 |
| Ed Paschke, "Mid-America" |
My 66th birthday, my granddaughter's 1st birthday, and Donald Trump's 80th, all fell within the same week, and it is hard to resist juxtaposing these three very different occasions, to understand the values they display.
Mine came first. I've been feeling low key, so my plan was to do nothing. I didn't want more stuff or a fancy meal Downtown. I don't need anybody to put on a show in order for me to feel good about myself.
My wife, bless her heart, played along, though she broke down at the last minute and commanded, "Go to Sunset and buy yourself a cake," as she breezed out the door to the train. So I did — I'm good at following instructions — a little triple chocolate confection that served nicely.
Otherwise, I ran errands — took the dog to the groomer — and spent much of the day in the basement, going over a wooden box with steel wool, buffing the finish. The box contained wooden blocks I had cut and sanded and finished as a 1st birthday present.
Went by quick, right? I don't remark in print upon my grandchildren, other than the fact of their existence, because their parents, quite wisely, view the internet not as the balm and drug we old people do, but as a menace. Meta might be big now, but so was ketchup, and if enough young people avoid it, maybe the thing will also fade. Something to look forward to.
Caution is the watchword. And it's contagious. The finish for the blocks was carefully chosen for its nontoxicity — plain shellac that comes from the thorax of the female lac bug. So safe it's also used to coat food, like apples. Though the finish was the second concern. My first concern, in designing the blocks, was to find out the dimensions that can't be swallowed by an infant — a cube 1.25 inches on a side — and so I made my blocks 1.5 inch cubes, with other sizes multiples of that.
I suppose that buffing a set of blocks is not the peak, kick-him-in-the-chest masculinity we supposedly saw on display in Washington over the weekend. But then, the notion that there is only one way to be a good man, or woman, or person, or whatever, is a big reason our country is in such a mess. I'm not threatened by men oiling themselves up and wrestling in their underwear, whether in a UFC cage match or some Halsted Street club. Why should they care if a man builds blocks, or reads poetry, or bakes? Frankly, it seems like weakness on their part — lack of faith in their own path. Though the truth is worse than that: A key part of being a hater is positing imaginary harms to yourself in a futile attempt to justify your own bitterness.
The next day we drove 400 miles to deliver the blocks and attend a party with cake and streamers. When fellow guests expressed wonder that we'd make the 800-mile round trip drive to attend a child's party, I replied with utter candor: Of course we did, Who wouldn't? The thought not to never crossed either of our minds.
Mine came first. I've been feeling low key, so my plan was to do nothing. I didn't want more stuff or a fancy meal Downtown. I don't need anybody to put on a show in order for me to feel good about myself.
My wife, bless her heart, played along, though she broke down at the last minute and commanded, "Go to Sunset and buy yourself a cake," as she breezed out the door to the train. So I did — I'm good at following instructions — a little triple chocolate confection that served nicely.
Otherwise, I ran errands — took the dog to the groomer — and spent much of the day in the basement, going over a wooden box with steel wool, buffing the finish. The box contained wooden blocks I had cut and sanded and finished as a 1st birthday present.
Went by quick, right? I don't remark in print upon my grandchildren, other than the fact of their existence, because their parents, quite wisely, view the internet not as the balm and drug we old people do, but as a menace. Meta might be big now, but so was ketchup, and if enough young people avoid it, maybe the thing will also fade. Something to look forward to.
Caution is the watchword. And it's contagious. The finish for the blocks was carefully chosen for its nontoxicity — plain shellac that comes from the thorax of the female lac bug. So safe it's also used to coat food, like apples. Though the finish was the second concern. My first concern, in designing the blocks, was to find out the dimensions that can't be swallowed by an infant — a cube 1.25 inches on a side — and so I made my blocks 1.5 inch cubes, with other sizes multiples of that.
I suppose that buffing a set of blocks is not the peak, kick-him-in-the-chest masculinity we supposedly saw on display in Washington over the weekend. But then, the notion that there is only one way to be a good man, or woman, or person, or whatever, is a big reason our country is in such a mess. I'm not threatened by men oiling themselves up and wrestling in their underwear, whether in a UFC cage match or some Halsted Street club. Why should they care if a man builds blocks, or reads poetry, or bakes? Frankly, it seems like weakness on their part — lack of faith in their own path. Though the truth is worse than that: A key part of being a hater is positing imaginary harms to yourself in a futile attempt to justify your own bitterness.
The next day we drove 400 miles to deliver the blocks and attend a party with cake and streamers. When fellow guests expressed wonder that we'd make the 800-mile round trip drive to attend a child's party, I replied with utter candor: Of course we did, Who wouldn't? The thought not to never crossed either of our minds.
