September to Remember: Day 30

30th – 30 in 30; since I’m about to turn 30, it seemed appropriate

Welp, I did it. 30 blog posts in 30 days on 30 topics of my wife's choosing. Brig started strong -- coming up with the contest on 8/31 then posting on 9/1 & 9/2, then 9/4... 9/6... 9/12................. maybe today? Clearly, I'm the only one who took #babblingbridgeseptembertoremember seriously. (Is it trending yet?)

I guess the point is this: I definitely would have finished that Whole 30 if Brig hadn't sabotaged me. (Wait, is this September 12?)

Anyway, don't think this is my grand return to blogging. I can't think of anything I want to do less tomorrow than drum up a new blog post... and without having a pre-chosen topic on top of it. But hey, it got me through the pains of 3 games without Tom Brady (3-0, baby!) and missing Big Papi's final playoff push because we cut cable. Here's to distractions!

September to Remember: Day 29

29th – What I think Brent and my sisters are planning for my (surprise!) 30th! 

Well, we are doing exactly what the birthday girl wants so unless she forgets the incredibly detailed agenda she sent us, she probably won't be surprised.

We are going to the Cape. We are eating. We are dancing. We are celebrating Brigid. Pretty much all her favorite things.

The real surprise is the presents coming her way! Except the one she outright told me she wanted. And the other that she strongly hinted at. And the thing she's been mentioning for months. Oh well, surprises are overrated anyway.

September to Remember: Day 28

28th – Worst birthday ever

I've never had some terrible or embarrassing thing happen on my birthday. There was the year I cut my finger on a deli slicer and had to go to the hospital but that was a couple days after my birthday.

I guess my 30th (not for THAT reason) because Brig got me pretty good with a surprise party. She asked me what I wanted to do and mentioned going to the Patriots Hall of Fame at Gillette Stadium. Brig can't stand football so I knew this was a grand gesture.

So I was all excited to go with her and then a few days later she tells me that she had gotten a text from one of my friends and that they wanted to take me instead. I was a little bummed that Brig wouldn't get to see it but my buddies actually like the Pats so it was still gonna be pretty fun.

We had a great time while there but it was getting towards meal time so I thought we should get food while there. They were all like no, no we'll just pick something up after we get home. I said well can we order something and pick it up on the way? And they said we'll order but have it delivered to the house. I thought that was weird but said OK and one of them went off to order some pizza.

We headed home and I was thinking nothing of it, just chatting as we went up our street. I walk in the house looking for Brig and turn the corner from the kitchen into the dining room and see all these people in the living room. Surprise!

My friends had to convince me not to get food because there was already some at the house for the party. Then one had to make a fake phone call to a pizza place. Then I was somehow oblivious to all my friends' wives cars that were parked down our street as we drove by. Boy was I fooled.

So, no, my 30th was definitely not a "worst" birthday but I was hoodwinked and that's never a good feeling.

September to Remember: Day 27

27th – Best birthday ever

This is a tough question. I can think of some great Christmases but specific birthdays don't come as readily to mind.

When I was younger, I would have joint birthday parties with my sister since we're 12 days apart (and 4 years). Because it was July we always had a pool party. As you can imagine, it was the best.

Of course, my 21st was memorable (from what I can remember) and also my 23rd birthday sticks in my mind as one of the few times we were able to get the whole lot of my high school friends together again.

Lastly, my 28th, but only for what happened the next day.

September to Remember: Day 26

26th – One week til the big three-oh! Birthday posts commence

As someone who has already turned 30, let me pull back the curtain (we just saw Wicked!) on all the associated myths.

It's kind of like the New Year -- the calendar may have changed but your life is still the same. Sure, you're older now but every single day you are older than the day before. You might have a harder time recovering from a night of drinking or from running a 10k but, let's be honest, you've been feeling it a little more the last few years of your 20's already.

Really the biggest difference is talking to young people (mid-20's or younger) and how they react to hearing you're 30. It's funny how everyone is surprised like "Wow, you're so cool and handsome I never would have guessed you were 30." What is this negative connotation the age of 30 has and how is it so prevalent?

