Year: 2002

Why do you think I’ve been holding on to all these old But I Digress columns?

I’ll be taking over posting for a while, so that Peter can take the next couple of days and take care of Kathleen, Caroline, cats, and other things that start with a “K” sound– but the rest of you will still get your regular fix.

Conventional wisdom says that first babies are usually late, and that labor can be twenty hours and up.

Well, no one ever said Kathleen David was conventional.

On the eve of the worst snowstorm to hit Long Island in two years, I took Kathleen–whose contractions were coming every four minutes apart–to the hospital last night at 12:15 AM, and as of 2:54 PM this afternoon, Caroline Helen David was born. Mother and very bewildered daughter (a look I’m become quite used to from my children) are doing fine.

As is Todd Morton, the winner of the pool who nailed gender and DOB, and edged out his closest competitor, Santiago Casares (who also got gender and DOB), with his guess of 7 pounds, 1 oz (actual weight: 6 pounds, 13 ounces) as opposed to Santiago’s guess of eight pounds even. But you know what? Santiago did come closer on the time (5:45 PM compared to Todd’s 7:45 PM). So I’ll give Todd first choice of the two prizes, and Santiago gets the other.

I’m going to sleep now.

PAD

–thirty dollars!

To my complete surprise, I received a money order for $30 from Syosset Lanes. Prize money from the Pro/Am. Surprised the hëll out of me. My first “earnings” bowling.

What was even more astonishing was that, according to the documentation, I’d finished 43rd. Considering there were over eight hundred bowlers entered, that’s not bad. So I’m a happy camper.

And hey! No dissing of David Traber, as I’ve seen elsewhere. One should never judge if someone’s an áššhølë by how they come across on TV. Especially when their confidence level in their abilities is so low that they’d been packing up and preparing to leave when they qualified, and they’re abruptly thrust into the position of trying to be clever and banter on national TV without a lot of experience doing so. Professional actors in similar situations have scripts to work off. So do, I would surmise, pro wrestlers. And most pro athletes can talk about team efforts. Bowling is very individual.

What I know is that, during the Pro/Am, he gave me more help and pointers than any other Pro, and helped turn my game around. So however folks think he came across in TV, in “real life” he’s anything but arrogant.

PAD

Yesterday the nice folks at Del Rey threw a surprise Baby shower for Kathleen, organized by head honcho Betsy Mitchell. We were given lots of adorable baby stuff. Wednesday is pretty much her last day.

Apparently having seen too many old sitcoms, Ariel was under the impression that at some point, Kath would suddenly say, “The baby’s coming,” and we would then run around screaming and shouting and trying to get out the door while comically forgetting such important items as an overnight bag or the mother-to-be. So we explained the actual process is a bit more drawn out than that.

PAD