A Scary-Ass Pumpkin. A Lovely Weekend.

The Missus and I had one of those rare weekends where we managed to get the balance just right. Just enough activity. Just enough relaxation. Between social obligations, chores, errands, etc., we hardly ever get to have the kind of weekend we want to have. So this was a real win for us.

Friday night got things started off right. Dinner at home. Good wine, good music. The kind of vibe where preparing the meal is just as satisfying as enjoying it. The Missus made pumpkin burgers which were, to quote Thomas Jefferson, "Off the goddamn HOOK." After dinner, we prepared to carve our first pumpkin since 2004, a real beaut we picked up in CT last weekend. 30 pounds of plump, perfectly-shaped pumpkinity.

I switched the iPod playlist from dinner-making jams to something more appropriate for pumpkin carving. A melange of dark 80's alt-classics. Early Bauhaus, Siouxsie, Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Joy Division and the like. The decision at hand was whether to do an "OBAMA" pumpkin or to do a super-scary one. Given the fact that my wife and I both seem to be nurturing our dark sides at this particular moment in time, we went for super-scary. The results are above. Note the detail work on the eyebrows and the scar on the left side. We're pretty damn proud of it.

The rest of the weekend fell in line nicely. Saturday started with coffee and waffles followed by a thorough but totally quick and painless housecleaning. Then later I met K in the City after her accupuncture appointment and went to see this. Not the best movie ever commited to celluloid but funny, engaging and a good escape. I think The Missus was more impressed with the fact that I didn't just agree to see a movie in the theater, but that I actually suggested it. That's growth, people.

Sunday was manicures for the both of us followed by finally watching this Netflix movie which has been laying around for weeks. It was WAY RAD, but Kanga didn't love the SurroundSound. The explosions make her ears go flat.

After that it was last week's Mad Men from the DVR, followed by the Mad Men season finale in real time. Have to say I wanted more from it - being a season-ender and all - but the show is just SO GODDAMN BRILLIANT I'll let it slide. If you haven't been watching, get it on disc and get to work. It's incredible.

We both remarked on our way to bed Sunday night what a nice weekend we had. Just real nice. That kind of balance and genuine in-the-momentness is something we both strive for and very rarely achieve in life. Here's hoping we might just be getting a little closer to it in the future...