It doesn’t seem like a whole year since I wrote this post, but it appears another year has passed. In keeping with my little tradition, here’s another story about my dad.

My dad was a member of many social groups, one of them being the Elks Club. Yearly they would have variety shows at Christmas time. I don’t remember everything but I remember this one skit where my dad played the part of this guy who was peeing in the bathroom and ran into one of those typical awkward situations while peeing. Like I said, I don’t remember the details, I just remember being very embarrassed that my dad was supposed to be peeing on stage, like it was a really shocking event. He didn’t mind making a fool of himself, though, if it meant it would make a room full of people laugh till they cried.

Another small memory: my dad’s impatience for wait staff was on the verge of embarrassing. If he felt like we weren’t being served fast enough or given enough attention, he would take his napkin and wave it over his head to get the server’s attention. Yeah.

It does make me a little sad that I only have a few select memories. On the upside, almost all of them involve laughter, culture, charity or the mix of all three. If I leave lasting impressions on my future children, I hope they are made of the same components.