The Moments - Chapter 7: Sign, Sign, Everywhere A Sign

                Just as I am constantly amazed by the random prompts of my son’s verbal output, I am equally fascinated to watch and hear Joey interpret something he sees in the moment.  Written words and signs often provide examples of this – sometimes hilarious ones.  At 2 years old, he recognizes letters and numbers very well.  He also visually recognizes certain words like a pro, primarily his name and certain words associated with his favorite books and movies.  In some cases, it’s impossible to know if Joey is seeing a word that he knows by having heard it and, perhaps, linking the letters that he knows and notices rather than simply recognizing the word or words as part of a picture with which he is very familiar. 

The “connection to surroundings” theory clearly emerged a few weeks ago and created a very funny (to me) pattern that has apparently stuck out in Joey’s mind.  Before Joey and I head out for the day sometimes, he gets a kick out of walking me to the garbage dumpster to discard our trash.  (Weird, I know. But, it’s the little things that make the father-son bond fun and unique.)  When I toss a garbage bag in, he always yells “Bye, bye, garbage!”  One day, during the week before Easter, Joey made a fun discovery on the way back to our apartment door.  The designated handicapped parking space nearest our apartment has a standing sign across from it in addition to being painted on the asphalt as such.  After getting rid of our trash, Joey and I walked by the sign.  Joey stopped and pointed at the sign, which simply says “Reserved Parking” and has the standard handicap access symbol below the words.  After a second or two of looking at the sign and pointing at it, Joey said, “It says ‘Daddy’s House.’”  Wow!  Our apartment building has a placard now.  I was honored.  Funny as it was in the moment, it was also a moment of seeing Joey as thinking our home is special enough to get its own sign (even though he knows that other people live in the other apartments).  Of course, I giggled a little.  In response, I said, “Yeah, it says something like that.”  Assuming this was a one-time occurrence, I was surprised and amused the week before Mother’s Day when he declared it again.  Before we walked outside that Thursday morning, Joey and I had been signing Mother’s Day cards.  Before signing each one, I read the card to him.  (A good businessman, like Joey Grimes, never signs something before reading it.)  Outside, when Joey again approached the handicapped parking sign, he poked it and said, “It says ‘Love, Daddy’s House.’”  Maybe we’re a yard-sign greeting card now.  Just for fun, a week later, I walked by the now-special sign and asked Joey, “What does that say, son?”  He proudly declared, “Daddy’s House.”  Hooked on Phonics worked for us!

Speaking of Mother’s Day… Joey provided a moment of comedy by way of one of our gifts to my mother a couple days ago.  This weekend, we enjoyed our belated Mother’s Day weekend with my Mama and Grandmama.  Though their cards had been sent a week earlier and some of their gifts had already been received, Joey and I travelled with the final gifts from him to his grandmother (Mama Tee) on Friday night.  We had framed photos of the letters of my name to go along with a similar set-up of Joey’s name (to later be accompanied by my brother’s name in a frame for a complete set).  After arriving at my parents’ house on Friday evening, we unveiled the frame.  Mama took a look at it and then held the frame in front of Joey.  She asked him to name each letter, which he did, C-H-U-C-K.  Mama cheered for Joey for knowing the letters and then asked him to tell her what he had just spelled.  With incredible confidence, he shouted “Mama Tee!”  Mama corrected him and we got a laugh out of it.  Ok, maybe spelling and reading don’t have to be done together.  Then again, maybe everything spells “Mama Tee” or “Daddy J” when he is at Mama Tee and Daddy J’s house.  Just like every sign says “Daddy’s House” when Joey is at Daddy’s house.  For now, that works for me.

So, what did you see from all this writing?  Picture a sign that says “Thanks for reading about mine and Joey’s life.”  And that sign actually says “Thanks for reading about mine and Joey’s life.”

The Moments - Chapter 6: It's only words...

                Probably the most fascinating thing to me in observing my son is his developing powers of verbal expression – more specifically, what seems to fuel it.  At 2 years of age, I don’t think of Joey as being susceptible to the kind of random word and phrase and concept associations that I am.  However, as soon as I settle into the notion that he is not something, he proves that he certainly is.  I am accustomed to my own unexplainable ability to think of something seemingly unrelated to the moment when prompted by no more than a word, a view, or a sound.  It may result in a song coming to mind, a film quote coming out of my mouth, or a flood of memories long since considered.  Joey seems fully capable of his own version of this as well, as he proved to me recently.  One morning last month, while getting Joey dressed and ready for the day, I was about to put a plain red t-shirt on him.  He must have focused his eyes on the shirt’s tag because he asked me, “What that say, Daddy?”  Thinking he meant the shirt itself, I responded with, “I don’t know, son.  I don’t see any words on it.”  Simply from my uttering the word “words,” Joey quickly broke into the chorus, “It’s only words… and words are all I have to take your heart away.”  Before I remembered how he actually knew that song, I said, “Joey, how can you be singing a Bee Gees song?”  Then, I remembered that “Words” is the only Bee Gees tune I have ever known to be covered by Joey’s favorite artist – Elvis Presley.  Wow!  What a random connection, though.  While the King’s version of “Words” is not on any of my Elvis CDs, this started my occasional playing of a Bee Gees greatest hits CD when Joey doesn’t otherwise make a request.  It’s nice for him to hear the roots of some of his favorite Elvis performances.  And to think, it all came from a plain t-shirt.  This is one of many examples of Joey’s developing powers of mental and verbal processing.  Some of them just remind me that my boy is already becoming a pop culture whiz.  I can’t get enough of this little man!

