On Saturday, I competed in an intense Best of 3 basketball series. A 2-on-2 game that meant nothing yet in that gym we left it all on the floor. I talked to my wife about it at the dinner table that night. Basketball has filled my life with so many smiles.
The next morning, basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. He died with one of his daughters and left behind three more. I keep thinking about his wife. Thinking about a dinner table without a Dad. It is a devastating thought.
Watching Kobe play was often devastating. I always have loved basketball and I never loved Kobe. He was cocky. He was relentless. He was often the hardwood villain in Hollywood purple. I grew up in the basketball era that he shaped. He inspired others to play harder and he made it easy to root against him.
All of that is meaningless now.
His life and his legacy will be discussed at great Laker length. Our culture is consumed by tributes after tragedy. The mass media will create a cyclone of file footage, testimonials, and reactions to what no one could have predicted or planned for. And all I can think about is that empty dining room chair.
Kobe was a competitor and a Dad. That is meaningful now. When I received a text from my brother about Kobe, I was immediately stunned and surprisingly shook. My brother and I used to play 1-on-1 in our parents' driveway as if it were the NBA finals. Now, we are both Dads who visit that same house we grew up in. Our Dad has been elevated to Granddude, the proud grandfather to three little girls. The basketball hoop is no longer up, but the memories will forever be on that lane toward the garage door.
Basketball will be fine without Kobe. The game also will survive even if my brother and I never lace it up again on that hoop dream driveway. In a fast-paced world where my daughters are growing up faster, the news of Kobe's death gave me pause. The unimaginable nature of his passing is countered by an imaginable future - for his family and for mine.
Johnstown is a long way away from Los Angeles - in probably every imaginable way. Yet, for basketball Dads, maybe tonight you feel a weird closeness to Kobe. To be a Dad is to be flawed, to be part superhero and super duper vulnerable. In Positive Johnstown, Positive L.A., Positive Wherever You Are spirit, the tragic loss of a superstar is an opportunity to put on that superhero cape.
I am grateful for all the basketball games I have played. I look forward to the next time I step on the court.
But most importantly, I look forward to that next dinner with my wife and daughters.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Dad Review: Disney World
The World Wide Web is rich in Disney World reviews. This is just another Dad making a magical mark on summarizing the beauty and the beast that is The Magic Kingdom. Without further ado, here is my Top 10 after one glorious day in the kingdom:
#10 Rescue Ranger
The last time I was in Disney was 1986. My parents drove from Johnstown to Orlando. The airplane had been invented yet my father decided that automobiling would be more thrilling. I bet it was. Unfortunately or fortunately I have no review of my first Disney experience. I was a 2-year-old and my brain does not have the capacity to recall 1986. This is not an indictment on my brain functioning; it is how the human mind works, Peter Pan.
The mind of a child is quite comparable to the thinking cap of the chipmunk. Thus, I brought a Dale hand puppet for this adventure. This Rescue Ranger is from my wife's youth and he brings an unparalleled pleasure to my 2-year-old. Plus, chipmunks fly free on Southwest.
This is the last time I will use the word "free" in reference to the Disney trip.
#9 Buzz Off
Our brigade was 6 deep - myself, my wife, my in-laws, and my two daughters. You would be Goofy to believe anything other than a 2-to-1 adult to child ratio is smart in order to withstand Walt's empire. The scale of Disney is breathtaking, heart pounding, and feet pounding - a lot of mileage in the magic.
Our first ride was the Toy Story spinning craze of color, noise, and toys. We were firing a weapon to infinity and beyond while accruing points in an unexplainable war zone competition. My kids loved it.
When they asked to do it again at the end of the day, the collective sentiment was "No, space ranger". I would rather have a snake in my boot than wait two hours to do that again.
#8 Big Mermaid
The Little Mermaid ride was a big production and the one I found the most visually impressive. Even the line was fun. That's the real magic @ Disney - you start appreciating the geography of the line. "This has a nice scenic zig and zag, great design". "Didn't see that turn coming! Deceiving!"
The Little Mermaid line winded through a cavern and led us to a shell of a good time under the sea.
#7 Mickey Mouse Doughnut
Just before meeting Alice (Wonderland fame), we shared a team doughnut shaped in the form of Mickey Mouse's skull. It was pink frosted, sprinkled, and full of gluten. Alice did not seem to judge us as we devoured the pastry. She shouldn't. None of us fell down a rabbit hole.
