Impeding fatherhood has had me pondering my future pretty much since the second that Brenda showed me the fateful pee stick. I’m back in school, but with an unclear vision as to what destination that will bring. Right now, it just seems like something I should do. We’re moving (more on that over here), partly because the new house, yard, and neighborhood are all more conducive to having a toddler around. Our jobs are obviously going to change somewhat as we try to juggle bills, time, and the Lil’ Screamer (you’re not allowed to leave kids alone for more than four hours, are you?).
Anyway, my blogging has been somewhat less than consistent. I’ve been trying to keep both I Radio Heaven and Becoming Daddy up, but I haven’t revisited their respective purposes. So, I’m going to work on a new plan for both of them. I hate posting goals–or even writing them, since I’m the type of person that thinks that setting your alarm clock to get up early in order to exercise is practically better than actually working out–but I will let you know that I am going to repackage these two little spots on the web that I maintain to stroke my ego. All of my personal stuff is moving over to Becoming Daddy, since all of that really defines who I am as a person and subsequently as a father. This will be all of the political stuff, music stuff, restaurants, media, book reviews — all of it. I’m keeping I Radio Heaven as strictly a music, food, and drinks blog. I wasn’t going to keep it, but I started thinking about where I am now. Right now, I’m the bar manager at one of the best restaurants in the city. For example, we’re about to be featured in Esquire Magazine again. (In case you forgot, that’s twice in less than two years.) My cocktails have been mentioned in D-List Magazine, I have a shout-out coming on the Bombay Sapphire blog, and I very, very nearly won a contest that would have gotten one of my originals in the December issue of GQ (I lost because the liquor that was sponsoring the contest wasn’t the dominant flavor in the drink). I say all of this not to illustrate my non-existent awesomeness, but to point out that I have a unique opportunity (because of my position) to try some of the most unique and delicious ingredients out there, and the owners of my restaurant are very gracious in allowing me to experiment and create some very unique things. I’m not nearly up to the level of some of the guys around here (seriously, molecular mixology? I failed chemistry sooo miserably . . . ), but I’m working at it.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if I stay focused on the future, I’ll miss the great place that I’m in right now. I probably won’t retire a bartender, so I need to work on something else. But, while I’m doing what I’m doing, I should have fun with it, learn from it, and try to grow through it.
