When she was born in her birth suit…
Every time Spanky’s birthday rolls around I think of this Cajun song by Rockin’ Sidney, “Don’t Mess with My Toot Toot.”
The reason I think of that song is because of the lyrics, “When she was born in her birth suit, the doctor slapped her behind, he said ‘You’re gonna be special.’”
See, when Spanky was born and the doctor slapped her feet to get her breathing going, Spanky just looked up at the world as if to say, “Ah, so this is it what’s going on where that noise was coming from.”
She didn’t cry.
That worried me to no end. I’d seen a lot of births working in the hospitals and this was the first one I saw where the baby didn’t cry. They kept telling me she was okay, but I didn’t believe them, I thought the worst. I was right in the middle of a c-section and trying to lift my shoulders and head to see the baby to make sure. Probably drove them all crazy in there.
She was just chill for a little baby. When they brought her to my room, I didn’t think she looked like us. I secretly worried that someone had switched the babies. Then I found out she was the only baby girl in the nursery, there were ten boys and Spanky.
So she’s ours. For sure.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SPANKY!
Spanky’s Star Struck
Spanky and I were on our way to the Fall Out Boy concert Friday night when I said if I was a psych major I’d do research on why people like certain songs over others. Those things fascinate me.
She popped in a Led Zeppelin CD and when it got to “Stairway to Heaven” I asked her what I always ask when that song plays, “Why do you think so many people say this is the best rock song ever created? Is it the lyrics, or is it the music? Or both?
I tell her one thing I’ve noticed about people and that song. When somebody dies, a surviving friend will wear that song out. I’ve see grown men cry to it.
Then we just listen and allow each other to point and say, “This is my favorite part” several times.
“Wait, no, this part.”
“That one too.”
We both agree the section when the drums come in is also our favorite part.
I tell Spanky it’s as if someone took the favorite parts of a bunch of songs and put them all in Stairway to Heaven. She agrees. She also knows we will talk about this again next time we hear the song. We’ve been on a Zeppelin tear for a good two weeks running.
The concert, yeah…
We had some fantastic pit tickets and got there to see Fifty Cent open. Spanky said it was surreal being fifteen feet from him. She never thought she would ever end up in the same room with Fitty. I, too, found it absurd.
But hey, you gotta respect a guy who got shot in the face and lived to sing about it.
I had seen Fall Out Boy perform live on tv before and wasn’t expecting much. Some bands just can’t cut it live. They were great and we were blown away by their performance. Stumps vocals were in tune and it’s early in the tour so everyone’s fresh.
Hanging to the back of the pit works well for us, we can see everything and are still close. At one point a huge mosh pit opened up and I teased Spanky, told her if she could run straight through “the hole” without getting slammed she’d end up right next to center stage. It wasn’t the usual mosh pit, not rough at all, so we did actually make a run for it and got about 5 people deep from the stage. In the sweet middle, right in front of Patrick Stump.
It was great for a few songs and then the moshers decided to make another pit behind us. I didn’t want to get shoved around, so I took off toward the back of the crowd. Spanky didn’t follow. I couldn’t see where she was, but I knew she would be okay and find me soon.
I kept scanning the crowd for her, walking around the pit edges and then finally parking myself to the front and side of the stage where I could see faces. Where was Spank?
I had just grabbed the barricade and was pretty much by myself because it was such an extreme distance from where the action on the stage was. Then Pete Wentz (the one all the fan girls scream over) jumped on a speaker directly in front of me. He smiled at me then made this flapping motion with his arms. Like a bird. Dude, it was freaky. I think he wanted his picture taken.
So I took pictures!
It really sucked that I didn’t have my good camera.
A little later Wentz jumped off the stage and hung over the barracade to sing. Half his body was directly over the people in center front. Where was Spanky?
No wonder she didn’t come looking for me. He was singing right in her face.
After the show, on the drive home, we resumed Zeppelin analysis. Spanky told me she couldn’t think straight. I told her she was star struck.
As we drove into the garage, Zeppelin’s “Misty Mountain Hop” was playing. We got out of the car and Spank said, “That song’s funny, I think it’s about how they’re hanging in the park, the cops come to make arrests but end up smoking pot with them.”
I say, “Hang on, did I miss something? I never heard that part.”
So we listen to the song again once we get into the house. There’s something about a policeman and tea. Spanky says, “Oh, not pot, mushroom tea.”
I crack up. Tell her Zeppelin’s British and they drink tea like we drink coffee. She giggles like the school girl she is and turns red, red, red.
The Best Part
This happens every Easter. Before I can even get a good look at my chocolate bunny, the ears are gone.
Now that’s just wrong.
Of course absolutely no one admits to the crime, so after ears and years of this, I decided to set up a hidden camera to put this mystery to rest.
Warning: The images you are about to see are real and could severely damage perceptions of your childhood superhero. Dude.
First they snuck up on my poor-innocent-extra-long-eared chocolate rabbit.
Then they attacked with their precision tools.
Bastards!
