6.03.2007

Sunday morning homily XXVII

Though it's not exactly what I'd call contributing to the delinquency of a minor, I'll be introducing my son, Colin, to one of the best Southern rock bands later today -- .38 Special. Granted, the band doesn't have the catalogs of, say, Lynyrd Skynrd or the Allman Brothers Band. But many of the band's songs take me back to my first tour of duty in Florida, during the 1980s. And, for me, that's enough.

This afternoon's concert, at the Taste of Pinellas event at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, should prove to be a classic father-son moment. Given my ability to recall lyrics from many hits of the 1980s (a miracle, considering the nearly constant state of befuddlement I enjoyed back then) and Colin's love of music, we should have one heckuva time.

.38 Special isn't the only band that I've foisted upon the Goofy Dude. He sings along with songs by U2, Cheap Trick, John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Johnny Cash and the Highwaymen. Sure, he listens to some of today's music, but we always make a connection through the bands of my, uh, younger years.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me, either. Because I was raised by my grandparents, I grew up listening to Big Band music as well as country & western. I'm just as apt to listen to Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Eddy Arnold and Charlie Pride as I would AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Rush or, for that matter, K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

As a father, part of my job is to teach my son. That task, I believe, goes far beyond right from wrong. Just as important, it's making connections like today's concert that will hopefully last a lifetime. And if he gains an appreciation for the classics, so to speak, all that much better.

Mile-wide mean streak

First it was Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom. Now, it's Ottawa's Dean McAmmond. It seems that Anaheim's Chris Pronger has a hard time keeping his elbows away from opponents' melons. Following Saturday night's nasty hit, I'll be curious as to whether any Ottawa player, be it Chris Neil or , even, Ray Emery, will have the cojones to challenge Pronger. We'll see Monday night, won't we?

Summer projects update

~ Some time ago, I wrote that I'd use my free time to put away a half-season's worth of hounding efforts. So far, all I've put away have been about 200 cards. All those pucks remain atop the display cases. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get to them this week.

~ Then again, I've started work on another project. Given that I've made nearly 500 posts over the season, I've started culling some of my better efforts for the possible publishing of a book. Though anything definitive is still weeks away, I do have a working title -- Goal Posts.

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

With my daughter just turning 16, music is one of the few common denominators we still share as she shapes her own identity, hangs with her friends and moves toward her future, so I think taking your son to see .38 Special or any band for that matter, is going to be special for the both of you. Probably the one thing that is going to either bond us further or split us apart is how well she takes direction and performs once she gets behind the wheel..I am not very patient in that regard...you can ask my step-son that...it took him till he was 21 to get his license cause I didn't have the patience (or available brown hair left for him to turn to grey). As for Pronger, good call by the league, but not looking at Chris Neil is a bad non-call by the league. I like the potential title. Good luck with that.

6:26 PM  
Blogger Puckhound said...

The .38 Special concert was pretty fun. I wasn't surprised, either, that they waited until the last song to play "Hold On Loosely." What was surprising, though, were all the people who were singing along, myself included.

As for Colin, he didn't seem all that impressed. Maybe it was the long walk we had to get to the festival, but he was more interested in the free popsicles that were being given away.

Can't win 'em all, can we?

9:05 AM  

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