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It's here and it's better than I thought it could be and all I've done so far is register my extended warranty and installed a few programs.  I'm almost a little nervous to boot up Logic and plug in the Duet.  I feel like we should get to know one another a little bit at first.  So I'll just type for a bit.  Cruise the keyboard, spell out a few things.  

Watching the History channel right now with my dad.  Thank everything it's not a program about World War II.  Crile, you are right, there's plenty more I could learn on this subject.  But not on this channel.  But right now The Universe is on so instead of hearing all about Hitler I'm hearing all about parallel universes, M theory, the Bulk (my personal favorite), the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, and all sorts of great stuff.  There's gotta be some Nicholas Cage movie coming out.  That's the only time you see non Hitler/Jesus programs on this station.  

"In one universe we have a live cat, in another we have a dead cat.  Get used to it."  I'm trying...

So all this ignited a conversation between Dad and I about the legitimacy of string theory and practical applications for the knowledge of parallel dimensions.  I was trying to explain the implications it could have on the notion of identity; after all, if there's more than one "me" running around that's got to turn the whole traditional concept of personal experience and perspective on its head, right?  Not to mention our perception of free-will and responsibility - cuz, like, what if our decisions are influencing the decisions our counterpart dopplegangers?  If particles can be in two places at once apparently that means so can the particles the spark an idea in our brains - in one universe the particle goes one way and in one universe it goes another: two different outcomes!  But what's the origin, where does that spark come from?  Kaballah talks about raising the sparks of our souls to G-d through good deeds, prayer, and meditation.  We're all evolving along this line of existence spewing our seeds of life and thought across this dimension into the next through the filter of the Almighty.  

Dad was hung up on the concept of a mirror universe.  Wouldn't and couldn't buy into it.  For some reason this sort of ultimate redundancy, to him, is a great waste.  Maybe it would be.  I couldn't say.  We continued to try and talk over the commercials.  I would shout for the mute then a quiet commercial would come on and he would just say, "see."  Though I was, for once, playing the History channel's advocate now that it was finally giving me something other than "what if the Nazis had The Bomb?" the television was still completely on his side.  

But we both shut up once The Universe delivered its somewhat neatly wrapped package: THE PRACTICAL PURPOSE OF THE EXISTENCE OF MULTIPLE DIMENSIONS - we might be able to go to one of these someday when our universe craps out on itself.  Oh.  Nice.  

So that all happened.  Dad went to bed.  I poured a glass of wine and took the bird out of her cage.  She only comes out after he goes to bed.  Gary's terrified she'll chew the wood work or shit on something.  Point of this all is I'm glad we actually talked and debated something.  I don't know why it is but 9 times out of 10 he and I talk it's not he and I talking - it's me listening to him go off about something he loves (Wyatt Earp, World War II, Cool Jazz) or something he strongly dislikes (just about everything else).  And trust me, he's always been like this.  I think the loss of Mom has made it more vitriolic.  I've actually heard him drop the F bomb a few times ("fucking Nazis").  And I could play along, sometimes I even try.  I begin by envisioning Kevin and/or Ben in the backseat getting the hugest kick ever out of everything Gary spits.  I try to switch my reality with the one they would be experiencing or the one they are experiencing in the parallel universe.  But that sort of transubstantiation just doesn't work when it's your dad.  I'm going to leave it at that for now.  It's getting late and the wine is setting in.  I'm happy for today.  I am thankful for it.  And nothing was really that different about it than any other since I've moved back.  I like that.  I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.