oh jaim (like the mix of jim and jam?), there are many stories explaining why i should not have children. i think put together they also explain why one should never let me even hold a child. that said, if the baby were to stay in a crib and not need to be moved or anything for feeding or cleaning (this is getting less and less likely the more caveats i write), then i am definitely the babysitter of your dreams.

as far as holding children, i have avoided it for most of my life. not that i dislike children, but that i feel that if something is ever going to go horribly wrong, it will be while the child is in my care. fear is the mindkiller (weak dune reference there). i think i have pretty much convinced myself that even holding a child is bad news. what if i drop it? not likely, but what is likely is that the child might start to squirm or move around- what then? do you squeeze? that seems like a very bad idea give how small they are (not that i am competing in any strongman competitions. this year.) i mean, what if the kid kind of, you know, slips out? then you are stuck grasping at (straws) limbs. say you snag the leg, then the upper body flops down and the head jerks- all sorts of bad images conjured up on that one. or if you grab the arm you might break it (although i hear tell baby limbs are might springy, like a sapling).

to be honest, i am not sure how people hold children. it seems like a dangerous game (great short story) or a tender situation (killer ween lick). i think to avoid the stress, i best stay out of it.

that said, i have not decided where i will be this fall. i know i will be coming back to va this summer for a minimum of a few weeks. i would love to get back into kayaking, canoeing, hiking, camping, fishing, etc. va tech would not be a bad choice, but i have to say that scotland is without question my first choice. i think i am done with mexico, but i am not sure i am ready to go back to the states yet.

with that in mind i have a phone interview with a school in panama city. panama, not florida. then maybe one next week with colombia.

timmay, if you still get on this blog, when are you gettin hitched? will it be in steelcountry? hope so. if you can't marry a coal miner's daughter the very least you can do is score a pittsburgian.

germany versus turkey at 145 today. should be a killer game. of course tomorrow's will be better, russia (who stunned holland) versus spain (who finally beat the damn italians after 88 years of trying), but i have a stupid meeting i probably should not skip. i am rooting for turkey today because germany beat portugal who was my favorite of the groups. i am assuming that eurocup 2008 is big in the usa? maybe not a good assumption.

vive la turquie!