Where do you go when the lights go out?

As promised, here is a photo of Eli. He has my ears and nose, can't you tell? Eliz didn't want me to post any of them because she didn't think they were as good as the last images. I don't care, I just know that US Magazine is going to pay us $250,000 for his first pictures. They were the highest bidder, so we will have to make sure that he is rocking a Rolex President and UGG booties. Seriously, can you believe all of the hoopla people make over baby photos? I just cannot believe that people care so much about how Angelina and Brad's babies look that People Magazine paid $15,000,000 for images of the twins. I mean, are you kidding me? One, I cannot imagine exploiting your children like that. Second, why would a magazine pay money like that for something so absurd. In return, People had to stop referring to them as "Brangelina." Get a life.

Tonight is going to be kind of short. We had a long day. We got the inspection done on our house and things look great, according to the inspector. We just have to get the sellers to either do the repairs or pay us for the repairs. So, we are all set to move forward. I really hope that the closing is done on May 18, as planned, and the people move out before June 1, as they promised. That way, we can move and start getting settled before Chicago. I really want Eliz to give me the green light to get tickets. The thing is that we are having a baby and that is our first priority. She is expecting around May 29-June 1. She needs time to heal and start recovering and we need time to bond with the baby before getting on the road. For all of you naysayers, I am sure that this sounds insane, but we are great parents and we will take all precautions with Eli. But, to be there for the opening night would be a blast. We went to Chicago last year and were in the second row. Although the first set was weak, the second set was great. It was fun, although a little disjointed. I definitely dug the "Carini" and the "Hood." At the show we met Jamie, a great guy from Nebraska. He was traveling solo and we hit it off right away. We ended up giving him a ride back to his hotel and I have been talking to him a lot since then. We are traveling with him on the Deer Creek > Alpine Valley trip. He is a lot more relaxed and not anxious like me. When everyone on Phantasy Tour ripped on me for talking about bringing Eli on tour with us, he was there defending me and telling me that there are wooks who probably leave their kids in the car, with the windows rolled up and with no bottle or food. Thanks for the support Jamie. His first show was Lincoln 10.21.95, with the "Tweezer Reprise" opener. That is a fun video to watch, even though the quality could be better.

What I want to talk about is Live Phish 10 from 06.22.94. More specifically, I want to bring attention to the Mike's Song>Simple tease>Catapult>Icculus>Simple>Mike's Song>Weekapaug. Cactus's bass on Weekapaug is a stand out. It is just one of those bass jamming Weekapaug's that gets me every time. I have listened to it on repeat about 6 times. It reminds me of everything that is right in the world. It is such an explosion of dopamine, unlike any anti-depressant I have ever taken. It makes me smile on a cloudy day! If you have never heard it or haven't listened to it in a while, check it out. If anyone has any other Weekapaug suggestions, please let me know. I personally think that the Weekapaug from Clifford Ball night one was some of Trey's best jamming of that song and he was totally in the zone.

If you cannot tell, I would like comments from you about my posts and about my blog, positive or negative. I have just started writing and I am trying to develop my writing style and make my posts worth reading. I want to hear from you. Peace.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

Today, we went to see our midwife and get another ultrasound. Eliz is 33 months and 4 days pregnant and our midwife told us that our baby Eli is really healthy, weighing about 5 lbs. 7 ounces and is doing well. They showed us how much his penis has grown. That was wild. I don't think that people realize how much of a miracle it is to have a baby, much less a healthy one. I know that before my wife got pregnant with my child, I really took it all for granted. I don't at all now. I feel so lucky to have a healthy child and can only hope that there are no genetic defects or birth defects that we don't know about. Many people are able to raise children with extreme defects, but I am not sure if I could do that. Do you think it is selfish to wish for a perfect baby? I don't think so. I cannot really believe that I am going to have a son in six weeks. It is so life-changing already and I haven't even begun.

Just a few years ago, I was in law school and completely immersed in it. I was Editor in Chief of the Law Review, had just gotten published, and was not thinking about whether to use cloth or disposable diapers or whether my wife was going to breastfeed or we were going to use formula. Things have changed so much in the last few years. I had no idea that I was going to get married, have an instant family, get my wife pregnant, buy a house while she is due.

One thing that Trey talked about regarding Hampton was that there was no longer the backstage scene--it was just family and that felt good. The band members had changed and the music allowed them to still connect and communicate. I know what he means. Children change you. Sometimes you can still get too deep into it that nothing will stop you, but when you step back and see all that you are destroying, it can be life-changing. I had already changed my life before I met Eliz, but there were many dark years where I had nothing to live for besides doing it one more day. People say that the Grateful Dead was all about drugs. I went to lots of shows completely straight. People say that Phish is all about drugs. But the band doesn't feel that way. I am not saying anything about my lifestyle, just that looking at my son on that monitor today felt unlike nothing I have felt before. Thanks for reading. Think I should post a picture of the ultrasound? I told Eliz she couldn't put it on Facebook, but a blog is different, more private and personal. Maybe I'll post one tomorrow.