Meet Rickdiculus.....

I took the Little One to the barber the other day. His hair had grown so unruly, E. and I were thinking about changing his name to Cousin IT.

He just doesn't look good in long hair. Far be it from us to stifle his desire for self expression, but when his bangs finally reached down to the middle of his nose, we felt this particular road of self-expression he's been riding on had reached its end. So...Off with his hair!

Now, tell me, doesn't he look great with his short 'do? I think he cuts quite a dashing figure, don't you agree? A real catch who gets his good looks entirely from his mother.

But he is also an incredibly creative young man who has exhibited a budding skill in several artistic disciplines.

He has shown that he has the gift of music. There isn't a piece he can't eventually mimic on a piano. Even his uncle, Jazzman Mullen is after us to get him piano lessons. That's the plan for 2008. He is also a budding filmmaker, camera man, and script writer. Check this short he created with his friend Timmy titled "The Killer". IFC? Sundance Channel? A quirky interview with James Lipton? Who knows?




Lately, he's also shown a real talent for expositional writing. Recall a while back in a tag about real life courses, how I loathed helping him with his "Egypt" project for Social Studies class? Well, I didn't and guess what? The little bugger aced it. He got a 100 on the project, which included building a pyramid, illustrating the insides of the structure on oaktag paper, and writing a narrative describing a slice of life in ancient Egypt. Here's an excerpt from the first-person slave narrative he wrote. You might say he is "A Bisel Goy" or a "Yungermantshik" with how well he characterizes this person.

"Today was the hardest day ever. The Pharaoh ordered us to put in at least 700 stones for the pyramid so we could finish the outside. The stones that we have to lift are so heavy. My whole body is tired from lifting them. My friend was carving in the entrance last week. he hasn't been seen since. We think that he was trapped in there because we heard that part of the ceiling in the entrance collapsed. This work is so dangerous. Many workers have gotten hurt or killed building it...."

I chose this particular excerpt, not only because of the detail he provides in his story, but his sensitivity towards the character he created. I could feel those heavy stones and his character's sense of loss from losing a friend.

Okay, I'll admit, I'm gushing a bit, but please pardon me this indulgence. I am quite proud of my son's creative talents and have no intention of reining him in. I tried doing it with his haircuts, but look how far that got me.

Faux Hawk Alert!!!!!

Okay, I'm through gushing. Now onto the shilling. You can check out the Little One musing at his new place, Rickdiculus. If ya go, tell him Spartacus sent ya.