Today is the day we move D back into the dorm for another year at college. Don’t you feel OLD? He’s a junior this year! (I know. Crazy.) Last year’s drop off was surprisingly short: less than 45 minutes. Jim and I acted like we were mildly offended (but really weren’t) when D asked us to refrain from helping him set his room up; he just wanted drop-off service. We were shocked at how quickly we were back home. This year? We’re going for the record. Jim and I both have things to do when we get home and so we figured maybe we’d be able to shave ten minutes…
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DJ J, Revisited
It’s interesting how life works. While contemplating how my life has taken some pretty cool twists and turns over the past couple of years, I have discovered that often we end up doing things we never set out to do, ever. These new activities, pastimes, or even career changes come in the form of a natural progression, sometimes when you least expect it and often before you realize it. As it turns out, I’m not the only one in our house experiencing this sort of thing. I have written before about how J, my 17-year-old guitar-loving son who has always had a wide range of musical interests thanks to his…
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Go Ahead Punk, Make My Day.
Jim is watching “The Enforcer”, and after watching a scene which contained some very unexpected dialogue (I’ve never seen the movie before), I sat here for five whole minutes doing my best “Dirty Harry” impression in J’s face, finger-pointing and all. “There’s a lot of shooting in this movie, PUNK.” “Hey, he just shot a nun, PUNK. A NUN.” “That wasn’t very nice of him, was it, PUNK?” “Hey, that woman was in a very popular television show in the 80s called ‘Cagney & Lacey’, PUNK.” “As a matter of fact, that was a show about two lady cops, and it was awesome, PUNK.” “Hey PUNK, you’re not even listening…
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Back-To-School Fashion: This Time, It’s All About Attitude And Seniority.
I hope you enjoy this month’s contribution to Hallmark’s “Life Is A Special Occasion” campaign! (I bet you’ll love it. It’s got funny pictures, even!) Today is a very special day. It’s not just the first day of school in our district. It’s the first day of J’s SENIOR YEAR. Let THAT absorb for a moment. I know from experience that this year is going to fly by for all of us, what with all of the special activities crammed into a final year of high school education combined with the college search, his girlfriend, his job, his car, and all of the other things he’s got going on. (Related:…
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It’s Not Who You Know: It’s Who They Know (Or Don’t Know)
Flashback: 1985 The scene: My home in Knoxville, Tennessee, shortly after 6:00 p.m. Cast: Me (16 years old), My Dad (much older) Background: My Dad was the manager of a local Holiday Inn near the University of Tennessee campus and downtown Knoxville. Every now and then, bands who were playing in the area would stay there. This conversation occurred mere months after I was deeply scarred by the Prince/Purple Rain tour debacle. Dad, just arriving home from work: “Oh! I wanted to tell you. This group of kids is staying in the hotel…” Me: “A group of kids???” Dad: “Yes. A musical group.” Me, growing more excited since I was…