Dad got a birthday greeting on Facebook and I responded because I wasn’t sure if the greeter was aware dad isn’t available to handle such things.
I figured the old man would want me to gently pass on the news to an old friend but if I am being honest part of me wanted to use this clip.
“Dad wasn’t big on pomp and circumstance so we had a quiet affair and buried him in a pyramid like an Egyptian pharoah.
He is standing up with his arms akimbo and hands splayed so that he looks like a figure from a hieroglyphic.”
Those of us who knew him best wouldn’t have posed him that way. We’d have him sitting down with a cold drink of some sort in his hand.
Some years back I threatened dad with this very act, told him to be nice or be stuffed and posed inside a pyramid.
He glared at me and said he wasn’t interested in any of my nunsense so I offered to find him a priest.
“You can take revenge for all those poor Catholic boys.”
I miss that icy glare and let’s be honest, was glad I was forty something because he wouldn’t have been real tolerant of that from teenage Josh.
Old man Josh, Mr. freshly turned 50 and proud to be grumpy understands. I wouldn’t appreciate it from my kids either.
But I got that angle nailed down and sewn up so I don’t worry about it.
Something unexpected happened today and I walked away trying to figure out if I should be happy, sad or nervous.
Walked out under a bright blue Texas sky and thought about words I put down on a page last night that have yet to be read.
Replayed the words from the moment that lead to happy, sad or nervous and kicked myself for saying a couple of things and then gave myself a high five.
Probably looked pretty weird and pretty awkward, but what do I care. At least I am not Sean Spicer pretending to be Big Bird while appearing on Dancing With The Stars weird.
I’d want more than the $125k he got for that. “Do you hear that Tom Bergeron.”
*****
Can you believe how many of these guys are dead?
I can because if I am almost middle aged these guys are damn old, some of them or um, they were.
Anyhoo, I got another set of invitations sent to a Gmail address I use as a backup email.
Two of them were for events that two different doctors were invited to. I turned them both down and told the senders I wouldn’t show unless they paid for me too.
Got email about a trust, car, and a bunch of newsletters.
Sent responses to all of them too encouraging the senders to respond with cash, offers for sex acts or 8×10 glossies of Vic Tayback riding a camel being led by Alice.
You’re probably wondering what led me to this place and I am going to tell you.
I have told the two doctors and the others who share a name but not this email address about the mistaken address.
I have told their friends and colleagues but I get the same stupid emails over and over so I decided if they can’t listen I can help motivate them to or at least be paid for my time.
If you had to cook some fish and had to chose a spice what spice would you choose?
Would it be something exotic or something plain out of a grinder.
Or if you were trapped in the heights and had to escape would you look for a beach or a forest.
There are no right or wrong answers, just more questions.
Dad once walked in while I was listening to The Wall and told me he though it was some of the most depressing music he had ever heard.
He thought Dark Side was better, but still wasn’t a big fan. Don’t think he ever watched the movie and certainly wouldn’t have expected me to listen to this and think of him.
Not just because Roger Waters is an antisemitic prick but because this wasn’t his kind of thing. He wouldn’t have debated which clip to use or whether to just use music the way I do and am.
But I am focused upon stories and storytelling and so I wrestle with it among many other things.
*****
Got to run work on a couple other things. Got to map out some stuff and see about writing with an actual pen and paper.
Been thinking about how good Heath Ledger was as The Joker and how in some ways this clip below and some others feels far too possible.
Write you later folks, I have to go follow this thought thread down elsewhere, change is happening.
