HSM3: Senior Year

I like to pretend I'm a musician sometimes. As a musician, I'm a fan of musicals. I admit, I've grown distant from the musicals of my parents' generation. The Sound of Music doesn't really strike a chord with me anymore, if you catch my drift. But I like a lot of the new musicals and so I have a tendency to subject myself to them from time to time. Most of the time, I'm not too disappointed by them. But all good things come to an end, don't they?

This evening, I completed watching High School Musical 3: Senior Year. My thought process went something like, "Well, I saw the first one that they made and that was kind of rough. But I'm sure they've gotten better since they've made three of them now." Also, "It has the word musical in the title. What could go wrong?" As usual, I talked myself into underestimating the complete pointlessness of anything relating to high school.

Let me interrupt myself by saying that the whole premise of musicals is bad enough. In this perfect environment that musicals paint as normal, you as a normal human will consistently be overcome by such emotion every 7-10 minutes that you will be required to burst forth into song. The songs you will sing will be ones that you've never heard and that you make up on the spot. You will most likely be joined by a potpourri of your friends, random passing strangers, and the ice cream man (or a chimney sweep). They too will happen to know the song you are singing and will join you in your song (unless you are doing a sad solo). The song will end with everyone singing at the top of their lungs, the band/orchestra finishing with a climactic "ta-da," and all your new-found friends continuing about their daily lives as if nothing took place that was out of the ordinary.

Like I said, that's bad enough. But to create a musical about high school in which the characters create a musical about high school and then end by graduating high school and singing about the musical they made about high school - that just takes the cake. Now I realize that the entire production is aimed at a specific age group (just a guess...high school), but can't we at least throw in a couple of songs for anyone who's not interested in basketball R&B or hormonally charged teen love songs?

On top of that, I haven't even mentioned the one thing that got me started on this rant. It was the lyrics to the last song in the show. They go something, but only something, like this: 

High School Musical

Who says we have to let it go?

It's the best part we've ever known

Step into the future

We'll hold onto High School Musical

Let's celebrate where we came from

With friends who've been there all along

Oh yeah!

Oh yeah, baby! You know I only talk to two people from high school on any sort of regular basis? That's what gets me. They make high school out to be this be all end all of your life. You may do other cool things, but high school is cooler than anything and you'll have it with you until you die or get Alzheimers and maybe even after that. Who knows???

I, on the other hand, prefer to forget high school (where I was, like most other kids my age, a hormonally charged, wacky, imbalanced, grade A dork) and think about more positive things like the time I got my head on straight and asked my wife to marry me (and other semi-mature things I've done since then).

Thank you. I appreciate you letting me rant. And by the way, please hold your applause...High School Musical 4 is on the way. Here's a peek for those of you who aren't in the know. 

Too long...

I was relaxing this evening and I had a thought - it's been almost 5 months since we found out that we were expecting Amelia. 

Now, I have to admit that since that day, I've been prone to some really unusual thoughts and feelings. In my entire life, I've never been more in touch with my sensitive side - kinda makes me feel a bit weird. It's to the point that I could even write a good country song if I tried hard enough. But I refrain, and leave the sappy love songs to the men who get paid to write them.

Anyway, that thought that I mentioned back at the beginning caused me to realize how quickly time is moving. Remembering the day we found out is like looking at a photo album - I can see snapshots of things that stood out to me and with each snapshot, a flood of emotions reminds me of how I felt on that day. Anticipation, excitement, anxiety, joy, and fear rush me all at once. Kinda leaves me breathless a lot of the time.

The other thing I realized is how slowly time is moving. As much as I remember it like it was yesterday, it was almost half a year ago. Half a year...shouldn't I have a little girl to hold by now? (My wife tells me that God made it take 9 months for a reason, but I certainly don't see it. I tell her she needs to turn up the heat and I make her take warm baths to make the whole thing go faster. She tells me that it doesn't work like that. I guess she's right - she probably knows a bit more about it than I do.)

Anyway, I guess I'll have to sit and wait for June and continue going through this emotional roller coaster every day of my life. Or I could write that sappy country song I've been wanting to write...

My wife's a mom

And I'm her man

And waiting's just part of the plan

I'll have to hold on if I can...

That's just the way things go when you're in love.

I know it makes no sense - but I'm ADD so get over it.

BABIES!!!!

Click on the title. Do it now. It's a link to pictures of Alan and Tiffany's beautiful twin girls. 

Dare to Love

Vanessa and I decided that we should read The Love Dare. And yes, I understand that the book is meant for one person, but don't be judging me on how I read.

First thing I have to say about it is that it is a fantastic book. I've read "please help my marriage because I'm about to jump off a bridge and so is my spouse" books before and most, if not all, of them say the same thing. They say, "Care about your spouse. Love her. Serve her." This book is different. It actually gives you assignments to make the lessons you're learning practical in your marriage. Example time: We just finished the third day and it specifically stated that when you invest in something (whether it be stock or someone's happiness), you naturally care about it/them more. So, our assignment was to buy something thoughtful for each other not only to show each other our love, but also to instill in our minds a sense of thoughtfulness.

See what I'm saying? What other marriage book have you read that told you in no uncertain terms to go buy your wife a present? That's what I thought.

Anyway, judges say three thumbs up for the book and I give it 19 stars (out of a possible 5). Take the time and read it for yourself, but don't read it unless you plan to act on what you read.

I can say with all sincerity that in the 4 days since we started, I've seen changes in how I treat my wife. By the way, I'm not saying this is a cure-all, and it definitely does not take the place of the Bible, but as a supplement it will do just fine.