Well folks, I just turned 30. Which is apparently a pretty depressing birthday for a lot of folks. Me, I've sort of known it was coming for a while, so I wasn't too put off by it. I actually got some pretty nice gifts this year.
*The Astros gave me a 3-game sweep of the Mets for my birthday.
*The Rangers and Capitals gave me a triple-overtime game for my birthday.
*Disney and Marvel were a day late, but they made up for it by giving me The Avengers for my birthday.
My wife and sons also got me a bag of Reese's peanut butter cups, and my sister and brother-in-law sent me the cast recording for the new Newsies musical. Aside from that, it's mostly checks and gift cards these days. Which is actually kind of nice. The past few years, it's gotten a little stressful when people ask what I wanted for my birthday. I don't know! I don't think I need any more stuff! Which is, in turn, stressful for the gift-giver, because they want to give something that you'll like, but they have no clue what that'll be. So most people just go with gift cards, and that takes a great deal of pressure off of everyone involved.
Let's face it: birthdays just aren't a huge deal once you become a grown-up. Case in point: My third annual birthday Astros game drew seven folks including Robbie and I. That's down a bit from the twenty (or so) the past few years. Thirty, schmirty. People have got places to be! (Also, both mine and Astros' popularity has been trending downward the last ten months or so) And that's fine. We seven had a good time, though Robbie and I had to leave early because Isaac had a small seizure at home while we were there. (It was a pretty dull game, anyway. Two out of the three games I've gone to for my bday have been pretty lame. Probably time to put that "tradition" away)
Oh, right, Isaac was sick the weekend after my birthday. Had a pretty intense fever. However, our thermometer was still lost from the move last fall, so we didn't know how high it actually got until it was on the way back down. I took him in to the pediatrician, and she said that seizures in babies Isaac's age are not unusual when they get sudden high fevers, and that it's not indicative of any long-standing condition unless it happens more frequently and with greater duration (his last one was only like five seconds). Since then, his temperature has returned to normal. So, no reason for worry. Though I guess that would be the one un-cool thing that happened around my birthday this year.
You ought to go see The Avengers if you haven't yet. It is so dang entertaining. If you've enjoyed any of the recent Marvel Studios movies, you need to see this one on the big screen. Obviously, there are a lot of little things you could quibble about, as there always are with these films. However, the action is incredible, the dialogue is snappy and often hilarious, the characters are extremely well-managed, and the cast is solid. I can't think of a single time I've had more fun at a movie in the past, what, ten years or so. If you're a fan of summer popcorn movies, this is the one you need to see.
Okay, getting tired of writing, and I have some work to do on a script for a publisher before I get to bed. Lightning round!
*Had a great day today with the boys today. Fresh bread for breakfast, took Kim to work, an hour of play time at the park, visited the library, got lunch for all three of us, had storytime, and everybody still managed to get a 2-hour nap before Kim got home from work. Some days--and admittedly, they're rare--you really think you might be able to "do" this whole Parenting Thing.
*Just wrapped up a long homestand for the 'Stros which saw me working seven nights in the last 10. We were 6-1 on nights that I worked and 0-2 on nights I had off. Conclusion: I'm supposed to work more.
*Tomorrow, Kim's sister Christina is getting into town, and she'll be here almost a week, so I probably won't be around online late at night for a while.
*Despite the 'Stros being out of town, I am working Saturday morning at 7:00 a.m. Boo. Afterwards, Kim and I are going out on a late afternoon-to-early evening date. Yay! We're doing to see...The Avengers! Yay!
*No, seriously, what is up with those L.A. Kings??? (Also, Philly is done. Yay!)
*Dang, I didn't get to blog about the awesome wedding idea Sherri and I had the other night. Oh well. Next time...
Well all right, I'll give you a clue: imagine the bride riding down the aisle on a rhinoceros.
