The Firecracker explained she grew up in places that looked very similar, although every home was on an acre of land.
Boy: How big is an acre? Me: 43,560 square feet. Him: Is that like 10 miles? Me: Do you know how many feet are in a mile, kid? 5 Tomatoes. Him: 5 Tomatoes? Me: Yeah. 5, 2, 8, 0. A mile has five-thousand, two-hundred, eighty feet. “Five Tomatoes.” Firecracker: I’ve never heard that before! Me: And…now you have.
Once we got back home, I introduced the Firecracker to my sister and her kids.
Everyone seemed to get along pretty well as my sister and she chatted for a bit, while my mom cooked.
My sister got a bouncy house as a gift and asked we could help set it up for the kiddos.
I figured out how to inflate the thing and set it up while the Firecracker hammered the stakes into the ground.
Afterward, we borrowed my mom’s car for a drive but we only made it two houses when the Firecracker noticed an open house just a few doors down.
Her: Let’s check it out! Me: Sure, I’ve always wanted to know what other houses looked like inside.
We stepped in and checked it out. Since she’s from the south, she’s much more about big houses with yards than tiny apartments in the concrete jungle.
It was a pretty house but I’m still hoping to stay in my apartment, somehow, despite the massive increase I pay every month.
We got back into the car and we took a drive out in Long Island because the weather was just perfect.
Ended up at a Barnes and Noble that I used to go to every single day to study for the LSATs.
I think that was one area where Alison and I differed on what a perfect day was. She always liked to keep busy while I liked to sit and read in cafe.
Used to spend entire days there reading and having coffee but haven’t done that in over a decade.
Me: Are you ok with sitting here, having a cuppa coffee and reading for a bit? Her: That’s my love language!
Afterward, we took a slow drive back. My mom had made a bunch more Taiwanese and Chinese dishes, which the Firecracker also loved.
Mom: Do you want to take some home? Her: Yes! If that’s ok.
We stayed for a little while longer, just lounging around the house, while the kid continued to play with his cousins until it was time to go.
The Firecracker found the note above the aquarium ridic funny.
Before we knew it, it was time to head to the station to catch the train back to the city.
The trains are rarely late but this time, they were delayed some 30-40 mins, so it was pretty late once we got back.
The Firecracker got out at our station but immediately walked home because she had work the next day and a lot to do at home.
So, the kid and I went home.
Me: Did you have a good day? Him: Yes! What are we doing next weekend? Me: Not sure yet, I’m sure we’ll think of something.
Location: Koreatown, with some of my oldest friends and a crapton of food – alla which I ate
Mood: stuffed
Music: we should jump right into the personal facts (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
Firecracker: Wait, you didn’t mention that I was the one who thought you might have left your phone at Dark Bullet, called them, and found your phone for you? Me: …no?
Mentioned to her that I’d not eaten Taiwanese food in a while so she ended up making me a dish I absolutely love called lu rou fan.
Her: I’ve never had it before so I didn’t know what it should taste like. Me: (shaking head) It’s still good though. And these endives are killer – how did you cook them? Her: I blanched the shit outta them.
What she made was good, but it didn’t really taste like lu rou fan – I think the recipe she chose wasn’t the best so I wanted to take her out to try the genuine article.
Now, I’d been meaning to see my mom and sis for a while now but my sister’s the most peripatetic person I know; trying to see her and her kids is a lesson in scheduling.
Mom: You know your sister – she’s like a horse, always running around. Me: Isn’t that the truth!
But I figured that it was time they met The Firecracker and my sister just happened to be in town last weekend, so I grabbed the kid, met up with the Firecracker, and headed out to the wilds of Queens.
Usually, I can take the train straight to see them but, because of construction, we had to transfer in Woodside.
Her: I think we should be on another track. Me: Nah, it’s gonna be this one.
It was not.
So, because I didn’t listen to her, we missed the transfer and waited half-an-hour for the next one.
