Happy Friday, folks. This week’s been, not exactly uneventful (in fact, on some higher conceptual levels, it’s been pretty damned eventful indeed), but it’s passed quickly and quietly for the most part. Weird Virginia weather, sinus pressure a constant annoyance, the usual political noise, and Valentine’s/Discount Candy Day, depending on your perspective.

Today is, however Friday, leading into a long weekend thanks to Presidents’ Day. I’ll take it.

Today is also the fifteenth birthday of my middle, only male child. We don’t always see eye-to-eye (though with the way he’s grown in the last year, we’re almost there in terms of relative size), and we rarely understand each other (teenagers and their slang, I say!), but all told, I’m not ready to send him back. Birthday plans include a bunch of teenagers eating pizza and playing video games in my house this afternoon/evening, and we’re talking about hitting the Motor Trend International Auto Show in town this weekend to go take a look at a bunch of neat cars and take some pictures. I’m hoping for a little bonding, at least.

I’ve also got some game master duties scheduled for the weekend, and likely some music assuming everyone can get their schedules together.

Of course, all the internet can talk about right now is the fact that around 6pm eastern last night, the Gen 2 Pokemon hit Pokemon Go, and I did take a little time last evening to do the loop around the village green and caught a couple of the new guys, and will probably work at least some of that into the weekend where I can.

So far, my favorite is this one, because axolotls are pretty neat creatures:

Also, since I’ve been saving up high stat eevees and candy for the last couple of months in anticipation, I managed to figure out the trick and grabbed the two new “eevee-lutions” right out of the gate. This one’s not amazing, but it fills the hole, and I can taunt somebody on a gym with him today:

So, anyway, here’s my soundtrack for the morning: pretty standard, but oh that drum break on #2:

1. “All Messed Up” – The Donnas
2. “In The Air Tonight” – Phil Collins
3. “Starman” (Remastered) – David Bowie
4. “In Your Room” – The Bangles
5. “Easier Said” – Sunflower Bean
6. “S.O.B.” – Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
7. “Tainted Love” – Soft Cell
8. “Runaround” – Blues Traveler
9. “Songs From The Wood” – Jethro Tull
10. “Carry on My Wayward Son” – Kansas
11. “Open Your Heart” – Madonna

Oh, and to keep the Stranger Things news coming (because that’s what I do now), yesterday, Rhode Island congressman David Cicilline compared the current administration to being trapped in the alternate world of the Upside Down. Here’s some of the choice bits:

Mornings might be for coffee and contemplation, but Chief Jim Hopper is not coming to rescue us.

This is not a TV show. This is real life. We have a president unlike any we have ever known. And like Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Eleven, we must remain focused on the task at hand and hold this administration accountable so we can escape from our own version of the upside down.