my colombian drug problem

I haven't been sleeping well. I am usually diligently asleep at 10pm but wide awake at a too soon 3am. I am not understanding this but I may have an idea. Is it because of my new found affinity for one morning cup of coffee? Maybe if it was the coffee, I'd have trouble getting to sleep. Good gosh, there are some people at work who drink coffee all day. I know it's not stress because I have seemed to adapt to the times and cope just like everyone else in the world. Mostly.

Mind you, some days I'll pound one or two Diet Cokes as a supplement to get me through the day but I've never had this problem. Too much caffeine I suppose. In any case, coffee is good, great and wonderful. It has taken me 40 years to discover the power of a morning cup of me (Joe) and I think I'm addicted.

I think I have my wife to thank for my addiction. It all started when she brought home our new single cup Keurig brewer. We had an old brewer that produced 10 cups in a pot but I never could master the science of a correctly measured scoop. This thing is much easier because all you do is throw in a prepackaged, correctly measured, take the guess work out of it K-CUP, hit a button and 30 seconds later you're drinking coffee. Done.

I can't believe I haven't discovered the magical benefits of a morning cup sooner. I think clearer and acquire much needed energy. Unlike some people, I don't crash. For now though, one cup is the limit. I'm sure if I increase my daily intake to two or more I won't sleep at all and that will lead to newer addictions like self-prescribing strong doses of sleeping pills. Then, much like Elvis Presley at the end of his life, I'd be in a vicious cycle of needing drugs to wake up and to fall asleep. And, believe me, the only way I want to mimic Elvis is the whole women screaming and fainting in my very presence thing. Wait, that happens already.

So, next time I sleep over at your house I'll have mine with some half & half and two packets of Splenda. It's the perfect way to start a day. I just wish I'd sleep longer.

13:55

When saying the word coupon, is it cue-pon or coo-pon?

I worked out hard today. I am trying to stay ahead of the game with the upcoming stuffyerface holiday next week. I am still trying to recover from the kids' birthdays a few weeks back where I felt my midsection grow a bit.

There's a Facebook Note floating around right now entitled 15 movies you've seen that will always stick with you. I usually don't do these things but I thought what the heck and filled it out. It was a lot of work at the time to come up with the 15, but now that it's done and posted I can come up with 30 more.

Looking forward to seeing everyone next week.

! happy birthday evan !

Our little Evan celebrated his second birthday this week. Sadly, this was lost in the Phillies' World Series hoopla and I neglected to report on this remarkable occasion.

He's been under the weather since last Saturday but that didn't keep him from enjoying his delicious cupcake after he blew out his candle (on his own, BTW). Then it was off to enjoy his new plastic golf clubs and his WOW WOW Wubzy toy.

Evan offers contrast from his older brother. They are as different as two kids can be coming from the same start point. We all know Eric is sensitive but the jury is still out deliberating verdict on Evan. Eric will mess with him and you can tell Evan's taking notes for when he gets a little bigger to deliver payback. He is a quiet, behind-the-scenes observer. He'll watch, he'll wait and then he'll do when nobody's looking. He will violently destroy, but he always rebuilds. He is very good at puzzles, many at one time. In my biased opinion, he has all the traits to become either ninja assassin or NASA mechanic. His vocabulary is expanding. He now says words like UP (for down), DOWN, BOO BOO, WELCOME (for thank you), HAPPY, WOW, LOOK, MOM, DAD and JOE. He will say JOE after repeated attempts to get my attention using DAD have gone unanswered. My favorite is if someone says UH-OH he will say SPAGHETTIO in his own little way. Everyday is something new and fun. Plus, he is impossibly handsome.

We are so blessed to have him after our struggles to make him. Hopefully next year at this time he's sitting on a toilet, diaper free, wiping his own butt. Hopefully, he'll be forming perfect sentences telling us about his feelings or what he wants from Santa and hopefully he isn't kicking Eric's ass for one reason or another on a daily basis.

Two years down, a lifetime of learning, tinkering and older brother ass-kicking to go.

little suzie

Little Suzie* comes home from school one afternoon in a triumphant mood. Her mother asks her why she's so bubbly and vibrant. Little Suzie explains to her that the boys make her do cartwheels during after-lunch recess whenever she wears a skirt.

Mom: Oh you know why they do that Suzie? Those perverted boys want to see your underwear!

Little Suzie: I know mom! But I showed them! I took my underwear off and put them in my backpack before lunch. Stupid boys!

*the fictitious character Little Suzie is in no way associated with my wife Susan. You all know she can't do a cartwheel. Any similarities are purely coincidental.