#6 Alice's Tea Cups
Just before eating the doughnut and meeting Alice, we spun violently in one of her tea cups. If we would have done this in the reverse order, I would have thrown up in a rabbit hole.
#5 Parade Pass Out
At 3:00 PM, my 4-year-old slept through an incredible parade. I was on the pavement sitting criss-cross applesauce with her body extended over me. People were stepping on my hands. My wife was holding my 2-year-old and my 2-year-old was inadvertently kicking me in the neck. At one point, my wife dropped her phone on my head. Despite all this, I fell asleep for a solid minute. I had my sunglasses on, but beneath the shade was a stealthy Dad getting a quick snooze.
When the parade started, we tried to wake up my eldest, but that did not work and was a risky attempt. She is known to go Mad Hatter when wakened from a nap. You would think a parade literally a few feet away would wake our Sleeping Beauty, but her slumber is unrivaled.
So, I sat with other children and was wowed by this parade. It was the Hall of Fame of Disney on the move. At one point, a live-action Tinkerbell made eye contact with me and gave me a fairy wave. I captured this on my cell phone. After looking at the photo, I could not determine what was more creepy; the look Tinkerbell is giving me or the fact that I was criss-cross applesauce and took the picture. Also, I had my daughter's crown on my head, which I totally forgot about. It was on top of my baseball hat.
I did not realize this until another princess looked me in the eyes and said, "I love your crown!". I wish someone would have taken a picture of my face in that moment. Confused. Shocked. Embarrassed. Disney.
#4 Dynamite Dumbo
Dumbo is the only ride we did twice and it was because of the line. Not because the line was short (there are no "short lines" in Disney, Donald Duck). It was because the line had a circus gym mid-line to crawl and climb through. Genius? Dangerous? Both?
The only reason we got back in line the second time was because both our girls wanted to smile, climb and fall all over the big top. Two ears up to the Dumbo diversion!
#3 The Astro Orbiter
My 2-year-old screamed magic murder the entire time we were on this ride. She sat with her Pap. And by sat, I mean attempted to throw herself out of a spaceship. Despite the audible horror, I enjoyed the sky high view from my spacecraft. I sat with my wife. Her eyes were closed the entire time due to the revolutions...or maybe the romance. I had my arm around her as I overlooked the kingdom and listened to my second born beg for mercy.
No one wanted to do this ride a second time.
#2 Pluto on Earth
When leaving the park after the sun set, there was a bombastic block party led by Mickey. Humans and mascot animals were dancing to a high-octane sing-a-long, surrounded by floats and flashes of light. My 2-year-old spotted a pulse-pumping Pluto, who was dancing as if it was his last dance as a dog. She slowly walked up, inches away from his paws, and stared at him. No dance. All judgement of a crazed canine. In this magical moment, my daughter looked like the lunatic.
#1 Memory Bank
Years from now, who knows what any of us will remember. Memory is unpredictable and precious. I cannot conclude that Disney is the happiest place on earth, but nothing makes me happier than being with my family - in the orbits, through the lines, and to that finish line none of us can accurately predict.
Disney is all about waiting, wondering, and wandering. Sounds a lot like life itself, for people and for those chipmunks out there just trying to find the next nut.
Thank you, Walt Disney. Thank you, family. Thank you, Dale.
The magic is not in the kingdom. The magic is in the characters that make up your cast.
Good night, Johnstown.
#10 Rescue Ranger
The last time I was in Disney was 1986. My parents drove from Johnstown to Orlando. The airplane had been invented yet my father decided that automobiling would be more thrilling. I bet it was. Unfortunately or fortunately I have no review of my first Disney experience. I was a 2-year-old and my brain does not have the capacity to recall 1986. This is not an indictment on my brain functioning; it is how the human mind works, Peter Pan.
The mind of a child is quite comparable to the thinking cap of the chipmunk. Thus, I brought a Dale hand puppet for this adventure. This Rescue Ranger is from my wife's youth and he brings an unparalleled pleasure to my 2-year-old. Plus, chipmunks fly free on Southwest.
This is the last time I will use the word "free" in reference to the Disney trip.
#9 Buzz Off
Our brigade was 6 deep - myself, my wife, my in-laws, and my two daughters. You would be Goofy to believe anything other than a 2-to-1 adult to child ratio is smart in order to withstand Walt's empire. The scale of Disney is breathtaking, heart pounding, and feet pounding - a lot of mileage in the magic.
