Altar Boys: On Being Dahlin and Being Catholic

Being a Dahlin means being a lot of things.







It means letting the Monkeys out of the Zoo (post 4/29/13). It means being 10 and wrestling an alligator; it means being left behind because there are too many children for parents to keep track (5/13/2013).

It means hand-me-downs that become see through after years of wear and tear before the youngest boy (that's me) inherits them; 

It means pushing broken down cars from one side of the street to the other in the hectic chaos of street cleaning days, it means Milk Wars, it means having an attack rooster instead of a guard dog, it means taking in strays who become part of the family, it means fun and  frivolity.

It includes breeding mosquitoes, looking like you have leprosy, trips across country, running into the President of the United States, being buried in pits or covered in red ants, it means having your pants pulled off in a catholic convent, it means electrocution, pranks, "Templates," simulating UFO's, nearly burning down the Lennon's house and saving others.




It means robbing the Helms truck, passing gas (that's Dooh-Dooh pants) and lots of vomit (that was my superpower) and frequent visit from the Police.

It means tons of kids...

 

and tons of junk...

 ....tons of cars running and not, hot rods, and cruising Van Nuys Blvd.

It means surfing, lots of long hair, lots of friends and Mexican tomato plants.

Oh...and it also meant being cute... (I didn't say anything about being humble).

 Dad "Mr. D" 

  Karl 

 Kurt

 Erick

 Markie D 

...and Being a Dahlin also meant being Catholic.

Being a Catholic meant... Big families... i.e. Dahlins, Blasers, Lennons...etc etc...

....it meant, "Fish Stick Fridays"

...going to Catholic School...i.e. Saint Mark's grammar school in Venice

Being taught by Catholic Nuns...  Catholic nuns with funny names....

...Like Sister Godzilla

and Sister Shultz

It meant being related to a nun  - 

 It meant first holy communion

Dressing up as Saints for Halloween 

 (John the Baptist AKA Wolf Boy) 

...it meant playing in the schoolyard 

fighting in the schoolyard

being whacked with yardsticks by the nuns... 

Attending Mass on Sunday and serving as an ALTAR BOY!  

This is where it gets tricky!

Give a 12-year-old boy a cross, candles and the blunt object to hold against the throat of another 12-year-old (who is about to receive communion) ...NOW you have the recipe for disaster.

that story to follow