Me: Oh man, I’m so sorry. I was wrong and you were right. Her: God, I love how that sounds! Me: (grumble)
Because I screwed up so badly, and because I’ve been dreaming of Taiwanese food non-stop since the Firecracker made me the lu rou fan, I brought them to a Taiwanese restaurant literally right across the street from the Korean joint that Pac brought me to, years ago.
Neither of them ever had Taiwanese food before so I did all the ordering.
I got the classic pork chop on rice with lu rou fan, some pork stuffed crepes, soup dumplings, an egg scallion pancake and a soy milk.
The boy didn’t like the soy milk but loved everything else.
Me: How is it? Him: Sooooooo good! Her: Everything is delicious – you’re five-for-five, Lo!
Afterward, my mom came by to pick us up and bring us over to her place for dinner but that’s a story for tomorrow.
Me: Hi, mom! This is [The Firecracker]. Firecracker: Hi! Thank thanks for picking us up! Mom: Of course, get in!
Location: earlier today, a schoolyard, introducing myself to a parent and asking them what they thought about a school I was thinking about for the kid
Mood: plants are trying to kill me and I don’t like it
Music: I know I always come and go but it’s out of my control (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
One thing that I’m learning as a parent is that summer stuff needs to be planned super early.
I’ve already got a surprise trip planned for the kid as well as a few weeks of things here and there but trying to fill up an entire summer is daunting, lemme tell ya.
Hopefully, we’ll have some stories to tell you after the summer’s over.
Boy: Will you come to Germany with me? Me: Sure! I love Germany. That sounds like fun.
Met up with the Firecracker and her sister the other day for an early dinner.
Conveniently, her sister also lives in the Upper Best Side, so that made things easy and we just met up at a local bar around us.
I’ve been really into fish and chips lately, plus this place had sweet potato fries, so that made things even better.
She just had a burger, which I always approve of.
Her: Look, they branded the burger with their initials! Me: Ooooh, fancy!
Her sister speaks Japanese, which was pretty cool.
I’d just bought a new camera (I’ll tell you about that later) and she was actually looking at the one I was seriously considering before I ended up choosing something else entirely.
In any case, my brother, sister, and I, plus my cousins were all talking about a summer 2024 trip back to Taiwan and I asked them if they would be interested in coming along as well.
Firecracker: That sounds like fun! Sister: I’ve never been but it’s on my list of places to visit. Me: Sweet, we’ll plan something out.
It feels weird planning things for the future with the kid. Weirder with the Firecracker.
There’s something inherently hopeful about planning for the future.
The last decade has seriously fucked with my head when it comes to being hopeful.
Even before everything went to shit, I was always cautious about being too hopeful about anything.
After all, the more you hope for things, the harder you crash if they fall apart.
Then again, what is life if not somewhat hopeful?
Her: The kids are away that week, do you want to go somewhere? Me: (long pause) Sure. That sounds like fun.
Holy cow, one of my videos has 10 MILLON views on it.
It’s yet another thing that’s kinda hard for me to wrap my head around.
2023 - This is me on Saturday during our shoot, two days before I'm 50.
Just the particulars
Me: What if one day you get new glasses and realize how old I am? Firecracker: I don’t think so. Maybe I’m just more into antiques than I thought I was.
1973 – 0 Years old
4. You can reinvent yourself again and again
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote Alison’s favorite book, The Great Gatsby; I loved that girl as much as I hated that book.
When I was in college, I spoke four languages and was certain that I’d end up working for the Foreign Service.
Then I changed my mind and wanted to be a writer – ended up writing for several national publications including one of the first major articles on Windows NT versus Novell for Computer Shopper, and some travel articles for the New York Sun.
While doing this, I worked in the club industry and made a name for myself, which a few people still recognize me for.
1983 – 10 Years Old (and starting to get fat, hoo-boy, did I get even bigger)
Then I decided I wanted to build networks and ended up building a 100-seat computer network for a Fortune 600 company on Madison Avenue.
