#349

I ate sardines from a tin yesterday. Michael would've eaten them too, but he was eating swordfish on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. M 'n' m are on spring break and it 'isn't my year' as those of us engaged in divorced, joint-custody parenting must enumerate to clarify. M 'n' m have called or texted me from the Bahamas, the Dominican, and St. Thomas so far. Their first time outside the continental US; I'm excited for them. I can't wait to see their travel-widened and -wisened eyes when they return; and I said take lots of pics please. Regarding sardines and swordfish, I'm applauding Michael's palate; he tries everything. He enjoys every kind of fish and seafood, raw (oysters, sushi, poke) or otherwise; game meats and birds like pheasant, Thai noodles, soups, curries; Indian buffets; good ramen (restaurant prepared, I mean, with any number or unusual things in it); Vietnamese pho; sauerkraut, strudel, schnitzel, vinegar and cooked cabbage; kimchi, bibimbap, japchae, and Korean dishes; Greek food, eggplant, lamb, olives, feta; anything with lots of onions; wild morel mushrooms; hot Chicago-style giardiniera; teppanyaki and teriyaki; Middle Eastern fare; and, of course, anything from the Chinese, Mexican, and Italian places we patronize. He even eats my cooking. I read Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. I don't wish that broad of an experience for Michael – Mr. Bourdain recounts some racy stuff, and still pursues uncharted culinary territory it seems – but something of a similar enterprising and open spirit.

The depth and everlastingness of my love for Iowa State basketball leaves me pretty vulnerable this time of year. It's a possessive, obsessive love like the kind I have for M 'n' m. I am especially possessed, so to speak, during conference tournament week and March Madness. I'm joking but only a little; I want badly for the Cyclones to do well; how will I handle M 'n' m in high-stakes competition? I guess I'll be fine if I can pace, turn away, turn back again, and so on. It's stressful, dude. Iowa State won the Big 12 tourney, but were ousted playing for the Sweet 16. Overall, a good season. My blood pressure is normal again; I can enjoy Spring. I was pretty lousy at watching the Cubs in the field during the World Series, also. When they batted? No problem. But when pitching and on D? Different story. One pitch left over the plate, one mistake, can put you in a hole. Then maybe you hope for a rain delay and, for sure, a comeback. It's a little like life around a diamond. 

I'm thinking of giving Michael some mandatory reading assignments. The first? Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. The second? Either Meditations or The Emperors Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. The list is long. If I can get distract him from SNL skits on YouTube....