It was Father's Day this past Sunday and I decided to once again take the completely original move of writing about my dad. I know this may not be the most innovative or creative step I can take as a writer, but I think I can make something memorable out of it. All joking aside, I would like to do something a little more than the usual "thank you Dad for being so cool all my life" piece that dominates the Internet every June. Instead, I'd like to go deeper and really think on exactly how my dad has influenced me and just how important that has been to me.

I think that most children tend to take after one parent more than the other, in my case; in both personality and temperament I take after my mother, sometimes almost scarily like her. This is not to say however that I have gained nothing from my father, on the contrary there is a lot I have gained from his influence.

The first thing I think I owe to my father is my sense of humor. While my mother is not humorless by any stretch of the imagination, I'd say my dad has been the driving force behind developing my wit. I personally blame far too many hours listening to him in the back of the car as he mocked other drivers for doing dumb things for creating such a sarcastic bite to my humor. Much of the rest of my humor, from referencing shared funny moments to making weird voices, I also credit directly to his influence.

Additionally, I simply must thank my dad for developing my artistic sensibilities. Most kids get their first exposure to art through their parents and develop their tastes accordingly. My dad took this as an almost sacred mission when it came it developing taste in movies and music. My dad has always had a strong interest in music, and growing up in the '70's and '80's he came of age with probably some of the best music ever made. Growing up he exposed me to a lot of great music across decades from the '50's to the '00's including legends such as The Beatles or John Denver to hidden gems such as The Carpenters and Jim Croce. He was never one to just stick to one area though, he crossed genres from country to folk to musicals to jazz to the somewhat weird. His passion for good music and his desire to share it would form the starting point for my own very eclectic tastes.

My exposure to movies happened in a similar way. As a screenwriter movies are my dad's business and as such he has a very good appreciation of what makes a movie worth seeing and an extensive knowledge of films to watch. Thanks to him, watching Turner Classic Movies is one of the default things to do in my house. I have many fond memories of spending summer afternoons with him watching some old movie in our living room. Through him I've seen a broader depth of films than most people my age, from the essential classics to the odd, but fun across the decades.

The most important thing I believe I can thank my dad for is the confidence to forge my own way in life. My dad left his home state of Missouri after graduating college to come to California and pursue his dream of becoming a screenwriter. A dream he achieved. Having one of the most important role models in your life chase after his life's ambition and achieve it is pretty inspiring stuff. I recognize now that it has been an important component in encouraging me to go out and seek my goals.

I could go on and on about all the influences my dad has had on me (not the least of which has been my perception of masculinity), but I fear I would be rambling by that point. So I'll just finish with a simple heartfelt thank you. Thank you, Dad, for being such an awesome, wonderful, and perhaps most importantly, unique person. My life has been vastly improved by having you in it.