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.