TMI Tuesday: That Wasn’t A Fart!

There are times early in the evening when there is loud rumble coming from the baby monitor. It’s not so much surprising as it is impressive given the fact that our son only recently surpassed the ten pound mark. While some might be a little taken back and somewhat disgusted by these emanations the fact of the matter is that they are downright hilarious.

Usually before an eruption our son begins to squirm and make the occasional noise boarding on a cry. When this happens I turn the video on just to check in on him only to see two feet pointing straight up in the air, stomach tensed, and face scrunched. As soon as he unleashes the “Cracken”, his body relaxes and he goes back to sleep.

Of course, then there are the other times when our son stops whatever he is doing (which isn’t much at this point) and starts grunting and pushing to the point that his face becomes a deep red. At this point it is best to take cover. While most of the time it is nothing but air followed by a smirk there have been quite a few moments when the shrapnel tries blowing through whatever barrier stands in its way. While that part may not be funny the look of disbelief, shock, and relief on our son’s face makes us laugh every time.

And when I say blow through barriers I mean blow through barriers. While I am certain that our son could fit into a smaller diaper, his colon wants nothing to do with those limited boundaries. We have been forced to move up a couple of sizes already not because of things being too tight but because the diapers failed the containment test (aka the blowout test). That is probably the most pleasant way of describing the scene when you pick up your child in the morning only to find that he has painted his back up to his shoulder blades. Not a pleasant way to wake up but one of those times when you find yourself laughing all the way to the bathtub.

While the sound effects started early on (before we left the hospital), they have only grown over time in both potency and decibel level. However, there is a bright side to this whole explosive situation. We have now gotten to the point when I can sleep through the night knowing that I have plausible deniability when I wake up. He still has a long way to go but he is proving to be a quick study.

Memories To Carry Me Through Monday

Cute Monkey!

It was a long weekend and I really wasn’t looking forward to heading into the office this morning. For the last three days we were out at one place or another trying to get things done and complete some final tasks. It would have been tiring had everything gone to plan but ended up being exhausting. There were highs and lows with our son doing his best to go along with everything. While he was a bit fussy and overwhelmed, we couldn’t have expected him to handle things much better than he did. With that said, we really don’t want to put him through another weekend like we just had.

When I got up this morning it felt like I hadn’t slept in days. While my eyes may have been closed and my body immobile, there seemed to have been little recuperation. My body was certainly sore and my head ached. And even though my gassy son was drowning out my alarm clock, it was still a sound that was more welcoming than the chirp and screech emanating from my cell phone.

Even half cognizant of all that was going on around me, I still had those few moments from the past few days that carry me through the morning hours. Seeing my son being held by his cousins is something that has been a bit overdue but happened at just the right time. While they didn’t seem quite sure what to do when my wife placed him in their arms, their faces lit up and seared their reaction in my memory.

Last night also proved to be a great ending to the long (but too short) weekend as my son insisted on cooing at me as the paint peeling smell emanated from his diaper. It was the first time that we heard him make those sounds and they made me want to call out of work this morning just so I could hear them again. Obviously, I will have to make do with the memory which carried me through my commute this morning.

While on that drive my wife called me not long after I got on the highway. I was anticipating less than good news, when I picked up the phone I could hear the understated excitement in her voice. Our son wasn’t just cooing, he was laughing. Even though I wasn’t there to hear it for the first time I am glad that my wife was able to have that ‘first experience’ and now I have something to look forward to, something to carry me through the long Monday.

The More You Know!

Returning To Normal

The last couple of month have been a little odd at the lodge with a rather testy meeting taking place in February and a postponement of the stated meeting in March. Thursday was a welcomed return to normalcy even if I was still running a little behind schedule in my duties… most notably in getting the monthly notice in the mail which I would much rather have sent off a week prior rather than a few days before.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if this would be the case as I was rather pointed in my message this month in the notice. It wasn’t about calling anyone out, it was simply a means to try and get everyone back on the same page so that we work together as a lodge rather each person pulling the rope in a different direction. Sometimes things need to be said and thankfully, as it turns out, it was received in the way that it was intended.

