Musings of a Punk Rock Father

Mother | Tori Amos
A Mother Has A Hard Road | Killdozer
Mommy, Can I Go Out And Kill Tonight | The Misfits
Mama Don't Get Off | Jack Oblivian
Mommy's Little Anarchist | Crash Dog
Just Like Your Mom | Electric Frankenstein
Your Mama On the Rocks | Hewhocorrupts
Mother was a Vulture | This Et Al
Mommy's Little Monster | Social Distortion
Say Mama | Milkshakes
My Mom Still Cleans My Room | MxPx
If Mother Knew | Oblivians
My Mother's Only Son | Blindside
Mama Said | Metallica
Blame It On Mom [Live] | Johnny Thunders
Mom's In Rehab | Huntingtons
Send A Picture Of Mother | Johnny Cash
Mama's Boy | Ramones

Yes, he wants everyone to take the time to hug your chothers. I wasn't sure what this meant at first either. But then he showed my wife and me a couple of his toys, whose arms were wrapped around each other. "They're hugging their chuthers," he informed us. Aha. We tried to correct him. "No, you mean that they are hugging each other." But he continues to talk about how he likes to hug our chuthers, and he and his sister hug their chuthers, and we should hug his chuthers.

A good reminder with all of the insanity in the world. Go hug your chuthers.

This weekend I am experiencing life as a single dad, as my wife is in Arizona until Monday. I've been looking forward to a couple days of bonding with my kids. Today we were getting ready to leave the house (simply because I was going to go nuts if we stayed closed up in the house), and my son told me, "Daddy, you stay here. Bob [his stuffed dinosaur] will take care of you. Catie and I will go without you."

"Oh yeah," I said, "how will you get to the store?"

"We'll steer with the steering thing."

Later, in the car, he asked me to sing along with him on a song he composed himself. I told him I couldn't because I didn't know the words. "It's ok," he assured me. "I'll give you a hand."

I don't know where he gets this stuff. He recently began responding to our requests for him to help around the house by saying, "it's my pleasure."

I had posted before about seeing They Might Be Giants performing on Blues Clues. Well, now I was just watching "Yo Gabba Gabba" with my son, and I saw a live performance from Supernova. I saw Supernova some 8-10 years ago at Fireside Bowl. If I remember right, they were on Amphetamine Reptile Records, who also were home to Helmet, Boss Hog and the Melvins among others.

A lot of you might know Supernova from their song "Chewbacca" on the "Clerks" soundtrack. I remember hearing that song live. I also remember that their schtick was similar to Man Or Astro-man? in that the band members were aliens. Supernova's schtick included a love of tin foil, and they asked that people bring tin foil to shows.

Weird.

A while back, we saw a Brian Regan special on Comedy Central. In one of his bits, he told about his son offering the comedian a new joke "for your career."

He eagerly asked his son for the joke.

"Why don't dinosaurs talk?"

Amused, he asked for the answer.

"Because they're all dead."

Similarly, Aidan, just shy of 3 years old, has begun the art of devising his own jokes. One of his latest goes like this:

"Why did the monkey cross the road? Answer: By riding on the chicken!"

He doesn't really answer the why question, instead choosing to explain the how. But from a 3 year old, it is mighty funny.

I just saw They Might Be Giants doing their song "Clap Your Hands" from their album "No!" on Blue's Clues.

Weird. But so awesome.

I was just outside eating lunch with my son and daughter while listening to my iPod. Mae's "The Afterglow" came on, and my 2 1/2 year old son looked at me with an extremely serious look on his face and said, "This is a really good song, yeah," and nodded his head up and down. Then he began dancing in his chair.

A few months ago, I was listening to Eso-charis, which features somewhat growling vocals. He called it the Dino song, believing that a dinosaur was singing. Another time I was listening to an album called "Sideways Soul" by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and the Dub Narcotic Sound System. Two songs featured the word "banana" in the title and the word was used throughout each song. Aidan asked me, "Are these guys monkeys?"

Yet another time, I had an L7 album on and he told me, "That guy is screaming." I shrugged my shoulders.

"It's actually a lady, but close enough," I replied.

