Mitch here!
I love Kelly’s 10 Things posts so I stole her idea and made a 10 Things post of my own. Kelly’s not the only one with things. I’ve got things, too!
- “I hope the Bears win the trampoline trip, Daddy!” – Emma Larkin Alas, the Chicago Bears did not win the trampoline trip (championship) this year. Nor will they ever likely win another championship. Such is the plight of the Chicago sports fan. Thanks for the support, though, Emma.
- Lucy walked to the park on her own. A first! I’ve dreamed of this day since before Emma was born. We successfully walked to the park with no stroller, no baby bag, no diapers, no wipes, no snack packs, no puke blankets and no backup clothes. Of course, we still each had on three layers, hats, mittens, parkas, snow boots and scarves. And we only lasted 15 minutes. But still. It’s progress!
- I’m apparently not the only one Zillow Surfing. I don’t know what’s come over me. I suppose it’s the whole small children at home during a pandemic stress that has me Zillow-ing listings in random small towns around the country. So when I read this article, it hit so close to home that I nearly fell off my chair. There’s just something so adventurous in daydreaming about an old Victorian fixer-upper that’s about to fall over in rural Georgia. Shout out to @CheapOldHouses for kicking me down this path.
- “How To” with John Wilson is a must watch. We’re out of shows. Kelly and I have made a big effort to watch TV together for an hour each night and we’ve successfully crushed “Schitt’s Creek,” “The Undoing,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “This is Us” and now “The Crown.” But my favorite show of the season is “How To,” partly because it’s totally inexplicable. I mean that literally; I don’t think I can explain exactly what this show is, but I’ll try! It’s a show about a guy who obsessively filmed New York City for decades and then loosely weaved a narrative through seemingly random video clips. And it’s funny and heartwarming and bizarre and disgusting. Just like New York City itself. This show is the best depiction I’ve seen of what it’s like to actually live in New York and frankly, it makes me glad I left.
- I make fresh croutons every day now. Like most of you, I started the pandemic by baking bread at home. I even wrote a blog post about it. But unlike the rest of you health nuts, I’m still making a giant loaf of bread every day. And lately, I’m dicing that bread up, dousing it in oil, toasting it into croutons, covering it with salad dressing and… I’m realizing now how unhealthy this all is. I guess I’m basically eating a loaf of bread every two days. In the words of my life, it’s [probably] fine.
- I haven’t been sick in a year? Talking about one’s health on the internet is strictly taboo, I think. But has anyone else been weirdly healthy this year? I guess reeling in horror when anyone comes within six feet of me and bathing in hand sanitizer has its advantages. This year has made me appreciate just how much time, especially in the cold Chicago months, I spend feeling like crap. It’s good to find the positives during a global pandemic :)
- KELLY LIKES NACHOS. As a result of her aversion to cilantro, Kelly typically avoids Mexican food. (She’s admittedly not happy about it and does tout its excellence regularly—I guess it’s just hard when an herb that is found in most dishes tastes like a rotting rat to her.) But this is a huge bummer for me because Mexican food is a bit of an obsession of mine. Recently, though, Kelly went on a nacho kick and she’s been more open to ordering Mexican as long as I write in all caps “NO CILANTRO PLEASE AND THANK YOU!” (She’s not pregnant.) Honestly, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.
- It’s hardcore Bean Boot Season. Around the middle of November each year, I put away all my shoes and go full time Bean Boot for about four months. So I’ve been Bean booting now for like eight weeks and I just wanted to bring that up because while it’s not being documented, it’s happening.
- I watch videos of people walking around Disney World on YouTube. The last big thing we did before the pandemic was a trip to Disney World with Kelly’s parents exactly one year ago. There was news out about the virus coming out around then, and halfway through the trip, we all admitted to how scared we were becoming. Kelly was actually having a very hard time sleeping because of it. But back, then we were blissfully ignorant of the year to come. So Emma and I have been watching these walking tours of Disney World to remember what life was like before and what it will soon be again. I can’t believe I’m saying this, because before the trip I never thought I’d be a Disney fan. But it was great, and I can’t wait to go back.
- I refinanced my house again. I recently wrote in-depth about refinancing a home, and as an update to that post, I just refinanced our home for the second time in a year. Simply put, refinancing is convincing a new bank to pay off your old mortgage and give you a new one with a better interest rate. That’s a very adult way of saying that I’m saving some money for doing a bunch of paperwork. If you’re a homeowner, look into it!
Mitch. OUT!
