Beach Trip

Last month we spent a week with my wife's family in Ocean City, MD. Although we went to the beach last summer just a couple of months after Jack's birth, this year he was old enough to really start taking everything in. He thoroughly enjoyed the sand and surf, preferring to play just at the water's edge. His proud grandfather spent a good portion of our days on the beach capturing Jack's every move in both still and video imagery. The only problem we had was getting Jack to take his afternoon nap on the beach. There simply were always too many things going on for him to settle down in his Pack 'n Play SPORT and go to sleep, so we had to start taking him up to the condo for a few hours after lunch each day. However, nobody seemed to mind taking turns staying up there with him while he slept.

One of the evenings during our trip, we ventured out, just the three of us, for a night on the boardwalk. Jack loved walking around, taking in all the sights, sounds, and people. We had dinner at our favorite boardwalk pizza joint, Tony's. Afterward, we took Jack down to Trimper's Rides, a place near and dear to my heart. Things have changed very little there, especially the indoor rides for the younger children, since I used to be taken there by my parents almost thirty years ago. Jack and I rode the antique carousel and then he rode several of the kiddie rides. We finished off this perfect evening with a stop at Thrasher's Fries. The thing that always amazes me about Ocean City is that as much as it is constantly changing, so many things remain the same. My parents, sister, and I likely carried out the same itinerary one evening a quarter century ago. Perhaps a few decades from now, Jack will do the same with his children. I must admit, being able to share some of my favorite childhood memories with my own kids is one of the best things about being a dad.

Baby Mozart

I am very pleased to see Jack's musical abilities developing at such a young age. He is rather fascinated by the piano, and he loves to run his little fingers over the strings of my guitar. He's also becoming quite the dancer. Anytime music is playing on the radio or television (especially during the opening of one of his mother's favorite daytime programs, the Ellen DeGeneres Show), he bops up and down and waves his arms around. It is clear that he loves music. I believe that a lot of my musical ability stems from having started piano lessons at a rather young age (first grade). By the time we could start learning musical instruments in school, around fourth grade, I had already had years of experience reading and performing music. I hope I can pass my gift, talent, ability, or whatever you want to call it on to Jack, and I plan to start him out on the piano as soon as he shows signs of being ready (which at this point would be learning to sit still for more than two seconds). I have no doubt that, like me, he will harbor a lifetime love of music.

The End of the Innocence

I've never been a big professional sports fan. I have nothing against them or their multitude of fans; I just prefer to do other things with my time than watch other people play a game. Maybe had I been active in a particular sport growing up instead of being a band nerd I would feel differently, but that's another story... Today's big news in the world of sports was Rafael Palmeiro being suspended for alleged steroid use. I only use the word "alleged" here because that's the courteous thing to do--I'm convinced that there is no question as to whether he did, indeed, use steroids. It saddens me that this is the same person whose 3,000th hit was just celebrated as a major milestone. It saddens me that this is the same person who testified before a congressional panel earlier this year that he had never used steroids. It even saddens me that Raffy happens to be the Oriole that my wife's grandmother thinks is "very handsome."

It is irrefutable that steroids are not only unhealthy but downright dangerous. It is also clear that millions of children admire professional athletes. As a role model, Raffy has clearly failed his fans of all ages. As a father, he should be downright ashamed of himself. Would he want his own kids to fall for the lure of performance-enhancing drugs? I think not.

On another note, the other thing that cracks me up about the wild world of sports is the insane amount of money professional athletes are paid and the wrist slaps they are given for breaking the rules. I can guarantee you that if I were to fail a drug test, my employer would not suspend me for ten days. No, mine would be undoubtedly a permanent suspension...an early retirement, if you will. Would anyone else's employer handle the drug issue the same way as pro sports leagues? My lovely wife has a wonderful suggestion for Major League Baseball in light of the Raffy scandal: test every player in the league tomorrow for steroid use and ban for life all those that test positive. I'd support that plan, but then I wonder, would enough players remain to even keep the sport alive?