What I Listen To, Part 1

Several people One person recently asked me about the podcasts I listen to on my commutes, dog walks, while doing dishes, vacuuming, mowing the lawn, etc. I will use this space to list some of my favorites. Titles are in no particular order and I have almost certainly omitted something.

1. "The News From Lake Wobegon" from A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor spins yarns about stoic Norwegian Lutherans in small town Minnesota. Since I am a Norwegian Lutheran from Minnesota at my roots, this show is like listening in on a family reunion. Even though I've heard just about every one of the Lutheran jokes he uses, I still chuckle. And who doesn't think "Our Lady of Perpetual Responsibility" is funny?

2. "The Dinner Party Download." Another American Public Media presentation, this one comes from 89.3 KPCC in Los Angeles. It is, by their own description, "a fast and funny 'booster shot' of news and culture designed to help you dazzle your friends and family at this weekend’s dinner party." A sort-of funny joke, a little news recap of the past week, an interview with the weekly guest of honor (usually some variant of artist or ne'er-do-well), a history lesson with booze, and some cuisine talk. Finally, they leave with a song to drive to or from your dinner party. It's a good commute-length show with wit. Me likey.

3. Mars Hill Bible Church sermon podcasts. Gotta get my weekly Jesus. Rob Bell is a well known Christian speaker and teacher and is also one of the founders or Mars Hill Bible Church outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. He and fellow teaching pastor Shane Hipps are the preachers in this podcast. Candid and culturally relevant, they provide historical context to the passages and help bring them to life, at least for me. As this is a religious podcast, I expect everyone to have lots of opinions about this one, and I expect few of them to agree with me wholeheartedly. I'm totally cool with that.

4. The Moth. "True stories told live on stage without notes." This one gets me with its brutal and occasionally unbelievable honesty, frequent cringe-worthy moments, and more than a fair share of laughter. The folks that have the guts to get up on stage and spin this true yarns are really good storytellers.

5. Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me. NPR's weekly "news quiz" features the soothing baritone of former NPR news host Carl Kassell, the usually witty banter of host Peter Sagal, and a rotating trio of panelists with varying abilities to crack a joke (my favorites are Mo Rocca, Paula Poundstone, and Tom Bodette, though Roy Blount Jr is awfully good off the bench). A good way to get caught up on the headlines you probably missed, usually involving a naked pizza delivery man or a explosive pastries.

That's enough for round one. I've got lots more to share but you don't really care that much. We'll continue this later. Let me know what you listen to. Maybe I'm missing some good shows out there.

The Christmas Where Everyone Shouts, and some news

Balloon and Bridge, originally uploaded by the_dharma_bum.

This year's festivities in my family's home were probably the most entertaining that I can remember. Easily the most raucous. (Blame that on the aquavit.) Our family was expanded by the addition of our dear family friend (and surrogate sibling) Mo and the two baby boys a-brewin' in my wife's belly.

That's right. Two baby BOYS.

We found out that news clandestinely on the 23rd and surprised both sets of parents with the news over Christmas. It was received with a mix of exclamations of joy and sharp inhaling of breath through clenched teeth. The next few decades should be fun.

I'm now camped out at the in-laws' bunker in West Michigan, enjoying DVR'd episodes of Top Gear (the American version, surprisingly entertaining) and sporting events. We saw True Grit (it was ok). I got a few books to read (Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years and The Girl Who Played With Fire) and new socks to wear (argyle patterns in cashmere and lambswool). It was a good Christmas.

Also, our home is now officially for sale. Someone please buy it soon.

Paint fumes = progress

Golden on the ground, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

I want to take a moment to publicly declare that my in-laws are amazing. They have spent the last three days ambitiously ticking off item after item from the daunting to-do list for our house. Here's a summary (almost certainly leaving something out):

- Both bedrooms painted
- Living room painted
- Dining room painted
- Accent wall in the kitchen painted
- Kitchen cleaned to within an inch of its life (Our range looks brand new! And it's from the early 80s!)
- Bathroom tub scoured clean and shamed for being so dirty
- Many heavy things brought up from the basement

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that we have wonderful friends who also chipped in to turn our house inside out, clean the gross insides, then turn it right side out again. Mark, Devin, Jon, and Andrew, you are the wind beneath our wings. Thank you.

Boxes, brush, and blizzards

A car full of boxes from Matt and Brooke!, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

We were recently gifted with this treasure trove of moving boxes, courtesy of our favorite friends in Highland Park. Winning the lottery would have made me only slightly happier than I was to receive this wonderful gift.

This weekend involves several possibly conflicting plans: I need to clear a two-year accumulation of brush from a corner of the garage to make room for boxes that are coming out of the basement. We live close to a county yard waste drop-off site, so no problems there. EXCEPT that we are supposed to get the largest snowstorm in 19 years tomorrow. So I have the brilliant idea to instead burn the vast supply of brush in our fireplace (which I just cleaned) to provide a lovely backdrop of homey warmth to the nastiness outside. Mama Bear is (rightly) unconvinced. "You'll drag junk all through the house. It will take you forever. We have other stuff to do."

These things are all true, but I am unswayed. We'll see who wins out tomorrow morning. (Safe bet is on Mama Bear, not me.)

If you're in the Twin Cities area, stay safe tomorrow.

