Pulse

Sometimes I just need to slow the pulse

Slow the pulse

See the chaos and realize

It doesn't all have to be resolved at once

I don't live in an emergency room

Just a messy house

But so what

Sometimes I need to see the stars

So that I get the right perspective

There are priorities and goals and accomplishments

But I do not make the world go around

Sometimes we need to leave our house for a while

We loom so large at home and the spaces shrink 

We were on a cruise ship with thousands

Shoved into a tiny room

Not quite roughing it but trying to manage all the same

Sometimes we need to accept

There is no immediate

Resolution

So Fragile

I don't know, it all just seems so fragile, doesn't it?

Why do I feel like I'm in a great mood one day and then the next it doesn't ever seem to end?

It's not easy living under a regime.

It's not an administration, really, with what they're trying to do, so I call it a regime.

The difference between the world when I was growing up and going to college and the world now is simple.

The world is coming to get you.

When I was a kid, we got the evening newspaper. That was our news, plus Tom Brokaw or Peter Jennings

We didn't have to hear everyone's opinions  instantly.

Maybe you had a bumper sticker, but that was about it.

There were so many Administrations where you didn't really think about who was president.

George Bush Sr? All I remember was a thousand points of light and Dan Quayle not spelling potato right.

I could turn on WBBM or whatever station and learn interesting things.

Now, there are days where I don't turn on the news at all, somewhat out of fear.

Because the current Regime wants to live in your head 24/7.

It's really all about the cruelty.

That program that so many people needs? Cut.

So I don't listen to the news some days. I don't doomscroll. The doom's going to be there tomorrow.

And I wake up with the sun and I remember about the Regime and the light dims a bit.

I resolve to control what I can control.

I run and I try to be present for my children and take care of myself.

Wedding and Birthday

Hoo boy, what a weekend!

We left for Coloma for Aaron and Niheera's wedding shortly after 12:30, arriving around 2:45.

I could not remember how to tie a tie for the life of me, so I had Greg help me. 

Varieties of formality at this wedding. Some were wearing dress shirts, but bless Brett for going whole hog with suit, vest, etc. I felt overdressed for a few minutes, but it didn't really matter, especially after the ceremony when everyone loosened up.

Long evening. Usual wedding reception stuff. I always think that after dinner, speeches, etc, receptions basically turn into middle school dances.

I know it was overwhelming for Levi. He doesn't love attention and enjoyed running around all night with Quincy and Cruz.

Naomi got a new little buddy in Flynn, who enjoyed bossing her around.

Got to sleep around midnight and quick turnaround for breakfast, where we waited forever for our food. Levi again a bit overwhelmed, as he was when Dad and MK were over later.

Levi finally got the Switch, which turned into a meltdown later. Was the meltdown because he forgot which character he was or just something coming because it was the end of a long weekend? I left the house and came back later, then slept with him.

 

Weekend Recap

This weekend seemed long, as they all do right now. We're approaching spring and spring break, so hopefully warmer weather can lead to us being more outside. 

What happened this weekend:

Naomi swimming lesson

Lunch at Mulligan's- OK. Levi threw a little fit about not getting the adult portion of pancakes.

Naomi birthday party

Me and Levi go swimming at Innovative. I have to admit that my patience seemed low all weekend, and Levi asked a million questions while swimming. He also really gets into my personal space, but I did a good job of not overreacting.

We also went to Baskin Robbins and he didn't throw a fit about not having a waffle cone, so that was good.

I think sometimes I just hang over them too much. We're best when I'm loose. A little laughter goes a long way to diffuse a situation.

A surprise snowstorm on Sunday led to me not going to my meeting, which was a bummer.

Addams Family at Franklin High School. Look, I know that kids put a ton of hard work into productions and they're not going to be perfect, but this one was about as OK as it gets. The voices weren't great, the pit orchestra seemed a little off, and it just seemed to drag on for a while.

March Madness is here! Watched the brackets. Not the same without Greg Gumbel, but Thursday at home should be fun. I can have the games on in the background.

Escape This

So everything turned out ducky

For a while I wasn't so sure

When I spied the size of our cabin

I wanted to escape the Escape

Fleeing was not an option

I couldn't just abandon the family

Had to fact the fact

A little claustrophobia was likely

Levi got into the magic shows

We hugged some sloths and before you know

It seemed our sea legs had grown

Of course, it was more than the sloth-hugging

We adapted, as families do

The suitcases went under the bed

Me and Sarah figured out ways to clear our heads

There were hiccups along the way

Earaches and joint pains

Imperfect packing and suddenly-kicky Levi

Expensive trip but memories you can't buy

Excursions to pools, close up views on glass-bottom boats

Submarines took us 100 feet down

Naomi did shows in pajamas

And one night that's how I walked around

We found our way over seven days

The kids wonder when's the next cruise

I don't know, I think to myself

Whenever I have enough sanity to lose.

A Tip Toe High Wire- Sierra Hull

 Really enjoyed this album. May wind up getting it.

In more detail:

Boom: liked, good opener

Come Out of My Blues: a little awkward lyrically, but instrumentally a winner

E Tune: a nice instrumental stomp

(E Tune into Sync II?)

Haven Hill: OK, not a fav but not worth skipping

Let's Go: Nice lively song

(then Matt realizes he was listening alphabetically)

Muddy Water: nice vocal and instruments, good gentle tune

Lord, That's A Long Way: another fast instrumental

Spitfire: OK, don't love the lyrics, but decent story song

Truth Be Told: Pretty wordy song, OK.

Redbird: Lovely song

Larkin Poe- Kin

 Saw Larkin Poe on the country tribute to Ringo Starr, so I thought I'd check them out.

Kin is...just not a good album. There's a lot of cliche work here. Elephant in the room, get off that high horse. Might check out their latest, but this is...yikes.

Better get off that high horse or baby's going to buck you up?