Late-April Update

With a new baby in the house, catching up on work after being out for a week, repairing damage from the North Texas storms that have been passing through, and a new series to catch up on, I haven’t had much time to do anything too interesting for a blog post.  However, I feel like something is needed, so I will give a brief update.
Baby Jackson (or Buddy as I keep calling him when he is in my arms) is doing well.  The disgusting dead skin on his belly button finally fell off and we gave him his first real bath last night in the kitchen sink, instead of the normal washing with a damp cloth to get dry skin to shed.  He has good nights and bad nights, but a schedule is starting to be maintained with him sleeping for four or five hours at night.  That isn’t too bad.  I especially appreciate Joanna, who is getting up to feed him so I can get my rest for work while she is a stay-at-home mom for two more months.  There is nothing abnormal to report on the little one.  He is growing at an ordinary rate, eating a little more, pooping a little more.
The first set of storms that came in at the beginning of the month flipped some shingles off the roof and knocked sections of our fence down.  I spent most of the vacation that was taken in order to have quality time with Jack repairing my fence and roof.  I still have a few sections of fence down, but they are in the front yard and don’t affect Mona being outside.  I hopefully will finish my roof work tonight before it gets too dark.
As far as that new television series I am watching, my buddy Danny lent me all five seasons of Dexter and I have thoroughly enjoyed the first season so far. I am going slower than normal when I am really into a show, but since most of my life is spent at work or watching over a newborn son or 3-year-old little girl I haven’t had much free time to enjoy TV like I used to.  Such is parenthood.  However, the show is great and the character Dexter Morgan might be the most interesting one TV has seen since George Costanza.  I really like the show and can’t wait to watch another episode or two tonight.
While I am here, I figured I would include a brief analysis of a movie I watched last night that seems to be adored by film noir fans but to me was a second-rate B movie thriller.  The movie in question was This Gun for Hire, starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.  It seems that those who are in love with the film cite Ladd and Lake’s performances and the quick pace of the picture as its high points.  Yes, Ladd does a pretty good job of playing a cold, ruthless killer and the pace moves along well, but how hard is it to accomplish that feat when the movie is only 80 minutes long.
In general, Lake looks fantastic as the blonde bombshell of the picture, but her performance, along with nearly everyone else’s excluding Ladd’s, is wooden at best.  The plot is forgettable, dialogue laughable, and I was left with a feeling that it was bad, but not so bad to be enjoyable like sci-fi B movies of the 50s or Snakes on a Plane cringeworthy.  The relationship between Ladd and Lake’s characters is so unrealistic as genuine characterization would have had Lake spewing hateful obscenities at Ladd for the things he does to her and those she loves.  Trust me in that if you had seen this movie you would know what I was talking about.
I had heard good things about This Gun for Hire, but ultimately it was unsatisfying and quite a letdown.
That is about it I guess.  When something interesting happens I will throw it up here, but maybe I will generate something of interest to talk about before then.