Many a man — and woman — have spent more time in the master bathroom than in the kitchen.

That’s why the latest market for computerized home gadgetry is a dream come true. What was once a simple bathroom can now be transformed into a high-tech oasis with a shower that remembers your preferred water temperature, home theater systems and TV hidden in the mirror.

“There is so much money going into the master bath these days,” says Suzie Williford, vice president of Kiva Kitchen and Bath, based in Houston, and president-elect of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. “We rarely do a bathroom these days that has a standard shower, a standard toilet and a standard sink.”

Here are some options to turn your bathroom into a high-tech oasis:

The shower as status symbol
For the high-tech bath, you can go for amazing shower wizardry. Digital temperature settings from a variety of manufacturers now let you preset water temperature for your shower — so you no longer have to fiddle with the hot and cold water knobs. “People tend to like their showers the same way every time,” says Bernice Parent, an interior designer in Fairfax, Va., who has worked with several clients adding high tech to bathroom redesign. Some showers allow you to program different temperature settings for different members of the family. Wireless networking is also now available in such shower systems as the Grohe Digital Shower Grohtherm Wireless, which allows you to start the flow of water at a precise temperature from anywhere in the house.

Spa treatments at home
Features once only available at luxury spas are now in-home. Steam showers and “rain showers” are popular and affordable options. The two-person steam shower Monza from Wasauna features built-in seats, a rain showerhead and seven different lighting schemes. Manufacturers such as Kohler now sell soak tubs that promise “a full spectrum of color lighting.”

Bathroom: the multimedia experience
Move over, shower radio. These days, your shower sound system can range from the Apple Store’s portable iHome iH20, a water-resistant speaker for the iPod, to a full-fledged, thousand-dollar built-in home theater system with nickel- or chrome-plated speakers from Kohler to match your faucets. And now that flat-panel TVs are so unobtrusive, they’ve also been making a beeline into the bathroom. Seura makes high-end televisions incorporated into mirrors. Meanwhile, manufacturers such as Wasauna and DiVapor now also make jetted bathtubs and whirlpools with built-in TVs, making it easy to keep up with the news.

Mirror, mirror in the shower
Even the bathroom mirror isn’t immune from technological improvements. Companies such as ClearMirror and MirrorMate have developed mirror defoggers and heaters that attach to the backs of bathroom mirrors to keep them dry and free of fog in the steamiest circumstances.

Some gizmos to make it hot
In cold-weather regions, you no longer need to suffer from cold bathroom tile floors. “There’s a lot of interest in radiant heat under the tile floor,” Parent says. “You can put it on a timer so that when you get out of bed, it’s already warmed up.” Heated toilet seats are also…well, hot. Kohler’s Heated French Curve seat installs in minutes, plugs into a grounded outlet and heats to 25 degrees Fahrenheit above room temperature. TOTO’s S400 Washlet combines a heated seat with hands-free flushing, and an automatic lid opening and closure.

So when you’re ready to trick out your master bath, don’t forget to bring the remote.

Image credit: William Byrd

Elizabeth Wasserman is a freelance writer and editor based in Fairfax, Va. She writes for a variety of publications including Congressional Quarterly and Inc. magazine, and she edits the online publication CIO Strategy Center.

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There’s a lot of attention on the economy right now and the difficult times we’re in – and many people are worrying and preoccupied with their finances and economic struggles.   This type of stress can take its toll on you and your relationships.   For you and your significant other, it’s more important than ever to take steps to keep your relationship strong.

One could say that the quality of your life is determined 1% by what happens, and 99% by how you react to what happens.  While we can’t control everything that happens in life, we have a lot to say about how we react.

Let’s look at what this means specifically related to finances and our relationships.   If you look at your personal situation and the impact of the economy on that situation, you’ll notice that you may have certain worries, concerns, thoughts and feelings about what’s going on.  You have certain interpretations about what’s going on and what it all means.  But those opinions, thoughts and interpretations are totally distinct from what’s happened.

For example, your 401K may have dropped 50% from what it was a year ago.  That’s what happened. But that’s not where it ends.  You and I add our interpretations to what happened.  For instance, you might say, I’ll never have what I need now when I retire. Or that My husband  and I are in big financial trouble. Even if we don’t say it out loud, this can start to become REAL for us, always there in the background coloring our thoughts, feelings and actions.  We’re now living in the scary world of “We’re in big financial trouble, and we’re not going to be able to retire.”

