Something I've never liked about myself is my inability to be OK with "OK."
5 Kids, 1 Wife
New posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from a husband and dad
Monday, October 14, 2024
Three things my all-or-nothing attitude prevents me from doing
Something I've never liked about myself is my inability to be OK with "OK."
Friday, October 11, 2024
Revisiting the decade when you grew up...warts and all
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Before I knew it, I was a gum chewer
At some point in the last 10 years, I started chewing gum.
Not all the time, mind you. And mostly only in the car.
But by any definition, I am a frequent consumer of chewing gum.
My brand of choice is Wrigley's 5 Gum Peppermint Cobalt Sugar-Free. The mint is intense (which I love), the flavor lasts a long time (which I really love), and it comes in packs of 15, so it keeps me supplied longer than those old 5-stick packs my mom used to carry in her purse.
The only problem with this habit is that my car perpetually smells faintly like a peppermint oil factory. Most of those who ride with me don't care, but my wife does.
Terry does not particularly like mint. And she certainly does not like the smell of mint in the closed confines of a car.
She refers to my Honda Civic as "the Mint Mobile."
The only thing I can do is try not to chew any gum in the car if I know she's going to occupy the passenger seat in the near future. Even then, I don't know that the fragrance ever really goes away.
The other pitfall of being a gum chewer is becoming an obnoxious gum chewer. Someone who chews loudly and proudly. Someone who chomps their way through every conversation. Someone who must have a stick of gum in their mouth at all times.
I try desperately to avoid being that guy.
I figure, worst comes to worst, I will one day blow up like a blueberry à la Violet Beauregarde in the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" as punishment for my gum-related sins. Only instead of dejuicing me, the Oompa Loompas will allow me to explode in a mess of blueberry debris and sticky peppermint gum residue.
As far as my longsuffering wife is concerned, it will be a fair punishment.
Monday, October 7, 2024
Getting to the bottom of this obnoxiously large 1-gallon water jug every day
I am not, by nature, a water drinker. I drink it at the gym in the morning, but after that, it's usually coffee or nothing at all.
I realize this is not a healthy approach to fluid intake, though, so lately I've been trying to up my water consumption by purchasing the big ol' water bottle you see above. I was inspired by my daughter Chloe and my son Jack, both of whom have similarly large H2O containers from which they drink consistently.
This isn't the first time I've tried to take in more water. My inconsistent attempts at becoming more like my dad (who drank water and beer in equally prodigious quantities) stretch back more than 30 years.
When I was marathon training in 2001, for example, I drank a lot of water because I had to in order to keep my body properly hydrated for running dozens of miles a week. The second I crossed the finish line, though, my water drinking plummeted immediately to pre-training levels.
It's not that I don't like water. It's just not a particularly attractive option for me. It's just...you know, water. I can take it or leave it.
Again, though, I understand the health benefits of proper hydration, so I'm giving it another go by setting for myself the daily goal of filling Jumbo the Water Jug and drinking its entire contents. It takes a concerted effort, but I've been doing it.
The inevitable and wholly predictable result, of course, has been an alarming rise in bathroom trips. I have already worn out a path to the men's room at the office. Supposedly your body eventually adjusts to ingesting higher quantities of fluid, but so far my body's only response has been, "Stop drinking so much or else we're going to spend the rest of your life seeking out restrooms."
Actually, finding restrooms has been high on my daily agenda ever since I hit my mid-40s. So that part isn't new.
What is new, however, is the impressive level of bladder control I have developed during work meetings. No longer do I have to rush directly from conference rooms immediately to the nearest urinal.
These days it's more of a controlled trot.
