In Like A Lion?

Spring has almost sprung,  Today there was a wintry mix but Spring is here... tomorrow... hopefully.  This Spring is going to be a good one.

In just 2 weeks we are scheduled for a C Section and Baby #2 will finally be here.  Grandma Linda will be flying in from St. Paul to stay for a few weeks and help out with the new grandchild.  I can't believe that the delivery date is almost here already.  It seems like just the other day Sara and I
were finding out about the pregnancy and starting to plan for our next child.  Where do the days go?Everyone is doing well.  I think we're all just getting anxious to meet the baby.  There is a significantly less amount of freaking out this time around.

Sara is doing well, although I think she's ready to have the baby already.  She enjoys being pregnant but by the end,understandably, is more than ready to get the kid out of there.   Evie Sue is genuinely excited about having a baby sister.  At least that's what she tells us.  We'll see what happens when the baby comes home from the hospital, my work schedule changes again, and Momma is home all day every day.  The neat thing about having children, one of the many I should say, is that you can be ready to ring their neck one minute and then they do or say something completely off the wall, eat a booger, or use your own words on you and all of the sudden your laughing at how upset you'd been.  At least, that's what happens to me.

In other news, I received a rejection letter from the Maryland State Arts Council for my stage play Diseased Wit.  I submitted it for an Individual Artist Award/Grant and it was not selected.  It's disappointing but not a crushing blow,  I really enjoy the script and will resubmit it in the future after a possible revision.  That's writing, folks.  I don't have anything in the hopper now.  Recently replaced my computer and cannot access old scripts without a software that I'm missing, and I also don't have a lot of time to write these days.  I am gathering ideas, and will try to organize a few projects that hopefully I can revisit as the Summer goes by.

The next time I write on this site I'll have a newborn in hand, my 40th birthday around the corner and a big move on the horizon.  2015 is gonna be a big year for this little expanding family.  






 

So Far in 2015

The year is now over a month old.  How is it already February?


Since my last post we have pulled Button from daycare in an effort to save some money before the baby arrives.  We were extremely happy with our daycare provider.  In their care Evie Sue has blossomed into a wonderfully social and intelligent young girl; Sara and I also had a part in her development.  She loved going to school, and always talked about her teachers and friends.  The only way we could've liked the daycare center more was if it was free which it was not.  So we decided to keep her home.  I was home during the week most days anyway before working evenings at the store.  This way I just keep her home with me and then pass her off to mommy before I go to work.  We've been able to make it work with our schedules.  Of course our schedules will change again once we get closer to daughter #2.


Sara has jokingly called my days with Evie 'Daddy Daycare' and I am trying to balance play time with some educational activities and field trips, as well.  Our typical day starts with PBS Kids and breakfast while daddy gets his caffeine fix.  After daddy is properly awake we turn off the TV for a bit and read books, work on puzzles, numbers, and/or letters.  Inevitably, we will end up playing Princesses - yes, I am a princess too - and then lunch and hopefully a nap.  Naps are a hassle these days and Button often claims to have forgotten how to sleep or nap.  With the winter weather we haven't been getting out to playground as often but we do the occasional class at MyGym, and also have weekly trips to the library.  All in all it has been a pleasant mix of fun & frustration.


I am constantly amazed at this little person growing before our very eyes.  Evie Sue often makes comments that I think are mature for her age.  She also loves to sing, is quite bossy and has a delightful imagination.  One day while I was driving her to mommy's work, after yet another napless day, she named our two family cars.  Daddy's car is Lock.  Mommy's car is key.  She came up with this all on her own.  Lock and Key.  Two things that go together.  It's funny how her mind works.


At this time we have a little over 7 weeks until our new baby is born, if everything goes according to plan.  Sara is feeling more and more pregnant everyday.  I've learned not to say, "Yeah, that's because you are."  Instead, I try to comfort her as I sit back and watch the baby stretch and roll within the womb.  I love this part of it.  I can put my hand on the belly and feel the kicks, and watch the waves of progressive blows shake the belly.  It's like something out of a sci-fi movie but it happens every night on our couch. 


