Hi! Remember me? Yeah. Pneumonia. And a website. That explains all.

I’m thinking about my resolutions for 2010 a lot lately. I do two sets of New Year’s resolutions, one at Rosh Hashana, and one at New Year’s. This year, I think I have to stop noticing or caring what other people think of me, and that includes all those pesky Google Alerts.

It really, and I mean REALLY bugs the ever loving crap out of me when people get all bent out of shape on what I decide to do with a website. I mean, really. Isn’t the internet big enough that you can do your thing and I can do mine and why on EARTH does what I do affect anyone else at all? So, in order to stop contributing to my own feelings of complete irritation, I’m going to set my world up so I notice far, far less what people are saying. Noli nothi permittere te terere.

I also have to start getting to bed earlier. Jeebus. I need caffeine. 

I have a weakness for the Twitter feed of Rev. Run, as in Run DMC. I generally hate inspirational crap that’s broad and meaningless, the happy blather version of faux psychics or horoscopes giving advice and warnings that fit just about everyone, even random squirrels.

But the Reverend Run said a few days ago: “Happiness is an act of courage.”

Ok, Rev Run, you are right on that one. Being happy is a victory I savor every day. It takes a lot to achieve, sometimes, and the fact that I’m happy, that I love my life, is one of the things I think of first when I literally count my blessings.

Lately one of the things that makes me very content and happy is having a fire in the fireplace, even on a weeknight. Last night Hubby picked up a small bundle of wood (our big order won’t arrive until Sunday) and we had a fire while we had our monthly finance meeting and ate dinner. Just the sound of the fire and seeing it and smelling it relaxed both of us, and it was a much more mellow evening than I had expected.

So Sunday, a big pile of wood will arrive so the fireplace will continue to snap, crackle, and make us happy.

Saturday was a quiet day because Freebird had a fever. But Sunday, despite being 90 and hot, was awesome. Hubby had to go get some furniture out of the beach house, so while he rented a truck and did that, I took the dudes to the Skylands Music Festival, which was very small and VERY hot, but very awesome. Freebird looked at all the instruments (key quote of the morning: “MOMMY LOOK! A BANJO!") and listened and danced to the bluegrass, and Baba followed his brother everywhere, until he got so hot he told me he wanted to go home.

I was honestly a little worried about Baba, as he was red-faced and sweaty, so we left after a little over an hour, but I know Freebird could have stayed and listened to the music for hours. He was so happy. I have to look for music festivals in the area so he can go enjoy them with me. Nice that he likes bluegrass, too. Heh.

We stopped for Happy Meals, which means my car now officially smells like McDonald’s, and then, while Baba power napped, Freebird colored on the patio and then went to the pool for 2+ hours with Hubby. I woke Baba up later and met them there, and by the end of the day they were both so tired, they passed. Out. Which is AWESOME when there’s pizza and wine and tv for Hubby and me.

I love Sundays like that. 

We went to the beach yesterday for the day. For more than two hours, Hubby and I did nothing. I didn’t even bring my phone. No email, no Twitter, no nothing. Just playing in the sand and watching Freebird and Baba O’Riley fill buckets with water and play on the beach.

It was like having something inside my stomach slowly unwind and relax. So perfect. I have to remind myself that a day trip is easy, it’s only an hour away, and we can in fact travel light. Well, light-ish.

I love the beach.

1. I’m 34. Woo hoo!

2. Yesterday, when the sun finally came out, I ran a mile on the treadmill for an abbreviated workout, and then we biked with the boys for 2+ miles through Montclair. I’m kind of appalled at myself. Who is this strange person with the energy? And the bike helmet?

3. Freebird conked out within minutes of getting in the bike seat. Even after driving over a pothole or two, he didn’t wake up. A bike helmet brim banging on your backbone hurts, if you were curious. Ow.

4. I have two mottos for my 34th year:

Never save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow, it may rain.- Leo Durocher

Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress. - Epictetus

Because really, how can you go wrong with a guy named Epic Tetus? 

1. There is nothing better than waking up on your own, and not being woken up by someone else. This is the best feeling in the universe.

2. There is also something to be said for warmth, and 60 degree weather makes me ridiculously happy right now.

3. I’m in the middle of reading a series so good I started over reading book 1 so I could enjoy it more the second time. *BLISS*

I’m in a rotisserie baseball league and have been for longer than I can count. Well, let me try. Um. 10 years?! JESUS CHRIST. I think it’s been since 1997.

I’m horrified. Ok, maybe 1998 but still. What is up with the time and the passing. Is the entire universe on Blog Time where a week is like a year and a half?!

Anyway, enough about my problems locating myself within an appropriately slow-moving space-time continuum.

Last night, Hubby came in second in one of his many fantasy leagues. This one was football, and he didn’t win. But it’s still awesome. Because Sean, who has been playing fantasy sports since the dawn of time, finally won a league. He was one of the original members of Hubby’s rotisserie league, and despite that many years, about fourteen thousand “Time out - gotta look him up” moments during auction drafts, countless different sports leagues, and a wide knowledge of random sports trivia, Sean has never won.

He now has a win. Way to go Sean!

Ok, after uploading that graphic and checking it on the site, I have to say: in that picture, Yogi Berra kind of looks like Sean. Now I’m freaked out. Sean has better teeth though.