What I'm thankful for
It's hard out there everybody, so here's a few salutes to souls I know
It’s hard out there for everybody.
Whether or not admitting is a part of your forte, we can all admit that the pandemic has thrown a few good body shots at our lives. Financially or much more personally, it’s taken a toll. So instead of celebrating the athletes and actors who consume a fair portion of my writing, I wanted to use this latest ramble to talk about a few people in the area that I know.
MY BADASS WIFE!
If you’ve been in The Tile Shop in Sunset Hills and met a lady as tall as Tom Cruise who hits twice as hard, that’s my wife. My lovely Italian wife who doesn’t look a day over the age of DAMN. She is the manager OG of tile in this town, and a very good and extremely patient mom. Our son had long division homework this week, which in my case meant GTFO division. Called the wife, who was having a night with her best friend, to help the two lost boys on January Avenue. She did. I out-kicked my coverage.
MY PARENTS
Reason #1 I am lucky: I had a roof over my head and two great parents. Moving away from Kingshighway and Tholozan at the age of 11 wasn’t fun, but it was the right move in the end. That’s what great parents do: they make all the tough decisions. Without them, I don’t know I am the man I am today. Oh wait, no way would I be.
A SMART KID
Look, I don’t tag my car with “my kid is on the honor roll” bullshit. It should just read, “I didn’t screw it up” instead. But having a smart kid, one who synced up his math brain with his mothers (see “MY BADASS WIFE” section) early on, has saved me many restless nights. There isn’t enough marijuana on this planet, my friends. Vinny is stubborn like his parents and talks like a lawyer at 10 but he’s a perfect concoction of Rachel and myself. He does great in school and doesn’t beat any kids up, and he doesn’t drink too much bourbon yet. Fine young lad.
MY TRUE PALS
You know who you are. The “to the end” friends always do, and never need a special shoutout.
TEACHERS AT GATEWAY SCIENCE ACADEMY
One of the few good moments very early on in the pandemic was my son’s teacher--we’ll call her Ms. G--telling me that all she wanted to do was be IN class with her new students, which included Vinny. There she was, willing to brave a deadly virus just so our students could be taught the best way known to man. It was more like… she couldn’t wait to get back in class. We didn’t know virtual was going to soak up so much of the next year, but maybe we did. The teachers of GSA go above and beyond. I can’t speak to all teachers in the world, but this group is fierce and deals with whatever is thrown their way. Cheers to you. I want to take the carpool guy to a Cards game.
Special shoutout to Coach Henderson for making sure no kid gets struck by a car on the fierce badlands of Ivanhoe Avenue between 2:30-315pm. He can do all of that while charming everyone in the carpool.
I’m thankful for all the artists who have fought like hell to keep the lights on in their creativity warehouse. Local good souls like Max Pryce, who is not only racking up comedy hosting gigs all over the region and winning awards but is recording for Sirius XM radio this month. Singers like Colleen Bunten (I hear her husband is hot too) and Dean Duhart of the band Duhart for brightening up countless date nights at restaurants all over town. She can sing any sort of pain away with a voice that hits like a Dolly Parton/Reba McEntire hybrid-and Dean strums away and carries a soulful voice that knows how to wash all the bullshit away.
Let’s not forget about the artists who turn ordinary walls into evolving art glimpses. The people who turn paint into wine strokes. Beating hearts unafraid to take any surface and make it their showcase. Don’t fight against that; empower it.
Don’t take; prop up what they create.
Thank you to the QT employees for their lightning-quick efficiency.
Thank you, Southwest Diner, for opening the inside back up. I’d brave any virus to get Jonathan’s Famous Fiery scramble. Anna and Jonathan are good eggs. That Adam fella is cool too.
To all the people asking for change on the side of the road: In the words of my good friend P.J. Nolan: I’m negative; at least you’re even. I’d rather buy you a meal.
Thank you to the parents who give a shit. We need you. Stay in… it’s darkest just before it’s light again.