“Emo,” Guitar Hero, and L.A.
In Korean, “Emo” means “Aunt.” I went to L.A. to visit my nephew Max, the gigantic headed genius child, and his parents this weekend. Having a 23-month-old chant “Emo! Emo! Emo!” at you with glee is a little like getting hired for a position you really, really want.
And I played dirty to get the job. I bought him drums (this seems to be a running theme with the boys in my life), I bought him a globe (he’s not yet two years old but he’s freakishly smart with a memory that makes me green with envy), and I sniffed, kissed, and tickled my way into his little heart. He put up a decent fight, as toddlers tend to be suspicious and temperamental creatures, but who can resist “Emo?”
So let me introduce you to my nephew Max. His favorite shape is the hexagon, his favorite dinosaur is the triceratops, he speaks with a hint of a lisp, his voice becomes charmingly hoarse by the end of the day, and he has killer curls and a diaper butt that could turn the most crotchety of anti-kid minds.
It was kind of weird to see my cousins be such…parents…, no longer enjoying going out to shows but instead really getting into Guitar Hero on their PlayStation 2, making Max shake what his momma gave him to guitar solo hits of the 80’s. Admittedly, I got sucked into the game myself, even after getting booed off stage for my pathetic debut performance of “Iron Man.” Sorry, Black Sabbath.
Ah well, that’s L.A. for you. At least Max loves me.
