As happens this time every year, I sit here in front of the keyboard and find myself nearly overcome with emotion as I reflect on life, family, career, relationships, the past year. In trying times filled with adversity and sadness, there is still so much to be thankful for, and after all, that's what today is all about.
First and foremost I am thankful for my children. Two wonderful, happy little kids who bring so much joy and meaning into our lives. And one of the greatest joys of parenting is watching their relationship with each other develop and evolve. Erin is such a complex mix of too grown up too fast and so sweet and innocent... she's a complicated one like her Mom. Her layers have layers, so to speak. Scarcely a day goes by where she doesn't impress me or make me proud. Then there's Johnny. Not even two and already a determined, obstinate, rugged little individual. He worships his sister and imitates much of what she does, but at the same time, is unafraid to strike out and try to do things his own way. His toddler outlook and approach to life can only really be adequately described in this way; he attacks the world with determination, with unabashed joy, and with vigor. He, like Erin, is an inspiration to me. I love my children almost above my capacity to put into words.
Which brings me to their Mom, my Wife, my best friend and long time soul mate, Laureen. If our family were a building, she would be the keystone. The keystone and maybe the foundation as well. Regardless of the challenge or adversity, new or existing that we may face, Laureen always helps me find a way to laugh as we face it together. She is an outstanding Mom who may sometimes lack confidence but more than makes up for it with instinct, love, patience and devotion. She has my undying love, admiration and respect. I am so thankful to have her and for the family we have built together.
I am thankful for the love, support, and health of our families. The past several years have seen numerous serious health scares for our parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended families. Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers daily, that we love you, and are here to offer any support we can.
I am thankful for the friendships we share, some old, some new, all dear. I feel blessed every day to know that we have so many great friends and regret only that we do not get to spend more time together.
I am thankful that Laureen and I both saw promotions at work this year. Mine came in August while Laureen's came through about a week ago.
I am thankful that the cousins get along so well and genuinely look forward to seeing each other. And I am thankful that the blessed arrival of Kellen will add another new fun dimension to the cousin dynamic. Wyatt and Grace are such good kids and Erin is always really excited to see them. And Johnny may be too young to anticipate seeing his cousins, but he gets excited when they arrive and jumps right into the mix with the bigger kids. I only wish they could see more of each other.
Finally, I am grateful to be alive and to be free in this great national experiment know as the United States of America, and to the men and women of our armed forces who have sacrificed much, and in many cases all, to secure that freedom for us. My deepest heartfelt thanks.
Happy and safe Thanksgiving, Everyone!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Starfish
The Starfish- Author Unkown
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise, to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the morning dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As I approached, I realized that the youth was not
dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the
night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up starfish and then standing, to
heave it back into the sea.
I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back into the sea."
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond eyesight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said,
"I made a difference to that
ONE."
I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise, to walk by the ocean's edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the morning dawn, I focused on a faint, far away motion. I saw a youth, bending and reaching and flailing arms, dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As I approached, I realized that the youth was not
dancing to the bay, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the
night's tide, stopping now and then to pick up starfish and then standing, to
heave it back into the sea.
I asked the youth the purpose of the effort. "The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves," the youth replied. "When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back into the sea."
As the youth explained, I surveyed the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions beyond eyesight. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. The hopelessness of the youth's plan became clear to me and I countered, "But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference."
The youth paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said,
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Extortion?
Johnny & I picked Erin up from school today. As is customary for Erin and her friends, they played on the school's front lawn for 25 minutes or so after dismissal and then we all headed to our separate cars. I strapped Johnny in and Erin got herself situated, and we headed home.
As I was pulling up to a red light, Erin tapped me on the shoulder from the backseat.
"What's up Erin?" I asked.
"I have to give you something."
"OK. Can it wait until we're parked?"
"No Dadoo. I have to give it to you right now."
"Well I'm driving right now. What is it and why can't it wait?"
"Just put your hand back here and I'll put it in your hand." This phrase didn't inspire much confidence.
"Erin, what is it?"
Long sigh. "Your HAND, Dadoo."
Reluctantly, I reached into the backseat, half expecting Erin to press something slimey into my palm. Instead, she filled my hand with a notepad sized slip of paper.
"What's this?"
"Just read it Dadoo," Erin said, the glee evident in her voice. But by this time the light had changed and we were moving again. I had to wait for the next red light, which was just a few blocks up the street. Once stopped, I looked down at the piece of paper. It read, and I quote:
Dear Dadoo,
Please give me 1.00$ OR ELSE
As I read it, I could hear Erin snickering in the back seat.
"Or else WHAT?" I asked as I made eye contact with her in the rear view mirror. At this point her snickering turned to outright guffaws.
