Anniversary Day

This is not going to be a mushy romantic recap of our 22nd anniversary. It just wasn’t one of those days. That being said, this was a great day.

Have I mentioned how lucky I am to be married to Helaine? It’s true. Even after 22 years. I’ve definitely gotten the better end on this deal. After all, all she got was me!

By the time I got up, the flowers I sent were here. That’s it. That was the anniversary gift. Helaine says we don’t give anniversary gifts. I don’t remember being in that decision making process, but I go with the flow.

We do exchange cards. I gave Helaine three, bought yesterday at Stop & Shop. Damn – as I was leaving, she told me why I was going. Is there no surprise left here?

My favorite was a cute card in Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish. I sort of know what part of the card says… she’s caliente. I guess I could run the rest through Google’s translator, but why spoil the fun?

Steffie has been here for Thanksgiving – her first trip back since starting college. She wanted to go to the mall, and though I enjoy malls as she enjoys museums, I went along.

Helaine and Steffie did what they do, and I did what I do. Bookstore first. Is there anything better for a guy in the mall than perusing the bookstore?

The computer section at Barnes and Noble is a shadow of its former self. I guess computer tinkering isn’t what it once was… or maybe everyone knows everything.

Of course I bought a book: The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby. I had thumbed through it for a half hour before pulling the trigger.

As a photographer, I’m always looking for ways to advance my art (whatever that means). There were all sorts of cool tricks to cover up for my photographic shortcomings.

Once I left B&N, I walked the mall – each and every inch… at least twice… maybe three times. You know, if you walk the mall and just people watch, there’s a lot to see.

More interesting than the stores are the middle-of-the-aisle kiosks. Do that many people want to buy a cellular phone plan in the mall? There must have been a few dozen of those. There was also a kiosk devoted to selling Dragonsoft’s Simply Speaking. That seemed out of place.

I did light for a few minutes at FYE and let a kid show me how to play some auto racing game on an old version XBox. That was actually fun, as I evaded the police, driving as I normally drive.

We ended the evening having pizza at Bertucci’s in Milford (or maybe it’s Orange, I never can tell).

There was actually one more thing we needed to do this evening – take Stef back to school.

Because I’m working Sunday evenings, and because of our anticipation of traffic, we decided a late night jaunt to Long Island would work best. We left around 11:00 PM, spent 20 minutes in the dorm, and were back home by 3:00 AM.

For me, those are prime time hours. And, when you drive at this time on a Saturday, there’s little traffic.

So, the anniversary’s over. And, like I said, it wasn’t gushy or overly romantic. Still there’s something reassuringly warm and romantic about our relationship.

Helaine and I spent lots of time together today, and lots of time with our daughter. I enjoyed nearly every second. Quite honestly, I haven’t had enough of either of them yet.

Isn’t that what love is really all about?

Blogger’s note: I have started to use more photos from my Motoroloa RAZR on the blog. As a camera, it sucks. Still, at the tiny size I use here, it works. If you click on any photo expecting to see a work of art, forget it. Full size, these photos are a disappointment.

Oh – and to make sure this entry is reflected on our anniversary, I have changed the posting time. It’s my blog. I make the rules.