What can give you power as individuals and as a couple is separating what happened from your story about what happened.  Then you can choose to deal with what’s actually happened and create a powerful plan for how to move to move forward.

Here’s a great exercise you can do as a couple to invest in your relationship so it’s strong and healthy in any economy:

1. Sit down together and get clear about the facts.

This is where you both look at what’s happened and write it down.  “Our 401K has gone from this amount to that amount.”  Or “We’ve gone from being a two-income household to a one-income household.”  Or maybe it’s something like “There’s been no change in our income… and we’ve been turned down for a loan.”  Putting it all down on paper in black and white gets you both clear on what the basic facts really are.

2. Notice and share what you’ve “added” to the facts.

The fact may be that your 401K is down 50 percent.  But what you’ve concluded about that fact is not necessarily true: “We’ll never be able to retire.” Or “We aren’t good parents if we don’t pay for our kids’ entire college education.”  Or “Neither of us is good with money.”  These interpretations of the facts are not necessarily true, and regardless, they get you in trouble and limit what’s possible.

3. Create solutions together.

Now that you’ve separated what actually happened from your story about what happened, what solutions can the two of you come up with?  Maybe it’s creating your next goal or project, or a promise to make an appointment with a financial planner to talk about options.   Perhaps you’ll use this as an opportunity to teach your kids the value of working for what they get and of being part of the family finances.  This is your chance to be creative and operate as a team.

During this process, you may notice there are some feelings of guilt or blame cropping up.  Notice them, and just let them go.  This is an opportunity to move forward and have your attention on what you want to create versus re-hashing the past.  Once you’ve started taking action, reward yourselves: a nice dinner, a family game night.  Little rewards and rituals like this build intimacy and a sense of common purpose.

This is not a one-time exercise, incidentally.  When faced with challenging circumstances, the tendency we all have is to hold things in, to not really listen with an open mind, and to look for who or what to blame for what’s happening – sometimes blaming ourselves or our partners.   Whatever you do, make time for regular conversations with your partner and keep the lines of communication open.

Remember, we say the quality of life is determined 1% by what happens, and 99% by our reactions.  While nothing can take away the fact that sometimes life includes difficult circumstances, there’s no more important time to have power and clarity than when you’re dealing with challenges.  Working together as a team, you’ll reap the rewards of the kind of close, intimate partnership that money can’t buy.

Image credit: Sean Carpenter

David Cunningham and Deborah Beroset are communication experts and Seminar Leaders for Landmark Education, an international training and development company that’s had well over 1 million people use its programs to cause breakthroughs in their performance, communication, relationships and overall satisfaction.  For more information, please visit www.landmarkeducation.com.

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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.“These are the times that try men’s souls.” These simple words by Founding Father Thomas Paine were read to the Continental army in the opening months of the American Revolution shortly before the Battle of Trenton in December of 1776. The circumstances in 1776 were certainly much different than today, however I am afraid that we are again living in times that try men’s souls. Turn on the news and it is impossible to avoid the toxicity that surrounds Washington. While the broader economy has shown signs of improvement over the last two quarters, it’s still hard to remain positive with the barrage of bad news that we are subject to on a daily basis. High unemployment, natural disasters, low consumer confidence, and no significant traction on legislation surrounding financial reform, healthcare, or jobs creation make this as trying of a time as any in recent memory.

Thomas Paine gained widespread renown after he published a pamphlet entitled Common Sense in January of 1776. He adopted a straight forward, no nonsense approach regarding why it was unreasonable for Britain to continue its rule of tyranny over the colonies. Paine’s ideas became so popular that his Common Sense became the most published document in American history up until this point.

Common Sense

I can’t help watch the happenings on Capitol Hill these days and draw the conclusion that our government is seriously devoid of this most basic principle. Paine remarked in the opening paragraph of Common Sense that “A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right.” Our political system is wrong. Partisan politics has become the poison of this generation. To call any legislation, or committee, or decision that comes from Washington “bipartisan” is laughable at best in recent history. Thomas Paine was extremely critical of big government in his writings. “Government, even in its best stage, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.” I believe the time of the intolerable has arrived. President Obama was elected on the premise of “hope” and “change,” but the realities are far from that. Promises of transparent and open door negotiations on health care have gone by the wayside. Getting tough on earmarks and frivolous government spending has been largely ignored as Washington has determined that spending money it doesn’t have is the way out the recession. “Pork barrel” spending increased 14% to $19.6B during the first full year of Obama’s presidency. This is on top of a $700B financial system bailout, a $787B in stimulus, and a health care proposal that increases the national debt by trillions over the next decade. A trillion of anything is almost an unfathomable amount. A million seconds is about 11.5 days. A billion seconds is 32 years. But how much is a trillion seconds? 32,000 years. Most of you reading this article won’t live more than about 70 more years from today. If you had $1 trillion dollars and spent $10 million dollars a day for the next 70 years, you would still have almost $750 billion dollars left over.