With in the next week, we have Valentine's Day coming up (Sara is working), a Fat Tuesday Pancake Dinner in Mom's honor next week, and then Sara's birthday a few days later.  For such a short month February has been very busy so far.  We'll see what the next few weeks hold for the Family Cobb.

It's A New Year! Let's Try This Again.

I closed my last post of 2014 stating that I might not be blogging anymore.  The original intent of this blog was to update my friends and family - the few that actually read it - and to exercise my writing 'muscles'; if I wasn't working on a script at least I could write blog posts.  But recently I've slacked off.  Oh, the pressure of being a half-assed blogger!   Sometimes I would beat myself up over my lack of productivity.  I'd talk myself out of posting because I'm pretty sure no one checks this blog anymore.  I'd have  a flash of inspiration and then it would take me too long to get the chance to write and by then the flash had fizzled out. 

Anyway, I was toying with the idea of just dropping off completely and abandoning my blog when a couple of thoughts came to me.  1st, this year marks the 10th Anniversary of this silly little outlet for my writing.  That's right, 10 years ago, I was almost 30, I started the blog while working as a stock boy at a cooking school in Chicago.  10 years!  Now, here I am about to turn 40 and stocking shelves in a grocery store in Annapolis.  Not much has changed, it would appear, but a million and one things have happened in the last decade and this next year is going to be a big one!  We are expecting our second daughter this Spring, and a big move this Summer among many other adventures that appear to be in the Cobb Family's near future.

This past year I did not post nearly as much as I used to, in fact, I only posted 13 times.  That's as much as I posted in my first month 10 years ago. So here's my proposal.   I will continue to blog for the next 12 months, but I commit myself to only 12 posts.  I will give monthly updates - starting today - and allow myself a little more relief from the guilt of not writing.  I will check in, monthly, and that is all.  Simple.

So, January is here.  It's 2015.  The holidays have come and gone.  It was fun because this was the 1st year Button really got it.  She asked to meet Santa Claus so we took her to sit on his lap and tell her what she wanted:  a panda and Cinderella dvd.  She got both.  We spend Christmas morning having our annual Christmas Quiche and hosting my father.  Then in the afternoon we moved the party over to my brother's house.  Sara and I rang in the New Year on the couch watching episodes of Battle Star Galactica (2003) and then the Ball Drop!  I don't make New Year's resolutions usually but this year I'm going to work on increasing my patience.  Time marches on and there's no point in trying to rush it or fight whatever the case may be. 

So far the mild winter has finally cooled off and we got our 1st real snow of the season.  Sara would tell you it wasn't much and that Maryland has no idea how to deal with winter weather; not like her home state of Minnesota.  She's right but it sure was pretty.  Button and I played outside and she kept saying, "Best day ever!"  It was definitely up there.

Thankful For...

-  My Job.  It's not glorious.  In the grand scheme of things it won't matter much at all but it's a job.  I've met many great and interesting people, established friendships and have a butt-load of funny stories to tell.  It isn't a career but let's face it I don't appear to be a career-oriented person, do I?  The best thing about the job is that it allows me to provide for my family... for now.
- A New Reliable Car.  Several months ago we bought a used Honda Accord.  It's quite a relief to have a dependable car.  I still do not enjoy being a car owner, and all of the headaches that go along with being one but I am happy to have made a solid purchase.
-  My Family.  Sara, and I are expecting another child this Spring and Evie Sue couldn't be more excited about becoming a big sister.  This time around the pregnancy is less mysterious and overwhelming but, rather, more familiar and fun.  Adding to our immediate family, of course, adds enormous stress to our lives but the way I figure it everyone has stress in their life.  The trick is in how you manage the stress.  I'm trying to get better at the stress management.
So as the Holidays continue, I originally intended this to be a Thanksgiving post, I will try to keep everything in perspective.  The year of 2014 is drawing to a close and I am not sure how much longer I will continue to post on this blog; it just isn't a priority anymore.  Things change.  Life marches ever onward and who knows what is next?  (Possibly, I will repost this entry with some pics soon... or maybe not.)

