Beit Carr

Current blog at HouseofCarr.com

2010-01-18T08:19:00.003-05:00

It's been a few years since I've posted over here; I didn't even remember what kind of layout I had. Still, I use this as a cyber-bookmark to make sure people can trace me down. Check out my current website at houseofcarr.com.

IMPORTANT NEWS YOU MISSED

2007-05-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

If you're reading this, then chances are you still haven't figured out that I moved my blog. All my stuff is now over at beitcarr.com. It's a wonderful place, where all you're internet dreams can come true

Use a RSS reader? Here's the link to the new blog feed: feed://echochurch.org/beitcarr/?feed=rss2

Movin' On Over

2007-04-23T11:52:00.000-04:00

So far, things have gone well with the change over to the new blog at beitcarr.com. If you link to this blog, you might want to edit the old blogspot address to the new one.

Some of you might be wondering about the new RSS feed. If you have a feed reader like Google, drop this link feed://echochurch.org/beitcarr/?feed=rss2 into your RSS reader and you should be good to go.

Hope that info helps.

We've Moved

2007-04-16T01:01:00.000-04:00

Well, friends, it's about time to wrap up this beitcarr.blogspot.com site. I was able to pull all of my posts over to the new beitcarr.com site. I'll still leave this site up for awhile until I'm 100% sure there's nothing else I need, but for my regular blogging, you'll now have to check out beitcarr.com. That's beitcarr.com . For RSS feeds, check out the bottom of the page there.

Make a note of it.

Did I mention beitcarr.com?

I Don't Swim In Your Toilet . . .

2006-03-01T17:38:00.000-05:00

I left Kelly at the hospital this afternoon so I could return home and get ready for our prayer gathering. I spent about two and a half hours in the NICU; I keep feeling better and better.

Anyway, I hit a red light at the intersection of Dorchester and Reading, where there's a little garden area on the side of the road. I noticed a man standing by the landscaping, staring down at it intently. I then noticed a stream being projected from his midsection.

Yes friends, the guy was peeing on the garden.

Now this wasn't the first time I have witnessed public urination in an urban setting. I grew up going to church in Price Hill so you could say I have a unique understanding of the communal whiz. But here's what I found puzzling about this gentleman I observed this afternoon:

1) It was in broad daylight. If you are going to take a leak out in the open, it's best to wait until after hours. If it was night, this guy could've gone on the sidewalk and the cover of darkness would've made it too difficult to discern what he was doing.

2) It was during rush hour. The clock hit 5:00 as I was driving through the intersection. This is the busiest time of day for this particular intersection. Seriously, any other time of day and fewer cars drive by. This guy picked the ultimate drive-time in which to let loose.

3) There were acceptable alternatives available. This little garden area butts up to a wooded area. Accessing the wooded area only required an additional six steps and would've allowed optimal coverage.

So even now, I'm confused. I wish I had rolled down the window and asked the guy why he decided to micturate before all God's people next to that landscaping. But any guy crazy enough to tinkle on a garden in broad daylight would most likely be crazy enough to kill me. So maybe I made the right decision in not asking, but this will most definitely haunt me for years to come.

And to think: I get gun-shy in airport bathrooms . . .

Still Yellow, But Less Mellow

2006-02-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

This is me . . . turning the corner.

By far, the best day of the past couple of weeks. I'm still a little out of it, but I'm heading out into the clearing.

This morning Kelly and I were preparing to go to her doctor appointment. Her appointment got cancelled so we went out and bought Kaelyn a crib. We now officially have everything we need to bring the little girl home.

And speaking of the little girl, my nine-day hiatus ended this evening as I felt good enough to spend an hour with her. Holding her was great; she had this grin of contentment on her face as I explained to her where daddy has been.

Kaelyn is growing well; she's regained the weight she lost and is now at 4 pounds, 8 ounces. Unfortunately, she had another apnea episode last night so it restarts the clock. She has to go seven days with no episodes. So now we just wait till she's ready to come home.

Life's getting better. It looks like we've made it.

Day By Day

2006-02-27T14:21:00.000-05:00

This was probably the most depressing week of my life. To go an entire week without getting to see your new child is nothing but suck. I think I've turned a corner, but I'm still struggling. I'm still trying to keep a positive attitude about things, but if I don't get back to normal this week I might have to go on a shooting spree.