Then I went to law school to become a lawyer. Then I went to CNET and became their first International Sale Manager. Then I went back to being a lawyer.
Then I bought my building with some friends and became a building manager.
Then I got another degree and became one of only 350 people in the New York State with that degree while still working on my legal career. Somehow found myself lecturing on the law all over including Europe and New York. Even won an award.
I also started teaching kali on the sly just a block from my pad and started up a private jet company.
After Alison got sick, I gave up everything and became a cancer researcher, a caretaker, and then a father.
Somehow, in my late 40s, I also became a YouTuber and a gym owner.
Look, my point is that Fitzgerald was fulla shit.
You can be anything you want to be. You get to decide and no one else does.
I decided at 14 that I didn’t wanna be fat so I stopped being fat. It was as simple and as difficult as that.
Few things in life are actually difficult; the most difficult thing you’ll ever do is to decide to do something.
Everything else after that decision are just the particulars.
1993 – 20 Years old – My brother edited out the people next to me in this pic – in fact, he did all these pics. He’s crazy talented, that boy.
This is dangerous – I speak from both personal experience and as a new father.
My greatest fear is that kid’ll meet some knuckleheads that get him into trouble.
Look, you choose your friends because they mirror some quality you have or desire. I don’t have any close friends that are, say, massive gamblers, because I’m not a massive gambler.
You don’t get to chose your family but you do get to choose your tribe. So, if the people that you hang out with are a buncha people that cheat on their partners alla time, you’re gonna become someone that chats on your partner.
If you’re the most successful person in your group, this is probably a bad thing, too. You need a better group.
This is one major reason why I didn’t want to continue some romantic relationships I was involved in; because, while they were usually fine, their friends weren’t the type of friends I wanted in my life.
Or my kid’s life.
Him: (a long time ago) I heard you two broke up, I’m sorry. Me: It’s fine. There’s no tragedy that doesn’t have some positive bonus and the bonus here is that I literally never have to pretend to enjoy hanging out with her lame friends again.
This is why I’ve cut so many people outta my life – because I want to be around people that point me in the direction I want to go.
Speaking of bonuses, here’s a bonus tip.
2003 – 30 years old
Bonus: Sometimes, Logan, you gotta say, “Fuck it, I’m out.”
If you are the average of the five people you hang out with the most, then I’m grateful that Bryson’s one of my oldest and dearest friends – for a whole host of reasons.
He’s dangerous; he boxed with Dolph Lundgren, is a brown belt in BJJ under Fabio Clemete, is a black belt in shorin ryu karate, and is also a skilled Japanese fencer.
But, he’s also a great father and cook, married to a beautiful doctor, and helped build a buncha businesses that you’ve probably visited.
Most importantly, though, he’s a great human being. He’s the kinda guy I wanna be, so I try to hang out with him whenever I can.
Years ago, I visited him and his then girlfriend (now wife) out in San Francisco and I was probably depressed when I met them.
I was struggling with whether or not to quit my job and also leave the girl I was seeing.
For the former, it was a great job but I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue being involved with it. The latter? Well, kinda the same thing.
I had all the mixed feelings of duty, loyalty, guilt, etc.
Him, his wife, their roomie, and I, somehow ended up on a boat in the middle of a lake where we got into a water gun fight with some group of people on another boat.
I got onto that boat confused and depressed and left it feeling..pretty good.
And it was because I started telling him alla these issues I had with the girl and that job and he listened, politely, and then simply said, Sometimes, Logan, you gotta say, “Fuck it.”
I added on the “I’m out” over the years.
The number of times I’ve said, Fuck it, I’m out, since that day has gotta be at least in the hundreds, if not thousands.
It’s an incredibly powerful statement and one that you can whip out at any time, in any situation.
Bad job? Bad relationship? Bad habits?
Fuck it, I’m out, is a perfect answer that leads directly to Tip 4, which is reinventing yourself.
But be careful, because it is so powerful. Use it with caution.
