An American Life?

I've been listening to a This American Life podcast this morning called "Twentieth Century Man", about the late actor Keith Aldrich as remembered by his children. This American Life is a PBS radio program that offers free "broadcasts" through iTunes (subscription link here). I can't recommend it enough if you like thoughtful, eclectic, and often moving documentaries.

What the episode boils down to is that Aldrich was a selfish, deceitful egoist that badly damaged everyone around him. Wow. Not to draw too close an analogy, but it brought to mind some of the things I've learned about my own father since his death... I leave you all to chew on that for a while!

To the right I am pictured fleeing from my father's influence. Actually it's a race photo of me near the end of the Around the Bay race last weekend. I was one tired puppy.

Listening to: Twenty Century Man by This American Life. (Only the most recent broadcast is distributed freely, other episodes can be bought from the web site. Notes on Camp is an entertaining starting point...)