TA-DA!

THIS. IS. HUGE.

Annie can sit up on her own.


Annie's paralysis seems to start somewhere between the bottom of her rib cage and her waist which is where the muscles that enable you to sit up on your own are located.

For 18 months or so now Holly and the therapists have been working with Annie on core-strengthening exercises and Annie has continued to impress.

So here is why this is huge. Up until recently, we basically had four options for setting Annabelle down: Highchair, Stroller, Her "Bouncer" and the DIY Cart on loan from therapy. All of them are basically chairs with straps.

If your toddler is constantly in a restrictive chair, they can't really reach anything on their own. Which means Annie would have to sit there and wait for us to hand her a toy / book etc instead of being able to engage in independent play. We have done our best to come up with solutions but still . . .

In addition, when we are around other toddlers, the chair has been a barrier to Annie's interaction with other children.

So in the past two weeks, Annabelle has gotten to the point where she can sit on the floor amidst a pile of toys and entertain herself for a while. She does have a tendency to fall over from time to time though. Holly and the therapists are working with Annie on being able to push herself back up to a sitting position when she topples over but it takes some time and effort so for now we are using the nursing pillow for support.

But man, this is a major milestone for us.

Gone Fishin'

This is one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time.

For maximum enjoyment, crank the volume on the first video and lower the volume on the second as far as you can and still hear it.

Start the first video and at the 20 second mark, start the second.

Her First Novel

by James Tate

When Connie finished her novel she came
over to my place to celebrate. I mixed up a
shaker full of Manhattans and we sat out on the
porch. "Here's to… What's the title?" I
asked. "Well, that's a problem. The title's
kind of awful. It's called THE KING OF SLOPS."
"Gosh," I said, "that's unfortunate. I think
you can probably do better than that." We took
a drink and reflected. "It's about a hospital
orderly." "Ouch," I said. "It doesn't sound
very promising, does it?" "Is there a love
angle?" I asked hopefully. "No," she replied,
"everybody hates him. He's a creep." "Then
Why…?" "I don't know. I got started and
I couldn't stop. I wanted to kill him off,
but I just couldn't. He's the loneliest guy
in the world." "It's beginning to sound pretty
good to me," I said. "How's it end? Upbeat,
I hope?" "That's another problem I'm afraid.
He tries to marry a corpse, and when the priest
finds out he throws him out the twelfth-story
window." Tears were streaming down Connie's
face. I was desperate to find anything com-
forting to say. "Well," I said, "you could
call it THE GOOD PRIEST." Connie smiles, and
the wake continued long into the night.

I Was Skeptical But Now I Am . . . . Slightly Optimistic . . .

Quote of the Day

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.

~ Harriet Woods

A Small Act

Good Stuff

The City, Berobed in Blue

by Eleanor Lerman

What do you think has come over me?
I did not feel like this yesterday
but today, all I find myself thinking is,
This could be my last apartment,
my last lover; this could be the last dog
I ever own—as if I were going to die
at any moment. Which of course
is possible (myocardial infarction,
genetic defect, lighting bolt)

The anxiety may pass, but not
the age. Yikes, every moment says
And then, Look out!

Well, what can be done but put
a good face on it? A big one,
round as a moon and glittering
to the last. Or maybe slide into
an om state, where nothing is
something and everything is
more or less of something else

Better yet, maybe it's time to think
about the city, berobed in blue,
which now appears to me in memory
as a good place for a young girl,
who only I can recognize

See how lightly she steps off into
another, and then another morning
And as if she has never done it before,
begins to breathe

Beating the Heat

A couple of weeks ago the temps broke 100. We really only get about 14 days of that type of weather every year so our house has never had air-conditioning. But still - when you open the window first thing in the morning and are hit with hot air coming in - you know it's going to be a challenging day.

I recently saw a personal mister at Home Depot. It's just a plastic tube with two mister nozzles on top that screws onto your hose - best $10 bucks I have spent in a long time (the house mate bought one too).

So here is the set up:

Sunglasses - check

Frosty soda - check

Kindle wrapped in a zip-lock bag - check

$10 mister - check

Ahhhhhhhhh . . . . . .

