Life Is Such A Sweet Insanity.

Today’s my sister’s birthday. Happy birthday, sis!

Edit on 7/20: I finally found the original picture I wanted to use. 🙂

Friday morning Earl and I decided that we had had enough with Soggy Seagull Municipal Airport at Jacques Cartier State Park. We had spent the night watching the skunks surround our camper and were dog tired, but we packed up the camper and headed home, two days early. Camping is fun, but not in the middle of a swamp.

When we got home, we unpacked everything and then decided to explore the fine capital city of Albany, N.Y. We don’t live that far from Albany, but we always seem to head in the opposite direction when we’re going out for the day, so we headed east. We walked around the downtown, explored the suburbs, admired the old brownstones (we’re going to live in one someday) and then headed to the Crossgates Mall to go to stop at the Apple store to pick up the last things I needed for the music studio and to go to the movies.

I must say that I enjoy the full sized Apple stores much better than these new concept stores that look like you’re standing inside a giant iPod. I don’t know why Apple is starting to go with these little stores, especially in a mall the size of Carousel Center, which will become the largest mall in the country if/when it becomes DestiNY USA. The normal sized Apple stores are much more comfortable to shop in, have the added bonus of the Genius Bar and just make for a better Apple experience. Anyways, I was able to pick up an M-Audio FireWire Solo, which takes the audio output from my mixing board and allows the signal to be recorded by my Mac Mini. (The Mac Mini does not come with an audio input). A few cables later, I was good to go.

While we were at Crossgates, we took the opportunity to see “War Of The Worlds”. I’d rate it with an “o.k.”. The special effects and cinematography were amazing. Tom Cruise was adequate, but am I the only person that finds Dakota Fanning a little freakish? All in all a good day.

Since we were still on vacation yesterday and because the house is just too weird without Tom doing his thing, we decided to drive the Hudson Valley all the way down to the Tappan Zee Bridge. We stopped in Rhinebeck at a fabulous trendy restaurant where there was a lot of chic and a lot of gay going on. I wish I could remember the name of it.

We then headed down Route 9 through towns and villages all the way to Tarrytown, where we crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge and went to the Palisades Center. We caught another movie there, this time it was the “Fantastic Four”.

Awesome movie.

I really like comic book based movies anyways, and this one is one of my favorites. There was a cool “average guy with special powers” vibe about the film and it’s one of the few movies I’ve been to in a long time where the majority of the audience applauded at the end. Plus, the eye candy (especially Chris Evans) throughout the movie was a nice added bonus.

Then it was the four hour drive home. We did o.k., but took a couple of catnaps in Thruway parking areas.

Today we’re going to a graduation party for one of my cousins and then going up to my Dad’s to pick up Tom and calling it a vacation.

Earl and I made the move today from Cumberland Bay State Park on Lake Champlain to Jacques Cartier State Park along the St. Lawrence River, between Alexandria Bay and Ogdensburg. We are at the top of the 1000 Islands. A big freighter was headed lake-bound just a short bit ago, headed for the Detroit, Mich. area. That’s kind of cool.

Our site here is completely different than the site at the other park, in that it’s in the middle of a flooded field. There’s about a 1/2-inch of water covering the entire site, so everything, including our moods, is a bit soggy. It’s also 90 degrees with humidity hovering around 90 percent. We are also apparently located on a favorite landing site of the local seagulls, as they are constantly screeching past the camper having some sort of fit about us being parked in the middle of their runway. Perhaps the official name of this site is “Soggy Seagull Municipal Airport”. Earl has parallel parked himself in the camper at the dining table with a fan aimed at his bear chest. It doesn’t look as kinky as it sounds. Drats.

This park is a little more tightly packed than the last. It’s a nice enough park, it just has a cozy sardine feeling to it. The showers are much cleaner, which is a plus.

The drive today was very enjoyable, along the ‘rooftop’ of New York State, within just a few miles of the Canadian border the entire way. I’ve mentioned before that I’d like to live in the midwest someday. I think there are two things that appeal to me about that area; the slower pace and the flat terrain. The northern most areas of New York State mimic both, and if the opportunity was there, I wouldn’t mind living anywhere between Massena and Plattsburgh. Plus, I could enhance my knowledge of French with all the Québec radio stations in the area.

I’ve told Earl that if he wants to leave early I wouldn’t fuss about it. He said he’d sleep on it. Let’s hope he does.

Today I’m celebrating my 37th birthday here at beautiful Cumberland Bay State Park. The weather is gorgeous, with a mild breeze coming across Lake Champlain from the south. The sky is sunny, the temperature is mild at 79 degrees.

Being the type to constantly take stock of my life, today is really no different than any other day in that regard. Then again, perhaps it’s a little different because I’m looking back at the past 37 years and thinking about where I’ve been, where I am and where I’m going.

I have no regrets. There are many things I’d still like to accomplish during my life, but I’m happy where I am today. I’m lucky to have found the love of my life at an early age. I wouldn’t trade in one moment with Earl for any other and I look forward to honoring the tradition of “’til death do us part.” Hopefully that won’t come any time soon.

I’ve been adventurous enough to be on my third career and being a mild success at it. Not bad for a guy that went to college for something entirely different than what I’ve ever done and I never had earned that college degree anyways. I probably will never earn a college degree, as I’m too busy learning and being fascinated by life to settle down and get a formal education. Unless I follow my self-employment dream and finally become a barber. I’d really like to be a barber.

One thing that I would like to learn is French, but being the practical one I would like to learn the Québecquois variety. I want to be able to speak it, I want to be able to write it and I don’t want to be embarrassed by my pronunciation of it. I remember bits of my high school French classes. Je m’appelle Jean-Patrick. Comment t’allez vous?

I want to sky dive. I’ve bungee jumped, now it’s time to do the real thing. Now to convince Earl that I would survive the ordeal without the need of a bionic rebuild after I landed.

I want to be a private pilot. I’d like to own a brand new Cessna Skyhawk and tour around the continent by air, without the hassle of baggage claim or the worry of a terrorist sitting in the seat next to me. I’d like to make my father proud by following him on a flight one Sunday afternoon, kind of like we did when I was a kid.

As Earl plays Solitaire at our picnic table and I read bits of this entry to him, he comments, “Finally! At 37 years old, he’s finally finding himself.”