Totally Digital Christmas:

It’s a totally digital Christmas:

• The family got a WII
• I got a digital picture frame
• I sent my mother a digital picture frame
• Savannah got an MP3 player
• Jackson got a Leapfrog learning laptop
• Jennifer got a DVD camcorder (or other one was nine years old, it was time)
  

Now, it’s not just a digital Christmas, there’s

• A bicycle
• A Green Machine (like a bike)
• A guitar

But – there are sure lots of pixels being pushed around here.

I wonder

My standard favorite list of "top musical acts of all time you like" (or, "what records you'd take along if stranded on an island alone") nets out like this:

In no particular order...

• Van Halen
• AC/DC
• The Police
• REM
• Talking Heads
• James Brown

I'm not sure what purpose it serves, really. I'm not sure what this list actually symbolizes or says about me. I listen to so much stuff.

I was hooked on the trip hop XM channel for a while - now it's the Notorious B.I.G. channel, so, I don't know why I even have a list.

I don't even listen to The Police anymore. I listen to contemporary Christan pop and mainstream country on the car stereo more than I listen to The Police these days - I've just heard them too much.

But, I do have this list - whatever the meaning of it.

And I tried to think about the commonalities between the groups. I came up with:

• All are iconic
• All of the music sounds fresh and new. It's not dated when you listen to it. Brown's funk; Van Halen's guitar; Talking Head's world beat; Andy Strummers & Stewart Copeland approach to their instruments - it's all original, game changing and unrepeatable, no matter how mainstream and well-selling the music is.
• All are obviously in the pop/rock category, with a lean toward blues & soul.
• They come from the 7os and 80s. No 90s and beyond favs for me. I'm getting to be "of a certain age"

Then, one other thing came to mind - I've seen five of the groups live and in person.

Well, a caveat - James Brown was by himself singing Georgia on My Mind with the house band at a jazz dinner restaurant in Augusta, GA, where he lives and was celebrating with some friends. I never made it to his yearly concerts in Augusta when I lived there and he was alive.

And I haven't see The Talking Heads - only David Byrne solo.

But, I wondered, did that influence my list making?

In this day and age of digital this and electronic that - did the fact that I'd been in the same space with these artists and experienced their work human-to-human - does that play role?

And - does that fact have significance?

I think it really does. I'm going to have to ponder it for a while.

Atlanta Beauty

Driving home on Monday & Tuesday, I witnessed two beautiful sites.

On Monday, driving north on GA 400, at about exit 5 - in the distance I saw smoke. I thought a building near the edge of the highway was aflame. Turned out - it was just fog. There was thick fog blanketing Gwinnett & Forsyth counties.

I stopped by the library on my way home. As I checked out (Life of Pi, How Doctors Think - if you are wondering) I chatted with the librarian. We talked about how the movie Stephen King's The Mist was coming out - and how this was it - this was that mist.

So - Monday Evening Fog - that's glory number one.

Number two - great big honking orange globe of a moon low on the horizon during Tueday's commute home. Was glorious.

Alas, no photos of either. Cellphone camera don't do well on long shots like that.

What a football weekend

What a weekend for football.

Between:
- The Thanksgiving Day Games, which included the Falcons at home;
- The Tenn. vs. Kent. game that would decide if George went to the SEC Championship;
- The GA vs GA TECH game;
- My son Parker (7yrs) playing three games in three days at the 7-year-olds' Sportsmanship Bowl in Forsyth County, Ga.

It was quite the football weekend.

Great stuff.

Blake is here

Blake McLeod was born Monday, Oct. 8th at 8.23 pm at Northside.

He was 8 lbs, 6 oz and 21 inches long.

He scored 9 on APGAR; is healthy and fine.

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mcleod/1524952974/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mcleod/1519989530/

Like most of my projects – it ended up perfect, but a little late and a little over budget:
Jennifer McLeod had a hard, long labor – from 7 am to 8.30 pm.
But she’s fine, as well. She’s resting a lot – it was rough, but she’s well and will recover fine.

Both Jennifer and Blake will be home on Thursday morning.

The other three children (Savannah, 8; Parker 7; Jackson 4) are so excited. They visited their new brother yesterday and fought one another to get to hold him:

• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mcleod/1526013902/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-mcleod/1525182795/

Not yet - but will send photos

Not yet - but check http://flickr.com/photos/mike-mcleod/ later for a first look at Blake.

In the hospital

Well, we are here - at Northside hospital - waiting for Blake to be born. Jen is in a comfy labor and delivery bed. I am on a bench type thing.

Of course, Jen will be more uncormfortable later.

One observation - I don't like watching TV without TIVO anymore.

2 Days Untill Blake

It's time.

It's time for Blake to come.

He's all cooked good.

I'm talking about Blake William McLeod :: my wife is due to be induced into labor Monday morning starting at 7 am. We're scheduled to spend Sunday night at the hospital - Northside in Atlanta.

[PHOTO CAPTION: Picture of Blake's brother Jackson and sister Savannah when they were little. How are they going to react to Blake? We'll see]

I'm so excited. I find little ways to bring it into conversations. I wonder how the other kids are going to react. I find myself renewed in many ways by it.

I mean, it's not like I ever took my three wonderful children and wife for granted. I make a point to be thankful and look at them (and other things) with new and enthusiasm every day.

