Ernie Salazar, 1940-1984

One of my best memories of my dad was from the summer he told us he wasn’t going to fix the TV.

It had broken at the end of the school year when I was 13. The horror–it was 1975 and, in those days, all we had to look forward to was a summer full of re-runs from the 3 major TV stations.

Instead, he said, we were going to play outside, play games or match wits with him. Ack! A major nerd, he wore a pocket protector, horn-rimmed glasses and had a master’s in math. Heck, he did programming before programming was even invented.

He ended up teaching us gin, gin rummy, poker and endless brain teasers. God, he could aggravate me!

Well, following in my geeky father’s footsteps, I own no less than 3 laptops, 1 computer, 1 tablet and 2 mobile phones. But in true girly fashion, all are on the fritz, save for 1 mobile phone.

So in honor of my father and the upcoming summer season, I have forsworn fixing any of these electronic devices until the fall. Instead, I shall read books. So far, I have read 5 in 7 days. See–I really am a nerd!

No Hulu. No Netflix. No cable. No surfing. A summer of respite.

I wonder how long I can last?

This one’s for you Daddy …