Dear Old Dad

Father's Day is coming up. So I'm riding home in the car on Friday night and listening to Neil Young on the way home from dinner at a restaurant in Fairfax. The Compact Disc is titled, "Live at Massey Hall 1971". I don't get this C.D.. Let me explain why. When it was first recorded a Compact Disc didn't exist. Back then it was L.P.'s and 8 tracks. So when is this released, not in 1972, of course not. It was released earlier this year. I bought it at Starbucks on a lark one Sunday.

So we are driving home, passing George Mason, and I turn up the volume because I love this C.D.. I think that it's got all of his great recordings, and his voice is so pure back then. My wife turns to me and says she wants to trade this c.d. for another that's stuck in my car. At first I'm surprised. Then I'm not sure if I'm ready to trade one of my c.d.'s, and then she tells me which one she wants. It's Sarah McLachlan. I mean is that really a fair trade? Please! I was quick to agree. But then I went into denial. How on earth is Sarah McLachlan's C.D. in my car?

I start thinking about it, and I just kind of come to the conclusion that it must have ended up in the car when we were going on some road trip. I had a buddy of mine who used to listen to nothing but hard rock, and then one day I looked at his collection of music when I was in his car, and there's Charlie Rich. I looked at him like he had five heads. I asked the question any guy would ask in a situation like that, "Charlie Rich?". He looked at me sheepishly and said, "I've got a girlfriend!"

So naturally I have a wife, so I have Sarah McLachlan in my car. Thank God Neil Young recorded the song "A Man needs a Maid". That's the only reason why she wants to make the swap. She says emphatically, "I don't like that song!" I don't know why but it gets me thinking about my big day.

Wouldn't it be great to get some new music on Sunday. Sunday is Father's Day. Of course that means I'll get another wide assortment of ties and boxer shorts. But why can't it be something more exciting? I'll tell you why. Guys are boring.

I was at Applied Physical Theraphy today. That's where they are working on my back and neck. They are working magic. I'm feeling much better, so I stop by to say goodbye to Tony, the guy who's really managed to straighten out my messed up neck and back. I'm also here to pay my insurance co-pay. I mention that the big day is on Sunday. Kathy at the front desk says, "Oh yeah Sunday is Fathers' Day. I still haven't got my Dad anything." I say, "That's the problem we are always last on the list." Kathy responds, "My dad is so hard to buy for!"

What does that really mean? I'll tell you what it means. We just don't know how to express ourselves. So what happens? We end up with shirts, ties, and boxer shorts. I guess it's better than the alternative, I could be getting a Charlie Rich C.D. or worse yet Barry Manilow's greatest hits!