U huh yeah

More and more often, I’m realizing, these entries only occur during strange times. It so happens that the last few ‘strange times’ have been defining pivotal moments of personal crisis. That is not the case this morning. No crisis here, no sir. It is simply quite early and I have opted to scream at the keys instead of making noise in this darkened house.

My sister and her husband and of course Jacob (or the Jacobian Matrix, as I am fond of calling him in my super-nerd world of mathematical humor) arrived last night about ten p.m. Funny timing with everything, since Lauren had to leave on a jet plane this morning at six to spend six days at a conference in Austin, Tejas. She will be missed dearly. Really, we’re doing phenomenally.

I get to watch Jacob wrestle (“rassell”) today at a tournament over in Eagle. Aside from my stellar home cooking and pleasant demeanor, the wrestling match is the reason for their visit. Sort of a last minute decision on their part, and I am so glad to see them all. Living a mere 240 miles away from family might as well be the distance across the Atlantic, sometimes.

And now I will digress for a few lines, speaking of the Atlantic. My hankering to return to Spain is stronger than ever, and I’ve been plotting a way to combine the potential honeymoon with a satiating stint in said phenomenal country. Well, the fiscal challenges of new life together are becoming blatantly obvious, and while the wedding is still a go, the financial feasibility of a large reception and/or a honeymoon are in question. The “cheap wedding” is such a naïve, sequin-crusted delusion these days; the reality is that we’re going to be on a pretty tight budget. Depending on the age of you, reader, you may or may not realize the current dollar magnitude of a “cheap wedding”. A bare-bones wedding and reception will run you about $8k. Hmmm… Not impossible, but how do couples really unwind and relax on a honeymoon that drives them into debt? End of digression ----

So I am beginning to screw my head on straight, emotionally, but I do not want to let the topic dominate this entry. Apparently my last entry reeked of desperation, because I got some amazing spiritual feedback from many of my family and friends. Thank you. The weather, the job, the house, the wife to be, her beloved eternal unremitting fountain of fur (McKinley)… are all separate yet correlated elements of the good life; a life I live everyday. Pair said ingredients with good music, art, and literature, and there is no room for emotional doldrums. Speaking of, here is my current/recently completed list of art forms:

Novelas: We the Living (Ayn Rand), 1984

Cinema: Volver (Penelope Cruz)

Musack: LCD Sound System, Cloud Cult, Junior Boys, My Brightest Diamond

Canvas: Adolph Gottlieb, duh

Oral Palette: $1.00 (two-pound) Peach Pie Scone from Big City Coffee. Tasty.

In other endeavors, I’ll be riding at the Central Valley Classic in mid march, down in Fresno, with a bonified professional cycling team. You read it here first… stay tuned for more details. Yeah!