Whenever this time of the New Year comes around, it inevitably brings resolutions and promises one makes to oneself. With me, at the ripe old age of 60, it’s not like I plan to turn a new leaf or find a new path to trail blaze; my “tree” has shed most of its leaves and I feel like a desiccated Redwood, and the paths I yet have to traverse may soon be done with the aid of a cane or a wheelchair...with mag wheels, please!
Yes, 60 may mean I’m well into the last quarter of my lifespan, but there is still life in this “old dog” and new tricks may still be in the books. And if an upbeat attitude and a joy in living are the tickets to enjoying the years left, one major factor giving me that impetus will be the three young men who call me Papa. Among other things and persons in my life, they afford me the luxury of saying I have accomplished something with my lifetime; and I have come to learn that in a reversal of roles, they actually guide and lead me into treating each day as a reward.
A couple of Sundays ago, they picked me up for lunch. And with Matteo’s music blaring, I picked up on the opening bars of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side and blurted out the artist and title, just as it segued into a sample being used by the old school rap group Quest. That brought out laughter from Matteo, who started giving me a lecture about old school hip-hop (the aforementioned Quest and the likes of Run-DMC) versus the middle school of the Compton Boys, Eminem, Kanye, et al. versus the new school for which Drake could be considered one of the pioneers. Loved listening to him play Music professor with Quintin and Luca chiming in. And we all got a kick when I recognized the first bars of Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and Stealers Wheel’s Stuck In the Middle With You and expected them to be rap song intros, only to discover they were the original songs as Matteo also likes classic rock, and so I started talking about those very groups — why Mac broke up, and how Gerry Rafferty of SW went on to perform Baker Street. Why did Matteo know these songs? In the case of Stuck In the Middle With You, it was via the soundtrack of Reservoir Dogs! Enjoyed the give-and-take of music trivia we shared.
Moments like that afternoon in the car may seem inconsequential, but they form part of the memories they hopefully, will carry, past the point when I am long gone. I know if there is something I will always regret, it’s how their larger-than-life lolas, both passed away before they could forge truly meaningful relationships with my boys. It was 1996 when their lolas Helen and Fe left us. Quintin was just five, Matteo was two and Luca was still a prospect on the horizon. To this day, 20 years later, I can still feel the loss of my Mom and how the world shrank since then. I can only hope I can leave that kind of imprint on my own sons.
Because ultimately, as is the case with my Mom, it’s the anecdotes and vignettes that mean so much in terms of creating vivid memories. Decisions, choices, I leave to them. I can give advice and throw in my two cents worth, but I would like to believe that I give them the freedom to make their choices — even the wrong ones, which in retrospect, you learn from. I know I have made my share of poor choices but they were mine and they now form part of the knowledge I carry within me. So, if I have to make a resolution this New Year, it would be to make every moment I spend with my boys count — learning from them, while giving them fresh moments they can treasure. That at their age, they say goodbye by still saying “Love you, Papa!” always warms my soul.
Happy, happy New Year!
From Sci-Fi to Psy-Fi
The three novels today entertain in a big way, but for different reasons. Two come from the science fiction genre, while the third would be categorized psychological drama fiction.
Armada by Ernest Cline (available at National Book Store) With Steven Spielberg himself set to direct Cline’s first novel, Ready Player One, there would be a natural curiosity as to what Cline’s new novel would be all about. Set again in the world of video games, highlighting Armada and Terra Firma, the new book proposes the following what if. What if all the films, TV shows and video games of the last 40 years were really about preparing the world for a real alien invasion? And the games we play were actually training programs to seek out those best qualified to operate the drones that will be utilized to repel the invaders? Throw in a father presumed dead, his son who daily mourns his loss and “escapes” into these games and twist after turn of discovery — that the things we presumed certain, are not! This is the world of Armada.
The Fold by Peter Clines (available on Amazon.com) In this fast-paced, highly entertaining novel, Clines masterfully blends the science with the action and thrills. The premise has to do with teleportation, as defined by a hush-hush project being carried out in an undisclosed facility in California — the Albuquerque Door. After a number of successful “trips” to Site B, something unearthly occurs and Washington is now questioning the funding dedicated to the project. That’s the cue for high school teacher, with out-of-the- ballpark IQ and eidetic memory, Mike Erikson, to be coerced into being the impartial observer to the Door project. Yes, suspension of disbelief is a requirement to enter Clines’ world but it is amply rewarded as he masterfully mixes the real and mundane with all the fantasy and incredulous.
Second Life by S.J. Watson (available at National Book Store) After the worldwide phenomenon of Before I Go to Sleep (and the film adaptation it spawned), one nagging question would have been what’s next for author Watson. This he answers via Second Life, where once again, a “woman in distress, with herself as worse enemy” takes center stage. After the death of sister Kate in Paris, Julia unravels and takes it upon herself to enter the cybersex world Kate was immersed in, all in the hope of uncovering her killer. As can be anticipated, it isn’t so easy to stay in control when one enters such a world, no matter how much you equivocate and convince yourself that the motive is noble. In no time at all, deceit, subterfuge and obsession became part of Julia’s daily routine, and she steeply pays a price.