It may just be me, but it seems that the whole global financial crisis was birthed out of spending money that we didn’t have. In 2005 and 2006, Americans racked up the first negative savings rate since the Great Depression. In other words, Americans on average spent approximately $100.60 for every $100 in take home pay during that period. The Federal Reserve during the same period turned its back on the idea of regulating mortgage companies that weren’t banks as subprime lending grew from a $20B industry in 1993 to s $1.3 trillion dollar industry in 2007, an increase of 6400% in less than 15 years. Perhaps worse, the companies and banks that perpetrated these loans knew in advance that they were bad for borrowers, but they didn’t care. They often took in excess of $10,000 in fees up front and if they had to foreclose they could resell the property for a profit in the wake of double digit growth in the real estate market. In addition, if banks or mortgage companies did take a loss on an investment, they shared the burden with Wall Street which bundled subprime securities en masse and sold them to investors. Of course it is easy to be critical in hindsight; what is more interesting is the situation in Washington today.

The greater lesson about how we got in this mess is that the mess came about because common sense was detached from everyday thinking. Perhaps I am too cynical in my thinking, but it seems like all of the big issues that matter in our government today have been clouded by the lack of common sense. Jim Bunning’s filibuster on extending unemployment benefits is absurd. The principle of not passing legislation until it is paid for is certainly noble on the surface, but why punish those who are unemployed largely because of the government’s failure to prevent a financial meltdown? Democrats and Republicans alike are divided on so many issues that the end result is stagnation. Stagnation stinks. Evan Bayh is perhaps the first of many to grow weary enough of the stench to pack up his bags and exit Washington politics. So what will the future hold? The answers are difficult, but I for one believe things can’t go on this way anymore.  Perhaps the time has come for a new national party. I propose that we launch the Common Sense Party, a party that remembers that we are governed “by the people” and “for the people.” We need a party of leaders that is less interested in spending taxpayer dollars on resolutions honoring Michael Jackson, designating the 1^st week in April “National Asbestos Awareness Week,” or reaffirming that school lunch programs are a good idea. We need a resurgence of common sense in national politics that tackles real issues that affect the average citizens or else we will become more and more subject to the incompetence and abuses of government that we fought for over 200 years ago.

Image credit: Tony the Misfit

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I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember.  It started one fateful evening when my family went out to dinner and there was this new machine at the restaurant, and it wasn’t a pinball machine.  It had two long blocks and the goal was to knock the smaller block past the other player’s larger block.  Yes, it was 1972 and the game was PONG, I was mesmerized at the time like a teenager watching Charlie’s Angels, and soon the video game industry was born.

I remember playing a pinball machine my grandfather had in his basement, but even then it was an antique.  You stuck a penny in and you got to play, but all the ball really did was hit some metal strips and then went into one of the various holes with no fanfare whatsoever.  I don’t even think electricity was involved.  So to play PONG was a revelation.

And thus with the birth of the video game industry my pixual awakening occurred, and I knew right then I would lose many, many hours of my life staring at a screen in someone’s basement for the next 30 some years.  Voluntarily.  Tanks made of blocks, dragons that looked like ducks, and a game where all you did was fish was all it took to amuse us back then.  Seriously, Fishing Derby?!  I don’t think that game is on Activision’s remake slate anytime soon.

OK, now that I’m in LA, I’m all growed up and have a family of my own.  I still play video games.  Due to little things like earthquakes there are no basements here so it kind of ruins the nostalgia a little bit, but it’s still just as shut-in-y.

I remember hooking up our Atari 2600 to a 19 inch television.  It was basic, blurry, and we loved it.  Except for that E.T. game.  Even back then we knew that was a piece of crap.  But our favorites were Missile Command, Superman, Adventure, and Megamania.  Of course, Combat, the game that came with the system, gave us a bunch of hours and a few headaches as well.

“Why don’t you guys go outside?” was all we would hear from upstairs.  OK, we did go outside a lot, but half the time was indeed spent sequestered like an indecisive jury going over forensic evidence.  But we were trying to get to the next level on Pac Man, which looked nothing like the arcade game.