In an effort to let you in on my world, here's some of my observations about my Hepatitis A.

It's felt like someone punching you in the gut. I guess it's a swollen liver that puts stress on your stomach that makes you feel this way. My appetite vanished; I finally forced myself to start eating on Thursday. And even though I haven't eaten, I feel bloated.

My temperature would spike in the evenings. So I'd feel OK through most of the afternoon only to get a fever at night. Fortunately I've had two nights in a row with no incidents, which is another thing that has led me to believe I'm on the back end of this.

I'm jaundiced. Kaelyn had some jaundice and I struggled to see it; mine is noticeable. Since my liver isn't working right, I have a yellow pigmentation in my face and upper body that looks freaky. The worst is that the whites of my eyes are yellow too. So far this has no sign of stopping.

I'm constantly exhausted. Simply walking a few steps causes me to lose my breath.

In addition to all this, I lost my ability to concentrate which made it almost impossible to read. So it was a full week of watching television. I forgot how much bad TV is televised in the course of a week. And this is the first day I've felt like typing in a few days as well.

But, like I said, I think the end is near. Tomorrow marks two weeks since I first developed symptoms so that's quite long enough as far as I'm concerned.

So here's to no more Hepatitis. That would rock.

Cutie

2006-02-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

Our little peanut!
The tube you see in the picture is actually no longer there as of today. Kaelyn yanked it out (for about the fifth time!). She let them know she was done with that! Anyway, she's eating more from the bottle now so she may not have to have the tube back in. All of this is progress toward getting her home! : )

Thriller Night

2006-02-23T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, since Steve is on hiatus with his hepatitis status, I figured I should entertain the masses in his place.

Steve's jaundice gives him a look as if he has a bit of a tan. Except for those yellow eyes. A little creepy and yet kind of cool at the same time. Reminds me of the Michael Jackson Thriller video. Remember it? I had the video with the whole behind the scenes making of stuff (that we take for granted on DVDs today). Anyway, I remember when they showed how they made Michael Jackson into the werewolf character pictured here. They put these HUGE yellow contact-like things that covered his entire eyeball. Ick! I can't imagine what that felt like! Anyway, when I see Steve right now, I am reminded of these yellow contacts.

Me and My Hepatitis

2006-02-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Why the silence? I've still been sick. Really sick.

Went to the doctor [again] and this time they ran blood work on me. They even sent me over to Deaconess Hospital to get an ultrasound of my gall bladder [it's a boy]. The bloodwork confirmed:

I have acute viral hepatitis A.

Ain't I special?

Unfortunately there are no antibiotics they can give me so I'm left to ride it out, which could be up to two weeks.

Overall, we're upbeat about things but this is getting a little crazy.

"Bacon?!?! I smell Bacon!"

2006-02-18T21:31:00.000-05:00

Nothing implied here: Kobe Bryant to Joel Osteen in six steps.

1) Kobe Bryant plays in the National Basketball Association for the Los Angeles Lakers.

2) Bryant, who is averaging 35 points-per-game this year, was voted an NBA All-Star.

3) The NBA All-Star Weekend is being hosted by Houston this year.

4) Houston was awarded the game because of the Rocket's new Toyota Center.

5) Their old arena, The Compaq Center, was sold to local Lakewood Church.

6) Of which, Joel Osteen is senior pastor.

An Olympic-Sized Joke

2006-02-17T22:30:00.000-05:00

Attention American Olympians:

The USOC has asked me to inform you of a fact they that thought you already knew:

YOU'RE AMERICAN.

If you know this fact, you're not acting like it.

It's rather unlikely that all of you immigrated to the US, so you should know that only one thing matters to us Americans:

WINNING.

But apparently winning just isn't a big deal to some of you. First there are Bode Miller and Jeremy Bloom who made statements that winning medals isn't as important as the Olympic experience [tell that to your sponsors and see what they say]. Then there is men's figure skater Johnny Weir who, after falling from a sure silver medal to fifth place, blamed a late bus ride, bad vibes, and feeling "black inside."

And now, our friend, Lindsey Jacobellis.