All I can do is keep being cool and handsome and showing people that there's nothing wrong with the big three-oh.

September to Remember: Day 25

25th – Six years together w/ B; a celebration of us

Brig told me she'd be writing a full relationship retrospective on her blog today to mark the occasion so, to prevent stealing her thunder, I will simply post this photo from our very first date.

September to Remember: Day 24

24th – Why all pets are better than kids

Well, the streak came to an end yesterday. I had done 22 of these blog posts and gotten them all published on the day of. Until yesterday's cat > dog post which I didn't end up doing until this morning.

Yesterday was my company's 9th birthday as well as the last day of a kid on my team so we went out after work. I got home just before midnight and somehow realized as I walking into the kitchen that I had to get a post up. But when I grabbed my phone it said 12:01 and all was lost.

Anyway, pets are better than kids because it's more socially acceptable to abandon a pet than it is a kid. Although using that as a bargaining tool to make the pet/kid behave better may not have its desired effect since A) the pet doesn't understand you and B) the kid probably can't mentally grasp any other situation but hey.

Pets and kids are pretty similar though in that you need to train them and sometimes they need to be put in their room for timeouts and they can make a mess of the house, etc. I just want someone to impart my vast wisdom to but Binx just wants me to scratch his head.

September to Remember: Day 23

23rd – Why cats are better than dogs

Two cat posts in the same week? This September to Remember is #amateurhour.

September to Remember: Day 22

22nd – Why dogs are better than people

Is this even a question? People are the worst. I don't even like dogs and this is a no-brainer.

September to Remember: Day 21

21st – My take on the first season of the Serial podcast, since I just wrapped it up (only 2 years late) 

My wife might have been 2 years late to the podcast but I never listened to it. However, I pride myself on knowing things so I do have some pieces of the story. Anyway, it sounds like the guy in jail is actually maybe innocent.

The podcasts I listen to are Bill Simmons' The Ringer Podcast (sports) and The Coin Show (nerdy).

I've been a fan of The Sports Guy for as long as I can remember. His articles were always hilarious and when he created Grantland it quickly became my favorite site. When he left ESPN and Grantland was shuttered I quickly realized that my RSS feed had really only been full of his articles. Now on HBO and with a new podcast, I'm glad to be able to listen in again.

The Coin Show is something I just discovered earlier this year. My mother-in-law got me into coin collecting and I thought I'd check to see if there were any cool podcasts. Turns out there's just one but it's awesome. The two hosts are extremely funny and informative. I wish they would update more!

September to Remember: Day 20

20th – Trendsetter post on all the things you might not know about yet, like kale and coconut oil and ombre hair

Trendsetter post on all the things you might not know about yet, like my 5 fantasy football leagues and 1 pick 'em league. Woo!

Like, fantasy football is so in right now. Everyone's playing it and you like don't even have to watch the games! Which is good cuz football = snoozefest.

Even though 6 teams are waaaaay too much to keep track of, I just have so many friends and you know how I can never say no to anybody!

Anyway, you need to wait like 2 weeks to gauge how your draft went anyway before you can really make any moves. So this is pretty much the most important waiver wire of the year. What am I even doing on here right now, I need to go research! JK, as if.

September to Remember: Day 19

19th – Recipe: Homemade cat treats even a feral cat won’t touch

What is this topic even? I guess I'll just talk about my cat. People love hearing stories about other people's pets, right?

My cat is turning 9 next month. That means we've had him almost 4 years now. He's a black and white with the loudest purr you've ever heard.

I had 2 cats growing up (brothers) but they both died before I started high school. So it was nearly 15 years until another feline entered my home and now I was actually responsible for it. The first time I made a tuna sandwich after getting him, he meowed and meowed but I thought, "He can't have this, it's human food." When Brig came home she reprimanded me for not giving him any of the juice from the can. Clearly, I had a lot to learn.

