I totally shouldn’t brag about all the awesome, cool things I get to do being Don. But, some people find everything I do fascinating, so here goes.
Tomorrow night, when basketball is not on my television set, here’s what I’ll be watching. I’m sure I’ll laugh a little, cry a little, and in the end I’ll learn a little something abotu myself I wasn’t expecting.
Let’s all talk on Monday …I mean really talk …I just feel we’re not connecting.
Seems rather cruel that my wife would send me something like this while I’m at work. And it seems rather poor judgement on my part to have opened it on the morning after I made my daughter her first journal, a journal which she attacked with reckless abandon. She barely ate dinner last night because she couldn’t wait to grab a pencil and start writing in it. She’s only five, but she mananged to write some classic observations …like, “My name is…” and “My favorite color is blue.” “I love my Mom.” “I love my Dad.”
What makes this great, for me, is that I have three notebooks-slash-journals that I’m always writing in and updating – and then of course there’s my blogs and websites. I like writing. So how amazing was it to see her so energized to be just like me? Let’s just say, if you turned off the lights in my office, I’d be glowing.
This morning, I showed her my journals and explained why and how I use them. Sometimes I clip a picture I like, and write something about it. Sometimes I just paste the picture in the journal. Sometimes I’ll clip out an article (or print it from the internet) and tape that article onto a page in my journal. Sometimes I’ll doodle in the margins. She was fascinated. And then the entire car ride to school, she kept asking questions about journaling and writing. And then when we picked up her friend, she talked about her journal and what she wrote in it for the rest of the car ride. And she talked about other things she was going to write – her Christmas wish list …her favorite words …a story for her little sister …funny knock knock jokes.
I’m tellin’ ya …it was all I could do not to shed a few tears in the front seat. “A chip off the ol’ block,” I was thinking. Ya know, cuz I always kinda feel bad that I don’t fish or hunt, I don’t work on cars, I’m a horrible golfer, and the only sport I’m very good at is soccer. So I feel like, “what kinda things do I do as a father that make me special?”
Do other fathers think this way? I know it sounds terribly insecure of me, but I hate to think the only things I’ll hand down to my children are my wicked temper and nagging sense of insecurity.
Whichever the case, and however you feel …this morning was a proud moment. A moment that is fire-branded onto my brain and my soul. So without further ado, if you have a daughter and you have similarly proud moments and memories, watch this and cry along with me, won’t you.
Here’s a Kleenex … http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtGmSOGdLM4
Embedding disnabled? What a jerk!
Have you been missing my desperate pleas for attention as much as I’ve missed pleading? Hopefully you have. I’ll keep this brief.
American Idol is back and the Top 12 is almost complete. I’ve been recapping each show since January, but now the entertainment value gets much, much better. I hope you’re still checking out spunkybean …or at least clicking on my articles so I get the ever-important Page-Views.
And, when American Idol recaps aren’t enough, there’s my new-and-improved blog. The URL is new, the name is easier to understand, and therefore the focus is much clearer. Its about me. Except sometimes. Then it’s about things in my brain. Unless it’s other times, and it’s about something else. See? Very focused.
And then, finally, there’s this other blog I’d love for you to check out. It’s Mel Robbins’s blog at MelRobbins.com. Once there, click ‘Blog‘, or simply go straight to the blog, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Between me, you, and the fencepost, I may or may not have contributed quite a few words on that page. I’m very proud of that blog, even if I can’t 100% tell you why (wink, wink). And, as you’ll note from the “Tweets” along the side of the page, Mel Robbins is famous and about to be famouser.
So there you have it. I told you I’d remind you about me and my American Idol writing and my other writing only when appropriate. And none of you have asked me, politely or otherwise, to stop spamming you. And that’s cool.
In conclusion …my homemade pizzas are better than any pizza chain. And also, if you like my writing and my wit, checkout Don’s Ego, check out spunkybean, and check out MelRobbins.com/blog …though I don’t know why (wink, wink, again).
Do I love and appreciate you all? Yes. Yes I do!
I wonder if anyone actually tunes into ABC’s Lost each week and just enjoys watching it and trying to figure things out on their own. Maybe, oh, they peruse a magazine while watching it …or fold some laundry, perhaps. Like, does anyone passively view Lost? I have no doubt that Lost turned off a few viewers when the storyline got overly complex, the cast of characters grew to an alarming – whopping – 200+, and then time-travel started getting written into the script.
For the rest of us, after Season 3(ish), we felt intellectually superior for sticking around and simply categorized those who stopped watching as “simpletons” who didn’t “get” how awesome Lost is. But I’ll totally admit, somewhere during Season 2 when every episode was a flashback, and each flashback seemed less necessary than the last, I was getting fatigued. Not to mention, there were weeks where they’d show re-runs without warning, and many times after I’d whipped up a batch of Lost-viewing guacamole (or some other such snack).
