tonight i was talking with an old friend who is in a master’s program for genetic counseling.

we only had a brief conversation, and during half of that i was busy trumpeting my own uneducated opinions on things, but as far as i understand, society is now able to identify major genetic defects (i don’t mean defects with any sort of negative connotation, but i can’t think of a better word).. pretty crazy, huh..

i’ve already thought (briefly) about what classical music i want to play to my unborn baby.. i’ve already thought about what instrument i want to teach him/her first.. i’ve already wondered about what sports him/her might play..

so what if a doctor came to me with a checklist of traits to favor (i’m sorry to all the sciency people that are reading this.. i’m sure that my wording is imprecise and the time table for all this is in the decently distant future).. tall over short? skinny over fat? no back hair over back hari?

is it wrong that i’m loosely aligning these poles in positive/negative groups?

here’s the weird thing: if my child had crooked teeth, i would support him/her getting braces.. so if a doctor offered to choose for traits that would favor better teeth, would i pick it?

confusing thoughts for a saturday evening.. i’ll hope that when my friend graduates she’ll be able to clarify all of this..

ps. a shout-out to the roll dawgs (it’s the only appropriate spelling for them :)

i’m at a computer kiosk where i have to stand up, which is weird for me. i feel that doing computer work standing up should be reserved for space ships and the future, not a student union in madison, wisconsin. however, when you are as commited as were are here in speechwriters llc to daily blogging regardless of somewhat awkward locations and/or a lack of any real interesting things to say, you will not bend like the reed to such a wind.

i have been jumping rope in parking lots and rest stops across america, and i’m pleased to report that while still looking stupid, i look stupid for longer amounts of time as i am getting better at actually jumping the rope.

pizza at a place called ian’s in madison is something you should all experiance. they took one of my favorite salads (carmelized onion, blue cheese, walnut, arugula, and gala apple) and put it on a pizza. also they have hot sauce and honey to mix together and dip the crust into. it’s this sort of simple culinary innovation makes me feel like i’ve just put on a new pair of socks – salad pizza socks – and it feels marvelous. so does saying “toadstool strudel.” just marvelous, these little things.

it will be a good show tonight. we have jasper and he is a titan among men. we have an audience. we have good songs that we are excited to play live. we have (hopefully) a setlist by now. i don’t know how that’s going, exactly, because i am standing at a computer that is not from the future or on a spaceship. either way, i trust things will go just swimmingly.

If any of this comes out wierd or has incorrect made-up words its because we have just finished a 19 hour drive. I already feel like more of a man. I can count a couple of extra chest hairs which rounds out to a grand total of 17 hairs. This drive may be our longest of the tour and in reality it wasn’t that bad. We left Glacier Park, Montana last night around 10PM and arrived in Morris, Minnesota today around 5Pm. The best part of the drive was before we even started the journey. Just outside the park was Charlie’s Place which seemed like a nice little spot to relax and have a drink (except the driver) before we left. But what really motivated us to check it out was learning that Charlie’s Place was at one point and maybe still be the 2nd toughest bar in America. While we may be one of the least toughest bands in America, we felt right at home. After ordering champagne coolies and virgin pina coladas we felt ready for the drive and booked across the flattest and most awesome part of America. Well I hear a free meal calling my name and since all I’ve eaten in the last 24 hours is PB&J sandwiches, red bull, and beef jerky, I don’t think I can write anymore.