Boy is preparing for one of his summertime jaunts, this one to Virginia to spend a week with my parents. Camping, swimming, wrestling with my brother’s sawed-off grizzly chocolate lab, trying to decide when to good-naturedly tolerate his 2.5-year-old cousin and when to just hole up and hide.
This typically means several things in the Taoistkinesia household.
1) I get two ~5 hour drives alone with Boy. This used to be a humongous pain in the ass, because he required a hell of a lot of attention – for the last three years or so, though, it’s been an absolute joy. We talk a while, listen to music a while, hit rest areas for pit stops/quick snacks/fast dashes/when available, 15 minutes on playground equipment, grab fast-food meals together, and sometimes just ride quietly. Honestly the one thing I’m really waiting for now is for him to weigh enough that I can stick him in the front seat beside me instead of talking over my shoulder to him in the back seat. (Well, that and my long-fantasized father/son motorcycle trip, but let’s not get nuts quite yet.)
2) I get 2 ~4 hour drives by myself. (They’re quicker when I’m not on someone else’s bathroom-break schedule.) In case I’ve never said this before, I heart driving alone. I cruise, I observe, I think, I blast my (very nice) car stereo with no regard to what anybody wants to hear except me. It’s those long interstate runs that make me feel the faintest tinge of envy for my grandfather’s career as a long-haul trucker.
3) Project Time. Not having the kid around is when we generally try to get up the gumption and do some fix-up stuff around the house. Notice the word “try.” Quite often what we genuinely intended to be Project Time falls victim to
4) Us Time. PG-13 TV shows and R-rated movies whenever we want! Rock Band played full volume until past midnight! Maybe even *gasp* some nekkid time! (Okay, you’re right, let’s not get crazy.) Still, we always manage to get out of the house a little more to go out to dinner and/or do something fun. Nice when you can do it.
5) Quiet Time. Dys still works her job on its time, and so that means a lot of evenings are still tied up with her working. That means I get some time to myself to read, play some music, watch some TV, and not worry about hogging the Xbox or the DVD player and so forth. Aaaaah.
And by the time it’s all over with, I’m ready for another five hours alone in the car with m’boy again.
It’s gonna be a nice week.
Filed under: Life and other states of existence, Parenting
A perfectly awesome story ruined!
Lying liars lie lies!
“Maybe even *gasp* some nekkid time?”
You did catch yourself (Okay, you’re right, let’s not get crazy.) but, boy, for that 1.5 seconds I was having some issues with you!
Have a great time TB. It sounds awesome. And your brothers sawed-off grizzly chocolate lab sounds absolutely delicious!
As for the lab, he seems to think our dog is delicious. He likes to put her head in his mouth when they’re playing. She’s ~50 pounds and he can do it easily.
Sounds like it’ll be a good week. Have fun!
Oh, I will!
Unfortunately for you all, this time I won’t be on vacation.
Sounds like a lovely week! I like driving by myself, too, though I rarely do it for very long stretches. I only live about two miles away from work… just long enough to get through one, maybe two, songs.
I live about 5 miles from work – my commute is almost exactly as long as the Opeth song “Deliverance.”
Or, you know, three normal songs.
Yanno, Mr Meany Pants is going away for two weeks. Military stuff. Two weeks to myself. I’m going to miss him, but not that much. I get to drive his car, something I like to do, I get to eat chicken. It’ll just be me and the cat.
And watch, after two days I’ll be freaking out.
Eesh. I’m a big-time loner at heart, but I’d be potentially freaking too, two weeks alone in a new place.
Good luck!
I love road trips, both with someone and by myself.
I hope no matter what you guys get up to this week it’ll be tons of fun. I don’t know why, but I love this holiday, even though it’s in my least favorite season.
I’m a big fan of road trips too; I wish I had more of them! But road trips combined with grown-up time at home is awesome.