what's news with us

Not much, actually. But I'm going to tell you anyway.

Kate is doing well, considering she's harboring a parasite in her belly. No complications; no scares; no serious morning sickness. Just the horrible idea of going onto a website to see if there was a way we could morph our pictures together to see what our eagerly awaited lovechild might look like. There was. And we did it. And, somehow, our pictures got screwed up in what I hope is not a sign from Bruce Almighty about what sort of facial deformity our child will have.

As if the weird cheek thing wasn't enough. Apparently our child will also have no chin and a wad a chew in its mouth at all times.

In other baby news, my dad sent me this, which I proudly printed and hung on our refrigerator.

Also also, just before the much-famed Pennsylvania presidential primaries, Kate and I (both PA residents thanks to some fancy footwork on our parts) practiced our civic duties by filling out and sending in our absentee ballots. Here's Kate, proud to contribute to the furthering of her nation's democratic principles, even though we didn't vote with the bulk of our PA compatriots.

And finally, bolstered by both a strong showing in a hotel casino in Macedonia (four euros) and an upcoming trip to Monte Carlo (along with many other French Riviera hotspots), I decided to invite a few friends to the famed Wiesbaden casino last weekend, where ties, jackets, and a deep wallet aren't just helpful, they're required.

Almost immediately upon entering the glamorous and admittedly out of my league casino (slogan: "Where dreams come to die"), I went to the cheapest blackjack table (10 euros/hand), played four hands and lost all four. Hopefully I'll have better luck this weekend!