4th of July - Fireworks Day or Michael Jackson Day?

Today, Saturday, July 4, 2009. Ive got little Victor with me and we've spent much of the day just hanging around the house watching movies, playing video games and making ice cream. I bought a new ice cream maker last week and I promised him we would make some this weekend. We decided that our first batch would be coconut ice cream. He loves coconut, as do I.


While we were gathering and mixing the ingredients together, I asked him to put on the news. I usually like to watch FOX because I feel that they're the only news station that will actually report in a bipartisan manner. Unfortunately at that moment, it wasn't time for the news and instead they were showing COPS. I'm not a big fan of reality TV, especially those that are full of drama and minorities (mind you, I'm Hispanic) playing up the stereotype of constantly being involved in crime, drugs or some sort of domestic dispute. So I put on CNN. They definitely had the news on but not what I was expecting. Today, being Independence Day, or as society commonly calls it, 4th of July, I expected to see a special documenting the history of our country. Something that might remind us of the sacrifices made by our countrymen so that we could be free. So that we, could call ourselves a nation. Instead, CNN is doing a special on Michael Jackson.


What?


Don't get me wrong...I'm a BIG fan of Michael Jackson. I love every song he has ever put out. I think he is solely responsible for the way music has evolved into what it is today and I think that he is (or was) at a level all by himself when it came to dancing. Nobody can or probably ever will be able to dance the way he did. I remember as a kid, and admittedly as an adult, I would try to imitate some of his dance moves. Specifically, the moonwalk. I believe most of us have. I got pretty good at it but in my opinion, never as good as Michael. I don't think anybody could. So its not that I'm against a special on Michael Jackson. I do believe that his memory and talents should be "immortalized". But not today. Not on our nation's 233rd Birthday.


I thought CNN did great on D-Day. On June 6, 2009, CNN was live in Normandy, France, documenting all of the events that were taking place in celebration of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings. They showed the speech given by President Obama. They showed the veterans that waited on dignitaries to approach them so they could give them a "recap" of that incredible day 65 years ago. They showed everything. It was an amazing special that I must admit, brought me to tears.


So why not today? Why, on the 233rd anniversary of the single most important day in American history, was there no prime time special documenting the various events that led up to us as a nation to be able to call ourselves Americans? Is it because Obama didn't set up a lavish ceremony. Because he didn't give a speech? Or is it because we as Americans have forgotten what it means to be an American? Because we as American citizens do not value what it truly means to be FREE.


How many of you received text messages today saying "Happy 4th of July"? How many of you responded with the same? I'm willing to bet most of you that are reading this.


Now how many of you received or sent out a text message saying
"Happy Independence Day"? Not too many I'm assuming.


Please don't take this blog that I'm posting as me castigating you. By no means, that is not my intent. The purpose of this open letter to you is to reach out to the millions of Americans out there who spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on fireworks, charcoal and food for a BBQ but don't spend a few minutes to educate your children on the importance of this day. I'm asking your to educate your children on the reasons WHY we celebrate this day. July 4th is not a holiday. Independence Day is. July 4th just happens to be the day it lands on.


Much like Memorial Day, Independence Day is usually rewarded to working Americans with an extra day off. Be it the day before the holiday or the day after. But sadly, also much like Memorial Day, the holiday is celebrated for all the wrong reasons in all of the wrong ways. I enjoy fireworks just as much as the next guy. I like to see all of the different varieties of colors and explosions that come about but for me personally, its not necessary. I don't NEED to spend a bunch of money on something that will last a few seconds or even a few minutes. I can almost hear the "ca-ching" of a cash register with every pop or fizz of each firework I light up. But I do it for my son. Like any child, he is mesmerized by the sparkles and noises that come about as a result of the money that was spent. Although he doesn't think about the money. I do. He thinks about the colors. How high the last firework went up. How much higher the next one went. How from one little shot up in the air, came about a bunch of different explosions that turned into different colors. And then he goes to bed with a smile on his face and memories to last a lifetime. So even if it hurt me to basically watch my money, literally "burn" right before my eyes, it pleases me that little Victor enjoyed the show. And for that, its worth it. Any second I get to spend with him, regardless of what or how much it took to get it, is most definitely worth it.


When we woke up this morning, as I was preparing breakfast, I was explaining to little Victor why Independence Day is such an important holiday. I explained to him (in kid's terms) why we celebrate it, what led up to the Declaration of Independence and why it is so important for him to remember that. I explained to him that on this day we celebrate "Independence" and not a date on a calendar. And I explained to him that to say "Happy 4th of July" is not only inaccurate but also wrong in the way it is expressed. At 7 years old, I wasn't expecting for him to really pay much attention to what I was saying. I also didn't expect for him to fully comprehend everything I was telling him. But if I can at least plant the seed of historical sense, hopefully, with enough examples in the future, and certainly many more "July 4th's" ahead of us, he will begin to take hold of what it is that I'm attempting to convey to him. I'll keep my fingers crossed.


