Storytime: My grandpa was like a legit cowboy. He owned a dairy farm way out in the country, was a boy scout master for most of his life, and loved to go camping and ride horses. Pretty much the only thing he'd watch was old westerns, especially John Wayne movies.
One time when he was visiting us, I was watching Back to the Future 3. He happened to wander past the TV just after Marty got to 1885. He usually never watched TV with me, but he sat down and watched the rest of the movie. He was laughing at all the right parts, and was sitting on the edge of his seat during the train chase... I'm sure he was confused near the end when Marty got back to 1985, but I guess he just decided to ignore that part.
For a week straight, he bragged to anyone who would listen that his teenaged granddaughter showed him the best western he'd seen in years. It had everything - a shootout, a train chase, and the bad guy even wore a black hat! (He laughed so hard when Buford got covered in manure.) The people would turn to me and ask what movie it was, and looked so confused when I said Back to the Future.
Don't let anyone tell you Back to the Future 3 isn't a western. My grandpa will come back from the dead to fight you.
❤️ Tanille and my classmates in Infant/Toddler Environment class Creative Activities class made me a card today. I was absent on Tuesday to be at Grandpa’s funeral. It’s been a little difficult to adjust to what has changed after Grandpa’s passing. Yet, with Thanksgiving approaching, I am very thankful to have another supportive college family at Lake Land. It’s been an adventure since day one, but I feel very lucky to have a supportive and creative group to be a part of too. I will also be forever thankful to have Grandpa be a part of my life and everyone else’s lives. Of course, Grandpa also made a difference in the lives of those who knew of him and knew him as well. I’m still feeling blue about losing Grandpa that Friday last week, but God is helping me keep my mind at ease. I’m also praying he does the same for everyone else.
online buddy of mine (born in 2004) said “i strongly suspect the vast majority of ‘I'll always remember where I was on 9/11’ stories are not true. I simply don't believe that 75% of people were watching the news live at 8:45 in the morning on a Tuesday when the strangest thing happened.” and like. okay. we can talk about the aftermath in the 22 years since 9/11 and the horrific and evil jingoism that ruined countless lives in decades-long wars all we want. but i cannot overstate enough that 1) we still very much had a monoculture in 2001. most americans would watch either the today show or GMA. 2) as soon as that first plane hit every news station in the country was covering it. schools and businesses and break rooms turned on every tv. every radio. anything that had the ability to broadcast the news. (smartphones weren’t a thing. cell phones and the internet existed but they were new and fragile. unreliable. your best bet was still to sit there and watch. or listen.) and we all sat there and watched the second plane hit and the pentagon hit and the towers collapse and flight 93. so, yes: basically everyone who was alive and old enough to form lasting memories in 2001 remembers that day and the coverage. even people who weren’t near a tv or radio in real time remember where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. they probably even remember the reason why they didn’t hear about it in real time. i was 5 years old in my first week of first grade and i remember it. it was like. the biggest thing to happen in this country since fucking. pearl harbor. bigger. there’s no need to downplay that.
so like do you think they made the plastic wheelchair ALONGSIDE the plastic prison as a Just In Case situation, only after they realized charles was going to be a frequent visitor, or both as in because they knew charles was going to be the only person visiting him during planning they decided to make him a chair ahead of time
giordano reminds me of one of those teachers or parents who expects a child to know everything intrinsically and never make mistakes just because they happen to be smart. like the kind of mentor to expect Way too much from a young child and is overly proud when they do succeed (no thanks to them) so much so the mentor takes their accomplishment as their own and makes it about them. i feel so bad for baby machete and the dynamic he has with giordano, its unlocking childhood trauma. even though becoming a priest and a cardinal was a doomed decision i am glad he got to accomplish something outside of him 💔
Yeah, that sounds about right. Not only were his expectations unreasonably high and punishments harsh, he was also reluctant or incapable of praising and affirming the child if they tried their best and managed to succeed in something. He was very much teaching through negative consequences (which must've contributed to Machete's neurotic and perfectionistic personality).
He was also petty and jealous for a man of his age and status, and when Machete exceeded his expectations and surpassed Giordano in the church hierarchy at a considerably young age, the latter felt bitter and resentful and tried to claim credit for his accomplishments.
🍁🍂 These are snapshots I took on Grandpa’s birthday about four weekends ago. He was very relaxed and comfort. It was the happiest I had seen him in a long time. He passed away this previous weekend doing what he loved: working. Today as our letters to him were being read, my many memories of spending time with him came to me all at once. My two favorites are of him getting a speeding ticket and Jacob was with us and being the kid that I was declared, “This is the last time I go on adventures with Grandpa!” Of course, more adventures with him followed over the years.
Another adventure involved driving the mule of the frozen pond. The ice cracked beneath us, I asked what to do, and Grandpa just said to jump to dry land. One thing I found fascinating about him is that he could file something in his brain and remember it after so many, many years , especially his early childhood. Particularly fascinating, was that he even remembered hearing the radio report that President Harry Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur from his military services. Grandpa was always a natural storyteller, especially when we would all be together at the dinner table. His wisdom and humor will most definitely be missed, but I will forever be thankful for how much Grandpa made a difference in my life and everybody else’s lives as well.
Party!!! Hope invited the whole family to her graduation party and yes she even invited Sterling. Or at least she tried, because her calls kept going to voicemail all night. But she wasn't going to let that ruin her party, so she drank all the cocktails her dad made and had a good time with her grandparents and cousins 🥳