Lub dub lub dub lub dub

flickr with video!, originally uploaded by Thinklab.

Sixteen week check up today. Unfortunately there aren't any new pictures to share but it was still worthwhile because we heard HEARTBEATS. It was the latest heart-stopping moment in what will be a lifetime of them.

I am now a heart-stopping moment junkie. I need my next fix. Gimme gimme gimme.

Mama Bear just got through the State of Nausea to run smack-dab into the Territory of Flu-like Bugs and Other Unpleasantness. Being prego means you can't take most run-of-the-mill antibiotics and remedies. Instead, it's just your already overtaxed body fighting mano a mano against Generic Head Cold Syndrome. So far, GHCS has won the first few rounds but Mama Bear is rebounding nicely thanks to Tylenol Cold & Sinus, about the only arrow left in her quiver.

What's Papa Bear doing through all this? Just repeatedly asking if he can make her some tea to the point where she wants to poke me in the eye. I'm the best nurse ever.

Pity party of one

Cheers, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

Not much to say tonight except that I miss my wife, I am intimidated by the list of tasks on the Get The House Ready To Sell List, I wish I could've had a long holiday weekend, and I'm hoping I can keep it together next spring when the twins (we'll call them Skeeter and Skipper) arrive, while simultaneously finishing my last rotation, studying for the boards, graduating, looking for a job, and looking for a house.

I am not dreading the arrival of that maelstrom, but rather wondering how I can thrive in it, not just survive it. I feel like it's going to be a rapid transition to wearing the big boy pants. I will not be the freeloading student, contentedly letting my wife bring home the bacon like she's done for the last three years while I've been "studying" in "grad school." Instead it will be my turn to take my place as Man of the House and provide for my family.

I don't want to just get through that crazy span of time. I want to be a really good dad from the get-go. I want to look back at that crazy span of time and say that I kicked its ass.

Cue the Rocky theme and time to punch some sides of beef. I'm the best around. Nothin's gonna ever bring me down.

Thanksgiving

A birthday quilt to celebrate family, originally uploaded by A-Wix.

Today the twins hit the 14-week marker. According to a weekly email from a website that apparently knows about such things, our babies are roughly the size of lemons. I have citrus children.

This year brings a new meaning to thankfulness. I am grateful that we have two healthy, growing children tucked safely in their mother's womb. I am thankful that Anna is healthy also and does everything and more to ensure she stays healthy for the babies. I am thankful that we have access to quality prenatal healthcare. I am grateful that our friends and family have been so supportive and generous already, offering things that they may regret when I take them up on it.

I am grateful for my wife, my best friend, my companion. She and I are several states apart this Thanksgiving and frankly, I don't like it. Circumstances didn't allow us to be together this year but she is taking advantage of an opportunity to celebrate with a side of her family she doesn't get to see often. She will also get to show of her babies bump to her relatives for the first time. And she will present this wonderful handmade quilt to her grandmother in celebration of her 90th birthday.

Don't pity me, however. I will enjoy my family's company tomorrow, enjoying delicious food and going hoarse trying to talk over each other and laughing heartily. Too bad we couldn't mush these two celebrations into one mega-Thanksgiving.

Be thankful, everyone, and be safe. If I haven't seen you lately, give yourself a hug from me and know that I miss you.

Time to begin to say goodbye

How does your garden grow?
Originally uploaded by A-Wix

We officially decided to sell our house today. We couldn't resist the perfect market conditions and sky-high housing prices and...wait, what?

This isn't 2006? The housing market did WHAT?

Shit.

Regardless, we had considered selling for a while, and due to the soon-to-be rapidly expanding clan, our time table has been bumped up several months. We want to get our house on the market lickety split which means we gotsta get a fresh coat of paint on the walls.

We've been here about six years and seen lots of things happen in that time. As much as I would love some more space, I'm going to miss this place. It has been a great home for us.

Know of anyone in the market for a lovely cozy tudor style in St. Paul?

Twelve weeks

We are humming along smoothly and Mama is getting bigger by the day.

The Nausea seems to be finally giving up and going home, but The Fatigue apparently didn't read the invitation all the way through and has stayed way past its welcome. Seriously, Fatigue. Bugger off.

Things we are currently pondering:

Should we try to sell the house now instead of waiting until spring time? Do we really want to try to schedule showings around the sleep/eat/poop schedules of twins? But do I want to finally face the scary realities of selling a house? I have a recurring nightmare of the realtor telling us our house is worth about $20 (give or take).

Do we need a minivan? (Papa wants one because they are SO COOL NOW. Mama isn't so gung-ho, or more accurately, simply rational.) Can we afford a minivan? (Have you priced out a new Odyssey lately? Geesh. I got student loans, man. We got future kids to pay for.)

And then there were four...

...and it was good.

(The babies at eight weeks, all wee and alienesque and wonderful)

And it threw the new parents-to-be for a loop. A joyous, surreal, frightening, but mostly joyous loop.

And the babies did grow and gain organs and bones and sinew and lose extraneous tails (we hope). And it was good.

(The twins at 12 weeks, a full 6x bigger than at eight. Boo yah!)

And thus began the saga of the Family Wicks. Stick around for all the fun and diaper changes and sleepless nights and wonderfulness.

This has been Papa A, broadcasting live from the front lines.