my dad said...

Yukilynn, one of my besty's from way back (she makes very rare appearances on my blog) had me doubling over with laughter a few weeks ago. We got into one of our usual conversations about how our father's are a special pair. They practice so much of the same behavior--dramatic, judgemental, selffish, but in the end, down right comical. At any rate, this fueled a conversation about what we like to call, "Disneyland Dads." What is a "Disneyland Dad," you ask? Well let me enlighten you.

Disneyland Dad--the father who comes by one random weekend and promises his child a trip to Disneyland not this Saturday, but the one after. Two Saturday's later there is the kid in a Mickey Mouse t-shirt and shorts wearing a Mickey hat waiting on the couch for Disneyland Dad to arrive. He never shows up, but the kid continues to tell his/her mother, "My dad's coming and we're going to Disneyland." Poor thing.

McDonald's Dad--the dad who promises his kid that he will come to their school and present him/her with McDonald's for lunch. McDonald's Dad shows up, but he brings lunch at the wrong time. He brings it at 10am where it is left in the office until the fat secretary brings it to the child's classroom. By lunchtime, the Happy Meal's contents are cold and soggy. If McDonald's Dad brought nuggets, he forgot the sauce so the child is forced to use school ketchup, not the Fancy Ketchup that McDonald's serves. Oh and on a sidenote, the soda is watered down.

When I get my paycheck/settlement Dad--This dad is ghetto, especially if he's "Settlement Dad." He always promises his child toys. It usually sounds something like this, "When I get my paycheck/settlement check, we can go to Toys R Us and you can get anything you want." The poor kid tells everyone things like, "My dad said that I can go to Toys R Us on Saturday and get whatever I want." Yeah too bad the kid never sets foot in the toy store, because when the dad gets his check or settlement he's out doing god knows what with those funds.

These are the most prominent, but there's also "When I get my car fixed Dad," "Tell your mother to take it out of her child support Dad." Trust me if you're a product of a broken home you probably know exactly what kind of characters we're dealing with here. I think these definitions are hilarious as does Yukilynn. Perhaps its because we've both lived these things first-hand. Don't people always say that one should make light of a troubled situation?

happy potato salad of july

Sadly, I haven't been keeping a documented diary of my trip like I had hoped, but that would probably bore the pants off of you anyway. Althought, I am here to give updates. I didn't purchase Bitter is the New Black, instead I opted for Capote's Summer Crossings (his first novel). Also, on Sunday I made my way north to the Santa Monica shore and spent a day with Chris. We hung out at the beach, enjoyed lunch, and an evening of t.v. movies. I had lots of fun (despite his odd disposition I think Chris did too) and almost cried when I returned to Riverside on Monday afternoon.

In other news, it's the fourth of July!!! This is my favorite holiday--I love the food, the weather, the ambiance, everything. However, it's 12:03 and I still don't have solid plans. Oh well, as long as I'm sufficed with a hot dog, potato salad, and a evening of glittering sky I'm happy.

Today is also my brother's birthday. He's 13 today. I can't believe that ten years ago my mom and I welcomed a new memeber to our duet. And while I didn't actually meet him until July 5th, I predicted his "independence day" birth. I remember him a good sized baby 8lbs, 1 oz. with a head full of dark hair and large goofy eyes. The doctors thought perhaps he was cross eyed, but it turns out he had more skin on his left eye (he's fine now). Whatever the case, he was such a treat. When he would cry in his play pen I would dutifully bring him popsicles, crank up radio, put on one of my dance costumes, and entertain him with sisterly delight. Now he's thirteen and before I know it he'll be eighteen. It almost brings a tear to my eye (which I'm always good for) to think about that. He's not a sweet as he was ten years ago. In fact, he's moody, gets tense easily, and his body doesn't respond well to hot cheetos, but he'll grow out of this I'm sure. I look forward to our finally coming together and creating a bond. It's difficult with ten years in between us, and in all honesty, I don't believe that we'll create that bond for at least another five years. I can deal with that. So for now, Happy Birthday Joseph--may your new Xbox be everything you hoped for and may your potato salad be lumpy!