Day of the Dad
It’s June 21st – the longest day of the year. It means lots of daylight ‘til around 9pm, as well as the fact that half the year is almost over. How the hell is that even possible?
Well, as we all know, yesterday was the one day a year where we are officially noted as king’s of our proverbial castles, rulers of the family unit, and masters of all out manliness. It was Father’s Day, the one day where I don’t get yelled at for eating like a pig and laying around like a fat-ass, cigar sucking sloth.
Father’s day is actually pretty special for me for a few reasons. My kids spend time with me and go out of their way to make me feel special and my wife doesn’t get on my ass for a whole 24 hours – it’s an amazing relief! I cook up a kick-ass dinner on the grill, I actually get a nap in during the day, and I have my parents over, which I’m so grateful that they’re still around.
I really did have an outstanding Father’s Day this year and it really is nice to be recognized for something that is mostly taken for granted by everyone. Even in a day and time when woman hold high positions and work every bit as hard as we do, the man still has a pressure on him that has been passed on from generation to generation, and society still looks to us to be the “rock” of the family, the bread winner, the man in charge. And with that being said, I think having a day that gives us just a little bit of credence for who we are and what we do is really kind of nice, extremely refreshing, and definitely well needed.
Okay, I’m incredibly fortunate that my dad is breathing and healthy and still enjoys his family and life in general. He and mom came over yesterday for New York Strip steaks charred up medium rare on the grill, Ceaser salad, toasted garlic bread, and icy cold Belgian Ale. Afterwards we headed to the back patio for hearty JR Ultimate maduros and a lot of strolling down the path of memory lane. I lit the torches as the sun sunk behind the oak trees as time just magically stood still for an hour or so.
I’ve always felt that I’m kind of fortunate that I have both a girl and a boy. It’s nice having experienced the best of both worlds as a dad. While I’ve enjoyed travel hockey and baseball with my son, I learned a whole new world that existed called dance, swimming, and girl scouts. Yeah, I was out of my element, but I did the good dad thing and was always there for the youngins. One day when I’m elderly and crusty with a fresh steaming loaf planted firmly in my Depends, I’ll never feel bad about my dadness because I was always there and was always an important part of my kids lives. And I’m SO HAPPY to say that my father can most certainly feel the same way.
So it’s Monday and back to the grind for so many of us, but I really feel like my mental and spiritual batteries were re-charged by the one day a year that is known as Father’s Day. And I say to my loving wife that it’s okay, you now have 364 days to yell at your lazy-ass man-pig sloth. Love you too, honey.
Enjoy the heat my peeps,
Tommy Z.
JR CIGARS BLOG with the Zman
June 21st, 2010 at 3:43 am
Zman, did you get any for Fathers Day?
June 21st, 2010 at 4:05 am
Or did you strike out, as usual?
June 21st, 2010 at 4:20 am
Listen to friggin Johnny Wad over here. Hey, don’t you have an order to stay 200 yards from any Chuck E, Cheese?
June 21st, 2010 at 4:36 am
It’s been amended to 150 yards. I’ve been a good boy.
June 21st, 2010 at 4:37 am
Hey Z, sounds like you had a wonderful Fathers Day, Mine was spent running my last day of spring flag football as league director, but the fam was with me, wife also worked and boys helped out. came home at about 6ish lit up a romeo julieta aniversario and had some Molson’s, boys went into the woods to fetch some kindling wood we had tons of pizza boxes to burn from the end of season pizza party, so it was kind of hilarious watching the little pyros throwing the boxes on the fire. as darkness hit I lit up one of the Punch cigars you sent me last week and enjoyed it very much with a few more Molsons….. anyway I too am still blessed with both parents still walking the earth albeit not walking to good they are both in their 80’s and wonderful parents, have a great week….
June 21st, 2010 at 4:54 am
In the morning, my kid gave me a brand, new Coleman stove for Father’s Day. We’ll be using it for camping, that’s for sure. In the afternoon, I hit the screen porch and lit up a Perdoma Grand Cru Maduro. Nice cigar. I kicked back and watched the Tigers beat the Diamondbacks. Afterwards, I had my parents over (I am blessed as well, my dad is 81 years old. Mom is 76), along with my sister, bro-in law, nephew and of course, wife and son. We enjoyed Redook ESB off the tap in the ManCave and grilled chicken paired up with scallion rice and a salad. It was quite the feast out on the deck (Zman, the BBQ sauce from the rib recipe is awesome on chicken too). Later on, to wind down, it was another smoke (this time some Captain Black in a cob), along with a nip of Jim Beam Rye to cap off the evening.
