My Node Is Stuffd Ub…

A melancholy mix of a sinus infection, the onset of a dreary week of weather and my getting one year older has kept me away from posting here for a bit too long. There’s really no reason for it. I’ve just been a little down in the dumps. I try to shrug off getting older with the old axiom, “You’re only as old as you feel.” but to a certain degree that’s total bullshit. Seeing the years tick over from 28 to 29 hit me a bit harder than I expected, and I’ve been wallowing in a shallow pool of self-pity for the last five days or so. And, since I’m older now, it takes me longer to get out of that pity pool than it did a few years ago.

Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks:

Pic of our new nephew, Cooper. He's a fan of England...and bowties.

-We took a trip to Omaha for Halloween, partly to take our niece and nephew trick-or-treating, but mostly to see our new nephew, Cooper. As far as babies go, he was pretty docile. Of course, he was asleep 90% of the time we were there and it took two days for us to actually see his eyes. Like all babies, he looked a bit like Winston Churchill.

The weather while we were back was beautiful. Most of my memories of Halloween involve squeezing my costume on over my snow suit, so to be able to wander around with the kids in nothing but a light coat was great. I did find it funny, though, that in this time of paranoid parents freaking out about “stranger danger,” allowing your children to accept candy from strangers is okay, but only on one night a year. I can imagine this must be a bit confusing for the little ones.

-Celebrated my 29th birthday. This was a decidedly understated affair, as we had both spent ourselves in the planning and excecution of the three weekends prior. After surprising Sara for her 29th birthday with a hotel stay, bar hop and massage (all in one location, Grand Lodge); our trip to Seattle for the Notre Dame v. Washington game the next week, which was supposed to be a surprise for me and a celebration of ten years together (the anniversary of our first date); and, of course, our trip to Omaha.

Seriously, what the hell is Gonzo?

By after all of this excitement, Sara was out of ideas and I was looking forward to a laid-back weekend. This is exactly what I got. On Monday, which was my birthday, Sara took the afternoon off from work and took me out to lunch. Then, we drove around, enjoying conversation, the nice fall day, and some music. That night, we took in “The Muppets Take Manhattan,” which was playing at the Laurelhurst Theater. I grew up with the Muppets and had seen this movie in the theater with my folks when I was five, and it had held up remarkably well. There are still more than a few laugh-out-loud moments to be had. I recommend renting it and reacquainting yourself with Kermit and the gang, especially since “How I Met Your Mother” actor Jason Segal is writing a new Muppets movie right now.

So, that’s pretty much where I’m at right now. I’m trying to get over a sinus infection and already looking forward to Thanksgiving. I’m also beginning the process of culling the ten best albums of the year from the many that I’ve enjoyed to this point. Rest assured, there will be no Chinese Democracy.