He's been a great addition to our family. He solves a lot of disagreements by seeing whose side he takes. (Literally, we call and clap and try to get him to come to one of us). No hard feelings though because he's just so darn cute.

September to Remember: Day 18

18th – Instagram pointers from someone w/ over 60 followers

I only have 21 followers but hey I'm following 64 people so let's call it even.

Tip 1: Post photos of you in a group. Think of it as built in likes since those people will want to "heart" anything that they're in.

Tip 2: Use an array of filters. Your followers will quickly catch on if you're always using the same yellowish hue or black & white trick. At the same time, don't use #nofilter unless it's legit.

Tip 3: Be funny or be beautiful. Everybody likes to laugh and everybody likes prettiness. Stick to those two things and you'll be golden.

Tip 4: Don't listen to me... I only have 21 followers!

September to Remember: Day 17

17th – Blogging pointers from someone w/ a kickass blog

Rule #1: Supply and demand. If you're posting every day then it isn't that big a deal. You want a new post to be special, for you followers to get excited when they see something new is up.

The only caveat here is if you rarely blog (like me) and need to convince people that you're really back this time. Then doing a post a day isn't such a bad idea.

Talk about things going on in the news/sports/entertainment world but make sure you are knowledgeable enough to speak at length on the topic. People don't read your blog just for a list of links to stories... they want to hear your opinion so make sure to share it.

I've never had many followers but make sure to include them. Do something fun in the comments, ask questions, etc. I don't know, this is never a problem I'll have but from the other side think would be fun. Shoutout to the Froggers (The Public Frog's fanbase, of course)!

September to Remember: Day 16

16th – All the best new fall shows ranked, from someone w/out cable television

1. Gilmore Girls Netflix revival
Brig and I just finished all 7 seasons (my 2nd time) and are all ready for this to arrive on Black Friday.

2. NFL
I mean, obviously.

3. MLB
Big Papi's final season and the Sox look destined for the playoffs. Gotta send him out on top.

4. The Walking Dead
Sometimes I love this show, sometimes I loathe this show but I keep watching so...

5. Modern Family
I could probably quit this show at this point but occasionally they'll have a new episode that feels like one of the old classics and all is forgiven.

September to Remember: Day 15

15th – Home tour; the peek into my life you’ve been asking for all these years

Just watch my wife's favorite video below:

September to Remember: Day 14

14th – Photo tutorial: how to take poorly lit and largely mediocre photos for your blog and Instagram

All my pictures are like this but my old phone was even more messed up because the lens was scratched so everything came out awful. Examples:

Actually, when I got a new phone I didn't even transfer over any of the terrible quality photos so I guess you'll just have to trust me. Feel free to check out my Instagram though!

September to Remember: Day 13

13th – Shrewd political analysis of the 2016 election forecast

Boy, is this timely! I guess people who catch pneumonia aren't suited to be president? Not sure how that works but why the weird backlash? I understand she's older (so is Trump) but people do get sick. Especially people who are travelling all the time and extremely stressed and pretty much every part of the election process for the candidates. FDR had freaking polio and was a great president so why is pneumonia a talking point?

I haven't met a Trump supporter (at least an outward Trump supporter) but they're clearly out there as this is still a close race. Maybe that will change once the debates start (2 weeks!) but it is something. What's really impressive is I can't remember the name of either VP candidate. They were pretty vanilla, right? No Tina Fey, err, Sarah Palin, this year.

Of course, I think the only way to gauge an election year is by how funny SNL is so take this post at face value.

September to Remember: Day 12

12th – Rant about your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend

My wife reads this blog so I am going to PASS on this topic. However, my girlfriend does not so I can go full truth mode on her. (Just kidding, honey!)

September to Remember: Day 11

11th – Rant about a coworker

This topic is pretty timely as one of our worst recruiters just put in his 2 weeks notice on Friday. But he won't be the focus of this blog post. I have a recruiter on my team who uses the word 'myself' incorrectly. And frequently, I might add, which is what makes it so annoying.

