Meatatarian

How great is that Wendy's "meatatarian" commercial? (It's a personal choice.)

P.S.: Little known fact: I referred to myself as a "meatatarian" once when I was 12 or 13 years old. I don't have much proof except that it cracked my dad up, and he referenced my "meatatarian" comment for years afterward.

P.P.S.: Littler known fact: In 1998 as a 19-year old summer intern in the capital planning dept at Federated Department Stores (now Macy's), I had to familiarize myself about the various regional brands of the company. (The multi-branded corporation was essentially a result of a series of mergers and acquisitions). About 2 weeks into my internship after learning that the most successful divisions operated under the Macy's brand, I asked "why don't you just call every store Macy's?" I was essentially told "oh naive intern, people in Columbus know Lazarus, people in Atlanta know Rich's, people in Miami know Burdines, and so on...these people wouldn't be accepting of a NYC brand in their hometown." Well about 9 years later, we all know what happened.

P.P.P.S: I'm not making either of those stories up.

Satellite Radio

Mindy and I bought a new car back in February. I know, I know--new car purchases are not in my DNA (you should've seen the stunners my dad used to bring home). However, convincing Mindy to transport our baby (who would later be named Edwin) around town in our '01 Lumina was an argument I was not prepared to make.

An unintended benefit of this new car purchase was the delight that is satellite ratio. We get it free for a year, and I'm interested to see if we'll cough up the 13 bucks per month when our teaser period ends. Being the relative cheapskates that we are (especially when it comes to subscription-style expenses), if Mindy and I decide to re-up, this pay-for-radio business model just may work.

To best illustrate the aforementioned delight, here's a block of 5 songs I heard this evening on Sirius Channel 22 (my favorite, I'm sure XM has something comparable): "Love Plus One" by Haircut 100, "Love My Way" by The Psychedelic Furs, "Life In A Northern Town" by The Dream Academy, "Oh L'Amour" by Erasure, and "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama. You won't find anything close to that on FM.

P.S.: Honorable mention (plus my guess for Mindy's favorite) goes to Sirius Channel 30.

Dogs, Leashes, Etc.

Inappropriate reaction to your unleashed dog running into the sidewalk to interrupt my dog's and my run/walk #1: expressions of how your dog is just being friendly (I don't care) and how cute the dogs look together (no, they don't).

Inappropriate reaction to your unleashed dog running into the sidewalk to interrupt my dog's and my run/walk #2: launching into a profanity-laced tirade directed at your dog (you're shocked, shocked that your unleashed dog has run out of the 10' x 10' patch of grass that we call a yard here in Newport to chase after my dog for the 4th time this month).

Appropriate reaction to your unleashed dog running into the sidewalk to interrupt my dog's and my run/walk: embarrasment followed by apology.

Ordinary Experiences...Entry #4...Baby Messes

Edwin has on several occasions relieved himself and created a beautiful fountain spraying everything in his path during diaper changes. It is usually when Dave and I get too comfortable with diaper changing and we stop using the protective "pee-cloth" and then he gets us! Of course, now that he can smile and laugh - he thinks it is hillarious...

Today, he did the unthinkable...got Dave with #2. We're thinking the diaper wasn't on tight enough...and out it came, right on Dave's shirt. What a mess...Dave said he looked so happy after he did it.

Is it that funny??? I fully expect this ordinary experience to happen again...the joys of parenthood! How can you get mad at this cute face?

EDWIN for PRESIDENT

Announcement

So Obama's choice of running mate was leaked to the media hours before his promised text message announcement could be delivered. Rest assured, The Ross Experience reader, Edwin remains committed to announcing his choice of 2nd-in-command of complete-and-utter-ruler-of-Mindy-and-Dave's-lives on this blog before his staffers make any other media outlets aware. (Early speculation of Sedona for that role are unconfirmed at this time.)

Like Father...Like Son

I think Edwin looks just like his dad...They are both good at imitating the "Mindy Grumpy Face!" Don't you agree?

Edwin Talks with our Readers...

Don't you wish you could understand what he's trying to say?

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Summer is Over...

Since Dave is traveling for work, I was responsible for taking the dog out this morning. Sedona experienced a case of stage fright - it is obviously the first day of school for Newport High School. I was just getting used to quiet mornings and the lack of litter in our neighborhood...but now since summer is over, I can only look forward to litter, underage smoking, unbelievable language, ridiculous clothing, etc.

Yep, SUMMER IS OVER!!!

Disclosure

Just like a political candidate disclosing a DUI or extra-marital affair before his opponent has the chance to use it against him, I'm disclosing this picture:



Remember, Edwin's just a baby without the ability to make rational decisions. Obviously, no rational person chooses to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan. (The people of the city that brought us the Bengals are the same that elected Jerry Springer as mayor and decided to mix chili with spaghetti.)

