Everyone Remembers Their First

Everyone remembers their first..  That sentence is usually tied to one's first sexual experience. But it doesn't matter what first you're talking about.  Whether that be your first pet, your first kiss or first concert, these are things that humans tend to lock away deep in their memories and can recall at a moment's notice.

Well maybe you have heard there is this little band called the Foo Fighters who this past weekend played this little ballpark called Fenway. I've seen a number of shows there and I'll be honest, the acoustics aren't great. And, as long as we're being honest, it's not that great for watching a ballgame either. It's an amazing park, but the seats suck, they don't even face the field half the time and more often than not the product on the field isn't even worth watching. But I digress..

For a long time it has been a goal of mine, a bucket list item if you will, to sit front row at a concert. And unless you count being belly up to the stage for Letters to Cleo and Bare Naked Ladies at Smith College in the mid 90s front row (which I don't), it was still on the list. Until Saturday.

I was lucky enough to go to this show with my wife and 2 friends and sat front row, right in front of a wall of bass amplifiers. I truly thought my heart was going to explode during the Mighty Mighty Bosstones set. Thankfully, the Foo Fighters are not a bass heavy band and Taylor Hawkins, the drummer was set on the opposite side of the stage. Again, having never officially sat that close for a show before I had no idea what I was in for. I was able to see small interactions between the band as well as between the band and friends that were offstage which was interesting.

I had always wondered what it was like to sit front row, and now I know.. it's LOUD! Thankfully we were wearing ear plugs because we're not that young anymore and actually value our hearing.. But it was such a different perspective, turning around and looking at tens of thousands of people behind me was weird. And although I enjoyed it, I don't need to do it again. I can cross it off the bucket list and move on to something else.

And that something else was enjoying a Foo Fighters concert with my boys. They are still young (8 in September), however they have been listening to the Foo Fighters since they've been alive. We always told ourselves that we would not succumb to the Barney and Disney Radio crap.. If we were driving, they were going to listen to what we listened to. Hence, their music library consists of all sorts of music. (See earlier blog entitled Müzik, Μουσική, Musiikki)  For example, their favorite song right now is Fire by Jimi Hendrix. A friend's son is learning drums and he made a birthday mix of good drum songs and handed it out at the party. My boys listen to it every time they're in the car. Sadly, they have been asking if they can see Jimi in concert. I told them that unfortunately he is dead and has been for a long time. But, I know there are many people right there with them who would like to see him in concert.

Thankfully I am in a position where I was able to take them to this show and share their first concert experience with them. Everyone plays the game. You know, "what was your first concert"? Mine was Steve Miller Band at Great Woods (known by no other name) in the summer of 1992. We were CIT's at summer camp in NH and as a special night out trip we all got tickets to the show. We sat on what was known back then as "The Lawn". Great Woods is an amphitheater in Mansfield, MA that holds about 19K people. 10K in the lower seating area and then another 9K up on the lawn. This was pre cell phone days where you met someone at a place at a time and you went there. There was no "text me when you get there" or "change of plans we're going here instead". You had to wade through thousands of people just to get the side of the lawn to go to the bathroom, get something to eat, etc. There are very large cement poles that tell you what section you're in if you are in the lower bowl area. Well people on the lawn used to use those as markers so you knew about where you were. And then you used that pole and and an approximation of how far up the lawn you were so you could meet back up with your group. An inexact science at best, yet we always seemed to manage to meet back up with our friends. But after numerous iterations of "the lawn" going from grass, to mulch, to sand, etc they have now turned it into actual rows of seats which makes it more difficult for larger groups to sit together, dance, etc. Oh well, another part of my youth gone.. 

But everyone has a first concert and everyone has that conversation with people regardless of who they are. And it doesn't matter what it was. Oftentimes kids were taken to a show by their parents because either a) they thought it would be a nice night out or b) the parents had tickets and couldn't get a babysitter. But this show was something I knew the boys would want to see and I wanted to share it with them. Again, they've grown up listening to this band and know about 10-11 songs. That is probably more than some of the people that were there to be honest. They were able to sing along to some of the them and had no problem dancing around and just being mesmerized at the live performance that was happening right in front of them. 

As I've said before, life is full of experiences and this opportunity was one I was not about to pass up.

Cross another one off my bucket list too. It's something that they will never ever forget, nor will I. 

Luke 6:40

So we're in the car recently and a song comes on the radio. Mitch says "Oh, I know this song." "It's Cecilia and the Satellite". I said that's correct and it's by Andrew McMahon. (I will forever believe that it should be sung by the band Phoenix, but I digress). Anyway, I said the scroll on my radio also says In The Wildnerness.

So naturally, I say that the word wilderness has a bonus letter. Quickly the conversation devolved into a 1st grade (now 2nd grade) grammar conversation about bonus letters, digraphs and the like. I asked what makes a bonus letter and the answer was it has to have a short vowel sound that precedes the double letter f, l, s and sometimes z. So we all took turns thinking of examples of bonus letter words.

The conversation between us went back and forth for a few minutes until Mitch finally says, "you know dad, sometimes I think we're the teachers and you're the student".

I couldn't agree more Mitch.. I couldn't agree more.

Spontaneity

The real triumph of this blog post is that I actually spelled the word spontaneity without looking it up first.. I am more than mildly impressed with myself..  And yes, that is about what my life has come to right now and yes, it is sad.. But I digress.. 

