This weekend, I hit the road for some musical adventure and fill in the rest with beer, charity events and dog walks.
First things first! The Prompt!
I have a job that takes me away from home a lot. Would you do a job that takes you away from home and from your family for 300 days a year? Explain.
This is a straight up HELL TO THE NO! Not just virtue signaling either as I have done it. The reason I pulled up roots and moved to a small town to do my own thing is in part because of the travel with the big city job. As a single dood, I enjoyed regular travel. Discovering new towns, enjoying nights on the town with colleagues and clients, seeing things that would provide memories forever. Then came my little ones.
I remember being away for 2 weeks when my first child was still in the crib. On the surface, I missed her a bunch because of the new life in our life, helping my wife with the early care, and enjoying those moments. Suck it up and earn that money like a man and she will be home when you get back. When I did get back, I sneaked into her room when she was napping, sat in the rocking chair answering emails 'til she woke up. When she did, I watched her stand up, look around, see me sitting there with a smile. Then, she paused. I could see her rationalizing who she was seeing, piecing it together with 2-week old memories, then a slow smile that was mixed with a little shyness that guts me to this day. A part of her had forgotten who I was from missing the daily routine and I had been gone for what turned out to be a quarter of her life at that point.
It trucked on with that career out of responsibility and started missing birthdays because of flight delays and other shit. A price not worth paying. Not even close to 300 days per year but 60 was enough to GTFO when the GTFOing was good. Now I trade that big money happily for the real things and would do it again.
Now Back to the Weekend
I do a little volunteering and supporting of charities in town and a visit to a multicultural event was on tap. We gathered in a community center to celebrate International Women's Day with a wonderful meal.
Next up, a little road trip to the city as my little one (same one from the crib) is growed up and bought tickets for us to see a concert! I have a #threetunetuesday post all cued up with the whole adventure but this is one of her favourite bands so it was a treat for both of us.
The drive back home was nuts. I was warned that I should stay the night in the city as there were 100 km / 60 mile per hour winds and a snow storm blowing through. Bah! I am no coward and always make it home! Little did I know the winds were not only pushing the falling snow but all of it from the fields on the way home. Several cars in the ditch and the gusts made is to that I couldn't see a foot in front of the lights let alone whether or not I was on the road. I had to stop a few times (I would say pull over but I had no idea whether or not I was on the side of the road) and took it very slow so that I eventually made it home safe.
Back in the Studio!
My harrowing drive home the night before didn't deter me from heading out to another city to jam with the guys. The band has a show in less than a month and we need to learn all new songs well enough to play for a crowd of a couple hundred. No time like the present!
That is a tale for another day after the show but here is a hint at the theme of the show. Possible only the old folks will be able to guess.
Normal Rest of the Weekend
Even recent followers might know I brew a lot of beer with a crew. Weekends usually have a session and this one was no different. Here we are chilling the latest batch of NEIPA in a truly Canadian way. Might as well use what late winter gives us so that we could bring the temperature down far enough to carbonate properly. Probably sample that on the next #beersaturday post.
Funny how quickly the snow comes and goes late in the winter. Warm overnight temps and a little rain wiped it all out and made the dog park rather swampy. Good thing I have waterproof boots and the little guy doesn't even care if he gets his feet and everything else wet.
The sun has set on another action packed weekend. A few more to come this month!
