can I have the mash instead of chips?

Any day AJ smiles at me. In fact, any day I see AJ happy. That's father's day. First sunday in Spetember? Rather arbitrary if you ask me. Fathers' day was a concept started by church folk that was widely ridiculed until some bright sparks discovered you could make money from it. It is now one of those Hallmark Holidays that, you guessed it, this grumpy old bastard has little time for. Part of my problem is the social pressure to buy shit that isn't needed and hand it over wrapped in paper that would be better put to use, or rather left as trees. Same for cards.

Of course if AJ, when old enough, decides to get me something for Fathers' Day I will be delighted and touched and a little embarrassed. I will try to explain that she really need not have gone out of her way because the calendar has a couple of little words in one box out of 365. If she feels like getting me or Sal or anyone else something then she should, regardless of the date and double-regardless of peer, advertising or any other pressure.

My second problem with these "some-role-or-other" days is implied in the name "such-and-such day". What about the remaining three hundred and sixty something days? Are they not for that person? Who are they for? One for dad, one for mum, the rest to oil the wheels of industry? Well quite frankly bollocks to that. If AJ wants to do something special for me on May 17th who am I to stand in her way? One day get-out-of-jail-free-for-being-a-prick-on-every-other-day is hardly balancing the books.

I can sense an a counter argument heading my way, so I'll try and head it off. But, the case for the defence goes, we are all so busy these days that it is easy to forget and it is therefore nice to have a day set aside to remind us we should say thanks to dad. Or mum. Or a secretary. Hm, not really. The issue, you see, is not a need for a special day in order to continue living hectic, forget each other lives. We need to sort our lives and our priorities out and not forget about being nice to one another. All the time. Don't outsource your obligation to be nice to a corporation that, in excahnge for your money, will remind you to make dad a cup of tea in the morning. One morning.

One more thing. By funneling everyone into restaurants and pubs for lunch on that one day we reduce variety and quality of service on that day. We went to the Clovelly Hotel for lunch - for the record it was Sal and Mara who were treating their Dad Mike, though Mike being Mike he ended up paying. We all had the schnitzel. On (almost) any other day you can get the chips swapped for mash; but not on fathers' day. Too busy in the kitchen. Hold on a moment; today is fathers' day, a day dedicated to each father, a day on which fathers can be spoilt. Therefore, if dad wants mashed potato he should be allowed to have mashed potato. One fucking day of the year! Just one! I demand mash for my dad! Sorry, we're too busy, but if you'd like to come on any other day of the year (ok, with the exception of Mothers'day etc.) we would be only too happy to replace your chips with mash. That is assuming you managed to get a table. It was rather busy yesterday and some people were turned away when, on other weekends, they would not have been turned away, and they could have had their schnitzel served with mash.

All that said, we had a table with an ocean view, there was no set menu - don't get me started on special-day-set-menus - but full choice from the normal menu and Sal had not, on behalf of AJ, got me a card, present or wotnot. We had a lovely lunch (I ordered the chips, Sal and Mara wanted mash) and a thoroughly pleasant time was had by one and all. Alex was on great form, cuteness cranked through the roof and I, of course, pretty much kept my thoughts to myself. No one likes a non-conformist. Bad for business.

One last thing. Sal bought AJ the hat she is wearing in that picture as a Fathers' day present. I have a similar hat that I found in the Harbour, that has been chewed by Rowlf and is my (current) favourite hat. Now dad and daughter have matching hats, though AJ's gumming of the peak of hers has not had quite the same impact as Rowlf's gnashing of the peak of mine.