Action!

For this past Father's Day, my wife found a very unique gift for me on Etsy, perhaps her very favorite site in the world. She got me a set of four coasters featuring the hand-drawn visages of an assortment of film directors, made by an awesome outfit called Retrowhale. Before ordering them, she actually found herself conflicted over the varied and extensive options, in the end selecting four of my favorite filmmakers: Terry Gilliam, Noah Baumbach, Wes Anderson, and Paul Thomas Anderson. Now, these coasters could not be more perfectly suited to me as an individual, but the best part was yet to come.

In the weeks that followed, the set of coasters piqued the Doozer's curiosity. He was already fascinated by the set of coasters that lives in the coffee table drawer. And he'd been taught that his sippy cup should always be placed on one and not directly on the coffee table, a task he actually took to without too much cajoling.

A kid who uses a coaster! Huzzah! (I think it's important to mark successful moments in parenting, if nothing else to remind yourself that you aren't totally failing in the enterprise.)

Anyway, he soon began pulling out these coasters and in his latest trademark expression would inquire, "What zat?" My wife began telling him who the different portraits were of, the names of the filmmakers he held in his hand. He kept asking, she kept telling him, and now, our son can correctly identify all four of these film directors on sight, like some kind of hipster matching game.

"Wes . . . Anderson! P . . . T . . . Anderson!"

Furthermore, when asked what they do, he will reply, "Terry Gilliam . . . make movies!"

Yes, it seems we have managed to turn our son into a miniature movie geek, a film snob like his old man. Of course, he'll be quite disappointed when he discovers that there is no bonus feature-laden, director's cut, Criterion Collection edition of his beloved Dora the Explorer.

We had a friend over recently who was amused to no end by this development, but who pointed out that the Doozer will get to school someday and be way too hip for the room, his references will sail right over the heads of his fellow classmates. I'm not sure how much I care about that exactly. His ability to recognize these notable figures from my life, and to identify their occupations, is probably the most entertaining thing he's done so far in his relatively short life. And pretty much my new proudest moment as a parent.

What a nerd . . . *

*Ed. note: This last represents the sentiments of the author's wife, not the author himself, and was inserted here under duress. The author would like to point out that it was said wife who purchased the film director coasters for the author in the first place. Good day.