This past July 4th (well July 3rd if you want to get technical) we packed up the bag and took the boys to the nearby lake for the fireworks. Right at the beach area they had a band playing, carnival games, food trucks, etc.. A very festive atmosphere. However we learned the hard way last year that being that close to the water meant the louder the fireworks. So we decided to stake out a piece of grass on fields across the street near the high school. This area was much less crowded, the boys could run around and get out all of their energy and it was far enough away from the fire works where it shouldn't be a problem. I remembered the chairs and the blanket and the food/drinks, but forgot the football. And the cards. And the stomp rockets. All the planning I had done thinking it was going to be a few hours that we were there until the fireworks started was all for naught. Crap, now what?

Spontaneity, that's what. Instead of playing cards or throwing around the football, we had the boys do wind sprints and burpees. Then, they went over to the blocking sled used by the town football team (I think) and tried to move it. That was classic. Clearly these two activities did not take up too much time so we went over to the beach area for some games and fun. But there was a lot of time left to kill.

Soon enough, more families started settling in. And before I knew it, the boys were off playing with kids they didn't know on a dirty, dusty baseball diamond. Within 5 minutes they had made up their own game and played it non stop for about an hour and a half. Not only did this entertain the boys for the majority of the time we had before the fireworks, but they had fun, got a lot of energy out as 6 year old boys often have and they met some new friends.

So, what I learned is that all the planning in the world sometimes can't make up for spontaneity. Sometimes you need to just let them explore, meet new kids and make friends, create their own games and have fun. It worked out better than I could have imagined.

Oh, and in case you were wondering the fireworks hadn't been going for more than 3 minutes before they were crying they were too loud so we left.  Hey, at least we beat the traffic home.

I keep forgetting..

You started to sing that Michael McDonald song, didn't you?  Go on, admit it.. Sorry about that..

Anyway, remember in Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery where Austin sleeps with the Italian bird Alotta, Alotta Fagina?  And when he tells Vanessa she explains to him he's going to be very lonely. Austin then spends the entire night drinking Tab so he can stay awake and tries to figure out everything he's missed in the last 30 years.. He's missed a lot including the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid and the US putting a man on the moon.

Well, that's where this post comes in. One of the boys is keeping a Night Sky Journal and at the end of the month each child will compare their Night Sky Journal to what they see in the sky during the day. Cool idea. I just wish it was the fall or spring so it wasn't so damn cold out when we're standing out there looking at the sky..  But I digress..

We're charting the phases of the moon so he can see how they change as the month progresses.. And we look at some of the constellations and talk about what he sees. Currently the most notable fascination is with Orion the Hunter and his infamous belt. So we go back in and draw, color and write down what we see.

As we're looking up at the sky the other night, I hear "I'm going go to the moon one day". I said ok, you can become an astronaut. Did you know we've actually walked on the moon? They must have gotten whiplash with how quickly their heads spun around and like a minion asked "whaaaaaat?" I said yeah, on July 20th, 1969 (and no I did not have to look that up; Mr. Macini, my Space and Astronomy teacher in 9th grade did a really good job) Neil Armstrong became the first human being ever to walk on the moon. And after him there were 11 other people who walked on the moon. They thought that was the coolest thing ever. (Another cool fun fact is that my uncle was one of the engineers who worked on the guidance system of the Saturn V rocket that took Apollo 11 to the moon. True story)

But as parents we need to remember that our kids don't know everything we know (contrary to what they think). There are the obvious things like walking, feeding themselves, potty training, etc that we clearly need to teach them (see previous blog called Blank Slate)..  But the other cool stuff like we've walked on the moon that we take that knowledge for granted, they have no idea. You just never know what information about which subject is going to pique their interest. And then you never know where that may lead. Information is power.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f_DPrSEOEo

Müzik, Μουσική, Musiikki

It doesn't matter what language you say it in, whether it be Turkish, Greek or Finnish, I truly believe that music has magical properties.. The type of music is also irrelevant, it just needs to be the type of music that appeals to you. Whether it's listening to Enya while you have a migraine (I know someone who does that) or listening to heavy metal while you study (I know people who did that too) there's something about music that resonates with everyone.

Think about your life. When a song comes on the radio many people have an association with an event, a person or something in their life that is traced back to that song. It could have been that first dance at your middle school dance or the popular song that summer you lived in the city or your wedding song or even that time on that college road trip when.. hmm, better leave that one out..

But you get the point. Music has that ability to somehow transcend the aural and manages to connect directly to your emotions. And that is what I am hoping happens with boys. At a very early age we wanted to make sure they listened to music. (You can listen to Jimi, but you can't hear him- White Men Can't Jump, anyone?) Ok, moving on..

They had the mobiles in their cribs when they were babies, until one of them tore it down and that was the end of that one. But we then discovered Rock A Bye Baby, which is rock music of all different bands (Foo Fighters, Nirvana, Green Day, U2, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc) all played like lullaby's. It is very cool, very soothing and they liked it a lot as did we. They still listen to it to this day.

But we also said to ourselves that we will not be beholden to the kids music when we're driving. I'll admit, we had the 40th Anniversary CD's of Sesame Street and we would listen to them in the car. The boys liked it and calmed them down on long road trips. It was also nostalgic for us hearing the songs that we remember from watching Sesame Street as kids. (See, it all comes back to music association) But when they were old enough, we started making them listen to our music. Hey, if we were going to be in the car with them for a while and they could keep themselves busy by looking out the window and playing games, we were going to listen to what we wanted. So they started enjoying some of our music.