Perhaps the World Ends Here

by Joy Harjo

The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what,
we must eat to live.
The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the
table so it has been since creation, and it will go on.
We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe
at the corners. They scrape their knees under it.
It is here that children are given instructions on what
it means to be human. We make men at it,
we make women.
At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts
of lovers.
Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms
around our children. They laugh with us at our poor
falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back
together once again at the table.
This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella
in the sun.
Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place
to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate
the terrible victory.
We have given birth on this table, and have prepared
our parents for burial here.
At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow.
We pray of suffering and remorse.
We give thanks.
Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table,
while we are laughing and crying,
eating of the last sweet bite.

Sleeping Beauty (Sort of)

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty from Darragh O'Connell on Vimeo.

Why I am Not a Vegetarian

by David Oliveira

It's not that I love animals less,
a case could be made I love them more—
and it's not that I love vegetables less,
I love them rare,
nothing more savory than raw celery
clawing and kicking its way down the gullet.

What I find hard to stomach is vegetarians.
If there is a vegetarian at the table, we all
get called in to be witnesses at a police lineup.
Cheese, eggs, fish,
each suspect paraded for identification—
pronounced innocent, guilty,
please take two steps forward.

And it's not like there is just one canon
for the good hose to worry about.
Each vegetarian comes with a different menu.
Most won't eat anything that had legs,
though many eat fish, a fin nothing like a leg,
And eat shrimp, that have legs
which count as fins since they come from the sea
and taste so good in a Newburg sauce.
Oysters are problematic, without legs and from the sea,
but mostly eaten alive, like carrots.
A few pass on eggs because of the latent leg potential,
though pasta is usually okay,
the potential hard to realize under the marinara.

One friend doesn't drink milk
but asks for extra au jus
for his mashed potatoes. I haven't the heart
to explain what kind of vegetable the "au" is
or how many get squeezed to make a cup of "jus."

Don't misunderstand,
I admire those who stand on principle,
however vague, who doesn't admire
the resolve of, say, a Jerry Falwell,
to bear the weight of so much conviction
he can hardly walk to church.
Praise the Lord for limousines.
As my mother would say,
"Live and let live—
Just keep the details to yourself,
And pass the ketchup, please.

Get Your Geek On

Mash-Up

I am embarassed to say that I like the movie "300". I am not embarassed to say that I also like the movie "Sandlot".

This trailer puts them both together:

Quote of the Day

Goin' one more round, when you don't think you can - that's what makes all the difference in your life.

- Rocky Balboa (IV)

5 Confusing Biblical Rules (and what they may mean)

Interesting

Tarp Surfing

A Deposition

by Anne Porter

The nursemaid Agnes Cassidy
A woman not much bigger
Than a child
The eldest of thirteen

Came straight from Donegal

One of her eyes
Was pulled askew
Mauled by the forceps
Of a country doctor
Who had been drinking
The night that she was born

But her small flat
Unlucky face
Bore marks
Of Celtic beauty

And she was strong

Her faith was silent
Sure
And passionate

She'd gladly walk
Ten miles
In any weather
For a taste of God

And when her mother died
In Ireland

And a fierce sense of duty
Was dragging her
Back to the farm in Donegal
To help her father

She wept at leaving
The little fiery boy
Whose nurse she'd been

Whom she had named
The Fighting Irishman

And whom she loved she said
As much as she loved anyone.

How to Wash a Cat

On month after we were married, I brought home a black pound cat we named Dezi. She was with us the first 16 years of our marriage.

About 9 months after adopting Dezi, we adopted Samson, a 9-week-old orange tabby.

At the tender age of 9 weeks, Sam had a tendency to poop, lose his balance, sit in his own poop, and then run around the apartment.

On one such occasion, I grabbed the little shi**er and rushed to the kitchen sink to clean him off before he could sit on anything.

He howled like bloody murder as I held him under the faucet, washing feces off his hind parts. The wife burst into tears exclaiming that I was "hurting him" and Dezi, our first cat, actually bit my leg.

I (gently but effectively) kicked Dezi off me and glared at the wife and ordered her out of the room.