Friday, October 4, 2024
Your kids really are listening...even to the music you play for them
- Brown-Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
- Copacabana - Barry Manilow (OK, OK...a guilty pleasure)
- Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
- Jackie Wilson Said - Van Morrison
- Jump - Van Halen
- Love Shack - The B-52s
- Low Rider - War
- Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - The Beatles
- Mack the Knife - as covered by Sting (an odd pick, but so catchy)
- Maneater - Hall & Oates
- Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles
- The Reflex - Duran Duran
- Road Man - Smash Mouth
- Roxanne - The Police
- When Doves Cry - Prince
- Ya (Rest in Peace) - Colin Hay
- You Make My Dreams Come True - Hall & Oates
The list largely reflects my penchant for the music of the 60s, 70s and 80s, but more importantly, these are songs with strong melodies and, in many cases, fun choruses with which even little kids could sing along.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Today is Sting's birthday. Here are three things he has taught me.
I should clarify that, while I did actually meet Gordon Matthew Sumner (a.k.a., Sting) many years ago, he has not personally taught me anything. We are not friends, which is unsurprising considering he is an international pop superstar and multimillionaire while I am a suburban dad who gets excited when I have $10 in my wallet.
What I mean is, as a fan of Mr. Sting's music for more than 40 years, I have learned a thing or two while watching him from afar. Or a thing or three, I guess, because there are three items on this list.
To wit:
(1) Make room for surprise in your life
Sting has said that, to him, the essence of all music is surprise. If he is not surprised in some way within the first 8 bars of a new song, he isn't likely to listen any further. It's why his own songs often use unorthodox time signatures or unexpected melodies. In a broader, non-musical sense, people like me – people who make lengthy to-do lists and like to plan their days down to the last detail – probably need to loosen up a bit and allow the universe to surprise them every once in a while. While meticulous planning gives you control, it also sucks away some of the joy of spontaneity. As I get older, I realize that life can't wait to surprise you, if only you will let it.
(2) You will never reach the point where you no longer need to practice your craft, whatever it is
(3) Take risks, and be willing to live with the consequences
Monday, September 30, 2024
Sleeping in until 6:00am is suddenly one of my favorite parts of the week
I know a few people will read that headline and ask, "Since when is 6:00am sleeping in?"
And you're right. For most, a 6:00am wake-up time isn't exactly an indulgence.
But I am, and for most of my life have been, an early riser. Not because I've had to do it for work or anything, but mostly because I love getting a head start on the day.
Since I began going to the gym five mornings a week, I've been getting out of bed around 4:45am. I like to make it to Ohio Sports & Fitness just ahead of what I call The 5:30 Crew, which is a small but dedicated contingent of fellow pre-dawn exercisers.
Whenever I have a session with my trainer Kirk, I stay in bed until 5:15, since he and I don't meet up until 6:00am anyway.
But on those two rest days a week, I get lazy and sleep all the way until the big hand on the clock points straight up and the little hand points straight down.
Scandalous!
I could probably stay in bed even longer, but my body is always ready and raring to go by 6:00. Plus I really have to pee by that point, so there's no use fighting it.
Still, I can't tell you how much I enjoy those "sleep-in" days. I always feel like I've earned them after three or four days in a row of early gym-going, then scrambling to come home, shower, change and head to the office for a full day of work.
I should point out that in order to get a decent amount of rest, I'll sometimes ingest a couple of 5mg melatonin gummies the night before. I recently blogged about how I need to have my wife in the room in order to fall asleep, but the gummies have changed that situation drastically.
Now I rarely even notice when she comes to bed, that's how deeply asleep I am.
Interestingly – and don't ask me why I remember the exact date, I just do – I got almost no sleep 28 years ago last night because I was so worried about starting a new job the next day at a company called Self-Funded Plans. That sort of anxiety-induced insomnia used to hit me several times a year.
But these days? Never. My heads hits the pillow, and within a couple of minutes I'm out.
I wake up when it's technically still night time, of course, but there's always those 6:00am sleep-in days to make me feel like I'm living a life of luxury.
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About a month ago, my sister-in-law Chris brought over some old photos she found at her house, most of which were baby/toddler shots of our ...
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NOTE: This post originally ran on my old blog, "They Still Call Me Daddy," on April 6, 2012, and it was far, far, far and away the...
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This is us with our kids (and our son-in-law Michael thrown in for good measure) at Disney World a couple of years ago. I've always like...