Musical Chairs

Lindsey had some really exciting news for us last night.  She got the part of Violet Beauregard in the school musical!  They’re doing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Just to refresh your memory, Violet’s the little girl who chews the gum, turns into a blueberry and the Umpa Lumpas have to roll her away.  The funny thing is that she came home, did her homework, went to dance, had dinner with all of us, and she never uttered a word about it!  She waited until she went to bed to tell us.  She is very excited, but she’s also a little upset because some of the girls at school are mad at her because they wanted the part.  I told her not to let it get to her.  Apparently it was a pretty big deal; she said that she was chosen out of 100 girls. They're performing the old version of Willy Wonka, not the new one with Johnny Depp.  I'm very excited to see it in May.

I have noticed lately that Logan is pretty much trying to think and say the exact opposite of what I think and say, about everything, but especially music.  He’s always been challenging, but this is a new development.  For example, Guns N’ Roses was on one of my CD’s in the car, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to be specific, and Lindsey and I got excited. Lindsey loves the Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses, which bothered me at first until I realized that I remember the first time I heard Guns N' Roses, and I was 8 or 9.  My baby-sitter put it on and we danced in the living room, I was hooked at that point!  So anyway, Logan was like “This song sucks.”  First of all, I tell him not to say that something sucks, knowing that I am a hypocrite because I say “sucks” like 200 times a day.  Then I tell him that “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is in my Top 10 favorite songs of all time and if he doesn’t like it, he can just sit with the other nerds at the loser lunch table….that or walk home.  Then he carries on about how the song sucks even bigger than he said it did just 60 seconds before.  I tell him that Slash is awesome and that if he wants, I will sing him “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” when it’s over.  He laughs.  This friendly banter goes on for a while, and then I turn it up really loud and sing in my best Axl Rose voice.  I win, Logan loses.  He wanted to throw me out of the car.  Ha ha!

Of course, this little thing that he’s doing with my music is funny to me.  He is trying to disagree with me, trying to irritate me, and the only thing that he really does is make me think about my age—which always sucks— and my parents.  I was definitely influenced by my parents musically; I remember my dad being proud of me when he found out that I was the one who borrowed his ACDC and Led Zeppelin CD’s and never gave them back. But I also listened to stuff that they hated. I remember my mom turning down my music in my car because it was dirty and loud.  Of course, I played Lil John or something just to prove that I was an adult and I could play whatever I wanted.....how very adult of me, right?  Every time she touched the volume I’d say “No, no, no.  What do you think you’re doing?  When I was a little girl I tried to control the music and complained about what you had on and you said that I could play whatever I wanted in my car when I grew up, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.  Hands off!”  I have never seen my mom shut up so fast, seriously, because she remembered saying it.  One thing about my mom that holds true.....she sticks to those promises that she made with me, and then I rub it in her face!  It’ll be the same way with Logan, but it’s normal and comical to me.  As long as he doesn’t listen to Barry Manilow or something I’m sure we won’t fight too much.

Mom, do  you remember the 8 hour ride from Milwaukee to Indiana?  I tortured you!  I smoked and listened to rap, just to irritate you!  I'm sorry!  Whoever says that you're mature when you're 22 must be 22. 

Here’s the Word of the Day:

ersatz \AIR-sahts; UR-sats\, adjective:

Being a substitute or imitation, usually an inferior one.