Today is a Pee-Wee Herman Kind of Day

I realized today that the last happiest moment I had was about two months ago.

We were driving west on route 10 back into L.A.
My mother was with me. We were just coming off of a two week trek up California and down through the Grand Canyon. The landscaped became freckled with the wind turbines and I knew the dinosaurs were getting close.

And then I retreated to the six year-old version of myself.

"Hey Mom! Mom! Wake up! The dinosaurs are coming up!"

I had seen the dinosaurs before, but it was like seeing them for the first time all over again.

I turned on the stereo and for the next twenty minutes my mother was forced to listen to the "Breakfast Song" and "Finale" from the PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE soundtrack.

God bless mothers. I knew she was ready to jump out of the car but her love for me made her stay put.

I kept looking for the dinosaurs in the horizon and suddenly I felt dizzy.
I was ok. Life was ok. Everything was A-OK.
Somehow, I had gotten high off of my excitement to see such a precious childhood memory for the fourth time.

We pulled into the Wheel Inn Restaurant and I turned to my mother and got quite serious, "Mom, we have to eat here and I have to order a tuna melt and milkshake."

We walk in and my mother nearly had to contain me from screaming, "Large Marge sent me!"

We sat down and I happily squirmed in my seat.

"Do you have to go to the bathroom?" My Mother asked.

"Yes! But if the waitress comes by, tell her I want a cheese sandwich and Diet Coke."

"I thought you wanted a tuna melt and milkshake?"

It was 110 in the desert.

"That sounds so disgusting right now, doesn't it?"



That day was pretty amazing. I took photos of my mom (see above) modeling in front of the big plant-eating dinosaur with the long neck (damn! my childhood knowledge of dinosaur names has not been retained!). We talked about how asinine I was acting and that our entire trip together has been nothing short of amazing.

Today, for a fleeting moment, I thought about naming my kid Pee-Wee Herman Modery. My kid will either grow up to hate me or love me. But how many kids during roll call can say, "Pee-Wee Herman is present."