Novice Pop

The Perfect Gift for Fathers of Teenage Girls

Hey, got a teenager with friends who drive you up the wall? Do you wish they would all just go away? My son isn’t even born yet, but I’m already anticipating picking up one of these “Mosquitoes” in case he acquires any obnoxious, slacker acquaintances as he grows up.

I’d imagine a device like this would be a huge hit with the fathers of teenage girls. You could drive away all the hormone-hyperdriven, teenage boys that show up at your doorstep to take your daughter out.

A Lack of Dad-centric Magazines

It’s about 10 after 11, my wife has already fallen asleep for the night, but I can’t seem to get comfortable and make my way off to dreamland. I think it might have something to do with the three hour nap I took this afternoon.

To try to coerce myself into slumber I sat up and read an issue of Men’s Health magazine that had been sitting on my nightstand for a while. I had put it there when it came in the mail (I used to have a subscription), but never got a chance to read it.

Afterwards, when I was still wide awake, I shuffled around the house looking for another magazine while doing my best not to wake up my wife. Although, she sleeps so hard lately, I think I could have the entire 80’s hair-metal band roster over to play party games, and she would sleep right on through it. Anyway, in shuffling through the numerous magazines that lie in stacks around our abode, I found numerous issues of my wife’s magazines, Cosmo, Glamour, Redbook, etc, mixed in with a whole bunch of issues of Parents, Parenting, and Baby Talk, and realized, I haven’t yet found a magazine for dads.

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Flu Shot Fallicies

Flu season is in full swing, and last week a few of my co-workers all got their annual flu shots. Surprisingly this spawned numerous conversations, disagreements, horror stories and adamant declarations from individuals their neither they nor any member of their family will ever get a flu shot.

Every November, like clockwork, the reports start showing up in the newspapers and on TV. Clinics start putting out announcements about how the vaccine will be distributed. And people start bracing for the annual ailment onslaught that is “The Cold and Flu Season”

Yet every year, a shockingly high number of people don’t get a flu shot. Some procrastinate and eventually forget, some just can’t find the time, and others just flat out refuse.

When the flu shot itself has been around since 1945 and the flu is such a prominent, yet sometimes overlooked, presence in the modern health world, why is there as much controversy over the vaccine? Why does it spark so much break-room debate and horror stories? Why is the flu shot surrounded by so many myths and fears?

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Any Job Worth Doing is Worth Doing Right

As I drove home from work yesterday, listening to the radio, I heard the most recent essay published on NPR’s “This I Believe” segment.

I’ve heard a few of these over the past few months and it’s gotten me thinking, “What do I believe?” If I had to narrow down the defining principal that has guided my life thus far, what would it be?

Today being my birthday, I’ve found myself in a somewhat self-reflective mood, and having spent time thinking on this question I think I’ve answered it for myself.

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Baby-Due-Date Countdown

Today marks the end of the 35th week of my wife’s pregnancy. She celebrated with another trip to her doctor’s office for an ultrasound and an update on the status of our little bundle of joy.

According to the doctor he is now:

• Healthy and developing perfectly
• Approximately 6 pounds
• Gaining about 1/2 a pound a week
• Head down and getting into birthing position
• Most definitely a boy

He’s on his way folks, and I for one can’t wait.

Animation Speaks Volumes About Today’s Capitalist Society

Anyone who knows me knows that one of my hobbies/interests is Animation, particularly 2 Dimensional Animation. As a result, I’m always reading up on the subject, checking blogs, viewing what the independent animators of the world are putting out there.

I came across this short today, and though it may seem a little removed from the subject of the life of today’s modern husband/father/male, I think after you watch it you’ll see that it actually hits pretty close to home.

So without further ado, may I present: Captain Capitalism in: Piggy Bank Pinko.

Note: A few people have asked me since I posted this if this means I “don’t like” capitalism. Actually, to the contrary, I love capitalism, my reasons for posting this link was that the severity to which it portrays the workings of capitalism is pretty funny, and in many ways true.

Being a Father Vs. Being a Dad

Today I’d like to take the time to bring up a subject very important to me, and, I’m sure, to many of you out there as well. I’d like to talk about the difference between being someone’s father and being someone’s dad. I know it may seem confusing, but I’m going to be using the terms “father” and “dad” to mean tow important, but very different things.

Father - By “father”, I am talking about merely being the biological male parent to someone, nothing more, nothing less.

Dad - By “dad”, I mean the act of responsibly raising a child by a male. This male does not need to be a biological parent to the child. For example he may be a Stepfather or an adoptive parent.

To me one of these roles is far more important than the other. I’ll be you can guess which one.

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