Long Live Queen!

This past Sunday Sara and I went to our first concert at Meriweather Post Pavilion; a great outdoor venue that has been around forever.  We had lawn seats and met some friends of ours at the show.  It was a beautiful evening and we were ready to be entertained.  I haven't mention who was performing, have I?

Queen!

One of my all time favorite bands!  Queen is one of those bands that I say is part of the soundtrack of my life.  My aunt still tells stories of her young nephew singing We Will Rock You ad nauseam.  Flash Gordon was one of my favorite movies as a kid and the soundtrack was by Queen!  My dad had several Queen albums on vinyl and 8 track that I listened to all the time as a youth.  Sara and I danced to Don't Stop Me Now at our wedding!  I have been a lifelong Queen fan!

'But Freddie Mercury is dead, buddy.'

Yes, I know.  Regrettably, he was unavailable for the concert. ( What would I have given to have seen Queen play Wembley Stadium?)  So Queen took the stage with Adam Lambert, of American Idol fame, fronting the band.  He was great!  I never need to hear his original work or buy a Xmas album from him but give the boy his props - He did a helluva job! 

They opened with You're My Best Friend, and proceeded to play many, many of their hits:  Fat Bottomed Girls, Another Bites The Dust, I Want It All, Bohemian Rhapsody, and many more.  They turned Crazy Little Thing Called Love, not one of my favorites, into a jam piece lasting nearly 10 minutes.  Radio Gaga was so cool with the audiences' hands in the air clapping to the beat.  The energy was amazing and the music unbelievable.  The encore was, of course, We Will Rock You, and We Are The Champions!  Amazing!

This will go down as one of the best concerts I have ever been to, I believe.  Freddie Mercury, you were missed but we had a great time!

Five Years Later...

I blinked and here we are.  Today is my Mom's Birthday.  Five Years ago today we had her memorial service. Five Years!  Today I will celebrate her birthday by completing & submitting a script for a grant.  Later I will sit on my patio with a gin & tonic while listening to Otis Redding.

Happy Birthday, Ma! We all miss you. 

And Another One Bites The Dust!

I have the worst luck with cars!  In the past 8 years I've had 5 cars... and in a few weeks that number will be SIX cars!  Snowflake, our Subaru, is dead.  As I type I am awaiting a call from a company who has promised to pick up my 1992 Subaru Legacy, tow it away and give me some money for the lifeless hulk.  We purchased the car 2 Decembers ago for relatively cheap, and managed to squeeze over a year and a half of life out of her but last week she breathed her last breath.  I broke down on the side of the rode twice, and was told that the engine is dead.  So now we move on.  The money I get today (Hopefully) will go towards our final car payment on our Taurus, The Raffeloff, and then we can start to figure out how to buy another car.  Being a single car family is challenging in this day and age.

In other news, I have completed a rough draft of the script I was working on, and have moved on to revising said script.  It is a full length stage play that I have worked on for a few years now, but this latest incarnation of the script seems to be going pretty well.  I hope to be able to submit it later in the month.

Work is work and the weeks just fly by.  I have been back at the Annapolis store for almost 4 months now.  It's hard to believe.  I miss some of my old work friends, and am sad that people I used to see everyday are not really a part of my day to day.  On the flip side of that coin it is great to reconnect with old friends, customers, and acquaintances that I now get to see more often.  It's fun how people come and go and come again into your life. 

Research and Remembrances

I'm writing again.  I've picked up a long neglected script, dusted off the keyboard and started working.  I've completed a rough draft of the play, and hope to do a revision or two in the next week or so.  The goal is to submit the play for a writing grant from the Maryland Arts Council.  It's been a while since my last production or even since I last really focused on writing that this surge of renewed interest and creativity feels invigorating.

I also realized that I needed to do a little research for this project which deals with an aspiring stand up comic.  So I've been going through how to books, books about comedy in the 70s, and watching a few informative documentaries.  Among my research I came across a film called Why We Laugh: Funny Women.  This documentary talks about the ins and outs of stand up comedy as it relates to being a woman.  There are many insightful interviews and appearances by comediennes such as Joan Rivers, Whoopi Goldberg, Paula Poundstone, Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard and Aisha Tyler - to name a few.

