Memories...

[Drunk Monk]

I do have a memory of being in the hospital for a hernia operation. This is when I was 5. Back then, kids had to stay alone in hospitals; no parents were allowed to stay overnight. There was this huge mural of Peter Pan and Capt. Hook - yes, yes, a pirate - painted on the wall. When they turned out the lights, the streetlight shone on Hook. I have a very clear memory of looking at Hook in the middle of the night, illuminated from a streetlight below (must have been an upper floor). He is grinning and lunging with a sword. It's not frightening - in fact I don't remember being frightened - it's just surreal. I often cite it as my motivation for getting into swords. After all, there must have been some motivation for that deviation and I've never been comfortable with the Freudian interpretation. Now that I think of it, perhaps there's some latent pirate issues there too.

Now, as an adult, I love Hook, especially since he's played by Wendy's father in the Disney version. Talk about Freudian issues. A few years back, we went to Disneyland, and Tara got a great pic with Hook. We let her pick out one souvenier - she choose a pirate sword - ans she proudly showed it to Hook. That's my girl.