NASA

We went on a tour of the birthing center at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern this past Sunday, and I couldn't help but think about the good old U.S. Space Program. Probably the second most important detail in planning space flight––the first being reaching outerspace––is where in hell is this giant heap of metal and flesh going land after re-entry into our atmosphere. So I felt like a NASA location scout walking the halls of the landing area of our child, busy preparing for its climactic entry from the inner space of the Dana galaxy into the outerspace of life here on earth. It really hit me that I am going to be a father, seeing the nursery filled with little people (being manhandled by the nursing staff), and the room that we'll bring our spaceship down to a safe warm landing to the anticipating eyes and arms of its new family. Seeing the various computer screens in each room with all their wires snaking through the walls to the NASA command center, where nurses sip thier coffee while monitoring the inner space atmosphere radar screens. Boop. Boop. Beep. Boop. Incoming. There's a window opening in the atmosphere, take your opportunity now pilot! Fire all thrusters!

Then last night in our birthing class we watched a video of a water birth that took place in a Mexican home, the mother was also a mid-wife who chose to deliver her baby herself, away from the boops and bleeps of the NASA birthing center. And she did it! We watched as her baby popped out and slowly floated to the surface of the water, was lifted out, and took her first breath, not a computer monitor within a mile of the scene. So, there were the Wright Brothers and their contraption; and now there's the space shuttle.

Well, lost my train of thought. Have a busy day ahead of me. Here's a pic of our little astronaut in it's spaceship, working the controls.

Twins! um.... sort of.

That's right. Twins. While there's a baby growing inside D's belly, there's another baby growing in the downstairs of our house––the studio. Over the weekend, Ronen and I made huge progress with it, laying down remnant carpet tiles ($50 for the whole area.. I probably got ripped off, I know) setting up the G5 dual 2gig and the Yamaha mixing board... to the right we built a rack unit for the outboard effects and mic preamp. The sound booth, or "the womb" as I like to call it now has a solid maple door that makes a pretty tight seal. On the other side of the wall behind the recording console is the performance area where we have a drum kit, an upright piano, a bunch of guitars, banjo, mandolin, violin, and various percussive intstruments. All the cables from microphones and instruments are sent through the wall into the mixing board. We're also going to create a video window, setting up a DVcam in the performance room, and sending the feed to a monitor in the control room (pictured here) so Ronen can see what's going on in there. It'll be awesome. So check it out.. pretty soon we'll begin recording my songs, recording other peoples songs, making a sweet demo.. who knows.. maybe I'll have some vinyl albums pressed along with the CD's.


Click it for a bigger view. It's a panoramic made up of six shots crudely pieced together, hence the crazy perspective.

Worlds Largest Eggs

Believe it or not.. from this doorway comes the worlds largest eggs. Truly bizarre. Truly untrue.



And also, this madman is making his own bio diesel fuel from discarded vegetable oil (from fry machines) right before our eyes. We went on a tour of solar and clean energy homes/businesses this weekend in Connecticut, and witnessed some truly inspiring things, this being the most inspiring. Flemig Farms in CT. All the diesel vehicles on the farm run on homemade fuel, that leaves no harmful byproducts... no carbon monoxide, just carbon DI oxide.. which the trees and plants love. Amazing.
Oh, also, any diesel engine can run perfectly on this bio diesel, no modification necessary. I didn't believe it until I saw it first hand.

Quote of Quotes

I recently heard legendary folk/gospel/spiritual singer Odetta share this quote in a live radio broadcast, but missed it when she named its author, and since then I've been trying to paraphrase it and really let it sink in because it's perfece––i think. The other day our new friend Maria sent D an email with the exact quote and it turns out that it was first spoken by none other than Nelson Mandela. Here goes:

"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who
are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people will not feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us. It is not just in some of us;
it is in everyone. And as we let our own Light
shine, we unconsciously give other people to
do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others:

-Nelson Mandela at his inaugural address as president of Sout Africa 1994


Well said, man.

Traded a pencil for a camera.

Yep. You know it. I'm starting to catch up to technology. Next will be GPS navigation installed into every dollar that I make to find out where it goes.

We're at almost 23 weeks now. Belly's getting big––or Dana's shrinking and her belly's staying the same size––can't quite tell.
I felt out little flipper moving around inside last night...probably doing some pushups or something. or dancing. kind of feel like it's a boy. But it's okay if boys dance... as long as there's no tutu involved.

Here's some photos.



Oh.. and.. men feel it too.. despite what you may have heard.

The shape of things to come....

While we were down in D.C., before sleeping one night I had my hand on D's belly and––for the first time––I felt our baby moving. It felt like a flutter, almost like a fish quickly swimming by. How strange. Here's a new set of sonogram pics from this mornings visit. The baby was waving to us.. and chewing on it's hands... oh man.. I thought...the kids already got anxiety... just like his parents. (click on an image to see the large version)

We're at 5 months (20 wks) and the baby weights 11 oz... almost a pound... under half a kilo. The due date has been changed to Sept. 17... a bit earlier. D is feeling energetic, and the baby's head is in breach position right now, so D is feeling nauseous now and then because the baby's head is higher up in her womb...

The latest sketches...

I think this one really captures the essence of D––although I understated the size of her belly... in reality it's a bit bigger... very sexy.





And this one is more true to the actual size of her belly

Plans. Dreams. Still possible?

We all have dreams, don't we? Some have blue-sky dreams, others humble-pie––no matter their scope, we all have them. The age of thirty had always loomed in my mind as a measuring stick by which I'd measure my success in life––or lack thereof. Thirty has come and gone, but now a new life gauge has toe'd itself up to the line––parenthood. Age is unavoidable. Having a child is––for the most part–– pure choice. Now that I've crossed through that doorway I find myself standing on the other side, looking around at my new surroundings and wondering––what does it mean?

I've always had this fantasy of spontaneous rock-stardom––you know the sort of fame I'm talking about––the one where the record label executive hears you humming one of your songs in the next stall of a public bathroom and––through the sheet metal divider––offers you a three record contract and you sign the papers on the tile floor––and when you walk out of the bathroom door, there's already a line-up of press with their flashing camera and microphones.

Unrealistic. Sure. But does it keep me going. Sure.

The point of all this is––suddenly I've realized that, in order to get what you want––you have to work hard to get it. And guess what? Someone hasn't been working that hard––and that same someone is expecting it all to magically fall into his lap.

Anyone have any words of wisdom out there?

Words of Wisdom

A new friend of mine offered this link to a beautiful article he wrote back in '01 when the world didn't seem like such a safe place anymore––for Americans anyway. Check it out... thanks for sharing it Matt!

Read The Article Here

Expansionist Theory

Every few weeks I'm going to sketch D and her belly to catch the subtle changes that a camera might not be able to see because it's a machine––and machines will never know what it means to love someone.

Little Black spot on the sun today

Couldn't help but sing that tune while looking at the screen in the doctors office.



After the appointment I was inspired to write this short poem:

Now that you are my burning star
Your day will be longer than mine.
But don't forget how––silent––
I saw you rise.

Second Dr. Appointment

Went today with Dana to Dr. Solomon's in suffern. She performed an ultra-sound for us to hear the babys heartbeat.
At first there was nothing but white noise––then suddenly a sound that was like the sound of a train coming toward us––only two miles away. Barely audible––but a heartbeat for sure, piggybacked on Dana's steady backbeat.

the first post

test posting