Five Things I Think, 18 July

Monday has beaten me with a tire iron, but because I love you people I'm putting fingers to keyboard instead of folding myself in a desk drawer as if I were crossing a border and leaving my co-workers to wonder where the snoring is coming from. I'm a giver.

1) I think Little Danger enjoyed his 1st birthday party. He received some creative and awesome presents, because my friends and family are A) awesome B) insane C) freaks D) all of the above. The correct answer is, of course, D. My child has a rocking panda to ride on, people. It's insane and wonderful. It was a full day with awesome people, and I might have enjoyed it more than he did.

It was a big weekend for the boy...he had his first trip to the zoo, his first birthday party, and a full day of playing with his "Memaw" and "PopPop" and cousins.

"Too...much...fun...must nap..."

2) I think I am overjoyed to have some long-remote friends back in the local area. There are some friendships that just resume after pause, and such it is with these. Their kids have nearly a decade of growth since last we were face-to-face, and it was awesome getting to know them. They have some impressive progeny indeed. I give bonus points to any child who can intelligently converse on the building of a trebuchet and the use of an atlatl, and double bonus to the parents that I hold dear. Future hangings out are a moral imperative.

3) I think I had a geekgasm last night. My friend Monsterman came over to discuss the upcoming return of the Haunted trail with me, and we tossed ideas and laughter about in equal measure. There were gory, creepy, disgusting, scary, wonderful ideas. He flung ideas at me like a monkey flinging poo. Off-putting, perhaps, but effective.

4) I think Saturday was a very fine day, indeed. Wifefish and I dropped Little Danger off with his "Memaw" and "PopPop", and hosted a marathon session of Dark Heresy with a very fine group of gamers. It was a day filled with intrigue, challenge, the sounds of rolling dice and the smells of food in the oven. I have long adored the interactive story-telling of a day at a game table, a pleasure reaching all the way back to 6th grade Dungeons and Dragons games under the shade tree on the school playground. The quality of the stories has grown over the years, but the childish joy has remained constant.

5) I think I'm tired of this bullshit we call an economy, and these bullshit artists running the political circus. I'm in sales, and I can tell you that at least 4 industries are just scared to spend money right now. That has a direct effect on my paycheck, and thus money is just effing tight right now. I keep hoping I'm done juggling bills, only to find that the summer months bring an oppressive heat not only to the air, but to my checking account. I keep myself in good spirits only by counting blessings, by reminding myself forcefully that I have technological marvels at my fingertips, a Little Danger to cuddle and giggle with, and many more joys. Stressing over a bill or twelve seems silly in comparison. So why can't I banish that stress completely?

And so the week begins, a complex jumble of joys upon joys, its blue sky of opportunity threatened only by a few grey clouds of stress. What's making you happy today?

Stay awesome!
PS: If you haven't availed yourself of the "follow" buttons all over this blog...why not? Stick around, we have a load of fun here.