Labor Day Indeed!

Apologies for the blog abandonment this weekend, but you'll understand shortly.

It's been a rather eventful weekend. I spent all of Saturday working (college season makes it busy as all hell) and then spent all of Sunday sleeping Saturday off. Sunday night I played in a long-ass poker game (lasted about 4 hours at least) and played designated driver to a few people, so I got to bed around 5:30 AM this morning. At 7:30 I get woken up by my Dad, we had planned a family get together for the day. It was called off...my step-mother was going into labor.

The thing here was, it was a planned c-section...there wasn't supposed to be a "going into labor", but this kid apparently wanted out, and bad. I spent all morning in a waiting room, dead tired, with the rest of my dead tired poker-playing family. At about 1 today we finally got the announcement. I have a baby brother, Avi Craddock Polk. No, not the best name, but my Dad's never been one for great names, but the intent is there. Avi Arad has become like a hero to my Dad, for bringing his childhood hero to the big screen, Spider-Man, plus the kid is gonna be half Jewish, so they liked that it sounded at least eastern. Craddock was my Dad's mom's maiden name, a name that died with her on December of last year (do the math, my dad and s-mom got preggers right before or right after her death, comforting and eerie), and it's his way of preserving it. So at least his heart is in the right place. But no matter, Avi will be loved regardless of name.

I haven't been excited about the coming birth, not really sure why, but when I held the little guy for the first time, I was so excited I could barely stand still. I'm still excited, going off the adrenaline alone right now after only 2 hrs of sleep. After watching all the devastation in NO this week and flip-flopping on what I think about it, it's nice to have something so fucking positive come into my life. It suddenly makes all the bullshit seem like exactly that, bullshit. What do comics, finger-pointing, the arrest of a sibling (another story for another time perhaps...) and movies have on the birth of a child. Not a damn thing I tell ya.

I know it sounds like he's my kid and not just my brother, but being 26 I'm old enough to make him a responsibility to me. To make sure this kid gets what he needs, to help my dad in any way I can. This will by far be the biggest adventure of my life, and it's one I'm looking forward to more than I ever thought I would.

So, Avi, welcome to the world!

(Contest winners announced tomorrow!!!!)

-L