Today would have been my father's 85 birthday had he lived past 59. It is a good day to reflect on him and his impact on our family, as well as his colorful and amusing life. I would not have pursued my career as a librarian had it not been for my dad. I spent a good part of my late teens and early 20's attending library conferences, which actually meant a big party opportunity for my father. We attended all free food and alcohol events vendors offered librarians. Meetings required sticking your head in the door and moving on to the closest bar for a drinkie poo.
Because he lived near new york, caravans of me and my friends would travel to see him and his best friend Betty, who was always kind enough to put us up for the weekend. It always involved drinking and debauchery..in that order.
My parents separated when I was around 11 and he would come visit every 2 weeks. I think he finally stepped up in the decade and purchased a mustang. Our previous "new" cars were usually 2 decades behind..our excitement would build knowing he was coming home with a new car, which turned out to be a 1958 plymouth with big fins on the bumpers. And holes in the floor board. We never were much of a car family...
Not everything was fun and frolic with my dad, but this is a time to remember the good times. He had his share of struggles, but hell, he had a great time dealing with them.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
10 things I love about Maddie
Fair's fair...although I am sure she is groaning with embarrassment...
10. Sense of Humor. She has a silly side which I can relate to. And being smart lends well to a witty humor. Commentary from kids at school that know her...she is funny. Only one that might not think so is her former french teacher. But he is an odd one anyway.
9. Generosity. She will volunteer for almost anything. Except maybe cleaning out her dad's chicken coop. But she has been with me on a cold rainy morning to support ALS, will play games with the homeless, will help her neighbor's kids with reading, and actively LOOKS for volunteer opportunities. What teen does that?
8. Style. She knows what looks good on her without pushing the envelope. She turns her nose up to streetwalker prom dresses. She is trendy, yet has little interest in following the push for designer brands.
7. Thrifyness. Okay, this really might have to do with her very clear understanding of money and the power it holds. She has always made money babysitting and dog sitting and well aware of the cost of things and if its too expensive, she leaves it alone. She likes money and likes having money. She shops sales, looks for the best bargain, and compromises when it comes to that 70.00 polo shirt. Now that's my girl.
6. Her relentless energy. Thank god she plays sports. She is my dog walker/runner. She will fetch things for her very tired and quasi old mother without complaint. She leaps the steps in 3 bounds. Not to say she enjoys a night of being a couch potato or sleeping in. But once she's up, she hits the ground running. Wish we could bottle that.
5. Her organization. I glanced at her school notebook the other day. Pristine with tabs for homework, class notes, and subject. Paperwork for school is on time and presented to me the minute she gets it. She actually uses her planner. Now granted, her room looks like a bomb went off in it, but as she has told me..she knows what is in each quadrant of floor space. Guess it works. Now if I could only get her to make her bed.... And maybe put dishes in the dishwasher...
4.Enthusiasm. Like her brother, she loves new experiences . She loves to look forward to something. She is an awesome travel companion, where anything goes with great joy. She loves new restaurants..only thing she wanted for her phenomenal report card was a trip to Helmund, an Afghan restaurant. If it involves fun, she is even willing to get up before the sun. Now that's commitment...
3. Compassion and loyalty. Maddie will defend the underdogs. She has a soft spot for those who are a bit 'different'. She actually called someone out in the hallway for talkin smack about someone. She is fiercely loyal to her friends. And expects the same in return.
2. Her intelligence. She runs circles around me in the math department. Well, that might not be a good example, since I have the ability of a 6th grader. It's her flawless grades, her voracious reading, and her love for learning if the teacher is someone who she relates to.
1. Her love of cooking. And baking. And what foodie wouldn't love that??
10. Sense of Humor. She has a silly side which I can relate to. And being smart lends well to a witty humor. Commentary from kids at school that know her...she is funny. Only one that might not think so is her former french teacher. But he is an odd one anyway.
9. Generosity. She will volunteer for almost anything. Except maybe cleaning out her dad's chicken coop. But she has been with me on a cold rainy morning to support ALS, will play games with the homeless, will help her neighbor's kids with reading, and actively LOOKS for volunteer opportunities. What teen does that?
