Archive for February, 2010

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Limits? What’s that?


2010
02.24

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There was a time when he would sit at the top of this slide, timid and reluctant. “Go, Greg, go!” I would encourage. He would look at the distance from top to sand and gulp. “No daddy, I wanna go with you!” In hopes of reducing his dependence, I would continue to encourage him to go alone. “You can do it!” I’d say, in the oh-so-typical parental tone of possibilities. And he wouldn’t. Not yet. He would either turn and walk away; or I’d end up riding tandem with him.

Then one day, he sits at the top of the same slide with a look of determination. “You can do it!” I’d repeat, maintaining that core of confidence. He sits, then shifts…discovering that the ride would be so much more exciting another way…and he flies head first into the sand below, with the heartwarming glee that only a child can muster.

I laugh with him, dusting him off…happy at his initiative and dare-deviledness…and somewhere inside, as I realize how time flies…I grow timid and reluctant.

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He did it.


2010
02.18

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So it’s said as part of the potty training regimen, that once the child does successfully “drop the kids off at the pool,” the parents are supposed to offer a reward, to encourage the kid to do it again. So when lil’ Greg finally did the deed on Valentine’s Day, we rewarded him with a premium version of the Hot Wheels muscle cars which he normally receives. I chose a 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler and a Gremlin Funny Car from the Johnny Lightning “Classic Plastic” series, in which 1/64 scale die cast cars pay homage to old ’70s 1/24 scale plastic model kits.

He could tell right away that these weren’t regular Hot Wheels…the “Classic Plastic” series pays meticulous attention to detail and features opening hoods and rubber tires. While playing with them, he displayed a near identical quality of admiration as I did (and still do) with my favorite toys—a very serious, focused attention, delighting in the detail with quiet awe, rather than with giddy and excited abandon. He hasn’t let go of these cars since. He does prefer the Cyclone though.

When I have time, I’ll tell you about the large “road map/city” playmat which we bought online (pictured in the above pics), which was a heaven-sent for Greg, who has a growing collection of over 300 Hot Wheels cars.

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Breakin’ n’ Enterin’


2010
02.11

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My man Alex sent me a video the other day featuring clips from Breakin’ n’ Enterin’, a documentary on the ’80s Cali breakin’ scene (at its prime—1983). Of course after gawking at the screen in pure amazement I had to do an immediate Google.

Luck would have it that Cold Crush down under would have the complete movie available for download. Freakin’ awesome.

Typically I fear technological advances, thinking that eventually all the old school methods will eventually dissolve into nothingness. But in this instance, technological advances actually brings back the old school. And that rules.

X-amount of props to Cold Crush. Fans of the old school, check their site…bursting at the seams with flavor.

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The Wild Days of ’79.


2010
02.06

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Wild Silver 1979

On my recent trip to Houston I was able to visit my folks’ new home for the first time (they’ve been there for 6 years). In addition to a homecoming to my mom & dad’s hearty home cooking (heaps of corned beef hash, steamed rice and eggs for breakfast plus chicken adobo and arroz caldo for dinner), I was also able to reacquaint myself with a big ol’ stack of old photo albums which chronicle my life from birth all the way through my teen years. Born in 1970, I’ve been privileged with everything from the plaid plague to the bowl-cut boy look which pretty much defined my existence until the discovery of Dep® gel in 1983. Ah, what decades of decadence.

Wild Silver 1979 with kitties

Wild Silver 1979 with Star Wars shirt

Above are some photos I found of me showing off my brand new “Wild Silver” bike, which my dad bought for me from JCPenney in 1979. The bike was not even a day old when these pictures were taken. It’s kinda funny that it looks like I changed my shirt to a Star Wars one midway through the photo shoot. It would make sense, that was my favorite shirt in the world.

I remember being totally stoked when I got this bike, but I couldn’t even ride it anywhere ‘coz the neighborhood was so bad and I risked getting it swiped from me by the local cholos, who eyed it like a prize from the day I pushed the pedal.

When we moved to Westchester only a few months later, I found myself in a neighborhood 1,000 times more clean, quiet and safe than Culver City was, so my bike enjoyed a period of sea-salted, sun-soaked happiness, which was cut short by the arrival of the “new” style of BMX bike, which did away with banana seats, fenders, chain guards, and nearly everything else which my Wild Silver had stood so proudly for. Not wanting to be singled out for ridicule, I quickly shunned the Silver and it remained in my garage from then on while I sought a new bike. Yes, in only matter of months it went from star stallion to dead like disco.

Anyways, I’ve been on a scanning safari, placing these photos on the platen and plastering the plethora onto my hard drive. So you best believe you’re in for a mighty treat of super-sweetness as I take you on a trip through trippiness.

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Pocket.


2010
02.01

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There’s those stories of parents who try to turn their kids into child prodigies; shape them into “trophies” which they can show off—stories like Joy Luck Club and even Little Miss Sunshine.

As much as I try to encourage my kid to play drums, I never force him…although there is something in me that says I should be teaching him more often than I have been. He definitely shows interest, and plays his drumset without even being asked to (as in above).

I often wonder how important it is to nurture such things…like, if I was just to leave him on autopilot, would he keep playing at his own leisure and eventually get better? Or does that tiny ounce of extra encouragement from me make all the difference in the world as to whether or not he ends up playing the drums in the future?

Ah, the unending wonders of fatherhood.

Oh, and yes, if you haven’t noticed yet, I did make some changes around here. =)

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