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It's in the Genes (Vodkaboys' Invitation W/O)Oct 04 '03 Write an essay on this topic.
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Thanks so much to Vodkaboy for creating this great Write-Off, and letting us all get to know each other a little better. It's the "Invite a fellow Epinionator out for a drink" W/O and there have been some wonderful entries. For this little party, I've invited my son, Flamepillar to join me. Hey Tim!! How's my little snoogie-woogie, huggy-wuggy, little darling doing this evening? OOpps!! So, how's it goin', Dude? Meet any sweet young thangs lately? Dang!!! How in the world does a Mother interview her own son? Let's try this one more time.... Hey Hon! How ya been? (Raising an eyebrow) I'm, uhh... better than ever! That's good! Vodkaboy says you pick the place and the drink of the evening. So what's it gonna be? The bowling alley. We need a whole lotta nachos and some cold ones. Oh, man, you know how much I love to bowl...this is cool!! And I know you're going to want a little music playing in the background. What are we gonna listen to? Let's go with Cher's Heart of Stone, something we both seem to love. Sounds perfect! Ok, so let me start off with a tricky question here....let's see....I got it! As a child you had this photographic memory, I remember being amazed at some of the things you could recall. So tell me, what is your earliest memory? I've been thinking about this question ever since I got your email two weeks ago. Man, two weeks? Maybe my memory is not what it used to be. Heh heh! Anyways, I'm not sure exactly which memory was my first, but I have several small ones that pop to mind. I have vague visions of the sandbox. I remember crying on the way to the beach 'cause I was scared of the jellyfish. I remember Grandma's back yard and always wanting to go out into the woods. I remember sitting in Dad's lap and taking candy out of his shirt pocket. I remember picking up the "Roley Poleys" and breaking them in half (poor things!) I remember you driving Doug to school with us in the mornings, and he was always crying when his Dad brought him over on the way to work. I remember Mary being born. I remember tons and tons of Legos. I remember getting a penny stuck inside this plastic toy truck I had -- if I had to take a guess as to my first memory, I think that would be it. Oh, wow...that's interesting. I remember buying you a black T-shirt with the Aries symbol on it and you wore it til it was filled with holes. Do you buy into astrology, or was that just a favorite shirt? I don't buy into astrology. After I won the $1,000 in the lottery, I checked out my horoscope in the old newspapers for that day, and mine said not to take chances with money! Anyways, I always thought the shirt looked cool. Plus it was big and comfortable, both always a plus. Ok, I gotta ask something I've always wondered about. As a parent, I've had my own opinion about a certain issue, but you were the participant. I think you'll have a better perspective on this. You attended both parochial and public schools growing up. Could you tell a major difference between them? And do you think either one was more influential in your feelings today? The biggest difference to me was that the parochial schools were cleaner. Like, homogenized. Also, there were a lot fewer racial minorities there. And no windows at all. In the public schools, we had white kids, we had black kids, we had Hispanic kids, we had kids from Europe. They kept the doors open a lot more often. Entire walls were made of windows. Leaves and dirt blew in and out, they didn't care. I got picked on more in the parochial school than at the public one. Like Jonathan Hafner. And then Chris Long and Brian Tutt. A bunch of rich snobs they were. At the public school, kids wore shirts with holes and dirty pants, it always smelled funny, it didn't matter if you were different. At the parochial school, the physical education teacher was like a drill instructor -- that guy deliberately hurt kids, not by hitting them, but by shouting at them and forcing them to go beyond their physical limits. I've hated the military ever since. In the public schools, Coach Gregg was far more down-to-Earth and personable. 50% of your grade was just bringing your gym clothes to class with you. I was able to do great things with him backing me up. With him, it wasn't "You HAVE to do it," it was "You CAN do it." And with him I did. We of course had religion class at the parochial school; basically, most of it was just memorizing facts from the Bible about what Jesus did and how/why he died. We watched a video once of a re-enactment of Jesus' crucifixion -- that stuff was graphic. I don't think I would even remember it if it hadn't been so disturbing. Everyone has the best years in high school, and since I spent mine at a public school, I guess that's why my memory (which is only an interpretation, not a record) leans toward liking the public schools better. Had I spent high school in parochial, who knows. I guess it's time to get around to your favorite subject of all, music. No, no, no, I'm not going to tell everybody how you used to play that little toy piano, or how you'd beat out