The meeting itself ran smoothly with the agenda run through quickly and the discussions limited to updates and information. There weren’t any of the unpleasant tones that existed in previous meetings. Progress is being made on most fronts and the projects that at one point looked like they might be stymied, are once again moving forward.

However, there is one area where we seemed to have stalled. With no petitions having been received so far this year, we will not be having an extra meeting until September at the earliest. This is the complete opposite of last year when the petitions were plentiful and the extra meetings frequently consisted of multiple candidates. Not a good time to hit a lull but it happens.

Thankfully, the new brothers that have made up the most recent wave are continuing to remain active and we are continuing to move forward with award applications for those first year masons. While I may not have been able to make it to the lodge every week, each one of them has been present and has learned both from one another and from the more experienced masons that join them for the evening. While the petitions may not be flowing in like they once were, the quality of the new brothers that have joined us is outstanding and their continued involvement is exactly what every lodge wants to see.

Now that we have returned to the quick and uneventful, it is time to prepare for next month as I refuse to fall behind once again. We expect a packed lodge due to it being both our official visitation as well as first responders night. It is a lot of work but, as was proven last year, it is well worth the effort and a meeting that I have been looking forward to for months. I guess I could say the same thing about most meetings.

Passover: Past, Present, And Future

It is that time of year when the holidays converge. While Christians throughout the world celebrated Good Friday yesterday and will be celebrating Easter tomorrow, Jews are delving into the Torah and recounting our escape from Egypt. All of the basic information about the Passover holiday can be found in my post last year and some reflections can also be found immediately following that post. However, this Passover is quite different than those in the past.

This year I find myself thinking not just about the past but also about the present and future. This is our son’s first Passover and while he isn’t completely aware of all that is taking place it is a moment that my wife and I are enjoying. While in the past the holiday has been to remind ourselves and fulfill our needs, now we find ourselves the bearers of tradition and faith. We are the ones that will pass along and tell these stories to our son.

It all starts with the seder but goes well beyond a single night. With that in mind I wanted to share a few pieces from a blog written by Rabbi Chaim Coffman whom I had the pleasure of meeting during our brief time living in Jerusalem. He was a great reassuring resource at that time and his posts continue to provide tremendous guidance for all who come across his blog:

The purpose of the seder is to retell the story of the exodus from Egypt and instill in us the idea that G-d interferes and plays a role in history. As the first of the Ten Commandments tells us we know G-d exists because He took us out of Egypt! The mitzvah to believe in G-d comes from this command but the belief in G-d is through knowledge, not just a flippant "I believe" based on nothing…

…Another idea to keep in mind as the Haggadah tells us is that had G-d not taken us out, we would still be there. This is incredulous because the ruling power in every nation has power for a certain amount of time but then it eventually ends either through military takeover or through elections. If that is true, could it possibly be true that the Jewish people would never have escaped?

The commentaries tell us that according to nature it could not have happened. When G-d tells Moshe to go to Egypt and take the Jewish people out, he refuses. One of the reasons he does not want to go is because when he looks up to heaven, he sees an angel of G-d and an angel of Egypt (each nation has their own guardian angel) intertwined like a double helix and understood that the Jewish people would never be allowed to leave.

G-d tells him that in essence that may be true but since G-d can do anything, He will take the Jewish people out from Egypt through miracles that are above nature. As we go through the plagues, we realize just how true that is!

At the same time, the Haggadah tells us that only G-d did this, not through an angel, intermediary..i.e. to show G-d's power and demonstrate that the world power at that time was utterly destroyed through the miraculous plagues that G-d brought about against the mighty Egyptians.;

If we look at history, the Jewish people have survived against the natural world. As they have been dispersed without their own land for thousands of years, it is nothing short of unbelievable how they have survived! We have been exiled, gassed, had pogroms against us. and still the Jewish people continue to survive.