Jacobellis was competing earlier today in the first women's Olympic snowboardcross final [Is it just me or are they just making up events as they go?] This "sport" consists of people racing through a snowboard track. Lindsay had the event sewed up. The gold medal was hers. She was excited about the victory, so she decided to get some big air, do a little trick, and grab her board during the final jump. Unfortunately, she bit it.

This wouldn't be too bad if not for the fact that THE RACE WASN'T OVER YET! She lost her gold medal and was forced to take home silver. They just showed the tape of the race on NBC. Her lead was massive. She said she was just trying to stabilize herself, but that's damage control. It was no accident she lost; it was just a case of her showboating.

And these, proud Americans, are the Olympians we sent to represent us in Torino.

While we want to be embarrassed by them, it might actually be an accurate representation of what our country has become:

1) We are a country of excuse-makers, justifying all our screw-ups.
Instead of taking responsibility, we're looking for something or someone to blame. And not only do we make excuses, we do it preemptively so we have that defense in advance.

2) We are a country of glory hounds, always lauding our own accomplishments.
It's no longer enough to get the job done, but it must be done with panache. I have to point my finger in your face. I have to pump my fist. I have to thump my chest.

How sad is it that, in order to get back on track, the voice of reason becomes eccentric Oakland Raiders Al Davis. His rather American mantra: "Just win, baby."

Maybe this Winter Olympics will be worth something afterall: it'll provide a scary reflection of what we Americans have become.

One Last Blast

2006-02-16T22:55:00.000-05:00

And while I'm on a roll, why does our local media feel the need to bust into regular programming with a "Special Report" whenever it starts to rain?

Notice there's no way that they'll ever interrupt a commercial break, but will wait right until the show you're watching comes back on.

Now they'll say that they're doing this because they care about the community. But if this "breaking news" is really so important, why don't they wait till after the commercial break? It's like they're saying, "Yes we care, but not enough to tick off the sponsors and lose advertising money."

My take: They don't care. They're attention-starved media whores.

There, I said it. I feel better.

Seriously, they're becoming the boy who cried wolf. I'm starting to tune them out. They've broken in so much that someday something serious is going to happen and I'll refuse to listen. They'll interrupt my show, I'll flip over to Comedy Central and be sucked away by a tornado while watching The Colbert Report.

I never switched over to the DISH because of the local channel thing. I now ask myself why I cared.

I need some sleep.

Pay For Play

2006-02-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

Just watched an ABC Primetime segment on how record labels use bribes to get radio stations to play their artists' music. The reporter was appalled that these labels could manipulate the public, forcing them to buy their music. One of the offenders they listed was J-Lo.

I just laughed.

We get that bent out of shape? If the music sucks people aren't going to buy it; Trust me: the only money J-Lo is getting out of my pocket would be me paying her not to sing.

Yes, this might seem unfair to these small bands trying to make but whoever said the music industry was fair? It's all about who you know [or who you're willing to fornicate with]. It's rarely about how talented you are [I rest my case].

Kelly's Home

2006-02-16T22:38:00.000-05:00

. . . and I'm glad.

She looks great, but is still moving around slowly.

Now once we get Kaelyn home, life will be wonderful.

A Hackweight Takeout

2006-02-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

Being sick sucks. This we know.

What makes it worse is suffering through daytime television. But fortunately for me, there's the Twentieth Winter Olympiad.

"WHAT?!?!" you ask. "The Olympics are horrible!"

I agree. Except for one event:

CURLING!!!

Yes, Curling is awesome! I hope that ESPN comes to their senses and launches a Curling Channel in the near future. That would be rad.

I just watched the USA kick Sweden's butt around the ice. Seriously, I watched the entire match and even gave a fist pump when the US clinched it. I guess there's only one problem:

I have no freakin' idea what the rules are.

I feel like an idiot watching them slide their stones and sweep their ice [what other sport involves doing housework?] because I don't know what they're trying to accomplish; I'm still not sure how they score. And the commentators use all these technical terms about the sport. They were speaking English, but it might as well have been Swedish.

You know, I could spend some time researching the sport, maybe checking out a website like this to figure out all the lingo. But . . . honestly, I don't care that much.

