—1—
How was your 4th of July? Unbelievably enough, we managed to coordinate having all three teenagers home from work all day (not as easy as it sounds).
In the morning we went swimming in a friend's pool, and in the afternoon we went for a hike.
I was too scared to look down into this precipice so I got sort of close, stuck my camera out, and took this picture of Phillip exploring the inside. I did that to distract myself from the disturbing sight of the kids jumping gleefully from one side to the other like mountain goats.
—2—
That night we went to a fireworks show. It was a fine show but it really wasn't worth the wait to get out of there.
The police had directed us to park in a parking garage, and since we were at the top level that meant we had to wait in the car for an hour and a half afterward and were the literal last to leave.
We may do it again, but next time we'll bring a movie, sleeping bags, and possibly a 72-hour kit full of emergency rations.
On a related note, here is a fireworks-related clip from a show I love called Joe Pera Talks With You:
—3—
We've been pouring a bunch of money into our van lately and I am not happy about it. It's also taking forever. Remember when my parking brake malfunctioned and trapped me in an intersection in May? We have been in and out of the shop since then, hoping to fix it.
The last time I was in the shop, it happened again as I drove away. Not happy. Zero out of five stars. I want a refund.
Instead I'm going back next week so they can "fix" it again.
—4—
Right now we also have the broken car of a friend in our driveway, which Phillip offered to fix for a friend who doesn't have the money.
On top of that, the porch railing and the retaining wall in our backyard are crumbling, the handle of our sliding door broke off, the dryer stopped heating during cycles, the giant crack in the kitchen counter is still there, and both the siding and the deck are chipping and need to be respectively repainted and re-stained. And the basement is still not finished.
Phillip told me the other day, "I'm thinking we should move."
"Where to?" I asked, thinking he just learned about a career advancement opportunity or something.
"To a place with no stuff."
I understand completely. Every single item you own represents time, money, and energy you have to spend maintaining that item. This is exactly why I'm a minimalist.
—5—
I once heard someone say that the warranty on the human body is about 40 years, and I'm also finding that to be true.
Recently I've been getting pains in my feet when walking barefoot around the house, so I started doing some plantar fasciitis exercises and got the chunkiest, ugliest house slippers imaginable.
They feel really good on my feet, though, so I couldn't care less. They're so comfortable that I regularly forget they're not my actual shoes and try to leave the house wearing them.
—6—
The other morning, I walked into the kitchen and my 16-year-old offered me pancakes.
I gestured to the griddle full of pancakes he was making. "You can't eat all those?"
"I mean, I could." He paused. "But I shouldn't." Another pause. "But I would."
—7—
Out of boredom on a long drive home from another potential gymnastics gym for my son, I randomly spun the radio dial and decided to listen to whatever station I landed on.
I quickly gathered it was a classic rock station, playing first Metallica and then Twisted Sister. And then out of nowhere, three songs in a row come on that I clearly remember being released when I was a teenager in the 90s, and I have never felt so insulted by a radio station in my life.
I was going to vote with my orthopedic slipper-clad feet and change the station, but then I realized I actually liked everything they were playing so why fight it? I guess I am the target audience of the classic rock station now.
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