Then came the writer strike. And for a while, with ratings dipping and knowing what it must cost to produce and write something so elaborate as Lost, I started worrying about the shows future and if I’d ever see the finish line.
Oh …the point? Now, here we are …Season 5. And unlike before, when Lost was simply “our show” and we loved it like an abusive spouse (sorry, first reference that popped into my head), now, we love Sawyer and Juliet …Jack, Locke, Kate, Sayid, and Hurley. We love them like family. We love them as if we are part of that crazy island and my sense of this show is that I’m a part of it. Like, if I stopped watching, something bad would happen.
This is why, on a blog devoted to the topic of “me”, I’m actually writing an entry about some other topic – because I think Lost is me …or I am Lost.
And furthermore, I now feel that EJ’s weekly articles on spunkybean are like a public service. His incredible brain and its ability to keep facts, characters, and storylines organized, combined with his memory of things he’s read, seen, and heard …it keeps it all organized. I guess you could say he’s my “constant.”
I hope you might find it the same. Cuz, while I have a blog about me, let’s never forget I also have a website …spunkybean …that I care about just as much.
And if you care …about me …about Lost … or about Jack, Sawyer, Locke, and even Benry (he’s difficult to “love”, but he’s trying … I mean, you have no idea what he’s done to keep those people alive), you’ll read spunkybean, from time to time.
Tomorrow: Why won’t my children sleep past 6:30am? Stay tuned.
For those new to the world of my ego, one of the things I do is hallucinate that I’m a famous writer and that people hang on my every word when it comes to the topic of American Idol. And, actually, nearly a dozen people do actually enjoy my “take” on said subject.
So if its a Wednesday or a Thursday, and the calendar says “March”, “April”, or “May”, chances are you can go to spunkybean.com and see my clever, sometimes-funny, uber-critical recap of the previous night’s American Idol. Because …I think we can all admit …the only thing better than watching something for yourself and forming your own opinions, is reading about someone else watching the shows you watch and telling you what to think.
Without further ado … here’s what I think/thought.
American Idol BONUS: Something you won’t see over at spunkybean …while watching American Idol last night, I ate an orange and a handful of pretzels. I brewed a half-caff cup of coffee. And during my writing of my write-up, I had a bowl of Apple Jacks. I went to bed at 12:30 am EST.
–noun
(in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesday and lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.
Guess what I’ve given up? I gave up “anger.” Recently, it’s been brought to my attention that I can, at times, be “polarizing.”
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause polarization in.
2. to divide into sharply opposing factions, political groups, etc.
As much as I wanted to be angry at the people who labeled me such, I’ve resisted. Because, ya know, something that drives me insane is how polarizing our media is, and how polarizing our political system is. I often say, “hey …has anyone seen the remote control?” I also often say, “yeesh, I can’t stand that Sean Hannity and that Rush Limbaugh. They are so angry …and so closed-minded.” So, imagine my surprise while at church this past weekend, and I caught myself actually listening to the Homily (usually I’m daydreaming about which donut I’ll choose after Mass is over) and the Priest was really riffin’ some good …no, great …advice.
He said …it’s easy to give up sweets or television. But do we have the faith and strength to give up, or start something, that truly makes a difference?
A good question. Check back with me at Easter and I’ll letcha know how I did? Now …how are you doing?
This morning I went to bid someone a fond, “howdy”, but as I opened my mouth to say it, I quick changed my mind to a more simple, “hey”. But what came out was, “heydy.” My primary focus is to avoid situations where I end-up looking like a moron, and yet I can’t even accomplish this simple task.
Is this little nugget of semi-humorous gold not enough for you? Well, I invite you to visit spunkybean later this afternoon for my American Idol column …delayed …from last week. Long story. Well, you’ll see. I hope your RSS readers are still set to Don’s Ego and I’d like to declare, “I”m back!!!” and shout it from the hilltops …but I’m going to be cautiously optimistic about it. I have big plans – in my head. Let’s see how Don’s Ego reclaims its tiny corner of the blogosphere.
For those who’ve been wondering …my hair? Don’t ask. In an attempt to save a few bucks, I opted for a barber’s chair two weeks ago. The result? The worst haircut I’ve had in a decade. The man only used scissors a dozen times …the rest of the cut was done using sheers, which he used to “form” what resembles a “hair style.” This, I’ve determined, is simply one category I won’t scrimp on. My blog is back ….I hope. My hair WILL BE BACK!!! Of this, there is no grey area.
Thanks for stopping by.