I go old school and make them mix CD's. I have an ipod which I could create playlists, but it's not connecting in my car for some reason so it's just easier this way.. Plus, the boys look forward to when daddy creates a new CD..

I've made 4 or 5 of them. While there are still a few of the artists below that they haven't heard yet, here is a list of the artists that have been on these mix CD's:

Green Day, Foo Fighters, Dropkick Murphy's, John Cougar, AFI, Incubus, Dazz Band, Dave Matthews Band, Big & Rich, Of Monsters & Men, The Police, Beastie Boys, Airborne Toxic Event, The Beatles, Elvis, Cheap Trick, Fratellis, The Libertines, Imagine Dragons, Zeppelin, Toby Keith, The Black Crowes, Ben E. King, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Run DMC, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tears For Fears, Clapton, The Lumineers, Metallica, Van Halen, Neon Trees, Puscifer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Twisted Sister, Queen, Black Keys, MGMT, ACDC, Nirvana, KISS, The Ramones, Bruno Mars, Blues Traveler, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REM, Talking Heads, Blur.

Now obviously some of these artists have a particular popular song that is more than likely the song I put on the CD. But others are not what you may think. It was not always the popular song for a well known band we played for them. We want them to appreciate the band/artist for their music and not just have them know the "popular, mainstream" song for which the band may be known. But the goal here, as you can see is to broaden their musical horizons with old, new, blues, rock, alternative, rap, 80s, punk and everything in between. Just giving them a taste of whatever we can find and see what they like and don't like. They are really taking it all in and want more. They're kind of like Neo with the training simulation in The Matrix.

My ultimate goal with this project? That "a-ha" moment. We've all seen those Top 100 "Fill in the Blank" shows on VH1 or some network that counts down the top 100 greatest rock songs or guitar riffs, etc. There's invariably one critic or artist that says "I remember the first time I heard _____. I said to myself, what the hell is that?" I want at least one, if not both of my kids to have that kind of moment when they hear something.. Whether it be a guitar riff, a song or drum solo, it doesn't matter.. It will make it all worthwhile.

PS - It happened. With the Kraken. And Metallica. Is anyone really that surprised?

Prodigy

Everyone thinks their kid is a prodigy of something.. Whether they can hit a golf ball at 2 (my son is the next Tiger Woods) or they can write their name at 3 (they're going to become the next great author), and so on and so forth.

Truth is, prodigal-type talent is mostly inherited. I have no concrete data to back that up, but just indulge me here. My guess is the reason Jason Bonham is such a kick ass drummer is because his father was such a kick ass drummer. And when you are around that type of environment when you are growing up, the part of you that inherited it comes out if fostered correctly. That doesn't mean that kids who don't have John Bonham as their father won't grow up to be amazing drummers, it just helps a little bit..

But don't worry if your child isn't exhibiting signs of being a prodigy of athletics, mathematics, science or anything for that matter. Sometimes a kid is just a kid. The majority of them are. I took the Twinado bowling by myself this Sat morning and then we spent a few hours outside at the playground, the soccer field and the track. Man, were they pooped! (and so was I). They got great exercise on a gorgeous early spring day and now they are relaxing because they are tired. Sometimes I think we push our kids too hard because it's important to have them try so many different things to figure out what they like and what the don't.

Sometimes we just need to let them be kids and I think they'll figure that out all in good time.

Oh, by the way, this is prodigy drummer I recently saw on the interwebs.. He's 6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=g1qg9myFCqw

Let's Go Bruins!

So I try to get my boys to a Bruins game at least once a year. And hopefully they won't be scared this time like at the Worcester Sharks game where it might have been thought the mascot was a real shark. Yeah, I know..

But this year was interesting because of the lockout. They kept asking me if we were going to go to a Bruins game this year. Knowing they have no idea when the season starts or how long it is, I just kept saying that the season hadn't started yet, hoping to God the season started really soon because I was starting to really miss it. (And the questions were getting annoying)

I was able to get tickets to the game on February 9th. Yes, the day of the Super Blizzard. Alas, we did not get to go. We were all pretty disappointed so I said I would try to get tickets for another game. Thankfully, I was able to come through and my boys were very excited.

Saturday morning they got up and immediately put on their David Krecji jerseys and were very excited. Even though the game was at 1p and we were going to leave around 1115a, I told them they should take a nap in the car.

To one half of the Twinado I said "may I remind you what happened at Disney on Ice? I told you to take a nap and what did you say?" He replies with "NEVER"!!
"Yes, and what happened?"
"I was whiny and cranky and had to be taken out of the show."

Exactly..  I was NOT going to let that happen at an event I actually wanted to be at. Thankfully, they both did take naps and were well rested by the time we got to the Garden to pay $34 to park. Yes, that's right. $34.  By contrast it was $10 at Disney on Ice. Same venue. Different 3rd party running the parking.

