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Guys, this has been a really, really weird month.

The first two weeks were dry and mild, with barely any snow to speak of - even more mild than back in 2020.  Most folks figured we'd just transition right into Spring, and, despite the consequential lack of Snow Days, I was pretty cool with it.

Then the snow came.  In piles.

We had two weeks with five Snow Days - not nearly as bad as in some previous years, but a pretty far cry from the bizarre mildness we'd had all winter up to that point.

Weather aside, this month was pretty busy with Pom and Orchestra (as usual), with a few parties and get-togethers thrown in for good measure.  Pretty normal month, all things considered.

So here you go, folks - this year's installment of the shortest month of the year.  Enjoy. 

One of my favorite activities for Unit 3 in my curriculum (which covers Westward Expansion and the antebellum Social Reform Movements) is having kids play through the legendary computer game Oregon Trail and journal their progress along the way.  Found a free emulator online and posted the link to my Google Classroom.  Kids, as expected, are absolutely terrible at it, but Yours Truly is a pro - I made it all the way to the end of the trail during every, single class period.

Abby has gotten ridiculously good at drawing.  It's crazy how genetics work - she definitely got the Artistic Trait that runs through our Hough family.

A couple of lazy ass dogs, catching a nap in the sun whenever they can.

Abby's frog hoodie from Christmas is something to be feared.

Towards the beginning of the month, Abby and the Northeast Pom Team had a competition (exhibition?) at SVSU (like last year.)  Ella stayed the night with Abby the night before so that they could 'get ready together,' and, after rushing the two out the door in the morning for the usual 'meet at the Community Center by 6:45am so that hair could be styled with the rest of the team,' we arrived at SVSU around 8am.

We met up with the Johnsons right away, and Erik and I made a bee-line for our table from last year.  This year, we planned ahead:  we picked up and moved the table directly next to the judge's booth so as to get the best pic/video vantage possible (which also prohibited folks from crowding us on one side), had the wives side directly in front of the table (as seen in the pic here) so that we knew strangers couldn't block our view, and pulled up additional chairs to block randoms from crowding us on the other side.  Sure, we had to get there an hour before everyone else in order to lounge throughout the competition in style, but it was definitely worth it - we didn't have to sit in bleachers for three hours, we didn't have to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with random-ass strangers, and we had a table for all of our crap. #PomDads  

Meanwhile, over where the Northeast Pom Team was sitting. . .

Duck lips are still a big thing with kids these days.  Just in case you were curious.

This year's performance.

I wasn't supposed to walk down there to take a pic of the team while they waited for their scores from the judges, but this is frickin' America - what are they gonna do, arrest me?

All the participating high school and middle school pom teams - including my school's - waiting for scores.

They got 5th Place out of 8 teams, but were only one point away from 4th.  Not great, but definitely not terrible.  The girls were totally fine with it.

While we had been away all morning at SVSU watching pom crap, Alayna went to her friend's birthday party (I forget which one) at Valley Lanes back in Midland. . .

(My kid's weird.)

Later in the week, watching Abby and the rest of the team performing a new routine at a Northeast basketball game.

I bought a few new accessories from various sellers on Etsy for my lightsaber this month, seeing how I'm a huge-ass nerd and everything.  My brother did a bunch of research into this and turned me on to it, so I bought a couple thumbscrews (top of the hilt, right at the edge) that make removing the saber blade soooo much easier.  Also picked up a charging port cover (not pictured) and a blade plug that goes into the hilt when the blade isn't attached (lit up in the pic.)

I shouldn't love something like this as much as I do, seeing how I'm like 42 years old.  Then again, I'm a product of the '80s, and Star Wars is hardwired into my psyche at this point.

Another weekday, another impromptu orchestra concert in the living room - this time Alayna tries her hand at Abby's cello.

Just in case you were curious, I'm still a big hit with teenagers.

