It's a glorious Memorial Day here in the Double Hundy, and my sleepy neighborhood is just starting to bubble to life. For some reason I woke up this morning, unbidden, at 6:30, and when I got to my local I found a new installation by an artist named Scott Weiland. I asked the barista if it was the Scott Weiland, and she had no idea who he is.
Which gave me pause.
I mean, it's one thing if a younger person is blissfully ignorant of a band that consumed your soul as a kid (like that time someone asked me, "Wait. Sting was in a band?!?") But now I've reached the point when college kids don't know about bands that came after my Prime Influence Time. And a whole new generation younger than I is being introduced to cultural irrelevance.
You know what? I just don't mind. I'm actually feeling pretty robust lately, thanks to the 10-mile run on Friday and the 32-mile bike ride on Saturday. I suppose I could finish the weekend triathlon by jumping into the Hudson and swimming to Poughkeepsie, but I won't. Because that's what everyone would expect me to do. And last I saw, they don't sell Advil by the crate.
Weeks tend to fly by lately, in a way that makes me feel I'm trying to cross the track at the Indy 500. And somewhere in the haze and burnt rubber, TwoBert turned four. It's strange to think that the spring I spent dreading his home birth (and suppressing ignorant visions of blood-caked walls) was more than four years ago. Stranger still to think that his mother and I have been estranged for more than half his life. But that's another post.
No. Today we celebrate little TwoBert, who isn't so little anymore. He is older than Twitter, and the Kindle, and the Colbert Report. And he is forming into his own little manchild, who wants what he wants and will leave no crotch unsmacked in order to get it. He's crazy for superheroes (as Robert never was), and he likes every food Robert doesn't. When I make them dinner I'm tempted to set a family-style platter in front of them and watch them savage it, Sprat-style.
TwoBert's other quality of interest is his love for the standard past tense, in defiance of all irregularity. Sometimes he'll throw five or six of them in one sentence: "Daddy! You throwed the ball and I swinged and hitted it, and you catched it, but I runned to first before you getted me out!"
Just one of the reasons he has bringed me so much joy.
I thought to myself..."wonder if LOD blogged today?"...what made me think of you, is I am off to watch the Texas Rangers vs The Yankees, and I am a bit giddy to see Jeter! Then, I read your blog and it was so sweet, a tribute to TwoBert! I can't believe he is four...I have been reading you a looooong time and still love every blog!
Posted by: Dot | May 25, 2009 at 13:54
Four is such a great time. Oh, how I yearn for four...both for 6 & 7 year olds (that year or so before "real school") and for my 2 year old twins (because, though they are ridiculously cute, let's face it - ages 2 and 3 kinda blow from the temper-tantrum standpoint). Happy Birthday to TwoBert!
Posted by: Kate | May 25, 2009 at 15:26
Aww, happy birthday to TwoBert. I hope he hadded a great day. :)
K.
Posted by: Chookooloonks | May 25, 2009 at 15:53
What? He's FOUR? No. That can't be right. My daughter is four. And TwoBert is Two. Not Four. Right? Right? :)
Happy Birthday to TwoBert!
Posted by: Val | May 26, 2009 at 15:28
Happy Birthday to TwoBert but 4? FOUR??!!! How can it be that I have een living a blog infused haze for that many years. He was not yet present tense when I started reading your blog.
Way to go biking and running! I SO want to do the NYC triathlon next year. How else will I ever get to ride my bike on the Hudson Parkway?
Posted by: 21stCenturyMom | May 26, 2009 at 18:45
Happy Day 2B!
Posted by: Alli | May 26, 2009 at 20:08
Happy happy birthday Twobert. I think I should get you "Older than the Kindle" on a t-shirt.
Posted by: Mom101 | May 26, 2009 at 23:56
I think she just didn't know of that name. Because I knew of the STP band but I didn't know of his name, I had to Google it.
For a while there I was saying..Who is TwoBert? I had to go and do some reserch.I have a 5 year old little girl with the past tense talk as well. I love it.
The oldest is 7 so she's past that, but the youngest is 1 and she's speaking gibberish right now..it's all good. Is amazing to see it because they are all Spirit right now. No filtering system, I envy my girls sometimes.
Home Births..there is nothing like it right? I experienced seeing my first in Puerto Rico when my oldest sister delivered my nephew 12 years ago.
I was young and I didn't have any kids..and boy did I have nightmares after seeing that.
Feliz cumpleaños TwoBert!..;-)
Posted by: Lucy Montes | May 27, 2009 at 15:44
Just love your blog posts! Happy Birthday TwoBert and congrats to you dad!
Posted by: carosgram | May 30, 2009 at 06:54
This is lame...but I've been curious how one would spell "Poughkeepsie". (Living on the West Coast as I do.) I suppose I could've googled it...
Happy birthday TwoBert!
Posted by: JP | June 03, 2009 at 15:58
Sting was in band... haha... yeah right.
I know exactly how you feel, some of the bands I used to put on my AWESOME MIXTAPE #1 are now on VH1 Classics... when did we get so old?
In an effort to be cool, hip and young again, I have become a fan of the band The Gaslight Anthem... they sound like Bruce Springsteen at his best. Buy "The '59 Sound" and if you don't like it at the end of the week, I will pay you back*
*not really, I just think they are such a cool band that I am guessing you will like them
Happy birthday TwoBert
Posted by: e7c | June 06, 2009 at 15:22
Happy birthday to your little guy. Mine just turned 4 and he is just amazing. We can actually talk about things and play games and make run on sentences about how we dided stuff too. Congratulations.
Posted by: Not So Glamorous Housewife | June 18, 2009 at 14:25
Hey mister! Happy Father's Day; I'm glad you're on the internet.
Posted by: tuckova | June 21, 2009 at 13:37