Super groggy today, and the bean is nipping a bit. We went to a friend's birthday party last night, and I partook in the revelry -- a couple Corona Lights and a couple shots of tequila (the party had a quasi-Mexican theme). Shots are a total rarity for me. Before last night, I don't know when the last time I had one was. As best I can remember, it was when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in February 2014. I took a celebratory shot of something blue with some friends.
I'm actually in better shape today than I thought I would be. I had the drinks over several hours, but even when I pace myself I still tend to be really hungover the next day (the joys of being nearly middle-age). Also, it was my morning to get up early with the little guy, so sleep was not in the forecast for me. But he climbed into bed with me around 5:30 (my pregnant wife, for physical comfort reasons, often prefers to sleep in the guest bed these days) and then fell back asleep until 7:30. That's sleeping in for him. So I'm doing okay, but I still think a lightning-round entry is in order. I only have the attention span today for a few paragraphs at a time.
[Corona Light with a lime wedge on a hot summer night -- you could do worse.]
- In addition to having a Latino feel, the party also had a "funny shirt" theme. But S neglected to tell me this (I didn't get the invite directly), so I just wore a normal shirt. It was so disappointing too because I've been waiting for an occasion to rock one of my math shirts. I have one in which the punchline is "Here's looking at Euclid." That would have been perfect.
- Speaking of Euclid, I was trying to teach Lil' S some basic math today. I would hold up two fingers and say, "If I have two," and then hold up another finger on my other hand and say, "and I add one, how many do I have?" And then he would say "three!" I did four or five of these and he got them all right, so I got super excited, and thought I would try subtraction, so I held up two fingers and said, "If I have two," and then I put a finger down, and said, "and I take one away, how many do I have?" He thought for a beat, and then said emphatically, "eight!" So there is still some work to do.
- Not to beat the same drum over and over, but I read a fantastic interview with David Simon, former crime reporter for the Baltimore Sun, and the creator of The Wire, about the awfulness of the War on Drugs in relation to the unrest in Baltimore. I won't go into the details of the article; you can read it yourself if you wish. But I will say that it was particularly surreal to read it this morning given the events of last night. Last night, I ingested a very dangerous drug for no other reason than it was fun -- and it's not big deal. Not only is it perfectly acceptable to get drunk, it can actually be a social advantage. People think you are weird if you don't drink. Meanwhile if a young adult in the inner city (particular an African-American) is caught with a joint or a bit of coke, they are going to go jail -- jail! To quote Ricky Watters: For who? For what? Can you image if the police went around to bars and cookouts and attempted to arrest everybody with beers in their hands. Actually you can, because it happened, it was called Prohibition, and it was a fucking disaster. And yet, we've decided to do it again, but just with different substances. It is a shame and a tragedy that this is how things are. It's a goddamn shamedy.
- Last night notwithstanding, I have been trying to take better care of myself as I get older. I've been trying to watch what I eat and exercise more. I've had much more success with the latter than the former. (Sweets are my weakness.) I read this article that says everybody should get at least 150 minutes of exercise a week and that you can do up to three times this before you start to plateau in terms of effectiveness. It also said about 20% should be vigorous exercise, but the rest can be passive exercise like walking. So I've been shooting for about an hour a day. It sounds like a lot, but it isn't really. The first thing almost everybody can do is take two or three 15 minute breaks during the work day and just walk around the block. That puts you at 30-45 minutes straightaway. Then if you lift some weights or go for a jog or do some yoga for 15 to 20 minutes you are done.
One obstacle I have in exercising sometimes is my wife. We have different mindsets on it. She sees it as something of a luxury -- a leisure activity. I see it as a must-do, life-maintenance activity. So for instance, yesterday I worked from home, so I went for a run before my lunch break, and she made a comment half-sarcastically/half-playfully, "Oh, a run. It must be nice to have time to do that during your workday." I asked her what she was doing today (she has Fridays "off"), and she gave me a list of legitimate things she did -- take the little man to the doctor, drop books off at the library, go grocery shopping, etc. And then she said, "and now I'm going to get my nails done." I raised my eyebrow at this one, and she smiled knowingly. And that was that. Neither of us really wanted to push the conversation much further -- best to leave it on good terms. The exercise path is one we've been down before, and it almost always leads right off a cliff.
