Son's Day
I went to my folk's house this weekend. I guess I'll start out my musings with the sadly poignant bit to get it out of the way, and maybe set the stage. Sunday morning while they were out, and I was working remotely for a bit and getting a little breakfast I got out one of the bowls I remembered as a kid, part of a set of ceramic dishes we got when I was in high school, a sturdy attractive set my Mom had picked up somewhere. It reminded me of the estrangement in that relationship, which makes me sad. It also makes me appreciate the great healthy relationship I have with my folks. (My folks are my Dad and Stepmom.)
Last week I didn't blog. I was finishing up clown class, and while it didn't require much time outside of class, it had me in the whole theatre production/academic routine. I was also in a course for work, and while I didn't do a lot of work in the evenings, I did do some. It was a great class, C# programming. I know, I know. Most of your eyes are glazing. It gets my hands back into a type of programming I really enjoy, so it was a fun week. The instructor, a former Navy F-4 pilot was not only a great instructor, but a great person to talk to. Similar military background and not surprisingly, similar takes on the current decline of America. We jabbered quite late after class several evenings. So, that was a good week.
Saturday I slept in, went to the office for an hour or two starting to catch up, then headed to Port Orchard to meet up with my folks. We were going to their Kiwanis annual fundraising auction & dinner. I was able to talk to some of the people I knew growing up, mostly those who were my teachers. A few years go by, and now they are quite enthusiastic about talking to old students. Nice. I was a total pain in the ass student. Well, weren't we all teenagers once? Teenagers are in such a hurry to grow up. Remember? At the time teenagedom seemed like an eternity.
We had a good time, and the next day as well when we saw Uncle Vanya at the Intiman, which was a very good production. Joyce went home right after the show, as they'd left their dog at home and he can't be alone for more than 6 hours yet. It was too bad, but it was nice to still be able to have Father's Day dinner with my Dad. We ate at Maharaja's in West Seattle. The booths on the left wall are still weirdly cramped, but the food is still very good too.
Backing up... Saturday evening after the Kiwanis dinner I found some Shel Silverstein on the web and read them for the folks to give them a taste of what I've been doing with the kids this year. (This morning was my last day until next year.) Joyce is familiar with Silverstein's work, but it was new to my Dad. Then after dinner on Sunday Dad and I talked Shakespeare, showing him a bit how the first folio is used to help analyze text, as I had a print of a monologue I'm working on with modern text on one side, and the folio on the other. We then talked of how both our fathers took us to plays in our youth and how that affected us. Quite a nice legacy.
Then I finally recited Tennyson's Ulysses, which I memorized a while back for him. About five years ago I recited quite a bit of Kipling and Service, but since I started studying acting seriously I stopped. I suppose I had enough time doing that sort of thing in class and in productions, plus a desire to get better and not punish family too much. I didn't pick the best time, as we were parked on the end of the ferry pier, with the waiting area blocking the view of incoming boats. The boat arrived as I was trucking along. Quick pause, check to be sure he wouldn't miss the ferry. Trying to really connect with the text for someone in a car is challenging, and it is even harder for a Dad audience, then shifting out and back in to make sure I didn't make him miss the boat. I didn't miss the boat either. I made the shifts, using the interruptions as a challenge instead of letting them defeat me. I realized I'd wanted to do this for a long time because of the wonderful memories I have of him reading and reciting for us as kids. Like a growing kitten showing his folks the mouse he caught, learning from their example.
After I finished the poem he was silent for a beat. Then he gave me a wonderful compliment like, "That was amazingly powerful, and quite appropriate for today." It was not a search for something positive to say like I remembered from six or seven years ago, but heartfelt. I'd surprised and touched him. On the way home I was thinking about what a great Father's Day it was for me. I regaled them with readings and finally Ulysses because I really wanted to. I wanted to share, and enjoyed myself doing so. I got back to my house about the time his boat came in, and I called to thank him for giving his son such a great day on his Father's Day. I wasn't fishing, it was a sincere desire to thank him before the day was over. He strongly reiterated his compliment.
Last week I didn't blog. I was finishing up clown class, and while it didn't require much time outside of class, it had me in the whole theatre production/academic routine. I was also in a course for work, and while I didn't do a lot of work in the evenings, I did do some. It was a great class, C# programming. I know, I know. Most of your eyes are glazing. It gets my hands back into a type of programming I really enjoy, so it was a fun week. The instructor, a former Navy F-4 pilot was not only a great instructor, but a great person to talk to. Similar military background and not surprisingly, similar takes on the current decline of America. We jabbered quite late after class several evenings. So, that was a good week.
Saturday I slept in, went to the office for an hour or two starting to catch up, then headed to Port Orchard to meet up with my folks. We were going to their Kiwanis annual fundraising auction & dinner. I was able to talk to some of the people I knew growing up, mostly those who were my teachers. A few years go by, and now they are quite enthusiastic about talking to old students. Nice. I was a total pain in the ass student. Well, weren't we all teenagers once? Teenagers are in such a hurry to grow up. Remember? At the time teenagedom seemed like an eternity.
We had a good time, and the next day as well when we saw Uncle Vanya at the Intiman, which was a very good production. Joyce went home right after the show, as they'd left their dog at home and he can't be alone for more than 6 hours yet. It was too bad, but it was nice to still be able to have Father's Day dinner with my Dad. We ate at Maharaja's in West Seattle. The booths on the left wall are still weirdly cramped, but the food is still very good too.
Backing up... Saturday evening after the Kiwanis dinner I found some Shel Silverstein on the web and read them for the folks to give them a taste of what I've been doing with the kids this year. (This morning was my last day until next year.) Joyce is familiar with Silverstein's work, but it was new to my Dad. Then after dinner on Sunday Dad and I talked Shakespeare, showing him a bit how the first folio is used to help analyze text, as I had a print of a monologue I'm working on with modern text on one side, and the folio on the other. We then talked of how both our fathers took us to plays in our youth and how that affected us. Quite a nice legacy.
Then I finally recited Tennyson's Ulysses, which I memorized a while back for him. About five years ago I recited quite a bit of Kipling and Service, but since I started studying acting seriously I stopped. I suppose I had enough time doing that sort of thing in class and in productions, plus a desire to get better and not punish family too much. I didn't pick the best time, as we were parked on the end of the ferry pier, with the waiting area blocking the view of incoming boats. The boat arrived as I was trucking along. Quick pause, check to be sure he wouldn't miss the ferry. Trying to really connect with the text for someone in a car is challenging, and it is even harder for a Dad audience, then shifting out and back in to make sure I didn't make him miss the boat. I didn't miss the boat either. I made the shifts, using the interruptions as a challenge instead of letting them defeat me. I realized I'd wanted to do this for a long time because of the wonderful memories I have of him reading and reciting for us as kids. Like a growing kitten showing his folks the mouse he caught, learning from their example.
After I finished the poem he was silent for a beat. Then he gave me a wonderful compliment like, "That was amazingly powerful, and quite appropriate for today." It was not a search for something positive to say like I remembered from six or seven years ago, but heartfelt. I'd surprised and touched him. On the way home I was thinking about what a great Father's Day it was for me. I regaled them with readings and finally Ulysses because I really wanted to. I wanted to share, and enjoyed myself doing so. I got back to my house about the time his boat came in, and I called to thank him for giving his son such a great day on his Father's Day. I wasn't fishing, it was a sincere desire to thank him before the day was over. He strongly reiterated his compliment.
1 Comments:
That's a terrific tale. Sounds like a lovely day. Your connection with your father, particularly at the end, comes through very well.
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