Let me tell you a story about Lily Tomlin.  Now Lily Tomlin is an incredibly creative and funny woman but isn't credited with being a great stand up.  She's a movie star, and her solo performances are wonderful.  When I was twelve years old or so I got the opportunity through a Summer workshop I was doing to see Lily Tomlin Live in her one woman show The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe.  It was amazing.  She transformed from character to character seamlessly.  She was funny!  She was brilliant!  She started coughing... It was bad.  It got so bad that she had to stop the show, get a glass of water and take a break on stage!  She had the audience in the palm of her hand and she slammed on the breaks.  She chit-chatted with the audience as she soothed her sore throat and then after a few minutes finished her drink.  The lights went back down, and she jumped right back into the show!  I was Awestruck!  (I don't think this was a bit.  I think she really needed a glass of water.  To this day I have not read or seen another production of the show because I want to keep the original impression and awe that her performance gave me.)

My Kinda Woman!

Oh, and speaking of funny women Aisha Tyler is so funny in her interviews.  Now my wife would tell you that Aisha Tyler is one of my celebrity crushes... she'd be right!  I loved her on The Soup!  She's so funny on Archer!  She's the only reason to watch the Talk!  She definitely is on my LIST!

 

 

Waiter! Oh, Waiter!

I have developed a bad habit.  I have become a waiter, when I have always wanted to become a do-er.  I'm not sure when this began.  I feel like used to be good about going out and getting things done.  I need to change this.

Ah, but there is the pitfall.  If I focus too much on trying to get things done I won't, or might not be able to stop and appreciate all of the things that may be happening around me.  Yet if I spend to much time waiting for things to happen then I might miss some golden opportunities.  Also, I need to acknowledge the fact that I have done some things recently, seized some opportunities, and tried to make things better.

Hmmm, I guess I don't know what the hell I'm talking about.  What's new?

Today - my day off - I was listening to music as I worked on a script for submission.  (See I'm doing things.)  I was listening to music, as I often do when I write.  Sometimes the songs go unheard and other times they pop out and snag my attention.  Today as I was working on this script, this long term project (See?  What am I waiting for?) several songs were worth stopping for.  The 1st song was Tom Petty's 'Walls'.  It's a good song.  Later on 'Runaround' by Van Halen came on.  Another good song.  And finally, the song 'Burn To Shine' by Ben Harper played.  All 3 songs are good songs.  (All 3 of these songs are easy enough to find online if you care to listen.)  I cannot say what made these songs stand out - I had music playing most of the day - but these stayed with me and were worth mentioning for the way the made me smile, or shrug my shoulders, or stare away from the computer screen  and take a momentary break from the writing before forging ahead.

The script isn't completed but it's coming along...  Wait and see.

The Final Steps!

Two weeks of a three week run have flown by.  The audiences seem to be appreciating our efforts and the critics have had nothing but good things to say about The 39 Steps.  It has been a wild ride!

This is the 1st full length theatrical production I have worked on since Evie Sue was born, and it has been challenging.  An erratic rehearsal schedule, a full time job, and trying to spend quality time with loved ones has been stretching me a bit thin.  I can honestly say I am looking forward to the curtain falling on this production not because I am not enjoying myself but, rather, because I need to find a new normal.

When I stepped down, changed positions, at work a few months ago I already was in rehearsals for this show.  I changed stores, work schedules, commutes and everything whilst rehearsing the play.   Once the play ends it will just be the job, and the family for the 1st time since making the decision to step down.  I have no plans to work on another theatrical production in the coming months.  It'll be interesting to come up with a new regular-ish work schedule going into the summer.

There will be trips to see family.  There will be cookouts.  Visits to the park.  Day-trips into the city and hopefully a ballgame or two.

Here is a Hans Christian Andersen quote I used in my bio for this show's program.  "Just living is not is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower."  That's about where I am in my life right now.