The other day someone asked me who my hero was. And within a microsecond my first thought was, "I don't think anyone's ever asked me that before!" And a half a microsecond later I thought, "My hero is my dad." And another microsecond later I was trying to mentally fit my dad in to Mr. Incredible's costume because heroes always have cool superhero costumes. ... I know. Just be thankful you weren't born inside my mind.
But really, my hero is my dad for so many reasons. Too many sappy ones to talk about in one stupid blog post. But today he posted a nifty little meme he nicked from a magazine that I'm supposed to pick up too. Because I'm his daughter. And his most favorite.
And you see? My 65 year old father even does memes. How cool is he and why isn't he your hero too?! God damn the guy even bolds 'n everything now. Anyway... here are my answers.
CHILDHOOD AMIBITION: To be a teacher.
FONDEST MEMORY: There's no specific one answer to this question for me. I'm just going to be general and say any time my family was together at our summer cottage when I was growing up. There's a 17 year spread between my siblings and I, and getting everyone together is an awful lot like herding cats. But it's always the most fun when it comes together.
RETREAT: Escaping in to my mind and doing something creative. Whether it's drawing, reading, writing, or driving through the countryside taking photographs.
WILDEST DREAM: A month-long retreat in the Polynesian islands. White sands, blue water, cozy hut on the beach. How freagin' random? I don't even know why I still think about this one... maybe it wins by default because it's been with me so long.
PROUDEST MOMENT: I was moving to Europe for a year and sitting in a plane taking off from the Chicago airport. I remember looking out the small cabin window thinking I was absolutely out of my fucking mind, and at the same time knew it was the single most important decision I had ever made for myself (up to that point).
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: Men.
ALARM CLOCK: It doesn't usually get the chance to wake me up - I'm an early riser.
PERFECT DAY: Waking up early in a house on Crystal Lake (Wisconsin). Grabbing a cup of tea before heading out to the end of the dock with a loaf of bread to feed the fish. Watching the sun rise. Going for a swim. Reading in the shade. Taking a nap. Going for another swim. Grilled something 'er other for dinner. Going for another swim after sunset. Lighting up some sparklers (okay that might be pushing it but you have to admit, sparklers are fun).
FIRST JOB: Changing the TV stations for my dad (ha ha ha, I'm so funny). I think it was filing patient records for a local Chiropractor.
INDULGENCE: Music.
LAST PURCHASE: The person I bought it for reads this blog. If only he could avert his eyes for 2 microseconds...
FAVORITE MOVIE: I freagin' hate this question. How can I pick just one? I suppose the default answer here is The Wizard of Oz, but only cuz I've loved it since I was about 2.
INSPIRATION: Music and people.
MY LIFE ........: Is like a beautiful, colorful, giant, work in progress, oil painting.
Comments
dude, your dad blogs? he's GOT to be the hippest dad around just on those grounds alone....
First of all: Nice Meme.
Secondly: Thanks for the compliment.
Thirdly: You should know that your photos are quite wonderful. I know alot of my students think they're beautiful as well. One even wrote an essay on one of them.
I found this entry wonderful (and the coda funny, of course). I don't think I can add much to that. Merci pour partager :)
You know I'm going to snag and stuff!!
I think your dad's blog is super cool, he writes some of the most vivid cool stories.
Being a hero is pretty "heady" stuff. Behind every hero is a special Princess named Shelby of many, many years. She smoothed out the rough edges. I can't believe how often the Crystal Lake comes up as a special place. I like your answer to "my life..." better than mine. Life is a work in process and if you are an optimist, the best is yet to come. Chas.