Charm of Clooney – A Wishlist

I would have liked to have had the strength of character of a Churchill. 
The pensiveness of Lincoln. Wit of Wilde and charm of Clooney. The rockstar edge of Morrison and the guts of either of the Martin Luthers. 
The writing chops of Cervantes or Hemingway or Orwell.
Most of all I would have liked the patience of Kinder who has supported me in the pursuit of wishes and still seems to like the simple man I really am.

I Beheld a Man

While waiting at a dentist’s office in El Monte my kids and I settled at some chairs and watched the Little Mermaid on the shared TV. They sat mesmerized by Ariel’s misadventures but my eyes were upon someone else. 
A man! 
He sat so still across the hall and his gaze was fixed upon a point I tried to identify. His skin had a shade of brown which had obviously been well baked under thousands of rays of sun over the years. His whisppy and thinning white hair was well manicured at both his balding head and pristine mustaches. 
A simple but elegant cane rested between his legs and on occasion his hands pressed the handle and he assured himself it was still there waiting along side him. 
He was thin but not frail. A stoic fixture in the room that commanded my respect without him saying one word. Maybe I saw the future in this gent? Could be I saw the past because he reminded me of my father? 
In any case he brought me joy while at the dental office and how many of us can claim that?

Bumped Up

I found a bump on my body today. A terror washed over me and as I toweled off I caught my reflection in the mirror. All a sudden I looked frail and I lost trust in my body. 
Then I thought about my wife and then my kids. Right after that I felt guilt of not having thought of them first. How terribly selfish of me. I did a lot of mental math and considered answers to short term concerns and quickly pondered what I could miss. My mind always goes for the worst.
 Now after visiting and talking to a doctor I found that this bump is a common condition. The MD joked that I’m sure to see a whole lot more sunrises in life. 
That’s a good thing…I’d hate to miss checking out more rainbows with those I should have thought of first.

State of the State

Drove circa 800 miles north to go on holiday and visit some of our best friends. Along the way we saw dozens of license plates from nearby & far away states. I know this because the kids diligently took track of it all, including two New Yorkers. Most of the drive included some form of rain but on occasion it was light enough that we could look outside and what we saw was grand and a switch to what we witnessed in horror on our last drive up. 
With all that said I can pronounce folks that the State of the State IS green. The way I remember it and how it should be.

Mane Issue

If my son chose to he could sport a Classic Crew or a short pompadour. I may let him try the Caesar Cut and I’m partial on the Side Part. He could also look great with it Slicked Back and its certainly long enough for the Shaggy short. There’s a chance he could get away with the Fringe Crew and I know he’d look dapper if it was Swept Up. The Faux Hawk is a remote option along with the Asymmetrical w/Short Sides. Not sure about a Blow-Out though he can certainly pull it off and/or any cut the delectable Skeet Ulrich has chosen to brandish.
The point is that unlike me…my son has styling options because his mane is still SO generous where as mine is not. He chooses not to style though.

Hair is wasted on the young.

Go See Cal

I have friends in low places and also from all over so I get it that these next sentences won’t make much sense to a good portion of folk BUT…I grew up knowing that when you needed a car you went to Cal Worthington and his dog Spot.
Or didn’t you feel bad for Larry’s accountant? I mean, Larry WAS killin’ him. 
Also you knew you if you got in a scuffle with the Law you should see the the other Larry (H. Parker) because he’d fight for you and you’d might walk away with 2.1 million. Of course…you could also trust them or any other local spokespeople in my old hood if they bragged how they “Hablamos Espanol.” 
I miss my old TV friends but we watch most shows off the Internet nowadays and also us city folk just don’t get it!

Mario Carp

If I close my eyes, listen and recall I’d be transported to my parents house on Eastman Ave. 
From the front room the sounds of Mario climbing down a Green pipe to Watery depths would be annoying my dad and in second he’d be carping at me to turn it down. 
Now I open my peepers and have to walk over to my boy who is challenging himself on the Nintendo and has the volume up a bit too high.

Oil Change

Every six to 8 months (give or take three) my dad would beckon me to the drive way.
It was time to change the oil on the old Ford Econoline Van. He was proud to have me on the ground worming my way into position and using man tools to coax bolts aside while grease caked my hands. His happiness was my dread in that I loathed having to grab an old piece of cardboard, placing it on the ground where the dust and dirt would eventually invade my nostrils.
Then there was the contortions my hands had to make in order to find the position which would finally yield torque on the bolts. The heat in East LA was ever present and I could feel how it made me sweat about my eyes. Sometimes, a mixture of Aqua Net & sweat would enter my eye sockets and then they would sting.
Finally there were his barks and orders… always complaining about my overall bad attitude. Then finally I’d release the bolt and black fluid would pour out for a few minutes onto a tray. While that happened I could just lie in my place and close my eyes thinking of the other places I’d rather be. Soon thereafter the job was done and I had to tend to other chores.

Thank goodness I wouldn’t be back under that car for 6 to 8 months (give or take three).

Malice and Indifference and Cruelty

Because of my station in life I can sometimes forget about the malice, indifference and cruelty that rest in the hearts of people. Lately, my children ask me questions stemming from their history lessons. I’m obliged to dialog with them about mankind’s lesser moments. 
They sometimes ask if things are better now. 
As is my policy…I do not lie to my children.

Inherit the Wind

While in a Prosecutorial state I stood among my peers and began to lay out my case. My voice cracked at first but one comforting look from Mr Bennett helped me get into my groove. In minutes I had mustered up my inner William Jennings Bryan and brought my speech to a frothy frenzy. I reveled at the crowd’s reaction when I sassed my opponent or professed & pontificated poignant points to ponder . Later the librarian who hosted our AP Politics class would tell me she had seldom seen such passion in all her years at James A Garfield High. 
I suppose that’s the moment when I fell in love with the sound of my own voice. Sorry y’all!