30 is a magic number

It's been nearly two weeks since my last blog entry, and, wow, what a crazy two weeks it has been. First of all, I must say, moving is as much fun as spending a day at the amusement park - a park with a roller coaster that runs off the tracks, a merry-go-round that eats people, and a PA system that's stuck on a repeat of "Mmm-bop." While Jennifer and I love our new apartment, we're trying to deal with some of its quirks - like our kitchen with no counter space, our bathroom with no towel racks, and our radiators with no heat. Well, the heat does work most times; it just decided to shut off a couple days before St. Patrick's Day, during the coldest part of the month.

For four days, Jennifer and I bundled up and sat still on our couch as I burned the rest of our furniture and most of her shoes in an effort to keep warm. The little one, meanwhile, would kick Jennifer mockingly, as he enjoyed the heated shelter of the womb.

(Above: Our bedroom on St. Patrick's Day)

Our landlord, who lives on New York's tropical Island of Staten, apologized profusely for the lack of heat and called the gas company to come fix the furnace, saying she'd pay anything to get heat back on. She didn't have to pay much; the problem was with the thermostat, which is locked up in the basement. Turns out the temperature was set too low. So, the repair guy turned it up, but way too high, and for the rest of the week I wore nothing but a Speedo.

After the Great Thaw, I spent a lot of time getting the nursery ready for the big arrival. We unpacked many of the boxes still in there, and cleared away enough space so I could start painting the room. We're making it green and white, like a key lime pie with whipped cream, because we want our child to be hungry all the time. Plus, with green walls in his bedroom, the little one will feel at home when he visits Fenway. It's all part of the plan.

Last weekend we went back to Massachusetts for a wonderful Easter family reunion at my Aunt and Uncle's place in Rockport. There was a lot of food, a lot of laughter, and a lot of "thump-thump-thumps" caused by the feet of my one-and-a-half-year-old twin cousins. It was such a good time, I almost forgot that it was the last day of my youth.

Dawn broke the day after Easter, and I felt a crick in my back. Someone, somewhere, was playing music too loud, and I had a sudden desire to start eating dinner at 4pm. And that's when it hit: I had turned 30.

No longer am I a careless twentysomething. I actually have to take responsibility for my actions. I'm going to be a father! Plus, I'm starting to look too old to get the college student discount at the movie theater. So sad. It's a lot for a person to take, and a weaker man would have spent the day drowning himself in beer and cheap tequila shots. Unfortunately, I couldn't even do that, since I had to drive back to New York.

Jennifer, though, knew exactly how to pull me away from those AARP membership applications. She surprised me with a dinner at Peter Luger Steak House. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Peter Luger's, it's perhaps the best steak in the world. Their German fried potatoes aren't so bad, either. As you can see by the picture to the right, I was a very happy man. Things were looking better.

So, maybe turning 30 won't be so bad. I'm looking forward to a lot of great things this decade - the birth of our child, Jennifer's new law career, my first day as a New York City cab driver. And at least I haven't hit 40 yet. Those people are REALLY old.

That's basically all that's been going on. Jennifer was off this past week, and we got a lot more stuff done around here. We even picked out a crib, so the little one won't have to sleep on the floor, as we originally planned.

Also, on Wednesday, Jennifer finally got word from her doctor's office that she PASSED the Glucose test! Now, all she has to do is pass the bar. I'm sure that will be just as easy.