Coming Up for Air

There are many blog posts I’ve wanted to write over the last month but simply haven’t had the time. Fr the last 10 days I’ve been feverishly working on a final rewrite of my novel. Now it’s done and off to an editor for some feedback. Once look over and implement her suggestions, then it’s off to three decision makers at publishing houses expressed interest in reading it. Hopefully I’ll have some good news in regards to my yet-to-be-titled book before the end of the summer. (Maybe I’ll stage some sort of title contest if I’m unable to come up with one on my own.) I’ve been writing so much the last month that today I was thinking about what I was going to do after the kids were in bed and realized that with no novel to write, I have no idea what to do with myself. Okay, that’s not entirely true. There’s a big stack of books on my nightstand I need to read and a past blog post I need to turn into an essay. But before I do any of that, I need to take Marathon Girl out on lots of dates. You know, the kind where we get a babysitter for the kids and we have some time alone. She’s been VERY patient and supportive during the entire novel-writing process and needs to be rewarded with nice dinners, movies she’s wanted to see, a long 10-mile run together, and maybe a night where we drop the kids off with the in-laws or my parents and just have 24 hours to ourselves.

Until then, it feels nice to be able to breathe again.

ABC's "V" Trailer

If you grew up in the 80s like me, you probably watched the show "V." I can't remember much of the show other than it gave me the creeps every time I watched it but was really fascinated with the idea of aliens coming to Earth and pretending to be good guys but secretly eating everyone. Now ABC is brining "V" back and from the trailer below, it actually looks like it might be worth watching. And since Elizabeth Mitchell stars, maybe that will get me over my LOST withdrawal until January.

Should I Dump the Widower for Lying or Dating too Soon?

Originally published here.

Julie asks: I recently began dating a widower who told me his wife died a year ago. I've just learned she actually died 4 months ago. I like this man very much and we enjoy each other's company. I don't know details of how long she was ill, but he did say some of his kids (adults now) don't approve of his dating. Should I stop dating this recent widower for not telling the truth or simply because it's too soon, or both?

Abel Keogh responds:

To paraphrase an old saying: If you see one cockroach, there are 100 more you can’t see.

The fact that the widower started dating months after his wife’s death isn’t a big deal. Some people are ready to date again after a few months of grieving. For others it can take years before they’re ready to start a new relationship. When dating a widow or widower what’s important is that they’re moving on with their life and making you feel like the center of their universe.

What’s disturbing is that the widower lied about when his wife died. He may have done it thinking that the truth would scare you away. I started dating 5 months after my wife’s death. It was very hard to tell the women I was dating that my late wife had died a few months earlier. Even though I was hesitant to answer the question when the subject came up, I always told the truth – even if the truth meant I didn’t get a second date. I don’t condone his lie but, if he did it because he thought the truth would end any chance of another date, I can at least sympathize with why he did it.

Keep in mind that solid, long lasting relationships can only be built on the truth. I would seriously re-examine the relationship from top to bottom and decide if it’s worth continuing. If you choose to continue the relationship, don’t be surprised if more cockroaches surface down the road.

LOST: The Incident, Parts 1 and 2

LOST’s Season 5 finale = Best. Episode. Ever.

The writers of LOST have been stringing the viewers along for five seasons making people guess why the survivors of Oceanic 815 were brought to the Island. Only now, in the first few minutes of the show do we actually see what’s really been going on. It appears the Island is a playground for Jacob and his unnamed companion (we’ll probably find out his name is Esau) to test humanity.

We see Jacob, dressed in white, who seems to think that people are generally good and is bringing people to the island. Then there’s “Esau” in black who has a fatalistic view of humanity. Bringing people to the Island, “Esau” tells Jacob, will only result in more death and suffering. The Black Rock sails closer.

Similar to Steven King’s The Stand or the classic video-game Myst, it appears the survivors of Oceanic 815 have been thrust in the middle of a Biblical(?) struggle between good and evil. The black and white imagery that has been a part of LOST since the beginning is now becoming something real.

Talking with a co-worker at work about the episode, he reminded me of a discussion Locke and Walt had back in the show’s second episode.

Locke: Backgammon is the oldest game in the world. Archaeologists found sets when they excavated the ruins of ancient Mesopotamia. Five thousand years old. That's older than Jesus Christ.

Walt: Did they have dice and stuff?

Locke: [nods] But their dice weren't made of plastic. Their dice were made of bones.

Walt: Cool.

Locke: Two players. Two sides. One is light. One is dark. Walt... do you wanna know a secret?

My guess is we’re going to find out a lot more about this war in the next season. We’ll see the Survivors and the Others sides in an epic battle for control of the Island and their destinies.

Sadly we have to wait until 2010 to know what happens.

Adjusting to XXL Sized Shirts

Years ago I received a letter from a friend who mentioned how expensive it was to gain or lose weight because you had to by so many new clothes. At the time I didn’t give much thought. I was 20 or and still had the same tall, lean frame I had since eighth grade. I had worn the same size jeans and shirts for at least five years. I thought my friend should get off his fat butt so he wouldn’t have to buy new clothes. Time passed. I graduated from college and realized my metabolism wasn’t what it used to be. Eighteen months after graduating, I had gained 40 pounds. During that time, I bought a lot of new clothes.

After realizing I looked like a big, white marshmallow, I decided I didn’t want to be fat. I started running. Within six months I had dropped 50 pounds simply by changing my diet and running 4 miles every morning. After my weight leveled out, I ended up buying a lot of new clothes.