This morning I took my son to see Ice Age: The Meltdown at one of those early morning, cheap kids movies. Only $1 per person, and it was a nice theater, not one of those second run theaters.

This was his first time at a real movie theater, and he loved it. I predicted to Melanie that he would utter "Whoah!" a lot, and he did. He laughed loudly through most of the movie, and he made me laugh out loud too at some of the silly gags.

This was the first time I've been to a movie where crying kids was accepted, if not expected.

Oh my, I still have a blog?

I was pretty much forced to end my blogging when my employer decided to block this website. I tried to transfer my blog to blogspot, and they blocked that too. And the last thing I ever wanted to do when I got home was look at a computer.

I now have a little more time for these things, though, since I have been laid off. Ah, the joys of "structural expense reviews." Let's just say that Des Moines, Ann Arbor and Mumbai, India are all cheaper than Chicago. The best part is that my branch was actually number one in the country for our last full month.

So I am once again writing resumes and cover letters, and practicing the answers to questions like, "What would you say is your biggest weakness?" I also was able to enjoy the ambiance of the local unemployment office.

I have been able to spend some extra time with my wife, 2 1/2 year old son and 7 month old daughter. We went to Brookfield Zoo on July 3rd, and that ruled. The zoo is so much cooler when you go with a 2 year old. He was chilling in his stroller as we walked past an okapi (yeah, I'd never heard of it either) and he has the zoo map open in front of him and yells, "There's an okapi on my map!" Everything is so much more exciting when seen through his eyes.

The thing I am missing most right now from my job is the CD club that I started with 2 of my co-workers. We would pick a theme (90's songs, songs about war, songs over 10 minutes long/under 2 minutes long) and make comps for each other. In a few months the biggest thing I will miss wll be the paycheck, but for now it is the comps.

I don't know how regularly I will be able to write. I suppose it will depend on what job I get next.

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there!

I had a fantastic father's day. My son (at the age of 20 months) picked out for me a pretty sweet Johnny Cash "Man in Black" t-shirt. To make the gift more awesome, he also got a Cash shirt of his own. When we can coordinate wearing them on the same day, we'll pose together so I can get a photo up.

We celebrated Father's Day today at a Chicago Cubs game. If you saw the game or heard the score, then hopefully you have pity for the poor display we witnessed. Even so, we had an awesome time because my mother-in-law's boyfriend got skybox tickets through work. Mel and I were able to take Aidan, and Mel's sister and her husband came also. Aidan had a great time with his grandma, since she is incredible patient with him.

Originally, we were told the tickets were only for the seats, and did not include the food package. But when we arrived, there were hot gods, nachos, beer and soda available, as well as some other snacks like a veggie tray. The only thing we had to spring for was a slice of pizza that Mel was craving. We even got free parking across the street from Wrigley! So, two skybox tickets (plus a toddler), 5 hot dogs, 1 beer, 2 sodas, 1 water, more than one order of nachos, and that slice of pizza later, and we only shelled out $4. Not too shabby!!

On Wednesday, I witnessed a display of enormous importance and impressiveness. Melanie asked Aidan where his eyes were. He pointed to his right eye and said "eye," only with a vowel sounding close to the "aah" that you would give a doctor. She then asked him where his nose was, and he pointed now to his nose, saying "no." She then asked him where his mouth was, and he...you guessed it...pointed to his mouth, saying "mou." Lastly, she asked him where his ears were, and he grabbed my ear (although he didn't say it).

I think he is a genius.

For Christmas, I bought Aidan They Might Be Giants' "No!" I had recently discovered that they, and a number of other indie rock artists, began working in what might be called "kid's music." Listening to the CD this morning with Aidan on our way to his grandma's house, I realized how wrong this assessment is.

I already liked the album. We listen to it at home, and he likes to dance and clap and laugh along to it. But usually there is too much going on to enjoy the music. Usually, we are also playing with toys or reading books or running into the furniture (at least Aidan is usually involved in those activities) to listen intentionally to the music.

