Grácias.

This morning I woke up and was like, “I want to celebrate today with some good food.”

I remembered that in my cupboard I had one of those new “half-can” Spams, which yielded just enough slices for a hearty breakfast. So out on the stove it went. Sizzle sizzle. Mmm mm. Hot, fried Spam on a bed of fresh steamy white rice is definitely something I’m thankful for…on any day. 10-12 hour turkey? Whatever.

Speaking of this holiday, by far the most memorable quote I associate with Thanksgiving would be Wednesday’s ad-lib in the Thanksgiving Day Play on Addams Family Values:

You have taken the land which is rightfully ours. Years from now my people will be forced to live in mobile homes on reservations. Your people will wear cardigans, and drink highballs. We will sell our bracelets by the road sides, you will play golf, and enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres. My people will have pain and degradation. Your people will have stick shifts.

Kind of strange that I didn’t realize the irony in Thanksgiving Day celebration until I saw that movie. Yet since then, Thanksgiving has taken a whole new meaning to me. I see it simply now as a day of giving thanks for the health, love and happiness I have in my life.

In that context, I believe I should be thankful every day for those things. Perhaps Thanksgiving Day is just an “official” day to count my blessings.

Intent.

Fall continues falling, and I find myself in search of sweaters. This is my favorite time of year; when the cold bites like an icy dog at my neck and ankles when I take out the late trash. One day soon I will be able to see my breath at night.

My son finds bubbles. Lots of bubbles, in his small gun which resides patiently on the porch. The sun shines, reminding me of the summer. Warmer months, when the dashboard simmered and his igloo ice block sweated as it kept his milk cold.

He didn’t know what a camera was, not too long ago. Had no idea what it did, nor what it was for. But now, he takes every opportunity to delight in the attention it pays. Greg grows so fast, his innocence lost to learning, his oblivion fading to knowledge. I dwell on this as I hold my iPhone steady, hoping to capture another moment.

Greg, in turn, points his bubble gun directly at the miniature lens and smothers it in suds.

Irasshaimase.

One of the welcome aspects of Fall and Winter, aside from the autumn leaves and dewdrop-covered lawn and car windows in the morning, is the onset of frequent Asahi Ramen dinner dates. Yes, hot ramen, tofu and gyoza simply hit the spot in the chill of the night.

It was something Angela and I used to do when we were dating, and we’ve continued the tradition with our son in tow—in fact, we were winding oodles of noodles on our forks (yes, forks as we’re still non-adept at chopsticks) in front of lil Greg when he was barely two months old.

Now with him walking and talking and doing nearly everything else under the smoggy sun, family excursions to this noodle nook really do become a family affair, as he’s able to tackle his own piping hot portion of goodness with almost no help from the grown-ups. And boy does he love this place. Angela and I constantly joke that his affinity for noodles, spam, rice and other Asian commodities stem from his Flip side. Does it?

Exceptions.

As a preschooler Pop, I’m always concerned about keeping a schedule with my kid. He’s gotta go to sleep at a certain time so that he can wake up at a certain time and get to school with no problems.

As a professional musician, I’m also concerned with keeping my kid in tune with music, musical instruments and dancing. And sometimes, in order to do that, I have to break the schedule that I fight so hard to keep. But it’s totally worth it.

Perfect example was this past weekend at the Anaheim House of Blues. This was the second time he’d seen me play, but the first time he actively participated. He’s normally drawn to a good beat and colorful lights, which openers Ron Silva and The Monarchs were chock full of. They had him dancing up a storm on the sidelines; so much so that at one point he strayed onto the stage and I had to run and get him.

This kid danced so much that I used up the remaining gigs on my card filming him on video. Kinda weird that this card is four times bigger than my previous card (4GB as opposed to 1GB), yet I seem to fill it up in a fraction of the time. Yet you know what they say—and I quote my buddy Rudy (also a pop)—take a lot of video when they’re young. A lot. ‘Coz pictures are one thing, but video captures everything. So I’m gonna need a bigger boat.

Yup, the bigger boat would’ve especially come in handy for priceless moments such as when my lil skanking spawn finally went full throttle during our closing number “No Worries” and danced beside Greg Lee in wild abandon. Greg even introduced him to the roaring crowd as “Greg Narvas Jr.” and history unfolded before my very eyes. Only thing is, I can’t for the life of me find a picture that was taken at that moment in time, although I saw several cell phones and cameras go up in the air snapping away.

Can anyone send me a pic? I’d love to have one.