Now, like a lot of guys, I never stopped playing video games.  I never “took a break.”  From the Atari 2600 to the Nintendo machine with the stupid robot to the Sega Genesis to the X-Box 360, video games have matured with us, and we have matured with them.  Well, sort of.  We’re making more money now, at least.  We have to as the new systems and games are a lot more expensive.

I never got into the online play as much, with the shooters and World of Warcraft, mainly because I think I might like it a little bit TOO much.  But I like the social experience.  That piece of nostalgia can still ring true.  I would go to Halo parties with four X-Boxes linked together and eight dudes in one room, eight in another.  It’s so cool to frag someone and then hear a very loud expletive immediately coming from the neighboring room.

The gaming industry has matured to the point where, like movies and television, there is something for everyone.  But that means there is also more stuff you have to be aware of and keep your children from.  But, hey, this time it’s easy, right?  We’re in Best Buy or GameStop and usually know more than the clerks anyway.  We know what’s appropriate and what’s not.  We’re DUDES.  We can tell The Covenant from Spyro.  Mario from Sam Fisher.  Banjo from Kazooie.  It’s our wheelhouse.

Now my four year old daughter and I are playing Kingdom Hearts together.  Disney and Final Fantasy, how can you go wrong?  OK, she’s not really playing as much as telling me what to do.  “Go see Winnie the Pooh!  Talk to the Princesses!  Read what they are saying!”

Now with two young children I have a lot less time to play, but at the end of a grueling day, an hour with a wireless controller definitely relaxes me.  Unless I’m stuck on a boss fight in God of War; then it’s not so relaxing.

Video games have come a long way.  And they have caught up and in some ways surpassed other entertainment mediums.  So as parents, this means we have one more thing to watch out for.  But like I said, it’s something we’re already intimately familiar with.  So FINALLY, something that’s easy for us.  I try to hide my “adult” games and don’t even let my daughter see the covers so as to not even arouse her curiosity.  So it’s Kingdom Hearts at 7:00pm, Bedtime at 8:00 pm and then Resident Evil at 9:00pm.  And then usually bed by 9:45.  Because I’m an adult.  I can go to bed whenever… the kids let me.

Image credit: Mark Ramsay

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When I was a child, my mother brought home a little dog that was so small that she carried it in her purse.  The dog was a mixed-breed of Pekinese, Pomeranian, and Chihuahua and my mother named it Su-Su. Fully grown, she weighed maybe 7 pounds.  Su-Su was cute, adorable, and annoying, but I loved her. However, I always wanted a bigger dog, like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin.  Little dogs belong to girls or Paris Hilton, not to men.

So, there was no doubt in my mind that when I grew up and had a family of my own, we’d have dogs.  I believed that with all the dogs killed each year in pounds that the only moral thing to do was to adopt one from the pound.

My first rescued dog was a golden retriever I named Mazel, and this dog and I had an immediate special bond. When my boys arrived, Mazel adored them, though once my oldest poked him in the eye causing him to retaliate with a slight nip to the face.

Later we rescued a small 50-pound female pointer mix, and Mazel and this new dog got along beautifully.  We named her Tache, which is French for “spot,” as she had distinctive spots. All too soon, it seemed, Mazel developed cancer, at about 8 years of age, and deteriorated quickly.  When his condition got to the point where his life was impossible, and he was unable to eat and relieve himself, I made the “arrangements” with the vet.

I remember it like yesterday as I lifted him into the back of my car and went to the park for our farewells.  I had a Frisbee in the car, and filled it with water, hoping he might take a drink after he’d stopping eating and drinking due to the cancer throughout his body.  As if he wanted to please me, he made the effort to drink a little.  We said our goodbyes.  At the veterinarian’s office, I held his head in my hands as Mazel was given a shot and he quickly drifted away.  It was the first time in many years that I cried.

We rescued another dog: a big black Shepherd mix that had been labeled a “dog-fighter” on the card that had his information.  He was named Simon and he weighed around 80 pounds.  Before we adopted him, we introduced him to Tache and they got along instantly.  He was about a year old and completely lovable.  I still think he actually smiles.

However, this dog was called a “dog-fighter” for good reason. We went to a basic dog-training course, but it turned out not to be very effective as we later had an accident in which he attacked a dog in our neighborhood. Neither dog was hurt, but the owner had put his hand between the fighting dogs and got slightly nipped, though no blood was drawn. A lawyer, he saw an opportunity to sue and took it, resulting in a pay-off from our insurance company.