8. Style. She knows what looks good on her without pushing the envelope. She turns her nose up to streetwalker prom dresses. She is trendy, yet has little interest in following the push for designer brands.
7. Thrifyness. Okay, this really might have to do with her very clear understanding of money and the power it holds. She has always made money babysitting and dog sitting and well aware of the cost of things and if its too expensive, she leaves it alone. She likes money and likes having money. She shops sales, looks for the best bargain, and compromises when it comes to that 70.00 polo shirt. Now that's my girl.
6. Her relentless energy. Thank god she plays sports. She is my dog walker/runner. She will fetch things for her very tired and quasi old mother without complaint. She leaps the steps in 3 bounds. Not to say she enjoys a night of being a couch potato or sleeping in. But once she's up, she hits the ground running. Wish we could bottle that.
5. Her organization. I glanced at her school notebook the other day. Pristine with tabs for homework, class notes, and subject. Paperwork for school is on time and presented to me the minute she gets it. She actually uses her planner. Now granted, her room looks like a bomb went off in it, but as she has told me..she knows what is in each quadrant of floor space. Guess it works. Now if I could only get her to make her bed.... And maybe put dishes in the dishwasher...
4.Enthusiasm. Like her brother, she loves new experiences . She loves to look forward to something. She is an awesome travel companion, where anything goes with great joy. She loves new restaurants..only thing she wanted for her phenomenal report card was a trip to Helmund, an Afghan restaurant. If it involves fun, she is even willing to get up before the sun. Now that's commitment...
3. Compassion and loyalty. Maddie will defend the underdogs. She has a soft spot for those who are a bit 'different'. She actually called someone out in the hallway for talkin smack about someone. She is fiercely loyal to her friends. And expects the same in return.
2. Her intelligence. She runs circles around me in the math department. Well, that might not be a good example, since I have the ability of a 6th grader. It's her flawless grades, her voracious reading, and her love for learning if the teacher is someone who she relates to.
1. Her love of cooking. And baking. And what foodie wouldn't love that??
Thursday, September 5, 2013
10 things I love About Andrew
It was time to pay a homage to David Letterman....
10. Andrew's humor. Of course, i say that because our humor is the same and I find it very relatable. It is a bit sarcastic and quick. We all appreciate that when it comes to laughter. It SO reminds me of my brother Chris.
9.Reading Habits. His taste is quirky, with a love for authors who find life absurd and somewhat tragic. George Saunders, Davis Foster Wallace, VOnnegut...they speak their truth and no one understands them. Except Andrew perhaps. I will post a postscript that he is also a bit of a reading snob. No main stream stuff. And don't even MENTION a Kindle.
8. He has a great appreciation for the absurdity of life. He finds chicken ownership interesting, yet bonding with his dad over dumpster diving to feed them a bit humorous. He loves reality TV, but draws the line at Honey Boo Boo. But he will watch strange addictions. And food network.
7. Writing. Below is a story Andrew wrote while at Warren Wilson College about being a small child and having a nightmare:
"It was all a careful ritual. The boy needed to fixate on the nothingness. This was because if he broke this quiet meditation and thought about any one thing in particular, his mind would trip and stumbles down the wooden bunk bed, into the silver glass of morbid perversion. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof became dastardly footsteps walking down the hallway. The shadows made from car headlights fragmented into bent contorted figures, plastered like black tree trunks on the baby blue walls. Worst of all, his reflected image in the mirror on the adjacent wall would mutate into the crimson woman with hollow eyes and jagged toothy smile. The quiet terror of her projection made the child avert his gaze in the solitude of his dark room. He tried facing away from the mirror towards the wall, but thought about his eyeballs rolled around in their sockets, staring backwards at her grotesque frame."
Andrew's command of the English language is impeccable.
6.Kindness. He will do anything for anyone he cares about..or even all those crazy customers who walk into CVS. Well, there are times where i will ask him and he will ask for monetary compensation. That's simply survival skills.
5. Creativity. Warren Wilson College introduced him to the love of the fiber arts. he learned to weave and spin and carried home a love to anything related to yarn. We all had wool hats for winter..well, we got them for free-friends and neighbors paid for them. Now we are onto the god's eye. In a big way.