But now that I'm off work and we have a date for Blake - there's a sharper focus on my family and a sense of renewal for me. I find myself thinking of how the siblings will turn out - how they'll get along when they are older. I think about Parker's love of playing football and how it compares to the love I had for it growing up. And I think about how these guys grew up in suburban Atlanta - compared with how I grew up - in smaller Georgia towns :: and then overseas in Turkey for three years in middle school. I wonder how it'll all turn out. Things are changing.

Parker & Football

So, today was fun.

It was the "big game" - Parker's football team :: War Eagles Central (imaginative, huh?) was 4-0; and they were playing against the only other undefeated team.

It was quite a struggle. Score :: 6-0 - and Parker and the War Eagles Central won. Nice.

Football in Forsyth County is a treat. The coaches are good, the parents enthusiastic. The sounds - the small cute cheerleaders cheering; the parents and coaches hollering; the announcer being casual and funny; the homemade shakers in the stands; the cowbell someone has...

It's serious, but at the same time, people aren't serious about it. In the moment, we're all serious. But really, everyone realizes it is just a game. They are serious about it, but don't take it seriously. If that makes sense. It's professional feeling with a sense of fun.

And, it is more fun when you win. Like Parker's team is doing.

A long bit of patch cable...

I got a telephone call at my desk this week.

“Mike?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have a long bit of patch cable? Can you bring it to Victory Lane conference room?”

“Well, I can, but there are plenty of data ports in Victory Lane – why do you need a long cable?”

“Well, I’m trying something here, and I’m fed up. If this doesn’t work; I want to be able to hang myself”

I brought the cable and I didn’t ask any questions. …

School Routine

Kids are in school.

Savannah does piano lessons (with her aunt); tennis lessons; and she is thinking of signing with a friend in the John's Creek Methodist choir.

Parker is playing football. First year. It's a hoot. He really enjoys it.

And Jackson, well, he makes funny faces a lot.

His latest thing...he does the interrupting game. You try to talk; and he loudly goes "dub, dub, dub, dub, dub."

Sometimes funny - other times - jus irratating.

Own More Bone

Take this quiz: What product touts and uses this catch-phrase in its advertising:

"Own More Bone"?

If you don't know the brand name, just pick the type or category of product you think would have this slogan.

Answer: Archery. Get it? Kill a deer with a bow and arrow; collect more deer antlers.

Own More Bone. I like it. That's something we can all get behind.

A Reprieve!

So, I'm not selling the truck.

We decided it made more sense to pay the truck off; then trade in the Durango for a mini-van.

Having Four Children

So, it's true. We're thinking of buying a mini-van.

With the new baby coming (a boy, maybe named Blake, maybe Blake William), Jen's been after me to get a van.

To do so, we'd have to sell my Toyota Tacoma truck.

I wasn't keen on the idea. That would leave me driving the Dodge Durango to work every day. That seemed a bit much.

But, somehow, I've grown on the idea. Seems nice and convenient.

The van I mean - not driving the Durango. I don't know what to do about that still. I'll think of something.

Also, wrecking my truck had something to do with it.

Yes, I wrecked my truck. It was pouring rain, and I was driving my normal speed - way too fast - on a byway to get onto Interstate-85. I spun out - too fast around a curve in the rain - and hit the concrete wall in the front and back.

With some timely help from my good buddy Bert - who I'm glad was home at 9.30on pm at night on a rainy Tuesday, and who knows more about vehicle repair than I ever will -- and with the help of some duct tape for the bumper - I was able to drive home OK.

I don't know why the wreck would make a difference - but in the course of getting the truck repaired - I've warmed to to the idea of a mini-van.

Seems easier to operate with four kids than an SUV.

We're thinking Toyota Sienna.

So, What's Up?

Sky.

Here's some books I'm reading:
- World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. (Book)
- The Omnivore's Dilemma (Book on tape)

Reading these books makes me happy.

Been a great summer with the kids.
- Went on vacation to Jamaica the first week out of school.
- Their Grandma visited the next week.
- Have swim team daily.
- Got passes to Lake Lanier Water Park - they go there once every other week.
- Had a birthday party/cookout at the pool for me with some of my old high school/college buddies and family last weekend.

That's what's going on.

Gettin' Mo Bizzie

Well, in case you didn't know - Jen's pregnant.

Yes, that's #4.

Yes, it's out of control.

The new job; the commute; the baby coming (Oct. 15th) - dude, it's outta hand.

But - at the same time - very, very, very good.

Lots of creative, dynamic tension.

People love to watch the high-wire act, don't they?

Lines of the Day

My favorite line of the day:

"Alright fine, smart guy -- fix it. Quit with the yapity, yapity and make with the pushy-pushy 0n the buttons"

Second favorite: "May it reign down a plauge of thongs"

Third: "OK, but don't call me unless you have a death-knell issue. Like - all the models have their clothes on"

All this is SI Swimsuit production related.

It's been a while...

Since I posted anything.

*Sigh*

Very busy, very busy.

On what?

Well, on getting things set up to move jobs over to PGATOUR.com.

And get SI Swimsuit 2007 online done.

Here's a preview....

And: http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=si-for-charity - Jimmy Buffett Swimsuit Guitar Auction.