#wintonwoods, et. al.

"Why is there a feather in your hair?" Ben insisted I wear it. Like an Indian.

This year so far, two posts on this blog have included the words "Justin" and "Bieber." That's three times too many. I swear to you, it won't happen again. 

On Tuesdays I've been taking the guys to parks around Cincinnati. Last week we didn't go anywhere; I was feeling lazy and decided we should just watch The Lord of the Rings instead. This week we went out to Winton Woods and walked around the lake. Jason and I raced up a flight of steps and he won; I didn't let him win, he grabbed me by the arm and pushed me backwards into the railing. It came out of nowhere. I would've been mad, but to quote Anchor Man, "Heck, I'm not even mad, that's amazing!" There's a reason his nickname is "Gorilla." Ben's nickname is "Box Turtle" (he hates it, but that's the point of nicknames), and so today I got a pic of him in front of a turtle painting:

He has about as much fashion-sense as I do.

Jason is in his chair drinking a diet coke (they're his jam).
He likes to mumble things to himself, usually quotes from his favorite movies.
Sometimes if I have to pass gas, I'll let it out one pooter* at a time.
He perks up, looks around, trying to identify the sound.
I just sit on the sofa with my book, acting all nonchalant.
He goes back to drinking his soda and coke.
I squeeze out another pooter.
He perks up, looks around. Then he'll look at me: "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"I heard something."
"I didn't hear anything."
He goes back to his coke and quotes.
Rinse & Repeat.

I've brought the "weekly updates" back. They're Blake's favorite; "They help me feel connected," he told me. I enjoy writing them and looking back over the weeks that have gone by. It's basically an online journal. I kept doing them while Mandy and I were together, combining them with pictures and videos and memories. I was going to turn them into a scrapbook to give her on our wedding night. Oh well. It's a good idea; my future wife will appreciate my affection rather than be freaked out by it (I hope!). Writing the weekly updates now is helpful for the sadness I've been feeling, too: I'm forced to find the interesting, weird, and funny moments of the day. It's easy to be overwhelmed with nostalgia and negative thoughts; that's the way the brain functions in a depressed state. These weekly updates help me fight against such negativity by finding gems each and every day. I haven't chosen to feel the way I do, but I can choose how I fight against the feelings. 

"What's this?" Jason asks from the kitchen.
"That's a First Aid kit," I tell him.
"What's it for?"
"It's so that if you hurt yourself, I can fix you."
"And Ben, too?"
"No, if Ben hurts himself, we'll just let him die."
"That's rude! You should fix him, too."
"Okay, Jason. I'll do it for Ben, too, but only 'cause I don't want you to be mad at me."

In the past three weeks, I've used up my year's supply of Verizon Roadside Assistance. My car works great. The fault lies with me: I routinely forget to turn off the lights. I pasted a little reminder on my window (but I'm so unobservant, it may not work):

I'm hoping getting scolded by Gandalf will help me get my shit together.

* Who uses the word 'pooter' anymore? This guy.