Moving, Hairy Cow Lips and Box Rides

Ahhh moving. It is right up there on the fun factor scale with going to the DMV and eating hairy cow lips. I have never actually eaten hairy cow lips, but I’ve seen people do it on television which means I need to get out more. Over two hundred channels and I find myself stuck on hairy cow lips for lunch?

I hired movers. I figured at nearly age 44 (my birthday is in three days – you still have time to shop and overnight gifts to my new addy) that I am too old to recruit friends in exchange for pizza and beer. I am now back in the community where I lived as a married man amongst the Pleasantville Truman Show Neighborhood of Everybody is in Your Bidness and Is There Really Life Outside the Bubble?

There are some great advantages to The Bubble. First and foremost, I’m a two -minute drive to the kids’ house with their mom. No more half hour shuttles back and forth.

B, I have a ton of friends in the hood that will create endless opportunities to fill my social calendar.

III, I will be exercising regularly again. I’ve got my old four mile running route, a new rec center that has a basketball court, I’m in close proximity to where I already play hoops once a week, also close to the racquetball courts and I have a slew of people to call to feel obligated to actually follow through on a workout.

Fourthly, I can walk or ride my bike to just about anything – coffee shop, liquor store, restaurants, ice cream, parks, neighbor’s man-cave of a basement where there is always sports and beer, bank, grocery store, cleaners, etc.

E, it’s only a ten-minute drive to work during non-rush hour, twenty minutes max. Which means the same thing for going downtown when I need to escape The Bubble.

VI, the kids have a billion friends in the neighborhood. I no longer will have to be their sole source of entertainment when they are with me (we were pretty isolated in Boulder).

Seventhly, the kids have their own rooms. They like bunking together, but they are both much happier to have separate bedrooms. I took them to Target so they could stock up on stuff to decorate. They both got stickers for the walls (supposedly they are easily removable – Will got owls, Drew got some action hero dude). Will got a big mushroom chair, Drew a bean bag. Will got a princess nightlight, Drew a Toy Story rocket.

Lastly, this really has nothing to do with The Bubble, but moving has created endless hours of entertainment via The Box Ride. Why spend money on games, toys, Wii and all that other shit when you can give your kids empty boxes? The boys decorated their boxes with Sharpies and pretty much non-stop requested rides. One of the boxes is really tall and sturdy, just right for holding a little boy. I close up the top and proceed to spin them, tip them over, roll them, shake them, wobble them and even turn them upside down. It is the kind of stuff that makes moms cringe. Good thing their mom doesn’t live with us! Injuries have been minimal. An inadvertent self punch to the face, a few bruises and even an upset stomach, but no blood or concussions!!

So anyway, between the move, having my kids over the entire holiday weekend, work, no internet access for five days and everything else, I feel like I’ve been off the grid. I had to rush yesterday to do my Blogger Idol contest post. It’s a great topic. Our assignment was, “If you could be a member of the opposite sex for a day…” I’m excited to read everybody else’s post. You should be too. Please go over here and vote!! I had fun with mine and think you will enjoy it.