Other than keeping the Twinado from climbing the boards onto the ice, the big challenge at this game was going to be security. I don't know about anyone else's kids, but if there aren't snackies readily available for the #Twinado, we're going to have problems. But seeing as I already paid $34 for parking, I didn't have another $34 to feed the boys. So we took the chance of bringing snacks and drinks with us in a backpack. We had no problem getting in to Disney on Ice with it so we were hoping we did not have a problem. We go through the line and they ask my wife to step to the side so they can check her bag. A little nervous because we have had problems at Fenway with bags and also at the Garden previously. Not with snacks, just with bags in general. Thankfully, the guy just looked it at and had no problem and sent us through.. 

We got to our seats and they were very excited that the Bruins were practicing shooting at the net right in front of us. I took some time to explain some basic things to them. They obviously know the point of the game, but they started to understand power plays, the penalty box and were a little excited when the first fight happened. But so were the other 20K fans so I guess it's ok.. The intermissions were hard. They were good sitting there for the action (periodically asking if the Bruins had won and/or if it was over yet), but when there are 15 minutes or so of down time, it's a challenge. So we got up and walked around the arena and I showed them all the historical pictures and memorabilia that is placed around the Garden. That seemed to pass the time well and it also gave them a little glimpse into some Boston sports history, which is also nice.

The other problem with public events had been the noise level. Whether it be a sporting event, movie, etc the PA announcer or anything loud usually bothers them. I don't know if it's something to do with their prematurity that is just taking its time to mature or not, but I brought ear muffs for each of them and that seemed to sufficiently dull the noise so they were ok.

The third period was here and the Bruins were tied 2-2 after being down a quick 2-0. They had already eaten all their snackies as well as chicken fingers and fries and most of my wife's lunch. They were starting to get rambunctious and we were wondering how much longer they were going to be able to stay there. Thankfully they allowed us to separate them and hold them on our laps while we watched because with about 2 minutes left in the game, the Bruins scored and everyone went crazy!!! 

They were very excited, but it was loud and the ear muffs weren't cutting it..  We did stay till the end of the game, but they were extremely happy to leave as they were passed out not long after exiting the garage.

All in all a good day at the Garden. Bruins won and everyone had fun. But the moral of the story is as always, if you're going anywhere with the #TwinsofAnarchy, make sure you bring plenty of snackies or you'll be sorry!

FREE BIRD!!!

My first concert was the summer of 1992.  Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. (it has previously been known as the Tweeter Center and currently is known as the Comcast Center, but anyone who grew up in the area will tell you it will always be Great Woods). I was a CIT (Counselor in Training) at a camp in Brookline, NH called Camp Tevya. All of the CIT's had 1 "night out" a summer and it worked out perfectly that the Steve Miller Band was playing at Great Woods on our night out.  While a night out in the summer may seem pretty standard, not to anyone who works at a camp.  When not many, if any of us have a license much less a car, it's hard to go anywhere or do anything that isn't camp sanctioned. So when we were afforded this luxury of an opportunity, we jumped on it. We sat on the lawn (grr..) and everybody danced and sang and it was so much fun. I "grr" at the lawn sentence because what used to be a really nice amphitheater seating about 10K under cover and another 9K on the lawn above it has now turned into a fortress.  People used to bring chairs, blankets and have a grand old time on the lawn.  Plus, it was cheaper than the seats.  Lawn seats for most shows were about $15-$20. Now, they have built seats that encompass about 90% of the "lawn" leaving the very top grass.  But you are so far away, it doesn't even matter. It certainly has taken something from sitting up there for a show.  But I digress.

As I get older I'm trying to do a few things I've never done before.. Some may call it a bucket list, some may call it "things I've never done before".  Either way, I'm trying to do these things before I don't have a chance. Many of the items on this list include seeing bands I've never seen. Many bands obviously I would love to, but it's just happening. (Although STILL holding out hope for a Led Zeppelin reunion tour with either Jason Bonham or Dave Grohl on drums).  It could happen..  Seriously, it could.. But it's also different nowadays.  back in the 70s, 80s and 90s, if you didn't go to the show, you didn't see the show.  Now, with the advent of cell phones with such great cameras on them, you can just look up on you tube any show you want and see what it looked like.  While it does take some of the value away from being there, however I don't think anything is quite like being physically at the live show. So when the opportunity came to see KISS and Motley Crue at said Great Woods, I jumped at it.  Obviously, these bands are not in their prime.  KISS only has 50% of its original members. But that's ok. I didn't mind.  Both bands put on fantastic theatrical performances, stuff I had never seen before at a live show and sang many songs I knew.

Getting back to the cell phone, is it me or has the cell phone replaced the lighter?  Everyone always has their phone out taking pictures and video of the show. Previously, if a band or artist was playing a ballad, the crowd would take out their lighters and use them to light the arena during the song. However now due to the brightness of the cell phone screens, people just leave their phones out for the entire show and use the phones during said ballads.  It's kind of weird.  There was something about all the lighters up with the flames hanging in the air while a band like Skynyrd played their classic "Free Bird". No shortage of jokes coming here I am sure.

Back to this show. Out of everything going on, I did see something that caught my eye: Kids. Especially for KISS, there were so many kids.. I mean, we're talking 9, 10, 11 years old in KISS t-shirts with KISS makeup on throwing up rock fists and singing along.. Granted they were wearing noise-canceling headphones (very smart), but they were there and I thought it was awesome. Originally I had wanted my boys' first concert to be something low key, maybe a James Taylor or something like that.  An artist I have seen numerous times, music than transcends generations and you can enjoy the show.  You're not going to see theater or pyrotechnics or anything of that nature, but you'll say great musicians performing their art to perfection. And that is still a show.