To continue reading, click here.
You are a fine Grandpa.
ReplyDeleteMany happy returns to you and your granddaughter Neil. And you couldn’t be more right about premature happiness over small victories over a Facist regime. We must gear up to flip the Congress, both mentally and financially.
ReplyDeleteJune 14th was Flag Day, which I celebrate because it's my country, despite what some "patriots" think.
ReplyDeleteThat day I also remembered John, my first love, and Pat, my dear friend, both of whom were born on that day in 1943. Pat died in 1994 .. much too soon. Pat said she was spending eternity in Aruba. She was a bartender and I choose to think of her doing what she loved, serving cocktails in a sandy beach bar. John lived a lot longer, a mostly sad life that ended in 2020. I think of our early years when people stopped him on the street because he looked exactly like the actor Omar Sharif.
That other birthday is unacknowledged and definitely uncelebrated.
Happy belated birthday to you and your granddaughter! I love that you made a set of blocks for her. What a lasting gift.
ReplyDeleteHappy birthday to both you and the grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteBravo to you for both respecting and adhering to your children wishes. It seems simple, but many grandparents happily toss away their children's wishes because "they're my grandchildren!"
To the literal elephant(s) in the room, I ask the same question I always ask...
When will the blame fall on the people who enable these fascists and traitors and anti American actions of the right? When will the news papers and the talk shows and the internet fill with the buzz and angry froth of change and direct it at the people who could easily stop it? When will we start to admit and publicize the indisputable facts that republicans cannot and will not lead. They do not act in good faith, they refuse to admit defeat, they lie, cheat, and steal and are allowed to get away with it.
I despise trump. I hate him as a person, a president, a politician, a business man, and any other carnation he decides to pretend to be. He is, by every imaginable metric a failure. But he is unchallenged and hailed as the greatest ever, without a single person standing up and saying "no."
Hillary Clinton was right, and I agreed with her then just as I agree with her now. Anyone who supports a republican, votes for a republican, donates to a republican, or is a republican, is deplorable.
It's about time we start shouting it from the treetops. There is no "but the dems!" The democrats aren't perfect. They never will be. But there is no comparison. The right is rot. The right is wrong. The right is the second greatest threat to our planet, the people, and the United States of America.
This is our country, people need to stand up and say so.
DoubleB in a democracy people run for office and the citizens vote.
DeleteOften enough our choice doesn't win.
We have our chance now to regain some of the power. I feel that continuous complaining May well have a negative effect on our chance to do that.
In sports they call it bulletin board material don't give your opponent a chance to be motivated to any greater degree than they already are.
We have not yet lost our democracy we're about to vote again make sure that you and anyone else that you can possibly convince does just that.
The hard part right now is democratic candidates do not inspire people we have to do better look at these primaries victory is not assured.
A few days ago Grizz described the work that he and his wife did on behalf of the Obama campaign.
Yes stand up please and get involved get your checkbook out and make donations volunteer to work at the polls.
Let's at least take the Senate
The house may be out of reach.
Long time reader
Anonymous,
DeleteI never wanted to be part of the empire. Maybe I was too young when I first saw Darth Vader step out of the fog and force choke someone to really understand the complexity of his character. I saw nothing good in a group that blew up planets as a show of force. I could never understand the kids who wanted to be a part of the empire, though now i can see that it was their need for power; despite the illusion of power that it is.
I find the republican party (and every last one of their supporters) to be akin to the Empire. They should be made fun of, insulted, called out for what they are. Left alone and to their own devices they grow and infect, leaving destruction and death behind. Hourly Fox News spews lies about reality, democrats, and blue cities.
I will do everything i can to support democrats. I will campaign, knock on doors, financially support, you name it. But that will never stop me (no should it for anyone) from calling out deplorables.
If you see what is happening in this country, what ICE is doing, the joke of a president trump is, the responses by nominees during senate and house hearings and think "yeah, these is good. I like this person." You are the problem. We all need to say that.
Because there are often a fair amount of people who go along with things because everyone is doing it, but are happy to jump off the crazy train when they're made to look a fool.
I appreciate your comments. I hope we take the Senate, and the house, and thousands of local elections across this great nation.
And regarding democratic candidates, they look a heck of a lot better than jeffires and schumer; who have about as much charisma as some of that scum on the top of the reflecting pool.
2008: Worked the phones. Was called a baby-killer and a nigger-lover. Banged on doors. Was lucky to get heavily involved in the last-ever snail-mail campaign. Nobody does that anymore. Victory was sweet.