2013 – 40 years old
Once told you about this snippet of a Batman cartoon I watched when I was younger.
In it, a villain was trying to convince Bruce Wayne that Bruce was mad but Bruce/Batman fought back and won.
When his friend asked Bruce why he was so sure that he (Bruce) wasn’t crazy, he answered simply that the voices called him “Bruce.”
But that’s not what he called himself.
I’ve been many things I’ve been proud of. I think that, by the time you read this, Scenic Fights will either be at exactly 400,000 subscribers or close to it.
And I’ve got some big things happening in my life that I may or may not tell you about in the future.
But none of that matters, really. In my head, I’m the kid’s father. Full-stop.
If that ends up being the only thing that I’m known for, I’m ok with that.
Substitute teacher: And you are? Me: (pointing at the kid) His father. Her: (brightly) Oh! He’s a wonderful child! When I said that I was a substitute, he came up to me afterward and said that if I forgot anyone’s name, to ask him because he would tell me. He was my helper all day. Me: (laughing) That’s awesome. Her: He’s awesome! Me: You’re not wrong, lady. You’re not wrong. (sighing) He takes after his mom. Her: You two are lucky. Me: (nodding) Yeah. Lucky us.
I’ve been alive for exactly 18,250 days.
I’ve only got 8,250 days left, if I’m…lucky.
Hopefully, I’ll keep writing and you’ll keep reading, yeah?
2023 – This is me on Saturday during our shoot, two days before I’m 50.
That’s a joke, of course. But I did just turn 50 this past week, so it’s not quite as funny as it’s been in the past.
The pic above is of me when I was a few days old.
Man, it’s a kick in the head to get my mind around that I was once that infant in the picture above some 50 years ago.
Realize that I probably don’t look 50 to you, which is fine because I don’t look 50 to me.
In fact, when I think of 50, I think of Molly Shannon’s Sally O’Malley (who’s actually 58 in the clip below):
It’s funny because a lotta my friends tell me that they use me as an example of what 50 might be like for them.
This is my friend Hawk, who – like a lotta my friends – only texts me on my bday, but that’s fine, I’m always thrilled to hear from them.
Spent a lotta time wondering what I would write about to commemorate this momentous occasion and the best thing I could come up with was the five concepts that changed my life the most.
1. Invest in the S&P 500
One of my summer jobs in college was helping two accountants do paperwork for a company called Ziff-Davis, where I ended up working at after college. They asked me to come in on the weekend and said they’d buy lunch. As a poor college kid, that was enough, so I did.
While I was there, we got to talking about investing and they told me to just dump every spare cent I ever made into the S&P 500.
Basically, “S&P” is “Standard and Poor,” think of them like the New York Times, except they only report about companies. And one thing they do is list the 500 biggest companies – in terms of how much they’re worth –Â at any given time.
When, say, Company 498 becomes Company 502, it’s kicked out, and some other company becomes 498.
A fella named John Bogle figured out that if you invested money evenly into each of the 500 companies, you’d end up making about 11.8% annually.
If you invested $1,000 a year for 50 years, you woulda “spent” $50,000 but you would end up with $2,505,311.97, or $2,455,311.97 profit.
There are hundreds of funds that track the S&P 500 for little or no money.Â
Started doing that 30 years ago, when I was 20. My life woulda been radically different if I never took that weekend gig.Â
Think they got me turkey club both days.
In any case, you should probably start investing ASAP, if you haven’t done it yet.
2. Do pushups – or something – every morning
I was a pretty fat kid from 10 to 14 – when I was 14, I was 5 foot 3 inches and 185 pounds with a 44-inch waist.
I went on a fast for four months – legit stopped eating, cold – and dropped down to 120 pounds and a 28-inch waist.
I’m now 50 years old with a 28-inch waist.
It all started when I stopped eating completely to reset my brain and started working out. When I first did it, I could barely do two pushups.
