father's day

Yesterday was Father's Day. It was a strange and random weekend...which, in the end, ended up being about emotional extremes.

My wife and kid were staying at the in-laws, so I spent Saturday and early Sunday with my time divided between working on my home recording acoustic guitar technique and watching brainless television (my latest is Xena: Warrior Princess) while learning blues licks on my electric.

I don't spend a lot of time by myself anymore. It is one of the costs of being a father, I guess...that and being the designated household fixer/assembler of goods. About the only alone time I normally have is when using the bathroom or showering, but even that is still open for daughter invasion. So when I do get solo time, it's an adjustment.

It's not so much the quiet, or the ability to concentrate with fewer distractions, or actually control the television. No, it is the related dulling down of emotions. When I'm alone, I get less emotionally involved in...pretty much everything. I'm not sure if this is something which happens to everyone or if it's all the fault of my faulty brain, but it does happen to me. About the only time when the family was gone that I did get "the feels" was quite honestly when I saw the Google doodle of the day.

Then the family came home, and I got the best hug-and-a-kiss from my girl ever. Then we went out to eat at Tony Packo's (my brother-in-law's choice, which was fine by me, even though it was not the most vegetarian-friendly place; I had to order the only two meat-free appetizers on the menu...which is neither here nor there, actually), and I got to have more family time. Then, when we got back home, we got to show my kid the new fish tank we got for her...and I got to share in her estaticness. Then I called my dad, and that felt great as well.

Final judgment? I got more done by myself, but I got emotions and hugs with my family. I'll take the latter.