and light. Also, I wasn’t so accurate throwing the bottle. I filled up the bottle with water and eyed the squirrel.

Sure enough the squirrel came back. Stupid squirrel. Animals are so dumb. I was ready and got up to throw the bottle. Missed again! This time I had Aya yelling at the squirrel trying to ‘shoo-sh’ the squirrel away. C’mon now, no rooting for the enemy team!!

Aya then starts lecturing me about being mean to animals. What is the big deal? One, what if the squirrel bit her. Then I would have to take Aya to the hospital. Two, since when are squirrels on the endangered list? Three, I think all animals that aren’t on a leash are fair game to be shot, stabbed, squished or attacked in any way I see fit. Four, I know there are some animal lovers out there…so bring it on!!

If it isn't an animal lover than it is those darn tree hugger environmentalists. Don't you retards got better things to do with your time??

Can you believe....54.30

I couldn't believe it when I saw it staring back at me. $54.30 cents. Holy cow!! That is how much it took to fill up a tank of gas in the new E350. I never had to pay 54 bucks with the boxster (lets not nit pick about the size of the fuel tank, either).

Man, I am going to start driving in the celica even on weekends. The sad part is, I do not think prices will go that much lower. After, labor day I could see it going down maybe 20 or so cents, but come next summer it is going to be right back at $3 bucks again.

The price of gas is definately going to play a factor in how far I commute in future jobs.

Aya at 25 Weeks

Aya at 25 weeks - Mug shot

Aya at 25 weeks - side profile

Seatbelt

What is it with new cars?? Are new cars equipped to 'beep' continuously and loud until you buckle your seat belt? The Boxster used to BEEP so loud that I always put on my seat belt. The E350 beeps softer but it is annoying to keep hearing it 'beep'

Yes, I know seat belts are meant for safety. In all honesty, I just don't wear one. It is not habit, I don't like it. I just feel restricted wearing it and I feel safter NOT wearing it. It really is subcounscious. I don't think, 'LOOK no seat belt!!!' I just get in, start the car, drive away and then maybe realize, "Oh, no seat belt."

I think on the next car I look to buy, the seat belt reminder has to go off after 10 seconds or I am not buying the car!!

Ego Stroke

Recently Kogan emailed Jeff and I about jobs…more specifically the length of our jobs. At one extreme, Jeff has been employed for 16 years at the same places and on the other extreme I average 1.2 years per job.

Each extreme has there own pros and cons. I am not saying one is better than the other. It just got me thinking about when I would settle down and work at one place for a stretch of time. My current job I only see myself staying for about 6-7 more months. I like the job, I like my coworkers, it just doesn’t seem like a long term job.

Recently, I updated my resume because it was about to expire. Starting from the day I updated it, I received calls every day for almost two weeks. Not that all the calls wanted to hire me on the spot, but it was just nice to know the market was ‘hot’ and there were opportunities elsewhere. It is always nice to be wanted.

Maybe in the IT profession, gone are the days of our fathers who worked 1 or 2 jobs 20 years at each job. It seems like, ‘greed is good’ and that employers do not treat employees well and employees have no loyalties to employers anymore. All I know is that I look for the job with the right balance of work and home where I am challenged and paid well. I realize no one really likes working, but we have to work to pay the bills, so you might as well go to a job you can be happy at or move on and try some place else. Sometimes the grass is greener, sometimes….oops…I thought it was greener.

You scream, we all scream, for ice cream

On Sunday Aya and I walked to the market to get some groceries for dinner. I saw my sister in line at the market and scarred her as she exited the store. It was great.

It was kinda hot so after the market we stopped at Thrifty’s for ice cream. There was this ugly fat chick in front of us waiting to order. You want to know why fat people stay fat?? This chick got like a pint of ice cream….for herself! Now I love me some ice cream but a pint….and with all different flavors?? You wonder why Americans are over weight.

Back to the story, so I order mint chocolate chip. Aya and I are walking back home, chatting away and eating our ice cream. Aya stops, looks and me and starts laughing. Apparently, I have a little chocolate on the side of my face. Since I didn’t have a camera, the little chocolate is noted in the BEFORE picture.

I take off my ice cream cone wrapper and ask Aya to wipe it off. Aya laughs at me all the way home. I get home and now I got chocolate all over my face! Apparently, Aya spread the chocolate mess on my face instead of wiping up the chocolate mess. The AFTER picture. See, now I have proof Aya isn’t as nice as she seems.

A whole different world....

A super BIG THANK YOU to Saori. Aya and I met Saori at Babies R Us this weekend and Saori's helped us register for baby stuff. I have to say that I don't think I would have been able to register for stuff on my own. I mean, I could have...but I highly doubt I would have registered for the right stuff.

I did NOT register for any wedding stuff. I figured a plate is a plate. I was NOT going to register for baby stuff because I simply didn't care. If I don't care, then I just make Aya do it because it doesn't interest me. Good thing I went because Aya and I were shocked at how much there is that we needed to take care of a baby. A warmer to heat baby wipes, microwaveable sanitizers, humidifers, bottles, sheets...what a racket this whole baby merchandise market.