I think I tweeted about this (something I do so rarely nowadays that you know it has to be a big deal if I'm mentioning it there) and said "This kid on my team misuses the word 'myself' constantly. He means 'me' but says 'myself' instead. "Can you forward that email to myself?""

Arrgh, it sounds so awful and I just want to yell at him. But I'm no English major; I can't sit there and explain to him why that's not the proper use other than my classically trained ears throbbing in pain every time he says it.

September to Remember: Day 10

10th –Most embarrassing moment in life, described in great detail (bonus points if said moment happened during the fall)

I doubt this is the most embarrassing moment of my life but I must have blocked from my memory whatever the absolute worst thing was.

I was taking Calculus my senior year of high school and the teacher had a very basic question. What makes something a parallelogram. Somehow I get called on. My brain goes completely blank. I'm stumbling over my words and saying correct but not really facts like "it has four sides" and "it's opposite sides are the same length". I'm struggling to find the right word and I'm quietly racking my brain and the teacher isn't moving off me to ask anyone else so there's this awkward silence and the feeling of all eyes on me. If that wasn't bad enough, I hear somebody from across the room say, kind of under their breath but loudly enough for me to hear and probably out of pity or a desire to not waste the entire period on this ridiculousness, "the sides are parallel." I repeated it back to the teacher and then died. I took nothing away from class that day because my head and heart were racing from that soul destroying exchange.

I think the fact that another student had to help me answer was the most embarrassing part. Or maybe the fact that the answer was right in the name of the shape and I couldn't get it. Or maybe because up until that point I thought I was actually smart. Oh well.

September to Remember: Day 9

9th – DIY tutorial: fall nails

The end of the ridiculous blog posts! One more day until we're back to relevant topics. But for now...

BOOM! You're welcome.

September to Remember: Day 8

8th – DIY tutorial: fall hair

Fall hair, hmm...

I'm thinking letting your summer buzz grow back in full.

I'm thinking Movember.

I'm thinking the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz.

September to Remember: Day 7

7th – DIY tutorial: fall makeup

Uh-oh, here comes the rough patch in the September to Remember. Three straight days of DIY tutorials that I know nothing about. How can I turn this into something readable?

Hmm, I can't. Instead here's a video that makes me think of fall makeup:

September to Remember: Day 6

6th – Did I mention it’s fall? Reiteration post on why I’m pumped for fall

It's only Day 6 and Brig is already recycling post suggestions? This might be tougher than I thought.

OK, seriously I'm excited for a certain someone's 30th birthday on the Cape. I don't think I've been off season before and avoided sitting in traffic for hours. We probably won't go for a swim (I'm more of a pool guy anyway) but it's still beautiful and everything should still be open so we'll still be able to do stuff.

I'm excited for the Patriots because duh. More than any other team they are my #1. We'll still have Tom for 3/4's of the season and are still a Super Bowl favorite. The Gronk/Bennett TE combo should really be something to watch. And even if I can't figure out how to get around the no cable thing, it should really be something to listen to too.

I don't even love apples that much but I like the act of apple picking. We actually talked about going this past weekend but I think it's too early in the month. Mid-September just feels right... a couple weeks into the school year equals hay rides and learning apple varieties. Maybe a corn maze. They're a little overrated in my opinion but I think corn is a little overrated too. Wait, why don't they just call it a ma(i)ze? (OMG that joke was a-maze.)

I'm ready for my first Pumpkinhead of the season. Get the sugary sweetness flowing! I don't have time for any of the "real" pumpkin beers -- get it sugared up and tasting good please. Nobody asks for pumpkin pie without any sugar and tasting more natural so I don't see where these beer snobs get off. Are there pie snobs? Maybe I just don't roll in those circles. Anyway, I want to go to Wegman's and end up with a 12 pack of Pumpkinhead and then 2-3 6 packs of other delicious looking pumpkin beers they have out to try. Not always a recipe for success but it is fun debating the merits of beer based only on the description on the label.

