Memorial Day

Please be thankful for those who gave their lives in service to our country.

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Benjamin is Seven Months Old!

He's rolling around now and will be crawling soon. He's about 20 pounds and a little over 28 inches tall. He likes the jazz and classical music we play for him from the iPod (Best invention ever!). He's discovered how to play "peek a boo" with his burp cloth. He'll cover his face and I'll ask out loud "Where is Benjamin?" and he takes the cloth off his face and smiles and I yell "Peek a boo, I love you!". June 5th he begins day care and while I know he will thrive in the environment, he really loves being around people, I'm very nervous. All is well with the little guy. He's healthy, happy and a joy to be around. My little buddy.

These are the most recent pictures of Benjamin. Double click to enlarge the photo. Enjoy!

John Coltrane

I was running errands at a hectic pace yesterday, listening to XM Real Jazz Channel 70 when I pulled into the Costco parking lot. John Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things” came on. Despite the time crunch I was under, I remained in the car mesmerized by this version.

I’m a relative newcomer to jazz, thanks in part to XM’s jazz stations, so I’m learning more and more as I listen.

Coltrane’s been called the most influential tenor sax player in jazz history. He has the ability to take a fun tune as this (from The Sound of Music) and extend it into thirteen minutes of sophisticated music. This is very impressive.

He possesses a very interesting sound, playing his sax in a way that it stands out ahead of other instruments. Yesterday this stopped time for me.

Nationals vs Orioles

Interleague play starts this weekend in Major League Baseball. The Orioles will travel from Baltimore to play at RFK Stadium tonight through Sunday. It will be the Orioles first appearance in D.C. since 1971. I'm planning to go to the Sunday afternoon game.

I was talking with my friend Ian at work and he's got a mini ticket plan for both teams. The question comes up--Who are you going to root for? The answer: I'm not really sure yet. Let me take you back a long, long time ago. September 1971. The Senators, and my boyhood baseball idol Frank Howard, are being moved to Texas at the end of the season. I listened to their last game at RFK Stadium on WWDC AM 1260. I had my dog Chester hanging out with me and I was heartbroken we were losing the Senators.

Fast forward a few months in 1972: My parents were at a dinner party and they met Orioles Public Relations Director, Bob Brown. Dad and Mom told Mr. Brown about how I was sad the Senators moved and how much I missed baseball. A few days after this meeting, I received a package in the mail from Mr. Brown. In it contained player picture cards, a hat, an Orioles shirt, a World Series program from 1971 and other items. I was hooked instantly on the Orioles and I wrote Mr. Brown a letter thanking him. Over the next couple years we corresponded with one another via US Mail and to this day, I owe my Orioles allegiance to Mr. Brown. That simple gesture on his part kept me a baseball fan. This was a very big deal to a ten year old. That's how I became an Orioles fan.

While I'm very happy that Washington D.C. got the Nationals, I'm still an Orioles fan and will always be, so perhaps I answered my own question here. I think Ian is going to wear an O's shirt while his wife wears a Nats cap.

Meanwhile, take a trip back in time by reading today's Post