Wednesday, May 12, 2010

My nephew hits a home run

Bernard Malamud (1914-86) was an author of novels and short stories, and arguably one of the great American Jewish writers of the 20th century [1]. When I think of Malamud, lots of things come to my mind. But baseball’s not one of them. Despite this he wrote a baseball novel [2] that was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Kim Basinger [3] Its name? The Natural. My oldest nephew, darling Dion (pictured) isn’t a baseball player (to my knowledge, anyway). But when it comes to the media he’s a natural. Most definitely. So cool, unfazed, articulate, empathic, interesting, interested, concise and relevant. And, of course, handsome. ‘Yes, but you’re his uncle’, I hear you say. I am indeed. But don’t take my word for it. Have a look at this recent interview [4] and make up your own mind. I’ve no clue where Dion’s media savvy came from: there aren’t too many media stars – if any – in the family. Maybe he’s read books on the subject. Or been coached. But perhaps he is, before and after all, just a natural. I hope to see lots more media appearances in the future from my nephew the Future Maker and Young Entrepreneur [5]. And I hope he continues to hit lots of metaphorical home runs – in his career, and in his broader life. Well done, mate!

5 comments:

Sue Appel said...

Biased or not, this blog would be a winning addition to Dion's CV if he nneded one!!!
It also is a massive boost to my Motherly "naches" level ;)
I love you Farmdoc, biased or not xx

Sue Appel said...

... and Dion is lucky to have you for his Uncle :)

Dion said...

I awoke at 6.15am on Monday morning to a RSS alert on my iPhone notifying me that Lifelounge was featured on the wire. I braved the cold in my boxer shorts, made the dash down the driveway and picked up the newspaper like it was a baton in a relay. I unwrapped it swiftly and my heart skipped a beat at the size of the photo. Just then my son Ayden appeared by my side. For most of the weekend he was miserable and expressionless with tonsillitis. The resilience of young children amazes me, he had a smile from ear to ear, his face filled with colour as he pointed and said “Dad, you’re in the newspaper. Is it in just ours or everyone’s?” Bless. Before I could even read the article, he took the paper, woke up his sister and together they proudly marched in to show Kylie. My day was made before it even started.

My real inspiration mainly comes from the support my family gives me. For without them none of this would be possible.

Thanks Uncle, you’ve made my day today!

Ps. The photo from the article has been carefully cut out by Ayden and placed on his bedroom wall next to his prized pieces of kinder artwork.

Chris Burrows said...

Well, Dion is a gorgeous young man and after almost 70 years of contemplating the other sex, I am an expert. His comment also makes it clear he is charming too and a loving father too.
Now there should be no surprise, DNA being shared, the uncle in question is also charming and itntelligent.

Meg said...

Dion, they should add your above comment as an addendum to the article. A beautiful illustration of the kind of man you are. xx