Notre Dame: Happy
If you’re reading this during the week of the Notre Dame game, I’m at the Happiest Place on Earth.
Well, not really. Technically that title belongs to the park out west in California, and I’m on the opposite side of the country at Disney World. But if Land is the “Happiest Place on Earth”, and Disney World is bigger, more expensive, and more attended…
You get the idea.
This is not our first time visiting the Magic Mouse, but it is our first time with three children, all 6 and under. I have no doubt that we are going to have a great time, there will be plenty of moments of pure happiness, and I should consider myself lucky this is something my family can even do. But I know there are also going to be a lot of instances we’ll want to forget the second they happen. I’m already dreading the plane ride in either direction, the first time my middle daughter makes good on her promise of only wanting to see princesses and not wanting to take pictures with Mickey and Minnie, and all the other little moments in between. It’s going to be hard work, it already has been for my wife. Planning one of these Disney vacations is a college level course and oh boy is that final exam a DOOZIE.
But we’ll do it. And there are people out there and in our own lives who will say, “Why?”
And we’ll say, “because it made them happy. And it made us happy.”
And the very valid response to that is: “if it took that much effort, that many tantrums, that much dehydration and foot blisters to achieve happiness… is it really happiness?”
I don’t know. Maybe not. I think sometimes there is a good argument to be made that the only things that are real and tangible, including happiness, are things you have to go out and grab for yourself. Especially as a parent, every little thing seems to take the most massive amount of effort.
“Put your shoes on. No, not those shoes. Wrong foot. Are the other two in the car? Did we grab the diaper bag? She needs you to get her a baby doll. Maybe we should just stay home.”
This is not a “If you want to be happy you need to GRIND more” post either. God knows I believe more in “Disney Magic” than I do that shit. I guess it’s more about accepting that happiness usually costs something. Effort. Discomfort. A little chaos.
“If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
From getting kids to school, to cooking a real meal, to surviving an Aggie football season — the happiest place on earth isn’t a theme park. It’s whatever you build through the effort you’re willing to give.
Song
I didn’t know what to expect with Sturgill Simpson’s “Johnny Blue Skies” rebrand, because I never know what to expect with a Sturgill album, whether it’s bluegrass covers or psychedelic synthy rock. Passage Du Desir is no exception, it’s a mix of sounds and concepts, the one constant being lyrics that move me in a way most do not these days. Whether it’s the way he reminds me of Jimmy Buffet, back from the dead and back on an island hammock somewhere in Scooter Blues, or the way he speaks to me about loss and grief in a way I needed to hear in Jupiter’s Faerie, he remains one of my favorite working artists. This one in particular seems fitting for this week.
“Oh how I wish, happiness left scars too.”
No notes.
Stats
It's a weird deal with the Ags having played two games against relatively easy competition, and the only game Notre Dame has played was against a Top 30 Miami team. I think the two big questions for the Aggies are 1. Can their explosiveness on offense continue against a defense that mostly managed to keep a dangerous Canes offense in check and 2. Will their run game defense be able to hold up against a Notre Dame backfield with a couple of homerun threats.
For the Irish, can they fix their havoc issues that arose in Game 1 on either side of the ball? Their normally strong OL gave up 3 sacks to the Miami defense, and the defense only totaled 1 and was unable to generate any turnovers.
Snack
Look sometimes you gotta have some thing heavily processed, surprisingly good, and have the meal interrupted every 10-15 minutes by a costumed character. If the food happens to be mouse shaped… so be it.