Holidays Away

This will be my first Christmas away from the family.  It doesn’t seem like much of a mile marker but we’re a tight-knit clan and I’m not sure I’ve ever missed Christmas with Grandma and the gang in my 29 years on this Earth. 

 

When Samantha and I decided on the very dramatic honeymove it seemed lovely symbolism of starting our lives together; not just our own branch but our very our own sapling of a family tree.  Honestly this still holds true and I wouldn’t change it for the world but there are some pangs as a cost.  Rather than watching younger family open toys, older family open oddities and whiskey, eating too much and falling asleep on my grandmother’s couch I will be visiting with friends in Oregon.  I’m sure it will be a lovely affair, and I’ve said this in many a call and card, but know we miss you all.

 

On the plus side this trip will take us through the Cascade Mountains!  I will later entertain you with actual photos of the trip but for now I’ll just post a map.

 

I’m looking forward to driving through Shasta National Forrest.  I don’t know that they have the redwoods there but here’s hopin!  There will be two other top-secret destinations to be shared at a later time so look forward to that.  Know that they sound awesome in theory.

 

But back to nostalgia!  As this is my first away I thought it would be a fantastic time to share my favorite Christmas memories.  Mostly I have a running memory of putting up my grandmother’s tree and decorating the basement for the Christmas party.  If you asked me now I’d tell you I certainly did this every year for a decade on end but it’s more likely it was a 3-5 year stint.  Still though, I really took ownership a few times there and had a blast listening to carols and laying the train track around a tiny Christmas town. 

 

As to a specific memory I’d have to say the year I needed dental work of some kind done.  I was young and I was in terrible pain and laid up at Grandma’s house.  I don’t remember what had happened (I swear I was a regular brusher!) but it was awful.  I remember feeling like I’d be in trouble for poor hygiene but really my parents were more concerned with my comfort.  They brought me an early gift of a Flintstone’s NES game to take my mind from the pain and I believe a dentist came in on Christmas Eve or Christmas Eve’s eve from vacation to care for me.  I loved that game and while every kid loves attention I remember feeling cared for more than fawned over.  Warm fuzzies abound.

 

I’m gonna try something a little different and see if we can’t get this a little more interactive.  So you go ahead and share below:  What are your favorite Christmas memories?  Or what will you be doing this year?  What do you wish you’d be doing instead?

 

I look forward to hearing from everyone and if I don’t get another chance to say it, “Have a holly jolly Christmas/Holiday season!”

The Death of Boredom

I hate to be another one of those guys but remember the land pre-smart phone? Pre-cell phone even? It’s an odd sort of memory as it’s more akin to remembering how you felt your first day of school than remembering anything specific. There’s a general feeling but in ways it is too subtle yet immersive to be clearly defined.

The big difference for me has been the introduction of omnipotence as a figure in my life. Having immediate access to the collective of humankind is breathtaking. What we do with that is another story but that we have it at all is a bigger deal than we realize. I remember when I got my first smart phone I immediately decided that this was the next stage of human evolution. No longer would I struggle to remember how to get to a destination, the names and lives of our world’s most famous philosophers, necessary math equations, or the like! What a brave new world this would be!

I didn’t realize how quickly knowledge became trivia. Rather than spending my free time immersed in the great works of great men and women I read grammatically questionable quotes superimposed over pictures of cats. I made sure I knew in which other films I’d seen that actor and the goofs on set. I read countless headlines but no stories.

The death of boredom was a helluva thing and I’m not sure we realize the consequences. Personally I can say the death of boredom was also in many ways the death of passion. Boredom was what drove me to seek out and question. The search for the knowledge gave it value, made it a treasure to be had and shared rather than a fleeting image to be forgotten. Rather than scanning headlines for funny pictures and quirky events I wrote. In the deafening clatter of our connected world it’s hard to remember my own voice.

