I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE AGAIN!!!

That's right ladies & gentlemen!!! The bloodline that spawn me shall continue. At last, mankind is saved...or rather will be in a matter of months. My sister-in-law called me up with the tremendous news Saturday morning while I was working (not watching cartoons unfortunately...but blogging about them). I would have told you at the time...but I was sworn to secrecy (for some reason) because she had yet to tell my mother. Suggestions for names will be heard...but for a boy, they seem to be pretty set on Kiel, Jr. Girls' names are still up in the air. Personally, I like the name Gretchen...but nobody else seems to. I feel that it's a good handsome name for a little girl...but I guess it does sound suspiciously like an unpleasant action verb.


My Baby Names - When/if I ever have offspring of my own, there are a few names that I like...but luckily I will have little to no say in the naming of my children...so just to prove that I have thought it through in the past, here's a sampling of my favorites.


For Girls: Karma - Stop rolling your eyes. Karma is sanskrit for action/effect & is thought to mean Fate or something, but I think that it's a great girl's name. My first car's name was Carmen...but Karma sounds a lot better to me...so there.

Lelu - If you haven't seen the Fifth Element, it's the shortened name of the Perfect Being (fittingly played by the lovely Milla Jovovich) so I thought it'd be kind of sweet as a middle name or something. That's right, my little girl's going to have a middle name...because she doesn't need a man to complete her driver's license.

Kristina - It's like Christina...but with a K. You may notice a theme with that.

Katja - Pronounced "Kaat-ya" so it has that Eastern European flavor...but it sounds cool anyway. The main downside would be that nobody outside of a German class would pronounce it correctly.

Megan - This name seems to have a recurring thing for me. It was the name of the first girl that I kissed back in 5th grade & my first 'real' girlfriend/lover. Besides, it's meanings are as varied as the girls that share the name: Greek - Pearl, Gaelic - Strong minded, Chinese - State of Beauty, Sanskrit - Thunder, & Welsh - Able bodied. It's a good solid name...and still in fashion.

For Dudes: Konrad - It's a good husky name...and it starts with a K.

Korbin - Again, Fifth Element reference...and it is one of my favorite movies...and it starts with a K but I'm thinking that my brother may beat me to this one. It's one of my sister-in-law's favorites...and they have a good headstart on me.

$teve, jr. - The Junior thing is always a fine choice...like Samuel Adams. However, as stated in my blog header, $teve is more than a name, it's a state of mind. It might also get confusing when the wives/mother get angry & start yelling it. "Ooooh, you're in trouble now boy." "Uh-uh, I've been out here playing all day. Do you think she found something on the top shelf of your closet?" "Oh son, there's nothing on the top....how do you know about daddy's shelf? Go cut me a switch!!!"

King - Steve is Greek for 'Crown' so a name like King is like a Steve, jr. Especially if it's something like King Konrad, leader of the Krab People. Okay, maybe not Krabs...but you get the idea. It's mighty.

Walter or Eugene - My father & grandfather are named Walter...so there's kind of a legacy with that. Also, Eugene is a little old fashioned but I like the idea of a little Genie running around. It'll probably be a middle name or something...because both names are underused.

Let's see, what else happened this weekend. Saturday after work, I went up to my mom's in the beautiful city of Eden & tested out my digital camera a bit on my niece Kairi & some landscapes. I was fairly impressed. My mother was also a little sick. She had picked up a little flu or something from her cruise to Alaska last week. From what I've been told, Alaska is a majestic frontier & you should all experience it while you still can. It's much more than melting ice & Eskimos...and those alone had me sold. My mother & I caught up on our incredible social lives while watching some HGTV (complete with wiseass remarks by me about painting walls brown & periwinkle because they compliment eachother...somehow...without using words) and one of the silliest stupid horror movies that I've ever seen called "2001 Maniacs" on Encore. It had Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger from Elm Street) and occasional hot Southern breasts but that's about it. We had a good time though.

Sunday, I spent the morning having Freedom Toast with Alaskan cinnamon honey cream (I didn't ask where the cream part came from) with my mom. Quite delicious. Then I headed over to my brother's to take some album cover photos for my buddy Andy (Spitsofrantic, the album drops soon) and hang. We watched some Robot Chicken episodes, then went for a hike up Ogden Canyon. We took a shaded path because it has been about ten degrees above normal here in the Salty Desert...and I wasn't feeling too well (mother's flu & I just don't handle heat as well as I used to). It was still very relaxing & we talked about a trip to Amsterdam & Northern Europe in late November. Apparently, there is this thing called the Canibus Cup, which I assume is some kind of sporting event, that they really wanted to attend...and I just need an excuse & a companion to go on a vacation anywhere...so we shall see if it goes through...then I shall blog about it during the Holidays. Merry Christmas!!!


I know that there may be some of you out there thinking, "Why would you want to go to Amsterdam?" Well, besides the Netherlands being the Tulip Capital of the World (and I'm a man who loves his tulips), homes of Vincent Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Anne Frank, & other historical figures, diamond factories, the Rijksmuseum & Stedelijk museums, windmills, canal cruises, wooden shoes, dikes, and Heineken straight out of the tap, but there's also a distinct kindness to the people & culture that I've heard so much about. What else could you want? It's even a centrally located city where, if I wanted to take a day trip on a train out to Brussells, Copenhagen, France, Rotterdam, Hanover, etc. It's sounds like a fun & busy time when/if it comes to pass. Anyway, that's the main attractions noted on the websites but I'm sure that there are other things to do in Amsterdam that I might be missing...but I'll keep you posted. It's always an adventure being emersed in another culture.


Also, I'd like to take a moment to wish some of my friends & family well out there. If there's any way that I can personally help, then please let me know. Otherwise, I'll just pray & say howdy to let you know that I'm thinking about you. Other than that, I can't really complain too much...because my problems are very small...and more irritating than problems. Soon I will tell you all about the harrowing journey that my PS3 took to get back to my house...but UPS doesn't get the hint that I work during the day. My Park Avenue's power windows have come back to haunt me...because now the motor in one of them has burned out (after only 200,000 miles) so I can't roll up the window. Sucks, right? Luckily, the only thing of value in there is my cheap CD player...but there are a few cats in my neighborhood that I don't want to find have been sleeping in the backseat driving down the freeway, you know? Just irritating stuff. Social life is really slow too (see visit to mother's) but I'm going to be in a car show this weekend...and probably having a few laughs & brews along the way, so that's something to look forward to. I'm still in great health & high spirits. I've got great family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, strangers, imaginary friends, etc. and things can't be too bad when that's the case. Especially when...I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE AGAIN!!! Congratulations to my brother & sister-in-law!!! Let me know when I can babysit.......well in advance. I'm sure it'll be a beautiful/handsome child and very, very tall.