Delete2012: Clerical work, phones, mostly data entry...was too old and tired to bang on doors. Worked at rallies, saw Springsteen and Bill Clinton giggling and leering at every pair of big boobs they saw. Winning is fun.
2016: A whole new ballgame. Pushing 70, and no longer tech savvy enough. Everything was now via texts (ugh) and smartphones (yetch). We became canvass captains, training the door knockers and sending them out. On Election Night, we cursed and we cried.
Couldn't do anything for Joe in the Plague Year, and we were dinosaurs by '24...what can you still do at 77? We just sent checks. That's about all we can do now.
Been hearing about vigilantes at the polls.
Hope I can stay out of trouble in November.
.
Enjoy those birthdays - yours and the little one's - wherever and however you can. Life can be fleeting, as we all know.
ReplyDeleteSounds like skilled woodworking.
ReplyDeleteHas ketchup faded? That would be a minor triumph of civilization.
ReplyDeleteAnd Happy Birthday.
ReplyDeleteDid something happen on the White House lawn over the weekend? I've fallen into the habit of recording the nightly network news shows, and then skipping over the things I don't give a damn about, or that royally piss me off. Have not heard the grating and whining voice of Felonious in years.
ReplyDeleteThe older and more despairing I become, the more that ignorance is bliss.
After 60 years of watching NBC and CBS at suppertime every night, I can't just quit them cold turkey, so in order to wean myself from an even stronger habit than 32 years of smoking was, I'm doing it gradually. Sort of like a nicotine patch.
Have heard that we've been at war with Iran since early March.
So THAT'S why the price of gasoline almost doubled. Who's winning?
Iran won.
DeleteI used nicotine patches to quit smoking 27 years ago. They work! Of course, you really have to want to quit.
I flat out quit the CBS network news. It's now a pathetic joke.
DeleteI also can't stand Tom Llamas on NBC network news as he doesn't read the news, he makes like an actor playing the part of a news anchor. That never, ever rings true, actors always overdo it.
Mr. Peanut "likes" Clark Street's comment.
DeleteDude, they all suck now. Tony Dokoupil is the best of a bad lot.
DeleteTom Llamas is still the same greasy-looking blowhard he was at ABC.
And David Muir is horrible. The worst. Looks as bad as Pete Kegsbreath.
All these anchors are now sporting the greasy slick-backed MAGA look.
They don't just act like kiss-asses, they even look like them, too.
Wazzup with this sleazy retro-50s Brylcreem look, anyway? JFC. SMGDH.
Belated Happy Birthday, Neil, and a Belated Happy Birthday to your granddaughter. She and her parents will treasure those blocks you crafted for her.
ReplyDeleteYou said: The finish for the blocks was carefully chosen for its non-toxicity — plain shellac from the thorax of the female lac bug.
ReplyDeleteI say: Which reminds me, I was tossing things I no longer need ( a good topic for a column) and came across my father's toy soldiers made of lead. Who do I give those to?
Maybe to a toy collector or an antique dealer. But not to a kid.
DeleteThey might lick them and poison themselves.
And then they could either die... or merely destroy their brains.
The way city kids have been doing with paint chips for decades.
My dad was a talented carpenter and I have several of furniture pieces he crafted. But the best ones were for my kids - a tiny chair, a step stool, a table and four chairs made of oak and blocks made of walnut. He sewed a little denim bag to store them in. His June birthday was the 28th and mine is the 26th - I was almost his birthday present. Miss him every day.
ReplyDeleteThose blocks will be an heirloom someday.
ReplyDeleteAround 1961 I picked up a wooden block...and heaved it at my friend Peter Schulenburg! It hit him above his right eye and such blood you've never seen! Peter went down like Sonny Listen! He rolled on the ground clutching his head. I naturally felt badly. His father shouted at me, "You're out of our yard!!!!" I had to leave. To this very day the mention of "blocks" conjurs an image of poor Peter John wailing and writhing. Blocks! We must be careful with our blocks.
ReplyDeleteUsed to play with the kid who lived next-door to my grandma, and nicknamed him "Nearby Jimmy." One evening, we were tussling in his bedroom, and I accidentally knocked down Jimmy's kid brother. He started screaming and crying, and then their father rushed in, yelling loudly at me.
DeleteWas about six or seven, so he easily grabbed me, picked me up, shouted: "You're outta here for good!"...and bodily threw me out the back door. Never saw those brothers again. Grandma moved to Rogers Park, where everyone in her building was her age.