Can I go a whole month without posting? Sure I can … but why would I choose to do that?

So what’s been on my mind as of late? Well mostly family … having two kids is really kicking the crap outta me and Shari … we love those kids dearly but man are they a lot of work. People may ask me, aren’t you worried when they’re older they’ll read this and get upset? Nah. Once they’re old enought to understand, I’m going to let them know just what a pain in the ass they were.

However for all the frustration … I am getting a little giddy. With christmas right around the corner, I’ve been looking at things with a fresh perspective. I’m looking forward to putting up the tree in the living room this year and I’m eagerly awaiting things to be under it. Instead of hoping for things for myself under there, which is my usual preference … I’m already imagining Brie under there … eyes all a glow at seeing all of her presents. Next year it’ll be the both of them who will be under that tree and then my pride will be twice as full. I can’t wait!

Before all two of you who read this get all sarcastic on me … and point out that I’ve been a parent for around 18 months now … let me explain what’s on my mind.

With Brie getting older … and every day turning more and more into a little lady … I find my mind wandering to concerns about what exactly I’m going to be doing to raise her. Not fundamental things like feeding and cleaning her. Instead things like “how many times a week will I show her Toy Story? When do I put a game controller into her hands? When do I explain to her how awesome it is that we’re Canadian?”

Shari and I have this AWESOME responsibility … not just to physically bring these children to adulthood … but to shape and mould them into individuals … to pass along to them a sense of values and morals. It’s begun to weigh upon my thoughts … quite a bit.

I just need to make sure that my children understand that Kid Rock is good … and the Backstreet Boys are bad.

Alrighty … so what do parents of two children both under 18 months do with the majority of their free time? RECOVER!!! And what’s the best thing to do to recover? WATCH THE BOOB TUBE!!!

Shari and I haven’t been too bad with getting sucked in lately … we’ve only added Hell’s Kitchen to our schedule in the past couple of weeks … watching the ‘new’ season at 8 and then last season on the Food Network right afterwards at 9 … (I like it when Ramsay yells at the cooks … it makes me laugh … I’m cruel like that) …

However Shari and I are going to be in BIG trouble REAL soon … for one … Survivor starts next week … ruh ruoh … and then the following week, not only does Thursday get better with the CSI premiere … but also the Amazing Race starts that weekend … god, and that’s just one network …

Apparently the Race is going to have a pair of Harlem Globetrotters this year … I can’t wait to see two gigantic basketball players crammed into tiny little taxis …

Now … when I say dream team … I’m not talking hockey … or basketball … nope … I’m talking about what Shari refers to as the dream team … the group of friends who go to the Mandarin and attempt to shut it down with their capacious eating …

We took the kids to the Mandarin for the first time the other night … clearly Logan didn’t partake but his big sister did … and really, I don’t want to talk about how much she enjoyed herself … I think that’s evident from the photo … no, I want to talk about how proud I was of her that night …

She’s been learning sign language so that we can have an easier time of communicating with her … and she’s learned how to say a few phrases, but at the restaurant she was saying “Thank You” to EVERYONE like crazy … initially she was doing it upon prompting … but by the end of the evening, she knew that she had to say thank you to people without any hints from her parents!

Once we were done eating, it was Logan’s turn to get topped up.  Since we were out in Niagara, Shari had to feed him in the van.  Which left Brie and I to play out on a nearby grassy knoll.  That alone is fun enough but I thought I should continue with the teaching.  So I patted a nearby tree and said to Brie, “tree”.  I was rewarded with a big smile and a response of “ree”.  That’s good enough for daddy! 

I’m so proud of my little girl.  She’s just so smart.  I knew I was going to enjoy being a parent, but with my two kids it’s been that and so much more.

… but I’m being followed …

I was checking my Inbox this weekend … and apparently I have a tasty little stalker!  I wonder if the donuts have gained sentience and are now following me in an effort to relieve my suffering?  After all … everyone knows how much I love my Tiny Tom’s …

Well … either way … fatherhood has left me a little drained … again … so I have to apologize for the lack of any kind of post …

How’s Logan doing?  Well he’s ahead of the curve for weight gain … at least at his last checkup … I’ll tell you this much about my son … he’s a farting machine!  All day long he’s just firing them off, left right and center.  Which … as far as Shari and I are concerned … is all right because if he’s farting, he’s at least letting off the gas … as opposed to hanging on to it and putting himself through pain … which is what his sister did …

Speaking of his sister, she’s officially said her first crystal clear word.  It’s “Bye”.  I know there’s going to be a lot of moments where as a father I’m going to be proud as hell … but to hear that adorable little voice say that word as she’s waving goddbye to someone … she’s got it figured out and I … LOVE it!

