More magnets have arrived!! While on a recent outing, GWE and Justin returned with more contributions to the Mancave! Gee – I wonder where they went???
*If you are interested in adding a magnet to the Mancave, please email us at jason@genxdaddy.com!
Just when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in! After a week of screaming, crying, and rashes, Garrett was finally on the mend and well enough to go back to daycare – and we could all go on with our lives. Four hours after Garrett was considered “not a threat” and back in the Toddler Room, GWE received a call from Justin’s school. He had been complaining about not feeling well. He was agitated, cranky, miserable, and he registered a fever of 102. Crap!!
GWE raced over to get Justin and bring him home while I worked feverishly in my office, knowing that I would have to get twice the amount of work done in one day because I would be taking care of him at home the following day. GWE spent the rest of her day selflessly tending to Justin’s every need. I walked into the house around 8:30pm and he was already seeking solace in “The Shayna Bed” (our pull out sofa) in front of the television. There were piles and piles of blankets and pillows on top of him. Had it not been for an exposed limp arm, I would have missed him completely.
After 24 hours of staying home from school, watching television, eating tomato soup with grilled cheese, playing on daddy’s computer, opening his first email account and emailing his drawings to relatives, playing on daddy’s iPad, playing on daddy’s Xbox 360, hanging out in the Man Cave (with daddy), and napping, he started to feel much better.
As a parent, you want to do a “post mortem” to find out what happened and how a child got sick. Our first assumption was that he picked it up from Garrett, but that didn’t sound right. Garrett’s virus wasn’t supposed to affect children older than two. So where did he get it from? Justin’s teacher called GWE the first night (and emailed on the second) to check in on Justin to see how he was doing. She informed GWE that two other children were out sick as well! Ah ha!!! More clues!!!
GWE quickly pieced it together. All three sick children attended a birthday party at a bowling alley on Saturday. And, two of the children were on the same bowling team….AND they were sharing bowling balls.
That just goes to prove – Don’t play with dirty balls! You’ll get sick!!
I have often wondered if Justin understands what I do for a living. Explaining that I represent actors should be very simple. But the truth is, no two days are alike. While there are a number of things that are consistent, each day is vastly different. I could spend one day on the phone with casting directors pitching my clients. I could be buried in negotiations and contracts the next day. Another day could be spent on set with a client or in pitch meetings at a studio. Due to the variety of tasks I need to accomplish in any given day, I’ve wondered if Justin is old enough to understand (and if he could possibly explain it to me!)
This morning, I got my answer.
While taking Justin into school, he pulled me over to the play structure so that he could climb the rock wall. As I watched him, a little girl approached me. She could not have been more than six or seven. Politely, she asked, “Are you Justin’s daddy?”
“I am.” I answered.
“Do you make movie stars?” she asked. “Justin says that you make movie stars.”
My jaw hit the floor. I was completely taken by surprise and I tried to answer this little girl as best as I could. “Um….well, I represent actors and actresses and it’s my job to get them into television shows and movies.” It became crystal clear that Justin had been understanding some of my phone conversations in the car and my discussions at home…so, he kinda understood what I did.
With complete confidence, she stood before me. “Well, my name is (blank). I am an actress and I can sing and dance and play the piano.” (Once again, she was either six or seven.)
The gods smiled upon me and saved me from having to explain to her that I don’t represent children. Before she was able to utter another word, the teachers announced that it was time for the children to get into their lines and get ready to go to their classrooms. I told this little girl that it was nice to meet her and then I grabbed Justin by the backpack and bolted over to his classroom’s line.
As I got back into my car to leave, there were several questions swirling around my head: How much did Justin know? How many of my work conversations had he shared with his friends? I’ve used some pretty “colorful” language while dealing with certain people. There is one person I commonly refer to as “Fuck-Nuts.” And recently, we were in the car and I told a business affairs exec that their offer was so low that my client would be better paid if he chose to blow donkey dicks in a sideshow act. (After that call, I turned to Justin and told him that I meant that the client was “blowing up balloon animals.”) Had he used any of those words with anyone at school?
Or,
Did he tell this little girl what I did because he liked her? Did he just use me as his wing-man? I once had a senior agent demand that I represent an “actress” he met at a strip club one night (in lieu of paying her for his lap dances) and I had no choice…because he was a senior agent. Is my son going to make the same request some day?
Maybe I should have followed my father into dentistry.
In this day and age, modern conveniences have not necessarily given us more time. I find that there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done that needs to be done, so there are many evenings when I bring my work home with me. Because I need to review scripts, make online submissions, review contracts, re-review contracts, etc., I found it easier to have a second copier/printer in the house. It is located in the kitchen on the bottom of a side board.
There are times over the past few weeks when I’ve walked by the printer and noticed blank papers in the “out” tray – but I was unsure as to why they were there. I assumed that they were just extra papers from prior printings. I really didn’t think much of it.
This morning, the printer alerted me that it was out of toner. Impossible!! There was no way it could have been empty that quickly. I got on the phone with Staples, explained that they sold me a faulty toner, and that I needed them to ship me a new one. They apologized for the inconvenience and said they would send it out immediately.
However, this afternoon I turned the corner in the kitchen and discovered a very startled looking toddler who was hammering the “copy” button on the printer. He looked guilty, but still gave me a huge smile as if to say “You caught me, but isn’t this fun?!?!?!” Because the printer is as Garrett’s level, he’s been playing with it without my knowledge. He thinks it’s a toy!
On the one hand, he’s playing with things he should not be playing with. On the other hand, I’m getting a new toner for free!!
As men, we are notoriously childish when we become sick. I will admit that I am not immune to this behavior. The last time I got the flu – I buried myself in bed, imagined that I was dying, and repeatedly asked GWE for some soup…..and the decency to wait a respectful amount of time before marrying someone else after I was gone.
Last week, it was Garrett’s turn. Out of nowhere, he spiked a fever on Thursday evening. He was miserable for the next 24 hours. We thought it was a cold or maybe “extreme” teething. Whatever it was, he was not himself. He cried and cried and cried and cried. Like any good dad, on Friday morning I kissed my wife on the cheek and ran out of the house as fast as possible – leaving GWE to tend to our ailing son. It was her problem now!
Over the next few days, his fever came and went. After it finally subsided, Garrett broke out in a rash of red welts. The rash was most noticeable on his face, chest, arms, legs, and butt. After consulting a pediatrician, Web MD, and a “Your Baby’s First Year” book, we realized he had Roseola.
Roseola is a viral disease caused by human herpesvirus 6 and it affects children under two. The symptoms are puffy eyes, sore throat, runny nose, irritability, etc. And, there is no known treatment. It just goes away on its own.
This morning on my way into work, Garrett Morris called me to discuss some updates on projects we were working on. (If you don’t know yet, my son was named after Garrett Morris.) Garrett casually asked how the family was and I proceeded to explain that “Little Garrett” was home sick with Roseola. Garrett paused and asked, “Is that a new name for something I’d recognize?”
“Yes. It’s like Baby Measles.” I replied. And then I gave Garrett more information than he asked for. “Actually, it’s caused by Herpes. He probably got it from one of his friends at daycare.”
At that moment, Garrett Morris erupted into laughter. When he finally composed himself, he said, “You tell those little bitches in daycare to stay away from Little Garrett!!!”
He’s Feeling Much Better Now
A special THANK YOU to Cello, Bella, and Kathleen Domino of Los Angeles, CA.! While on a playdate, they surprised Justin and I with their contribution to our Mancave. These are magnets AND interlocking gears! We love them! Thanks guys!
*If you are interested in adding a magnet to the Mancave, please email us at jason@genxdaddy.com!