But this morning as we drove, I got a chance to appreciate it on a whole new level. At first blush, the album appears to be simply silly kids songs. But as I listened, I heard great songwriting, lyrically and musically. Songs like the buoyant rocker "Clap Your Hands" and the mellow, dreamy "Where Do They Make Balloons" transcend mere kid stuff.

The album would certainly appeal to fans of They Might Be Giants, but I think it would also appeal to fans of bands like the Flaming Lips as well. I look forward to discovering more kids music with my son.

No, not the Wilford Brimley movies. I've been looking for a case for my iPod Nano for a while now, and none of them seemed to be what I needed. All I ever found were sport sleeves or arm bands, or the occasional "leather folio." I really wanted a case that could hold my iPod and some accessories. I was tired of worrying, for example, that my iTrip would fall out of my coat pocket, or that I would misplace my ear buds.

Melanie found a case on Apple's website called a Cocoon. I just got it yesterday, and so far it seems to be just what I wanted. It has enough room for my earbuds and iTrip, with a little room left over for the lanyard that came with it, if I wanted it in there, too. I don't know if I will have much use for it yet. Maybe if I use it while working out.

It's a larger case, for sure, but I care more about the extra compartment than about keeping it slim. Plus, I like that the case seems durable, whereas everything else I've seen seems merely cosmetic.

Just wanted to share my excitement!

My mother-in-law wanted to make a birthday dinner for me, and asked me what I wanted. I have a particular affinity for this taco salad that she makes. She usually makes some killer enchiladas with it, so that's what I requested. I was told that that was too easy to make, that I should pick something else. So I said, "How about Chateau Brion"? Lo and behold, we go to her and her boyfriend's house yesterday, and what are they making? Chateau Brion.

It was so very awesome.

The other day I told Melanie that her brain is like a Brawny paper towel, and mine is more like the other leading brand. She remembers so many things, like important dates, my pants' size, pizza toppings I like, who starred in what movie. I, on the other hand, can barely be counted on to remember my car keys, never mind where I put them the night before.

I wish I had a better memory. I try hard to remember to do nice things for her, and to clean up after myself, and to consider her needs, but sometimes I just plain forget. And it's not because I'm not thinking about her, because I am. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in doing something nice for her, that instead of thinking about what she would like, I think about what I would like if I were her and I do that.

Yesterday saw my 30th birthday come and go. I didn't really care too much about the milstone, until about a week ago. I started thinking more about how I will never again be able to say that I am in my 20s. How the hair I am losing will never come back.

But Melanie gave me a wonderful gift for my birthday: the full assurance that she loves me, even as I bald and age. She asked her mom to babysit overnight, so that we could stay out late like we used to do when childless. We dined at a fancy french resaurant, Mon Ami Gabi, in swank Oak Brook. We enjoyed the Oysters Du Jour, the best oysters I think I've ever had. A little cocktail sauce, a little horseradish, those babies were fantastic. My entree: Salmon, dijon crust, pommes puree, balsamic & chive oil. Mel's entree: Sea Scallops, whipped cauliflower, carmelized onion, raisins, pine nuts. They were both incredible. Then the server brought out a Profiteroles with a candle in it, and did not sing for me; "I did it all online," Melanie told me. "I requested no singing." She really knows me. We also ordered the Chocolate Mousse for good measure. Fully stuffed, we decided we would go see a movie.

We decided upon "Capote," because we were in the mood for an Oscar-award-winning performance. Minutes before the movie was to start, a large group of women could be heard in the hall, huge belly-laughs erupting from them. They entered our theater, which was very quiet due to the fact that we were about to watch a movie about a gay author writing about a horrific quadruple murder. They sprawled out around the theater, yelling to each other, announcing that they were "the loud section." Great. But I had a sense that they were in the wrong theatre. It must be my hyper-sensitive ability to read people. Then one of them stated talking about how we'd all be laughing, wouldn't be able to control it. Turns out, they were there to see that Tyler Perry Family Reunion movie, which was showing in the theater next to us.

The film was great, really tough to watch at times, but great. Hoffman was excellent as Capote. What a selfish man he was. I didn't know the stary of the writing of "In Cold Blood," and I was riveted. Great choice.

