Find the Associated Press' error!

From an article discussing expanding the NCAA Tournament to more teams: "One possible solution would be increasing the number of play-in games. Under the current structure, two teams play Tuesday night. One advances to a first-round game played on Friday. But by adding six teams, the NCAA could have four play-in games at the same site, providing more of a tournament atmosphere."

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The biggest me-centric news of the day.

The greatest comedy in television history is not returning.

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No, wait, this is the biggest me-centric news of the day.

Our backyard, which has looked horrible since we bought our house 30 months ago, has finally been graded and seeded and looks 35,000,000 times better. Yay backyard.

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No, really, I mean it, this is the biggest me-centric news of the day.

I bought a new car. Have a nice day!

Sleepy baby

We are very blessed with a baby that has downright civilized sleeping habits. He started sleeping most of the way through the night within the first month and got a full night's sleep by Thanksgiving. He goes to bed around 9:30 and sleeps all the way through to 7:15, when we wake him up to eat before mommy goes to work. Then he falls back asleep in our bed for another hour or so while daddy plays on the laptop.

On the weekends I just love to look at this precious little angel sleeping so peacefully. There's nothing so beautiful as a sleeping baby.

My friend Slinky

Benji has taken a great liking to everyday objects and toys that I'm sure are not rated for little babies. Who needs expensive toys when the kid loves plastic cups, remote controls, and Slinky? (That doesn't mean he doesn't also love his musical toys like caterpillar and the keyboard in his crib, but it's nice that we can improvise, especially when out at restaurants, etc.)

A car salesman's block party.

How can car salesmen know so little?

So Benji and I went to a car dealership yesterday to look at Hyundai Sonatas, the vehicle I'm most likely to replace my 92,000-mile Accord with. Unsurprisingly, a salesman accosts us in the lot. Despite knowing a good deal about this car, I play dumb, and I ask him what the differences are between the GL and the GLS models of the Sonata. Now. There's about a dozen differences between the two models, including fog lights, aluminum-alloy wheels, steering wheel audio controls, a upgraded trip computer, etc. (The GLS also comes standard with automatic, while the GL comes standard with, um, standard.) The salesman thinks for a moment and says, "Well, there's really not that much difference between the two...except that the GLS has a standard V6 engine." Which it does not, it has an optional V6 engine. So not only did this salesman not know any of the legitimate differences, he made up a fake one. Someone please explain how a person can be hired to sell cars without knowing anything about the cars he or she is selling.

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Dave Chappelle's Block Party (Michel Gondry, 2006): B+

Seriously considered skipping this one, since (a) I don't know Dave Chappelle from Dave Coulier, (b) I wasn't sure how the Gondry magic was going to be interjected into what sounded like a straightforward concert documentary, and (c) of the musical acts in the film, I like exactly one (Erykah Badu). Shame on me for distrusting Michel: DCBP is less of a concert film than it is another chance for Gondry to play with what our memory does with moments out of time, the same idea he ran with in Eternal Sunshine and his video for "Let Forever Be." Not a single musical performance is shown in its entirety: there's breakaways to rehearsals for the performance; or Chappelle and others watching the performance on a monitor and commenting on it; or flashbacks to the beginning of idea, where -- in a cross between Andy Kaufman and Willy Wonka -- Chappelle is giving away free tickets to this Brooklyn performance to people in his Ohio hometown, then busing them in to New York; or a cut to Chappelle on the roof, just taking in the whole ambiance. It's how one's memory is likely to remember a great day -- not chronologically, but in a series of perfect moments linked thematically. I never thought I'd give a B+ to a concert film where I didn't particularly like the music...

What I would like for my birthday.

* a giant clock (or a different giant clock) (or really any giant clock)

* the Betty B. Garee Anthology CD

* an etching by Mary Lou Hess

* more memory for my laptop

* a single Malmark or Schulmerich handbell, ideally in the 5s or 6s somewhere

* or, heck, while I'm listing expensive presents no ones going to get me, I might as well ask for a set of curling stones

* Radiohead's The Bends and Kid A, neither of which I ever got around to buying

* The Happiest Toddler on the Block, the sequel to the lifesaving book The Happiest Baby on the Block

* something like this, but, you know, way way cheaper

* also, this clock or this clock

* a subscription to the Virginia Quarterly Review

* socks

Our little gourmet

On Benjamin's five-month birthday, instead of a birthday cake he got a yummy bowl of rice cereal. Yes, we have now entered the wonderful world of solid foods. I expected the first feeding to be a huge mess, with food on the floor and in his hair. As it turns out, he didn't even get food on his outfit. It all stayed in his mouth or on his bib. What a cooperative baby!

Overall, it's been going quite well over the past week or so and we've even added baby oatmeal to the menu. Just as Benji adapts easily between breastfeeding and bottles, he's willing to eat baby cereal as well. A typical feeding begins with Benji looking at the spoon suspiciously. After the first three spoonfuls (at least half of which lands back on his bib) he remembers what this strange substance is and that he likes to eat it. Then he opens his mouth wide whenever the spoon gets near and eagerly takes the cereal while also trying to chew the spoon. Near the end of the bowl, he starts to turn his head away and finds something else in the kitchen that is commpletely fascinating. So, it looks like we've got the portion sizes right since he's lost interest at about the same time the food is gone.

In the "flip book" spirit, here's a look at Benjamin's very first solid food meal:


Are we ready now?



What are you doing Daddy?



Mommy, help me!



Is there more on my bib or in my tummy?



But I want the bowl!



Mommy's turn



I'm getting the hang of this. Can I have more?

Redecorating with Gramma

Benjamin's bedroom received another personal touch thanks to his baptism gift from Gramma P. Many of the fabrics are an exact match to his fish curtains so it looks fabulous in his room.

