Tag: Family

Happy Mother’s Day

Are you someone’s mother? Are you someone who plays a mother’s role?

If the answer to either question is yes then, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

This especially goes out to my beloved wife, Jen. It also goes out to my sister, my sister in law, and my friends who have kids and my mother in law. All the mothers in my life. You are the hardest working people on Earth and you deserve 10000 times the accolades that you get. Every day should be mothers day. No one deserves it more. I love all of you and hope you all have an A+ fantastic day today.

This is the second mothers day since my mother passed away. I miss her a lot. Jen and I are going to visit her grave this morning. After that I am planning on cleaning the hell out of the kitchen and the living room as a mothers day present to my wife.

So in closing, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all of the mothers out there. All of the mothers and those who fill the role of mothers. If you’re one of those people then have a wonderful day. If you’re not, then find someone who is and make sure they have a wonderful day.

Rest in Peace, Razor

I’m a nerd. I am an extra nerdy nerd when it comes to shaving. My father never used shaving cream from a can or a bottle. He used a brush with shaving soap in a mug. Old school… is that the proper term? I started out with an electric razor but lost it somewhere and had to borrow his mug/soap/brush kit once and ever since then I have been a mug/soap/brush user too. Maybe the best way to describe it is a mug/soap/brush snob. Yeah, that works.

Years ago… I can’t remember when… 2008? 2010? Jen and I were on a weekend getaway in Manhattan and we stumbled across this super fancy, high end, shaving supply store. We went in because Jen wanted to feed my shaving snobbery because she loves me. We left with this super fancy brush and a super fancy razor handle and a groovy stand that held them both. The razor handle just used Gillette Mach 3 blades, which I was using at the time anyway. The last time I changed the blade the connection piece of the handle broke. I managed to piece it back together but I couldn’t take the blade off anymore. Today I needed a shave… badly… and I also needed a new blade. I tried to figure out how to get the blade off so I could change it, but as I feared the whole thing is broken in such a way that I cannot fix it anymore.

I’ve been a shaving snob with this snooty razor for all of these years. 10 years? 12 years? Something like that. I just ordered a less fancy, less snobby, but still kinda snobby new Mach 3 razor handle online. I am sad. Like… why am I sad? Because I am a snob, and also because Jen and I bought that razor together on a really great weekend trip to New York and that made it extra special.

The new razor is going to be fine. I think it will fit on my snooty, snobby razor and brush stand. It’ll be fine. It won’t, however, be the same. I am a sad snooty snob.

Rain

190 miles, give or take, from our kids to our home…

And it poured rain the entire drive.

The.

Entire.

Drive.

248/365

We are home at last and the visit we had with the kids today was wonderful. One of them has a new significant other as well, and we met that person for the first time. No spoilers though.

Here’s hoping we get more chances to hear Bellana sing with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra in the near future. They are playing Stravinski’s The Firebird in the fall. Does that have a chorus section in it? I freakin’ hope so. (I once was quite the Stravinski guy, but it’s been a while)

The next road trip on our agenda will take us quite a bit more than 190 miles. Florida, here we come!

Entering Vermont

We have arrived at the hotel. Now what? Bellana’s concert doesn’t start for a few hours and both kids are super busy. We will just hang out and eat a protein bar and hope my stomach continues to play nicely. It’s been a good boy so far today.

To Do List

  • DON’T BE SICK (not 100% by any stretch right now, but optimistic about my prognosis)
  • Jen and I need to pick up our new glasses. Progressive and transitions? That’s crazy!
  • Drive to Vermont
  • Hear my step daughter sing with the VSO! Wicked!!
  • Continue to not be nauseous or vomit. Very important. Also, no stomach pains. Pretty please.

Holidaze

Daily writing prompt
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
View all responses

Like most American kids my youth was spent living for Christmas. You know, presents and shite. As I got older my opinions changed. Xmas changed from a joyous celebration to a months long stress-fest followed by one happy, wonderful day. It dropped way down on the list of favorite holidays.

Thanksgiving ceremoniously took over the top spot on that list. Meeting Jen and having a couple of kids in my life brought new life to Xmas, a new perspective and all, but I still saw Thanksgiving as my fav. Quality family time, good food, a happy celebration. All of those things make it my favorite.

Weight loss surgery has changed the perspective again. I can’t really partake in the Thanksgiving feast the way I used to. A tiny bit of turkey, a tiny bit of stuffing, a bite of mashed potatoes and I am stuffed like you’ve heard about. It doesn’t actually change anything, I just feel oddly self conscious.

So does that change what I see as my favorite holiday? Not really. A little? Does that move Halloween into the top spot? If the kids were still trick or treating it might. I really enjoy being the guy who hands out the treats at our house, but I enjoyed bringing the kids out more. So Thanksgiving still tops Halloween. Memorial Day is a contender, but only by association. We got married near Memorial Day so to me the holiday is more representative of our anniversary. 15 years, this year. We’re going to celebrate with a little trip.

So I think the answer to the question of the day is the same one it has been since I was a teenager and Santa Claus stopped being a thing. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is the best of them all. At least for a middle aged red head living in the United States.

Birthday Party

Jen and I just got home from a mini birthday party for my father. We booked the assisted living facility’s little dining room and had cupcakes and pie for his birthday. I brought a cupcake from the sugar free bakery so that I could play along. I only took one picture and it has an underage nephew in it so I won’t share it. All three of my nephews and my niece were all there. I really love seeing them. The two oldest kids are in high school now. They are so grown up. Having everyone there made me especially miss my kids, Harry and Bellana. They are both in Vermont while we’re all in Massachusetts. I miss them all the time, but I especially miss them during little family get togethers.

Other than that it was a nice little birthday party for my dad. 83 years old and still going strong. Many happy returns, Dad.

Duplexiversary

On this day in 2008, 16 years ago, Jen and I moved in together. We rented a duplex in Methuen that had three bedrooms. Well… one bedroom might have started it’s life as a big closet, but it was a bedroom in theory by the time we moved in.

I don’t have a lot of pictures of the building. Why? I have pictures of people hanging out in various rooms, but very few of the external. The only good one I could find is actually the back of the house. The left half of this building was our half.

Easter Dinner and Brunch 010
The kids were so little!!!!!

Note, the neighbors who lived in the right half of the duplex had access to that third floor, and rumor has it there was a hot tub up there. We didn’t have any access to the third floor at all. I think it was actually the attic. The other tenant also had a lot more basement space, but what we had was enough. I recorded a lot of RPM Challenge stuff in that tiny little basement space.

We moved in on April 19th. One month and one day later I proposed to Jen, right there in that tiny little back yard by that very gas grill.

Good times. Good times.