One instrument you can't take on a plane

My dad loves music and is into all sorts of different musical instruments. If you asked him about it, he'd tell you that, yes, he plays lots of music instruments, however poorly. He owns a guitar, a violin -- no, I'm sorry, a FIDDLE -- a banjo, a recorder, a psaltry, and an autoharp. I'm probably forgetting something. His most recent acquisition is a musical saw. That's right. A SAW.

An what's fascinating is that there is a wealth of information about saw-playing on the Internet. Dad pulled it out of the box a few nights ago and tried his hand at it... It sounds a lot like squealing brakes. And the longer he practiced, the more I wanted to die. I eventually retreated to my room and closed the door. And when that didn't stifle the noise, I dug out the ol' iPod.

Knowing my father, I'm sure he'll practice until he sounds decent on it and eventually give it up for something more exotic. But in the meantime, I'm terrified he'll try to bring it out for entertainment purposes. I'm waiting for him to bring it to church and volunteer to play it during the offering.

Weird? Possibly. No one else has a father who plays a sharp tool as an instrument. Unique? Yes. I've learned to embrace the uniqueness. It's one of the many qualities that I love about my dad. Has has all sorts of interesting hobbies that make him an interesting person. And it's always something new.