707oxford

I celebrated my 10 year anniversary with my awesome wife this year, and we just had our second child 3 weeks ago.  As a man who is up to his neck in family obligations every day - not just Wife Day - I feel the need to render some advice for tomorrow's bye to those who have yet to enter this chapter of their lives.  You will find no "/s" tag here; I'm seriously...

First, sleep in.  When you wake up to the glorious mid-day sun across your bed, go right back to sleep.  Can't sleep any longer?  Just lay there and do nothing until you're hungry.  

Once hungry, go to the fridge and pull out something that no self-respecting human being would eat for breakfast/lunch.  See that left over piece of chocolate cake?  It needs a side of kettle chips.

Bring your meal to the couch and see how the noon games - which at this hour should now be in full swing - are going.  "But Michigan is not playing today!"  Stop right there and listen to yourself.  There is football on.  College football.  The Saturdays where you actually have the time to watch a full slate of games that does not include your primary rooting interest are numbered, and this is one of them.  It expires no matter how you choose to fill your day, so embrace it.  Enjoy it.

Now it’s time for the 3:30 games.  Hopefully by now you're realizing just how good you have it.  Things are only about to get better as now you are guaranteed to watch either Sparty or Ohio lose.  Any other week you probably take in at least part of their games in hopes to revel in some sweet schadenfreude.  Well today's your lucky day because one way or another, it's happening.

Hungry again?  Fight the urge to cook something.  You have a device within arm's reach that you can speak into and people will bring you food.  I suppose it doesn't really matter what you order, but again I would highly recommend anything that you will undoubtedly enjoy now, and likely regret later.  

By the time your food arrives, you should be ensconced in session three of today's games.  You may be thinking that this is an awful lot of football to watch, especially with Michigan absent from the schedule.  If so, I ask that you think back two months to when you would have done anything to see a live football game...let alone a conference game with division race implications.  Bonus: rumor has it that both 'Sconsin and the Huskers will be wearing awful unis.  Laugh at their Wow Experience.  Laze with peace of mind that it isn't our team playing dress-up this week.

As the games come to a close, start drinking (if you haven't already, which of course you have).  Libation of choice should be something that makes you happy, or better yet occasionally leads to adventure and/or trouble.  The night is young - go out, stay out, and don’t come back until the next morning after a sunrise breakfast at some greasy diner before sleeping through the NFL games and easing into next week.

If this advice strikes you as lazy, gluttonous, overindulgent, or all of the above, you're absolutely right. There are certain things in life that you are able to enjoy now, but will be superseded by other priorities in future years - be it quality time with the kids, a memorable afternoon with your loving wife, or simply avoiding "that look" from the mrs. any time you sleep more than her, eat too much of anything unhealthy, turn on your third game in the same day, etc.

Don't get me wrong - these priorities (the first two, anyway) are awesome in their own right and more than justifiably replace (most) football games when the time comes.  But for you, single reader, Wife Day is still on the horizon.  This is your time.  As I said, it expires no matter how you choose to spend it.  So embrace it.  Enjoy it.

I have to go change a diaper.