I don't know if anyone else feels this way, but do you like registering for things? I feel like a mooch. Registering kinda feels like shouting out to friends and family, "HEY, buy me stuff!!" I kept trying to pick cheap stuff but all those little things just add up after a while. Plus, for a wedding I buy stuff for people off a registry. When babies are born, I didn't even know people registered!! I just go to the store and buy something or else I wait and go in on a group gift. Apparently people do look at gift registries...who knew. Too bad Babies R Us didn't have a video game section!! =)

Oh yeah, you know what else is wierd. Seeing all these women with strollers. It is like watching a pit crew at the Indy 500. The unfold and fold the stroller, plop the kid in and away they go. Babies R Us is full of pregnant women...with guys in tow. Heck, I was one of those guys. I mean, the store is full of preggo's. Blleecch. Who wants to look at preggo people all in one place?! Its like going to the OBGYN and waiting in the waiting room. Nothing but preggo people staring at you....and not in a good way either. Is this what my life is about to become??

It got me thinking, maybe Saori should start charging expectant (not me) parents for consulting fees about shopping for baby products. I think first time parents would totally go for someone taking them shopping and answering questions about baby products.

Well, it is good to get that done and out of the way. Thanks again Saori. This is not a shameless plug, but some people have asked if we registered. We are registered at Babies R Us, registry # 42633231.

Happy belated birthday to Hans!!

Random thoughts...

Ever smell your toenails? How come your toenails sometimes smell like belly button lint? F-u-n-k-y.

Note: That is a NOT a pic of my toenails....it's Jenny's!
-------------

As many as seven teenagers were throwing eggs at cars about 11 p.m. Sunday, according to police. Marion County, Ind., sheriff's deputies said that after the juveniles hit one motorist in the face, the man drove off before returning with a gun, shooting one 15-year-old boy in the leg and another 17-year-old boy in the stomach.

Brandon Dunson, 15, was dead when his friends found him. The other victim, Michael Dyer, 17, was treated and released.

James Patterson was one of the boys involved in the egg-throwing incident.

"I think they should find him (the shooter). I don't know where he is right now, but I hope he regrets what he did because he just shot a minor over some eggs," Patterson said. "He didn't have to take it to the extreme. He could've just called the cops. He didn't have to go home, get a gun and come back and shoot us."

I like how people never like to take responsibility for the actions taken. Sure, it is a tragic loss to be shot and killed over egging people, but the kids didn’t have to initiate the action by egging people. Especially with all the road rage and car shootings nowadays you just have to be careful.

Soul Mates

I was watching this dating show on ABC the last two weeks. It basically chronicles various women who date men via the internet. To start a lot of these dudes are liars. They use pictures of themselves that are 10-15 years old and they lie about their age. Sadly, the women are not much better either. The women on the show come off as desperate just looking for husbands. It really makes me happy that I don’t have to go through any of that.

It did get me thinking about soul mates. Do you think there is just one perfect soul mate for you? Out of the billions and billions of people do you think there is just one? Couldn’t you have a few? Those were just questions I was thinking about and then someone asked an interesting question:

How do YOU define a soul mate?

Interesting because I never thought I needed to define a soul mate. I just thought a soul mate was just that…a soul mate. I never thought about what I would look for in “MY” soul mate.

I guess the obvious answer would be your spouse. You marry your spouse because they are your soul mate. Hmm, I don’t think so. Sadly, I would say people marry for convenience, for security, etc. Even if you were in a great and perfect marriage, have you dated at least 1 million people?? I would say you would at least have to date 1 million people in order to even have a slight shot at finding your soul mate. Even if you did, would you know it right away? Does finding your soul mate equal love at first site?

Hmm, maybe there is no such thing as a soul mate. So, people out there speak up. Do you believe in soul mates? If so, how do YOU define a soul mate?

Friends and Family weekend...

Okay Jen, since you asked you got it, here are pics of Aya at 22 weeks pregnant. Front and side shots. I don't really think she looks pregnant at all but Aya thinks she is as big as a house. I told her just wait until the 3rd trimester when she really blows up!

Thanks to everyone about cord blood info. It's good to actually get feedback since I don't really know who reads the website.

Aya and I had a nice weekend with friends and family. We visited Yosh and Cindy and saw their new house and baby. After that we went down to OC and visited all the usual Thanksgiving relatives. Since Aya and I might be a no show for this Thanksgiving (the baby is due on turkey day) we decided to go to the family outing. What was nice was I got to see cousins who are usually MIA. My sister came after work, Kevin didn't have to work and Scott surprised us with an appearance. It was good to see everyone.

Who listens to their parents?

So I was reading some websites during the week and I saw 30 Days on FX this week and it got me thinking. Your parents (at least mine) would always tell me, don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, etc. The list goes on and on.

Now everyone knows right from wrong, but how many of you actually listened to your parents? Who hasn’t had a drink before 21, who hasn’t lied about something, who hasn’t cheated, who hasn’t stole something?? If we actually listened to our parents and did the right thing, why is it that we do the wrong thing?

Do I even waste my breath and tell my child not to do those things? I mean he is going to do it anyway, right? So on 30 Days, this mom tries to show her daughter the problems about binge drinking. For 30 days this mom who rarely drinks, drinks heavily for 30 days. The daughter doesn’t really care and just says, “Welcome to my world, mom.”

Phew, good thing I didn’t have a daughter. I can say right now, the good thing about having a boy is that he can’t get pregnant. Man, this whole parenting deal sounds harder and harder.

To any parents out there, did you consider saving the cord blood?