March 8, 2007
Either I’m not with it anymore, or younger people just need to broaden their horizons.
For example, one day last week I was driving my 14-year-old son to school and he was going to be late for class (his fault, not mine). He asked me for a note to hand in to the office secretary to excuse his tardiness.
I grabbed a notebook I keep in the car and wrote this note:
“Please excuse Eric’s tardiness.
“Signed, Epstein’s Mother.
“A/K/A Eric Anderson’s Dad.”
The note was a homage to “Sweathog” Juan Epstein, which is how he signed all his notes from home to his teacher in the 1970s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” The saying was such a cultural icon that today there’s a rock band named Epstein’s Mother. Now how’s that for being “with it”?
When I asked Eric later what kind of response the secretary gave him to my note, he said, “She didn’t get it.”
Neither did Eric, but then again he was born 13 years after “Welcome Back, Kotter” was canceled. Still, my boy can recite lines from “The Godfather” (both movies) and can often be heard singing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin standards. What can I say? The kid embraces his Italian heritage on his mother’s side.
Yeah, he knows cool.
And at one point in this school secretary’s life “Welcome Back, Kotter” was cool. But maybe she was too young to appreciate “Up your nose with a rubber hose.”
A few days later, Eric was running late again. He reluctantly asked for another note.
Not wanting to confuse the issue again, I wrote:
“Please excuse Eric’s tardiness.
“If he comes in late again, you have my permission to give him a detention.”
I signed the note: “Anderson’s Dad.”
Over dinner that night I asked Eric what the secretary thought of that note.
“She laughed.”
Comments
amazonratz (anonymous) says...
Off my case, toilet face! Kotteristas, unite!
March 8, 2007 at 6:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Post a comment
Commenting requires registration.