Don't call it a comeback,
I've been here for years!
Making excuses,
For ignoring my peers.
With updates on trips, for work and for pleasure
Creating fond memories I will always treasure.
- loosely based on 'Mama Said Knock You Out' by LL Cool J
The start of 2016 was no different than the starts of the last few years. The Wife and I joined our friends at their house with more than enough provisions to last us the night with the two dogs. We also had an inflatable mattress,which we would later learn had a small hole that would prevent it from inflating completely. We ended up sleeping in the kids' room.
The festivities of the evening paralleled those we had during Christmas when we took a trip to visit two ailing members of the Wife's family who were staying at the same care facility. One is her grandfather, the other is who would clinically be called an ex-step-grandmother. Marientte, Wisconsin is a small town - even as small towns go. Both my Wife's dad and her uncle's family were in town as well. After a round robin schedule of visits, we all retired to my Wife's grandparents' house for dinner and games.
We played Catchphrase, followed by a rousing rendition of Cards Against Humanity into the early morning, running through every card in the deck. My plays of "anuses for eyes" as my super power and "being a dick to children" for what Batman does for fun, nearly killed my father-in-law, who was battling a cold, either from mold in the house or his trip to Portugal. I guess I'll need to get the inheritance some other way. I was the big winner of the night, having 15 of my cards selected.
We played Catchphrase, followed by a rousing rendition of Cards Against Humanity into the early morning, running through every card in the deck. My plays of "anuses for eyes" as my super power and "being a dick to children" for what Batman does for fun, nearly killed my father-in-law, who was battling a cold, either from mold in the house or his trip to Portugal. I guess I'll need to get the inheritance some other way. I was the big winner of the night, having 15 of my cards selected.
For New Year's we started by playing Asshole, also known as El Presidente in more chaste circles, and always dangerous when mixed with alcohol because who really likes being told, "looks like you're the asshole!" There wasn't a clear winner as everyone had a chance to be the asshole; but I couldn't help feeling the Wife was one, even when she was President.
Food and drink were a welcome salve to any hard feelings from the card game. Afterwards, we played Cards Against Humanity, which I felt we had done to death a week earlier, followed by Catchphrase. I continued my winning streak with 8 cards selected, and we played Catchphrase until one of our friends fell asleep sitting up at the table. And then there were three! The rest of us finished the night playing Wii bowling until well past two in the morning. I found the game to be incredibly realistic as I got the same scores on Wii as I do playing in my bowling league. The Wife, on the other hand, was knocking them down like Kingpin.
The next day could only be described as sluggish, both in movement and in appearance. We had plenty of food from the night before that still tasted good after reheating. TBS had a nice lineup of funny movies (most appropriately, The Hangover) to keep us entertained with low mental impact. By late afternoon, it was time to call it quits, so we packed up and went home. The first day of the year was decent, and I thought I could carry my regular photo-taking excursions into the New Year and try my 365 in 365 project anew.
Image 001: 01/01/2016
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| A panoramic view of St. Paul taken from the High Bridge |
Image 002: 01/02/2016
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| Weather was warm for January - Mississippi was only partially frozen. Downtown St. Paul. |
Image 003: 01/03/2016
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| The last couple of years, the Wife and I like to visit the Como Conservatory as an oasis from the harsh winters. |
