Happy 9 3/4

So with my wife's birthday being on Feb 29, it only comes once every 4 years. This non birthday so far is 9 3/4. While she's a hyper literate bibliophile, Harry Potter was never her fandom. She read the books, saw the movies, and called it good.

Also we're very nearly middle aged, so themes just don't work any more. Ah well.

Icefall

It's raining and windy. The kind of weather that makes sure everything is nicely soaked. It's also supposed to get well below freezing tonight.

I wonder how thick the ice on my car will be by morning.

Saturday work

So my employer has been doing overtime lately. Something about 'catching up' and 'being way behind'. It's not mandatory, unless you count my wife's opinion regarding our finances. Then I remembered that I have kids. Four kids. Their ages are 3, 5, 8, and 9. I'm up every Saturday morning whether I like it or not. Sleeping in is not a thing anymore. Even if I can just stay in bed, there's no rest to be had.

I'm going to work.

The beard

It started with sheer laziness. I just didn't want to shave that morning. Or the next. Or the next. My employer doesn't care (100% backend work, and it doesn't impede my work), so that was never an issue. It started to get a bit long.

Then it got cold out. That bitter chill that gets worse with a sharp wind. I have to go outside more often than I realize when it gets that kind of cold out. This beard started earning its keep that day.

Then my wife started to 'voice' her approval. She would prefer a goatee (I've had beards in the past), but I simply can't stand the look of one. I'm not sure there's anything the world could toss at me that would make me want to keep one.

But now, there's nothing that seems to be helping this facial hair. It's coarse, very coarse. I was able to keep it a bit softer with various products, but currently no oil or balm can get to it. It feels like I have sharp bristles hanging off my chin.

I'd like to keep it just up through my wife's birthday, but these past two weeks are pushing it. My own face should not be distracting me throughout the day.

The dead of winter

I sit in the middle of the dead of winter. Not dead because of the climate, no. Dead because my wife goes to work about 10 minutes after I get home, and returns only after her tax office closes. Day after day, it's just the kids and I. Even a teenager I can relate with on some functional level, but my oldest is only 9 so far.

This is the fourth year doing this. I'm fully saturated in memes. I've found there is no end to the weird part of YouTube. It's actually helped my creative side in a way that defies explanation.

That's my way of saying I won't tell you.