Neither Sam nor Dezi was harmed in the process - I cannot same the same for myself or my marriage . . . .

Bringing Sexy Back

Me 20 Years Ago:

Me 20 Days Ago:


Jeepers.

In fairness, I think the first photo makes me look better than I actually did at the time and the second photo is just awful. I don't think I actually look that bad now - it's just a terrible photo. Still, 40 pounds is 40 pounds.

I am one of those people who can spend 2 hours at the gym without getting bored. It's what works for me. Obviously, I have not been hitting the gym in, oh . . . about the last 3-4 years. I actually put on almost all of the 40 pounds I am trying to lose in the past 3 years just from stress eating.

So enough is enough. My old gym was having a membership sale where you could basically join for free so I re-upped.

Today was my first workout. I was dreading it. Not because I figured it would be torturous but because I was not looking forward to being in a room full of mirrors where I could not avoid my reflection (truth can hurt). Ah, well, it all went just fine.

I was actually in the mood for yogurt afterwards instead of a burger so I guess the workout was successful in that regard.

Let's see, where is that 2011 marathon schedule . . . .?

Heh - yeah right.

Just to Feel Human

by James Tate

A single apple grew on our tree, which
was some kind of miracle because it was a
pear tree. We walked around it scratching
our heads. "You want to eat it?" I asked
my wife. "I'd die first," she replied. We
went back into the house. I stood by the
kitchen window and stared at it. I thought
of Adam and Eve, but I didn't believe in Adam
and Eve. My wife said, "If you don't stop
staring at that stupid apple I'm going to go
out there and eat it." "So go," I said, "but
take your clothes off first, go naked." She
looked at me as if I were insane, and then
she started to undress, and so did I.

Cheerfulness Taught By Reason

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I think we are too ready with complaint
In this fair world of God's. Had we no hope
Indeed beyond the zenith and the slope
Of yon gray blank of sky, we might grow faint
To muse upon eternity's constraint
Round our aspirant souls; but since the scope
Must widen early, is it well to droop,
For a few days consumed in loss and taint ?
O pusillanimous Heart, be comforted
And, like a cheerful traveller, take the road
Singing beside the hedge. What if the bread
Be bitter in thine inn, and thou unshod
To meet the flints ? At least it may be said
'Because the way is short, I thank thee, God.'

Quote of the Day

I just talked to an animal. Not in the form of speech; Jasper’s lost most of his hearing. But I went outside to write in the gazebo, and he wanted to come outside because something might be going on. (He has not yet hit the old-dog point where he rarely cares what’s going on.) He walked up to the door, looked. I looked. He hit the door with his paw. I didn’t feel like getting up right at that exact moment. He barked – a short sharp note. Okay then.

That qualifies as conversation.

-Lileks

It's Exactly What it Looks Like

A new ice cream van with tasty treats specifically for canines will have man's best friend howling with delight.

The Hunt is On (Update)

So another week is here.

Last week was full of discombulations as friends were in town, the wife's work schedule was different etc. I am living proof of the adage "Do the hardest things first". I have learned that if I do not take care of the business / paperwork part of life first thing in the morning - it won't get done. Even if it means I do yard work in the heat of the afternoon.

Since my precious schedule was upended last week, I didn't accomplish as much job hunting as I wanted to. I did apply for a few more sales positions and decided against applying for the opening for a tow truck driver that Monster.com thought I would be interested in.

My actual goal is to fire off my resume to two job prospects a day and I try to keep at it until I do.

I have a coffee date with a good friend in a week or so to bounce some ideas around and I am considering going back to school one class at a time to get a masters degree for various reasons.

Having graduated college 16 years ago, it is daunting to look at applying for a master's program. I am no smarter now than I was back then but I don't think I'm any dumber either. Of course I have a gabillion more life experiences now than I did back then. It's just that I have sort of lost that edu-speak language. You know, the type that you spout off in end-of-the-semester term papers. The mealy-mouthed gobbledygook that you spew in an effort to make a "C" paper sound like and "A" paper.

It seems like most masters programs want you to submit ten pages of gobbledygook with your application fee.

Hmmmm . . . tow truck driver . . . .



Maybe not . . .

