My dad can text.

So, I have quite a backlog of ideas and random links that I want to post/write about.  This one was started on February 22, 2010.  Gonna finish it up now.

My dad got a Blackberry Storm (touch screen) last fall and since then he has become quite a texter.

Source

And while I never thought that technology would bring my dad and I closer, in a way it has.  The man I grew apart from as I grew up, the one I can't and don't talk to on the phone nearly everyday like I do with my mom, this man and I are growing closer together because of a little something called texting.

Source

A little background.  There are 4 in our family: my dad, my mom, me, and my younger sister.  So my dad is the lone Y chromosome in the house.  In my senior year of high school, I tried for a bit to be the son to him for the daughter I am to my mother.  I woke up early every Sunday my senior year of high school to go to the golf range with my dad.  I talked to him in the car and asked him questions and tried to have him open up to me.  However, he's not much of a phone person and when I went off to college we got used to sending messages to each other through my mom or my sister.


But now, with his adoption of texting as a mode of communication, we are able to become a daily presence in each others' lives again.  I am able to share things that you wouldn't necessarily call someone to tell them - I can share these thoughts with a short text.  I can tell my dad I am open to revisiting my religion.  He tells me that there's a church 2 blocks away from my internship site.  I give him advice on women (my mom) and he tells me to enjoy the weather (when it's sunny) because he remembers that I claim to suffer from SAD (seasonal affect disorder).

Something that we've started in the past few months is a daily "good morning" text.  This way no matter what else is going on during the day or in my life in general, at least I'll have touched base with my dad once daily.  Usually there's nothing out of the ordinary.  Just a good morning, sometimes a comment on the weather, or what I have planned for the day.

Now, here without further ado, a sampling of some of my dad's texts:

11/9/09

My precious.  Enjoy the beautiful day.  Very happy for you for the sunny brit day Smarty!!! I LOOOVE U.

(My sister and I guess that my dad learns a new word b/c he'll use it in every text for a few weeks before rotating a new word in - here it seemed he had just learned "precious" and kept using it completely unaware of my aversion to it a la Lord of the Rings).

(He also appears to have learned "couch potato" during the week of Thanksgiving b/c he used it to describe me in every text he sent me.  Regrettably, it looks like I've deleted all those texts ...).

2/16/10

Wah sah poo ning honey.love U smarty

(Referencing a line from "Born in East L.A." 1987).

11/10/10

Good morning smarty I wish your Jo eun ha loo n happy dayJ

Go Mah wer!  Youl sheem ee sahl ah heem cha gea smarty

11/22/10

Good morning smarty!  Have a nice day. :). Library is the good place to be. Love you

11/29/10

Good morning smarty! Another beautiful day is coming!

Pee gon hae ser geu lae!

11/30/10

Eung :) good morning smarty. Have a happy day ;) don’t be boring =D

12/6/10

Good morning smarty! Stay warm very very cold outside. Take care. Love you!

12/7/10

JustThinking about you smarty :) have a nice day. Love you :)

12/8/10

Thank you smarty. Good morning n enjoy the sunny day. Love you :)

12/12

Thank you smarty! You too have a warm day. I’m going from work. Dropped men off job site. Love you

12/13/10

Good morning smarty! I wish your joyful day. Love you

12/14/10

Good morning smarty! It’s cold out  stay warm. Have a great day. Love you :)

Jahl Hal soo it Jee!!!!!!! Pray for you

12/16/10

8hrs ? final for school not the bar.

Long hrs joon bee jahl ha go !!!