I am a lot like my dad, i never realized it so much as when i went home for his funeral and had to go through his man cave and shop stuff. what a mind fuck that week was..
lots of stuff, but like him, i find reason to keep things and why not, if i have the space.
his man cave was insane. it was hell tearing it down, which is esentially what i did. i went through a lifetime of perfecting systems of organization, memorabilia display and relaxation and they really hit me as this is what i'm doing also.
take for instance- recycling, modification and organization all becoming small inventions, thats me. in fact in hindsight, thats probably why i went to school for industrial design, it was a version of being an inventor..
he saw the usefulness of things beyond what they were meant for, upcycling before it was born. we were both on to that. i recycle jars into glass, he recycled boxes into containers
using cardboard, wire scraps and an old notebook to make a reference manual for his complicated tv. i rediscovered we both have a knack for using cardboard to make life better.
modifying a light switch to become a dimmer for his reading lamp
modifying an old toy into a cat toy where he could sit in his chair and entertain the cat (or himself)
organize his coins in pursuit of some good ones
using an old tissue box as a container for plastic bags
tricking the heat vent to blow air where he wants, something i've done also
making a cart to move his heat around in the garage
he kept extensive stashes of everything
why throw things away, this could still be used for something. i know, dad
inventing ways to make life easier, like this 12v wench for lifting lawn mowers
he had that same thought as me, or vice versa, organiztion is the key and wire can help
he worked a little, hobbied a lot. like me, extreme in his passions. flying to him is skateboarding to me. it's the rush and lifestyle
he had a plane and a hanger, i have a skateboard and a bowl
he had the QB flying club, i have the arvada army skate crew
and when we did work.. we realized owning our own business was the way to go to control time better. he had hahn lawn and various auto part stores,
i have blast solar. growing up around dad, i learned a lot about tools and mechanical workings to have an
invaluable skillset covering many handy disciplines. our trades might have been a little different (he would
rarely touch a circular saw as i would rarely touch an air wrench) but the mindset was the same, learn by doing.
he loved collecting eastern airlines stuff like i love collecting skateboard stuff
he loved cars and driving. i can get into them both, but only when the time is right (ie i hate traffic)
he cherished family, my sisters twins he was especially amused by
it was good, at the funeral, to hear from a line of people telling me how much my dad helped them and could fix anything. most people i never met talking of generosity i never heard about. he was an outstanding person to more than just me. i cherish those stories of connection and am glad he saw most of his friends before he passed. his friends from work, the golf course, lawn mower repair, flying, the corvette club, and even his infamous dirty joke email list.
brought a bunch of his stuff back to my house and it all meshed in with my shit freightingly well. his stuff fit and enhanced my life
it was cool he got into some of my stuff- apple computers, bamboo, the internet. he would have dug this video of me going through his shop
i learned good and bad from him, hopefully i can use it all to better myself. i will continue to use the skills he gave me and mindset for looking at the usefulness of something and continue hahn lawn in my own way, maybe creating earthships, or solar power lawn mowers...
