The ultrasound came through and we will have a boy arriving around April 24th. Nicholas Kennedy will be his name and by all tests so far, he looks to be healthy one.
Now, I guess I will have to start trading in the pink blankets for blue ones.
Note:
One of the loveliest walks in Winston-Salem is along Liberty St past the Old Salem. A wide promenade walk lined with mature trees, it is a blessed sight in autumn.
Well we find out this Friday what sort of child we should be expecting in April as Andrea undergoes her ultrasound exam.
I am not sure what I would like for my next and hopefully final child. Two girls already though they are many years apart. Andrea keeps asking me what I want for my next child. Truthfully, I do not hold opinion either way. While it would be nice to have a boy for the family name and all, a girl will work out just fine as well. Definitely we will save some money considering the amount of items we have in pink and other feminine colours when Madeleine came along.
In all, my one over riding criteria for the child is that it is a healthy child through and through. The ultrasound should go a long way in telling us in what to expect for the child.
As it stands now, the name for a boy will be Nicholas Kennedy, a girl will be Alexandra Hope.
Madeleine had one of those nights last nights where she just could not go to sleep. Rocking her, giving her something to drink, allow her to watch some television all had no effect. In the end, she ended up in our bed and even then she did not sleep restfully. She was like a squirming cat, trying to find that one comfortable spot. At one point, she fell out of the bed. Of course, that did not help our sleep at all so I ended up just as tired in the morning as I was going to bed.
With another child on the way, I do not think my life is going to be much easier. At the age of 41, I am starting a family life when it is typical for men about ten years younger to do so. I do not have the endurance to handle all of this and after quite a bit of this, I am a little worse for wear. I think when the two younger ones become of age when late night wakeups become a thing of the past, I am going to be looking much older than I should.
But I think I just grousing for now. Perhaps in a few years time, I will have a much different perspective on what it is like to be a father but for now I am just a little bit tired.
Note:
Autumn came and went far too fast around here. This shot is from the back deck of the house with the leaves from the nearby oak trees. Used a shallow depth of field to emphasis the key focus of the shot.
One thing I can not stand are people telling me that the economy is doing fine. Statistics are quoted, analogies are made and what we think is bad news is really not so bad. Whatever problems the economy is now facing are only temporary and the economy is fundamentally sound and poised for a rebound.
Poppycock.
What inflation?
I wonder if these people ever drive to the grocery and get the week’s worth of groceries and then fill up their tank for their automobile.
A decent amount of groceries for the week and I am not talking about buying steaks either is costing me nearly $180/week. With gas prices over $3/gallon, I find myself paying up to $65/week in fuel. As with anything else, spending more money on these things means either less money spent on other things or going deeper into debt. If you want to savor a statistic, gas is up 23% from last year whereas food for many items like eggs, orange juice, and bread is up from 12-18% from last year.
Funny thing is that when economists talk about inflation, they concentrate on core inflation which is based on all products but food and energy. That strikes me as ludicrous. The rationale why those two items are excluded is because their volatile nature from month to month for a variety of reasons but the thing is energy and food take out a big chunk of people’s take home income.
I think a significant part of the problem is the recent political decision to spend billions on ethanol production using corn. Taking corn out of the feed supply to make fuel which does not make much of a dent in the oil import supply and given other alternatives is a poor source for ethanol, has proven disruptive to other parts of the economy particularly food. Less corn means livestock farmers need to pay more for corn or for other grains raising prices for wheat all of which raises prices across the board for food. High energy costs are also a factor when you consider that fuel is involved in the transport and production of food.
Housing market still bad
The news out of the housing market is still pretty bad. Housing starts are down. People are getting squeezed by their adjustable rat mortgages which are now adjusting their rates which is well upward. With consumer confidence down, few people are willing to buy a home right now and because of that all of the associated businesses that rely on a vigourous housing market whether it be contractors, furniture makers, or mortgage brokers are all going to take a hit. That means less profits, less incomes and more job cuts potentially.
They estimate that the economy depended on a strong housing market boosted by ultra low interest rates for nearly half of the growth in the economy in the past six years. Now the hollowness of an economic strategy so dependent on cheap credit has been exposed and there is no real easy solution.
The weak dollar
Cutting interest rates again may prove counterproductive because of two significant side effects. The US dollar has been slammed pretty hard by other countries currencies. A weaker dollar typically means more expensive imports though the effect is not immediately felt. Still when you consider the volume of items that the United States imports whether in raw material or finished goods like in key categories like electronics, prices will definitely rise and people may just put off buying a new car or a new HDTV because of it.
However, this is another more serious effect of a weaker dollar. Oil is priced in US dollars and because other countries are demanding more oil for their economy it creates an inflationary effect upon the price of oil outside of any external pressure like a Nigerian workers strike or saber rattling in the Middle East. The $100 US per barrel price may become the new floor for oil for awhile. The effect on the economy is going to be serious.
So cutting rates will set off an inflationary spiral that given an already weakened economy will cause a serious recession that may endure for a year or so.
Is it any wonder that people are kind of spooked right now about the future?
And I have not even said anything about healthcare.
Note:
A bit of an experiment using a diffuse filter with a graduated filter and a long exposure to give a special look to the photo
Wake Forest plays Vanderbilt this weekend in its final game of the season. More than anything else, the Deacons are seeking to solidify it selection into a top-tier bowl selection. Given that it will not finish any worse than fifth overall in the ACC, it seems to be on track for the Meinke Bowl game in Charlotte NC. They have an outside chance for the Music City Bowl in Nashville but given that more fans will be able to attend the Meinke Bowl game (just a hour away on the interstate) than for the Music City Bowl game, it may prove to be a better choice. Most pundits seem to agree that this is where Wake will end up except for the guy at MSNBC who seems to think that the Emerald Bowl in the hinterland of San Franciso is more likely but I strongly disagree with that assessment.
Of course the team has to get by the Commodores of Vanderbilt which should not be too difficult but then again in this topsy-turvy season in NCAA football, surefire predictions never seem to come through.
Looking back on the season to date, it is a bit disappointing especially after last year’s tremendous run. There have been several games where if one or two plays went the team’s way, the situation may be much different and the team may still be in the hunt for the ACC Championship. Except for the blowout loss to Clemson, the Deacons have been in every game they lost to the very last play.
Of course, their schedule this year is a more rigourous one than last year’s. But that is one of the benefits of becoming a better team; you start drawing more highly ranked teams for non-conference games and this will enhance bids for national rankings along with better bowl bids and even up to the BCS rankings.
Still, it has been a good season and even with many of the seniors leaving this year, there is a strong nucleus of a team for next year. This team is not a one-year wonder and its performance this year is much better than the team they lost to in the Orange Bowl, Louisville, who looks like to will not go to a bowl game this season.
Looking forward to Bowl season.
(Helmet images courtesy of the Helmet Project)