Heart

My Dad had another angioplasty in Des Moines today. He's had one bypass surgery and countless angioplasties in the past 10 years. He's always been a great father to me and set an example that I want to live up to. I love him and it always scares me when his heart betrays him this way, reminding me of mortality. He needs to lose more weight and exercise more. He really does much better with his diet than he used to, but getting the exercise is the hard thing for him. Hopefully he and Mom can get their house in C'town sold soon and they get over here to Omaha. I can just give him Corwin a couple of times a week and say, "Keep up!" That'd whip into shape in no time.

I've been lucky in that I haven't suffered much death in my life. I'm out of grand parents, it's true. My Dad's father died when he was 14. His mom died when I was only 5 or so. I was too young to really understand what was happening. My Mom's mom died when when I was a early teenager, I think. The only one to really affect me much was Grandpa. I wasn't all that close to him, he was one of those stoic old school farmer's. He didn't really believe in showing emotion. I believe he is where Maurice got his height from, and both of us got our long monkey arms from. But I used to go and watch pro wresting with him when I was 10 or 11 every Sunday. That was fun, he would always take it so seriously. That was in the days of the Iron Sheik and some Russian villain with CCCP on his red wresting trunks. How he hated them. Later at the end of Grandpa's life, when he couldn't drive safely, I'd take him to his doctor's appointments occasionally. This was at the very beginning of my Doc Martin phase (which continues to this day- Let it be known I wore them before their rampant popularity, and still wear them now that the trend has wained) and I had on a pair of plane black boots. Grandpa had on a pair of plain black shoes, too. He was so pleased that we were wearing the same kind of shoe. He died not long after that. It was sad, and I cried, but I dare say I'm a more emotional kind of guy now and would cry more.

When we were cleaning out Grandpa's house someone (I think Aunt Susan, but I'm not sure) threw an old beaten leather coat into the trash can. I thought, this is a pretty cool coat. I'm taking it. So I dug it out and put it on. It fit my long monkey arms well. But it was DRY. When I moved my arms, you could hear it creaking. The inside collar said, "100% Horse Hide". Mom put a whole tub of horse saddle grease on the coat to moisturize it. She told me that this was the coat that Grandpa used to wear when he would ride his horse to the bar to sew his oats in the 1930's. I've gotten many compliments on this coat over the years. Around 5 years ago I brought it to a tailor to have a new lining put in, and have some of the seams redone. I think it would please Grandpa to know that I'm still wearing it. And someday, I imagine it'll get passed down to Corwin or his brother. Or perhaps one of their sons.

Of the nice memories I have of Grandpa, though, we weren't as close as I would have liked in hindsight. Anke is so close to her Oma Alfrieda and Oma Renate, and she was very close to her Opa. Corwin's named after him. Corwin Günter Parker. I want my children to be close to their Grandparents, as I really wasn't. And we are off to a great start so far in that direction. But Dad has to live longer to do it. His procedure today went well and I talked to him on the phone, just hours ago. He already felt better. So he's ok, and that makes me feel better. He'll be around to see his second grandson born. I think having the Parker name carried on is important to him, so I think it pleases him that I've had boys. It also let's Maurice off the hook a bit. He owes me.

Anyway it's getting late, and I've rambled long enough. Enjoy the photo of Grandpa and Grandma from I'm guessing mid 1940's.

2

Happy Birthday Corwin

Please, allow me to introduce myself as someone else

While on the way to the store last Saturday morning, we stopped at a garage sale a block down the road. I picked up a shovel and 50 ft extension cord. Got a little riding/rocking zebra for Corwin and Baby. Before leaving I introduced myself to the house owner, as I’m still fairly new to the neighborhood. He said his name was John and I shook his hand and said “Scott Parker.”

A few days later, I think I hear Corwin saying my name out on the deck. I wander out there to see what’s up, and he runs up to Anke with his little hand out saying, “Scott Parker!” He shakes her hand and runs off.

Transfomers

There is a new live action Trans- formers movie coming out that I am rather excited about. The new Optimus Prime looks good. But I feel that they should have left him as a cab over, instead of making him a blinged out Peterbilt. The following is an awesome clip by some guy who did a transforming Ultra Magnus (Optimus Prime's cracker cousin) as an exercise in computer animation. Michael Bay should have taken some notes. I think Ultra Magnus looks great as a old disheveled Freightliner. Optimus Prime would have too, but I would have modeled him off of an old GMC Astro.