The neverending march of time
So another year has come and gone, and I'm not dead (instead, I am 32). Hooray.
I'm not trying to be depressed about my birthday...I just no longer see much sense in keeping track of them. And I certainly don't expect a celebration with hats and presents and a clown and a pony like we all want when we're kids. But it seems like somehow, even when I try to have a little quiet enjoyment on my birthday, it goes somewhat...awry.
Take this one. I took the day off of work, so I could relax and enjoy my special day, right?
Except that I agreed to go on a field trip with Wyatt, which started earlier and ended later than I thought...so by the time I got kids ready for school in the morning and ran an errand or two, it was time to go ride herd on a bunch of 2nd graders, and I don't really have any "me" time until around 2 pm.
Except that the thing I wanted to do for my birthday (go to the shooting range) was kinda nixed by the fact that instead of being 60's as the forecast predicted, it was more like 40's and kinda gloomy and rainy.
Except that I have had some kind of minor stomach malady for the past few days, so I spent the day feeling not so good.
It was not a total loss...Casey and I DID get to go out for dinner, sans children, which is a pleasant rarity. And we did go to our favorite restaurant, which is pretty damn awesome...Piccolino's, here in Eagle River, a quaint little Greek-Italian place. I feel the need to gush, because they're so great.
Y'know how when you go to restaurants the wait staff ask you "how is everything, everything okay?"...and my usual answer is, "yeah, pretty okay". But at Piccolino's, the answer is "everything is perfect". Because it is. Everything they served, from the appetizers (Tzatziki with pita chips and bruschettia) to the main courses (eggplant rollatini and mousaka, which--I shit you not--somehow combines meat and eggplant and potatoes and cinnamon of all fricking things, and still manages to be delicious) to the dessert (baklava) was just incredible. Even the drinks were great...who else serves Henry Weinhardt's soda, in the bottle? Most places figure "eh, the fancy people will drink wine and everybody else can just have crappy soda". But these guys are a class act. If you are ever in Eagle River, you should totally eat there. And heck, if you're ever in Anchorage, it would be well worth your time to skip the fancy places like Orso and Sullivan's and whatever, and go to Piccolino's.
So dinner went well. But after dinner, we pick up kids and have to put them to bed, and it's back to normal life. Not terrible or anything, just...not special. It's nice to feel special once in a while, just for a day. Doesn't even take very much sometimes.
Thanks to everybody for the well-wishes, though...I appreciate it. And I hope you and yours are all well. :)
I'm not trying to be depressed about my birthday...I just no longer see much sense in keeping track of them. And I certainly don't expect a celebration with hats and presents and a clown and a pony like we all want when we're kids. But it seems like somehow, even when I try to have a little quiet enjoyment on my birthday, it goes somewhat...awry.
Take this one. I took the day off of work, so I could relax and enjoy my special day, right?
Except that I agreed to go on a field trip with Wyatt, which started earlier and ended later than I thought...so by the time I got kids ready for school in the morning and ran an errand or two, it was time to go ride herd on a bunch of 2nd graders, and I don't really have any "me" time until around 2 pm.
Except that the thing I wanted to do for my birthday (go to the shooting range) was kinda nixed by the fact that instead of being 60's as the forecast predicted, it was more like 40's and kinda gloomy and rainy.
Except that I have had some kind of minor stomach malady for the past few days, so I spent the day feeling not so good.
It was not a total loss...Casey and I DID get to go out for dinner, sans children, which is a pleasant rarity. And we did go to our favorite restaurant, which is pretty damn awesome...Piccolino's, here in Eagle River, a quaint little Greek-Italian place. I feel the need to gush, because they're so great.
Y'know how when you go to restaurants the wait staff ask you "how is everything, everything okay?"...and my usual answer is, "yeah, pretty okay". But at Piccolino's, the answer is "everything is perfect". Because it is. Everything they served, from the appetizers (Tzatziki with pita chips and bruschettia) to the main courses (eggplant rollatini and mousaka, which--I shit you not--somehow combines meat and eggplant and potatoes and cinnamon of all fricking things, and still manages to be delicious) to the dessert (baklava) was just incredible. Even the drinks were great...who else serves Henry Weinhardt's soda, in the bottle? Most places figure "eh, the fancy people will drink wine and everybody else can just have crappy soda". But these guys are a class act. If you are ever in Eagle River, you should totally eat there. And heck, if you're ever in Anchorage, it would be well worth your time to skip the fancy places like Orso and Sullivan's and whatever, and go to Piccolino's.
So dinner went well. But after dinner, we pick up kids and have to put them to bed, and it's back to normal life. Not terrible or anything, just...not special. It's nice to feel special once in a while, just for a day. Doesn't even take very much sometimes.
Thanks to everybody for the well-wishes, though...I appreciate it. And I hope you and yours are all well. :)