Oh, and I am thinking of joining a gym (I said "join" I didn't say "go" . . .)

Quote of the Day

I remember when the new phone book was an event, a thrill – a new picture on the cover! Finding your family’s name! Now it’s like the world’s most useless pulp-brick. The only other thing whose appearance occasions thoughts of its immediate disposal is dog poop.

- Lileks

A Great Twist to the Old Spice Ads

Sunday Dinner

by Dan Masterson

Linen napkins, spotless from the wash starched
And ironed, smelling like altar cloths. Olives
And radishes wet in cut glass, a steaming gravy bowl
Attached to its platter, an iridescent pitcher cold
With milk, the cream stirred in moments before.

The serving fork, black bones at the handle, capped
In steel, tines sharp as hatpins. Stuffed celery,
Cut in bite-sized bits, tomato juice flecked
With pepper, the vinegar cruet full to the stopper
Catching light from the chandelier.

Once-a-week corduroyed plates with yellow trim,
A huge mound of potatoes mashed and swirled.
Buttered corn, side salads topped with sliced tomatoes,
A tall stack of bread, a quarter-pound of butter
Warmed by its side. And chicken, falling off the bone:
Crisp skin baked sweet with ten-minute bastings.

Homemade pies, chocolate mints and puddings,
Coffee and graceful glasses of water, chipped ice
Clinking the rims.

Cashews in a silver scoop, the centerpiece a milkglass
Compote with caved-in sides, laced and hung
With grapes, apples, and oranges for the taking.

Quote of the Day

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

- Gandhi

10 Books Every Conservative Must Read: Plus Four Not to Miss and One Impostor

I swore off politics a year and a half ago and I don't miss it one bit. I still vote and keep myself informed - but it doesn't "fire me up" like it used to. This book caught my eye and when I looked at the authors recommended, it made me take a second look. I bought it on my Kindle for a fraction of the bookstore cost and I greatly enjoyed it.

This is not so much a political book as a world-view book. For Benjamin Wiker, conservatism and liberalism are worldviews - not political parties. Check out the list of books that are discussed:

Part I: What is Conservatism?

The Politics by Aristotle

Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton

The New Science of Politics by Eric Voegelin

The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis

Part II: Democracy and the Founding of America

Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville

The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

The Anti-Federalists by Various Authors

Part III: Conservative Economics

The Servile State by Hilaire Belloc

The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich August

Part IV: Other Conservative Stories

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

The Jerusalem Bible

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Listed as the impostor conservative book)

Side Note: I particularly liked how Benjamin Wiker dismantled Ayn Rand who has long been championed as a conservative intellectual - and who I have found utterly boorish and unreadable.

It's an impressive list and Benjamin Wiker gives each a fair treatment. Two things to keep in mind: the author is both conservative and Christian. I did not agree with everything the author said and at times I thought his points were a little too pointed and far-reaching but it did me good to read it and I think any one of any political stripe would benefit from an exploration of two basic worldviews that have been at odds since the dawn of civilization.

I think that, regardless if you lean left or right, you will find portions of this book illuminating and challenging. I got the impression that any "liberal" who reads this book will come away a better and more informed liberal. Same goes for conservatives.

In the end, I think that it was an excellent book (not perfect) and one that could help in elevating our political discourse above the sound-bite politics of the day.

Reason #365 To Have Concrete Floors

One of the tricks I have learned to help the wee-one "beat the heat" is to put her highchair on the back deck, fill the tray with water and toys and let her "splish-splash" for a while.

Well yesterday it was 102 degrees outside by some reports. Too hot to put her out on the deck and yet, I needed a way to get her cool and comfortable.

Then it hit me: Our family room has a concrete floor! There's no reason we can't set up some splish-splash time inside!


I did seriously consider whether we could set up the kiddie pool in the family room as well but I think draining it would be a problem . . . .

Snoop-Dog's 5 Tips on Fatherhood

The Most Serious of Heart Attacks

More Star Wars Geeky Goodness

Old Spice + Dawgs?