For years thereafter, nothing else happened concerning the dogs.  However, during the dark days of my divorce, especially when the boys were staying with their mom, I felt that the companionship of Simon figuratively saved my life.  Tache was there, too, but it was Simon who gave me solace and the love that I needed on those painful and lonely days and nights.

Bruce and Friends

When I met my present wife, she also had a female dog.  Charlotte is a Weimaraner with a bad paw, arthritis, and a quirky personality. We hired a dog trainer to introduce her to Simon.  All went well and soon we were a family of four (humans) and three (dogs).  Not long afterward, Charlotte developed cancer in her eye and had to have the eye removed.  She also lost most of her hearing, but she’s still with us.

After moving to a more rural area, we had two more incidents with Simon, both with our landlord and neighbor’s dog (same people).  The first was minor and no one seemed concerned.  The second was not minor as Simon hurt their dog badly, requiring surgery.  Their dog recovered but, ironically, was killed by our landlord’s other dog a few months later.

Simon was sent away to doggie boot camp for three months and was taught stricter behavior. I was also given dog-handling lessons, again, with extra attention paid to my apparent deficits in this department.  I was and am a softie with my dogs and I’m learning that isn’t what they need.  Simon learned pretty easily, but I struggled.  When we brought Simon home it was under strict rules and care.  Everything went well for the next year, until the day of my recent birthday.

I took Simon for a walk and apparently hooked the leash on the tags part of the collar, which is weak.  As luck would have it, another dog and his owner were walking nearby.  I quickly turned Simon away and went in another direction.  We encountered the dog again, from far away, but Simon saw him and pulled in his direction, breaking the leash-hold and tearing after this dog – a 110-pound Ridgeback named Cash.

I got there in an instant and pulled Simon off and the owner and I quickly said all was okay and bid each other goodbye.

When Cash got home, his owner noticed a loose flap of skin on his side.  We got a call from our mutual friend and landlord asking, “What happened?”  I called the owners of the Ridgeback right away, apologized profusely, said we’d pay any vet bills and please let us know how their dog was.

A couple of days later, I talked with the dog’s owner, who was walking him. I saw that Cash was fine, though he had some stitches on his side.  She was quite gracious, under the circumstances, and told me the story of a dog they had that was also aggressive. Eventually they had to have the dog euthanized when he attacked their housekeeper’s child in the face.

We love Simon.  We’ve agonized over the right thing to do.  Some friends say we’ve no choice but to euthanize him.  Our vet and the dog trainer who came recently said there’s no evidence of any hostility towards people. We, mostly me, need to change our behavior.  Extra vigilance, a choke and prong collar together, and a basket muzzle can provide safety to a large degree.  Life is so often not black or white, and I worry and hope that we are doing the right thing.

Title image: Fran Priestly

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After a temporary hiatus to deal with issues in my company and family, I am back with  as a regular contributor. I invite each of our readers to submit their ideas to dbaldwin@thefatherlife.com about what types of content you would like to see more of 2010.

Wishing you a great 2010,

Dave Baldwin, Editor

Image credit: Meredith B

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Editor’s Note: We are honored to welcome guest columnist Don Harrold from practicaldad.com.  This article is the second in his three-part series exploring college planning. The first column, published in January, is “Rethinking the College Model.”

The experience of choosing a college is very different when you’ve got a teenager and are looking at it from the other side of the divide.  What’s struck me – like a two-by-four – is the extent to which the kids are marketed by the multiple institutions and the technological savvy that is employed in their pursuit.  Some things – the traditional high school college night – haven’t changed, but some are wholly new and tailored to the techno-savvy teens.

Why?  Because the institutions are desperately trying to gain enough paying students to offset the significant funding cuts that are taking hold.  State colleges and universities are losing government monies while private colleges are further seeing their endowments whacked.  The intent is to enroll students and keep the cash flowing as long as possible while they work to stop the hemorrhage.  Faculty and programs are being cut and construction projects are being either reevaluated for necessity or shelved.

Given the stark circumstances, how has student recruitment changed from then to now?

Mailing Lists

The practice of trolling for possible students from mailing lists isn’t new.  For years, colleges gained the names from the rosters of students from the College Board’s PSAT/SAT lists and American College Testing ‘s PLAN/ACT exams.  This continues today but the net has widened considerably.

