By Avenged, circa 2005. Words to literally live by.

Dug up from July of 2009, video footage of Squeakles coming home for the first time.

My friend Karen and her husband Nathan just celebrated the birth of their baby boy on July 31st, dubbing him Jace Douglas Batten. Another Jace D! (He gets Douglas from his grandfather via his old man.)

Karen’s been planning to use the name since before the little guy was even conceived, and dropped me a note overnight:

Just wanted to say thank you for not ruining the name “Jace” for me.

For a little over three years, Jace has been among my favorite names. It’s unique, but not too “out there.” It’s full of possibility and easily able to fit lots of different personality types. I love that it’s ace with a J, and I like that it rhymes with ace. It’s cool. And, until fairly recently, I hadn’t actually known anyone with the name.

If you have any advice, words of wisdom, or Jace stories to pass along, we’d love to hear them. But mainly, just wanted to let you know your name rocks even after “meeting” you. And there is now another awesome Jace in the world. (And of course, since his birth only four days ago, we have now heard of four more Jaces!)

Thanks, Karen. And welcome, Jace! Big congrats to your mom and dad. I trust you’ll use your name well.

I spent the first half of my life never meeting another Jace. I can remember occasionally flipping through name meaning books to find my name and feeling denied. Could never find my name on those home ice cream cones either. And you know those name-donning key chains, mugs, and miniature vanity license plates you find in gift shops? Forget about it. It wasn’t until later in life that I appreciated having a name nobody else had.

Historically speaking, the name Jace wasn’t even on the radar until after I was born. Here’s a chart that shows its rise in popularity over the past thirtysomething years:

For a look at the personal characteristics some believe the name Jace carries, check this out.

It’s a great day for lovers of heavy music and bands that actually play instruments. Avenged Sevenfold’s shredding new album ‘Nightmare’ has hit #1 on the U.S. pop chart, ending the five week reign of Eminem.

In a world saturated with Justin Biebers and Lady Gagas, it wouldn’t be out of line to proudly raise the horns at some point today. And crank it up for Jimmy.

Metal lives.

\m/ \m/

May we never forget the classic dark ride presented by Monsanto and voiced by Paul Frees. The first huge tinfoil building on your right once you got to the end of Main Street, the ol’ Mighty Microscope was always the first ride we’d hit before figuring out our next move.

Part 1 of 2:

Part 2 of 2:

Here’s a preview of what looks to be a well-produced virtual ride-thru; the the whole production is available on DVD on this site:

Here’s a cruder virtual ride-thru that’ll still spark some memories:

One of these days I’ve really gotta dig up an audio cassette from about 1972 that features me riding the thing with my paternal grandparents. I’m three years old, thinking I’m shrinking, considerably spooked by the concept, and being very, very brave.

Here’s an easy one to kick off the week:

If only one of the statements below is true, then how many toys has Joe invented?

“Joe has invented one hundred toys,” said Moe.

“He’s invented fewer than that,” said Larry.

“Joe has invented at least one toy,” said Curly.

“For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress,
And as the evening twilight fades away
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow