Columbia Baby Shower

Over the last month, we've been the grateful recipients of two baby showers. I'm especially grateful that I only had to be present at one of them. J.K. But seriously, guys at a baby shower are like ants in a swimming pool. They stand around, toe the dirt, and try to make conversations about parenting sound manly. Not a pretty sight.

That said, the coed shower our Columbia friends threw for us was far, far better than most such events. One of my office mates, Casey Boyle, and his wife Tracey are due for their first a week behind us, so the gang at the USC English Department chipped in and treated us to an end of the semester, baby-themed barbeque. We didn't want to show up without a gift for the hosts (I'm learning these rules slowly) so Leslie put together some big flower pots. They was right nice, too. Way to go Les!



At the party itself, there was keg beer, bocci, skewers, homemade bread, a jack terrier named cricket, cookies, and a host of little pre-k boogers going nutz in my friend's backyard. This rasing kids thing may prove to be more taxing than I thought.
Thanks to Steve and Wendi Spratt for offering up their place for the shendig, and thanks to Kevin and Nevie Trumpeter (a good 'ol Chattaboogie couple) for co-hosting. Incidentally, that's Steve "The Ecocrit Crusha" on my left and Kevin "I'm not Earl from TV" Trumpeter on my right).
If I hadn't drunk too much and revealed to everyone that Dead Poet's Society was one of my favorite movies, it would have been a perfect evening (NOTE: don't show sentimental weakness to a crowd of English teachers off the clock... they'll eat you alive!)