December 5: Freezing Cold, Daughter's Birthday, Wishes for Daughter

You wouldn't even have known it had snowed at all.  There was hardly any snow on the sidewalks.  But it was freezing cold, and I took my red hunting hat out of my pocket and put it on--I didn't give a damn how I looked...

Well, all the schools were closed today, except for the university.  It wasn't that snowy, but it was, as Holden says, freezing cold.  All the snow that came down yesterday hardened into bricks of ice.  The parking lots were hockey rinks, and my hands turned into hand-cicles as I walked across campus.

My daughter was happy to have the day off from school on her thirteenth birthday.  What thirteen-year-old wouldn't?  I tried to convince her I had arranged the bad weather, but she didn't buy my story.  She had a great day, being a couch potato.  Playing computer games.  Annoying her five-year-old brother.  Basically, being a teenager.

I remember those first days she came home from the hospital after she was born.  I would sit on our couch in the middle of the night, holding her, thinking of all the wishes I had for her.  I wished she would have passion, for reading and writing and art and dance and music.  I wished she would have happiness with every breath she took.  I wished she would know love each second of her life.

Now that she's a surly seventh grader, my wishes for her haven't changed.  I still wish for her to have passion and happiness and love, even more than when she was just days old.  I've seen her leap and spin across a stage.  She's written poems that have made me cry.  She drew a stunning city-scape in her art class.  She's grown into such a wonderful young lady.

Thirteen years ago on this day, I wished upon a star, and my wish came true.

Happy birthday, my sweet daughter.

And that's a piece of Saint Marty's mind.  And heart.

October 30: Wife's Birthday, Wednesday Worries

Today is my wife's birthday.  After work, we are meeting at a restaurant for dinner.  It's not going to be anything expensive or elaborate, but, considering how often we go out for dinner, it will be special.  Thus, I need to publicly wish my beloved a "Happy Birthday."

Tomorrow is Worry Wednesday according to my new blog schedule.  That means it is the one day of the week where I get to voice my complaints and concerns unabashedly.  I usually have a laundry list of gripes, aches, pains, and worries.  I just have to narrow it down to one specific issue.  I think I already have an idea of what I'm going to discuss.  It has to do with Halloween and the weather and my daughter's makeup.  That's what we call in the blog biz a "tease."  You'll have to tune in tomorrow morning for the full scoop.

Just got back from teaching my film class a couple hours ago.  It was freezing cold and windy.  Actually, it was more than windy.  It was more than brisk or blustery.  It was gusty verging on stormy.  It is the remnants of Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed the East Coast last night.  I think Sandy's little tail is whipping around and catching the Upper Peninsula of Michigan a little bit.  I'm hoping the wind dies down by tomorrow evening, or there's going to be a lot of candy corn and Snickers bars blowing around.

Saint Marty isn't complaining, though.  He's just voicing a concern.  He'll save the complaining for tomorrow.

Hopefully not tomorrow night...