Category: Uncategorized

  • President’s Day

    What am I doing on this holiday? Why, doing laundry, and then taking the kid to the park for a very long time!

    I got up like normal, and actually went to the gym. As I was running on the tredmill, I kept thinking that my mind would clear and I would start think about important things. Like, what to do with the kid this week as she is off from school for Winter Break. Or, I could have thought about what I should make for dinner tonight. Or, I could have thought about what to blog. OR, I could have spent some time working out the end of the story that I am working on.

    What I ended up doing was just listening to music, and think about how cool it was to roll the windows down in my car, and play mu music really loud as I went down the highway. That’s what was on my mind, just driving and listening to music.

    (I think I can do better, when it comes to a blog. I might be back later…)

  • Habits (Unedited Draft)

    As I start new habits, I seem to be failing at the old ones. The new habit of going to the gym, has been going okay, as I have gone twice now, and accomplished my goal of going on Tuesday and Thursday. The wife joined me on both days at the gym, and she’s being doing yoga every day this week as well. So, she’s taking this more seriously than I. In fact, today, she told me that it’s okay for me to go to the gym by myself, that I don’t have to wait for her. I took that to mean that I need to go to the gym more.

    Also, we did okay with thirty days of not drinking, which means that that we didn’t drink during the week. So, that got a mix result. We are going to continue the process of cutting back on our drinking, after the Super Bowl weekend. We do have junk food plans for Sunday; wings, nachos, mozzarella sticks… gorging mainly. Beer and bourbon will be involved as well. Not that we care about the game. I’m here for Snoop Dog and the commercials.

    The old habits that I am failing on is writing. Normally, I journal every weekday, but for the past two weeks, I have been only getting on two days. Also, I haven’t been working on any new material. Yesterday, I forced myself to go to the local library and write for an hour. It wasn’t the easiest work, but I got about 500 done. I fear that I am losing the drive to work. To actually make the time and follow through. It’s like the thing I want to do most, I let myself get the most distracted from.

    Either way, I’ll try again.

  • Fight Through It

    It’s just a rainy day in New York. I would like to be reading a book on the couch right now, but I still have chores to do. Not a complaint, just the reality of being an adult.

    But speaking of acting like an adult; I seem to have stopped going to bed on time. I was doing pretty good for a while, getting to bed by 11:30pm. But for the past three days, I have returned to staying up late and watching TV. “Solar Opposites” seems to be my new obsession. I am able to watch about two episodes, but then I fall asleep.

    This has left me feeling very tired, and I think I need a nap.

    I need to fight through it.  

  • ODDS and ENDS: Premier League Shutdown, and The Dog

    ODDS and ENDS is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    Oh, this is bad for the Premier League, and I think it could be a harbinger for all of sports. As I write this, there have been twelve canceled matches, and more could be on the way after testing happens today and tomorrow morning. It’s looking more and more like there could be a stoppage in play for the rest of the year due to outbreaks in clubs. I mean, I don’t want to see sports grind to a halt, but no one wants people to take risks that are not necessary. The English Premier League is the biggest sports league in the world, so if they are looking at shutting down, then I think it will have a domino effect on other sports. And if leagues start shutting down, then I think they are the carnie in the coal mine for the rest of us. I’m stealing this from Desus&Mero, as I don’t want to go back to watching two guys play video games on ESPN. Just, go get your shot people.

    The dog is back at the vet after a wee of having the cone of shame on. The sore spot under her eye hasn’t gotten any better, and I have a very bad feeling that the vet will want to operate. We may have to go get a second opinion on what is up with the dog. Even with the cone on, she was behaving normally, so, I have to wonder if the spot is actually anything of issue, other than looking really weird. Unfortunately, my experience with NYC vets is that they always wont to go with the most expensive procedure first, and that is surgery. I don’t want the dog to suffer, but I also don’t like feeling as if my pet is being held hostage.

  • ODDS and ENDS: William Holden Essay, Ted Lasso Season 2, and House in the Country

    “ODDS and ENDS” is my continuing series of random thoughts and follow ups…

    This morning when I was sitting in the car waiting for the street sweeper (No, this is not about parking in NYC) I read this really good essay in today’s NYTimes. It is called, “The Many Deaths of William Taught Me How To Be Anxious,” by Alexander Aciman. It made me laugh out loud, and I could identify with trying to raise a kid, and make her aware of the dangers around her, without trying to scare her. What it also reminded me of was, towards the end of summer, a particular awful thunderstorm rolled through the City. Hell, it might have been the one that caused all the flooding. Anyway, in the morning, I was walking the kid to the local park, and as we passed a row of trees, I heard this great crunching and crashing sound. I grabbed the kid’s hand, and we took off running, and what collapsed behind us was a huge tree branch, that I am sure if it landed on us would have caused serious injuries. I tried to explain the danger to the kid, but she just thought it was fun. So, I understand creating an avatar of many deaths.

    I have started watching Ted Lasso, Season 2. It started out uneven, but seems to have righted itself. I mean, nothing can be as magical as that first season, but I am enjoying the characters and what conflict and growth can be brought to them. I was supposed to wait for my wife, but I know full well I will watch it all over again. It’s like watching a Marvel Movie; each episode is packed full of little details that are fun to discover.

    I have set a few goals for myself. Some I have achieved, others I’m still a million miles from. Yesterday, I said one out loud, and I think I mean it. I want to buy an old farm house, in upstate New York. And I mean, like a real old farm house; three bedrooms, one bath, and a root cellar – that kind of thing. It’s the first time in three years that I said that I want to leave New York City. I mean, it has to be good for the kid, as there is no point in moving to the middle of the woods if the schools suck and she has no friends. But, I have no idea how to achieve this, but I don’t see why that’s a barrier.