The Apples Fell far from this Tree

The Curmudgeon is talentless, that's a fact. I can't sing, dance or do anything else that is halfway, let alone all the way creative. On the other hand, Mrs. Curmudgeon does possess talents far beyond those of mortal women. I am not referring to the fact that she is able to work, maintain a household and take care of the day to day needs of her idiot savant husband (I included savant to make it appear that I am smart at something but in reality just plain idiot is probably more appropriate). No, no, she is a musician of the first degree. Granted she has chosen to hide her talent for the last several years, much as Harry Chapin's "Mr. Tanner" did but someday I think she will once again lift that bushel basket and let her light shine for the rest of us to enjoy.


But that said, both of the Curmudgeon's children have displayed much more talent than they should have been able to inherit from their mother alone. There is a line in a Harry Ruby song, Father's Day, which was oft performed by Groucho Marx, that goes, "But according to our mother your our father...and that's good enough for us!" now, were it not for the fact that my children look like me I might be suspicious, but they do so I'm not. But I still question where the little Cur's got their talent. I imagine that there must be a recessive gene on my side of the family, contributed by some creative Curmudgeon from the dark or middle ages. My mind immediately goes to the death scene in Braveheart where, right before the execution, there are some little people, frolicking around putting on a pantomime depicting the upcoming gruesome events. I imagine that there are some crazy buggers like these hanging in the Curmudgeon's family tree.



Be that as it may, both my children are blessed with talent and I couldn't be prouder of them. I am serving up an example from each of them as a demonstration of what I am talking about.



The first is a video of my daughter (the singer) at a senior concert in High School last year. The video quality is poor but the audio is very good. I will set the stage by saying that a very dear teacher and guidance counselor was retiring (She is in the middle in pink). She had touched the lives of almost every student who participated in the arts at the school. My daughter ( the second singer, with dark hair standing on the left) and another young woman were asked to sing a duet from the show Wicked, to sum up how most of these students felt about this terrific lady. Here is 'For Good"





My son is a filmmaker in training. In film he has found the one thing that truly motivates him. Last spring he and a group of classmates at Flashpoint Academy in Chicago, got together and entered the Forty-Eight Hour Film Competition. On a Friday night at 7PM, the team was given a character (Walter or Wilma Western), a prop (an urn with human remains), an occupation (repairman) and a line of dialogue ("What's the password?"). They also pulled a genre from a hat, and his team pulled comedy. the team was then set loose with 48 hours to write, cast, shoot, edit and score a 5-8 minute film. Everything had to be turned in at 7PM Sunday night. My son produced and co-authored the film among other things. The final product, the Urn Doctor, M.D., was nominated for awards in 12 of 13 possible categories and took home top honors in acting, editing, cinematography and also won as the Audience Choice Best Film. It is an awesome achievement for these young people all of whom at the time were first year film students! For more info on the film go to http://www.urndoctor.com/. Click here to enjoy the film.

http://vimeo.com/1366576

These are just two examples of the talents that my children have. As I said above I couldn't be prouder of all they have accomplished and all they continue to accomplish. Keep up the good work little Cur's!