Hopefully today's the day!

Well, today is Cathy's due date. No clear signs of today being the day, but we can hope. I even took the countdown clock off the top of the blog.

She's been having contractions for several weeks, but they have been sporadic in interval and intensity. If this baby isn't here soon, we're going to be trying every old wife's tales in the book to get things kick started!

A Man without a Country

Where the heck have I been? Oh, yeah, getting ready for a baby. Well, apparently, my favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut, has written a new book. "A Man without a Country" is set to be published by Seven Stories Press on September 15th. This is his first book since 1999. It's a collection of article Vonnegut wrote for "In These Times" magazine over the last five years.

"Thank God, Kurt Vonnegut has broken his promise that he will never write another book. In this wondrous assemblage of mini-memoirs, we discover his family's legacy and his obstinate, unfashionable humanism. What makes this all the more remarkable is that most of it happens in Indiana." - Studs Terkel

Vonnegut will be the guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight. Don't miss it! If you do, you can catch this audio article from NPR.

Still no news to report

We're still patiently awaiting the birth of baby Roach. No news to report.

Latest web publisher

Adam Yoder is the latest web publisher here at Blogger. Check out Patterenedchaos, Adam L. Yoder's BlogSpot. Is it just me, or is Adam not wearing pants in this picture? Stay off the coffee man!

Music therapy for newborns

From the AFP wire, Mozart to a baby's ears helps ease birth trauma. Mozart! Whatever. I've got U2's greatest hits and Wilco ready for Baby Roach.

Here's some great photos from the story from Yahoo News:

Nothing new to report

Cathy had her 39th week check-up yesturday, but we still don't have any better idea about when to expect this baby. She hasn't started to dialate at all. The doctor ran a fetal non-stress test to check movement and heart rate because he was concerned about preeclampsia or pregancy induced hypertension. But she doesn't have any of the other signs and the test came back normal, so we're back to waiting!

Barbara Bush: "It's Good Enough for the Poor"

Great sound bite from The Nation.

Commenting on the facilities that have been set up for the evacuees -- cots crammed side-by-side in a huge stadium where the lights never go out and the sound of sobbing children never completely ceases -- former First Lady Barbara Bush concluded that the poor people of New Orleans had lucked out.

"Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this, this is working very well for them," Mrs. Bush told American Public Media's "Marketplace" program, before returning to her multi-million dollar Houston home.

On the tape of the interview, Mrs. Bush chuckles audibly as she observes just how great things are going for families that are separated from loved ones, people who have been forced to abandon their homes and the only community where they have ever lived, and parents who are explaining to children that their pets, their toys and in some cases their friends may be lost forever. Perhaps the former first lady was amusing herself with the notion that evacuees without bread could eat cake.

I guess now we know what a "compassionate conservative" really is. Read the whole story here.

Here's an AFP story about the same incident and the White House response.

Harry Potter

Ok, I admit it, I love reading the Harry Potter books. I just finished the latest book, the 6th in a series of 7 books, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. It took me about a week and a half to read through the 672 pages. I was 107th on the Monroe County Public Library waiting list. The library bought 50+ copies, so they made it through the waiting list fairly quickly.

Yes, I'm a 30 year old that like to read books written for kids between 9 and 15. It's a great distraction from my normal reading of zoning codes and lawn care manuals. I rarely ever read novels anymore. And I find it amazing that kids will sit down to voluntarily read a 600 page book! At least all the hysteria has died down about Harry Potter promoting witchcraft and the occult to kids.

I now know which main character dies, who the half blood prince truly is and what Harry has to do to finally stop Lord Voldemort. Now I just have to wait till book seven is published.........

Nothing new to report

Well, the long weekend has passed and no baby yet. We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so hopefully we can get a better prediction then!

Class of 2009 Mindset List

Beloit College in Wisconsin publishes an annual "Class of ## Mindset List." This gives their professors an idea of the political and cultural references that have shaped the lives of incoming students. This year's college freshmen were likely born in 1987. I was in Middle School in 1987! You can read the "Class of 2009 Mindset List" here. The following are the references I found most poignant.

• They don't remember when "cut and paste" involved scissors.
• Heart-lung transplants have always been possible.
• Boston has been working on the "The Big Dig" all their lives.
• With little need to practice, most of them do not know how to tie a tie.
• They never had the fun of being thrown into the back of a station wagon with six others.
• Iran and Iraq have never been at war with each other.
• Al-Qaida has always existed with Osama bin Laden at its head.
• Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker have never preached on television.
• Voice mail has always been available.
• Pixar has always existed.
• It has always been possible to walk from England to mainland Europe on dry land.
• They have grown up in a single superpower world.
• Les Miserables has always been on stage.
• Halogen lights have always been available at home, with a warning.
• There has always been a pyramid in front of the Louvre in Paris.
• Snowboarding has always been a popular winter pastime.
• The Hubble Telescope has always been focused on new frontiers.
• Researchers have always been looking for stem cells.
• They do not remember "a kinder and gentler nation."
• They never saw the shuttle Challenger fly.
• Digital cameras have always existed.
• CNBC has always been on the air.
• Jimmy Carter has always been an elder statesman.
• America's Funniest Home Videos has always been on television.
• They have always been challenged to distinguish between news and entertainment on cable TV.