If you remember the thick books with the names, addresses and criteria for various scholarships, you’ll be pleased to know that these are now online and infinitely easier to use.  Examples of such sites are www.scholarship.com, www.studentscholarshipsearch.com and www.findtuition.com .  You – and/or your teen – can register and complete a surprisingly detailed questionnaire; when I first saw it, I was relieved that my daughter would be using it lest it ask for a sperm count.  Questions not only pertain to your kid, but also you and the mother and relevant past history.  Did any parents or grandparents serve in the military?  Do you belong to any civic or professional organizations?  Are there unfortunate family circumstances?  Let’s face it, your infirmity puts your child ahead in the financing race.  My going blind and dying in the course of saving whales would be the scholarship Powerball for my kids.  The end result of the questions would be to match them against keywords for each of the thousands of  available scholarships in the database and advise which would have some potential for application.

Mailings can also emanate from specific interest sites that your kid has visited in pursuit of their interests.   Our eldest has also received targeted mail from an institution that knew of her specific interests.  In one case, a women’s college with a writer’s program contacted her about their curriculum.  Eldest is a published teen poet/writer and out of curiosity, I contacted their admissions department to find how they obtained her name.  The admissions counselor acknowledged that her name had been on a purchased mailing list, but was unable to state where that mailing list originated.  Since she’s submitted articles and poetry via various online sites, my best conclusion is that these sites are compiling the personal data onto mailing lists and selling them.

College eHarmony Sites

There are collegiate eHarmony sites such as www.zinch.com and www.christianconnector.com.  I refer to them that way since their principal reason for existence is to match students with any number of institutions that meet their criteria – which might or might not change over the course of the next week.  Again, their system uses the responses from an online questionnaire to match against multiple colleges that have offerings which would be of interest to the potential student.

What’s interesting about a site like www.zinch.com however, is the way in which they’ve developed a social networking component akin to Facebook.  Students can also upload photos of themselves and complete a profile and then tag it to the various colleges which are of interest; they can then see who else is considering that particular college.  Students with similar interests can tag others and thus refer to them as their “dweebs”.  Wanna see a college dat’s da choice 4 teens with frizzy hair and tongue bolts?  Heer’s da place for U!  Wassamatta U!

If you remember your teen years, you might recall wondering who in the hell would ever be interested in an acne-riddled, geeky, spastic hulk like yourself.  The colleges play to that adolescent insecurity by also noting their interests with “loves” that they send to students on the site.  Hey!  We know that you’re there and we think that you’re special!  If you wanna talk to one of our own students, we’ve got some who’ll answer your questions – replete with photos of smiling, handsome kids who give some hope to the teens that they, too, might survive their teenage years.  For the benefit of parents who lurk the site, all of the college student photos show them as sober and fully clothed.

Some college websites also present testimonials of students that demonstrate the physical and intellectual attractiveness of the student body.  These videos indicate that the students will more closely resemble Gregory Marmalard and Douglas C. Neidermyer than Kent Dorfman.

But that’s just my take.

Summer Scholar Programs

While they do serve a legitimate purpose, some institutions also use their campuses in the summer to hold “summer scholar” programs for high school students.  The college offers courses for high-achieving students for a several week period in the summer; there is a several thousand dollar fee and the kid has the opportunity to see what college life is like.  Again, my observation has been that these offers have come from colleges who’ve already targeted my kid with other correspondence about their existence.

Understand that with more than 4100 accredited colleges and universities in this country, the competition will be intense for new students.  Since most teens are technologically ahead of the folks and colleges are loaded with teens, the methods might escape our notice.  A study by Most fathers – and mothers – tend to step back from the technologically savvy teen, but a little awareness of what they’re seeing can help you guide them in a direction that’s not ruled impacted solely by emotion.

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In the television world, no show, no matter how original and smart is completely safe. Some of my favorite shows of all time have been cast into the awful world of cancellation. From the hilarious and poignant Freaks and Geeks, to the over-the-top (and apparently over people’s head) intelligent humor of Arrested Development to the tension and sadness of The Black Donnellys, sometimes network T.V. audiences are just not the right venue for a particular show. These shows have all disappeared into the darkness of cancellationville, only to be remembered through DVD’s and in people’s minds.

Luckily, sometimes great shows that just weren’t the right fit for network T.V. are picked up by cable networks and are given another chance to prove that they belong. This is the case of SouthLAnd. A gritty cop drama that in my opinion is smarter, edgier and more entertaining than most that have come before.