I don't worry too much about feeling like an idiot every four years.

Quick Update

2006-02-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

Kaelyn: Doing well. At this rate in her development, I'd say she'd have three weeks or less in the NICU. Kelly's loved spending some upclose time with her. Getting her home will be awesome. She's a beauty!

Kelly: Doing better. She had a rough day and a half recovering but his flourished the last 24 hours. Unless something changes, she'll come home tomorrow morning- having spent 16 days in the hospital. I repeat: Getting her home will be awesome. She's a beauty!

Me: Doing crappy. Yesterday morning I felt sick. Had a fever all day yesterday and through the night. I didn't like not being able to see Kel or Kaelyn so I even went to the doctor this morning [very rare for me]. He said it's just a virus and antibiotics would be no help. Told me to rest, fluids, blah, blah, blah. So I've been staying away from the hospital. Thankfully Kelly's parents have stepped up big time, staying at the hospital to help out. This has meant I haven't been able to see the baby. Hopefully I'll be better by Friday so I can see her.

All In One Day

2006-02-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in the quiet of this hospital room, my wife asleep on the bed next to me, and my daughter four floors below me, I'm still trying to assimilate what has happened in the past 24 hours. I can't remember anything like this. Nothing in the world itself changed but I can't help but know it'll never be the same. And now, despite that I'm totally exhausted, I know I can't let this day slip away without trying to put into words what I feel.

Kaelyn is one of the most beautiful things my eyes has ever seen. I know that statement might sound a little off, but I have to be honest: I've seen some pretty amazing things with these eyes. To me, the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on is Kaelyn's mother. Not to put the two of them in competition with one another, but Kelly will always be first to me. You see, Kaelyn didn't choose me to be her father, but Kel chose me to be her husband; I wouldn't be the man that I am today without her. That's why, when we were doing the great big name search, the name just seemed perfect. I couldn't very well name her Kelly Lynn Jr., but our little girl will now always know the high regard that I hold her in. Kelly's sleeping now, but she's still so beautiful.

This little girl is amazing, though. She's so frail, but I had to participate in the obligatory new father custom of putting my finger in her hand. And she gripped it tightly. Like I said, I've seen some beautiful things, but that might be the most precious feeling I've ever experienced. I know, years from now, Kaelyn won't remember that she took hold of my finger but I'll take it to the grave. In that one touch of her hand, I knew that I was ready to be dad. She's my daughter, and I love her so much.

Last night, Kelly was only able to spend five minutes with her. She woke up this morning determined to feel better so she could get downstairs to spend some time with out baby. Kelly's been a trooper the past two weeks, with all the magnesium and such that they put her on, but she always blazed on. Today was her toughest day yet; but she fought through it and this afternoon I wheeled her down to the elevators, to the ninth floor to spend quality time with the little girl.

After a few moments of staring at her, Kelly asked the attending nurse for what she truly wanted: to hold Kaelyn for the first time. Gingerly the nurse wrapped up our child and handed her to Kelly. As I stood behind her, I looked down and saw my wife holding our child. And I was breathless.

And I celebrated the moment by taking this picture. Yeah, kinda cheesy, but it was a Kodak moment that I would never have again. Another moment in my life that I will never forget. Again . . . no words.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a parent, to experience things that I've never dealt with. I'm not fooling myself that it'll be a cake walk. There will be dirty diapers, bruised knees, temper tantrums, rebellious teenage years, but just for today I'm basking in the glow of being a new dad.

Thank You, God, for life.

My World

2006-02-13T08:47:00.000-05:00

My girls.

Kaelyn Rhae Carr

2006-02-13T02:24:00.000-05:00

Friends,

Allow me to introduce you to our daughter:

Kaelyn Rhae [pronounced "KAY-LIN RAY"] was born at 10:42pm on Sunday February 12th. She weighed 4 lbs, 6 ozs and was a little over 16 inches long. Kelly was amazing; both mom and baby are in good shape.

Just in case you're curious, Kaelyn was my choice as an abbreviation for my favorite girl, Kelly Lynn. Rhae is Kelly's mom's middle name. And, um, Carr is our last name.

Because she was premature, Kaelyn will have to spend the first few weeks of her life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit here at Good Sam. But fortunately we get to spend the rest of our lives with her.