Hymn to the Comb-Over

by Wesley McNair

How the thickest of them erupt just
above the ear, cresting in waves so stiff
no wind can move them. Let us praise them
in all of their varieties, some skinny
as the bands of headphones, some rising
from a part that extends halfway around
the head, other four or five strings
stretched so taut the scalp resembles
a musical instrument. Let us praise the sprays
that hold them, and the combs that coax
such abundance to the front of the head
in the mirror, the combers entirely forget
the back. And let us celebrate the combers,
who address the old sorrow of time's passing
day after day, bringing out the barrenness
of mid-life this ridiculous and wonderful
harvest, no wishful flag of hope, but, thick,
or thin, the flag itself, unfurled for us all
in subways, offices, and malls across America.

"Round-a-bound"

Don't Mess With the Panda

the finger

by Charles Bukowski

the drivers of automobiles
have very little recourse or
originality.
when upset with
another
driver
they often give him the
FINGER.

I have seen two adult
men
florid of face
driving along
giving each other the
FINGER.

well, we all know what
this means, it's no
secret.

still, this gesture is
so overused it has
lost most of its
impact.

some of the men who give
the FINGER are captains of
industry, city councilmen,
insurance adjusters,
accountants and/or the just plain
unemployed.
no matter.
it is their favorite
response.

people will never admit
that they drive
badly.

the FINGER is their
reply.

I see grown men
FINGERING each other
throughout the day.

it gives me pause.
when I consider
the state of our cities,
the state of our states,
the state of our country,
I begin to
understand.

the FINGER is a mind-
set.
we are the FINGERERS.
we give it
to each other.
we give it coming and
going.
we don't know how
else to respond.

what a hell of a way
to not
live.

Dad Life

The Hunt is On (Update) - Brought to you by the letter "D"

When you grow up, you can be a
Dancer,
Dentist,
Detective,
Druggest,
Ditch Digger,
Doctor,
Dishwasher,
or a Daddy.

- Sesame Street



It cracks me up how completely random the list of "D" jobs is. The fact that they sandwiched "Doctor" between "Ditch Digger" and "Dishwasher" gives me a special little twinge every time. They finish up with a dad playing with his child - which is touching except that all the other "D's" are employments so the unintended message is; you can be employed or be a daddy - they forgot the "deadbeat" qualifier.

Sorry, but whenever it get to that part I can't help thinking, "It's the middle of the day! If "Daddy" had a job he wouldn't be duct-taping letters to his shirt and spinning in circles in the park. I know, I know, this is all sounding gloomy but I am not half as gloomy as I am probably coming across. And that video was probably shot on a Saturday anyway . . .

When I was a Real Estate agent, I was basically self-employed so I made my own schedule. Often times I would take care of personal errands or chores in the middle of the work day and I would wonder, "How do 9-5'ers get all this stuff done in the evenings and weekends?" The answer: most people don't get it all done - you gotta let some stuff slide.

All that to say that I am staying busy. Job hunting half a day - yard work, errands, chores and paperwork the other half. The wife is on me to start an exercise program - When will I find the time? It's getting to the point that I won't have time for a job!

Just kidding.

So, I have fired off my resume to at least a half-dozen places. Mostly sales positions. As I mentioned before, one place I applied sells cremation services. I also applied to be a "Culligan Man" (management), and a medical equipment educational director - which actually sounds pretty cool.

So begins another week - thanks to Sesame Street I have a whole new list of jobs to consider.

Quote of the Day

"Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand."

- Mark Twain

Typewriter Music

Splish Splash

I Like It . . . .

http://mashable.com/2010/07/09/favorite-youtube-videos-music/#P1GaZv_yB6c

Cool Stuff

(I may have already posted this . . . .)

Uh . . . Wow . . .

Ahh . . . Motherhood . . .

Read this.

Now the next time your 4-year-old shouts, "Say 'Cheese' Nipples!" You will know exactly what to do . . . .

Today's Moment of Zen

Watermelon carving from Vid Nikolic on Vimeo.

Quote of the Day

Things on a notepad you probably need to explain if someone comes into your studio and looks over your shoulder: the words KILL FAMILY

See, I knew what it mean. Erase the family movies from Backup Disk 3, because I needed the room, and it was the 6th backup.