But I want my kids to go to a rock show.  They don't necessarily need to paint their faces, but I want them to experience something they've never experienced before every time they go to a show.  That's the reason why Gene Simmons formed KISS.  He said he was tired of the same old crap for live shows. They were boring and cookie cutter.  He wanted to perform on stage for people something they had never seen before and something they would never forget. If my kids can have those types of experiences at the live shows, then I've done my job.

Best of You

We made a conscious decision when we had the boys (at some point when we were conscious, but I'm not quite sure I remember when that was) that the one place we had that was sacred was our cars.  No kids music in our cars.  Period.  We were going to listen to what we liked and they were going to deal with it.  And it actually worked.  That decision has paid enormous dividends already as our kids go around singing Foo Fighters, Green Day, Beastie Boys (you gotta hear that shit, it's pretty funny).  It makes long car rides that much more enjoyable when instead of Sesame Street we're listening to Marilyn Manson covering "This is Halloween" from Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas.  For whatever reason, they're not scared.

So one day while on the way to school and listening to Foo Fighters, I told them that mommy and daddy have seen the Foo Fighters twice in concert.  So naturally, the next question is "Can we go see the Foo Fighters?"  Now, of course, these are the kids who used to go screaming from the vacuum cleaner because it was too loud.. They're supposed to sit through 3 hours of Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and company?

So naturally I said, "well, when you're older".  But why?  Do we shield our kids from certain things just because of their age too much?  What if my boys were 10?  Would it be ok then?  Does everyone's first concert have to James Taylor or the Moody Blues?  My first concert wasn't until I was 16 (Steve Miller Band on the lawn at Great Woods).  But since there's no lawn anymore as well as it not being called Great Woods for many years, I don't go too often).

When I was 10 years old there was this huge pop star named Michael Jackson.  You might have heard of him.  He was kind of a big deal.  He was coming to the Boston Garden on tour and my sister and I wanted to go.  We were told no. Sorry mom, but looking back that would have been the most kick-ass show to say my first concert was Michael Jackson in the mid-80s.  I'm over it, but I digress.  The reason was because I was too young.  But I think that an experience like that could shape people.  What if going to that show at 10 years old brought out some love of music I didn't know I had.  Maybe then I wouldn't have had to fake play the clarinet later that year in my elementary school concert because I had no idea what I was doing. We just don't know.

Life is all about experiences and what you take from them and make from them.  So while taking my 4 year olds to see the Foo Fighters would probably be a little irresponsible, I'd say the show is quite possibly in their near future.  Because you never know, maybe it'll open up something inside of them that makes them the next Dave Grohl. (Oh that would be so awesome).

Used Car Amenities

So a long time ago, somewhere around 1998 I graduated college..  I had gotten a job and needed a car.  However, not just any car.  I didn't want another used car with those used car amenities.  I wanted a new car.  You know, one that started when you turned the key and and when you turned on the AC cold air blew in instead of hot air..  I was stupid as all college graduates really are and I got a car with "new car amenities"..

However one thing I still could not have, regardless of the car I bought was the ability to listen to a song anytime I wanted.  Or, better yet, be able to see what the song title was and who was singing it.  I mean, that was futuristic stuff in the late 90s!  (This was just starting to come out and was a top option in available models)

Fast forward 14 years and we have satellite radio, ipods and in many cars the text button.  Press this and on some stations it will tell you what song is playing and who the artist is.  This feature is standard for my children.  They will never know what it is like not to know the title and/or artist of the song currently playing.  And, for some reason if you are not blessed with this feature, yup there's an app for that.  I have an app on my phone as a lot of people do where if you launch it and hold it up to the speaker, it will not only tell you what the name of the song is and who is singing it, but the title of the album, it will scroll the lyrics for you and you can also download the song to your itunes with the touch of a button.  And, if you are so inclined to want to tell people what you are listening to, you can post it to Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.  Crazy..  I love it.

But I feel like the boys are missing out.  They'll never know what it's like only to have 5 or 6 channels.  They'll never know what it's like to actually BE the remote control for someone (raise your hand if you ever sat close to the TV for the sole purpose of being close enough so when your parent or older sibling told you to change the channel, you didn't have to move that much).  Keep em up.. That's right..

They'll never know what it's like to think "Argh, I forgot to set the VCR"!  Or worse, you remembered to set the VCR, but forgot to rewind the tape!  now not only do many people have DVR's, but you can set it from a computer and even your phone!  They'll never know what it's like to sit in front of your boombox for half an hour because the DJ said that coming up was your favorite song.  And while you're waiting you set up the cassette in the boombox all ready to hit play and record together so you can record your favorite song.  And then when you want to play it, you can just hit rewind and then stop.  Then play.  Realize you still have about half the song to go and then rewind some more, stop.  Play. Almost there.  Rewind and stop.  Play.  Rewind stop!  Rewind stop!  Yeah you remember doing that..

Now my 4 year olds just go to the ipod, hit itunes and play (they even have their own playlist of songs and artists they like).  For example, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys and Green Day are in heavy rotation. Or, take the ipad, turn on Pandora, choose a station and hit play.  When they want to watch something?  On mand (On Demand to the rest of us).  For other shows and movies not on mand?  Sure, why not.  There's Netflix. Hit a few buttons on the remote and there you go!  Instant Gratification.

