LOCKPORT — It’s funny, whenever we’re at a family party, my wife Katie always has to take a ribbing about how I’m ALWAYS writing about her. These loved ones may be exaggerating just a bit, but she does make a cameo once in a while on this page.
What can I say, the best columns (from what I hear from good columnists) are the personal ones. The ones your reader can relate to.
So why wouldn’t I write from the perspective of a young professional, just starting out with a new wife, a new house and the same old life headaches I’m sure many of you have had and can appreciate.
But every time someone mentions something about my column and Katie is in our presence, it gives me a chance to lay it on thick about how she has to become a more regular reader of my column. I bug her every Sunday.
But one thing is for sure, my mom is apparently not missing a column.
Usually, when you write publicly like this, your mother is the first one to comment on every last word. My mom doesn’t get the paper since she lives in Tonawanda, but she calls up my column every Sunday on our Web site.
Fast forward to this past week and the days following last week’s installment detailing the birds that were living in a vent between our first and second floor.
If you missed it, we have back copies or it’s online, but basically it was a tale of man vs. bird, leaving the bird homeless.
My one and only e-mail response to that column came from my mom. It’s the classic response of a mother — especially mine.
Here it is: “I didn’t know you took a home from God’s creatures. They deserve a safe home. Play music or put the pillow over your head. They make beautiful music and sense safety with you two. Tisk, tisk.”
Yep, I got yelled at by my mom through e-mail over a column I wrote. All of a sudden the ribbing Katie and I take for every column I write about her seemed a lot more tame compared to my e-mail lashing from my mom. But it was classic. Everyone here at the office had a good laugh at it too.
I should feel honored, I guess. How many people get to have their body of work judged, praised or criticized on Monday by their mother? If I worked at a widget factory I’d have to show my mom my widget to show her what I do for a living. The publication of a column puts me out there for all to see — including my mom. It really makes this work quite interesting.
It’s not like this was the first time she commented on a column, but it may be the first time I got a virtual tisk, tisk. Pretty classic.
Maybe I’ll stick to writing about Katie, those columns never got a response like the bird one.
Tim Marren is the managing editor
of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at Tim.Marren@
lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.
Columns
Related Photos
MARREN: Getting the old tisk, tisk
- Columns
-
-
LEFFLER: The things that actually matter
To hear some people tell it, this great republic of ours is on the brink of disintegration.
-
Your friends are great ... at Facebook
The internet has been the facilitator of a lot of good things; it allows us to comparison shop without putting on pants, lets people check the weather report without having to watch the rest of the news and it’s made keeping in touch with friends and family a breeze; cruising through Facebook seeing pictures of your friend from high school’s new baby, a twitter feed full of self-promoting tweets about your neighbor’s new online start-up, a status update from your nephew that talks about meeting Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly. Reading all of these updates from the exciting lives of your friends and family while you sit at home, it can at times feel like everyone is living the dream but you.
- The war against the English language
-
VINCENT DAVIS II: Oil prices and the 'Bro-conomy'
Can we be serious for a moment; not too long, but longer than usual? Gas prices are going up folks. US oil drilling is at its highest point in more than 10 years. But when Toyota Prius commercials come on TV during sporting events, we know longer make fun of them for advertising a “fake car” that “only a hippy or English professor would drive.” Instead, we think to ourselves “40 miles a gallon, that does sound nice ...”
-
‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
The U.S. Postal Service has been mailing it in for years. It has stuck like an old postage stamp to a business model that was going nowhere fast, literally. Snail mail is still the USPS stock in trade, and it has increasingly earned its nickname. And for a poorly run operation, it certainly does cost a lot. USPS must offer competitive shipping options, guaranteed faster delivery times and overall service enhancements — or the death spiral of an American institution will continue.
-
Gadgets Galore
The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has come and gone, but the gadgets introduced there likely will be part of our future for years to come. Record numbers were set with attendance, vendors, and square footage of exhibit space. Innovations were unveiled, and in some cases, expectations dashed.
-
LEFFLER: I remember the scream
If you’re sick of news of the run for the White House, I’ve got some really bad news for you: It’s about to get worse.
-
Put some Apple accessories under the tree this year
- War of 1812 has lots of connections to us
- Don’t overlook freedom
- More Columns Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