- Lileks

The Hunt is On (Update)

"Maybe you will win the lottery and we can be Hobbits" - The Wife

I will admit, there were a couple of weeks there where I was in a funk - funkified. But I have a basic routine down now (and I am once again changing my clothes and showering regularly). So what does an unemployed person do all day?

7-8am: Pick up the house, do the dishes

8am-9am: Check e-mails (review job prospects from Monster and Cal Jobs), get caught up on blogs etc

9-9:30: Shave, get dressed (willfully ignoring the fact that I could spend the day unshaven and in yesterday's clothes and no one would notice)

9:30-1:30ish: Job hunt: Send out resumes, make calls, rework the budget and put off the lesser bills.

1:30-?: Yard work.

When I envisioned having a yard of my own, I pictured myself shuffling around in my robe and slippers every morning, *snip**snip* here, pull a weed there . . . cuppa joe in one hand . . . . what I didn't anticipate was that weeks at a time would go by where I couldn't get to the yard work and so, consequently, there is an endless cycle of yard going to seed, a back-breaking weekend of slash-and-burn then the return descent to "I think this home might be abandoned" and back to slash-and-burn . . .

So I am taking this opportunity to give myself a small taste of what retirement might be like - I almost have the front-yard "slipper-worthy" - the back needs some help . . .

And lest you think I am wasting valuable time puttering around the yard when I should be out beating the bushes 24-7, I am rebuilding my soul. When I do land that next opportunity, I intend to "better,stronger, faster" as the saying goes.

I did actually apply for a sales position with a cremation company. As I understand it, you work from home and when people in your area are interested in cremation services, they call you and you put the deal together (so-to-speak).

That's morbid!, said the wife. Could you do that?

And work from home? Absolutely! was my response.

Oh - and, if you hear of an opportunity that might be a good fit, let me know!: matthew.m.linden@gmail.com

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Shrimp

Looking for a something flavorfully zesty, “bodaciously bacony” and simply sizzlin’ with a scrumptious southern style, just wild enough to keep your alertly excited taste buds at full attention, while being sophisticated enough to keep your all of your genuine, gourmet “good buddies” thoroughly impressed and coming back for more?
Introducing Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Shrimp!

RECIPE HERE

Happy 4th!

Popcorn Shrimp

Zach Anner - Keep Austin Wierd

Grandmother's Guide to Video Chat

The Hunt is On

NEW FINANCIAL RESOURCES WILL SOON BECOME AVAILABLE TO YOU

- Fortune Cookie

That was actually in my fortune cookie the other night when the wife brought home Chinese take-out. Which is funny since I am currently on the job hunt.

I have always said that looking for a job is twice as hard as having one so if I can get in a solid 4 hours of beating the bushes everyday, I feel a sense of accomplishment.

Thankfully, there are some web sites that aim to make the whole process easier.

LinkedIn:

LinkedIn is one of the more popular networking sites. I set up an account long ago when I started getting LinkedIn requests from friends but never did anything with it. Well now I have the full-meal deal set up at http://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmlinden .

Check it out, if you are on LinkedIn, shoot me a connection request. If you know me well enough, submitting a recommendation on my behalf would be much appreciated!

CalJobs:

CalJobs is mandatory for anyone seeking unemployment insurance payments in the state of California. I haven't used it much yet but all my info is there as well.

Monster.com:

Of course, Monster is aptly named - it's enormous. Ditto on my stuff being there too.

I have sent my resume out personally to friends and family and would be happy to forward it to any dear readers who might know of an opportunity.

So what am I looking for? Primarily a sales rep/manager position. Durable medical equipment sounds attractive since I have personal experience with little Annie. But a salesman can sell anything. I would prefer to sell products (stuff you can see and touch) as opposed to services.

I am open to travel up to 50% of the time (my previous territory was everything West of the Mississippi in both the US and Canada).

I would prefer to remain based in San Diego - what with the house and all - but would consider anywhere within 1 hour of the Pacific ocean and within 1 hour of a major children's hospital if the opportunity was right.

So that's the news. If any of you dear readers know of an opportunity, please let me know: Matthew.M.Linden@gmail.com .

Thanks!