I have a feeling that on the way to school on Tuesday, I just might not tell them who is singing the song on the radio.  I gotta have a little fun right?

Hummala Bebhuhla

In honor of Van Halen's semi-reunion (it can't really be a full reunion without Michael Anthony), I thought I'd tell a little story I had forgotten about until someone accidentally brought it out of me.

The Twinado was about 18 months old or so and we were taking a car trip up to the edge of nowhere, otherwise known as Maine.  And we're not talking about Portland, either..  It was about 5 hours north of Portland, at least.. Ok, maybe only 2-3, but it sure felt like it..

Anyway, neither of the boys was talking yet..  They were making sounds yeah, but talking was far off..  Hell, one of them wasn't even standing on his own so them speaking was the furthest thing from our minds.

We're driving along and listening to the radio, sometimes singing along.  Sure enough, Panama comes on the radio.  This song is perfect for the boys..  It's not like Roth doesn't repeat the word Panama about a billion times (well, really only 15 if you can believe that; seems like so much more).  So in addition to him saying it, we're saying it.  And wouldn't you know it, from the backseat we hear "panama".

Even though I was driving I have never whipped my head around to the backseat so fast..  We know that we heard it.  It was crystal clear.  One of sons had just said their first word and it was the name of a Van Halen song.

For some reason, I didn't mind the rest of ride.

Crystal Ball

The lights are down..  The din of the crowd is not unlike that of a Yankees/Red Sox playoff game.. you know that din...

The anticipation of the crowd is growing with every passing second..  The best band in the world is about to come on stage and perform.

Then finally a riser from the back of the stage ascends from the bowels of the arena and the bass of the drums is heart-pounding..  The crowd starts to go crazy and the greatest rock show on earth has commenced..

I was recently told by one of my sons that he wants to be a drummer..  Allow me this moment..

Da Dun.. Da Dun..

The boys have been asking to go to a Bruins game since about the middle of last season..  It was about the time when they started really noticing sports, being able to recall logos and such.  While tickets are not as easy to come by as they used to be, I still managed to get us 4 tickets so the boys could go to a Bruins game. However I thought it might be a good idea to take them to a Worcester Sharks game at the DCU Center in Worcester as a primer.  It's not that far from us and this past Sunday just happened to be Pucks and Paws day.  That's right, minor league hockey AND you got to bring your dog!  Half the cost of the dog ticket went towards the Worcester Animal Rescue League so it was for a good cause.  And we got to take Cadi to a hockey game.  How often does that chance come around?

So off we went all bundled up and got into the car.  I had to lift Cadi into the back of Amy's car (not happy about continually having to do that, but that's another blog for another day).  We got to the arena in plenty of time and walked around a bit to see all the different dog-related booths, activities for kids, etc.  So far, so good.  Cadi made some friends with some new dogs as only dogs can (why isn't it that easy for humans I will never know).

We headed down to our seats and they were great!  2nd row from the glass right near the face off circle!  The boys were going to be so excited they were so close to the ice!  They had designated certain sections for dogs only so you were assured not to be bothering people with your dog.  However they said nothing about bothering other people with your children!

We got down to our seats and Max settled right in and was raring to go..  I took Cadi with me, walked around a bit, sniffed some dogs, etc..  As I headed back I see (and hear) Douglas having a meltdown.  He was just beside himself.  Wailing, screaming almost, didn't want to take off his jacket and he wanted to sit on my lap.  So he sat on my lap and then the music came on and he freaked even more!  He covered his ears and at this point was almost inconsolable.  He wanted to go to the top row of the arena.  I told him we could only go as high as this section so he said ok.  We went to those seats and he was still crying and didn't want to be there.  He wanted to go outside (onto the concourse thankfully because it was about 10 degrees out).  So I took him out onto the concourse and as we walked he started to settle down.  We got a frisbee for Cadi (more than likely to be broken the first time she plays with it), some nerds in a box for him and he seemed to be ok.  Amy texted and said Max was requesting a pretzel.  I could have gone for a pretzel too.  So of course as I said this to Mitch, he wanted pizza.  Of course you did.

So there I was trying to juggle 2 pretzels, ketchup (for Daniel) and mustard (for me), 2 waters and a piece of pizza all the while trying to hold Douglas's hand so he didn't run off.. And before you ask, no Amy didn't want anything.  I made sure to ask.. 

We somehow made it back to our seats with everything intact and gave Daniel his pretzel, ketchup and water.  We sat down and we were in our seats no more than 5 seconds before Douglas started up again..  So I took Douglas , my pretzel and mustard along with my water and headed back up to the top row of the section.  This time I needed to know what his deal was.

I asked him, "Mitch are you scared"?  He told me he was and I asked of what?

He said "the sharks".  I said what shar..  Ohhhhh..  For some reason, Douglas was under the impression that there would be REAL sharks on the ice and he was afraid of sharks apparently so he kind of freaked out..  Trying to keep my composure and not laugh out loud (or LOL as the kids say) I told him they aren't real sharks and explained what team nicknames and mascots were.  He seemed to understand and realized they weren't real sharks, but the music and PA announcer were loud anyway so he wanted to walk again.

I said that's fine, but I wanted to finish my pretzel first.  The words weren't even out of mouth before he was stuffing the pretzel into my mouth, making me eat it so we could leave.. I have to admit, the kid is funny..

