I watched with the kids the final shuttle launch of Discovery.
Me: This makes me a little sad.
Pie: Why?
Doodles: Pie, this is what’s called the end of an era. It’s the end of an era of space shuttles.
Pie: Oh! Now I’m getting teary.
***
The boy has been attending School of Rock for vacation week. Tomorrow his band performs at a club in Cambridge. He’s been listening to the songs he’s doing over and over and over. (He’s playing drums on Blind Melon’s “No Rain” and singing on Blur’s “Song 2” and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train.”) He’s been jumping up and down on his bed every night and every morning, yelling, “A whoo hoo!”
I can’t get “Song 2” out of my head now. So I put it on and said to the kids, “I can’t get this song out of my head!”
The boy looked at me and said, “Mom! It might help if you stopped playing it!”
Gee, why didn’t I think of that?
****
For the big show, the boy wanted another stripe in his hair, like he had last year. (This time, though, he wanted green.) So I took him to the hair salon. While he was getting it done, the girl piped up.
Pie: Mommy, I want a stripe, too!
This isn’t the first time she’s asked. I’d gotten her some colored hair extensions last year, but it’s something that comes up every now and then.
Me: Are you sure? The only reason I hesitate is your hair is so long that it’ll take a long time for it to grow out. The boy’s hair is short, so it ends up getting cut out before it looks too funky.
Pie: No, I want a stripe , too!
Me: Well, okay. Let’s go find the other stylist.
We walk over to the other stylist. We all get our hair done at this salon, so they know us pretty well. I say to the stylist, “She’d like to get a stripe in her hair.”
Stylist: Yeah? Sure, we can do that.
Me: It’s going to take a while to grow out though, no?
Stylist: Yes. But it’ll be okay. Pie, you sure you want a stripe?
Pie: Yes!
The stylist smiles at me and then turns to Pie.
Stylist: Would you like me to put in a stripe or would you rather I paint your nails?
Not even a second’s hesitation.
Pie: My nails!!
Stylist: Let’s go!
She turns to me and whispers, “That works every time.”
***
The name of the boy’s School of Rock band? Raining Colored Toasters #7
