I grew up watching Star Trek reruns on TV and watched the movies on repeat through elementary, middle and high school. Spock was an iconic character from the future brought to life in only the way Leonard Nimoy could have done. I had wanted to meet him in person, but sadly was never afforded the chance. The way I view the world was largely shaped by this practical and logical (sometimes even playful) character in a fictitious science fiction universe. I'm sad to see him gone.

I was clueless when I first became a dad. My childcare experience consisted of knowing that dropping a baby is bad and how to make peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. The first diaper I ever changed was Mr. Dude's on the day he was born. I'd "watched" my nephews once or twice, but never for over an hour and always with the assistance of a television.

My wife and I got married young. I worked at a grocery store and she at a fast food restaurant back then. We were happy, but didn't have much. The household items we owned were basic and mostly got the job done. That was almost ten years ago. We've not been pleased with any of the vacuums we've used over the last several years. That is until we got the new Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal + Allergy.

I remember watching my son sleep when he was a newborn. Those moments were precious and often happened only in the afternoon in the early days of my fatherhood. Those sleepless nights were full of frustration, exhaustion and time that seemed to slow to a crawl. In a way and for some odd reason I miss it a little.