#311

311 (pronounced "three-eleven") is the name of a favorite band from my college days. They were popular then, a million years ago, so long ago it's a marvel they had electric guitars, steel drums, music videos. Not funny? Agreed. I'm just smarting from my birthday a week ago. And I need more Rogaine. Here's a little trivia: 311 is named after the police code for indecent exposure in Omaha, Nebraska, after the original guitarist for the band was arrested for streaking. People don't streak like they used to. As a parent, this makes me happy. As a person, it makes me sad. Absurdity is part of life, and blatant reminders of this are helpful.

Advice for M 'n' m: You don't have to scratch every itch, and feed every craving. Don't scratch a mosquito bite until it bleeds; don't eat candy until you puke; applies to daring, dangerous misadventures, drugs and alcohol, unrequited love, crabby people and people who don't reciprocate respect, etcetera etcetera.... More unasked-for advice: Lean into things that scare you, at least some of them. Talk to that crush. Push yourself, express yourself, make yourself uncomfortable. Suffer (once in a while, because the sweetest, best moments are the ones that follow busting your ass; I have moments of laziness, I have to face and fight this one every day). More UFA (Unasked-For Advice): Failure is a great teacher. You learn more from wrecks, wipeouts, and defeats. Smooth sailing and coasting victories are exactly zero percent of the best training (think BUDS, Olympic training, Russian ballet, the movie Whiplash, whatever). One of Jeanette's favorite quotes: "A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner." MUFA (More Unasked-For Advice): Sometimes there isn't an option, there's isn't a choice, you can't skip it, you can't bow out, it's what you need to do, you know it, SO GET ON WITH IT! The sooner you do it, the sooner you can stop doing it. 99% is a bitch.

"Things work out as long as you are as relentless as the problems are."
     — Brady Corbet

"Children are expensive"
     — Me