In Spite Of The January Cold...

I have been walking my doggie twice a day. In the morning just after sunrise and in the evening just after sunset when I get home from work.

Let's Be Blunt For A Moment...

The governor of our fair state announced yesterday that he is not going to attempt a re-election campaign this fall. One term and he's outta there. He apparently managed a rare achievement with this news - without exception, no one saw this coming. Even in a small government town like Jefferson City, word gets around before it's official but not this time. Everyone was shocked.

The guv went YouTube with the smiling wife at his side and claimed he "has accomplished all [he] set out to do when [he] took office."

The cynic in me bellows, "yeah, right!" But let's consider the bigger picture...

The editorial in the P-D this morning said it best, 'curious timing.' Very curious, indeed. The guv just gave his "state of the state" address last week and set his priorities for the coming year. Now he's walking away suddenly? Something just ain't right. My irreverent conspiracy theories:

1) The wife insisted he come home and be a family man.
2) There's bad things a-brewin' and the shame factor is potentially disastrous
3) He has Congressional aspirations and this is part of something bigger.

Seriously, I think his experience in the office of Governor hasn't turned out to be what he had hoped it would be and he just wants to get out. I experienced similar feelings last fall when my community choir re-convened for rehearsal after summer break. I found that I was simply not interested in singing with them any more and resigned quietly.

Now the state Republican party has to scramble to field a viable candidate with very little time to do it. This hurts the de-facto Democratic candidate Jay Nixon because he now he has to re-tool his campaign strategies since he doesn't know who he's running against.

The guv stuck to his previous script at a news conference today, insisting he has no further public service aspirations and just wants to be a family man.

We'll see.

Whodathunkit, again!...

There's a Manning playing in the Super Bowl this year, but it ain't Peyton. I guess it's finally little brother's turn.

Life Without The Internet...

Can you even begin to ponder it?

Dealing with a prolonged Internet outage on a Friday= NOT FUN.

Whodathunkit?

Well there is a Manning still playing in the NFL playoffs but it ain't Peyton...

Got Offense?

If so, send it overnight to the Saint Louis University basketball team. They scored all of 20(!) points in losing to George Washington U. last evening. If you're wondering, yes, it did set a modern record for fewest points scored in a game. SLU's leading scorer scored 5 points. 5 POINTS!

A Different Class Of People...

From today's "Miss Manners" syndicated column:

Dear Miss Manners: I am attending a "White Tie" ball. I was taught by my late father that White Tie included the tails, white pique shirt, vest and tie but should include white kid gloves, a white silk scarf, a top hat and walking stick.

I own all of this apparel, so it is not a problem to locate such items. Is it still proper to dress this way for a very formal event such as I mention above?

Miss Manners' reply:

As long as you don't line up with any gentlemen who are similarly outfitted and all start tipping your hats and twirling your walking sticks in unison, Miss Manners would consider the full outfit to remain appropriate, not to mention dashing.

[I added the bold type]
.........

Who owns all of that apparel? I'd like to live in their world for a few minutes.

The New Mommy And Daddy...

My sis-in-law sent these out today and my mom (proud grandma) suggested blogging them so here they are.

Lydia's Birth Announcement...

is finally online here and here. She's listed twice but be sure to click the "next" link under the picture. There are 4 pictures per listing.

The New Family...

Well, Mommy and Daddy and Lydia made it home around 8:30 last night. Both sets of grandparents and I were waiting anxiously. A nice home-cooked dinner was warming on the stove and we all gratefully partook once the new family got settled. It was satisfying to see my mom and dad finally get to hold and cuddle a grandchild in their arms. I suppose it's a moment all moms and dads look forward to once their children are adults themselves.

My own reaction to having a niece has troubled me a bit. I didn't feel a huge rush of emotion or get teary-eyed or anything. It was like I was just sort of "there," not really emotionally connected to everything. I was almost more concerned with capturing everything on film or video rather than experiencing the moment. Another thing - after the baby was born it seemed everyone but me had had friends and family to call to deliver the good news to. I stood outside the nursery with the grandparents and mentally went through my list of acquaintances and found there was no one I was close enough to to call.

One very sweet part of the homecoming last night was the fact that I was able to be there. My work schedule changed again and I ended up back on my former schedule of M-F 9-5. The new schedule took effect last night with another co-worker working the Sunday night shift. I was SO HAPPY not be working.

More baby pictures here.

FINALLY!!!

Little Lydia was unhooked from her tethers today and is loving life on the outside with mommy and daddy. They'll all be leaving for home in a couple of hours. I FINALLY got my arms around her for a few minutes this afternoon.

Baby Lydia Update...

