At the macro level, my New Years' Day for 2014 consisted of getting up early, driving 4 hours to Pittsburgh, delivering some late Christmas presents to the 3 grandchildren there, picking up Tanya and her family, driving 4 hours back to Silver Spring, grabbing a quick snack, heading downtown on the Metro to watch a Wizards basketball game at the Verizon center, and after the game, coming home.
Not my usual day off. In between the big stuff, there were many smaller things. Like showing up in Pittsburgh and seeing two families that I had left in Oklahoma just a few days before. I imagine the kids thinking that grandpa is everywhere. Lydia wanted to play with some party balloons - she remembered from our trip last summer when we had played with some balloons they happened to have. I'm amazed at their ability to remember things like that - though why shouldn't they?
Colin wanted to climb the stairs, so I supervised while he did that - Maeva came along too. A little before noon we headed out for the drive back to Silver Spring. When I drove up, early on New Years' morning, the roads were almost deserted. At a couple of the Pennsylvania Turnpike rest stops, I could count the number of cars on one hand. But by the time of the return traffic, there was quite a bit of traffic, and dozens of cars at the rest stops. I was glad that the traffic wasn't heavier, as we were able to get back in plenty of time to make the 6 o'clock game start.
The Verizon Center is about the easiest arena imaginable to get too - steps from the Gallery Place Metro stop on the Red Line, which runs through Silver Spring. Yet in 10 years living here, I'd never been to an event there. Tanya and Sylvain wanted to see a pro sports game while they are here, and the January 1 game between the Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks was the only possibility.
It's worth going to a game, if for no other reason than to wonder why so many people like to go to them. It is quite a spectacle - a variety show of sorts - with dancers, singers, acrobats, blimps, music, lights, food that can't possibly be good for you, and some overgrown men in shorts running around with a ball. In the end, one team had more points than the other, and we all went home.
Now everyone is settled in for the night - except me and I'm headed that way. Tomorrow we'll have some more adventures.
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