Spore

Eastern Red Cedar, originally uploaded by wcm777

I have been a Will Wright fan since 1989, when I first played SimCity on my Commodore 64. That dude makes some seriously good games. As a young kid, I learned a lot from them, and they encouraged curiousity about things like cities and insects and sociology.

His new creation, Spore, is set to be released this fall. It's basically a simulation of everything: encompassing the origin of life, evolution of species, the rise of civilization, planetary ecology, and galactic exploration.

It's kind of a big deal, and I feel obligated to share this genius with my little geeklet at the youngest possible age. Of course, by the time she's in high school they will have moved on from dissecting frogs to prodding embryonic stem cells, but for now this is the closest we can get to playing God.

Once more into the breach

Once More into the Breach!, originally uploaded by Vic Tan

I'm facing a barrage of coworker expectations. Each morning that I show up at the office is one more day of saying, "no baby yet!" It's one more reason to keep the due date a secret when a rough estimate would suffice.

Not that I'm complaining, mind. It must be so much harder on a working pregnant woman when everyone knows that the deadline has passed.

Lucky for my wife, she works from home. Of course, she still gets the irritating comments from her well-intentioned-but-tactless colleagues on the phone. But on the bright side, it's a lot easier to cope with those people when they can't see you rolling your eyes.

Week 41

Mile 41, originally uploaded by bikeracer

Rather than setting our hopes on a due date, I wish they had given us a "due month" instead. We can say right now with a large degree of certainty that this baby is going to be born in June.

It's normal for the first baby to be late, of course. The problem is nine months of anticipation followed by seven very slow days of mounting frustration. On the other hand, that light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting brighter. The pregnancy can't last forever, and one way or another, we're going to have a daughter soon.

We are just hoping that she makes the decision to arrive on her own. I look forward to many years of bossing her around. I don't relish the idea that her birth--her very first introduction to the outside world and her parents--would happen "because we said so."

Daddy Drinks: Rum and Coke

" Thirsty ", originally uploaded by dibec

First of all, belligerent frat boys may insist that this drink is properly called a "Captain" and Coke. They are mistaken. If you've never tasted a sample of Sailor Jerry's Spiced Navy Rum, then you don't know what you're missing. Time to graduate to a real rum.

Sailor Jerry is an authentic Caribbean-style spiced rum with a 96 proof kick and just a hint of vanilla and cherry. After one sip of this rum, you'll say, "Captain who?" If your love of drinking is exceeded only by your passion for tattoos, then you will also appreciate the packaging on this fine product, tastefully decorated with old-school flash art by the master himself.

Fill a glass with ice and pour in your base of Sailor Jerry. Add Coke. Do not drown out the rum with soda! If you're drinking a premium rum, as you should be, then you want to be able to taste it. I recommend a ratio of 1 part rum to 3 parts Coke. Stir and garnish with lime.

Impending

Shadow Man on the Bakerloo line, originally uploaded by Semi-detached

Thanks to everyone for the creative suggestions on how to prompt our baby out of the womb. We tried taunting, guilting, and ignoring her, all to no effect.

She is squirming quite a bit, though, and seems determined to make her mother very uncomfortable during the brief remainder of her time in utero. I'm in the same boat as ever; waiting patiently while I rush toward this event horizon.

The Night of Five Times

We're trying to kick-start labor on our own--spicy foods, long walks, et cetera--but nothing is working. After last night, I think we have exhausted the available options. At least we can say that we gave it our best effort.

Next Stop: Zero Station

to be or not to be, originally uploaded by まてぃあすMattias

We're one day past the official ETA, still waiting for baby to arrive. The midwives assure us that good things are happening inside of my wife, and hopefully our daughter is on track for departure, almost ready to begin the journey to her new home.

FUN FACT: the margin of error for due date calculations is up to two weeks on either side of the target day.