Respect my pry-or-it-eyes

We be broke.

This isn't exactly a revelation. We're a little closer to the Clampets pre-cement pond, rather than living it up in Bev-er-ly. We manage, but finagling the finances to get the things we'd like takes a bit of skill. Food is always on the table, the bills are paid. There's soap in the shower to wash the naughty bits, and gas in the cars, but some of the things that make life a little more livable are often hard to come by.

With a URL like gamingwithbaby.com one could be led to believe that I spend a decent bit of time playing video games, but that's one of the luxuries that gets placed on the back burner. My subscription to Xbox Live recently expired, and aside from losing the ability to download game demos before Microsoft so graciously allows anyone that isn't a Gold member to do so, I haven't really missed it. There hasn't been much down the pipe that has me jumping up and down with joy and excitement anyway. And as anyone that's played anything through XBL can attest to, there's only so many times you can hear pre-pubescent white kids expressing their displeasure through colorful metaphors and bigotry before you want to eat razor blades for fun.

Oh course there's always the Wii, but playing online games on it is about as effective as using linguine as bonds of loves.

So, sans gaming, I could get out with my prodigy, but one of the happy side effects of this super-keen-happy-fun economy is that I tend to think of things in terms of the gas it takes to do them. A simple trip out and back to see my parents is two gallons. Various errands around town yield the same fuel usage, if not a little more. Rather than waste that gas in the pursuit of things to do, we stay largely shut in, venturing out only when absolutely necessary and when we can accomplish the most in one trip.

And before all my brothers from across the pond remind us once again how much they pay over there, I remind them that we live in a county where even the best public transportation systems pale in comparison to what y'all got over there. And contrary to Hollyweird, we don't all live in the city or within easy walking/cycling distance to the grocery, etc. North America today is a car culture not out of choice, but out of necessity.

Which brings us to a set of blue eyes that'd melt the ice on even the coldest of hearts.

I'm told that it's never been easier to deal than ever before. Between cell phones with free mobile calls, e-mail, and video conferencing parents separated from their kids have never had it better. Or so I'm told.

The problem of course is the fact that you can't hug a cell phone. You can't kiss an e-mail on it's forehead. You can't tuck in a video conference.

Oh sure, you're more connected, but in a way it makes the disconnect even harder. Hearing a voice, reading an e-mail, or seeing a smile through the computer isn't even close to a worthy substitute.

Especially when with every phone call you're asked when you're getting a webcam.

“We don't have the money right now Sweet Pea. But, soon.”