lines form on my face and my hands

this weekend, esperanza has her first speech competition and tor turns 18. back when tor was wrestling, i was struck by the cultural differences between the speech parents and the wrestling parents. i remember working the concession stand two years ago. when somebody turned in a long black glove to the lost and found, we wrestling parents immediately recognized it as belonging to a "speech" person and walked it over to the auditorium. i'm looking forward to seeing the other side now -- once esperanza okays my attendance -- but i'll still hit the gym for hot dogs and gatorade.

the lad's 18th birthday reminds me of my own senior year, when alice cooper's "eighteen" was song #3 in the habbit's set list. it was probably my best vocal (limited range, lots of shouting) and there was always a friend in the audience (that is, basement) who had just turned/was about to turn 18. i still appreciate the life course themes in the song -- sort of a proto-arnett emerging adulthood story, set against the backdrop of nam-era forced conscription. i poked around youtube for an iconic cooper version to post on the lad's facebook page, but mostly found iconic drunken versions. instead, i chose one from a kid who plays it like he's feeling it.