Thanks for the prayers. I'm sure I'll have more to say soon but, believe it or not, I'm actually at a loss for words.

Praise God!
steve

Amy Lynn Doerr

2006-02-10T22:09:00.000-05:00

I only met Amy twice: once a few years ago and when she visited our church a couple weeks ago. A dedicated wife and mother, Amy passed away Wednesday. She was thirty years old.

Amy's husband, Chad, is a minister near Falmouth, Kentucky. I'm really not close friends with him [Aaron and him grew up together], but I've known him for about seven years now. When I first met him, he wasn't even in the ministry; he was working for his dad's printing company. But he answered a call to the Antioch Mills Christian Church as their youth minister, later becoming their preacher.

I've written about it before, but the ministry is a different profession; it's unlike any other job I know. Because of that, there's a certain camaraderie among ministers. That's why, despite Kelly being in the hospital, I knew I had to go to the visitation tonight.

Their church, where the visitation was held, is in the middle of nowhere; it's small town. There was a police officer directing traffic because the crowd was so large. We waited in line two hours just to get to see the family. There were hundreds of people there. It was an amazing sight; an incredible testimony to Amy's life.

Chad said in Amy's obituary that, "she was a joy to be around. She was generous and always giving. It didn't matter if it was money or cooking a meal for somebody or just teaching a [church] class, it was always about other people. Just to walk with her made you want to give and give and give."

Amy played piano at the church. This past Sunday, two days before her death and weakened by her illness, she forced herself to get out of bed and play for the morning worship service.

But perhaps more meaningful than all of this were the words of a guy I stood next to in line named Charlie. Charlie was an older gentleman who lived his entire life in the Falmouth area. I struck up a conversation with him and discovered he attended Antioch Mills. He had nothing but great words about the Doerrs and the church. "Those people have made a huge difference around here," Charlie told me. And as his voice began to quiver he added, "everybody loved her. This is the biggest viewing I've seen in this county in all my life." You never know how your life has affected others. A simple conversation with Charlie showed me that Amy touched lives everywhere she went, even the life of a rugged old country boy.

Thank God for people like Amy who fight the good fight and finish the race strong. If my daughter can be half the woman that she was, she'll do well for herself.

Keep Chad and their daughter Emrie in your prayers.

More on CityLink

2006-02-09T18:43:00.000-05:00

There have been more CityLink Center developments. Last night there was a meeting at the Lincoln Center in support of the project. Also yesterday, Cincinnati City Council voted 8-1 in a resolution against the center. The vote was meaningless, but I guess it helped them feel better . . . or something.

These happenings have spawned more debate about a post I did about CityLink a few weeks ago. You can read it all here. Feel free to contribute your thoughts.

Lifting The Lid

2006-02-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

Note: the following article might gross some of you out. If you're the faint of heart, you might want to skip this one. Just keep in mind I've been in the hospital for more than a week now with too much free time on my hands to think about life's greatest challenges. I believe this post affirms that.

Today's hospital observation:

The toilets here could be just what women need to get men to lift the seat.

Honestly, I'm one of those men who lifts the seat. It's the right thing to do, a common courtesy. I just think how cruddy [pun intended] gas station bathrooms can be and that's enough to convince me. Men have the obvious advantage in using poorly maintained restrooms; no matter how bad they are at least we don't have to sit down. I feel bad that women have to sit, because there's always the great unknown of who was the last person to use this seat. So with my toilet use, the Golden Rule applies. I wouldn't want to sit down, therefore, I lift the seat.

Why don't some men lift the seat? Hard to tell, but I came up with two reasons.

Reason 1) Overconfidence in their ability to aim. Males are conditioned from an early age to work on accuracy. We spend years perfecting it. In adulthood, we're the John Wayne of commode-town: never missing a shot. Why bother lifting the seat when we're obviously going to avoid it? Unfortunately, most of us aren't nearly as precise as we believe we are. Sure there are still some marksmen among us, but many don't lift the seat because a brash attitude has gotten the best of them.

