Movies and popcorn always go together.

Someone telling a story on television about excuses for bad behavior, and a book I’m reading about Dennis Hopper, brought back memories about me and bad behavior and movies and popcorn.

When I was a teenager we lived in a two story house, my older brother and I in rooms separated by a bathroom upstairs. My mom slept downstairs.

One night I came home roaring drunk. I was shitfaced. And I threw up in the bathroom.

I caused such a ruckus my mom got out of bed and went to the foot of the stairs.

“Jack, what’s wrong?”

“I had some bad popcorn mother, go back to bed.”

She went back to her bedroom.

My brother observing the throwing up and my explanation, opened his door, shook his head in disgust, and said “that’s the best you could come up with?”

The other story involves a much younger me being lectured for some wrongdoing by mother, no doubt deservedly.

I suddenly jumped up and screamed “You are tearing me apart!”

My mom was shocked but my brother who was also in the room turned to her said “mother, it is a scene from Rebel Without a Cause by James Dean”.

I laughed and family fun moved on.