September to Remember: Day 5

5th – “Be late for something day” is also “cheese pizza day”, so this post will obviously be about the reaction I get after arriving late to a Labor Day BBQ while grubbing on a huge slice of cheese pizza 

I never considered eating out to be a bad thing and I still think that's true. What you need to watch out for are the unnecessary fast food trips. I classify fast food as anywhere you get served sans waiter (read: don't have to tip). So the obvious McD's and Taco Bell yes but also Papas John & Gino, ice cream parlors, etc.

Since the beginning of March I started bringing a salad to work every day for lunch. For nearly 8 years I had gone out to eat every single work day and I didn't really see a problem with it (read: $$$). But Brig challenged me and I accepted. As long as she made it, I would eat a freaking salad every single day. And I have done it for 6 months now with absolutely no cheat days. I know if I fall off the wagon once and convince myself that just this one lunch out is OK, that will snowball and there will be nothing stopping me from getting back into the old habit.

With the big life change in March I thought I should start paying attention more to what we were eating, or really, where we were eating. If we eat out less and cook more at home, we will most likely be eating healthier food and saving money in the process. Win-win. So I started tracking how often we ate out and specifics like which day of the week and what type of restaurant (fast food, sitdown, brunch, ice cream/bakery, etc) so I would be able to see what our weaknesses were and any patterns that may emerge.

For the first few months it looked pretty good and like we were eating out a normal amount. But July and August have been really bad. I'm sure it is directly related to the season and the fact that we are taking more trips and it's so humid in the house that a nice, cool restaurant sounds great. As the days shorten the further into Fall we get, I expect to see our number of days eating out shorten as well.

To tie this back into today's topic, we have not gotten a fast food pizza in a couple months now. All frozen pizzas for us and none of the big chains. It's amazing to think how overpriced pizzas are when compared to a DiGiorno. Mind you, I'm not someone who ever liked frozen pizza growing up but DiGiorno is actually good. The only time the little devil on my shoulder starts to shout is thinking about Little Caesar's $5 Hot 'N Ready. But so far I've brushed him away every time.

September to Remember: Day 4

4th – Fall must haves

I feel like "Fall must haves" can mean almost anything. I guess I'll make a list of things I would do to make the season worthwhile.

Go apple picking
Jump on a hay ride while at the farm (and try not to get stuck next to any kids)
Inevitably be there around lunchtime and have to eat a terrible hamburger
Drink a Shipyard Pumpkinhead
Listen to Brig call it a "Shipyard" all season even though that is the name of the brewery and not the beer she is drinking
Buy some candy for Halloween (and enough of it this year so we don't embarrass ourselves in the neighborhood and have to shut our light off early. Hey, we were going to a Halloween party that night so we didn't think we needed that much to give out.)
Learn to love Jimmy Garoppolo for 4 games
Sign up for Hulu so Brig can watch all her shows when they come back (read: Modern Family)

September to Remember: Day 3

3rd – Obligatory “Why I’m excited about fall” post

Fall has always been my favorite season. I think it goes back to my soccer playing days -- knowing I'd be hanging with friends and scoring (more than) goals. Fall is the most sense-fulfilling season. You can see, smell and feel it.

Apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin everything (pie, beer, spice latte), cornstalks, cider, turkey, foliage, football, school, a light jacket. What other season has so many things come immediately to mind? Spring: flowers, pastels; Summer: the beach, al fresco, school-less children everywhere; Winter: shoveling, 4:00 pm sunsets, a dearth of life.

Why am I excited about this fall specifically? Somebody has a big, round-number birthday coming up and we have trips planned to the Cape and Portsmouth (not Plymouth ;)). My biggest battle will be figuring out how to watch the Pats now that we have cut the cord. Leave suggestions in the comments!

September to Remember: Day 2

2nd – Best summer reads recap

This is a tough one but last year it would have been tougher since I didn't read anything. Now that I read on the train though I actually have a selection to choose from.

