JUST ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT

I woke up cranky Saturday morning.  I was expecting a weekend of crappy weather and was feeling cooped up inside.  But when I got a message from a friend saying she was going to be in our town for an event, I was a little surprised.  She’s never down this way.  Nobody we know ends up coming this way unless we invite them.  She volunteers for the Jaycees and was going to be in town for the Easter egg hunt.  She said the weather was supposed to be nice, too.  Huh?  I checked the weather online and it said high of 71 degrees.  What?  I noticed it was sunny outside and walked out on the porch, and it felt warm!  Aya, Julie’s going to be in town, we are taking Ellie to the Easter egg hunt, get ready.

Turns out, my weekend was starting out really well.  The weather was great.  We took a family walk down by the park and watched kids go crazy hunting for eggs.  Some screamed in excitement, and some cried in fear.  We just watched because I think Ellie would have skipped the eggs and just chase the other kids trying to administer hugs.  (She’s done this at the playground a few times already.)  We were able to chat and catch up with Julie and enjoy another walk on the way home.  Boy, was it good to be outside!

That afternoon I had plans to help out a friend’s daughter’s boyfriend (Did you follow that?) hang some light fixtures in his basement.  He had just bought his first house and needed some electrical help.  It was a good forty-five minute drive away giving me a perfect little escape.  I had the windows down, and my tunes cranked.  I had my iPod on random, but when MC Hammer’s Dancin Machine came on, I just kept replaying it.  Yes, I have MC Hammer on my iPod and I know you’re probably jealous right now (I’m actually listening to him as I write this).  It was just a good combination of sun, wind, and Hammer, I couldn’t help it.  “Boom! That’s right, the Boom is here!… Tell em Hammer!”

When I was a kid, I used to think that being in your thirties was ancient and old. But now that I am in my thirties, I don’t feel or consider myself to be old at all.  I’m young.  I may have a little gray hair coming in here and there, but I don’t feel any different than I did ten years ago.  Which is why I often forget, oh  yeah, I am in my thirties.  But while helping this guy who’s ten years younger than me who had just recently graduated college, I kind of felt the age difference.  For one, I was listening to MC Hammer in the car on the way over.  And if that wasn’t enough, I think subconsciously I kept saying stupid words trying to be “with it”.  Here I was, a stay-at-home dad helping out a younger dude who actually had a “real” job.  Maybe I was a little insecure and wanted it known that I knew more things than diapers and baby food.  I was capable of masculinity.  I kept referring to his basement as the “chill zone” and I said words like “dramz” referencing how we could make the lighting dramatic.  Yeah, I said that… out loud.  It was too late to stop it once I realized what was going on.  But while talking with him, I also realized that guys don’t have “friends.”  They have “buddies.”  My buddy, his buddy, my buddy’s buddy.  It’s true, I say it too.  My buddy bro dude chief guy.  What’s up? (with a head nod)

We finally finished up and I was going to head out.  “See ya later buddy.”  Julie, from the Easter egg hunt that same morning, was hosting a fundraiser for Relay for Life at the Black Finn in Royal Oak.  This was right on my way home so I thought I’d stop by and show support.  I had brought a change of clothes so I would look “with it.”  I had one problem though.  I had a giant zit on my cheek.  I hate that word, or pimple.  They sound like harsh evil words.  I get so uncomfortable when anybody says that word.  I refer to them as skin imperfections, instead.  I know, we all get them, it’s okay, I need to move on.  But this skin imperfection was of epic proportions.  It had it’s own zip code.  It was so big bright and red that in challenged Rudolph’s job security.  The more you looked at it, or even thought about it, the stronger it got.  I couldn’t go to the Black Finn with this monster protruding from my face.  But this event was for a good cause, so I figured I could suck it up and go.  Maybe we’d be sitting at tables and I could cover it with my hand as I casually leaned my elbow on the table.

It turned out it was a standing room only area, however, the lighting was low hopefully bringing less attention to my swollen red face.  And after awhile, I really forgot about it and I was able to relax and enjoy being out.  I was out on a Saturday night.  By myself!  Julie was telling me stories about her and her friends, of parties, baseball games, fundraisers, and bar crawls.  It seemed so foreign to me.  We were just at different places in our lives.  Her Fridays consisted of going out and being social at restaurants and bars or other events.  My last Friday night consisted of doing dishes and then watching Rambo.  Aya was at my parent’s house getting her hair colored and fell asleep (while the color was still processing in her hair) while watching a special report about the royal wedding.  And then when she called me to let me know she was on her way home, I said, I can’t talk right now, I’m watching Rambo, it’s at an important part, I have to go.

It’s no surprise that when Julie mentioned some of her friends might go across the street to the club, I kind of wanted to go too.  The bar or club scene has never been my thing.  But it still sounded exciting.  I wouldn’t do any “clubbing” if I went, I’d just be that creepy guy lurking in the corner.  But the thought of telling people I went clubbing Saturday night sounded cool.  It’s probably a good idea I didn’t invite myself to tag along though.  I decided to head home instead, and complained about the gas prices when I went to fill up my car.  I found it ironic that while I was at the gas station I saw an older guy in a fancy polished sports car drive by with a license plate that read “DRKNIGHT.”  I was definitely in Royal Oak… it was time to go home.

The whole day of events had really put me in a weird mood.  One of those deep thinking nostalgic moods.  So I put on my EMO playlist for the ride home.  EMO for EMOtional.  This is a list of songs I’ve collected over the years that help fuel that nostalgia, that reminiscing feeling.  Somehow, Phil Collin’s song, In the Air Tonight was on there and when it got to that cool part where the drums kick in loud (you know, that part in the Hangover with Mike Tyson), Aya called.  I can’t talk now, I’m jamming to Phil Collins, I said.  Jamming to Phil Collins!?  Did I just say that out loud?  I definitely wasn’t trying to impress anybody.  MC Hammer and Phil Collins in the same day?   Good thing I was going home.  (For the record, I do have current music on my iPod…  Just sayin’.)

What a day.  From the fun family day beginning, to some home improvement work, to enjoying a night out while battling a skin imperfection, to questioning my youth, to yearning to stay current, to craving freedom.  It was a lot to take in for one day.  Before I came home, I stopped at Wendy’s for some dollar menu Frosty’s for us.  After I told Aya about my adventures for the day, I fell asleep on the couch watching CSI: Las Vegas on DVD.  Now that’s a Saturday night.