Evening everybody … it must be something with how Shari and I make children because we had a little surprise this weekend … Logan decided to show up a little bit early … tricky little guy …

At 5:52 PM today, Shari and I welcomed Logan James Carder into the world … weighing in at 6 pounds, 12 ounces he’s almost double his sister’s birth weight … but then again, he cooked a little longer … not all the way mind you, he’s still three weeks early to the day …

I’ll try and post more details as I can … but right now I’m dead tired and ready for some sleep … I love that my son has arrived, and I can’t wait to introduce him to his big sister … which no, hasn’t happened yet …

In the meantime, I’ll tide you all over with some photos of the little man … and yes, I know his head is cone shaped … they tell me he’ll grow out of that …

OK … so Michael Jackson has died … which I would say is tragic … however the true tragedy is the media frenzy which has errupted over this whole event.  Seriously people …

Take a look at this link … that’s the amount of news stories which were on the net for the past five years leading up to last month … and what’s in there?  Several stories about trials, felony charges, articles about whether or not MJ could ever be as good as he was … nothing positive.  At all.

Then the poor man dies.  A tragedy when any life is ended, but then the media pounces and suddenly everyone all around the world loves him.  Everyone will miss him.  He was such a genius.  The world’s greatest entertainer.

The man was broke.  His estate was in the hole to the tune of a half a billion dollars.  He faced several lawsuits not only here in the Americas but abroad as well.  The last studio album he put out was 2001 … and before that, 1991.  The only reason he was ever in the headlines was for yet another stupid thing which he had done.

Now … I loved him when he was on his game.  Perhaps if this had happened some 15-20 years ago, all of this attention may have been deserved.  But the man who passed away yesterday was NOT the same man who electrified the world and earned the title of the King of Pop.   And this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

When John Lennon was shot, no one had cared about his solo work.  Instead he was the guy who had broken up the Beatles.  Suddenly through the tragedy of his death he became this sensational thing which we realized that we had lost.  What’s the difference you say?  Lennon deserved the recognition which he didn’t get until his death.  Jackson?  He wasted that recognition with all of the antics which he’s pulled over the past decade and a half.

Once again the cancer of celebrity is rearing up and slowly degrading society again.  I guess at least this is taking some of the heat off of the Gosselins and their unfortunate divorce.

OK … so I’m tooling around on the net  …  doing my usual thing … and I’m checking out coverage of the new Guitar Hero Van Halen which is coming out … suffice to say, I was (and maybe still am) tempted by the premise … but with them leaving out Sammy and Mike, I’m probably going to have to boycott.

I’ve spoken to this before, but more and more things keep happening which keep pushing me to realize that as much as i enjoy Eddie’s guitars … I really am a Van Hagar fan … so I start checking the net for just that, Van Hagar … and lo and behold … Mike and Sammy have formed a new band … with Chad Smith of the Chilli Peppers … and JOE F**KING SATRIANI!!!  The other guitar god which I worship!  How did this happen and escape my notice?

Anyway … the band name is Chickenfoot (I don’t know where the hell that’s coming from, I’m trying to find out) … but suffice to say my interest is picqued!

Currently down in LA … the E3 convetion is running … for those not in the know, that’s the Electronic Entertainment Expo … basically the biggest video game trade show … period …  There’s been a lot of announcements this week … but really?  For me there were three games which stood out …

A new game starring Jack Black called Brutal Legend.  While this isn’t a NEW announcement, it’s apparently the talk of the show.

A sequel of sorts … Rock Band: The Beatles.  I MAY pick up the disc so I can play with the kids when they’re older … but just check out the trailer …

And a Star Wars based MMO … now I’ll join the internet chorus and ask why the three prequels couldn’t have been done like this?