The Day After

Some of you might be offended at this next line. Christmas at my Grandma's is an orgy of presents. There isn't really a better word to describe the shear commercialize, materialistic, anarchy of present opening and exchanging that goes on at my Grandma's house every year, the day after Christmas.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love it! I mean you get there and there is a stack of presents for you. My grandparents have 2 daughters. My mom and my aunt Kathy. My mom has my sister her husband (Dusty) and their daughter Kaylee. Then there is me and my wife, Suzanne, and the Bean. My aunt Kathy is married to uncle David. They have 3 sons. Marc (and his wife Kelli and their daughter Sydney), Kris, and Eric. Kris and Eric are not married and usually have some combinations or assortment of girlfriends there. My sister in law (from my brother who wasnt there) dubbed them, the Bunnies. So anyways...everyone who shows up gets a stack of presents. Usually the Bunnies get slighted the most, but that will change should Kris or Eric ever tie the knot.

The present unwrapping usually begins right after brunch. It goes thru lunch and into dinner. It's insane. Mainly because it is a one at a time event. Why? So grandma can see every person open their gift. It is a totally mockery of our societies materialistic ways...but I still love it. I love the jokes (the remote control fart machine) the ugly presents, and the cash that my grandma hides in places like jeans pockets, under lids of deodorant cans (yes she gives many toiletries), or in cards.

But...it's exhausting. So here I sit at 12:17am, typing in this blog that no one will ever read. I'm actually too tired to go to sleep. Dont you hate that feeling?

Hopefully...before the year ends, I'll have something more profound to say.

m

Christmas Day

So far, in a word, awesome!

Now, that we have the Bean (she is 19 months old) Christmas takes on a whole new meaning. When you have a kid, the joy is really in the giving. Everyone asked me this year what I wanted for Christmas. My automatic response, nothing...just get something for the Bean.

Background:
The Bean is Lillian Blythe Cowan. My beautiful, angel of a daughter.

I wasn't trying to be cliche about it. I really couldn't think of anything I wanted. I just wanted to make sure she had a great time. All your priorities change when you have a child. It's not instant. There is a transition. But it does happen. Maybe it's the first time she hugs you. Or the first time she says she loves you. Or the first time you have to spank her. For the mom it's different, they have an instant unbreakable bond. For the dads, it's a lil different. More of a process. It takes a little time for the little girl to come in and completely take over your heart. But it does happen, and when it does, the macho stuff just seems so drab. All I want to do now is learn to paint toenails and color coordinate outfits.

I love girls!

Anyways, Christmas is half way over, and it's time to get back to it.

m

First Post

Everyone else is doing it. Why can't I?

I'm Mike.
A computer guy.
A musician.
A pianist.
A poet.
A bore.
A father of one lovely daughter.

You?