I keep trying to integrate the experience through blogs and the like but I’m terrible at updating because I find that without my voice I have so very little to say. No true reflection is happening. I’ve become a passive participant in my own life. What’s frustrating is how hard I fight this and how often I am failing. We’ve moved to California! We’re at the heart of so much! Every weekend there are movie premiers, hiking trails, kayaking trips, mountain climbs, community festivals, art openings and so much more! I can tell you with both pride and shame that in the last few months I have attended one gallery, gone on one hike, and watched the entirety of Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, Bones and several episodes of other shows. It’s not even for enjoyment so much anymore as compulsion. I don’t even give my full attention; I play with my phone and wish I were doing something better.

Maybe that’s the problem. I don’t really give anything my full attention anymore. Not trying to make grand announcement just thinking aloud really. All of this because thought to myself, “You’re kinda addicted to your phone… I wonder if there’s an app for that,” and while I love the irony I’m also frustrated because there was no need to wonder when I could just look. I miss fantasy and open ended debate. Wikipedia you’ve ruined my world.

Va Va Vroom!

Right when we arrived in Sacramento I began checking Groupon and Living Social for hip cool things to do and ways for Samantha and I to explore our new city.  Sacramento is pretty big and not knowing where to go is a terrible excuse for not going out.  That said it helps to have some sense of direction because there are always more wrong choices than right and bad nights can be grating.  Lucky for me there was an upcoming event at the Crocker Art Museum called "Va Va Vroom!"  

The event had a little bit of everything.  It was celebrating Mel Ramos, comic book artist and perv, with a fashion show showcasing the late 50s-70s fashions he so richly portrayed in tandem with the special exhibit.  There was also a small car show hosted by the California Auto Museum, wine and cocktails, as well as the general Crocker collection!

So to break it down: Pop-art, Superheros, Nudes, Fashion Show, Art Museum, Car Show and Alcohol. It was a damned good date night.

If you're an art person come visit Sac and we'll take you there.  Art Museums are never more fun than with Samantha who will take the time to explain the significance and creation of any piece you choose. It's kind of creepy when she starts telling you what brushes were used and where the minerals for the paints were collected based on era but also fascinating.  

The Crocker was immense and their collections impressive.  The building is great too as it's 1/2 old school 1/2 modern - really does justice to the art within.  It was actually so big we never made it to the Ramos exhibit after we got lost in the 17th-20th century.  We did pause for the fashion show however and Samantha loved it.  I was distracted by how Amazonian and skinny the women were but the clothes were nice too.

A link to the Google + album of our amazing evening and a short video of the end of the fashion show.  If I'd have gotten a better view I would have done more, promise.

Also, hidden in the Crocker was a shout-out to home!

Love you all dearly and if you're gonna be on the G+ hangout tonight know I'm counting the hours.

Armoire Update & Continued Adjustments

More than a week later and I've completed the armoire!  It was honestly a little more harrowing an experience than I'd like to admit but more on that after I've shown off a bit.

Fantastic, I know, and it did come out like I'd hoped.  A little more cramped than in my imagination but enough space to store all of our wine glasses, our two sets of china (we had registered for an everyday set (thanks to everyone who gifted from the wedding) and Samantha got her grandmother's quality set on the bottom - enough for twelve), her mom's fancy tea set, her great-grandmother's silver flatware and all of our everyday flatware.  Makes us look a little more cultured than we are but just think, in several several years when we've gotten a bigger place and are hosting Thanksgiving there will be space for TWELVE on nice things!

Speaking of having guests, how inviting does this dining room table look?!

This brings me back to an earlier thought: this project took entirely too long.  Not because of complications really but because I had a hard time maintaining focus.  I'm already an easily distracted kind of guy but this past week or more has been exceptional.  Every other minute I'd walk away to change my shirt or walk the dog or play a game or watch TV or really do ANYTHING other than what I had set out to.  

I have a long running theory that if watched long enough in sequence any sitcom can force your issues to the surface.  When I bought my house I watched Daria until I realized I was lost and angsty and needed to get over it.  When my mother was sick and my aunt died suddenly I watched Scrubs for three days straight until I got to the episode where Cox's brother-in-law dies and he can't face it or let go of his anger.  It's a cathartic sort of thing I recommend to any and all.  If nothing else you'll enjoy a helluva good show if you pick right.