Happy belated Father’s Day.
June 21st, 2010 at 5:04 am
Wow… great stuff you guys.
June 21st, 2010 at 5:08 am
Stayed in all dayand watched sports, since it was 95 outside, but @ 4:30, took some fillets to my son’s new house that they just moved into a week ago. His wife’s folks were there too, as well as my parents, who are 85 and 84. We also had Ceasar salad, baked potatoes and hot French Bread, along with a couple of good Cabernets, and ice cream with strawberries or raspberries on it. By the time we got home it was after 10:00, so it was cool enough to go out, listen to a little music on the patio, smoke a cigar, and drink a little scotch. All-in-all, a pretty good day. Hope all the rest of you fathers (and in some cases Muthas) had a great day.
June 21st, 2010 at 7:29 am
It was a good Father’s Day. Kids took me out for breakfast then gave me 2 bags of coffee beans (Sumatra and Italian roast), a grinder and a French press. The wife gave me a box of Perdomo Lot 23 Churchills. So, I went home made a cup of really strong, really good coffee, lit a Perdomo and began a day of watching the World Cup. In the afternoon the son torched some steaks on the grill. So we had a father and son devouring of the beef flesh, followed by some Macallans and a Ghurka Legend. Having a son old enough to share this stuff with is great. AS RL7 said: “all-in-all a good day.”
June 21st, 2010 at 7:31 am
Damned straight, Lou.
June 21st, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Those were real fine Fathers Day sentiments
that you shared with us, your BOTL.
Strange how, as you say, “So many avid readers
of the blog elect not to share even a comment
or two on the week’s chosen topic.”
Surely the lady from Canada and the chef from
Seattle must have a few words to set down, as
the were wont to do not so many months ago.
And, oh, gee, where is our CottyGee, who was
always there when Zman needed a not so
delicate verbal…you know what I mean.
And then there’s Garfiend – Praise the Lord – for
that young fella – though not always a bastion
of erudition, he’s probably the main cog-on-the
blog, for he pulls no punches and keeps our esteemed blogmaster up to speed.
And wouldn’t it indeed be a gift to see even a
single comment from el maestro, Señor Lew
Rothman, the One who makes this great
“Blog with Zman” possible?
Zman – There really is a Lew Rothman, right?!
(DISCLAIMER – old timer may be a crotchety old bastard, but no offense is intended to any of the aforementioned BOTL.)
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:42 am
old timer, I like your “cog-on-the-blog” reference. I’m sure “cock-os-the-walk” would have elicited way too many responses from ‘fiend! LOL!
June 22nd, 2010 at 7:01 am
Where am I?
June 22nd, 2010 at 8:50 am
You should change your name to Carmen San Diego. Or Waldo.
June 23rd, 2010 at 1:50 am
I’ve got a “keeper” for a wife, I’ll tell ya! First, she orders lobsters from this online place an’ cooks ‘em up and they’re like the best lobster I’ve ever had – so sweet! And she buys me a really cool toy – a Kindle. And then on Sunday evening, we have prime filets I grilled up at the inlaws’ place… Plus herfin’ like a fool all weekend!
June 23rd, 2010 at 1:53 am
Life can be good if you want it to be…
June 23rd, 2010 at 3:58 am
Cotty, how do you like that Kindle? I’ve always figured I could never read a book off of a screen like that, but I also figure it must not be all that bad if it’s a marketable product. So what’re your thoughts on it so far?
June 23rd, 2010 at 12:42 pm
A fortunate man you are, Zman.
June 24th, 2010 at 4:07 am
HBrian -
The display on a Kindle is amazing. It uses technology called “E-Ink”. It’s “electronic ink” – written on “electronic paper”.
Read more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper
I haven’t read much yet on it, but just looking at it, you can tell… It’s cool!
June 24th, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Thanks, Cotty. I’ll check that out!
June 25th, 2010 at 1:40 am
They say it’s just like reading paper. The display is absolutely crisper than any other electronic display I’ve seen. Once you see it, you’ll see what I mean.