My two-cents worth and then some. An online journal by LP Brown.
Many boomers have reached the age when our parents are older than we ever imagined they would be – just as we are older than we imagined we would be. That bit of introspective humor aside, Father’s Day is one of those serious occasions when children of all ages, who are fortunate enough to know and love their father delight in spending time with him or sending tokens of appreciation; and those who have lost our dads reflect on Father’s Days past.
I reminisce about the happy times that my siblings and I shared with our WWII Vet dad over the years. Whether he was playing chef, as bar-b-que king at our backyard family cook-outs, fixing up a bushel of crabs, or slapping palms with his partner after “going to Boston” while playing Bid Whist, we had good times.
I delight in remembering the weeks before Father’s Day, when I would search frantically for just the right card or gift. Do I get him another tie or a bathrobe? Shirts or cuff links? My dad liked music, so back in the day I sometimes bought him a couple of 45 rpm records or cassette tapes featuring his favorite, particularly blues, recording artists. (For Generation Xers or your children who may be reading this — No, your eyes did not deceive you. And yes, I said records — as in vinyl — and cassette tapes.) Even when some of dad’s buddies were switching turntables and cassette decks for CD players, dad rejected the idea of fumbling and frustrating over such contemporary devices.
But Father’s Day isn’t all about giving material things. Sometimes an offspring gives dad something more precious. Joseph Mies gave his father the ultimate gift.
The inspiration behind Father’s Day is to honor, appreciate and celebrate our dad. And if we had a loving relationship, we cherish the memories and do so for as long as we live. In recognition of every decent, hard-working father who lovingly and dutifully fulfills his obligation to his children, I share with you a favorite quote by writer Clarence Budington Kelland, “He didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.”
Are you wondering, as I am, who will play the role of Casey Anthony when the movie is made about the woman who television host and former prosecutor, Nancy Grace, nicknamed Tot Mom? Anthony is the Florida woman who is currently on trial for allegedly murdering her two year old daughter, Caylee. We know there will be a movie. I can’t think of a court case that has garnered so much publicity since the OJ Simpson trial. He got a movie.
And didn’t Lifetime recently air a couple of films about Natalee Holloway, the student who disappeared in Aruba while on a high school graduation trip? There was even a movie made about Joran van der Sloot. He is the alleged killer of Holloway. By the way, he has reportedly impregnated his girlfriend while being held in a Peruvian jail on charges of murdering another young woman, Stephany Flores, five years to the day that Natalee disappeared. Can you believe that guy got conjugal visits? Can you believe that any woman in her right mind would trust getting that close to him?
My guess is that Lindsay Lohan might be a good candidate to play Anthony. And if Lohan happens to be inajailable, er, I mean unavailable, then maybe Katie Holmes would be offered the part. Lifetime probably has scriptwriters working feverously right this moment on the screenplay for “The Casey Anthony Story.” Unfortunately, real life dramas often provide better screen presentations than mock “reality” shows.
Yet another cute, talking baby was featured in an E*Trade commercial during last February’s Superbowl game. The eerie thing about commercials featuring babies and young children acting as adults is that it is an uncanny reminder of our youth obsessed society. Don’t get me wrong. I really get a kick out of seeing the live and computer-generated babies, especially the Evian roller skating toddlers. They rock! But whenever I see one of those commercials it reminds me of the 1968 movie Wild in the Streets. If you never saw it, it is a satire about the 1960s youth movement. In the film, not only is age 30 considered over-the-hill, it becomes the mandatory retirement age; and everyone who crosses that threshold is taken to a concentration camp. Now that’s all I’ll tell you about the plot. If you want to see the movie, rent it or you may be able to find it on one of the cable channels. Just be prepared – by today’s movie standard it will probably bore you to tears. And remember — today anything is possible.