Our first ride was the Toy Story spinning craze of color, noise, and toys. We were firing a weapon to infinity and beyond while accruing points in an unexplainable war zone competition. My kids loved it.
When they asked to do it again at the end of the day, the collective sentiment was "No, space ranger". I would rather have a snake in my boot than wait two hours to do that again.
#8 Big Mermaid
The Little Mermaid ride was a big production and the one I found the most visually impressive. Even the line was fun. That's the real magic @ Disney - you start appreciating the geography of the line. "This has a nice scenic zig and zag, great design". "Didn't see that turn coming! Deceiving!"
The Little Mermaid line winded through a cavern and led us to a shell of a good time under the sea.
#7 Mickey Mouse Doughnut
Just before meeting Alice (Wonderland fame), we shared a team doughnut shaped in the form of Mickey Mouse's skull. It was pink frosted, sprinkled, and full of gluten. Alice did not seem to judge us as we devoured the pastry. She shouldn't. None of us fell down a rabbit hole.
#6 Alice's Tea Cups
Just before eating the doughnut and meeting Alice, we spun violently in one of her tea cups. If we would have done this in the reverse order, I would have thrown up in a rabbit hole.
#5 Parade Pass Out
At 3:00 PM, my 4-year-old slept through an incredible parade. I was on the pavement sitting criss-cross applesauce with her body extended over me. People were stepping on my hands. My wife was holding my 2-year-old and my 2-year-old was inadvertently kicking me in the neck. At one point, my wife dropped her phone on my head. Despite all this, I fell asleep for a solid minute. I had my sunglasses on, but beneath the shade was a stealthy Dad getting a quick snooze.
When the parade started, we tried to wake up my eldest, but that did not work and was a risky attempt. She is known to go Mad Hatter when wakened from a nap. You would think a parade literally a few feet away would wake our Sleeping Beauty, but her slumber is unrivaled.
So, I sat with other children and was wowed by this parade. It was the Hall of Fame of Disney on the move. At one point, a live-action Tinkerbell made eye contact with me and gave me a fairy wave. I captured this on my cell phone. After looking at the photo, I could not determine what was more creepy; the look Tinkerbell is giving me or the fact that I was criss-cross applesauce and took the picture. Also, I had my daughter's crown on my head, which I totally forgot about. It was on top of my baseball hat.
I did not realize this until another princess looked me in the eyes and said, "I love your crown!". I wish someone would have taken a picture of my face in that moment. Confused. Shocked. Embarrassed. Disney.
#4 Dynamite Dumbo
Dumbo is the only ride we did twice and it was because of the line. Not because the line was short (there are no "short lines" in Disney, Donald Duck). It was because the line had a circus gym mid-line to crawl and climb through. Genius? Dangerous? Both?
The only reason we got back in line the second time was because both our girls wanted to smile, climb and fall all over the big top. Two ears up to the Dumbo diversion!
#3 The Astro Orbiter
My 2-year-old screamed magic murder the entire time we were on this ride. She sat with her Pap. And by sat, I mean attempted to throw herself out of a spaceship. Despite the audible horror, I enjoyed the sky high view from my spacecraft. I sat with my wife. Her eyes were closed the entire time due to the revolutions...or maybe the romance. I had my arm around her as I overlooked the kingdom and listened to my second born beg for mercy.
No one wanted to do this ride a second time.
#2 Pluto on Earth
When leaving the park after the sun set, there was a bombastic block party led by Mickey. Humans and mascot animals were dancing to a high-octane sing-a-long, surrounded by floats and flashes of light. My 2-year-old spotted a pulse-pumping Pluto, who was dancing as if it was his last dance as a dog. She slowly walked up, inches away from his paws, and stared at him. No dance. All judgement of a crazed canine. In this magical moment, my daughter looked like the lunatic.
#1 Memory Bank
Years from now, who knows what any of us will remember. Memory is unpredictable and precious. I cannot conclude that Disney is the happiest place on earth, but nothing makes me happier than being with my family - in the orbits, through the lines, and to that finish line none of us can accurately predict.
Disney is all about waiting, wondering, and wandering. Sounds a lot like life itself, for people and for those chipmunks out there just trying to find the next nut.
Thank you, Walt Disney. Thank you, family. Thank you, Dale.
The magic is not in the kingdom. The magic is in the characters that make up your cast.
Good night, Johnstown.
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