By now, the 1st period has ended and we have been there for a total of about 1 hour and in my seat for about 5 minutes.  After I got a text from Amy telling me that Daniel was asking when it was going to be over, we decided it was time to pack it up and head home.

While the Pucks and Paws Worcester Sharks game might have been a failed experiment, I'm hoping for a much better result at the Bruins game.  As long as Douglas doesn't find out what a Bruin is..

And The Grammy Goes To...

So every day my boys are at school I call around 2p (nap time) to find out how their day has been so far.  Did they eat all their lunch?  Did they go potty?  #1 or #2?  Was it actually in the potty? (That's directed toward you, Mitch).  When they were in the infant room we used to receive progress reports each day.  These told us how much they ate, what they ate and when they ate it. It also told us when they went to bathroom, what it was, etc. We also were able to speak directly to the teacher who was with them all day which was a huge plus.  If there were problems or medicine they needed to take, etc you knew you were speaking to the person who was with them all day from start to finish.  However since they moved up to the toddler rooms, this is not the case.  No more progress reports.  So this is an easy way to get an update on how they are doing overall, as well as find out what they did that day so we can discuss it on the ride home or over dinner.

The other day Max's teacher told me a funny story.  They have a stereo in the class and while they normally listen to CD's I guess someone hit the tuner button and the radio came on.  Max then asks his teacher, "Can we listen to talk radio"?

Wait, what?  Talk Radio?  The only talk radio I listen to in the car with them is sports talk radio.  They like when the hosts say Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Dunkin Donuts (which is pretty often).  However I do listen to the Morning Buzz on Rock 101 out of Manchester, NH which has a morning talk show.  They love it when they say Morning Buzz because I think they think it's Toy Story radio.. Hey, whatever works to get them to school, you know?

But we try as best we can to have music on in the car at all times..  And all types of music.  We don't let them dictate and have us listen to the Wheels on the Bus 400 times in a row because they would and I would proceed to drive off a cliff.  When they drive, they can listen to whatever they want.  But when I'm driving, it's my music.  So they get a heavy dose of Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Lynyrd Skynryd, Chili Peppers, 80's and some other stuff.  My wife listens to a little more alternative type of music (DISCLAIMER DISCLAIMER - she also likes some of the same music I like), so they really get a good mix between the two of us.

Whatever it is they end up listening to when they are older though will be their choice of course, but I'm sure it'll suck compared to my music. 

The MTV Generation

August 1^st, 1981, MTV debuts.  It was a major breakthrough in cable television and for television as a whole.  It crafted a generation and brought us new things and terms like music video, vee-jay and televised spring break!  Come on, who doesn't love Ed Lover?!?!

Ironically enough, my family first got cable exactly 3 years to the day that MTV launched, on August 1^st, 1984.  I was 8 and on top of the world!  I wasn’t the type of kid to stay inside and just zone out and watch music videos, or anything for that matter.  I was very active, riding my bike, playing sports, just being outside.  That and my mom would kick my butt outside and say don’t come home until the street lights come on.  But I digress..

When I found out that VH1 Classic was going to re-air the first hour of MTV exactly how it aired back on August 1^st, 1984 at midnight on August 1^st, 2011, exactly 30 years later, I decided to record it and watch it.  In doing so I also decided a running commentary might be funny..  Maybe you would like to read it?  If so, continue to page 42.  If not, go to page 19. (Choose Your Own Adventure books, anyone?)

Exactly at midnight they cut to Cape Canaveral where the Space Shuttle is getting ready to lift off..  15 minutes of NASA scientists and engineers talking about the pending lift-off, what’s going to happen at what time, etc..  Seriously, 15 minutes..  This could have been severely shorted, by about 14 minutes and 50 seconds..  A 10 second countdown just before the Shuttle lifts off would have sufficed and I think would have been pretty cool.

In any event, after the shuttle’s engines start, a voice over came on to say “Ladies and gentleman, rock and roll” as it cuts out to the famous Neil Armstrong landing on the moon that they used forever, as well as the vertigo-inducing MTV logo switching colors at light speeds for about another minute while a voice over tells you all about what you are about to see.  They made a big point throughout the entire program to tell you that it’s being broadcast in “stereo” and not high fidelity.  To be honest, the sound quality was still pretty shitty.

By now, EVERYONE knows the first video ever on MTV..  If you don’t, look it up..  However when the 1^st video ended following by about 10 seconds of absolute silence and blank screen, each VJ (Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn, JJ Jackson, Nina Blackwood and Mark Goodman) all come individually and tell the viewer(s) what they can expect to see from each of them, which was pretty much the same thing.  Then, straight into the second video ever, Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run”. Nothing special, her band and her singing, dancing and playing in what looked to be a garage..  

Then, the commercials kick in..  Being in advertising, I wonder what the cost was for a commercial on MTV the night it debuted?  I mean it couldn’t have been very much..   Seriously, I wonder how I can find this out.. The first commercial was from a company called Majestic.  They seemed to be pushing some sort of trapper keeper product.  Nowadays kids just walk around with their ipods and cell phones.  A trailer for the new Superman movie, Superman 2 was the next commercial.  Man, those graphics were horrible, but probably cutting edge for 1981.

