Winter break

For some reason, New York State has a week off school in February. When I was a kid, I first enjoyed it. In my mid teens, however, I started thinking that if we didn't have a week off in the dreary gloom of February, maybe we could get out of school a week earlier in the warm sun of June.

Good luck getting NY to change anything when it makes sense, though.

Meanwhile, my kids just had that week off. An entire week where it's too cold to throw them outside all day. Or it's not *that* cold, but it's wet and muddy. Regardless, there's some unfortunate combination of weather that results in my kids spending the bulk of the time indoors.

I once remember as a kid looking at the academic calendar and adding up all the days off, then pushing them to the end of the school year. It was something like three weeks. Given the schools out here, for some reason, run to the end of June, I felt cheated out of half my summer.

Musical upending

It took sixteen years, but Moulin Rouge! has been bumped as my favorite musical.

I was raised on musicals. My mother watched them all the time in my childhood. Not just musicals, but a lot of older movies (that aren't musicals) are still filled with singing. It's a wonder I can't hold a note.

Anyway, The Greatest Showman now holds the #1 spot

Back when Moulin Rouge! was released, I was a young, idealistic boy, in love with a girl I couldn't have, far from home and convinced he was a writer. (I still think I am). I seemed to mirror Ewan McGregor's character in that sense. Currently, I'm a married man with children, not to far from his hometown. Hugh Jackman's character in Greatest Showman is, as it seems, my current mirror.

Makes me wonder if, in sixteen years, another musical about a grandfather will be released.

Valentines deus

Look at your calendar. Read off those special days where people do fancy things. Notice anything? These holidays all have themes. "we're celebrating this for that reason" etc.

This is where Valentines day seems oddly redundant. If you're in a relationship, shouldn't you *always* be working on said relationship? Holidays are typically cultural, celebrating or commemorating an event in history.

Relationships have their own holidays. Anniversaries and other milestones that are celebrated together. At this point, Valentines day seems almost redundant. Now don't get me wrong. I'm a sucker for a fancy night out, but it always feels so.. generic.

At least there's an abundance of cheap chocolates on the 15th.

The car

During my cars first year of life, it was a rental. Plenty of people used and abused it for money.

It's red. My license plate starts with GEM.

I call her Ruby because she used to be a prostitute*.

Anyway, I'm currently visiting Ruby in the hospital. We don't know if she's going to pull through. She's old, she's had a good life, but I'm telling you I'm conflicted. I haven't had to make payments in... ever. (That was nice) But the car had next to nothing. Basic audio with a CD player. Do you even know what a CD player is? No other audio inputs, just AM/FM and CD's.

I used to have what I thought was a limitless supply of blank CD's to draw from while putting together music to listen to in this car, and she's exhausted my supply.

It's definitely been a love/hate relationship with this old Taurus.

*That's the joke I tell everyone but my dad. He gets the dad joke: "I call it Robert, because it's a Red Ford" When he laughs and everyone else rolls their eyes, I know it worked.

Face blanket

I got lazy, and it got cold. The result was a beard. I was never a beard guy. Had one for awhile a few years ago, didn't suit me then.

Sure is warm, though.

My wife is always one to let me know how she feels about it. (Note: she likes it)

My coworkers seemed to have their own unyielding opinions. Now while there are some who would be annoyed if others didn't notice changes made to their appearance, I'm not one of them. In fact, I'd rather not anyone make a spectacle over it.

I passed by a mirror last night and thought "yep, time to go".

Man was my face cold this morning.