An Open Letter to the People Making the Next Star Wars Movie

Dear Geniuses,

          Thank you for picking up the torch and continuing the greatest film series of all time.  We have been waiting for you.  To be honest, we are also hoping that episodes 7, 8, and 9 will be a bit closer in script and tempo to episodes 4, 5, and 6 than the prequels.  Don't get me wrong.  I enjoyed the prequels and was happy to get the chance to see the rise of the Galactic Empire and the turn of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader.  It was the story that George Lucas meant to tell, so it has to be the right one.  Perhaps some of the deleted scenes could have been left in so that other characters and plot points could get the attention they deserved (who wanted to see Jimmy Smits help start the Rebellion?).  However, the humor of the original trilogy wasn't there and it was a little more like watching a CGI Shakespeare play rather than a "Star Wars" film sometimes.  Just sometimes.  I don't want to complain too much.  Anyway, thanks for the promise of a follow-up trilogy.  I'm truly looking forward to it and to the opportunity to take my son to his first big-screen "Star Wars" experience. 
          The main point I'd like to address with this letter is a concern about the casting of Episode 7.  Of the new cast members listed over the last few days, I basically know of none of them other than Max von Sydow (a great actor).  Relative unknowns is how George sought to cast the original "Star Wars."  Back to the old formula.  Great!  It worked.  It has also been confirmed that Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO will return as portrayed by their original and only human talents.  Awesome!  It has also been solidly confirmed that the "stars of 'Star Wars'" will again portray three of the most awesome characters ever gracing a movie screen.  Indeed, the project wouldn't be worth it if Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo were not back for the ride.  However, can you all tell me why there has been no mention of Billy Dee Williams?  Lando Calrissian was instrumental in winning the Galactic Civil War.  He blew up the second Death Star without killing Luke in the process, he wore a very uncomfortable outfit to spy on Jabba the Hutt in preparation for the rescue of Han Solo, and I'm sure he paid Han back for that satellite dish thing he broke on the Millenium Falcon during the Battle of Endor.  Is this about the betraying Han to the Empire on Cloud City thing?  Come on!  Everyone got over that!  Lando should at least be a Senator in the New Republic or a businessman running a star cruiser manufacturing company or something.  I can just see him now, 30 years after the end of the war, stepping off a ship in his best Lando duds and walking around with a pimp cane.  He brings the cool factor to the galaxy far, far away.  In fact, he brings the cool factor to any galaxy (except the one where they dance with the stars).  Seriously, please bring Billy Dee Williams back to the "Star Wars" universe.  He belongs there.  I'm hoping some delayed detail reveals will include his casting as a pleasant surprise to the civilized public that loves and reveres the "Star Wars." 
          Please accept this letter (if you see it by reading my blog) as a respectful "thank you" for revving the engine on what will be a most awesome movie-going experience next December, and as an equally respectful begging for the return of the awesomeness of Mr. Billy Dee Williams to the epic cast in which we know he belongs.  May the Fourth be with you!  May the Fourth be with us all.

Sincerely,
The formerly 10-year-old kid who fell in love with "Star Wars,"
then and now known as Chuck Grimes

Nothin' But the Music - Track 6

                Few bands live up to the title of this post series like Electric Light Orchestra.  With them, you really need nothin’ but the music.  They have such a unique sound and can take a song from fast to slow and back in a split second with a lot of fun and a lot of style.  The brain-child of Jeff Lynne, ELO has seen multiple configurations of vocalists and musicians but keeps turning out great tunes.  Though in their hay day in the 1970s, Lynne and his modern make-up of ELO are still rocking out.  Combining classical orchestra instruments and components is not foreign to rock and pop music, but ELO is without equal in putting them to use so well and building a very distinctive brand out of it.  While an instrumental collection by this group would have no rank of favorites, just a lot of really great music, my personal ranking comes from the balance of great tunes with great lyrics.  Here is Chuckonia’s top 5 by Electric Light Orchestra:
#5 – “Don’t Bring Me Down” - A quintessential "don't mess with us" song, this has an intense beat that makes it ideal for the many ad campaigns and TV and film spots that have featured it.

#4 – “Mr. Blue Sky” - For all the great songs about positive thought and emotion, particularly from the 70s, this is a rarity in that it questions why such thoughts and feelings aren't constant in life.  But what a great melody with which to ask Mr. Blue Sky "Please tell us why you had to hide away for so long?"

#3 – “Living Thing” - This one may be more about the music than the lyrics.  It's a complex and fun composition.  While the lyrics don't always make sense to me, you can't tell me you've never wanted to jump into a pool and hear an echo of "I'm takin' a dive!"

#2 – “Turn to Stone” - If a person's inner-monologue spoke really fast when a person was lonely, this is what it would say.  A great fast-paced song about missing one's love, whether for the short or long term, everyone wants to come out of a stint of depression "in my blue world."

#1 – “Evil Woman” - Love this song!  The beat, the pace, the shifts, the words - it's all there.  Not just another great song from the 70s, this is THE ultimate song to crank up and play loud if you're pissed off at a woman.  It also fits as the personal theme song for any woman who wants to flaunt her villainy.  I could imagine it playing as Carmen Sandiego enters a room, or perhaps any well-renowned evil queen or witch.  If we put more women in the electric chair in America, this would also be a neat sound effect when the switch is thrown.  Crank it up and sing along now!