By the time I was 18, I was doing 100 pushups without issue. I just banged out 79 pushups in 60 seconds a few weeks ago.
Look, I don’t really do pushups anymore because I kept needing more. I’m in the gym like 10 hours a week these days.
You don’t gotta do pushups, you can do situps, you can run, you can walk for 30 minutes. Whatever.
But you gotta do something.
Otherwise, you’ll definitely look your age.
3. Learn to cook and stop eating stuff made by machines
OK, I admit that I eat quite a lotta things made by machines, like protein bars and stuff.
But I make sure that at least three out of every four meals I eat, I’ve made most of it myself.
This way, you know what you’re putting into your body.
As an aside, the bulk of my diet is beans and nuts, mainly peanut butter, honestly.
I found out that they sold five-pound jars of peanut butter but I’m more than half-way though one jar and it’s only been less than two weeks.
So, I bought another jar.
But that’s really neither here nor there…
I still have two more things to tell you, but I’ll do that tomorrow because it’s getting late and I don’t wanna mess up my sleep schedule any more than it already is.
And because it’s never too late to be better.
I’m trying to be better, even now.
We should all try to be better than we were yesterday.
This past weekend, I unlocked another level: I brought the kid to a theme park.
It was the first time I’d brought him to one; my in-laws had taken him to things like this in the past but this was a first for me.
The Firecracker is a huge theme park person. She used to live in Florida and would live close to Disneyland just so she could go on the regular.
We’ve lived very different lives, which is kinda what makes it all so interesting.
In any case, we got tickets to Legoland, which is just over an hour away.
Unfortunately, while the rest of the week was nice, the day we chose to go, it was supposed to be raining cats and dogs.
The night before, the kid and I went all over Harlem trying to find a poncho for him.
We ended up borrowing one of his friend’s jackets – which you can see below – just so he had something.
The next day, with my brother staying with me, the Firecracker and her son showed up bright and early in the rain for us to make the trek up.
The drive up was pretty uneventful but once we got up there, both kids were overjoyed. It was sweet to see.
They went straight for alla the rides. Because of the rain, we didn’t have to wait long for any of the rides.
And the rain came down pretty hard at times…
…but after only about ninety minutes, it cleared up.
By the afternoon, the sun was out and it was 70+. Both kids were hot.
And a lot more people showed up so we actually had to wait in lines for some of the rides.
The kids were only so interested in the displays, although they both loved the NYC stuff.
Me? I found things like the singing Mt. Rushmore stuff a hoot.
I really need to get out more.
The kid, shockingly, really wanted to get onto the biggest roller-coaster they had.
The Firecracker and her kid skipped that, so he and I went on it and, damn if that kid wasn’t having the time of his life on that thing.
He musta gotten that from his mom because roller-coasters were never my thing.
He wanted to go on it again but the ride actually broke down right after we got off of it and he was pretty bummed.
But he perked up when other rides became available as the park dried out.
He’s the kid in orange with his arms outstretched.
It was closing time before we knew it.
Me: What do you want to do for dinner? Do you wanna do something really suburby like Houlihans or TGIFridays? Her: How about Red Robin? Me: Oh, I’ve never been. Her: (shocked) Well, we have to go then!
We punched in the addy for the nearest Red Robin and off we went.
Once we got there, I ordered the double burger, which I could hardly get my mouth around. It was glorious.
Plus, we just kept getting refills for drinks and sides. It was my kinda joint.
It actually the Firecracker’s birthday around then so I told one of the waitstaff and they came out singing Happy Birthday and gave her a sundae.
Her: Logan! Did you…?
Me: Happy birthday, Firecracker!
She was embarassed but I think liked the gesture.
Afterward, we made it home and it started raining again.
It was a really “family,” thing we did and I was happy for that. The kid had a great day, which made me happy.
Me: Did you have a good time? Him: (sleepily) Yes, papa. Can do we do it again someday? Me: Someday, sure, yeah. Goodnight, kid. Him: Goodnight, papa.
