Can we have no more scary delivery stories until further notice?

Absolutely. Sorry, Jim. But the good news is modern medicine filled with everyday miracles and happy endings.

May the arrival of the Jim and Ms. Jim's offspring be a smooth and easy process, absolutely textbook with thoroughly mundane anecdotes.

Congratulations! Welcome to the realm of sleep deprivation.

The further good news is that obviously people have kids fairly easily and often -- look how many of us there are!

I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck, and I'm perfectly fine.

I was born with the cord wrapped around my neck, and I'm perfectly fine.

Heh.

Congrats to Joe, Soon-to-be Mrs. Joe and much smooth-and-easy-labor-ma to Jim and Mrs. Jim.

I’m still digesting both, but I want to point out that the Go-Betweens are going to play the US for the first time since 1989 in June. NYC, Chapel Hill, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, and LA, but (why o why, lord?) nowhere within a day's drive of me.

As noted, they are coming to Chicago, but the thing I have quickly realized about this place is that I just can't go to every show I want to. It sucks! I currently have tickets to the Mountain Goats, Rilo Kiley (meep!) and Spoon (and there are a few minor pay-at-the-door type of things in between). But that meant NOT buying tickets to any of this week's Wilco shows (they are doing four nights in a row). Or the Go-Betweens or a jillion other things....I know, poor me, right?

I'm mostly loving the new Mountain Goats CD, The Sunset Tree. It's better than the last one (We Shall All Be Healed) I think, but not better than the one before that (Tallahassee).

I also downloaded Wreck Your Life based on Michele's rec. I'm liking it. I loooove that emusic has Bloodshot's catalog avail. Have I mentioned that?

Hey tina, have you been to The Hideout to see Kelly Hogan and The Wooden Leg yet?

No but I have been every Tues for the past month to see Devil in a Woodpile. I need to make a date and do that this Thursday (I'm pretty sure she plays Thurs. - need to check). (Another bar close to where I live has open mic night on Thur. night and cheap beer so I keep doing that instead.) I really love the Hideout (they gave me a button!) and they have cheap beer, too. ($2 PBRs in a can. Canned PBR was always $1 in Lawrence. Still miss that place).

All your parantheses are belong to me.

No Kelly Hogan until 5/16 according to the hideout calendar and with a bunch of other good folk, to boot.

Glad you mentioned it, I'm gunna go.

And oh goody. Thomas Frank the writer of What's the Matter with Kansas will be there. I have issues with that guy (it's not a bad book, really, it's a local thing - he's from the "rich" part of KS and the book is a wee bit condescending to folks from the poorer part of the state). But that is really neither here nor there.

All your parantheses are belong to me.

Well, you can keep the PBR too. t /beer snob

However, it just means I can buy you all the beer you want should we ever have an opportunity to go see music together!

However, it just means I can buy you all the beer you want should we ever have an opportunity to go see music together!

Woohoo! Here's hoping.

I used to be a beer snob. My favorite is Peroni (it's Italian so it must be snobby). I usually just can't afford grown up drinks or good beer. And even when I can afford it, I am usually craving a cold PBR in a can anyway.

I believe Kelly works (has worked?) at the Hideout as well. You really do have to see her perform when she starts up again -- none of her records have really captured the fantastic size of her voice.

Tom Frank -- I could go on and on about Tom Frank, but I will just note that he is a fine reader of texts and social history, and lousy lousy lousy at drawing any sort of conclusion from it. Trust his research, ignore his recommendations.