We shot off all of the fireworks we bought and then sat down to enjoy the ones that were being set off all around my neighborhood. It was truly a spectacular show. Somewhere off to the South-East, someone had definitely made an attempt to end the recession all by himself. His fireworks display must have gone off for at least a half hour. Someone on the neighboring apartment complex set off what sounded like an M80. It was so loud, it set of 3 car alarms in my neighborhood, including my own. That wasn't fun. In the pain I had already been in all day, I had to go inside to get my keys to turn off my alarm. Before heading in, one of my neighbors stuck his hand out to little Victor, introduced himself and said to him "Happy 4th of July little man". Little Victor, always very polite and courteous, stuck his hand out as well and responded, "Happy Independence Day Sir". I was so surprised, I almost fell out of my seat. He didn't even look at me as if seeking approval or anything. He just shook his hand and went right back to watching the fireworks. But I definitely let him know that I noticed and was proud of him. I cradled him in my arms, gave him a hug, told him that I was proud of him and that I loved him. He's such a great kid. He constantly surprises me in how smart he really is. Maybe that talk this morning was worth it after all. If he didn't remember everything that I had told him, he certainly remembered one of the key points and maybe one of the most important points of the whole "history lesson".


I will now end this blog from a quote from my neighbor. After little Vic went inside to watch some TV, I began to clean up the spent fireworks containers. My neighbor had stayed out there with me and helped me clean them up. As we were putting everything away, I began to tell him pretty much everything Ive mentioned in this blog. His mom, who had flown down here to visit him, was outside smoking a cigarette. He told her that even though I was Puerto Rican, I was more patriotic than most Americans. The last thing he said before I went inside was...




"Vic, I bet if you would have known that you spent two years in Iraq, so that on July 4th CNN could have a special on Michael Jackson, you would have moonwalked your ass all the way back to the states".


How true that is...

Little Man's Summer Vacation 2009

Well, were going on the 3rd week of little Victor's 2009 Summer Vacation. He got here on a Thursday night and we went directly to my apartment so we could get some rest. His flight had actually been delayed 3 times so his plane ended up landing around midnight. The next day we packed up our stuff and went to visit my mom in Fort Myers. I hadnt seen her in a while and since I had taken Friday off, I decided to take advantage of the long weekend and drive the 3 1/2 hours it takes to get there. I dont like driving so much and doing such a trip for a regular weekend seems excessive since I would end up having to return the next day.

Back to the story:

We arrived in Ft. Myers and spent some time catching up. I talk to my mom at least once a week on the phone (Im terrible about calling people, even my own family) but face to face conversation I feel is better and not only are you able to talk about more things, you dont have to hold an increasingly hot device up to your ear.

On Saturday, I took the whole family to the beach. We had a great time. I had bought little Victor some snorkeling gear because he knew I liked to snorkel and had asked that I teach him. Any knowledge that I can pass on to the little guy, regardless of how small it may be, I take great pride in doing so. He did a great job. At times, he would dip his head a bit too far into the water and get some water down into the snorkel at which point he would come up coughing but he did get the hang of it eventually. The boy is a natural swimmer.

You may be asking why he's just learning how to do this kind of stuff now at 7 years old. Here's the reason:

Little Victor normally lives with his mom in Kentucky (during the school year). Why Kentucky? Did I meet his mom there? No. His mom and I actually dated in high school for a bit and she got pregnant towards the end of my senior year. We had actually already broken up but at that point in my life, I wasnt thinking with the head on my shoulders... I had always made plans to go to the Army, which I did after graduation and I, having grown up without my own dad for the first 12 years of life, had promised myself as a young kid that if I were to ever have a child, I would always be there for him. Knowing that due to the profession I had chosen to be in the Army, I would not be at home too often, I did the only thing I thought I could do so I could be with my son. I married his mom. She moved to Kentucky with me and after prolonging the inevitable for 4 years, I decided that it was best for little Victor if his mom and I were not under the same roof. So there it is. The reason he lives in Kentucky. Also the reason why he does not know how to swim very well. Since I live in Miami and Florida is surrounded by water in 3 parts, I have the best opportunity to provide for him such an important life lesson.

Anyways...

We spent most of the day at the beach. Little Vic got a great tan (definitely my son), my mom turned into a lobster, my grandmother....well, I dont know what her skin did. When they get to that age, their skin doesnt do much really. And my sisters...Well Maline got a good tan and Gisselle was pretty covered up so she didnt get too much sun. But we all had alot of fun and it was great for all of us to be together.