Location: earlier today, the Emerald Inn with my brother, asking for a manly drink and fish and chips, minus the chips.
Mood: dreaming of double burgers
Music: we can’t run from the wind and the thunder (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
My brother’s in town for a spell so his best friend, KTO, came up to my hood for to grab lunch with us.
Me: Do you wanna meet my brother? Firecracker: Sure! But I don’t wanna intrude. Me: I’m pretty sure they wanna meet you.
We ended up going to a joint that I’d been to a few times before, but in different iterations. It was a bistro, then a fish restaurant, and now just an American joint.
The food was good and service was great – we kept throwing requests at the waiter, who took everything with aplomb…even though he messed up our orders here and there.
Me: We only ordered one diet coke. Him: Oh, just keep that one then.
I typically order burgers but I try to get them without ketchup and just have them with mayo.
But whenever a place has poached eggs, I typically order that because that’s the one egg that I can’t make well.
I ordered mine with a salad but the waiter brought it with fries – here’s the thing, if left to my own devices, I would go to town on fries.
But then I’d feel awful about it – and myself – immediately afterward.
So, I swapped it out for a salad, even though I looked longingly at them as they left.
Me: Can I have some of your fries? Her: You just sent yours back! Me: I know, I know…
Afterward, another waiter came by and we chatted with him a bit.
He came back later and comped us some guac and chips.
Afterward, we came back to my pad and just chatted for a while before we all passed out from the daydrinking.
I remember once wanting so much outta life.
But days like that remind me that simple things are often the best.
Wouldn’t mind more simple and quiet days like that one.
Me: What did you think? Her: They were nice! I liked them. (later) You know, you look like Jimmy Neutron with your hair like that. Me: Who’s that? Her: (laughing) You really are old.
The Firecracker got home a bit earlier today so, after I dropped the kid off at his afterschool – which is just two blocks from her pad – I stopped by.
She usually buzzes me into her building and unlocks the door so I can let myself in.
Me: Hey, where are you? Her: (running towards me, hair and limbs akimbo) BANZAI!!! Me: WHAT THE F-!
God, it’s nice when someone’s happy to see you.
Last week, when we saw the Surgeon, my buddy Steel wasn’t available.
This time, though, he was so the Firecracker, the kid, and I went down to Chinatown to grab some food and headed to the Surgeon’s pad for another get-together.
Steel cooked everything…
…while the Surgeon made some mixed drinks.
Him: Do you want rum or som- Me: Rum! Him: (laughing) No surprise there.
The Firecracker was a big hit with Steel’s wife.
Her: We love her!!! I am keeping her!
The Firecracker and I tried to limit our drinking and we did an ok job. It was hard because the surgeon does mix some killer drinks.
He and Steel own a few bars in the city.
Firecracker: Wait, I’ve been to that place. That’s yours? Steel: Yup. Which one? Her: There’s more than one? The uptown one? Him: Oh, we have another one downtown. Me: We’ll head out there onea these days.
We did, however, eat continuously since we arrived. Especially since there was a ton of sushi for the adults, alla Chinese food I brought, and pizza for the kids.
Me: I want a slice of pizza. Him: What about the carbs? Me: I already ate so much sushi that I figure that I’m in it.
Speaking of carbs, the Surgeon’s wife pulled out a whole stack of Klondike bars. I’d not had one since I was a kid so I took one.
The next day, I hosted one of the kid’s classmates and then brought the two of them to another class outing at a playground near me.
I’m looking forward to spending the summer hanging out with kid and maybe having the Firecracker for company.
My summers have been pretty sad lately.
I need to change that.
Location: the Barnes & Noble on the UWS, realizing they blocked all the windows so people wouldn’t sit on the sills anymore
Mood: hungry and dreaming of apple pie
Music: The skies are wide open (Spotify) Subscribe! Like this post? Tell someone about it by clicking a button below.
This past weekend, the kid had his first “school party” without me.
