Twentysomething...By David Lion Rattiner

It is kind of weird when you're my age and see your dad as often as I see mine. Given the fact that we work together and my Dad's house is a stop along my commute from Montauk to Bridgehampton, we tend to run into each other a lot.

Some people might think that my Dad, who is somewhat of a local icon, just kicks back and doesn't worry about anything. This is not the case.

Recently, I have achieved a new role in the Rattiner family. I am Dan Rattiner's IT manager. For some reason, this past year my Dad has become relatively obsessed with computers and technology. It's impressive for a man of his generation to take on such challenges as a BlackBerry, a blog and the Internet. He goes at them without fear, mainly because, if anything, and I mean anything, goes wrong, he has a son that he can call to tell him what went wrong.

"David, can you come here for a second, my Internet isn't working."

I walk over to his computer with concern. After all, a man can't live without the Internet! And since I am of the Internet generation, it is I, the great generation Y man, who will solve this crisis. Using years of technical training, I walk over to the router, unplug it and plug it back in.

"Oh, there we go, thanks son."

I graduated to the go-to Internet/computer fixer position when my younger brother headed off to school - he was the more technical of the two of us. "David, I can't open this website" or "David, how do I download this video?" or "David, my laptop won't turn on" or "David, can you backup these files?" or "David, why can't I log into my account? I think that the entire Verizon network is broken and the world has come to an end."

I used to feel really good about myself when I would fix these things for my Dad. Saying the words, "Don't worry, Dad, you just need to restart your computer," made me feel really smart. But now, I don't find it as charming. Last week my Dad called me at my desk while I was at work, "David, what is the name of the Dan's Papers website again? Is it .com or is it .org?"

I was amazed. I then realized that my Dad now is asking me questions about computers for the sake of asking questions. I know he knows the answer to this. "I don't know," I said.

He paused. I could just imagine his panic. Does Dan's Papers not have a website? I should look into this! He was thinking.

I then hung up the phone. My Dad will figure this one out.

Later that day I saw my Dad at his desk on an e-Bay account. He was attempting to place a bid on yet another laptop - he has five or six laptops by now. I walked by him to get a drink in the kitchen and shook my head with a smile. "Dad, why are you buying another laptop?"

"This is a really good one. And I'm going to keep it as a backup in case my other one breaks."

"Dad, you have six laptops already and all you need a computer for is to write articles and check your e-mail. This isn't worth it."

"You don't understand, my laptops are like my instruments. Your brother is the same way with guitars because he's a musician."

I was impressed with this answer. The man takes his laptops seriously. What's the point of arguing?

I poured some orange juice. "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! DAVID COME QUICK!"

I walked over to the computer.

"The E-bay auction is about to end and I can't bid! Something is wrong! Do you know how to bid on e-Bay?! Can you figure this out? We only have three minutes!"

I looked at my Dad's computer. In the center of the screen was a big button that read, "Bid On This Item."

I put my hand on my Dad's shoulder, "I really don't know. Try calling them. Good luck."

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