Funny Father Sayings From "The Taiwan"

By Joshua Dent


Best Dad Quotes
"I'm not going to a GOD DAMN museum!"

Author (Dale "Larue" Dent)- Josh's father

Let's also not forget the strong emphasis my dad placed as he grinded his teeth together when he got to the word, GOD. It took him much longer to say the word GOD, than the rest of the sentence.


Dad Highlight Reel
This quote mentioned above would probably go on my own personal "Dad highlight reel."

It was one of the funnier ones he used to say. We always knew it was coming as kids anytime he got within 100 yards of a museum.

This is especially hilarious because I don't think anyone in the Dent family ever ONCE, even hinted at the fact that we wanted to go to a museum.

He was still so intent on the fact that he would not step foot inside a museum.

I know it is hard to even understand this level of intensity over something so trivial. But, this is my father and that is why we love him. ha!

His irrational hatred of museums is one of the SO many humorous memories I have of him. Writing this blog which contains lots of childhood reflections has helped me reconnect with so many funny memories of him in particular.

His funny-man style is coupled with an extremely quirky personality.

He actually wakes up before the newspaper gets delivered, rarely leaves the house without a cooler of beer, and he couldn't possibly imagine a day without The Weather Channel, and C-Span. These are just a handful of odd and bizarre bits and pieces from his daily routine.

By the way, I wish any man or woman luck who dares an attempt to alter any part of his routine.

Do you know anybody like that? ha!


Family Influence
I have obviously progressed forward in life enough that I no longer live under the care and guidance of my parents at the dusty old age of 35.

My own fierce streak of independence and the lust for adventure have brought me even further than just leaving my parent's house. I have come all the way across the globe to hopefully sort out life while teaching English in "The Taiwan."

One of the more amazing parts about being so far away is my own recognition that the voice of my parents can still be heard in my head, daily, no matter how far I wonder.

It is like their voice has the capacity to span tremendous distances, and persevere through decades of time. How do they do that? ha!

There is a reason the earlier mentioned "dad voice" was ringing so strongly in my head recently.

I decided that I was actually going to take my chances on dare I SAY it, a nearby musuem.

I knew that when the time came to go to the once feared museum, I would have the voice of my dad whispering in one part of my brain, things like "this won't be fun," or "Why waste your time inside on a nice sunny day?"

I also knew that the other side of my brain would be saying "give it a shot, " or "You might like it."


The Battle of Choice
The Saturday morning finally came where I was fully committed to spending some time inside of this museum. The name of it was the Yingge Ceramics Museum.

I thought it was only natural when I woke up at 8:00 a.m. that morning to look outside and see nothing but bright blue sun. The reason I anticipated this was because it would make it even more difficult for me to want to be inside.

Sure enough, this bright blue sun triggered the voice of Pops. It felt like his words were beating in my head like a drum with comments like "You don't want to go there," "You should be outside." or "You should go for a hike."

The other side was coaching me to take a chance on a more culturally-enriching experience. It was quite the tough sell to myself.

But, the museum argument, in my head, finally won out just about the time I stepped outside of the train station of my destination, Yingge.


Walking To The Museum
After such an intense battle between the two different sides of my personality, I left the train station and just followed the signs on a walk towards "Yingge Ceramics Museum."

I continued to try to convince myself on the stroll over there that this could be fun.

As I walked, I tried to prepare myself to think about what life here must have been like in these ancient times. I was putting up a brave battle. But, I could just tell I wasn't getting into it.

It was especially difficult since the backdrop of this tiny mountain village was absolutely spectacular. I have always proclaimed myself to be much more of a mountains and beaches kind of guy than tall buildings and city life.

It was like the mountains were saying come find a trail even though you are in $7 black and blie Wal-Mart flip flops.


Museum Time
I officially made it through the battle with myself when I got to the entrance of the museum.

I put my on my fake smile and tried really hard for about 5 minutes to get excited about the history of this village.

I really don't have too much to say about the museum. I was walking through it like a programmed robot.

I just couldn't bring my interest level up no matter how hard I tried. I could still hear my dad saying "I'm not going to a GOD Damn museum!!"

That is why it only took another look or two out the window at the humongous surrounding mountains to spoil some of that "museum intensity."

I plowed through all 3 floors of the museum in about 25 minutes

At that point, I knew I was just done with my "ceramics adventure." It was time for me to head outside to try and find a spot to hike.

Without a plan or a map, I was off into the mountains after those 25 minutes of hell. I have some good pics and another write up coming about the rest of the afternoon shortly.


Conclusion
I am certain this museum was reasonably fine for most people to pay a visit. But, It is really awesome for me to finally get a grasp on why we do things certain ways.

So much of our earlier experiences shape us into the person we are today. This is something I was completely oblivious to until entering my mid 30's.

My parents are now tens of thousands of miles away. I can still say something and be unsure if it was me speaking, or one of them.

I tried to fight it for a long time. I think it is foolish to fight the similarities. I feel like I can just recognize the strong ones and continue to build on them, and just be aware of some of the weaknesses I may have inherited.

How do you deal with "hearing the voice of your parents?"

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