Basically, the PTA threw a party where the parents dropped off their kids so the kids could spend three hours running around the school, playing games and dancing and such.
The kid was so thrilled, I was excited for him. But he’s growing up way too fast.
Him: You’ll really let me go? Me: Of course. Him: You’re the best dad, ever! Me: You’re not wrong.
The Firecracker and I took the opportunity to grab a drink around the way at a local bar called Jake’s Dilemma.
Her: You got carded! The night’s already off to a good start. (later) Look at us, out at a bar without the kids. Me: It definitely feels weird.
Because we were both actively dating when we met, she and I chat about dating in NYC in general and our recent history.
Me: …so, that was the end of that. Her: Well, compared to my last date, you’re definitely an upgrade. Me: (laughing) I would hope so. Her: Oh yeah, it’s like moving up from a Pinto to a Ferrari.
Me: See that brown building over there? This entire place used to be fulla buildings exactly like that. But you can actually see exactly what it used to look like before it became Lincoln Center. Her: Where? Me: The original West Side Story. It was shot when this was all residential walk-up housing. They literally bulldozed the entire neighborhood the day after shooting stopped.
The kid and I met up with the Firecracker and her kid to come with me to the Surgeon’s place for a little party after his Holi party.
Me: They live in a converted department store. The ceilings are like 15 feet tall. Her: I can’t wait to see it!
She was impressed.
The surgeon made rum cocktails while I cooked up some Korean pork dishes that I got from H Mart near the gym.
Her kid was a huge hit with the Surgeon’s daughters. It was nice that everyone got along well.
His brother, Steel, had another engagement but everyone there was really cool. We met the most interesting fella who worked at Google…
His Wife: (proudly) He invented Chrome. Me: Wait, for real?! Him: (sheepishly) Yeah. I led the team that wrote Firefox and Google hired me to write Chrome for them. Me: Oh man, I have so many questions. (later) BTW, lemme tell you about this hack that happened to me because of Chrome…
It was super late when we all left.
The next day, we all met up with the ABFF and her kids as well and everyone seemed to get along well there too.
Her: Shoot, I don’t have any alcohol. Me: It’s like you don’t even know me.
I feel like my life’s been on hold for years now.
I either didn’t go out or went to things solo. It’s nice to have a companion that wants to do things with me.
Her: (finishes singing a song and turns to look at me) Do you think I’m weird? Me: (nodding) Oh, yeah. Totally. Her: Oh… Me: (laughing) You’re adorkable!
This past weekend, I had a few things really stop me in my tracks. None were what you might call, “good,” but neither were they “terrible.”
They were, however, things that made me radically reassess my life and look at things very differently.
All three are gonna mean that my life is gonna change drastically and I’m not sure how it’ll all shake out.
The smallest of the three – and the only one I can really tell you about – is that the Firecracker and I got into our first real big fight but it was really about nuthin.
Honestly though, most fights are about nuthin, if you think about it in the grand scheme of things.
In any case, my takeaway, though, was her style of fighting. It worked well with my style of fighting such that the whole things – while arduous – was over and done by the evening. That’s a net positive.
I suppose, in life, you gotta take all the net positives you can.
The other two events I’m still sorting it all out in my head. But really big changes are ahead for the Lo family, lemme tell ya.
Ultimately, though, I’m trying to go back to my old mindset from a decade ago and accepting the world as it is, not as I wish it to be.
It’s funny, suppose I started upgrading my OS ages ago but it got interrupted with alla the tragedies.
It never stopped loading into my brain, though.
It’s still loading now, I think.
At least there was lots of music all weekend, between the Firecracker and my son singing.
This is his latest – Emily, another parent from his school, thinks he would rock the talent show. He says he’s too shy.
I dunno, I think he’d be pretty good.
Him: (sadly) Do I have to do it? Me: Only if you want, kid. Him: Oh. OK. I don’t want to. Too many people. Me: Maybe someday. Him: (nodding) Maybe.
