GregDunnett.com

At 23:55 on Thursday, February 4, 2010, The Nurse and I welcomed our first son, Camden David Dunnett into the world. He weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 inches tall. Camden gets his middle name from his granddad, who we lost last May. His first name was a name we liked (though the baseball reference was not missed by Dad).

They come home from the hospital Today and our family gets a little nuclear with a mom, dad, daughter, son, dog and 2 cats. Should be fun (and crazy)

Today is the day that our life is set to change for the better….and the crazier. Our second child is due. 18 months after Evelyn, it definitely feels like groundhog day.

As with most deadlines in life, I have found myself going through the normal (procrastinators) process:

In June, when we found out we were pregnant, it was great news but 8 months was still so far off.

The summer and fall rolled through football season and while it was always on my mind, it was very seldom at the storefront. If The Nurse had not been showing, it would have been merely an abstract thought.

The pregnancy moved to the forefront when Caroline fell down the stairs in November and we spend a night at the hospital making sure everything was ok (it was).

Then Christmas, especially the first one where Evie was able to enjoy it, took our minds off of it.

It wasn’t until January, (really when any day could have been !the day!) that I set into get everything done mode. Switch Evie into the guest room, build the crib, get #2’s room set-up, etc.

I am happy to say that we finished everything last weekend and will be uber-prepared (as much as we can be anyways) when our second child shows up.

I think that summarizes how I do things pretty well…I thrive off of deadlines. I always get high-quality work done but it is often in the hours leading up to when it needs to be done. I have gotten into the habit of setting deadlines that are not necessary to ensure I get my work done. It has helped.

This is why I love running (a race) but not weight lifting (no official end). I need the prize.

Whether our prize arrives Today or sometime in the next 10 days, I am ready and super excited to meet him or her.

Well, that didn’t go very well. With a busy week a work, I missed my goal of 7 posts by 6 posts (If I count this one). So how do we make this a feasible goal. A goal that I can work within the constraints of every day:

The plan is this:

I have set aside 20 minutes a day to post. I hope to have contemplated my thoughts enough that I can get down what needs to be said in that time frame. It is what I am working on in my writing - be efficient, say what needs to be said and get out.

I know that this rule is going to lead to some poorly written and ugly blog posts. However, it will be only a blueprint and can be adjusted based on how much free time I have that day or how little. But basically, I want to put aside 20 minutes to get the mental thoughts down on paper.

We will try it for a few weeks and then adjust if necessary.

Something I have always known but have come to embrace strongly over the past two years is my love and passion for the sport of football. I played in high school (i sucked - but that is every sport), I covered the Mac team for the Silhouette in university, I work for a CFL team. While I love the stats and intimacy of baseball, football really has become my favourite sport and an immense part of my day to day life.

I have a rooting interest in one of the teams this weekend, as a friends works for the Minnesota Vikings and while I want them to win, I am not sure I can pick his team.

Colts 31, Jets 13

I love Rex Ryan, I have read everything that has been written about him this week. The guy is a great motivator and his candor makes him such a throwback coach that he is impossible not to love. I love Darrelle Revis, the guys has shut down every #1 receiver he has faced…he really should have won defensive player of the year. I really want to get one of these.

But seriously….It’s Peyton Manning against Mark Sanchez. Manning, is the greatest quarterback of all time. Sanchez hasn’t had to make a real play in two games. I just don’t see how this game can even be close. The Colts are a far superior team.

Saints 41, Vikings 31

This looks like it could be one of the great games of all-time. The top 2 offenses in the league are playing each other. I actually like the Vikes defense better and Jared Allen could make all the difference in this one. I just see the possibility of implosion by the Vikings to be too strong - playing in the Superdome, Favre’s history of bad picks, Ray Edwards knee goes out, Childress waste’s his timeouts, I see the Vikes making 2 or 3 more miscues then the Saints and that being the difference.

I hope for DP’s sake I am wrong.

I started this blog two years ago. I had written often in university but had gotten away from writing once I had gotten into the real world. I had wanted to get back in the habit of expressing my thoughts and opinions. This blog was that outlet and I wrote 3-4 posts a week for several months. Then I stopped writing, blew the whole project up and started over. But the magic was lost and I stopped writing.

A few things have changed in those two years: we started a family - had Evelyn (and will be having another child in the next few weeks), we lost David and my career has advanced nicely.

While the overall picture of life has moved in a very positive arc over the last two years, I feel as though I am still lacking in other (less important but important to my happiness) factors. I still have not run a marathon, I do not post to this blog daily, I have put on 20 pounds of fat (working vs. exercising), I procrastinate and leave to many chores undone. My time management skills suck.

Of all the things that are in limited supply right now, time is going to be in the greatest demand. So as we prepare to welcome our second child into the world, I feel as though I am sitting once again at a crossroads.

We will give it a run over the next few days and weeks - setting goals, working towards them and getting back to putting my words down daily.