Schedule Change

I wouldn’t really call myself a “mama’s boy” but I didn’t exactly move out when I turned 18 or went to college. I went to two colleges that were approximately 15 minutes away from my parents’ house so there really wasn’t a reason to pay for room and board. Sure, I probably missed out on the college experience and (cringe) sex with many, many co-eds but I was fine with that. I’ve always been a money guy. When I was in grade school and had a paper route I’d put all my money into three envelopes labeled save, spend, and car (I was really big in to radio controlled cars back then and I have many worthless trophies to show for it). During my three years at the movie theater I’d take $80 out of my check and put the rest in the bank. Not $100 because that would reduce the savings amount, but $80. How I managed to get by on $80 for two weeks 14 years ago I have no idea (might have to do with that cost of living thing). Anyway, I didn’t move out of the parents’ house until I was 27 and even then only because my job required me to live within the city limits. I moved to an apartment with the old roommate and a year later bought my current house.

Even though I had moved out I still went to the parents’ house every night after work for dinner. Mom, dad, sister and I would eat whatever bland meal my mom made and watch Friends, Seinfeld, or Everyone Loves Raymond. I’d stick around for an hour or so and head home. I was lifting weights during lunch so when I got home it was all free time. I would either do laundry, play poker online, or shoot the shit with the old roommate over a couple beers.

In recent years I’ve been lifting weights in the basement after work/dinner. This has posed a bit of a problem with my nightly schedule. Since my parents separated I cut down the dinner visits to two nights a week, Monday and Wednesday. If I were to lift weights on either of those nights my “free time” wouldn’t start till 7:30. So I stuck to a routine of lifting on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. This pretty much fucked up my Tuesday night pool leagues but I was fine with that. My arms would still be jittery at 8:00 from doing bench presses with 225 lbs.

Then I turned 33. While not exactly old I’m certainly not a spring chicken anymore. But with the big 33 I felt that the whole dinner thing was getting old. How many people do you know who are over 30 and go to their parents’ house for dinner? Almost unthinkable for me, but if I were married and had (gasp) kids I certainly would not be going anywhere for dinner but my own home. So, even though my mom has been an emotional wreck the past couple years I had to put the cabosh on the dinner plans.

And now…

As Dick Vitale would put it…

IT’S AWESOME BABY!!!

On Wednesday I was able to be home by 5:15, took the puppy around the block, lifted weights and had food ready and a beer in my hand by 6:15. Fucking sweet! I was in bed shortly after 10:00 and woke up before my alarm went off this morning. I could really get used to this.

I hope mom can.