Father of mine.

The Lord of the Rings. I watch it maybe once a year. Maybe. When I do watch it it's always with my dad. My dad and I have the best kind of relationship. We share an understanding that isn't shared with my brother or sister. To be honest, I don't even know what that understanding is, but I enjoy it. I guess this understanding is what bonds us together. We watch Jurassic Park occasionally too, more than Lord of the Rings. I love watching it. Go ahead and brand a L on my forehead, I don't care. Its become sort of a running joke between us. If we ever want to spend time together we always watch Jurassic Park.

I like my dad because we don't have to talk. If I were watching Jurassic Park with my mom, she would inevitably start talking to me because she's seen it many times and I'm sure she's bored with it. Car rides are the same. I rarely like to talk and drive. I mean, if I'm riding along with someone I'd rather be silent. Even with my friends, I will fall silent and won't even realize it-- sometimes I have to try to make conversation when outside of the car conversation falls from my lips very easily. My life isn't that interesting and I don't really have much to share. I tell my mom this frequently and yet, if I ever get in the car with her the questions never stop and then she gets upset because I don't want to answer these questions. I just don't like to talk in the car. I think I get this from my dad. Whenever I ride with him there is always silence. Usually.

My father doesn't have much of a sense of humor. I mean, he can't really deliver a joke and when he does it's always cheesy. He gets this goofy grin on his face and I love this. I rag on him, he'll try to rag on me, and this is another sort of understanding we share. I also have this habit of getting my way when I'm with him. My family is under the impression that he spoils me-- and maybe this is true-- but it's that understanding that we have. Since I'm the youngest, my brother and sister were allowed to do things that youngsters weren't allowed to participate in. So they went on trips, accompanied by my mother, while I stayed home with my dad for part of the time and at a friends house while he was at work. He and I might go out for pizza, maybe get some ice cream-- and in my family this would be seen as getting spoiled-- but then again, everyone else was in Chicago or Ecuador, what else were we to do? To be honest, half the time it wasn't even my idea. I think my dad likes to spoil people-- I just so happen to be the one that's usually around.

Don't get me wrong, we have had our blow outs. Yelling matches at times. When I was younger, he would yell and I would cry. In my adolescence, he would yell and I would cry/yell back. This is something, however, that I appreciate: his fighting style. He and I could have a knock down, drag out fight and the next day it's over. Life is back to normal. Maybe this isn't healthy but I prefer it than sitting down and having a 2 hour conversation about our feelings. Because, usually, at the time, whatever we were arguing about was important, but when the next day rolls around, whatever we had yelled over didn't seem too important (it's true. It was normally about the state of my room or the candy wrappers that I left on the floor). 

He's quirky in the best ways and I enjoy him a lot. I hope he sticks around for a long while.

Carmen.

[*This blog is not what I had intended it to be at all. I started writing about one thing, but then this is what happened. I know it's random but I like the way it turned out.*]