Driving at Night

I used to go driving.
Doesn't sound special, but it's something I would do, years ago, from the time I got my license at 17 until I was about 24. I would go out at night, mostly in the spring or summer, and get in the car, and go. To this day, I am not completely certain why I did it.
I do know that I got a feeling of deep calm when I was on the freeway late at night, with no other traffic, and just the dashboard lights on my face. My old car had good suspension; I felt like I was floating down the road.

Sometimes, I would set the cruise control and let my mind drift, keeping just enough focus to follow the curves. If it was a cold night, I would turn on the vent, but usually I'd just crack the window. Sometimes, especially in spring or fall, there was a night-mist on the road. Those were the times I liked the driving best.

I can't do that anymore; I'm grown up; responsible. A husband and a father. But there are nights, when the baby gets colicky and can't sleep, that I do the only thing that helps: I get her in the car seat, and I drive out onto the freeway. It only takes 20 minutes, but it works every time.

I don't know if any of this is fun, but in my introspective moods it does help to bring back that sense of peace. It's getting late now, and the baby is crying. I have to find my keys.

Poker Night

Last week, a friend of mine called me up, and said that he was starting a poker night. Just a guys' thing, every Thursday night when his wife was went out with her friends. I told him I didn't play poker. I remember his answer:
"So what? Neither does Jeff, but he'll be here. The point is, the Rolling Rock, the Rocky movies, and 3 hours to talk about sex and sports."
Who could resist that? I showed up on Thursday night, at 7, with a six pack of Rolling Rock long-necks, and an unopened deck of cards.
Now, I was expecting a fun evening. I got a bit of a surprise. There were 5 of us there, and we've all known each other since college. Four of us are married, three to our original wives. One is on wife number 3. One is a bachelor. He said after watching Wade's divorces, he didn't think he could afford to give houses to women he doesn't like.
Wade was the poker man, and the whole thing had been his idea to begin with. He dealt the game, and walked us neophytes through it. After two hours and four beers, I didn't really remember the rules, and anyway, we'd run out of matchsticks. Wade had them all. I guess being a neophyte doesn't help on poker night.
All in all, it was a good night. It brought back memories of college dorm bull sessions, and gave us all a chance to pretend that we were 20 again. It was definitely fun enough that we'll make it a regular thing. After all, what can be better than escaping from the daily grind once a week?

Kids Allways Know How to Have Fun

I was watching my kids playing together, and it occurred to me that here are two people who always know how to have fun. They don't need a TV.
The older one is almost 4; she's in charge. The younger is almost 2; she doesn't want to follow. It makes for an interesting dynamic, but there's no fighting, and remarkably little crying. I've even seen them share. Well, I've seen my older daughter share.
Their two favorite games seem to be kitchen and dress up. The kitchen can be set up anywhere; the older one spreads out a cloth (that's the oven/stove/counter), and the younger one puts anything on it (blocks, necklaces, foam letters- it's all food). Then they'll invariably bake a cake. And want the parents to taste it. It's always delicious.
Dress up is even more fun to watch. They have a two piece black dress that was their aunt's dance costume when she was about 6, and now it's a princess dress. The older one likes to pin the big matching bow to her hair. Once they're dressed up, with the elder in the dress and the younger in the jacket, they start accessorizing.
They have a small box of costume jewelery, and they take turns pulling out plastic beaded necklaces and bracelets. By the end of their playtime, I have a hard time finding them under it all. But it sure is fun to try.