Dad rings me tonight on his ms VX-6000 web cam.
“Hi forehead” I say. It’s all in the angle and apparantly my dad’s must be laying on its side on the desk. “Hey Holmes” he replies. I hear him fine over my speakers but see no face at all – just top of a forehead.
“Dad lol, holmes you need to fix your cam I can’t see you.”
He says “Huh, oh…..ok hold on” A minute later Im looking at a nostril at 1024 x 768 32bit resolution. :/
Another minute later I settle for the Wilson look, the guy in the Tim Allen series who talks from the other side of the fence for 10 years but you never see the bottom half of the man’s face. Fine, this’ll do.
My Dad is 58 and lives in Pensacola. The last time he was up here he brought his rig (computer) up here and I hooked him up with the latest software goodies and a webcam. “Holmes, this will be awesome, no long distance fees” I tell him. “Sounds good Holmes”, he replies. I got him the same kind i have and hooked him up with the same software i have………just to keep the technical support (me) to a minimum.
The whole “Holmes” thing goes back to the 80′s Chicano-cinema wave, it somehow stuck. We’ve been addressing eachother as Holmes for two decades and that’s all you need to know, lol.
He visits a couple times per year, and I take a trip down there every year or two and hang out with him.
My Dad’s been my best friend for the last 20 years, ever since mom and he split. I’m close to my mom too, but with Dad well, ……he’s my Dad. 
The conversations we have are probably mundane to some, pathetically manly (sick/twisted and immature) to others, and …………..pretty much juuuuuust right if you’re Dad and I.
I miss my Dad and wish we could spend more real time together, but Im grateful we have the means to see and talk with eachother from 1000 miles apart. How great is technology we posses today………I think most people in the short time it’s been available have already taken it all for granted.
All I know is that tonight it felt like we were actually hanging out, and the sad feeling of departure hit me when we hung up, …..as if he just left to go back home after a visit.
I love you Dad and I’m happy everytime we get to hang out……even if it’s with just your forehead.