Afterwards, we cleaned up and loaded everything into my truck. I love going to the beach but I hate the end of it. When all of the things, no matter how much you shake them out and wash them off, still manage to get sand into the vehicle. Which I will spend the next 3 weeks trying to vaccumm out. You dont understand. Im incredibly picky about the cleanliness of my truck and if I see sand, I will pick it out one by one with an eyebrow plucker if I have to. (Thats a bit exagerrated but whatever).

On Sunday we went back to my apartment and I had to get ready for work. As much as I would like to spend every waking second with little man, I still have to work in order to provide all of the things I would like to do with him as well as the places I would like to take him.

Monday and Tuesday he came to work with me. While I was busy with work, I had him practicing his Spanish and from time to time I'd test him. Id give him breaks sometime and let him play the PSP. Every vacation he spends with me, I try to teach him as much Spanish as I can. He does great but the second he goes back to his mom's he loses it. She doesnt speak Spanish to him (although she speaks it herself and understands personally the value of it) cause I guess it takes too much effort and dedication on her part. But he's doing much better with it everytime. He picks up more of it and retains more of it with every vacation he spends with me.

Tuesday, I took him to spend some time with his Grandfather on his mom's side (MC). He looks forward to little Vic's vacations as well because its the only time he gets to see him too. For some reason, his own daughter doesnt let him see his grandson. I really dont know what goes through that woman's mind but I quit trying to figure her out a long time ago. Now I focus all of my attention on little Vic only. Ive realized that he is the only thing that is truly certain in my life. Girlfriends and Friends may come and go. But my son will ALWAYS be my son. Nothing can ever change that.

This was last week. I let little Victor stay with MC for a week and I picked him up on Wednesday. I made sure I called everyday, just like I do when he's with his mom, so he knows that his Papi loves him and is thinking of him. Thursday, we went to Sunset Place and watched Transformers 2. What a great movie. I must admit. I fell asleep for about 10 minutes not because it was boring but because I was just plain tired. Whatever! That gives us an excuse to go watch it again. After the movie we went to Gameworks. I had promised little Victor Id take him to an arcade this week and what better place than Gameworks. I try to make sure I always keep my promises. Im a firm believer in "A man's word is his bond" and I make completely sure that my integrity can never be questioned by anybody. We had alot of fun at GW and we decided to get some pizza. There's an old couple there at Sunset that have a little booth that sell the best cheese and pepperoni pizza's. Afterwards you can get some coffee too.

While we were eating, the news came over the radio about Farrah Fawcet. She had died. I thought to myself, "How sad". She was a truly beautiful woman. Then 20 minutes later, the news about Michael Jackson. At that point it was only that he had been taken to the hospital. I wondered what had happened. Little Victor and I finished our pizza and started walking to the truck.

In the 5 minutes it took to get to the truck, I received about 15 messages from different people telling me that Michael had died. I got in the truck and turned the radio on. No....He was still in the hospital and nothing yet of any death or reason for being in the hospital. I texted some of my friends back and told them to stop spreading rumors. I continued to switch radio stations, going from genre to genre to talk back to genre and listening on what each had to say about Michael. Still no confirmation on any death. Yet the texts kept coming. I asked some of my friends where they heard that he had died. Each one said that, "a friend had told them". Figures...

On the way home some stations would start to confirm and others still held out. It wasnt until I got home and turned on the news to FOX that I started to believe it. I dont care what anyone says, FOX News is the only station that calls it as it is. I dont get all of my information from them but I certainly trust it more than CNN or NBC.

I wouldnt say I was devastated by the news. After all, I didnt know MJ personally. I had never seen him myself. But I did enjoy his music, admired his dance moves as well as his philanthropy and had decided a long time ago that I would not judge him personally in regards to the allegations of child molestation because I was not there. I wouldnt let little Vic stay over night but if we had ever had the chance to meet him, I would have informed little Victor that he had been solely responsible for the music we enjoy today. Regardless of what form it is in. I was sad for him and the things he had gone through in his life and I was sad for his family. Janet especially. They were very close and I believe everyone in the world knew that.

That was yesterday. I had to work today and luckily, my dad had the day off so little Victor stayed with him. I got off at 5 and drove straight home. I walked in the house and little Vic ran up to me and gave me a hug and a kiss. I smothered him for the next 15 minutes with kisses as well as tickeling him in every possible spot that I know he is tickelish in.

Its late now and Ive got to get him to bed. Theres a birthday party tomorrow for one of his little cousins and we will be going. I'm also going to take him to Soccer Locker to buy him some soccer cleats because on Monday he starts Soccer Camp at UM. Monday theres a pool party at MC's house for his daughter (one of my best friends and ironically the one that had introduced me to her sister) who also served in the Army and just got back from Afghanistan. I also have to give a speech on Sunday for a National Guard unit that is deploying to Iraq soon. Sort of a motivation speech.

That is what's planned. The rest will fall into place and I know it will be fun because I am spending it with my favorite little person in the world. My son!