What year was it?

Notable movies released this year:
Star Wars
Mad Max

Quick, what year is it? If you answered with anything, you're wrong. No Star Wars and Mad Max movie ever came out on the same year. But if you guessed 1980something, you'd be sort of right.

It having been several months since I moved, everything is settled, patterns have formed - my life actually feels normal. And not in the 'getting settled after moving' kinda way, but more completely. Before, my work schedule was always variable. My hours worked were a constant source of disconnection with my family and friends. Just the simple change from working 'whenever they schedule me, nights weekends evenings holidays' to 'M-F, 7-3' changed the entire feel of my life. I'm finally in sync with my family, have the same time off as my friends. I see my kids more often, talk to my friends more often. I *do* more.

I do miss Buffalo, but the tradeoff simply wasn't fair. Seeing my kids for 45 minutes a day vs getting tackled when I get home from work and swamped in a sea of lego, plushies, and video games wasn't a choice, it was obvious.

I kicked 2015's but.

Breath

My 8 month old daugher's breath smelled like toast this morning.

Toast. She doesn't even have teeth.

TOAST?

Old CD's

I found my old CD book.

More importantly, it's filled with my old CD's. I haven't bought a CD since... since... I think it was 2005. Anyway, it turns out my taste in music is crazier than I thought.

So I tossed it in my car and decided to listen to it. I can tell I bought some of them just for the one song everyone knew, there are some singles, soundtracks, and bizarre mixes I must have burned at some point.

My commute has become very interesting. J-pop, Phantom of the Opera, Gorillaz, and the Phantom Menace soundtrack. I don't even remember getting half of these. Maybe I didn't. Mysteries upon mysteries.

Dang, I wish my car had an auxiliary port. Or a USB connection. All I have is a CD player, and I finally ran out of blank CD's. That only took 12 years.

>find blog

-get new job
-start cleaning things
-go on computer instead
-find blog

Hey, I've been writing *other* things lately. A lot of creative-type work that I'll probably never publish, but still want to get out. Anyway...

Married - check
Graduated college - check
4 kids - check (yea, FOUR. Three boys and then a girl)
Another new job - check
        (that last one means I have to move, again)


But it means I'm leaving Buffalo. It's been seven years. My wife and I have built a life out here. I graduated 2 years ago, but my own lack of gettingajoborgoingtogradschool meant we stayed put. This is the only life my kids have known. Granted, the oldest is six, but it's still uprooting him.

Admittedly, most of my friends out here have been fellow students, during and after college. Even the ones that didn't get a job still moved out of town. (Either they were going back home, or just getting out of town) Nothing has really been permanent. The news of my imminent departure was met with some sadness and plans to reminisce, and one case of tears.

Trying to display a sense of long-term thinking and planning is difficult when what they're going to miss is both immediate and irreplaceable. The bulk of your relationship with your kids is when they're adults, but her tears were for missing my children's childhood.

There's really nothing I can say that can soften that blow.

I suck at selfies

I can look in a mirror and think I look fine, but as soon as I'm holding a camera my face starts to melt. I think I'll just leave picture taking to others.

Or maybe I should stop making silly faces.

Working at night has its ups and downs, and holidays really bring out the moron in people. I know I went to work last night, but it didn't feel like I was at work. Meh.

I've made one decision about 2015: I'm going to kick its sorry butt.