Halloween Prep

Hey folks. Azja again. It has been a little while. Were you wondering how the road trip back went? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway. First of all, yes we once again drove straight through. And secondly, 29 1/2 hours this time, 30 minutes more than last time (we took the long way out of Oklahoma and hit some traffic in the Tulsa area). Now that your main questions have been answered you may be wondering how we were able to once again drive 29 hours straight through. I'm actually wondering that myself. I couldn't seem to stay awake for more than 20 minutes once we would get on the road. I don't know if it is the vibration or my comfy car seat or the fact that I'm staring backwards and can only see Mom and Dad through a mirror, but something about car travel makes me sleepy. I guess that worked out for all of us. The story is that Dad was just really excited about getting home and being able to have Sunday to unwind. So we hit the road Friday afternoon and drove and drove and stopped for an Azja and Eddy the Dog break and drove and drove and stopped for an Azja and Eddy the Dog break and drove and drove....you get the idea. Dad loaded up on the driving and let Mom get some much deserved rest. He got to feel a little of that crazy determination that allowed Grandpa Vogt to drive the entire way by himself several years ago. He said the couch was calling. I think he may have also been excited about playing with his records, as he has been doing a lot of that since we got home.

One thing we have all been doing a lot of is sneezing a coughing. We brought back several things from Oklahoma: gifts I received from friends and family, music Uncle Greg lended us (I'm obligated by the recording industry to say we are only borrowing it), a six-pack of Fat Tire, and colds. Yes, colds for everyone. Up until this point I thought the worst things you could experience in life were dehydration, gas, hunger, and a dirty diaper. Currently the cold has topped my list. I'm not a fan. My nose is always blocking up with stuff that Mom and Dad have to suck out with a little blue bulb. I wish I could just blow it all out, but I don't have that much control yet. I get so jealous when Mom and Dad blow their noses in front of me - show-offs. So between cleanings I have to pant and sniffle, and it is ridiculously difficult to get good sleep. I guess the one thing I can be thankful for is that I don't have a sore throat or sore ears like Mom and Dad keep getting. And my cough is definitely not as bad as theirs. Especially Dad. Some of his coughing fits sound like the Big Bad Wolf blowing a house in. I just can't wait to get past this cold so we can go back to the normal routine - 4 hours of sleep in a row. I think Mom and Dad are actually more excited about that than I am. I could lie awake staring at them (and ceiling fans and corners of the ceiling where Mom and Dad are convinced I'm seeing ghosts or something, as I smile and follow invisible things with my eyes) for hours, but they seem to have things to do during the day that don't allow for constant napping. Anyway, the point is if you have a chance to catch one of these colds - don't. They aren't fun. It's not like catching a movie or catching a football. Both of those things are considered fun. Catching a cold is the opposite of that. You'll be smiling and happy, and then you catch the cold and immediately start frowning and (in my case) crying. I'd much rather catch a movie, even something as bad as 'Happy Feet' or 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. Actually, I'd rather have a cold than watch 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'.

So I'm pretty excited about this Halloween thing coming up. We went down to Reading this last weekend to help Jay and Hallie decorate for the big party at the end of the month. Dad and Jay worked on putting up black plastic everywhere (if you want to see a good example of the black plastic they used, check out the attached pictures of Dad's office - he covered the walls with the stuff - he really goes all-out with the office Halloween decorations). Mom and Hallie decorated the dining and living areas. I did my usual - sleep, cry, eat, and other. I also tried to talk some. This is a new thing I've been doing since around the time of the Oklahoma trip. I open my mouth and make sounds other than crying. I try to make my sounds similar to the sounds Mom and Dad and other people make, but I find it difficult to add structure to the sound. Eventually I'll be able to form what Mom and Dad refer to as 'words', which are sounds that mean something. For now, Mom and Dad are entertained enough just by my occassional non-cry outburst of sound. Anyway, when they finished putting up the decorations Dad walked me around the house to show me, and I was pretty impressed. This was another level beyond ceiling-fan impressive. I can't wait for this party. Mom says I will have a costume to wear. A costume! Wow! I honestly don't know what that means, but I'm stoked about it nonetheless.

As I said before, Dad is DJ-ing the party as DJ Hazbro (or DJ Hasbro - the 's' is for his kid-friendly part of the set, although I've heard his sets, and I don't think a kid-friendly part exists). So he has been practicing a lot lately on his turntables. He continues to improve, and I think by the time the party comes around he will be one with the vinyl, to put it in Zen terms. I'm still in love with his 'Bat for Lashes' mix, but he has a few other mixes that are really starting to shine. But don't take my word for it, just ask his mixer power ninja.

TTFN,
Azja