Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Afterlife

An example of what I really like about my job:  this week, I've been working on fixing a set, loading/unloading and assembling said set on a high school tour, playing Horatio in the show that's touring, brokering a deal on the alarm system for the new building, and figuring out A/V needs for the new building.  It's quite a mixed bag, and I can do a lot of it (but not all of it, which is good cause I need a little bit of provided structure) on my own schedule, I can do some of it by myself and some of it with others, some of it during the day and some of it at night.  Pretty much the exact opposite of standing in the same spot all day doing the same thing day after day while encountering the same fairly annoying people.  Lovin' it!

My favorite thing in the world to do right now is to crank up Arcade Fire's song, "Afterlife," on the stereo, pick up Sam and dance with him in the living room.  He will get a big smile on his face when the song come on, run to me with his arms out and then put his head down on my shoulder while I hug him and we bounce and sway and swoop.  It's pretty great.  I love that he likes music.  I like that he can be fussy in the car and then I put on The National's cd and he pretty much instantly calms down and just sits and quietly entertains himself (except for in-between songs when he puts up a little bit if a fuss until the next song starts). 

A few years ago, Jeannie and I made a deal that we would never watch Law and Order on Netflix, because that seemed like the lowest point of lazy TV watching, and L&O is just the type of "this-isn't-really-that-good-but-it's-here-and-I-want-to-avoid-doing-other-things" television that Jerns and I were trying to avoid by not having a TV.  But the other night we were both pretty tired and we were looking through Netflix for something to watch, and we didn't want to try something new, and we didn't want to invest the time in a movie, so we ended up watching L&O.  And damn if it wasn't awesome, and damn if it didn't make me feel like it was 2002 again, and that I was 25 again, and now I see that Law and Order is perfect for an hour of TV just before bed.  You can give it 15% of your attention and it will completely clear your mind and turn you into a blank slate that is entirely ready for a restful night's sleep.  Plus, I also get to repeatedly do my Sam Watertson impersonation, and that's one of my favorites.