My local group of dads go out every Thursday for a guy's night, usually at a local sports bar where they can watch a game, have a few beers, and eat out on not-at-all-healthy food.  Yours Truly rarely goes out on these occasions, since I don't like going out on a 'school night' (in order to wrangle teenagers, I have to have a decent night sleep - it's not like I have the luxury of working in a cubicle.)  One particular week, the guy's sent me this pic of a chair that had a regular's name on a plaque on the back - they took it as a sign that I should come out and join them.  It didn't work.

The following evening, I was finally able to relax after work with this bad boy right here - super good beer.

The second weekend of the month we had ourselves a couple parties to go to, one on Saturday night (a co-birthday party at the Holtys') and then one on Sunday night (the Superbowl, at the Larsons'.)  Saturday night's bash featured an open taco-bar, so I made sure to dress accordingly.

Stephanie was turning 40, while Steven was turning 48 (they're not married, by the way.)

Folks graze on Mexican food in the Holty kitchen.

Lonnie, Omkar, and Morgan at a nearby dining table.

The wives (featuring a photobomb by Collier.)

More grazing in the kitchen (with Abby making some weird-ass face.)

Some of us guys went into an adjoining room to play some euchre, away from the deafening clucking of nearby wives.

Time for shots. . .

Glenfiddich 12 - one of my favs.

(I don't know what they're doing here.)

Moms always have to get a few group pics whenever they get together.  Without fail.

(It's a little ridiculous sometimes.)

Bought a shit-load of vinyl from Radio Wasteland the next day (SuperBowl Sunday) - randomly.  Figured I'd take back some used stuff I wasn't listening to anymore and exchange it for store credit. Well, what I was selling wasn't worth all that much, but I ended up buying a Cold War Kids' Record Store Day release, a couple used classic rock albums, and a ridiculous amount of classical music box sets. . . all for about $30 out of pocket.  Not too shabby at all, really.

The Larsons, like us, are really into decorating their house for parties (like the disco-themed mega-bash that was Danielle's 40th, last year.)  This year Morgan themed out his living room and the Larsons prepared a huge spread for everyone.

The usual buy-a-square thing Erik oversees everyone for the SuperBowl parties.  This year I was pretty excited I didn't have to draw one up on poster board - Morgan already had it prepped in this frame on the living room, right next to the TV.

Ton of awesome food on hand, as usual.  This group can f***ing eat.

Photobomb, courtesy of Ella.

Sliders, nuggets, multiple sauces, taco stuff, and another TV you can watch while you get more food.

A dessert table, in another room.

Settling in for the game.

Dads staked out the best seating pretty early on in the evening.

And one with wives (that's Kris at bottom center.)

It sometimes seems like we have at least one orchestra concert per month these days, and this month was no exception.  Midland High performed the week following the SuperBowl, as always over at the Central Park Auditorium.

Had halfway decent seats this time around, so you got yourself some video clips, folks.  

Alayna, as a frickin' Freshman, is already 2nd Chair Violin (second-best in the school orchestra.) Not to brag or anything. . .

Plucking.

Abby and Ella (and some classmates). . . um, on a school bus (not sure if this is an orchestra thing, or a field trip, or what.)

The third Thursday of the month, I finally decided to meet up with the dads for their weekly Thursday night out, mostly because my next day at work was bound to be easy, an d they were hitting up The Boulevard, a dive-bar institution in the town - instead of the usual, shitty-serviced sports bar crap they usually do.  The Bully is a short drive from my house, and I do fancy myself a dive bar.  Plus, Erik offered me a ride, so I couldn't really turn it down.

I don't like driving while going out, because even with only two beers in your system you can still blow over the limit (which is stupid, but obviously not worth the risk.) Aside from this, another reason I was hesitant to go out until Erik offered to drive was on account of the ever-worsening weather.  A snowstorm started Thursday afternoon and it was supposed to only get shittier as the evening wore on.  You can imagine how happy I was, while hanging out with the guys, when I received this mass email from our school district.  Huzzah.

Mitch and Morgan listen to Brad pontificate about God knows what.

The following morning - a snowy start to the first Snow Day of the year.

We'd definitely had snowier days off of work, but today was called off more because of the icing that occurred overnight than the total accumulation of snow (which, as always, came in far lower than previously expected.)

