Sunday, June 22, 2008

 

Best week ever

Hard to believe, but Monday the 23rd marks Grace's one week birthday. Happy One Week, Gracie!

In honor of the event, here's the necessary cute photo . . .



Yeah, my daughter's going places. Get it? Because she's in the car seat. You know, so she's . . . Hey, look, you come up with something funny on three hours of sleep!

At any rate, yesterday, as the wife and I were cleaning up the house again, I came across last Monday's L.A. Times, from the day that my daughter entered the world. It's something I wanted to hold onto for a couple of reasons. First, I thought it would be cool for her to someday see what was going on in the world on the day she took her first breath.

Second, I guess I'd like to feel ancient when she looks up at me and says, "They used to make a paper version of the L.A. Times site? Why?"

At any rate, thought I'd share with you, the reader, a few of the things that were going on last Monday, and what Our Woman in LA and I are hoping they might portend for our daughter's future.

1) There's a front page article with the headline "Women lining up behind Obama," and a subhead that reads "McCain hopes to lure Clinton loyalists. But polls show they are staying Democratic."

OK, this is a relief, because Our Woman in LA and I are really behind Obama, and we love the fact that even though Gracie might sleep through this year's election, that she's born into what could be a historic time.

Consider this: she might live in a world where it doesn't seem at all crazy for an African American man to be President of the United States. She might grow up someplace where there are elected officials not setting their sights on attacking every nation on Earth that begins with the letters I-R-A (whew, Italy just barely dodged a bullet) in the name of ExxonMobil.

Or McCain might win. In which case, she'll grow up in Canada.

2) The front page of the California section has a dominant story about two men who have been in a committed relationship with each other for 15 years. Thanks to the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court, they can finally wed.

Again, how awesome is it that our daughter might actually grow up in a world where people who love, honor and respect each other can get married, whether they're hetero- or homosexual? For me, there's something great about the idea that Gracie might look at her mother and me and not really believe that we ever lived in a time where this was considered an issue. I expect her to express outrage for the past and gratitude for the future in which she lives.

Then I expect her to ask for the car keys.

3) In Sports, Gracie's hometown basketball team, the Los Angeles Lakers, had just won Game 5 of the 2008 NBA Finals, bringing the Series to 3-2 in favor of Boston. Game 6, on Tuesday the 17th, ended with a victory for the rival Boston Celtics.

I don't really have much comment here, other than to say that if history is any guide, it won't be the last time these two teams line up against one another. In the 60 year history of the NBA, the Celtics have 17 championships, the Lakers 14.

My buddy Grant has asked for us to push Grace toward Celtic fanhood because of the victory. Can't do it, man. Nobody puts baby in a corner, even one belonging to the NBA champs. We'll let the girl make up her own mind. Can't see her being an out and out Laker fan, though, at least until Kobe's gone. After all, she is still a baby woman.

4) Finally, in the Calendar section, there are stories about the addition of Albert Brooks to the cast of WEEDS, and Showtime's new drama, which is about a call girl.

For the dad in me, I imagine a world where my daughter will not watch - or even better, know about - sitcoms about pot dealers or dramas about hookers until she's out of the house, or until she's old enough for me to be oblivious to what she's talking about.

On the other hand, I imagine her looking up at her mother and me and saying something like, "God, guys. Of course it's about hookers. It's on Showtime." And then taking the keys to the car.

Sigh. Well, at least maybe those first two wishes - the Obama one and the gay marriage one, in case you lost track - will come true. Either way, she'll still have the newspaper.

Comments:
Congrats on the first week. When both my sister and I were born, my mom made a scrap book with clippings from a bunch of the major newspapers on that day. Very cool to go back and look at now.

Of course, Uncle G would never push Grace into a corner when it comes to the Celtics and Boston teams in general. I'll be happy to make my case over ice cream when she's a little older.
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?