The star of the show and central character is Officer Ben Sherman (played by the OC’s Ben McKenzie). Sherman is a young cop with a lot to prove. He’s a rich kid who seemingly has no reason for being a cop. His partner Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) doesn’t believe that he has what it takes to be a cop and is constantly testing him. The ensemble cast also includes Shawn Hatosy, Regina King, Michael McGrady and Tom Everett Scott along with many other notable characters that make appearances throughout.

The opening to season two couldn’t fit the theme of the show any more than it does. With the revolving ensemble cast, this show can sometimes feel like a car flying down the highway without brakes. The chaotic pacing and mood of the show is one of its strongest qualities. It’s even filmed in an almost documentary style, as if you are somehow watching footage of the characters daily life as it happens.

Season two begins in the midst of chaos and confusion, a mob scene in South Central. An angry mob is attacking police cars and the tension and fear that the actors portray seems to be authentic and sets the stage for a tense and exciting second season. If you want to know more, you’ll just have to tune in.

The season two premiere is Tuesday March 2^nd at 10 EST on TNT.

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As I stepped through the automatic doors with my pregnant wife, I realized I was woefully unprepared for our first trip to the baby store. After an hour under the fluorescent lights, I was feeling lightheaded from the dizzying array of baby gear.

When the panic set in, I began sweating and searching furtively for the exit. Did we take a left at the strollers or the Jumperoos? What the hell is a Jumperoo anyway?

I was still getting used to the idea that we would be responsible for a living, breathing baby in a few months. I always had wanted to have a child in an abstract “That would be nice some day” kind of way, but now there was a miniature human being living inside my wife who would be joining us very soon. If that wasn’t enough to blow my mind, now we had to figure out how to stock a nursery, actually just a corner of our bedroom in our small row house in Washington, D.C.

Maybe it is a lost cause trying to prepare for this initiation ritual of parenthood. In a society built on consumerism, we start with the smallest among us and work our way up. Nervous first-time parents can be scared into buying almost anything with a few simple words: “Don’t you want what’s best for your baby?” Who’s going to say no?

Must resist… hide the credit cards! Batten down the hatches! The baby industrial complex is sucking me down the rabbit hole.

We wandered further into the cavernous store, past the nipple covers and rectal thermometers and rockers. Then we turned a corner and stumbled into a brave new world of baby technology. It was time for shock and awe. Mostly shock, less awe.

Baby monitors used to be crackly walkie-talkies without the talkie feature. Now they have morphed into full-fledged surveillance systems with remote-controlled video cameras, 900 MHz radio receivers, and night vision. Night vision? Yeah, night vision. Big Brother, or Big Mother, can keep a watchful eye and feel that serene sense of calm from knowing that baby isn’t planning a revolution in the nursery.

Maybe that still isn’t enough security? You can never be too careful when there are infants in the equation. How about a motion sensor that detects your baby’s slightest movements? Placed under the crib mattress, the sensor sounds an alarm on a handheld monitor if your baby doesn’t move every 20 seconds. That blows that old adage about sleeping when the baby sleeps right out of the water. You’ll be up 24/7. Better make some coffee or crack open the Red Bull.

Surrounded by this phalanx of high-tech surveillance, a cagey baby would have to pull some “Mission Impossible” stunts to escape, but it could still happen, so consider yourself warned. Here’s the most likely scenario. Your baby uses teddy bears under a blankie as a decoy to trick the video surveillance. Then he clambers over the crib bars and rappels to the floor on a tightly wound rope of baby wipes. Free at last!

Admittedly, the plan requires very rapid development of brain and motor skills, but babies are wily. They will strike when you least expect it. Watch out! There’s one behind you!

What if your perimeter is secure but your baby just won’t settle down? Buy a musical monitor that automatically changes the tunes when the crying starts. There’s no reason you should miss important plot twists in “Lost” just because of some wailing from the nursery. Baby doesn’t like Beethoven? How about some Nine Inch Nails?

We wound our way further into the bowels of the store before reaching the Shangri-La of baby gear. Gleaming like a car dealer showroom, the car seats and strollers were lined up in long rows, offering comfort, safety, and peace of mind… all at an unaffordable price.

We saw car seats with articulating armrests, cup holders, side-impact crash panels, and “comfort-sense memory foam.” Our baby may not remember what happened five minutes ago, but the memory foam will.

On the next aisle, the strollers looked like Humvees with gigantic transformers that shift shape, double deckers to carry the whole brood, and off-road models for the sporty types. Even Jeep has crossed over into baby gear with the humongous Liberty Limited Urban Terrain Stroller, which offers an iPod-ready sound system and three air-filled tires. It must kick into three-wheel drive when I hop a curb, but how does it handle when I need to parallel park in the food court at the mall? If I pop a tire, do I call AAA? Better check the manual.