My poor bunny looks on in horror as these smug mutant ninja thieves haul off with the best part.
I will get these ninja turtles if it is the last thing I do. Stay tuned for the car chase scene… Explosions are kept to a minimum in hopes for a safe return of the bunny ears.
For now, have a happy Easter.
Ruined
Fry’s is a gigantic electronics store in town that is a supergeek hangout. They have crazy weekly specials that get all the nerd boys and girls out their cubicles on Fridays.
Both my Blanes are Fry babys. Their faces light up at just the mention of the place. When Blane Jr. was still in school, I remember him waking at 5AM to go get the newspaper for their ad page. It was the craziest thing because he’s like me, he likes to stay up all night and sleep late.
The only time I go there is when we stop by on the way home from our favorite BBQ hole. Once in Fry’s, we’ll divide up and hit the aisles that interest us. I’m not sure where the others go, but I usually start by watching people’s faces as they play video games. Some stick their tongues out, some jump up and down when they win or lose, and some just sit there lifeless.
Another thing that interests me is the Apple aisle. I’m prepared by the time I get to it by repeating to myself, I’m not buying anything, I’m not buying, not buying… Not while Blane’s around, at least. He lets me splurge on things, but like he says, he doesn’t want to know about it. It’s just the way things are and I don’t abuse it too much.
Back to the Apple aisle. This is where I got my ears all jacked up. Ruined for life. Where I casually slipped on a pair of Dr. Dre’s headphones.
Now I have some great earphones, a pair of wireless Sennheiser’s I got some years back for my birthday. Top of the line stuff, you know, gift from Blane.
But those Dr. Dre headphones? It was a moment like in Wizard of Oz when the wicked witch gets smashed by the house and everything turns to color. Also a little bit like touching an electric fence and not being able to let go. I have never in my life heard music like that before and now I’m all messed up because I’m listening to craptastic sound without them.
I wish I’d never tried them. I’d rather not know what my ears are missing.
“You’ve had your fun, now pay for it!”
Remember the post about the time we went to Turkey, The Real Rulers of Istanbul...[are cats]?
In nearby Greece, it is The Dog.
They are everywhere. Some, very few, have collars. They are all friendly and healthy looking and very much a part of Athens as well as the one island we went to, Santorini.
They don’t bark or beg, we tried to feed one of them some leftover gyro, but he refused. I guess they get just as tired of them as we do.
We’d be walking around touring the place and a few would tag along, then they’d inch their way ahead of us as if to say, “Follow us, we’ll show you all the good stuff.
And we’d end up in a place like this…
…their favorite restaurant.
That’s pretty much how relaxed this trip was, just wander around and discover.
Going to the Greek Isle of Santorini (Thira) was like jumping into a post card rack. This was the first time I’d taken my digital SLR on a trip so I was pretty much smiling the entire time. Just about every minute on that island was a photo op. We were all smiling. Blane was happy because the dollar to euro was better than it’s been in years, Kara found a bunch of caves to discover, and Spanky got to see many of the things she learned about in her humanities class (but that was more in Athens).
Our hotel offered a free boat ride and volcano tour, something we thought for sure would be a let down. It being free, you know.
So when we got to the port (800 steps down a cliff, thank you treadmill) and we were sure this was our boat:
But it was this one.
Out on the water, I saw blues like I’d never seen before. Suck the breath out of you blue.
The beaches there are black sand from the volcano,
and I’m thinking that might be what gives the water that deep blue color.
On the way back from the port, we rode the donkeys back up the cliff.
Notice I’m wearing my coat. It was a little chilly, but not too bad.
At the top of the cliff we watched the sunset every evening.
Other days we drove around in our rental car.
Discovered all sorts of things.
Seaside villages…
And timeless looking things, such as this old donkey…
Notice the lack of tourists? The season didn’t start for about a month so we had the place to ourselves.
So. Perfect landscape, gorgeous blue waters, tourist free, no rain, no dogcatchers…
I told the girls it was all too good to be true, that any minute some guy would crack a whip at us and say, “You’ve had your fun, now pay for it!” and turn us into donkeys like in this scene in Pinnochio.
Then we got to talking about all the stray dogs and how they won’t eat gyros… and Spanky asked, “What kind of meat won’t a dog eat?”
DOG!
We were a little drunk that night. I had this little bottle of ouzo (a Greek liquor) in my backpack and Spanky had this hacking cough. It was late and all the drugstores were closed, so I thought, grampa’s cough syrup.
We all had a little of that.
After this part of the trip was over, we flew back to Athens where Sophia met us at the airport and escorted us to our hotel which was not too far from her house. Unfortunately one of her twins was ill, so we didn’t get to go out that night. The next day, Sophia met us at our hotel and escorted us back to the airport where we had some coffee and a long visit before catching our plane. What an amazing girl, that Sophia.
We didn’t turn to donkeys, but Blane, Spanky, and I ended up sick like dogs after we got home. Probably picked up some bug in the airport. We’re all better now and our fun has been paid in full.
