My Fowl-Weather Friend

Let me share my story.

In 2004, my wife was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed on a Wednesday, and her surgery was a couple days later, on Friday. I never realized until then just how close I came to losing her. She's the Iris to my Barry Allen; the Sue to my Ralph Dibney. We'd been married for 14 years. My wife wanted to have kids since the second after I proposed. I said "I do", she said, "Let's get crackin' mister!" When she came out of surgery, she told me she wanted to adopt. We held hands tight. I said, "Yes, ma'am."

By October 2010, we were no closer to being a blended family than we were in August of 2004, after her surgery. 

Hopeless, we were about to give up. We decided not to update with the agency we were working with. After Christmas that year, I posted a status on Facebook.

"I want to be a Dad in 2011." 

Remember, we were not with any adoption agency at the time.

A friend saw my post.

"There's this boy..." A family was set to adopt our son. One of their natural children had just been diagnosed. The diagnosis set them on a very expensive path. They couldn't adopt our son.

January 3rd, 2011, I met my son for the first time. I was introduced to him as "Papa Dave". He was here from Kiev, Ukraine on a hosting program. We spent the final week of his three week visit together. After that week, my wife and I knew he was our son.

We left for Kiev to bring our on home September 11, 2011. He came home for good October 23rd, 2011.

Mission accomplished!

(Our son introduced us to our second son; our second son introduced us to our daughter. I am blessed that my children chose us.)

I took a number of comforts for the trip. I took my Bible. I took Alex Ross' Justice. I took my buddy Bill Halliar's Evilman. I took Wes Molebash's You'll Have That. I took Teen Titans: Year One. I took The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1 - "Bottle of The Planets" - which is an awesome The World's Finest team-up of Batman and Superman.

I took pictures of me reading in the "library" in our apartment in Kiev. 

I picked up a copy of Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. 

I devoured that book on the trip. I was lucky to find an English book store in the subway mall under Independence Square in Kiev. I bought and devoured the second and third book in the series. I read the comic book adaptation of the first novel. It's okay. Disney just released the trailer for the film adaptation due next August 9th. It looks pretty good from the preview. Dame Judi Densch does the voiceover on the trailer. Kenneth Branagh is directing. He directed the first Thor film.   

As you can imagine, I hope it's a spectacular adaptation.

I consider Artemis a good friend. I hope Disney and Kenneth Branagh do Artemis right.

"Once I was the learner, now I am the master."

One of the things that Cathy and I both enjoy is reading. She's a romantic. Nora Roberts. Jude Devereaux. A few moons ago, we went on a cruise and she discovered The Twilight Saga through the first film with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. She discovered that there was a book series and just devoured it. From Twilight, she moved on to other Young Adult series like City of Bones. She read If I Should Stay. I don't think she's seen the movie. She's working on a YA series by James Patterson. Neither one of us knows what it's called. She's a huge fan of The Hunger Games films and the Divergent series. She's tried reading the novels, but enjoys watching the films more.

One of my best memories is my older brother Tim taking me to see the first Star Wars film. It was at the River Oaks Theater in Calumet City. Holla! This was before theaters became cineplexes. I'd never seen a theater as crowded as this one was. I couldn't figure out why. This was the first film I'd seen without either of my parents; or, even my Auntie Ei. Just a couple 'a' bros hanging out. This was the first movie I'd seen that wasn't Disney.

Mind = blown. 

I found George Lucas' paperback novel for Star Wars and I devoured it. I got the giant size two issue Marvel Comics adaptation. I started reading the monthly Marvel series. I read the Star Trek adaptations; both the comic books and the novels. I read the original Battletsar Galactica. There was a novelization of the premiere episode; then, Marvel had a monthly series. For awhile there Marvel had the Monopoly. Star Wars, Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. 

When Superman: The Movie came out, I read the companion novel. The Blues Brothers came out, I read the novelization.

One of my favorite things is an cassette - I said a CASSETTE - of Roddy McDowell reading the novelization of the 1989 Batman film starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger.

I'm not sure how, but I "discovered" the late Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series. I love mysteries, too. From time to time I make my way through the Sherlock Holmes series. I still enjoy A Study in Scarlet.

I've read all six of the Ninth Doctor novels. Novels featuring the Tenth Doctor are on my bucket list.

Right now, I'm somewhere in the middle of You Only Live Twice.

When Cathy started reading YA novels, I dusted off my Encyclopedia Brown. I started The 39 Clues. I gave The Vampire's Assistant a try. 

In September of 2011, when we brought Justin home from Ukraine, I came across Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl. Fir me, it is better than The Lightning Thief. From 2011 to 2014, over the trips to Ukraine to bring our three kids home, I read the Artemis Fowl series.

The reason I mention this, is that our son, Justin, has developed a rule. He will not read any book that has been adapted to a movie. He won't read the Harry Potter books for that reason. He's been reading Darren Shan, James Patterson and some other books. He's sticking hard and fast to The Rule. Except when it comes to Star Wars. He wants to read read them... All in order... From I through VI... The Phantom Menace... Through Return of the Jedi...

I say that slowly, because he vehemently denies that Parts IV, V and VI came before I, II and III. Which would seem logical. But no. 

I am learning just how different my son at his age from when I was his age. I had to read the book before I saw the movie. Now, I'd rather do what he's doing. Read a book that hasn't or won't be made into a movie.

Comic books, novels, television series and movies are all separate, singular experiences. What my son is teaching me is that Batman may work as a comic book character, or as Adam West or Kevin Conroy, but not so much as a movie. Very few novels survive the Adaptation. Just look at Stephen King fer instance.

It's interesting learning from my kids.