When I thought all hope was lost, I spotted the doors of the baby store glimmering in the distance, and I desperately pulled my wife toward them. On the road to freedom, I saw the baby product with the best name ever. The Supreme Snuggle Nest is an infant sleeper that “encloses your newborn with protective, womb-like security and offers your family the endless bonding you love.” Who doesn’t want supreme snuggles and womb-like security? Sign me up. I guess the baby can have one too.

You’ve got to hand it to the baby industrial complex. They have honed psychological warfare down to a science.

Parents have somehow managed to raise babies for thousands of years without buying all this stuff. After a few trips to the baby store and a couple baby showers, we’ve got the basics covered. We have survived without the night vision or the memory foam.

Our son Soren is five months old now and is a joy; he’s our sweet little boy who isn’t abstract anymore. He’s sitting here right now smiling at me.

If we hit some bumps in the road, I have an emergency back-up plan. I’ll dust off the credit card and buy that urban terrain stroller. It’s big enough to carry my wife and the baby in case our car breaks down.

Image credit: Ernesto Andrade

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Heading into the Olympics, the United States men’s hockey team didn’t really get a lot of respect. The Yanks were ranked far below the likes of Canada, Russia and Sweden and just below Finland and the Czech Republic. With a very young and inexperienced squad, not much was expected from this group by the hockey community. A lot has changed in the past week.

Five games and five wins later, the U.S. men find themselves in the Gold medal game against powerful Canada. On the way to the 3:30 pm EST match up with their neighbors from the north, the Americans defeated Switzerland 3-1, Norway 6-1 and Canada (very surprisingly) 5-3 to gain the #1 overall seed heading into the knockout stage. After receiving a first round by, they faced a tenacious Swiss team looking for some revenge. They gained a hard-fought 2-0 win and prepared to face defending Silver medalists Finland for the right to play in the Gold medal game.

The Americans offense exploded for 6 goals on their first 11 shots to open up a gaping 6-0 lead over the Fins to end the first period. They coasted for the rest of the game and even rested goalie Ryan Miller for the final 11 minutes en route to a 6-1 lead and a rematch with Canada.

Even if you aren’t a big hockey fan, you have to know the enormity of this game. This might be the most anticipated hockey game in history (besides USA vs. USSR in 1980) and you don’t want to miss it.

Medal Count: As of noon on Saturday, the usual suspects were leading the medal count. The U.S. on top with 34 medals, in second place was Germany with 27, Canada with 21 (after a late push), Norway with 20, Austria with 15, Russia with 15 and South Korea with 14. Canadians expected a better effort from their countrymen, but the Americans have just been too strong, even winning medals in events they weren’t expected to have a shot (Nordic Combined). Canada does lead the way with 10 Gold medals, but the Germans, American and Norwegians are right behind.

NBA: The Olympics aren’t the only event going on in the world of sports, The NBA, unlike the NHL, did not take a break during the Olympics. NBA icon Michael Jordan purchased controlling shares of the Charlotte Bobcats this week and is now the majority owner. In trade news, the New York Knicks acquired Tracy McGrady in a three team trade with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings. Also, Reigning NBA slam dunk champion Nate Robinson was shipped over the Beantown.

National Lacrosse League: The Toronto Rock are still leading the Eastern Conference with a 6-3 record, but Rochester (5-3), Orlando (3-2) and Boston (4-4) aren’t far behind. In the West, the Washington Stealth are leading the way with a 6-2 record. They are followed close behind by Edmonton (4-3 and Calgary (4-3). Colin Doyle of the Rock is leading in points with 56 in nine games. The scoring race is heating up with Garrett Billings of the Rock (54), Jeff Zywicki of the Stealth (52) and Blaine Manning of the Rock (52) not far behind.

College Basketball: March Madness if fast approaching and the field is shaping up. Kansas (27-1), Kentucky (27-1), Purdue (24-3) and Syracuse (26-2) are most likely #1 seeds. But teams like Duke, Kansas, West Virginia, Villanova, Ohio State, BYU and Georgetown will be fierce in the tournament as well. I can’t wait to find out which bubble teams make it in (Uconn?) and which teams don’t (UAB? Memphis?)

*Are you a fan of a particular sport that you want me to cover next week or do you know of any sports stories you want me to mention? This is your article, not mine. Have at it. Throw me an email cosburn@thefatherlife.com

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