nolan has cottoned to the star wars and indiana jones movies ever since i bought him the dvd sets for christmas four years ago. since then nolan has been darth vader for two consecutive halloweens, he’s hosted three star wars themed birthday parties and can recite the all of the one liners from the indiana jones movies.
last week nolan’s world (as he knew it) blew up, floated crookedly in space and then reformed again. he’d finally made the connection that han solo is the same guy as indiana jones and his real name is harrison ford!
then if that weren’t enough, i reminded him of the time he actually met him.
a couple of weeks ago, patrick and i bought bagels at the local deli in downtown laconia before nolan’s baseball game. as we were walking out, i pointed to the ground at my last name and told patrick that my grandfather owned a barber shop in that building back in the 1940’s.
grandpa jim (a democrat and a pacifist) used to say, “i don’t care if you’re black, white, purple, green or striped. if you’re a paying customer, you can sit in my chair.”
patrick and bella running through times square on our way to korea town - nolan and i were right behind them. we were a little behind schedule to pick up ingredients for bibimbap for a dinner party that night, so we decided to run with our children koala’d to our backs.
If you live in New York, come out to Union Pool this Thursday for some rowdy fun, Brooklyn style. I’ll be playing with my band, as well as singing in the all-male chorus of Neckbeard Telecaster.
i took this photo of nolan yesterday while we were browsing in the second time around consignment shop in portland, maine. nolan (besotted with hunger and frustration) parked himself among the ugly shoes and stewed.
shopping for clothes has never been easy to do with nolan.
Today, the gentle cooing of Brazil’s favorite son feels like just the thing to brush away the blues. I’m somewhat embarrassed to say that I only discovered him after seeing him perform this song in Pedro Almodovar’s 2002 film Talk to Her. The video of that scene is below the jump:
Yesterday, while Bella and I and our friend Michael traded silly human tricks on a stalled F train, I realized that I had never learned to do the maneuver pictured above, the one where you reverse your middle fingers and wiggle them back ‘n forth. Neither had Bella. Michael broke it down for us, but it still took me a few minutes to grasp the technique. Bella took to it faster. By the time the train lurched into service, we were both pros.
I’d like thank New York City’s terminally inefficient Metropolitan Transit Authority for providing me with the time to fulfill a childhood dream.
My ex-wife Kristen is about six or seven months pregnant, and the festivities for the birth have already begun. Her family is in town from California to help her prepare the apartment for the big day and to throw her a baby shower. The party was last weekend, and Tam and Nolan and I stopped by to say hello. Because of all the goings-on at Kristen’s, Bella’s attention has been somewhat monopolized. I’ve been missing her - enough to show up at my ex-wife’s baby shower, even.
After making nice with the ex mother-in-law and noshing on a few Rice Krispy Treats, Tam and I took the kids to the park across the street while they cleaned up after the party. Bella brought along her friend Lila.
I sensed immediately that the odds were stacked against Nolan:
what’s up with the masthead and what the hell do you mean, “admit you’ve made a huge mistake and move on?” what’s your huge mistake? do you think your kids are mistakes? what?
on a seriously cold sunday morning, patrick and i decided to take the kids to mccarren park to play. we made the journey up bedford ave with hot chocolates and coffees in our hands to stay warm. while bella and nolan fought the wind on the playground equipment, patrick and i shivered on a park bench. it wasn’t until our cups were all pushed together between us that i noticed our cups had faces.