"What do you mean?" She replied, after she managed to compose herself enough to speak.
"I mean, why should I give you a dollar? What's the or else?"
Silence from the back seat.
"Erin? Erin? What are you doing back there?" Her head was down, out of view of the mirror, and she was starting to giggle again. Johnny joined in giggling away, as if he were in on her joke. Then she tapped me on the shoulder and handed me another piece of paper. Here's what it read:
Dear Dadoo
Because
As she saw me read it, she burst out laughing hysterically again. Johnny was cracking up as well at this point. The sound of their harmonized laughter was so contagious that within seconds, I was wiping tears of laughter out of my eyes in the front seat as I desperately tried to focus on the road.
However, I never did give Erin that dollar and I never did find out what the "Or Else" actually represented. Maybe I should sleep with one eye open tonight.
As I was pulling up to a red light, Erin tapped me on the shoulder from the backseat.
"What's up Erin?" I asked.
"I have to give you something."
"OK. Can it wait until we're parked?"
"No Dadoo. I have to give it to you right now."
"Well I'm driving right now. What is it and why can't it wait?"
"Just put your hand back here and I'll put it in your hand." This phrase didn't inspire much confidence.
"Erin, what is it?"
Long sigh. "Your HAND, Dadoo."
Reluctantly, I reached into the backseat, half expecting Erin to press something slimey into my palm. Instead, she filled my hand with a notepad sized slip of paper.
"What's this?"
"Just read it Dadoo," Erin said, the glee evident in her voice. But by this time the light had changed and we were moving again. I had to wait for the next red light, which was just a few blocks up the street. Once stopped, I looked down at the piece of paper. It read, and I quote:
Dear Dadoo,
Please give me 1.00$ OR ELSE
As I read it, I could hear Erin snickering in the back seat.
"Or else WHAT?" I asked as I made eye contact with her in the rear view mirror. At this point her snickering turned to outright guffaws.
"What do you mean?" She replied, after she managed to compose herself enough to speak.
"I mean, why should I give you a dollar? What's the or else?"
Silence from the back seat.
"Erin? Erin? What are you doing back there?" Her head was down, out of view of the mirror, and she was starting to giggle again. Johnny joined in giggling away, as if he were in on her joke. Then she tapped me on the shoulder and handed me another piece of paper. Here's what it read:
Dear Dadoo
Because
As she saw me read it, she burst out laughing hysterically again. Johnny was cracking up as well at this point. The sound of their harmonized laughter was so contagious that within seconds, I was wiping tears of laughter out of my eyes in the front seat as I desperately tried to focus on the road.
However, I never did give Erin that dollar and I never did find out what the "Or Else" actually represented. Maybe I should sleep with one eye open tonight.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Dr. Dre - I Need A Doctor (Explicit) ft. Eminem, Skylar Grey
This song came on the iPod the other day & Erin about peed her pants laughing so hard at all the curses in it. It was so funny that we were bad parents and didn't even turn the song off.
kt tunstall - black horse and the cherry tree (live)
This one was known by Erin as "Mommy's song"... we were never quite sure why. Sure Laureen liked the song, but didn't play it all that often. For some reason Erin associated it with her.
Aretha Franklin - Chain Of Fools Live (1968)
The queen of American music... I doubt she'll ever be unthroned. This song is over 40 years old and it still sounds cool, vital and relevant.
Shania Twain - Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under
No list of country songs would be complete without my favorite Shania song.
Jimmy Buffett & Friends - Hey Good Lookin' CMA 2004 Alan Jackson Toby Ke...
Now here's Jimmy Buffet & an all-star band doing the same song... pretty awesome to see all these guys together on the same stage...
Richie Sambora - Made in America (live / acoustic) -15-04-98
Just as Shooter Jenning's "4th of July" was the summer song of 2005 for Laur and I, this Sambora offering was our summer song for 2003. Hearing it takes me back to flying over Montana Rocky Mountain roads with the top down in our rented white Mustang convertible.
Sawyer Brown and Robert Randolph Mission Temple Fireworks Stand HQ
We listened to this song so much when Erin was tiny that she referred to it as "Dadoo's song" for the better part of an entire year.
Shooter Jennings - 4th of July
For Laur and I, this is sort of like the theme song of the summer of 2005 when Erin was born.
Loretta Lynn & Jack White "Portland, Oregon"
Country music royalty & one of the most talented people in modern rock together for one song... pretty cool.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Neil Diamond - Forever in Blue Jeans 2008
Since Johnny Cash passed away, has there been a cooler American musician than Neil Diamond? Not a chance.
David Gray - Babylon
Somewhat of a similar sounding song to the Ryan Adams song. Another one I've really grown to enjoy over the years.