4.Fashion sense. Now generally I find his style eclectic and fun. He is a big fan of bow ties (NO clip ons), suspenders, bollos, panchos, and my favorite-a tie that was woven at Warren Wilson on a loom. I do draw the line with his New Delhi style pantaloons he found in the free cycle at warren wilson and his new Native American patterned muscle shirt. And perhaps his footwear could use some updating.
3. Love of music. It permeates the house. In CD, Album, and ipod form. And there are moments when friends come over for a little jam of guitar, mandolin, and violin. I would know nothing about today's progressive music. And sometimes I really don't want to know, from what I hear. Sometimes its just a song of moaning or squeaking.
2. Sense of Adventure. Everything is an experience worth living and absorbing. A trip to Baltimore to watch outdoor films. A new restaurant. A new recipe-which, I might add, can be a little unusual in the contents but its seems to work. A new piece of music. A new travelling experience. Which is why that should be a goal after college.
1.Hair. He has so much of it. And I have so little....
10. Andrew's humor. Of course, i say that because our humor is the same and I find it very relatable. It is a bit sarcastic and quick. We all appreciate that when it comes to laughter. It SO reminds me of my brother Chris.
9.Reading Habits. His taste is quirky, with a love for authors who find life absurd and somewhat tragic. George Saunders, Davis Foster Wallace, VOnnegut...they speak their truth and no one understands them. Except Andrew perhaps. I will post a postscript that he is also a bit of a reading snob. No main stream stuff. And don't even MENTION a Kindle.
8. He has a great appreciation for the absurdity of life. He finds chicken ownership interesting, yet bonding with his dad over dumpster diving to feed them a bit humorous. He loves reality TV, but draws the line at Honey Boo Boo. But he will watch strange addictions. And food network.
7. Writing. Below is a story Andrew wrote while at Warren Wilson College about being a small child and having a nightmare:
"It was all a careful ritual. The boy needed to fixate on the nothingness. This was because if he broke this quiet meditation and thought about any one thing in particular, his mind would trip and stumbles down the wooden bunk bed, into the silver glass of morbid perversion. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof became dastardly footsteps walking down the hallway. The shadows made from car headlights fragmented into bent contorted figures, plastered like black tree trunks on the baby blue walls. Worst of all, his reflected image in the mirror on the adjacent wall would mutate into the crimson woman with hollow eyes and jagged toothy smile. The quiet terror of her projection made the child avert his gaze in the solitude of his dark room. He tried facing away from the mirror towards the wall, but thought about his eyeballs rolled around in their sockets, staring backwards at her grotesque frame."
Andrew's command of the English language is impeccable.
6.Kindness. He will do anything for anyone he cares about..or even all those crazy customers who walk into CVS. Well, there are times where i will ask him and he will ask for monetary compensation. That's simply survival skills.
5. Creativity. Warren Wilson College introduced him to the love of the fiber arts. he learned to weave and spin and carried home a love to anything related to yarn. We all had wool hats for winter..well, we got them for free-friends and neighbors paid for them. Now we are onto the god's eye. In a big way.
4.Fashion sense. Now generally I find his style eclectic and fun. He is a big fan of bow ties (NO clip ons), suspenders, bollos, panchos, and my favorite-a tie that was woven at Warren Wilson on a loom. I do draw the line with his New Delhi style pantaloons he found in the free cycle at warren wilson and his new Native American patterned muscle shirt. And perhaps his footwear could use some updating.
3. Love of music. It permeates the house. In CD, Album, and ipod form. And there are moments when friends come over for a little jam of guitar, mandolin, and violin. I would know nothing about today's progressive music. And sometimes I really don't want to know, from what I hear. Sometimes its just a song of moaning or squeaking.
2. Sense of Adventure. Everything is an experience worth living and absorbing. A trip to Baltimore to watch outdoor films. A new restaurant. A new recipe-which, I might add, can be a little unusual in the contents but its seems to work. A new piece of music. A new travelling experience. Which is why that should be a goal after college.
1.Hair. He has so much of it. And I have so little....
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