I've been watching How I Met Your Mother for background noise while I clean or paint or cook.  Back to back to back.  And this week I've just been kind of watching instead of doing those things.  I enjoy the show well enough but I'm never happy or tired about it when I lay in bed at night.  I've wasted a lot of time and energy on this and other shows.  Today while finishing the armoire I stopped at least three times for hours just to sit.

Then Stella left Ted at the alter and he didn't deal with his feelings.  He said something to the effect of "In Ohio when we have a feeling, we push it down and if that feeling gets too strong we get ourselves another feeling and shove it down on top of the earlier feeling to get it back in place."  Something like that.  Great delivery.  Funny stuff.  Watch the show.

That's when I realized that I'm pretty damned depressed.  Not really emotional or apathetic and definitely not depressed in a sad way; I'm a newly wed, in a new city, facing a brave new world!  But I am a newly wed, in a new city, facing a fantastic but scary new world.  And I miss you all.

I'm happy to be here and I'm not coming back for a long while, even then only for a visit, but I miss you dearly.  Thought you should know.

The Honeymove & Repurposing Furniture

It's been a week since our arrival in Sacramento. The boxes are mostly unpacked, the kitchen, living and dinning rooms are mostly together, most of the walls have been painted and subsequently covered with art and photos, and the wife and I have found a few watering holes and good eats. Overall the whole expedition has been a success.

While unpacking is unpleasant we've had a blast decorating and nesting a new space. I'd say our overall style is "cluttered antique store/overcrowded library" but Samantha keeps calling it "shabby chic" and telling me to hush.

Our apartment is spacious enough but having left a house in the Midwest there are a few amenities (basement & pantry) we are sore without. The missing storage space has been good for us though as it has led to much repurposing of our "too cool to lose" items. Nothing too terribly original but I'm proud overall.

We have an abundance of trunks, most of which are antique, but few places to put them. We did the usual foot of the bed and threw one in each bathroom for towels and overflow blankets but the living room has become the trunk haven with trunks replacing our every table surface. Turned on their sides makes for classy end tables and Samantha's old traveling trunk has become a fantastic coffee table. I'm even able to open it on one side to store games and the like!

Our other proud repurpose in progress has been converting an old armoire I bought at a yard sale into a china cabinet. I've added hanging glass racks for our wine glasses (though we have FAR too many still to fit) and am currently staining shelves I've cut to hold the china itself. This is still a work in progress and I'll post pictures as they are available but with as little cabinet space as we've got having a special place for our dinnerware has been an invaluable creation.

Also, check out Samantha's walls of family photos! And everyone in Sacramento should frequent Thai Basil; it's the best.

On Unicorns and Such

Celebrations are a big thing to me and like most I pride myself on putting on a good party. For Samantha's 28th birthday this weekend I was able to make her childhood dreams come true and arrange for a unicorn-back riding experience.  I found out about this niche market quite accidentally while perusing the internet some years ago and filed away the thought for a future playdate.

The unicorn-experience market is actually a somewhat thriving market in the greater Cincinnati area with many providers within a comfortable one or two hour drive.  Honestly most are geared towards... younger participants and carry primarily pony/unicorn conversions but there is hope for the adventurous adult!  Most riding experiences hover in the $30-50/hr range and the parties for the younger rider offer ponies with dyed and glittered manes (a worthwhile addition if you ask me).

After shopping around I found First Farm Inn nestled in Petersburg, Kentucky.  They are primarily a bed & breakfast but they have a wonderful farm experience including horseback riding, tire swings, hot tubs, a small lake and many rescued farm pets (a soccer eager dog I believe was named Missy was particularly enchanting). The owner Jenn is lovely, a great teacher, and very accommodating (while unicorns were not in her everyday provisions she was more than happy to make exception).  A two-hour riding lesson was $65/person and a great value.

I was amazed at the lessons that could be learned from riding.  Before the riding Jenn had us groom and prepare the horses (and a unicorn) which gave us a chance to learn general horse facts and attitudes.  The importance of leadership and consistency, care and compassion, strength and grace - riding a horse is like driving a car with a personality.

If you're looking for a fun weekend escape give Jenn a call!  She'll take care of you (and if you ask nicely she'll excite the eight-year-old inside)!