a rhythm with your crayons, or any of the Mom-type stuff. *snicker.... What I really want to know is how you actually listen. Do you hear the words first, or the instruments ..... what is it that draws you to a particular song? First thing I hear is definitely the melody and the instruments. The drums (if they are present) are usually the first instrument that I will "lock" onto, as rhythm is the backbone of any song. I don't pay much attention to lyrics unless they are REALLY good, like that Switchfoot CD I reviewed. I think most lyrics are superfluous, especially with the overabundance of "party" songs or songs about getting it on. If the weekend lasted six days, we wouldn't look forward to it as much -- it's the same thing with partying and getting it on and letting people see your What What or whatever. Now I just say lyrics are for politicians. If words could capture the same feeling that music could, then maybe Edgar Allan Poe would have even half the fans that Mozart does. I never thought about it that way....good point. So, hypothetically, let's say the Great Gods of Music were to say something like, "Tim, you have to make a choice. You can only listen to one type of music from now until eternity". Would you be able to narrow it down to just one? I doubt it. For the most part, I'm an a "soft rock" kinda guy. No matter how much hard rock I might listen to, no matter how much I actually enjoy it, I'd still prefer the softer side of music. Like Elton John and stuff. It's just that there are so many bands out there like Better Than Ezra, Everclear and Vertical Horizon that might get categorized as "rock", or even "pop/rock", but 80% of what they play is nowhere near rock. There are so many hybrids of musical genres out there, often embodied by single bands, that it's no wonder they have to overgeneralize 'em to keep any semblance of organization to the mess! When it all comes down to it, though, I'm a pop guy and I'll probably always be. You and I have sung karaoke together a couple of times. Didn't I sound wonderful? AAAccckkk!!!...don't answer that.... Seriously, I'm wondering, who's your favorite singer/band/musician/whatever to perform at karaoke? It's definitely got to be Elton John. Basically we have the same range, same "texture" of voice and inflection and things like that. I do believe I've tried every one of his songs except "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"! Enough about music, don't you think? So now I really should ask a question that's been asked often in this Write-Off. If a genie were to grant you one wish, what would it be? Well, since Surg gave me the ability to communicate, I guess I'll have to ask you for tonight's winning Supercash numbers :) And the most important question of all is, of course, what's it like to have the most wonderful, gorgeous, perfect Mom in the world? And what is that supposed to mean, huh... "Well, I wouldn't know, my Mom is just average"?????... Heh heh heh... It's the greatest honor a man can have! Seriously, we've both said often that we have a lot in common. Is there something that you wished we did not have in common? Be careful here, your inheritance could be at stake..... (Lordy, I love leverage!) Aww, shut up now! Easy answer. Wish I hadn't started smoking! You and me, both. So, tell me something. I've read some of your essays and thoughts on parenting. When you become a father, what do you think you most want to teach your child? To quote a widely-scorned band, "If I had just one wish, only one demand, I hope he's not like me, I hope he understands that he can take this life and hold it by the hand and he can greet the world with arms wide open." Or, to give my own answer, I think the most important lesson to teach a kid these days is that they have to earn their keep. I won't deprive him/her of rewards, and of course they'll get more love than they can stand :) But they have to know that hard work (and especially teamwork) pays off... because it really does. Amen to that. That's a great lesson. So, tell me something...you've lived in Michigan, Florida, Georgia and now Wisconsin. Do you think there are any major differences in any of these places, other than the obvious weather, of course? I don't really remember enough about Michigan to say much there, and to tell the truth I don't remember much about Florida either. Wisconsinites seem to be a lot more into their sports, and on the average (this is not meant to be a dig) they are more heavy-set. With the winters around here, though, you need all the insulation you can get! People seemed to dress nicer down in Georgia too, but I don't know if that's a difference of state culture or the changing times. Oh yeah, and Wisconsin drivers are a LOT slower! That was one of the first things I noticed when we came up here. Well, Hon, all good things must end. I guess I don't have to tell you how much I've enjoyed this visit. I always love your company! We're supposed to end this with a handshake, a hug or a kiss. That's kinda silly for a Mother to be asking her son. So, whaddya think, heh?...what's it gonna be? Let's just go home and play Tetris Attack. If only we could.... I miss you so much....  |
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