So I watched a man not get eaten by an anaconda this weekend like he had originally promised.

“Moooooooommmmm, you said you were going to buy me a new water bottle today and watch the end of that movie with me waaaaaaah and pack me an actual lunch instead of whatever you find at the back of the cabinet and fridge and I still don’t have any bathing suits that fit me….Moooooommmm you promised.”

“Yeah, well at least I didn’t promise I was going to get eaten by an anaconda and then, you know, not. See kids! I’m not the worst. Thanks Discovery.”

I gotta say, not the worst feels pretty damn good.

Actually, even though I have found myself busier unemployed than I was whilst employed, mostly due to the whole trying to buy a house and sell a house process, and then there was that time that I went to Italy, things around our house have been the very best kind of different since I stopped working.

Last night, this happened.

I played only three seconds of a song for my son just minutes after we finished watching the Bills game.

“America, Simon and Garfunkel, Almost Famous.”

“And this is why you are getting a record player and vinyls for Hanukkah this year.”

It was an experiment of sorts. He passed with flying colors. I don’t even know when it happened, but my strong, silent-type boy who only loved video games I couldn’t pronounce and books I didn’t understand, loves things that I love. And wants to talk about them. With me.

(source)

Last week, this happened.

“Mom, I’m thinking of a song of yours. Help! It’s sort of poppy, but not. It’s sort of country, only not really. It’s a little folk, but maybe not at all that. It’s sort of old, I think, and it’s a dude singing. Probably. And I think there’s a river in it.”

“Well, that’s helpful, Emily.”

“Oh, maybe there’s not a river in it.”

So, we spent a lot of time brainstorming. And I found it. Goodness, you guys, I figured it out and basically felt like a superhero. It was “When The Night Feels My Song” by Bedouin Soundclash. If you know the song you know that no, there’s no river in the song. See? Superhero.

Cuddling has increased. Not-checking-my-phone-in-between-turns Catan games have increased. Taylor Swift dance parties are aplenty.

It’s safe to say that I really like not the worst.