Putting the lazy teenagers to work on the driveway.  Like God intended.

I love that my girls are to the age where they're capable of child labor like this.

Finally got around to buying the hardware necessary to display this Toledo-forged dagger I picked up while in Madrid back in 2013.  I displayed it on the thin wall between the sliding glass door and pantry door in the Study.  These butterfly brackets are awesome because they're so minimal you barely notice them.

One day after school Mom brought by this 3/4 scale, old country/western guitar that belonged to Grandpa Chinery.  Grandma Chinery had purchased it for him back in 1952 or so, and it had been sitting in a corner of his room for the last SEVENTY YEARS.  He apparently figured that it was finally time to learn how to play the damn thing, so Mom asked if I could tell her how to go about restringing the thing.  I just went ahead and restrung it myself so she didn't have to go through the hassle of messing with it.

Finished product, with some brand new d'addario strings on it.  G String tuner is way too hard to crank (even with geared tuners) - something a luthier would have to fix - but I got it close enough.

Alayna had Lexi stay over one weekend night towards the end of the month, the same evening Kris, Abby and I came back from Frankenmuth with the Johnsons.  Apparently the two girls got into the Halloween costumes while we were away. . .

Samson looks thrilled.

My 8th grade boys played Northeast's 8th grade team at Northeast (since the school is like only a mile from my house, I try and make it out to every time my schools plays there.)  As you can tell by the final score here, my school is slightly better than Northeast's at basketball.

Later that week, another snow storm was set to barrel through the area - supposedly worse than the previous week's storm.  You know it's bad when your kitchen Alexa starts trying to warn you about impending doom. . .

The storm hit later on in the morning on a Wednesday, and most of the schools in Central/Eastern Michigan closed before the storm even rolled in, just to play it safe.

Noted.

Wednesday night we watched a movie with the kids, and Alayna decided she was going to try and braid Kris' hair. . .

It's definitely. . . something.

It snowed heavy throughout the day, and before we went to bed I figured I should probably shovel off a portion of the back patio for the dogs so their short, little asses could more comfortably go to the bathroom. . .

FYI - this is just as much fun as it looks.

Nothing quite like shoveling snow in 20-degree weather in pajama pants at 11pm. . .

The next morning: Snow Day #2.

Cristina and Lexi - two of Alayna's best friends - came over later in the morning once the plow trucks had come through the neighborhood to play in the snow.  And no, I have no idea why Abby's lying face-first in the snow.

Kris snapped these couple of pics while the kids were out back (I don't think I've gone that far back into my backyard since October, come to think of it.)

Finally got around to trying out the new Diamond Jim's location over on Wackerly the last Thursday of the month for the weekly guy thing.  First Ollie Burger I've had in a loooong time.

When I drove down to Kalamazoo to hang out with the Sausage Pad, the last weekend of the month, I arrived around 3:30 Friday afternoon.  I swung by the old booze section to pick out some beer while waiting for Zack to finish his shift at Meijer, and came across this random-ass, cheap beer I had never heard of before.  Looks disgusting.  

That weekend, Kris had a bunch of the moms over to chow down on some Italian food and do their nails.

Alayna and Cristina got in on the action as well.

Meanwhile, down in Detroit, a bunch of the local dads - Tom, Erik, Morgan, Mitch and Collier - ran into the infamous BP and his fam at a Detroit Red Wings game.  Small world.

The next day, as Yours Truly was on his long-ass drive back up from Kalamazoo, Abby and Kris decided to head over to Midland City Forest and take advantage of the nice weather . . . and to try out Kris' new phone's camera.

Kris was a ways back, here - it's got an impressive zoom lens.

Coming back from work, between Freeland and Midland, you couldn't even see the road because the snow was coming down so hard.  A lot of schools in the area closed due to the weather, but not mine, unfortunately.

Apparently this is the sorta shit my kids do when the adults aren't home. . . 

Snow Days rule.

Later that afternoon, watching what I can only assume are K-Pop videos on YouTube, with Samson. . .

. . . and Watson.

- Brian