11 Year Old - Plays DJ on the way to school

Driving to school, he often asks to play DJ. I hand him my phone in the back seat - though he's 5 ft 4, probably doesn't need the back seat right now.

Some recent tracks he plays off my phone:

Blitzkrieg Bop - The Ramones

The Passenger - Iggy Pop

Quote - 10 years, 1 month

 "All a kid ever needs is some video games, a book, and a friend." -While chatting with his friend Sean on the phone and waiting to play Splatoon 3 with him. 

For the first time in forever...

 School day. Got up at 7 and made it down shortly after. Boy was already eating breakfast and turns to me and says, "You're up early...'For the first time, in forever...." singing that last part straight out of Frozen.

Super Band Members + Golfing

 Played 9 holes with the boy at the Whittier Narrow Mountain 9 course on Saturday morning. Well, technically we played the whole course.

Had a really good time. 

On the way to the course, the boy asked, "What if there was a band with the best members of other bands?"

me: Like a super group?

him: Yeah. 

me: Who would you pick?

him: The drummer from block party, Slash (GnR), Paul from the Beatles-

me: Paul from the Beatles?

him: On bass. He's a good bass player.

me: Alright. Who else?

him: And Taylor Swift singing.

me: That's a pretty good group.

...

Later, on the golf course, I mentioned granddad - because I was using granddad's clubs, and used to golf with him - and the boy said, "You miss granddad a lot, don't you." and I said, "Yeah, yeah I do," and it was hard to say without, well, crying. And then we played more golf.

Music - I call DJ

 On the way to school or anywhere, son often says, "I call DJ."

I hand him my phone and he chooses songs, mostly off of his playlist.

Recently this has been:

On the way to school:

Sweet Child of Mine

Hotel California

Take on Me

All Star by Smashmouth

He learned Patience on guitar, so the G n R makes sense.

Oh, sometimes he throws in Heart of Gold by Neil Young or Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones. Both great songs.

He's recently heard Vampire by Olivia Rodrigo, and likes it The clean version, that is.

What else... learning I Saw her Standing There by The Beatles on guitar. One time he asked me, "What does, 'You know what I mean,' mean in the lyrics, 'She was just 17, you know what I mean.' 

My answer to that was a lot of fumbling. I mean, it's really hard to explain, if you think about it.

Said recently - thru July 2023

 Boy: What are my talents?

Me: So many things. Reading, Some sports. Some video games. Some musical instruments. Learning things quickly, sticking with some things. 

Boy: What are your talents?

Me: Some people say Being funny.

Boy: No, that's not it. Wiggling your ears and raising one eyebrow at a time.

...

This morning, wanted to show me some chords he learned for the song Patience. Yes, the one by Guns N Roses. 

Showed me the D chord, and how he lifts his pinky. Corrected my form when I played it. "It looks like your hand is going to the side. Try up and down."

Then played Splatoon 3 on the Nintendo Switch nearly all morning while I did a shoulder workout and got ready for work.

---

Driving to Kung Fu camp (Summer, 2023)

Boy: I call DJ!

Me: Who's DJ and why are you calling them?

Boy: Different kind of "call" Dad.

Listening to Come Together by the beatles

Boy: He says "Shoot me" in the beginning

Me: Really?

Boy: It's so different when you can read the lyrics on the phone

Boy: Miley Cyrus didn't give Amazon her lyrics though, because one is wrong in Flowers. Let me play it for you.

Skips forward a few songs, then Sweet Child of Mine comes on.

Boy: Nevermind. Can't skip past this one - it's too good.

---

Late July

Today driving to Kung Fu camp, L is the DJ and it's now Brittany Spears' Womanizer, followed by Sweet Child of Mine, and finally Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.

On Brittany

Boy: I love this song

Me: Brittany Spears has kind of a deep voice. I mean, it's deeper than yours. (Why did I say this? No idea.)

Boy: That's because I haven't hit puberty yet, Dad.

Things Said, Done, 9 years, 3 months or so

On the mornings our way to spring break basketball camp the son demands to be DJ (I call him "DJ Dibs"). In this case he plays two songs:

1. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor

2. Intergalactic - Beastie Boys

Watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves in the movie theater. Took a break during the movie to go to the bathroom. At the urinal I asked the son how he liked it:

Him: "Good, except for all the talking parts."

Driving home from a school event (he's in 3rd grade) where he demonstrated a robot and Scratch computer:

"Dad, do teachers make a lot of money? Because their job seems important."

Me: They do alright. Principals make more though.

Him: Really? Why?

Me: That's just how school administration works. They oversee things, have advanced degrees, and make more money.