Home Sweet Home

The 23rd installment of NaBloPoMo (not that far to go!) concerns being home after a week away, the horrors of long road trips with toddlers, and the simple joy of sifting through a week's worth of mail.

We pulled out of the garage at 4:15pm. By the time we arrived at our destination, it was 10:50pm. Six and a half hours, three stops and a pounding migraine was the tally for the latest sojourn of our fast-growing family. The trip was my idea in the first place, and also my folly. The week spent with my parents was very pleasant, but the excruciating ordeals masquerading as road trips on either end tempered my enthusiasm to repeat the process. For the trip last night, my amazing wife spent the vast majority of the trip in the back with the toddlers, trying to get them to (a) stop whining and crying, and (b) go to sleep. Eventually, they did both, about three quarters of the way through. Our infant, aside from the need to nurse about 45 minutes after setting out, slept the entire trip. I'll take the small victories where they occur.

There's just something about coming home after being away for an extended period, regardless of how good or bad the trip was. The sense of familiarity, comfort in known surroundings, and the chance to fall back into the old routines makes it a pleasure coming home. Finally, back in our own bed, with our own pillows, in our own room! Even though we're outnumbered by our kids again, three to two, there's no place like home. One of the things I look forward to most is the chance to dig through a large pile of mail. Some people may find it tedious or ridiculous, having to sort through the junk mail, political fliers, supermarket ads, charity donation requests, health club membership specials, and so on, but for me it's still fun. You just never know when something good is going to arrive.

One of the spoils waiting for me upon arriving home was a copy of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, from a Goozex trade. This particular copy had not been opened, so it was particularly fresh, and a great trade for me. During the toddlers' naptime, I loaded the disc into the XBox 360 and took it for a test run, to make sure it actually was the right game and that it did work as advertised. I caught myself snickering slightly at the humor in the opening cutscenes, especially considering the self-deprecating references to the older entries into this game franchise. I only had about 20 minutes to play, though, before one of the tots decided to wake up and need my attention. Considering how many other games I've started and never gotten back to, it's my wish to go back and give this more attention.

The impetus for my initiating the trade for this game comes mostly from this article at Kotaku, where the author discusses the bravery of the developers to take the game in such a radically different direction from the previous installments. This, combined with the review and subsequent discussions about the game by Anthony Gallegos, which I listened to during a time when I had given my 360 to my brother and had no access to a system to play the game on, made the decision simple. It was an experience best had myself, as opposed to vicariously through others.

Tomorrow should be an adventure in and of itself, as my wife's family are all coming by for a birthday party for the twins, their second. I know for a fact that the gift from my mother-in-law is a small trampoline, complete with handle for a toddler to hang onto while jumping. My daughter is incredibly fond of these, having used them at various classes and groups she attends weekly. When she's not at class, she substitutes the arms of our couches for the bar and the cushions for the trampoline. Another favorite substitute is her crib, as the sides and mattress fill in admirably for the trampoline, although it is much louder (probably a benefit in this case). All in all, it should be a great time, and who knows? Maybe I'll get some blog fodder out of it.