This week I'm recapping SuperBowl weekend and congratulating the Chiefs (and Duncan) on being the first repeat champs in a couple decades.  Just wish it didn't require OT to get there.

Then a nice flip-flop from thinking I'm doing much better with handling stressful weeks to wondering if maybe I really am.  The reality is probably somewhere in the middle.  I'm much healthier than previously, but probably still doing more than ideal.   But if I'm at a place where I can handle it, so be it. 

I conduct my first quasi whiskey review!  Gonna start going through the unopened bottles from Chicago and tasting them on air. 

And of course I drop in my thoughts on Valentine's Day.  The day that I prefer to just downplay.  

Enjoy!

This week we recap the 3 days of skiing in Utah with The Dads, plus a fun new term I learned about the mormons.  No, it's not safe for children.  But it's also not worse than any of the similar games that teens from every other represive religion use.  

Which of course leads into a larger conversation about my feelings about all the various loopholes people will try to utilize to claim they abide by their strict religion without really abiding by the intent.  

And we wrap with a little tiff that Hayley and I got into over the weekend.  I think my recovery from it lasted longer than the incident itself.  But it burned hotter. 

Enjoy!

Continuing my 2024 trend of being rather introspective, I managed to find yet another mental/emotional area that needs serious improvement.  It would appear I'm passing on my emotional dysregulation to the kids.  Or maybe Myles is just a normal pre-pubescent boy.  

Then I scratch the surface around my feelings and options on the current landscape of gender issues.  Spoiler alert, I support everyone and want them to be happy, there are just a few areas where I'm not sure there's an easy answer. Or an answer that anyone is really going to be satisfied with right now.  

Enjoy.

Wrapping up the first very snowy week we've had here in 2 years.  And the fact the kids spent more time home than at school.  By like a 3:1 ratio. 

Then we dive deeper into my analysis of why I ended up the undriven underachiever I am.  I think I've gotten down as far as I really care to go.  Any further and we're getting into some really weird physcho stuff.  Plus some things I don't think I've even talked with Hayley about.  

Then back up for some light-hearted nonsense.  

Enjoy!

The kids finally had their first snow day in 2 years.  The day after being off for MLK day.  And then got a 2-hour delay the next morning because the roads were still icy.  And now they'll likely get Friday as a virtual day when we get another 3" of snow.  

But over the weekend we had a great family ski outing.  All 4 of us.  And Duncan did surprisingly well especially for his first day of the season.

Then I briefly cover my personal and podcast goals for 2024.  Exciting stuff.

Late edition to this episode was the realization and acceptance that I need to be smarter and more realistic about where I'm setting my goals for a successful weekend with the kids.  Dovetails a bit with last week's "I wish I was still 29" conversation.  So I either need to accept normal, or I'm a bad parent and don't like normal.  

And then a discussion on why I've been so grumpy about the state of bowl season and the cause of effect of my rant on Facebook about FSUvUGA.  Stick-tap to Michelle Smallmon from ESPN's Unsportsmanlike for some eye-opening insight.  

New year, same RDP.  

I give an unorganized recap of the trip to Chicago for Christmas.  The travel, extended family party, Christmas day, everything.  In no particular order.  Or reason. 

Then my stick-in-the-mud take on NYE resolutions.  Luckily for you this got shortened because I was running long on time.  Cause I could go on and on about how they're stupid and why.  

So here's to starting year #2 of RDP and hopefully taking it up a notch (soon).  

A full episode of whiskey content.  Just because I can.  And naturally just like last week mistakes were made and things didn't go as planned.  So this ended up being 95% general whiskey talk with my favorite bottles of the year kinda squeezed in at the end.  My bad.  You'd think it'd be different when you see I rambled for almost an hour!

Just like a rookie pitcher in September, I'm hitting that mix of getting it together and having good episodes, and showing some wear and tear and having some rough episodes. Hopefully 2024 goes better than December did...

Recapping how 2023 went for me this year.  My improved mental health, Duncs' huge bump in behavior/happiness, and M-Dawg's adjustment into middle school.  

And actually taking pride in something I've done.  That literally almost never happens.  

Nothing much more to say in this description.  Is that a bad omen for what you're about to listen to?  Maybe.  Or am I doing a sneak...

The universe decided to test me on the morning of recording and threw a few obstacles in my path to see if I'd revert to giving into frustration.  Spoiler alert, I didn't.  Some how.  Maybe I'm actually growing through this podcast...

Then a shorter than expected recap of my super fun work trip to south nowhere Virginia.  

And then a vexing thought experiment about owls.  And Hayley's inability to even entertain it.  

Enjoy!