Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
So hard to look cool at a 4-year-old’s birthday party
But we try. Jake almost pulls it off; if only I could get him to wear Levi’s instead of shorts . . .
But I’m just some old bald guy in a denim jacket.
I used to wonder how my parents could handle the fact that their kids were aging. We don’t look a thing like we did back in the 60s and 70s. Well, I don’t. But as Jake gets older, I’ve come to realize that for the parents, it’s easy. For the kids it’s a little harder (it would be easier, I suspect, if I saw my folks more often, so that the changes would not seem quite so saltatory*).
Worst of all is handling how I’ve changed. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to it. My own self-image always seems to be about 20 years out of whack with the current reality.
Tomorrow: I’ll put together bookshelves. Assembly is always challenging to a person who is offended by the idea that left and right are somehow different.
D.
I would look good in the first picture if:
1) I was wearing dark shorts/pants. White ones clash with the black shirt.
a) If I had dark shorts/pants in the first place.
2) If my eyebrow was raised, because eyebrow raising makes everything look better.
See, even the random avatar generator agrees that eyebrow raising is great. (Assuming everyone sees the same avatar.)
The bowler is great! Very Clockwork Orange and the jacket feeds that vibe. The shorts are fine. I like the stripes, which give them a vintage feel. Definitely agree with eyebrow raising. One of my favorite photos of my husband involves a raised eyebrow.
Doug, I’m so with you on the delay in one’s mental image. I’m 46 and have juat not bought into it, except for a lurking sense that I’m half way done and the feeling of possibilities collapsing around me. All this existential angst doesn’t match too well with having young children.
It’s interesting looking at photos of people’s childhood. Often they look nothing like they do as adults. It’s only on those rows of photos in the suburban halls, where each year’s school photo is hanging that one can see the progression.
Bon chance with your bookshelves!
Yes, Jake, everyone sees the same avatar. Or gravatar. Or Ishtar. Or whatever those things are called.
Kira: well, his middle name is Alex, after all 🙂
The bowler is cool; the shorts have gotta go.
I see our father in your face.
I look in the mirror as little as possible; when I don’t look, I can feel as young as I want. It’s when your body fails you that you really realize that age is more than a number.
Cute pictures. Two handsome guys.
Everyone looks good with eyebrows raised – that must be why Hollywood women get theirs cranked into the middle of their foreheads. 🙂
I like the bowler, but I would have thought that in Bako, black would be a less-than-optimal colour. Maybe something in a keffiyeh?
Also, my self-image is probably about the right year, but it is a good 40 lbs lighter.
Sis: yeah, I know, but that’s okay. I’d rather have the genes (and the health) from that side of the family than from the other side.
Thanks, Lucie.
Dean: he only wears it at night, when we go out to dinner. Since I wear hats to hide my bald head from the UV, I favor lighter colored hats. Keffiyeh, huh? Don’t you have to take a 10-week class to learn how to tie those things to your head?