Ryan Adams - New York, New York
Have always had mixed feelings about this song as it became really huge after the September 11 attacks (the video was filmed just 4 days before the attacks). So while it is a really cool song and video, it still makes me kind of sad when I hear it.
My Chemical Romance - Desolation Row (Video)
Another awesome cover of an old song from a great American songwriter (Bob Dylan in this case). This one is from The Watchmen movie and covered by My Chemical Romance.
White Stripes - Jolene (Glace Bay)
Cover of one of the coolest songs ever written (thank you Dolly Parton) by one of modern rocks best bands (The White Stripes).
Friday, February 3, 2012
U2 - The Wanderer (Johny Cash Tribute 2005) (High Quality)
One of my alltime favorite U2 songs which was recorded with Johnny Cash as the vocalist on the Zooropa album. In this live performance, Johnny has already passed away, so Bono performs the vocals. If anyone can do Johnny Cash justice, I'd say Bono is the man... he's up to the task.
The clash & Dave Grohl & Bruce Springsteen - London calling
Coolest song ever from a punk band... not sure you can call it a punk song though. Definitely doesn't fit the template perfected by the Ramones or the Sex Pistols, but I love it. Cool version here, with Springsteen, Dave Grohl, & I think Elvis Costello playing with the remaining members of the Clash.
Rancid - Salvation
Rob REALLY hated when I used to play this song on our radio show. But I have to say, it is still a guilty pleasure of mine all these years later.
Friday, January 6, 2012
What?!?!
This morning, like many mornings when I am not opening the store, I was awakened by Johnny's chatter. His morning modus operandi is that he wakes up in the crib and calmly starts running his fingernails over the mattress. If that raspy sound fails to get a response, he moves on to some soft cooing and ba-ba-ba-ing. When that too fails to get him any attention, he begins to increase the volume incrementally every few minutes. This morning, his ritual began at about 5:05 AM, so I had to respond quickly to prevent him from waking the whole house. I would say his volume got to about a 6 out of 10 before I retrieved him from his crib (and at 5:05 AM a 6 in volume sounds more like a 12). I brought him to the living room & fed him. Then he fell back asleep in my arms, allowing me to catch a little more sleep myself. Before long has passed, I was asleep on the couch with Johnny in my arms.
Suddenly, I was startled awake again by our little man's terrified squealing tears. Heart racing, I looked him over carefully as he sobbed to make sure he was OK. He was fine, but appeared to be very frightened. I think he had a nightmare, and it took me about 10 minutes to calm him down. Needless to say, my nerves were shot by the time he was nearly back to sleep. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was a little after 7:00 AM. I put him in his activity chair & went to check on Erin to make sure she was up for school. Peaking in on her, I saw she was mostly dressed and was watching Spongebob. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and assumed Laureen was getting ready for work. Erin looked up at me, and I mustered the best sleep-deprived smile I could and said, "Good Morning Sweetie."
Her response was one word. She looked up at me with what can only be described as an impatient look on her face, and she blurted out, "WHAT?!?!"
Now this was not a "what" as in "I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said" or "I beg your pardon". This particular "what" was more along the lines of "What do you want" or "what are you looking at".
"Excuse me?" I asked somewhat incredulously.
Clearly aware that she had overstepped her bounds, Erin tried to backtrack a little, softening her tone and smiling a weak smile. She asked me, "I mean, what do you want?"
"Nothing, Erin. I wanted nothing except to say good morning to you. Sheesh."
"Oh... well then good morning."
Suddenly, I was startled awake again by our little man's terrified squealing tears. Heart racing, I looked him over carefully as he sobbed to make sure he was OK. He was fine, but appeared to be very frightened. I think he had a nightmare, and it took me about 10 minutes to calm him down. Needless to say, my nerves were shot by the time he was nearly back to sleep. Glancing at the clock, I saw it was a little after 7:00 AM. I put him in his activity chair & went to check on Erin to make sure she was up for school. Peaking in on her, I saw she was mostly dressed and was watching Spongebob. I could hear the shower running in the bathroom, and assumed Laureen was getting ready for work. Erin looked up at me, and I mustered the best sleep-deprived smile I could and said, "Good Morning Sweetie."
Her response was one word. She looked up at me with what can only be described as an impatient look on her face, and she blurted out, "WHAT?!?!"
Now this was not a "what" as in "I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said" or "I beg your pardon". This particular "what" was more along the lines of "What do you want" or "what are you looking at".
"Excuse me?" I asked somewhat incredulously.
Clearly aware that she had overstepped her bounds, Erin tried to backtrack a little, softening her tone and smiling a weak smile. She asked me, "I mean, what do you want?"
"Nothing, Erin. I wanted nothing except to say good morning to you. Sheesh."
"Oh... well then good morning."
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