Happy late Spring/early Summer, everybody. Been a long spell since my last update, so I wanted to chime in with what’s new.
- I’m an Uncle! It’s awesome to officially have a nephew, and I hope I do right by him. I’ve been lucky enough to spend my life “training” under three awesome uncles, and if my nephew finds me even a smidge as interesting as I do them, I think I’m on the right track. Thankful that everybody is healthy, and excited for my sister and her husband (who rocks) to begin this adventure (and for my parents to be grandparents!).
- I’m not sure if it merits any sort of commentary, but whatever: I have officially retired Long-Hair Andy after 2 years of off-and-on efforts. I like when my hair’s long for the most part, but it frankly doesn’t look that great day to day, and the hassles aren’t worth it. I’m sure I’ll grow it out again some day, but I don’t think, for several years anyway, that I’ll let it get beyond shaggy. My sister, who HATED my man-bun, is probably celebrating at this news.
- Gardetto’s are an S-tier snack. I’d put Gardetto’s above 90% of most potato chips or tortilla products. There’s no comparison. Chex Mix? No. It’s trash. Gardetto’s are my team’s top pick, and I’ll stand by it.
- The warm weather is back, and it’s been delightful to take some time to revel in the Illinois spring. Amy and I laid out in some lawn chairs in the back yard the other day when it was a perfect 72 degrees with a nice breeze and a cloudless sky. Glorious. She was worried we would get pooped on by the birds in the tree we were sitting beneath, but I wrote her off, saying birds don’t poop where they live. Amy replied, “birds poop wherever they want!” and we left the matter unresolved. The next day I went outside again to the chairs in the same location, and to my horror there was a perfectly centered splatter of bird shit on the chair, right where a human head would be if sitting down. It was eerie. Amy relished her victory, and I was appropriately humbled by the power of nature.
- This may be a redundant statement, but I feel it’s important to make: I love my wife. Duh. But the other thing is that I really like my wife. Like just hanging out with her. I love being in the same room with Amy, and in 4+ years of virtually never being apart from her, I’m still just as happy to spend time with her as I was when she first came into my love life in 2018. It’s one of those things I never take for granted, and catch myself often reflecting on my happiness with her when we’re hanging out. She’s the best.
- I’ll write about this more at length once I’ve finished it, but the new Legend of Zelda title has come out, “Tears of the Kingdom,” and it’s stellar. It’s a remarkable achievement on several fronts, but the one I’m happiest about is simply utilizing my Switch again for the first time in a long while. The Switch is long in the tooth at this point, yet I’m completely enamored and don’t feel like the device is struggling. Say what you will about Nintendo, their first-party titles are almost always a home run, and Tears of the Kingdom is something beyond that. It’s a magnus opus.
- Blink-182‘s reunion tour is in full swing, and it makes me unreasonably happy to see the three of them having fun and performing well on the road. It’s made me appreciate the Skiba-era songs a little more, while also eagerly anticipating the new album which should be out this October or so. That said, I could give a damn if the album ever comes out, because all I’ve wanted is for Tom and Mark to be friends again, and it looks like they have finally rebuilt all bridges and have a unified front. They’re all nearing 50 (or older in Mark’s case), but who gives a damn? They’re living their best lives doing rock star stuff and being buds. I’m delighted for them. Amy watched their first show back on the live Coachella stream with me and while I’m not sure she could tell, I was combusting internally with joy. This band does weird things to me, and I’m OK with that.
- We have a cruise coming up in August to visit Alaska (and Seattle, briefly), which I’m excited for. Ideally there will be a pocket of opportunity for me to get a Kraken sweater or other swag, but I’m looking forward to leaving the awful, sweltering Illinois August for the mild, misty seas alongside the Pacific northwest, with Amy and her parents. Otherwise with summer here, work will slow down significantly (knock on wood), and I’m hoping to see friends and family as often as is convenient.
Anyways, that’s all for now. I hope you’re all doing well and stuff.
1985 Edition 