Reason 2) Sheer laziness. Because men have the ability to go standing up, bending down to lift up the seat is an extra step in the process. I think the line of thought of the male mind goes like this:

"I am male. I can do my business standing up. That's the way God intended it to be. If have to bend down to use the john, I might as well go ahead and sit down- and that's not going to happen. Too much work; I'll just rely on my aim."

Now back to these hospital cans. They aren't sufficient to solve the first reason that men don't lift the seat [leave that to Dr. Phil], but could prove quite valuable with the second reason. With the handles on the side, it requires little effort to lift. That's what men need to make us function better: simplicity. Remote controls. Velcro. Handles. It could be perfect.

I'm telling you, friends: handles on the side of toilets could change the world.

A TKO from Tokyo

2006-02-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

Great Tiger. King Hippo. Von Kaiser.

Men who have made an impact in history? I think not.

These were opponents in the game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out. Like most boys growing up in the 1980's I was addicted to a little thing called the Nintendo Entertainment System. Everyday after school I would escape into a virtual land where I could eventually become Heavyweight Champion of The World. Despite only weighing 113 pounds and never having hit someone with a boxing glove, I could go to war. Living vicariously through Little Mac, with Doc Louis in my corner, I made it through and won the championship belt. Glory indeed.

I really think this is why people are still fascinated by Iron Mike: cemented in the minds of many male Gen X'ers is the idea that Tyson was the man. We spent our childhoods trying to defeat him and we still view him as unbeatable. This image of Tyson [circa 1988, before he married the Head of The Class chick] dominates our minds, so that we still watch his fights in awe . . . or maybe we're just waiting for him to bite off another opponent's body part. I'm still not sure why we watch.

For those, like me, who have spent years wondering what this video game would look like in real life, we now have an answer. Click here to find out.

Holding Pattern

2006-02-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

OK, the update from the hospital is SOS- no not an call for alarm, but Same Old Situation as we now play the waiting game. The extended stay is providing moments of boredom for both Kelly and I, but the baby could arrive like a thief in the night, so we have to be ready. I swear, though, that if my daughter ends up being a kleptomaniac, she most definitely will be grounded.

Changing subjects . . .

Two days later, I still think the big news is the poor officiating in Super Bowl XL. Some of you might dismiss this all together as excessive whining, but I really didn't care who won the game [actually that might be a fib; I didn't care who won the game as long as it wasn't Pittsburgh]. The NFL has a big problem on their hands here, and they're not taking it seriously. I'm shocked that Paul Tagliabue, NFL Commissioner, hasn't come out and made a statement; the silence is deafening.

The integrity of their product is at stake here. On their biggest night, in a game that more people watch than any other televised event, their officials goofed. Now people who aren't even football fans, who tune in just for the commercials and the chance of eating those little cocktail hot-dogs, questioning the legitimacy of NFL officiating. And it doesn't help with the recent news that Bob Waggoner, the official who called the phantom pass-interference play against Seattle, IS A NATIVE OF PITTSBURGH! Are you kidding me? Allowing a guy who probably grew up with Terrible Towels out his yin-yang to referee a Super Bowl in which the Steelers were playing? Bad idea. Like Bob's going to want to come back home to the family reunion on Memorial Day and hear it from all his family how he did nothing to help the Yellow and Black win. He did what he had to do to keep his family intact.

Look, I'm not saying that Bob was rigging the game. I'm sure he tried to make the call he needed to make. But if I'm at the Final Four refereeing when UC has a chance for a national championship or behind the plate in the World Series with the Reds I'm sure I'd be impartial. But in my impartially, I'd lean towards the 'Nati.

And this isn't just unfair to Seattle. It's unfair to Pittsburgh. At a time when their fans should be able to enjoy the fruits of a Super Bowl victory they have to constantly defend how, despite playing a horrible game and benefiting from questionable officiating, they are worthy champions.

The NFL needs to do something, and do it quickly. And they should look no further than the Atlantic Coast Conference who suspended an officiating crew one game for blowing a call. Their bad call in second half of Saturday's Florida State loss to Duke game led to the ejection of a leading Seminole scorer. The ACC, aware that Duke is perceived as being the least penalized team in the conference, wanted to avoid even the hint of a fix.

Who knows, this could spawn the return of baseball to the official role of America's pastime.

Well, except for that whole steroids thing.