Rocking chair and personalized banner from Gramma and afghans and Christmas stocking from Grandma... What a special and very loved little boy we have! Thank you both!

The one and only Official How Perfectly Swell NCAA Men's Tournament Pool.

Do not settle for imitations! This is almost the only NCAA Tournament Pool in the world that does not foolishly give a massive 32 points for picking the champion -- as many points, might I add, as one would receive by picking every single first round game correctly. I mean really. So instead I am using the much superior Fibonacci method of doling out points:

First round winners: 1
Second round winners: 2
Third round winners: 3
Fourth round winners: 5
Semifinal winners: 8
Champion: 13

Set up your bracket here, or, if you don't want to sign up for a CBS Sportsline account, e-mail your picks to me and I can manually put them in. (You can also write them in the comments.) More basketball posting tomorrow, if Benji behaves.

Benji's dress... ummm... gown

Since we chose to dunk Benji for his baptism, he actually didn't wear his gown until the second half of Mass -- after the dunking. I spent way more time making his gown than he spent wearing it, but it was still worthwhile.

The proud parents


Benji's entourage


Those fingers still are awfully yummy


The big day tired him out





Not only did Benji have his gown made by Mommy, but his afghan was crocheted by Grandma W

Two reviews of TV on DVD and a belated announcement.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm," season 1; C+

Grade shouldn't be a surprise, I guess, since I consider "Seinfeld" the most overrated television show in the history of the medium. (Silver medalist: "I Love Lucy.") But I really believed that since many problems that plagued "Seinfeld" looked to be fixed in "Curb" -- a lead actor who actually has charisma (and, y'know, can act); a looser, improvised feel rather than "Seinfeld"'s convenient ironies and coincidences; a little less misanthropy; no Kramer -- "CYE" could be one of the best shows on television. Trouble is, those problems still aren't really fixed. "Larry David" is a much more interesting character than "Jerry Seinfeld" ever was, no doubt, but everyone outside of the main circle is still treated with contempt, and the Seinfeldian need to end every episode with some clever ironic moment has ditched the "clever" part. (Example: Jeff Garlin's getting bypass surgery. He asks Larry to go to his house and remove Jeff's porn stash, so Jeff's wife wouldn't find it if Jeff were to die. Larry says, no, I'm not going to do that, someone's going to see me with the porn and think I'm a pervert. But Larry eventually agrees, and in the shocking final moments of the episode -- gasp! -- Jeff's parents catch Larry with the porn. Yawn.) Small moments work well, as is so often true in improvisation, but there's far too few of them.

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"The Office" (USA), season 1; B+

Okay. Beth-Annie wins. I did initially underrate the American version of "The Office" -- partially because, as she suggested, I was unfairly comparing it to the original, but more because Steve Carell is in that rare pantheon of comics who can can do everything right in selling a joke and somehow still make it unfunny. (See also: Ellen.) But, however, on the other hand, if this is possible, the non-boss aspects of the American show might actually be better than the British version. This show is more true to its title, with at least a dozen memorable cast members with meaningful roles (as opposed to maybe half that in the U.K.'s); I'm not sure you couldn't have as good of a show with the accounting department as the leads and Jim, Pam, et al., in the secondary ensemble. And having more episodes than 14 (not in season 1, but overall) to stretch out Pam and Jim's storyline is nothing but helpful, and allows for more quiet, observational moments -- Pam simply putting on lipstick in the finale might have been the most touching moment in television last season. I can only hope Steve Carell becomes too big of a movie star sooner than later...

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Happy birthday, Benji's mom (as you are now apparently known). I'm am sorry that I was sick yesterday and thus made it a pretty crappy one all around.

The newest member of our church

Last Sunday four doting grandparents converged in Richmond to become four godparents for little Benjamin. It was so nice to have everyone make an extra effort for Benji's special day. And it was a special day.

We decided to have Benjamin baptized during Sunday Mass (we could have also had it in a private service). It turns out he will be the newest member of our church for quite some time since his was the last baptism before Lent. We also decided to have Benji baptized by immersion rather than by trickling water over his forehead. Mommy was a bit nervous about that but it went really well.

I must admit that the following photos don't really tell the whole story, though. I've taken Benjamin to Mass several times and have even sat in the front of church with the choir (under the microphones, no less). He's been a perfect angel every time -- except for his baptism. He was screaming before we even got him undressed before Mass and cried throughout the blessing at the beginning. He fussed during the readings and tried to have a bottle. He tested those little lungs again during the actual baptism, too. Interestingly, he quieted down when he got dunked in the water. So, the pictures make the whole event look a lot calmer than it was.

It was still a wonderful service and a truly special and unforgettable day for Benjamin.

At the beginning of Mass, we are welcomed and asked what we want for Benjamin. Baptism, of course.


The Godparents


Ready for an extra bath today?






Welcome to the congregation


Annointing with chrism oil


Is it a kiss or a shush?


Receive the white garment


Receive the light of Christ


A mother's blessing


A father's blessing

No one tells me anything anymore.

Like when the heck did this happen?!?

Harold and the Purple Crayon

For his "0th Birthday" Uncle Josh and Aunt Beth sent Benjamin a copy of the classic children's book "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and Benji rather enjoys the purple line drawings in this book. Then for Christmas they gave him a fuzzy blue sleeper that bears a striking resemblance to Harold's outfit. Coincidence?





EDITOR'S NOTE: From the comment traffic this has generated, it appears I misspoke when I said the blue sleeper was from Beth and Ed. My sincere apologies to moM and daD, who are actually the gifters of the Harold sleeper. Mommy brain attacks again.