Ballin' with the Best

In case you missed it, Marta's working on the Transition Team! Gettin' face-time on the change.gov website, too!

A restful, wakeful moment

Luz on my chest, slung Maya style;
Marta taking a well-earned nap.

Quote of the Day

About this: "These kids make Robert Downey, Jr. look like all he had was a little cold."
- Marta

Luz Antonia Graham Urquilla

Born December 29, 2007 at 10:40pm.

Amazing!!

Nights like this

Me and my Boo, laid up...
D'Angelo docked, croonin' over
belly-rubs. talkin' to Baby Girl,
Urquilla-Graham

We have 23 days to go, folks! All the books and advice and doctor's visits and therapy have us at least a little prepared for what awaits. But little B.G.U.G. will show us what's up.

Excited, anxious, happy, together. Marta and I are enjoying this last phase of the next phase of our lives. Everything is everything!

Fresh-squeezed orange juice

My wife and I are "playing Batteship" this morning; laptops back to back: Facebook, Huffington Post (yikes!), and fresh-squeezed orange juice.

Thirty-two days till baby-girl "to be named" is due. Life is beautiful :)

Now that that's over...

I took the LSAT this morning at Howard University. (Not in Ernest E. Just Hall, as advertised, but in the Dental Building, as re-located). I chose a seat in the front row, right corner, figuring it would offer me less distractions.

In a bold violation of test center rules, I stowed my jacket, gloves, scarf and (black brushed wool) Kangol on top of the piano in the corner rather than under the desk with the gallon-sized Ziploc holding my pb&j, carrots, nuts-n-berries, and Penland water bottle. Unlike other, bolder violators, I left the cell phone at home. I have yet to ascertain whether Marta is at High Tea with the ladies (as scheduled) or at Virginia Hospital Center (as re-located). Now that I've both called and texted, I hope to find out soon.

The test itself came off as well as I could expect. My front row-right seat kept me from fixating on everyone else. Hewing close to the LSAT prep book strategies, I prioritized the questions that made sense to me in order to increase my score. I hit my targets

• 20 questions on each logical reasoning section
• 3 passages in reading comprehension
• 2 of 4 games
  

for each of the first four sections - I even got through part of the third game in Section III! Writing came naturally. Too bad it's not scored.

The reading comprehension at the end of the day was harder than at the beginning. Still, I finished three of the passages and "bubbled in" answers for the fourth. Not bad.

I am thankful for all the love, support and advice that prepared me to sit in the re-located test center this morning with an open heart and mind. I feel good.

Marta - I love you. We're gettin' there, baby!