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Before you read any further please note, that elements of this post contain strong language so if you are easily offended move to the next post.
I awoke this morning to troubling news, George Carlin passed away last night. I have not been affected by the death of a celebrity like I was with this news. I guess part of me thought that he would always be there. Not in some weird I worship the ground he walks on way, but that he is just out there thinking of new ways to poke fun and make me think about the world in a new and different way.
I have always been a fan of his. As an adolescent boy it was for the fact that he had a list of 7 words you can’t say on television (Click here if you want to hear the list.). I think I wished I could so openly say things like that just for the shock value. I think however that as I grew older and developed more fully the interest in questioning the things around me I appreciated the fact that I could put in a tape, or CD and listen to someone say some of the things I only dared to think.
I didn’t always agree with his point of view and I am sure he could have done a nights worth of comedy on all my flaws and inconsistencies. In the end it would be therapeutic to laugh at all the things that we take so seriously.
George Carlin inspired me in my pursuit of father hood for instance-
Don’t be afraid of germs:
Children are special, but yours are no more special than anyone else’s:
Sports are fun, but in the end they are just stupid games:
Question religion even your own:
His humor sums up the way I think, and though we may come to different conclusions the process is sound.
He made an impact on me and as I was thinking about him today I realized that he has had an impact on my children’s lives as well. Most days one, or the other, or both of my children request to watch one of these videos:
While I learned to think, question, and laugh at life by listening to George Carlin my children learn the basic moral values of society by listening to his voice as he narrates some of their favorite stories.
As Eric prepared to leave for work I asked him if he would stay if I gave him my pouty face. Seems I did not need to provide a pouty face as both boys broke out in sincere pleas for him to stay! No doubt that makes driving off to work even harder! Getting back to the grind after either a vacation or an incredibly swell weekend is hard.
Our family has had both a vacation and an incredibly swell weekend. Eric arrived home last Thursday after his trip to Canada. We were so excited – so much so that the boys both fell asleep right before we got to the airport! We picked him up from LAX and instead of heading home we went camping!! Eric had Friday off so we took advantage of that. We camped at Sycamore Canyon which is a campground near the coast. So close to the beach that at night the roar of the waves sounded more like large airplanes flying overhead – just more soothing!
After camping we headed home – we were all tired and took an afternoon nap. We needed our energy because on Saturday we packed up our car again and headed to Santa Barbara for the Solstice Parade. I cannot even count the years that my family has gone to this parade – but the parade itself has been going on since 1974! I know we’ve been there for a bunch of those years!
We spent the entire day in Santa Barbara, watching the parade, talking with friends & family, hitting the beach and TEACHING THE BOYS TO BOOGIE BOARD! After the parade we spent the rest of the day and into the evening at the beach. It was so fun! And tiring! We ended up at home full of sand and ready for bed at 11:00pm!
Sunday was a needed day of rest. We went to church – and I taught my first class – and then came home. Eric and I spent the afternoon watching a movie (Bride & Prejudice – a favorite of mine!) and working on home stuff (budget, menu planning, shopping lists). We did some clean-up from the weekend and then hit the pool! Will & Walker were thrilled for the time in the pool and given the heat, so were Eric & I!
Usually Eric and I are both night people, but when 10:30pm hit last night we were ready for bed! I picked up my book only to put it down three lines later!
I have a lot of pictures to post from the adventures this weekend – but those will have to wait until later when I can get them off my camera!
Now it’s Monday. Another fun, full week in front of us! Not everyone likes Monday – but for me it provides a new start, leaving behind the good and the bad of the past week. Time for new adventures, different attempts at good parenting, and hopefully another good week.
