On December 30th 2011 the NBA rolled out a schedule that looks as if it took people's travel plans into account. With the Bulls/Clips matchup the only game providing any semblance of sex appeal I decided to take the night off from the NBA and let the chips fall as they may. I ended up watching the last 35 minutes of Dirty Dancing with three generations of Egytpian women speaking French at each other as I held my napping daughter in my arms. The conversation meandered between French and Arabic with just enough English sprinkled throughout to attract my attention. From what I could gather everyone agreed that Patrick Swayze was around 30 when Dirty Dancning was shot, was raised by a mother who owned a dance studio and that poor Jennifer Grey should have never gotten a nose job; it cost her her look.
You should watch Dirty Dancing in its entirety at least once in your lifetime. If for no other reason to understand why people still say, "no one puts baby in a corner" or some machination thereof. The final dance sequence is legendary, and if you think Travolta can move in Pulp Fiction watch Swayze rip it up. It really brought me back to the days where my sister and I would sit in the sun kissed den on Crescent Road watching movies until our eyes hurt. One of the many benefits of having a sister is that you are forced to watch movies like Dirty Dancing. Then when you enjoy them, and awkwardly point that out to a group of guys during halftime of the Super Bowl you can always blame the fact that you even watched it in the first place is because of your sister.
I looked down at Isabella and wondered how many movies like Dirty Dancing I would watch with her. I wondered if when we watched it a second time together me reminding her of the first time we watched it together would embarass her. I then wondered if I would bite my tongue to avoid embarrasing her and decided; not a chance. Having a daughter has definitely softened aspects of my being that is shaping me into a kindler, gentler Mark Newman; something that my sister helped shape for the past 30 years. As excited as I am to introduce Isabella into my "Sports World" I'm equally excited to have her mere presence introduce me to her world, which will undoubtedly include many a dance sequence.
As I put her down for the night I gently sang to her, "I've Had the Time of My life, and I owe it all to you...." Thank you Isabella, for the best year of my life.
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