20200925: Random Post 1

 Last Sunday, my flight landed at LAX international at 11:00pm. I was tired, but happy; my flight arrived 28 minutes early and I had zoom school in the morning. My girlfriend and I finished visiting my parents in rural Oregon for the last four months. Cynna, my sister -- whom is pregnant with her second child -- also happened to be visiting my parents with her two-year-old son, Ulysses. Cynna’s old dog, Pepper, a black pitbull-black lab mix, was there too and had “retired” to Roseburg (my hometown) after biting Ulysses a year earlier. My mother called the summer of 2020 “the best summer ever” as her house was full of life again for the first time in years. I’m still trying to decide what to call it.

My mind automatically divides the 4-months into two distinct phases: blissful pre-Ulysses and nightmarish post-Ulysses; his arrival at the midway point changed everything. It’s like going from the light side of the moon to the dark. Hopefully, he reads this short random blog post someday. While he’ll never fully understand (unless he watches the videos at full volume on endless repeat), I’ll be satisfied if he gets an inkling of the little hellion he was as a toddler. My vasectomy GoFundMe initiative is named in his honor.

Of course, I jest, but I reserve the right to change my mind. I’ve never spent any meaningful amount of time around young children, so maybe I was just shocked by the newness of the situation; I lack the necessary empathy, patience, and coping mechanisms. I’ll admit that my self-centeredness would be threatened by the appearance of a helpless and needy poop machine in my life. But, I also must admit that I would derive immeasurable joy from teaching a blank slate how to make massaman curry, can tuna fish, or appreciate art and music. I’m torn, so let’s just say I spent the summer of 2020 enrolled in the University of Hard Knocks (Fight On! is their motto too), trying to earn top marks in Humanity. I’m still waiting to see what I got.