The last thing I'll say is that obviously I think S could have gone for a walk instead of getting her nails done, if she really wanted to. But it is easier for me, a man, to make time in my day than it is for S, a woman. When S wakes up it takes her like 45 minutes to get ready -- just herself, without eating breakfast. When I wake up, I can get myself and Lil' S dressed and fed and out the door in a half hour, if need be. A huge part of this disparity is that we don't put the same beauty requirements on men as we do on women. (Although in the case of my wife in particular, I think she would take a long time anyway, even if there wasn't a societal norm -- she's very girly-girl in that regard.) Like white privilege, male privilege is a real thing. And for some reason it's controversial to say this, even though it is completely and totally obvious. I mean, just look at every president we've ever had -- 44 for 44 male; 43.5 for 44 white. What other evidence do you need? - Listening to Lil' S talk to S's parents on Facetime is one of the funniest things you will ever hear. He's at the age where you can have an almost normal conversation with him, but he has his own grammar and pronunciation that takes some getting used to. Toss in the fact that he's talking over the phone to non-native English speakers about topics they know nothing about and hilarity will ensue. Yesterday, he was trying to tell his Ava (S's mom) about his new favorite cartoon character Lightning McQueen. But she kept hearing "light and queen" and just had no idea what was going on. S and I were just listening and laughing.
- I have two weddings, three airplanes trips, a show at the Kennedy Center, a baseball game, and a crossword puzzle tournament planned in the next two months. It's the busiest I've been with social events since, well, since possibly ever. One of the weddings is my cousin's in Joplin, Missouri. I booked a room in the hotel online through Hotels.com, but then I saw on Facebook a message from my cousin saying that if you book through the hotel itself, you can get a discount and a free continental breakfast. I hate calling people and booking hotels and doing things of that nature, so my first inclination upon reading the message: You're already booked. Don't bother with this. It's not worth it. But then I thought: Be a human being. Pick up the phone and talk to another human being. It's not that hard. So I did, and here is my approximate conversation with the hotel sales rep.
Me: Hi, I'm calling for the B & C wedding. I've already booked a room, but I understand that if I book under their block then I can get a discount and a free continental breakfast.
Her: OK, what's your name.
Me: D.G.
Her: And the wedding party.
Me: B & C.
Her: OK, you actually booked through Hotels.com, so you will have to cancel with them and then book through us if you want the discount.
Me: That sounds like a pain. Can't you just give me the discount?
Her: No, because you went through Hotels.com, so you will have to cancel with them and then book through us if you want the discount.
Me: OK, how much is the discount? How much are you charging for a night?
Her: $89.
Me: (I booked for $91 a night.) OK. The discount actually is not really anything. What about the free continental breakfast?
Her: I'm sorry, sir, what breakfast?
Me: My cousin -- the bride-to-be -- said that you can get a free continental breakfast.
Her: We don't have continental breakfast.
Me: Uh ... OK ... That's what she said. Do you have any sort of breakfast?
Her: We have a restaurant that serves breakfast.
Me: OK, is that part of the deal -- a free breakfast at your restaurant?
Her: No.
Me: OK, that's strange. Well I suppose my cousin could have been mistak-
Her: Oh, wait. Some guests in this block ARE getting a free breakfast.
Me: OK... So ... Can I get a free breakfast?
Her: I don't know.
Me: Can you just mark me down for one?
Her: Well, you went through Hotels.com, so you will have to cancel with them and then book through us if you want the free breakfast.
Me: And if I do that -- if I cancel with Hotels.com and book with you -- I can get free breakfast for sure?
Her: I don't know.
Me: ...
Her: ...
Me: Well ... uh ... OK then. Thanks?
Her: Your welcome, sir. Is there anything else I can help you with today?
Me: No, that's it. Bye.
Her: Good bye.
It was really my fault. I knew not to call in the first place.
That's all for today. Until next time ....
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