Don't worry, The Ross Experience reader, I'm confident this kid will make the rational choice (read: rooting for the team across state lines 300 miles to the Northeast) when the times comes.

Newport Happenings Series #1

Actual occurrence in Newport, Kentucky, as witnessed by me while cooling down from a run with the dog earlier this morning:

Mom gets out of minivan, lights cigarette. Starts to help her approximately 8-year old son out of the van, for some reason via the driver’s side front door. Drops her cigarette on the ground—I assume due to the immense amount of smoke blowing into her son’s face. Once out of van, son emphatically stomps on the lit cigarette, putting it out. Mom shrieks, “hey, I wasn’t done with that!” Full of remorse son replies, “sorry, Mom, I didn’t know.”

Olympics

If you're like Mindy and me, it's important to have an accurate frame of reference for the performance level you're witnessing at the various Olympic events. To help your viewing of the upcoming track and field mania, check out a good listing of the men's world records here.

P.S.: Seriously, NBC, beach volleyball...this is what you've decided to show us 17 hours a day? Don't get me wrong: Mindy and I like the Beijing Beast as much as the next married couple in the 18-49 demographic, but would it kill you to show something watchable before 11pm, or do we have to go nocturnal for this entire 2 week run?

P.P.S.: Michael Phelps, are you kidding me?

Full Belly = Happy Baby

After Edwin eats, he has sweet dreams...and now I finally have it on tape! How cute is this!!!

Edwin - August 12, 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Edwin - July 12, 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Edwin - June 12, 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Edwin's Family - A Little Photo Collection

Make a Smilebox photobook

Edwin is 2 Months Old!

Yesterday Edwin turned 2 months old...can you believe it? He had a dr. appointment this morning and his new stats are as follows:

weight: 12 lbs 7.2 ozs
length: 22-1/2 inches

He is in the 75th percentile for weight and head circumference and 50th percentile for length. I can't believe how much he's grown...since size 1 diapers only go to 14 lbs, it won't be long before we go to size 2!

He had 3 shots today and a liquid vaccine...needless to say it was more painful for me than him. We both cried...it is so hard to watch your baby in pain. His tears were the biggest ones I've ever seen.

We got our hot water fixed last night...thanks Grandpa Randy! Just in time for Edwin to get a bath before going to the dr. Would hate for them to think I have a dirty baby! Special thanks to Tamara for allowing me and Edwin to clean up at her house during our outage!

A Thought from the Couch

While sitting at home on the couch on a random Wednesday afternoon recently, a question occurred to me.

(Wednesday afternoon, you ask. We're having some emergency house repairs done. Everything OK, you ask. No, we've been getting the runaround from various contractors & are on our 4th day without hot water. Not to worry, The Ross Experience reader, we hope to have the situation resolved in a few days. Full blogs on this topic to come upon resolution. In the meantime we've been enjoying our European-style showers; i.e. less often & using the procedure: 1- 60 seconds of water, 2- soaping up with the water off, 3- another 60 seconds of water.)

Anyway, back to my question. Right now are there law students (current or future) choosing the legal profession for the sole purpose of hosting a syndicated court show?

P.S.: Just saw the SYTYCD finale as I typed this, and my guy, Twitch, lost out to Mindy's guy, Joshua.

P.P.S.: Mindy expressed concern as to what will she watch on TV now that her favorite show is done for the season. The obvious answer is the baseball pennant races followed by the postseason. For some reason when I told her as much, she didn't think it was that obvious.

Has the Torch Been Passed?

Are the Jonas Brothers the new Hanson?

Edwin is Baptized!

Edwin was baptized on Sunday, August 3 at Mother of God church in Covington, KY. Godparents are Matt and Melinda Ross. We are so thankful that our family could be there to help us celebrate this wonderful day!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and blessings for Edwin and our family!

Check out our newest collection of pictures, including pictures from the Christening, at http://picasaweb.google.com/MindyLeeRoss. The 2 new albums are: New Edwin Pics - Including Christening! and Edwin Photo Shoot 7.27.08.

ENJOY!!!

Ordinary Experiences...Entry #3...The Salon

I decided it was finally time to get a haircut. I haven't done anything to my hair since before I found out I was pregnant. It was definitely overdue! Luckily, our neighbor (Joe) does a wonderful job making me look beautiful. I love going to his salon (Ritual Salon) in Covington, KY.

While I was waiting for my turn, I did what most people do and looked through some hair magazines for ideas. Then I started to think...why even look at the pictures...when you decide on a hairstyle, it NEVER turns out like the picture...it is easier to go with the flow.

It turned out nice...just a simple touch up. Nothing CRAZY...I think Dave was shocked that I didn't come home with super short hair or blonde...