Bad Week

Hello there, my favorite readers in the whole world. FYI, if any of you are emailing Cor and I and wondering what the hold-up is, you must remember that we have no internet in our residence yet. Please be patient with us and just use the telephone if it’s a serious emergency.

So! Last week was terrible. I lost my temp assignment, Corelyn got dreadfully sick (she is actually still recovering), I had to plant a tree in bad soil, and we discovered a lot more credit card debt from the wedding than we thought we had. For me, it’s just one more load upon the ol’ shoulders.

It’s weird how absolutely nothing can prepare you for the lifestyle change that marriage and adulthood brings. I think it’s even more pronounced for me, because I hit both at the same time, right out of college. I get the impression a lot of other people ease into it. Suddenly, we kind of have…nothing. It’s like living an entirely different new life where you must begin from scratch, even though you’re still accustomed to the old one you had. I’m used to being able to keep up on TV shows, and new releases from my favorite artists, but I can afford neither audio discs nor cable at my home. I’m used to, you know, eating things, but it’s tricky affording that too. And, of course, I already owe a credit card company a lot of money, and I don’t even own a credit card (don’t blame Cor for that, every inch of that debt comes from our wedding).

I’m a person who thrives on having a comfort zone, but I really feel like I have almost none now, and of course it’s only going to get more pronounced when we’re on the other side of the country. I talked to Corelyn about this, but she admitted that she has not noticed this feeling even close to as much, since she’s living down the street from where she used to, and is still working at the same exact job. Anyway, it’s a new experience, but I’m happy to be striking out into the frighteningly new, rather than languishing in comforting familiarity. As Corelyn put it when we discussed this on our honeymoon, “That’s the Allen in you.”

We had a lovely visit from Cor’s father this past weekend, as my wife came out of the tailspin of symptoms that had been attacking her for days on end. He’s in Alexandria on business, and was kind enough to road trip over to C’ville to have dinner with us, watch us play Wii, and discuss “The Dark Knight” with me. We headed to a South-African-styled restaurant called “Shebeen” (not sure about that spelling) on his insistence that he needed a good hamburger/steak, and indeed we discovered just that.

So the tree! I’m sure you’re wondering what happened with the tree. Well, it was quite an ordeal. I drove over to Carlos’ (the landscaper friend of Cor’s mom who got us this thing) the other day and led him to Ms. Lake’s residence. Upon arriving, Carlos deduced two things very quickly: 1) That the chosen spot was no good, 2) The soil in Cor’s mom’s backyard wouldn’t play nice with the tree. Oh joy. Carlos laughed at me, “This is more than you bargained for, isn’t it?” Yes, Carlos. Yes it was. Still, with a little sweat and work ethic, we got the thing in the ground, and I paid the man for his time. I’m not getting into details, but I must admit I couldn’t help but laugh at myself as I exhausted an already pitiful bank account in order to acquire…a tree.

Nonetheless, dear reader, I learned a few fascinating tree tips you may want to take home: 1) Don’t mulch a tree. It’s a waste of time and can choke the tree, 2) If you put compost or such things around a tree, never let it touch the actual tree trunk, as disease can get in that way. Neat stuff. Take that home with you and never say I didn’t do anything nice for you.

“The Dark Knight” is a mere four weeks away, people! Can you FEEL it? I can feel it. We’re getting so close I can hardly sit straight anymore. Corelyn has been dutifully plowing through even more relevant Bat-canon in order to prepare for the big day; last weekend she obliterated Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s “Batman: Hush,” and now she’s working through Frank Miller’s “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” I must have the coolest wife ever. Weep with envy, other Bat-fans.

Also on the “get excited” list, “Wanted” comes out this weekend. It’s a straight-up actioner starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy (who my wife would likely run away with if the opportunity presented itself), and directed by a Russian fellow whose name I cannot recall. The reviews so far are stunningly positive, and it looks to be the first really great shoot-em-up action movie in a long time. I recommend it for anyone in the mood for a few thrills this weekend.