Movie Memories with Dad

So the two year anniversary of my Dad's death was a couple days ago, and I thought I'd share with you a few movie-related memories I have of him.

First off, my Dad's name was Dr. John Rosace Jr. and his life was taken on July 11, 2009 by an asshole better known as brain cancer. He was a great guy, great with the nine children of his that he helped raise, and great with all of the sports teams he head-coached that those children were a part of.

He was, in fact, a longtime pediatrician at the Mentor Mednet hospital on Mentor Avenue and Hopkins Road; so you may know him, you may not. These last couple of years (and the previous one and a half before that -- the time we were all aware of his illness) have been no cakewalk. But its memories like these that help me cope:

Austin Powers in Goldmember

The third installment in the acclaimed parody series stars Mike Myers, Mike Myers, Mike Myers, and Mike Myers. A franchise that spoofs the Bond movies that are also my Dad's favorite movies, and I remember going to watch this movie with him and my brother when I was ten years old, an age where I still felt awkward watching movies with that type of content around my parents.

However, I didn't care because I knew that my Dad raised us to like those movies. Therefore all awkwardness was thrown aside, and pure enjoyment was what we all experienced. I'll never forget looking over at my Dad, leaning forward in his seat laughing so hard with his unique laugh.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The movie that finally earned the award the series deserved (Best Picture) was a great one, not to mention a long one. I watched this movie with my Dad and the same brother, visiting the bathroom more than twice during the film.

My Dad was as addicted to these movies as he was Austin Powers, and he was also a fan of the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. I tried reading the first book once, fell asleep while reading the first page. But I will never forget all three of us standing up to leave not once, not twice, but three times before realizing each time that the deceptive fade out was not in fact the end of the movie.

Double Feature - Firewall and The Pink Panther

Perhaps my fondest memory of my Dad, we saw these two movies on separate nights on a vacation to Arizona together. Firewall was an awesome movie about Harrison Ford saving his family (whattya know), and The Pink Panther was a silly yet funny remake starring Steve Martin.

My Dad was in Arizona for a week-long doctor conference and he decided to bring me and only me along. His seminars would always end before I even woke up, so we would have the whole day together to play a round of golf, eat at a Mexican restaurant, or visit old friends like Uncle Mac or Uncle Dwayne, neither of which were my real uncles. (Sidenote: my parents lived in Arizona for five years, during which my older brother and I was born.)

I'll never forget that trip with just me and him, especially when we would stay up until two in the morning playing intense games of racquetball.

Well, there you go everyone, just thought I'd share a little bit about my father. May he rest in peace.