Last October I was surprised to learn that my long sleeve work shirts no longer fit. My weightlifting routine had increased my chest, shoulders, and arms enough that larger and longer shirts were required. I ended up buying a lot of new shirts.

Last week I made the same discovery about my short sleeve shirts. Yes, the same shirts that fit great last fall are too tight around the arms and chest now. This took me by surprise since my weight has held steady for the last 6 months. (It must be all the swimming.)

That mean it was time to buy more new shirts. And what a shock it was to find out that the only shirts that look good on me are sized XXL.

I haven’t had to wear XXL shirts since my fat days. Ever since I’ve started exercising, Large or XL sized shirts have always fit great. I didn’t want to buy the XXL shirts even thought they fit because I associate them with being fat. Even with Marathon Girl cooing about how nice the shirts looked on me it was a big mental step to actually buy them.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I did. It’s nice to wear shirts that actually fit. And having to buy new clothes because of expanding muscles instead of an expanding waistline is a good problem to have. It just mentally disconcerting to think I need XXL shirts.

And, no my clothing ordeal isn’t done. My two suits along with all my dress shirts don’t fit all that well too. Since the weather’s warmed, I don’t have to worry about fixing those problems for another 4 months or so.

Maybe by then I’ll be able to fit into them. :-)

Star Trek

J. J. Abrams puts new life into a sagging franchise. It doens't matter if you're into Star Trek or not. The movie rocks. Go see it.

LOST: Follow the Leader

Ryan, you were right. Faraday died. And I think the episode was worse off for it. Jack seized on the whole destiny thing and had the standard clash with Kate. Now he’s off to set off the bomb. I don’t know what it is about Jack that’s bothering me but he seems so determined to set the bomb off, he comes across as a little unhinged. I’m glad Kate at the guts to walk away. And I agree with her, not all of the last three years were bad. It’s a shame Jack can’t see it.

And my gut tells me that Locke is leading yet another disastrous mission despite his self-proclaimed ability to communicate with the island. I can see the mission ending in disaster typical Locke disaster. They don’t find Jacob or if they do people die and all the self-doubt that has been a constant part of Locke’s character will resurface and Ben will try to take over the group.

I’m hoping we’ll learn more about the Others soon. Even though Ben gave us a couple hints about Richard Alpert, we know so little about them. Now we know they have tunnels and managed to move a bomb, but on the whole they’re still a mystery. Maybe when we get to see that mysterious statue, we’ll know more. A lot more.

Thankfully it looks like the season finale is going to be two hours long. LOST addicts need that to get us through the next nine months. And from one of the spoilers I read, it looks like we’re going to get a little back story on Hugo as well as stop all the time travel craziness. Looking forward to it.

Supernanny Seeks Widower Dads

Received this from the casting producer of the TV show SUPERNANNY. Thought I'd pass it on in case anyone was interested.

The casting teams of ABC’s popular parenting series SUPERNANNY and the new SUPER-MANNY are launching springtime casting and looking for widower dads for the new season of the show.

This is a chance to address some of the unique issues widowers face as parents. Whether it’s figuring out how to handle the tasks that mom used to take care of, to dealing with the loads of advice from friends and neighbors, the single dad has a lot on his plate. Interested dads should e-mail us at supernanny@shedmediaus.com to apply. Please include a recent photo of your family and daytime phone number. You can also call 1-877-626-6984 for more information.

LOST: The Variable

I love all the answers were getting as LOST draws to the close this season. We now know why the button in the hatch had to be pushed every 90 minutes and that Charles Widmore is Faraday’s father. The latter wasn’t that big a surprise but it added to the complex relationship web that spans so many of the LOST characters.

I really like the destiny vs. free will theme that has been a constant part of LOST. I like the take Faraday’s taking on the people being variables and having the ability to change their future, even if it seems like it’s written in stone. Sadly the one thing Faraday didn’t take into account was the Island. Sure, people are free to do what they want but the Island seems to gets its own way no matter what the people want to do. I don’t see Faraday’s plan working unless the Island wants it to.

It was nice to get more back story on Faraday and his shrew mother Eloise. It gave the episode a classic LOST feel of learning about the characters while still moving the plot forward and a nice clip. It was also nice to see more context to Faraday crying upon seeing the wreckage of the plane Widmore placed in the bottom of the ocean and his being Orchid station with Dr. Chang. It shows that the writers are aware of the breadcrumbs they’ve dropped throughout the previous seasons and are trying to tie them all together.

And don’t worry about Faraday. He’s not dead. Maybe Alpert will take him to the temple to do some Egyptian magic and heal him. Maybe his mom will reach inside is gut and pull the bullet out. But the writers aren’t not going to kill him off – at least not right away. Who else can attempt to set off the hydrogen bomb and save the survivors of Oceanic flight 815 from crashing on the island? Write it down. The climax of season 4 is going to be that bomb going off (or about to go off).

My guess: It doesn’t matter whether or not the bomb goes off. The survivors of Oceanic flight 815 are not going to be able to change their fate. Their plane will still crash no matter how hard they try to prevent it.

That LOST Special and Creepy Little Boy Blue

So I missed that LOST special last night. Did anyone catch it? Is it worth watching? And for LOST fans, Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus) does a creepy reading of Little Boy Blue on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in the clip below. Check it out. (Thanks for the link, Robert!)