Wow. I cannot tell you how relieved and happy and grateful I am today that my Daddy is still around, you know? My heart goes out to any who have lost a father, that is for damn sure. I can't imagine what today would be like...Way to scare the crap out of us, Dad! Glad you're feeling better! Love ya!
Heh. My dad? Is such a cutie. Unfortunately, the only picture I have as proof of his utter cuteness is the camera phone ID picture I snapped last year. I wish I had my pictures... Wait. Can you believe everything I OWN is still in storage in Arizona?! Seriously, like, all my STUFF?! Everything?! Almost 2500 miles away?! No stuff here?! Nada?! It's all the way across the United States of Freaking America?! Are we INSANE?! Hmmm... It's quite possible we are, actually. Or WAY cheap. Okay. Fine. We're way cheap. *sigh* U-Haul is freaking expensive, yo?
But still... my Dad? CUTE! See?:
(And, yes, if you were wondering, that is TGIM making bunny ears in the background. GOSH. Dork! Happy Father's Day to you, too, you freak! Love ya!)
Oooooh, all this Daddy Cuteness reminds me of a story. Oh, yes it DOES. Maybe it's that innocent, cute little smile on his face. I'm not quite sure. Regardless, make yourselves comfy, y'all...
A Very Special Father's Day Story Time with Cat:
When I was 16 and used to cheerlead at the basketball games (Whatever. Like you hadn't already totally figured that out about me... Stop looking at me like that!), we had this SUPER cute call-back cheer we did, you know, to encourage crowd involvement and overall school spirit and shizz? We would turn to the crowd and shout out, "Hey, Badgers! How do you feel?!" and they would stand up and shout back, "We feel good! Oh! We feel so good! UH!" with an exuberant hip thrust thrown in. It was awesome. Because an enthusiastic and well-executed community hip thrust is the ultimate in school spirit, y'all. It's, like, cheerleading GOLD. No, seriously. A thing of beauty. And crowds of hyped-up teenagers LOVE that crap. Ask anyone.
Anywhos, my father, in all his cuteness, would sit in the crowd waiting anxiously for a lull. And when that lull inevitably came, as lulls inevitably DO, he would stand in the bleachers, cup his hands around his mouth, and shout out, "HEEEEEEEEEYYYY! CHEEEEEEEERRLEADEEERS! HOW! DO! YOU! FEEEEEEEEEL?!"
Well, of course, we had to turn to the crowd and shout back, "We feel good! Oh! We feel so good! UH!"-- hip thrust and all. It was required. I mean, we couldn't just ignore it. That would be sacrilege, right? And WAY rude.
My cheer friends would giggle as we turned back to the game and whisper to me, "You're dad is so cute!"
Cute, huh?
A moment later, a familiar voice would again echo across the courts, "HEEEEEEEEEYYYY! CHEEEEEEEERRLEADEEERS! HOW! DO! YOU! FEEEEEEEEEL?!"
We would look at each other and shrug. Well, I may have rolled my eyes. Perhaps.
"We feel good! Oh! We feel so good! UH!"
After the fifth time my lovely Pater would stand in the bleachers and shout, in, oh, say, a FIVE MINUTE TIME FRAME, my "Uh!" would be more like an "AAARRRGGGGHHH!" and my face would be burning as with the fiery hot flames of the damned and I would cheer-- oh yes, I would!-- whilst smilingly planning imminent retribution in the form of Chinese water torture or perhaps The Sneer.
Cute, Dad. REAL CUTE.
Thinking back, I guess I should just be thankful the man was not up on his pop culture and was therefore oblivious to the thrall of "We Will Rock You" or we'd have had him stomping in the stands screaming, "You got mud on yo' face! You big disgrace! Kickin' your can all over the place! We will, we will, ROCK YOU!!"
*shudder*
Funny thing is, my friends honestly thought it was cute. They would often tease me about how funny and cute they thought my dad was. And though I would not have admitted it for all the Aqua Net and hair crimping irons in Prescott, nay, nor for all the fluorescent gel-strapped Swatch watches in Switzerland (or as many as I could cram onto one, thin little wrist, anyway...), truthfully? Though I would not have breathed a word then, it always made me feel happy-- special-- that he was there, watching. Paying attention. Being my dad. And though I often sneered, and was all, "Daaaaaaaaad! STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!" and wished for the earth to swallow me up the frickin' TWELFTH time he would shout "Hey, Cheerleaders!" at us, I never loved him more.
So, Dad? When my children complain about me screaming, "Woo-hoo! You GO, girl! Drop it like it's HAWT!" at their ballet recitals, or "Oh, YES! He got GAME!" at chess club tournaments, I will make sure they know that I only do it because I love them and it is ALL YOUR FAULT.
Happy Father's Day, Dad.
8 Comments:
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Bente commented:
Aww, how sweet.
- » 6/19/2005 9:57 PM
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commented:
Cat's dad ROCKS! And he is way cute. I hope you're feeling well, Mr. Cat's Dad.
- » 6/20/2005 9:23 AM
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Weetzie commented:
Yeah what a cutie and ain't it great to be loved?
- » 6/20/2005 9:30 AM
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Charlotte in Pa commented:
Isn't it funny how things that practically embarrassed us to death in our school years seem like no big deal now?? (especially if WE'RE the ones doing the embarrassing) When I go home for a visit, I like to go to my nieces and nephews' ball games and cheer them on with nicknames that I make up on the spot. "Way to go, Snake-Eyes! Whoo hoo!" People look around like, "When did they start calling Janelle 'Snake Eyes'? And WHAT does it mean?" Silly small town people...
- » 6/20/2005 9:35 AM
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Nessa commented:
SWEET! and he is cute! I hope Miss B thinks that about me one day because you know all the other parents at the school function are quiet & shit - but NOT ME!!!
- » 6/20/2005 10:26 AM
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Unknown commented:
Awww... that is the best story EVAH! I can totally understand how you would feel on both the "receiving" and "giving" ends of that kind of banter. :)
Yo Daddy loves you. That's just flippin awesome.- » 6/20/2005 10:34 AM
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Amy commented:
Great stuff, Cat! And very well told. Your dad sounds awesome. I mean, whose dad goes to all the games and cheers the cheerleaders?
Your dad. That's who.- » 6/20/2005 11:02 AM
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Cat commented:
Bente: He is. Sweet, that is. Me? Not so much. *sigh* Character flaw...
kalki: He assures me he is feeling much better! Thanks! John Stamos touched your boobies! LUCKEEEEEEY!
weetzie: Why, yes it is. :)
charlotte: I think I love you! I TOTALLY do that, too. My sister-in-law wanted to murder me due to my obnoxiously-shouting-during-the-lull ways at her high school graduation last month... Heh.
SillyNessa: We are totally BFF. Not me, either. Oh, HELL, no!
CK: My dad has always known the buttons to push to make me crazy... you gotta love it!
Amy: I hadn't really thought of it that way. He DOES rock! BTW, I totally drive TGIM crazy because I actually DO go to the games to cheer (and/or heckle) the cheerleaders! Because I am CRAZY like that.- » 6/20/2005 11:39 AM