They survived through belief in G-d and His Torah and continue to thrive. May we take these timely messages and let them infuse in us belief in Him that will lead to the Messiah coming speedily in our days!!

May each and every one of us have a enjoyable and meaningful Passover.

In the end, while we certainly have influence over our own destiny we can’t forget the influence that G-d plays in our lives. It is a great comfort knowing that the hardships we face are temporary and that the joy we experience will stay with us forever. That deep faith and belief in G-d is what we share with our son. After all, he is G-d’s gift to us and we thank Him each day for our child. 

Firearms Friday: Support Israel, Buy A Gun!

I thought it apropos to write this post with Passover beginning this evening… Israel has been in the news rather frequently as of late and most of the headlines have been critical of the state and or the Prime Minister. This has been in large part due to the negotiations with Iran and the resulting heavy media criticism of the Jewish state is nothing new. Another not so surprising result of the recent coverage is that there are radical groups of people calling for the boycott of Israeli products.

As I have made very clear in previous posts, I am a firm supporter of Israel which is why I am taking the exact opposite approach of some of the radicals and recommending that we purchase quality Israeli products. Given the day that this is being posted, it should be no surprise that I am recommending the procurement of Israeli firearms (as well as magazines and other related products). And, frankly, you are missing out if you don’t already have at least one in your collection. For those of you that are not familiar, there are two significant manufacturers that are available in the United States: IWI and BUL.

IWI is the more well-known of the two and I primarily known for four firearms: the Desert Eagle, the Jericho (rebranded in US by Magnum Research at the Baby Eagle), the Tavor, the Galil, and the Uzi. You can learn a little more about the manufacturer in my previous post about Pennsylvania based companies. For now, here is a little bit about some of their more popular offerings:

• The Desert Eagle is a monster of a handgun… large, heavy, and powerful calibers. This is great for the occasional trip to the range but be prepared to pull out your wallet each time you need to feed it. Especially if you opt to get one chambered in 50 AE. This is after to shell out over a grand to purchase the handgun.

• The Baby Eagle is the service sized firearm available with an all steel or polymer frame that is chambered in common calibers. Based on the classic CZ design with a more industrial aesthetic, this option is a natural pointer allowing the shooter to easily keep on target.

• While the Tavor has been in use with the IDF for years, it is a relative newcomer to the US market. The Bullpup design, chambered in the same caliber as the ubiquitous AR15, allows this rifle to be used effectively by both professionals in the line of duty as well as provides a comfortable platform for the weekend shooter at the range. Another plus is that it takes standard AR magazines.

• The Galil, at least this incarnation, is the newest arrival on the market which operates on a refined AK platform. Previously available in the US, original imports still carry with them a stellar reputation and command a high price on the used market. This is a must have for fans of the AK platform.

• The Uzi first came to national prominence when it was seen in use by the secret service during the attempted assassination of President Reagan. The platform currently popular with the public is chambered 22LR and is largely a plinking firearm. The submachinegun variant chambered in 9mm is something of the past. While still seen on occasion (sometimes in a dubious light) it really isn’t a factor in the consumer market. It really isn’t much more than a plinking pistol for the range.

Despite being available for the past 20-30 years, BUL is still a relative unknown to many people in the US but you really can’t go wrong picking up a M5 or a Cherokee. The M5 is BUL’s double stack 1911 offering. It is a high quality production that, at least at one point, was a popular choice among competitive shooters (and not just because it carried a few extra rounds). The Cherokee is a near twin to the polymer framed Jericho. Another solid option for those looking for either a larger carry option or something to take on the range on the weekends. Additionally, you can find their markings on some of the older Kimber polymer frame 1911’s floating around in the used gun case. Generally speaking, you can find BUL firearms on the used market at a pretty significant discount over IWI firearms.

