2001-10-22 | 6:56 p.m.

corduroy licorice liked to hit the ground running. this was his m.o. no matter what his reason for being airborne.

***

i got to see my parents this weekend. that was mighty fun.

my sister had gotten a birth annoucement from a girlfriend which featured a shot of the father of the baby on a hospital bed, naked, draped with a blanket and acting like he had just given birth. a nurse nearby held a squealing newborn infant. it was a clever photoshopped shot, but a bit too revealing in my book.

i said to my mom, "they show a bit too much of his butt."

my mom said, "or maybe not enough! it's just enough to make you wonder."

***

later in the evening, my dad was telling me about when he used to be an elementary school teacher in a tough section of los angeles. he disciplined one of the kids once and made the kid mad. in the following days, my dad noticed that some gangsta types were following him down the street to his car. it ended up they were the kid's brothers and were trying to intimidate him. it didn't work. at least he didn't let on that it did.

after awhile, the kid really warmed up to pops. shortly after the change of heart, my dad noticed the gangstas started following him down the street again. when my dad asked the kid why, he answered:

"oh, they're protecting you now."

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