Rod Stewart busted out “She Won’t Dance With Me” as the 3^rd video.  He was wearing a lime green jumpsuit with his chest exposed.  Really?  This was fashion in 1981?  Now by no means am I a fashion guru as I have the same multi-colored hooded flannel since I was a senior in high school.  But come on, this thing was putrid.  But it was Rod Stewart and when you’re with Rachel Hunter in the 80’s I guess you can wear whatever you want.

And then BAM!  The screen goes blank again.  I mean, nothing.  It was like you get that Emergency Broadcast Warning that this is just a test screen, but without the warning or sound.  Yeah, someone in the control room better get on that STAT!

The Who’s “You Better You Bet” was the next video..  Wow, that certainly is not Keith Moon.  I think the Who should have taken a cue from the best band ever (The Mighty Led Zeppelin as if you didn’t already know) and gracefully called it quits when their engine died.  Like Bonham, Moon was what made the Who go and when he died, they should have stopped.  Also if they had stopped we would not have had to see Roger Daltrey in this video wearing a scarf.  Was it cold where they were filming?  Everyone else seemed to be normally dressed (for the early 80s).

Periodically, in between videos Mark Goodman would come on letting the viewers know about a Dial Position Sticker that they could order.  Now, I believe he was talking about a sticker that you physically put on your fm tuner that would let you know what dial position MTV was at.. Not sure this actually took off..  Probably a little bit more like Teddy Ruxpin than Cabbage Patch Dolls..

After another annoying few seconds of dead air and gray screen, a Mountain Dew commercial comes on.  Terrible song, but to be honest the can hasn’t changed much.. and I have a special place in my heart for the Dew as it got me through some very long days as I spent time in the NICU in Boston with my boys when they were born and then had to drive from Ayer to work a full day in Worcester and then back to Boston to visit and then home to Ayer 5 days a week.  Do the Dew!

PH. D. “Little Suzie’s on the Up” was next.  The Video started and it was 7 seconds before any audio came on..  I think there are some kinks that still need to be worked out..  I can honestly say it didn’t matter because I have never heard this song or have heard of this artist in my entire life.. and I consider myself pretty good at 80s music.. It did have a rather attractive blond in it though wearing the #69 on her back from a dance competition.  I wonder if that was intentional..

Cliff Richard’s “We Don’t Talk Anymore” was next.. Very 70’s..  Think John Travolta’s video for “Let Her In” complete with a smoke machine and everything..  You Tube it if you have to. Pretty funny.

The Pretenders actually make a second appearance in the first hour with “Brass in Pocket.  This song is one of my wife’s least favorite songs.. It’s like nails on a blackboard.. Kind of like if I hear Pink Cadillac by Springsteen or Main Street by Bob Seger. I have learned to be so quick at the radio when it comes on that they can barely get that twangy guitar riff out before I change the station.  It’s the little things we do that count the most right?

Random thought: In the restaurant window where Chrissy Hynde works there is a big poster advertising Lucky Strike cigarettes..  What a difference 30 years makes..

Todd Rundgren’s “Time Heals” is next.  Not exactly what I would think of when I hear Todd Rundgren’s name.  He also used Salvador Dali imagery “melted clocks” when talking about time.  Probably a little sophisticated for the audience watching..  Certainly would be for today’s MTV audience.   Regardless, his Mork from Ork approved space suit I guess was cool in 1981.  But he was dancing around (I think that was dancing) while the screen had what acid-heads call “tracers”  so I’m not really sure what was going on.

Commercial for Chewels.  Absolutely the most DISGUSTING gum I have ever had..  I would rather eat 50 pieces of the Fortune gum that usually got stuck in your teeth and lost its flavor after 2 minutes..  But those fortunes were awesome..  I got this fortune one time that said you will have a great day today..  Unfortunately I still got the crap kicked out of me at recess so I guess they weren’t that awesome..

Styx was up next with “Rockin Paradise”.  Basically they took the “Best of Times” music and some of the lyrics as well and set it to some stage show.  So after the beginning part it becomes a totally different song and they do this elaborate stage production.  Why didn’t they just shoot a video for Best of Times if they were going to use the music and half the lyrics?  After the stage show they just rock out, well as much as Dennis DeYoung and Tommy Shaw can rock out..  Tommy Shaw also of Damn Yankees fame with the 1 hit wonder with THE NUGE on High Enough..  Very underrated song of the early 90’s in my estimation.. but then again, no one really cares what I think..

It all comes together with a commercial for Atari.  Loved it.  It totally brings me back to my Intellivision days.  Oh that was a game system all right.  You had those little flimsy pieces of microfilm that came with each game.  You slid them into the controller and that was how you knew what button did what.  Ah, good times.. 

Robin Lane and the Chartbusters “When Things Go Wrong” from their self-titled album.  Let’s move on.

After the video thankfully ends, there’s a little 90 second vignette about the Ramones.  Not too bad, but lacked any real substance or information at all.  Then, it shifts to Mark Goodman who proceeds to introduce the next video, Styx with Rockin Paradise.  OOPS!!

And that’s how the first hour ended..   The funny thing is that they don’t even play any music videos any more.  That’s reserved for their other properties like MTV2, MTV3, etc.  Much like in “Dodgeball”, with ESPN8, “the Ocho” there might be MTV11, “the Onze” one day and maybe THEY will be playing videos.  But I doubt it.  

As I sit here being all nostalgic about something that happened 30 years ago when I was 5, I realize that 30 years from now my boys will be about my age and MTV will turn 60.  Ugh, I feel old..