Of course, if you are not in the market for a firearm you can always show your support by picking up IWI magazines, Mako / FAB Defense AR or AK accessories (highly recommended), and/or a Fobus holster. If you are not in the market for any of these you can also pick up an Uplala magazine loader that makes things just that much more comfortable at the range… you can actually feel your thumb on the way home if you use one of these. If you still can’t find anything to buy I really don’t know why you are reading this particular post but if that is the case go out and buy some kind of product from Israel. However, you’ll have to find those recommendations on your own but let’s just say that if you use a computer, a smart phone, and/or some kind of instant messenger you are already supporting the Jewish State.

Well, That Was Useless!

The learning curve is steep when you have your first child and there are many instances when you are scrambling to find the answers to questions that seemingly pop out of nowhere. Sometimes you reach out to family and friends who have kids to see what advice they have and chose from one of the many options that have inevitably been offered. Other time you reach out to the professionals and either call the doctor or, as we did a number of times early on, ask the doula. Each time we listen to the advice from those people who have “been there, done that.”

Thanks to social media, we can get a plethora of opinions and answers to our questions in a very short amount of time. At least that is what I have seen on my wife’s Facebook feed as I have usually just picked up the phone or asked someone in person when I run into them. While my approach may take longer and seem outdated by many, it is how I prefer getting the answers and advice that we need. It also eliminates the “other opinions”.

I have had countless conversations and have heard the many humorous anecdotes from family and friends who used social media (mostly Twitter and Facebook; these aren’t LinkedIn conversations) when they first became parents. While they received the helpful hints, tips, advice, and answers that they were looking for they also got the opinions of those who don’t have kids but “read somewhere that this is the best thing to do” or passed along the half of the conversation that they heard 5 years ago when their friend was considering having a child. Basically, useless information… I actually heard of someone saying that you should hold your newborn upside down and lightly shake them if they get hiccups. Wow, just wow. Either they don't have kids or they're in jail. 

While I have an opinion on just about everything (I know, you’re shocked) there are certain things that I will not offer second hand advice on. This includes parenting. And I still hold fast to that as we are only 6 weeks in so I can’t really speak from experience on anything. If specifically asked, either by phone or in person, I will gladly share my experience but I can’t give advice especially when there are general posts made on social media. Maybe after we have done this more than once I might offer my opinion but I doubt it.

Where’s The Mail?

This year it seems like every lodge meeting is sneaking up on me. As I have documented in this blog, I used to have the routine of heading over to the lodge every Tuesday to check in and make sure that everything was taken care of. This was especially true the Tuesday before a stated meeting. No surprise, my schedule has changed and I now find myself trying to get the same amount of work done in about half the time (if I am lucky).

Last night I was finally able to make it back to Ardmore to catch up with the dedicated brothers in attendance and also to check the mail. Well, that was the plan. I was able to speak with many of the brothers in attendance but the mail was a different situation. As it had been some time since I last cleaned out the box, the post office decided to hold much of the mail behind the counter in a bin. This may not be a concern for some but that is simply not the case.

The only times that I have been able to get back to the main line have been in the evenings and occasionally on the weekends when we have something scheduled beyond a simple trip to the post office. Basically, the times that I am in the area I am either busy doing something else or it is long after the post office has closed. I guess there is going to have to be a special trip or detour to Ardmore in the very near future.

However, as is always the case, the best part of the night is seeing that the lodge is still active. We have had some bumps along the way this year at the lodge but it is great to see that everything and everyone is still moving in the right direction. The new brothers have really taken ownership of their masonic education and I continue to look forward to seeing them participate more and more as time goes on. Who knows, maybe there is a new secretary among them for when I am ready to hand things off (years down the road).

Things remain busy at lodge, work, and at home. While hectic at times (most of the time actually) I don’t think I would change a thing. Well, maybe longer hours at the post office but that is about it. Maybe, just maybe, things will calm down a bit over the next few months but I wouldn’t be surprised if the opposite were true. Regardless of what happens to the schedule, things will continue moving forward and that is really all that any of us can do.