Melanie had also rented "Walk the Line," so we had an Oscar-nominee/winner evening. Phoenix really immersed himself into Johnny Cash. The music was fantastic, the acting was fantastic, and I'm a fan of director James Mangold.

The best part of the evening, though, was how Melanie shared her love with me: through some thoughts about our life and love that she wrote down and presented to me when we arrived home. It was really wonderful, and made a memorable birthday. So I am trying not to worry so much about what is behind me, but to treasure what I have.

Thanks, Mel.

So Linus's new "mom" picked him up today. She was a little earlier than we thought, so Mel didn't get to spend as much time with him during their last day together as she thought she would. Our last morning walk was sad for me.

I wasn't feeling too emotional about it, though, until Mel called me and told me that Tammy had just left with Linus. I started to get a little choked up as I talked to Mel on the phone. I mean, we've had Linus for almost 3 years, and we've all experienced a lot together. Mel said that Tammy started to get choked up while she said goodbye to Linus.

It looks barren in the spot where his cage used to sit. Not much seems different, though, because usually at night Linus would be sleeping either on one of the sofas or upstairs on our bed. Usually I am greeted when I arrive home from work by a dog who has to go outside to pee, so that was different. And tomorrow morning, when I don't have to throw on a coat and brave the cold wind before I'm even really awake, will be bittersweet.

All in all, we know we made the right decision. And his new owner seems to be really excited about taking him home with her.

Tammy and Linus

After a lot of thought, we recently decided that we would have to find another home for our dachsund chihauhau, Linus. As Aidan grows older, and more destructive, and Linus gets older, and crankier, the two personalities are not meshing very well. Linus is also suspicious and scared of strangers, which makes hiring a babysitter difficult. The dog should not be more difficult to watch as a sitter than the baby. A sitter also shouldn't fear that they will be bit.

Not sure of what to do, Mel called the Humane Society. She answered some questions about Linus, and made an appointment for Friday the 27th. This past Monday, however, at a friend's birthday get-together, we became re-acquainted with a friend of our friend, who knows someone who has been wanting to get a new dog, a small dog. Weighing in at 10 pounds, and being every bit the canine, Linus fit both qualifications.

Melanie spoke with this someone who is looking for a dog, and gave her the rundown on all of Linus's emotional and physical needs and issues, and she still expressed a desire to give our dog a home. She believes she can rehabilitate him, and I wish her the best.

It's a sad time, because we have shared a few years of our lives with him now, and whenever he is absent it doesn't really feel like home. But we love our son more, and out of a desire to protect him, we will part with our four-legged friend. His new home does not have any small children, but does have another dog, and we have a suspicion they will get along fine.

His new owner is supposed to come pick him up tomorrow; hopefully he takes to her immediately.

It's been over a week since I last slept in my own bed. We've been staying with my mother-in-law because we are having our basement finished. I can't until we can move back in so I can upload some of the photos showing the progress.

Work started the week after Thanksgiving. Once the framing was done and the dry-walling began, we had to head out of the house. Our garage and living room were/ are full of materials. As of Sunday night, there was a huge pile of drywall, 2x4s and McDonalds refuse on the floor, but all the drywall was up. Monday they began taping, and will finish tomorrow.

Our contractor is also going to put a new floor and ceiling in our bathroom. We have to buy a new sink and toilet so he can install those as well. Last time I tried installing a toilet it was a lot of effort. We're opting for a pedestal sink and cabinets from Ikea.

The carpet is supposed to be installed Friday, which means all that is left is to paint! So then we can buy our new furniture and with any luck we will ring in the new year in our new room!

We can allegedly move back in tonight. We'll see!

We're in Indiana celebrating Christmas with Mel's Dad and stepmom. It's aways fun to visit them. It's really fun this Christmas because Aidan has re-introduced toys to Christmas gift giving. It's been a long time since there have been toys under a tree to be opened.

My in-laws got Aidan some cool stuff. Right now he's playing with this set called Pop-Onz, and he keeps laughing as he plays with it. Good times!

Melanie and I are getting ready to celebrate our son's 1st birthday! I wanted to post a pic of him, and this is a good excuse. He was 10 months old in this photo, though.