Unfortunately, I went on a real dry spell during the summer months of books I wouldn't rate higher than 3 stars on Goodreads. But there are 2 that stick out that I would deem Best Fiction and Best Non-Fiction of my summer reads.

Fiction - The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle, 1968

Non-Fiction - Pedro by Pedro Martinez w/ Michael Silverman, 2015

The Last Unicorn is 48 years old but really it's timeless. I had heard it was one of the best Fantasy novels ever and I can't say I disagree. It's an easy read; great for both kids and adults. When describing it to Brig I called it a "fairy tale within a fairy tale." (Yes, I quote myself.) I think that is apt but it's also so much more. Trust me on this and borrow it from your local library.

Pedro Martinez is a Hall of Fame pitcher who spent his best years with the Red Sox. He was always a character and one of "The 25" who broke the Curse of the Bambino to bring Boston their first World Series title in 86 years. This was a great book because it showed Pedro before he was an All Star but just a kid from the Dominican Republic following in his brother's footsteps. It's a story with a little something for everyone.

September to Remember: Day 1

One of my favorite bloggers (button to the right) just introduced #babblingbridgeseptembertoremember and I'm gonna give it a shot. A post a day on such great topics as:

1st – Summer wrap up

2nd – Best summer reads recap

3rd – Obligatory “Why I’m excited about fall” post

4th – Fall must haves

5th – “Be late for something day” is also “cheese pizza day”, so this post will obviously be about the reaction I get after arriving late to a Labor Day BBQ while grubbing on a huge slice of cheese pizza 

6th – Did I mention it’s fall? Reiteration post on why I’m pumped for fall

7th – DIY tutorial: fall makeup

8th – DIY tutorial: fall hair

9th – DIY tutorial: fall nails

10th –Most embarrassing moment in life, described in great detail (bonus points if said moment happened during the fall)

11th – Rant about a coworker

12th – Rant about your husband/wife/boyfriend/girlfriend

13th – Shrewd political analysis of the 2016 election forecast 

14th – Photo tutorial: how to take poorly lit and largely mediocre photos for your blog and Instagram

15th – Home tour; the peek into my life you’ve been asking for all these years 

16th – All the best new fall shows ranked, from someone w/out cable television 

17th – Blogging pointers from someone w/ a kickass blog

18th – Instagram pointers from someone w/ over 60 followers

19th – Recipe: Homemade cat treats even a feral cat won’t touch

20th – Trendsetter post on all the things you might not know about yet, like kale and coconut oil and ombre hair

21st – My take on the first season of the Serial podcast, since I just wrapped it up (only 2 years late) 

22nd – Why dogs are better than people

23rd – Why cats are better than dogs

24th – Why all pets are better than kids

25th – Six years together w/ B; a celebration of us

26th – One week til the big three-oh! Birthday posts commence

27th – Best birthday ever

28th – Worst birthday ever

29th – What I think Brent and my sisters are planning for my (surprise!) 30th! 

30th – 30 in 30; since I’m about to turn 30, it seemed appropriate

Yes, I think we're all looking forward to 9/12. But for now... a summer wrap up!

Remember when summer flew by because of the dread of school starting up again? (Except college, of course. Couldn't wait to get away from the parents.) Now it feels like summer flies by because we never have time to do all those fun summer activities.

We didn't go to the beach, we didn't play frisbee or volleyball and we didn't have a beer olympics (in an Olympics year, mind you!). I sure did mow the lawn a lot though. And we bought some great patio furniture.

OK, that last paragraph was meant to sound pathetic... I know how to influence my reader(s).

We actually had a great summer! Syracuse? Plymouth? Newburyport? Philadelphia? Providence? Block Island? I think all of that happened in the summer but who can remember. Brig opened a new restaurant (it's not HER restaurant but she helped open it) and my sister even got engaged.

Wow, what a post to re-enter the blogosphere. I don't want to write too much as I'm still shaking off the rust and the list above makes this look a lot longer than it actually is. Yay!

1-of-30