Book Review: Dad Is Fat
I have been horrible at keeping up with these. I'm going to try and catch up on the last nine months or so of reading. When I used to have…
Who Am I?
Sometimes I wonder what I have become. I still think I have my usual fun outlook on life most of the time, but come across moments where I don’t recognize myself.
That happened recently when I had one of those special opportunities I get a few times each year. My wife and daughter went away for a few days, and I had the house to myself.
I miss them terribly when this happens, but I also enjoy playing “single guy” in the house for 48 hours or so.
They left to visit friends on Monday morning, and the entire work day consisted of me looking at the clock and wondering what kind of fun I would create when I got home.
But when I got there, nothing happened.
Well, not nothing, but nothing of consequence. I exercised, had a nice dinner and then pretty much just chilled out before going to bed at a decent hour. I even resisted one of the siren songs of being home alone and slept without the TV on all night.
I seriously don’t know what’s wrong with me.
Halloween Back on Track
I knew the look in her eye. I have seen it a lot in recent years as I found myself more involved in community events.
The look told me that the brain was saying, “I know I can do this, but I have so many other things to do, but I really know I can handle this, but I also like to relax once in a while, but if I don’t do it, there’s a chance no one else will step up.”
I won’t say who I’m describing because, in reality, I saw the look in a lot of people’s eyes earlier this week when a bunch of people got together to discuss planning for this year’s Hanover Halloween parade. Don’t let the pronoun confuse you – men and women alike got this look in their eyes, including me.
In the end, we managed to divvy up a bunch of tasks and generate a lot of enthusiasm to keep one of the area’s best traditions going and, hopefully, avoid the rush we find ourselves in right now.
Uniform Confusion
A friend posted a first day of school picture on Facebook recently. Her son looked ready for his first day of kindergarten at their nearby Catholic school.
I recognized this kind of picture very well. In fact, I have seen many like it, especially as social media provided a ready outlet for these kinds of photos. But this one set me off for some reason.
What has happened to Catholic school uniforms?
Feeling Quite at Home
I felt right at home inside the bar. Now that might sound like old news to people who know me well, but this situation had a different element.
The bar in question was in Cambridge, Mass., and I had never visited the place before. When I exited the subway station, I had to walk down the block a bit to make sure I was in the right place. But things felt familiar once I stepped inside.
This had nothing to do with the décor or the beer selection, although I found the latter quite impressive. I felt at home because I hadn’t seen the bartender in close to 20 years.
Walking Lessons
I like to make a big deal out of life’s minor inconveniences. That’s part of my schtick, and I usually have my tongue planted firmly in my cheek as I make my rants.
But I have found one thing that I truly think we need to overcome before we can further evolve as a nation, a global community, even a species.
We really need to learn how to properly walk in groups.
Bingo!
I had an idea several years ago. I wanted to go to every local carnival and make up a t-shirt with the information about each one like a rock tour shirt.
That plan fell apart for two reasons – my daughter and I saw our carnival attendance diminish, and I’m lazy.
We just had too much going on to get to many carnivals anymore. When she was little, those trips filled the gaps on Saturday nights when my wife worked.
With fewer free weekends (and fewer carnivals- another bummer), my genius t-shirt idea faded away.
I thought of all this recently as we headed to the Delone carnival. Bridget wanted to go with a friend, so Maria and I went along for the ride.
When we arrived, I realized we had entered a new era of carnival attendance. No longer would we walk around and watch from outside the kiddie rides. We needed to entertain ourselves while the girls walked around.
Getting something to eat only killed so much time. We had no intention of going on any rides, especially since it was drizzling. We had to come up with something.
Bingo.
Look at the Brightside
At some point, I will get used to the scene. I hope I don’t, however.
This thought ran through my head late on a Saturday night as I jumped up and down and sang “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers at the top of my lungs. I also attempted to catch the moment on video at the same time.
I haven’t turned over a new leaf and started to attend dance clubs. I merely went to a family wedding, an event where we celebrate the union of a wonderful couple by dancing and singing a song about jealousy and paranoia to close out the night.
Umbrella Wars
Everyone should have the chance to enjoy their vacation how they please. However, the week I just spent at the beach with my family convinced me that more and more people should hire us as vacation planners.
For instance, we would strongly urge you to resist the temptation to buy one of those large umbrellas you see at the store. Sure, you might think that the purchase will save you money over renting an umbrella from those folks who sit at the top of the beach.
Saving money doesn’t always make the most sense sometimes. This is one of those important instances.
Street Kayaking
When I woke up last Friday, I knew we had a problem on our hands. The morning of our last full day at the beach brought a whole lot of rain.
We had already weathered the storm – literally. The rain came the day before as well, but we filled the time with crafts, Bingo and a group viewing of “Sharknado.”
I didn’t know what another rainy day would bring, however. We got very lucky with some incredible weather to start the week, and, in reality, we have had great weather for a number of years straight.
But what’s a group of close to 50 family members to do when the weather turns sour – really sour – on vacation?
Kayak in the street, that’s what.