Babies! Weddings!

A population explosion, yes, a veritable baby boom amongst some very dear friends and family recently. I've included their pictures where available and inserted photos of Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump where not available.

So...

	Congratulations to Josh and Monica Erikson! Little Grace Marie was born on Friday, January 16. As you can plainly see, she's the ideal profile for any newborn: healthy and hairy. (Josh is an accomplished magician and I'm certain it's only a matter of time before he perfects a"disappearing daughter" routine. I hear it's all done with mirrors. Make daddy a star, Grace!)
	Congratulations to Kris and Misty Fowler! Dear young Haven Fowler peeped her precious fontanelle outside mama's nurturing womb on Monday, January 26. Sad but true: I'd joked with Kris three days earlier, "boy, good luck with the birth and all. So much can go wrong, but you probably don't think about that, do you?" There were a couple of reported complications with Haven's breathing and position during the birth, but it turned out all right in the end. Kris told me later, "they were trying to turn Haven around the right way and things were looking dire and, Jer, your words kept buzzing through my brain. I was a wreck." Sheesh. At what point am I going to learn my lesson? Babies in peril = so not funny.
	And, yahoo, congratulations to my Aunt Suzette and Uncle Joe Wolfe! My newest cousin, the young master Jacob Wolfe, was also born on Monday, January 26. This is number 6 for Aunt Sue and Uncle Joe (and the 5th boy, to boot). Mom tells me he's big and healthy. The Wolfes claim that this one "really is it," but come on. Why stop at six? Keep kickin' it Old Testament-style, that's what I say.

...

Speaking of the Wolfe pack.

Common sense and popular opinion will tell you that 19 is far too young an age to be making marital decisions. But one young man, and I'm talking about my dear cousin Joshua Wolfe here, isn't afraid to stand up and say, "NO! I defy these time-tested conventions! I know my own mind, damn you, and my mind tells me that wedding bells will ring! I've found the love of my life, though 17 she may be, and death to he who saith otherwise!"

And, with that, Josh popped the question around Christmastime to his girlfriend Samantha. She's reportedly accepted and... hey, that's that.

In all seriousness, Josh is a very intelligent fellow and Samantha a very cheerful and cool-headed lass. They've wisely agreed to suspend any sort of wedding plans for the time being. My advice? Nothing to lose by waiting, you young lovers, you. You're young. Live a little. Plenty of time for la-dee-dah and etc. etc. You know the drill.

Nonetheless, congratulations to both. May all your reception halls be free and and all your cake samples moist.
...

Who is Richard Rancie? A friend? A relative? A wolf in sheep's clothing? When he sees a box marked "title suggestion", what would drive him to simply type his own name before submitting?

Your guess is as good as mine, but his is the latest title suggestion-turned-script on JeremyBear.com. It's been a long, long hiatus, but it seems I've managed another and... I don't know. It makes me laugh. So, without further ado, look! Look upon MR. Rancie, ye mighty, and despair!
...

Oh, and, here's a website I recently discovered: Augenblick Studios. Perhaps the finest Flash animator I believe I've ever seen, particularly the stuff in his "Penny Arcade". Truly inspiring stuff. Dang it, now I want to be an animator.