Click here for more pictures of little Lydia. Picture opportunities have been few and far between, unfortunately. She swallowed a bit of meconium prior to birth so she's been staying in the Special Care Nursery while she does 48 hours of precautionary antibiotics. She will be going home with her mommy and daddy tomorrow evening.

Just Call Me Uncle...

This is Lydia Joy Matlock, born to my brother and sister-in-law this evening at 8:47 p.m. She weighed in at 9 lbs, 9 oz. and is 21.5" long. Yes, she really weighed over 9 lbs at birth. As a result, she didn't look much like a newborn, already fleshed out and chubby-cheeked. She has a full head of dark hair. Of course she's the most beautiful baby we've ever seen!

Both sets of grandparents and I were waiting in the waiting area when my brother suddenly appeared with baby and nurse. He grinned proudly as we oohed and ahhed over little Lydia. Mom and Dad and Lydia are doing just fine. These are my snapshots. Better pictures of her will come soon, I promise!

Ouch...Very Ouch!...

In today's "Tipsheet" blog at Stltoday.com, online sports guy Jeff Gordon weighs in with this gem:

"What sort of endorsement opportunities will arise for plus-sized Jayhawks coach Mark Mangino now that he is famous? Will he get a clothing deal from a tarp manufacturer?"

Organization...

...is a good way to start off a new year. My bedroom closet before:


And after:


My dad installed the organizers on December 28 as part of my Christmas. Santa's Home Depot gift card covered nearly all the expenses.

Almost Famous...

Some of my friends made the evening news yesterday. They were included in a story about Cotton Bowl-watching parties. My friends are the ones at the house party, NOT at the bar.

The video (best viewed in Internet Explorer, sorry):

Catching Up On Recent Events...

Happy New Year, everyone. I spent New Year's Eve at a party with lots of friends, mostly from my Monday-night bible study. My bro and sis-in-law made an appearance but didn't quite make it to midnight before they ducked out. I was surprised they came but glad they did.

I was exceedingly glad to see ol' Mizzou whup up on Arkansas. The Tigers played with the right amount of intensity and passion to put a victorious stamp on their dream season. I always say that the the best way to respond to being ripped off is to try and make the people who ripped you off look foolish, so take that, Orange Bowl. The game featured two(!) Heisman Trophy finalists but the stars were the Tiger defense and a fleet-footed tailback named Tony Temple. Arkansas obviously prepared for a passing attack and Missouri responded by letting TT run HOG WILD (there I said it!). Oklahoma lost in the Fiesta Bowl tonight, so there's a good chance that Mizzou could end up with the best record on the Big 12 conference this year. Wouldn't THAT be nice!

The much-hyped, much-dreaded, overexposed shutdown of I-64/40 happened early this morning. Rush hours this morning and evening were almost problem-free. Road crews and news crews prepared like it was the second coming of D-Day and they ended up with a NON-STORY! Traffic was light, as it always is following the holidays. Either the media over-exposed this and scared off the general public or they just flat-out failed to anticipate the light traffic. By the time I got to work at 8:00 a.m., the party line was "well, just wait until next Monday." Already covering their derrieres, they were.

Hamming It Up...

This was Chili's Christmas gift from her Aunt A. She got it at Target, of all places. I looked and looked for something like this at my local Petsmart and Petco stores and found nothing like it.

All Dressed Up...

...to either rob a bank or walk a dog on a cold day in January. I did the latter on New Year's Day. This is also how I dressed to go skiing last February in Colorado.

Isn't It Ironic!...

From my second hometown of Festus, MO comes this story:

Practical joke leads to cop's shooting

By Christine Byers

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

01/02/2008

FESTUS -- Police believe a practical joke led to the shooting Tuesday of a 23-year-old Ste. Genevieve police officer.

The rookie deputy allegedly faked a break-in around 9:45 p.m. at his brother-in-law’s home in Festus, said Festus Police Chief Tim Lewis. The brother-in-law thought an intruder was about to enter his house and reacted by shooting him.

A short time later, Festus police noticed a car speeding along Veterans Boulevard and realized the vehicle was racing to Jefferson Memorial Hospital. Once there, they recognized the shooter as an on-call minister for the police department.

Festus police have turned the investigation over to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office citing a conflict of interest.

The names of the victim and shooter are not being released because of the ongoing investigation.

............

If the young officer doesn't die from the gunshot wound, he'll surely die of embarrassment. What could possibly be more ironic (or idiotic) than a police officer faking a break-in? I think his career in law enforcement is over, at least in Ste. Genevieve.

So we have a police officer who faked a break-in and a police chaplain who shot him during said break-in. In the NFL, that would be called "offsetting penalties - replay the down from the dead ball spot."