The random shit my dad says is the cause of some of the greatest joy in my life. He gets it from my grandfather who's outlandish diatribes have been the fodder for many a blog post and I can only suppose the bullshit gene goes all the back to the mutt origins of our lineage.
Dad random quips are often inspiring, sometimes infuriating and and almost always amusing. In reaction to the slight panic over my recent move to the Big Apple from Kansas City, Dad reminded me, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time."
Cliched maxims are sometimes all I need to put things in perspective. Silly but enough.
Growing up, when dad would drop me off at school his parting words were always, "Have a number 10 day and a positive attitude" and later " "Number 10 day with a P.A."
I distinctly remember that he cause of these marching orders was a rough parent-teacher meeting with Mrs. Cary- who, by the way I still maintain was a raging bitch out to get me (I will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she was going through pre-mature menopause."
I was a pretty negative kid, and pre-teen and well, teen. Later drugs would significantly improve my outlook on life. (YAY meds!) Anyway, whether or not he realized it, sometimes Dad's catchphrase, which might not have even met resonance later on, was the best medicine for getting me through crummy days.
Now all grown up and far away, I still get the occasional #10 day PA text messages and while I might not need them like I used to, they still make me smile.
A lot of things make me smile: the great friends I left behind in Kansas City, who I actually think will weather the New York sojourn, the terrifying reality of starting over AGAIN and the stress and thrill of reentering academia with a brain full of reality-tv induced mush.
These ramblings might be a little random - perhaps not as theme-centric as Man Fasting - but they will be filled with things that get me through and the things that make each day worthy of a PA taken, if my newest lesson sticks, one bite at a time.
