It's Julie's birthday tomorrow, so since she has been the one most frequently encouraging me to continue blogging, I am posting tonight for her. This in spite of the fact that I am in Day 2 of a low carb diet, and it is kicking my butt tonight. I was successful losing weight this way last year, so I am confident it will work. But the first few days, as you leave behind all bread, pasta, potatoes and sugar -- my precious, sweet sugar... Excuse me.
Ok, I've composed myself again enough to resume. I'm eating my after-dinner grapefruit and feeling much better now. You never realize how sweet and satisfying a grapefruit can taste until you're eating it instead of a brownie, ice cream and cookie dough sundae. Mmmmm, sundae.......
Sorry, back again. Can you tell that food is dominating my train of thought tonight? How about we switch to some Braden stories instead?
Today at Shelley's Community Bible Study chapel service, the children of all the women who attend the Bible study sang at the end of the service. Songs included "This Little Light of Mine" and "My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty...". Got it on video tape, and I have to say Braden was equal parts precious and hysterical. He did not sing much during the early songs, but had hearty applause at the end of the songs for those who did. On the two songs mentioned above, he did get more involved, especially when the hand gestures which went along with the singing got more and more exaggerated. He has been singing "My God is so Big" at the house, almost certainly because he likes the gestures which go along with "big", "strong" and "mighty".
Bedtime now requires reading a very busy book called "Night Sounds". This book has a page on the right hand side which describes a nocturnal animal, and opens upwards to reveal a picture of the animal and a more detailed description. On the right side is a picture of the animal hidden behind a flap which you can pull open, and a color-coordinated row of buttons along the bottom which makes the sounds each particular animal makes in the wild. The book features Coyotes, Bullfrogs, Katydids and Owls among others. Every night when we get to the owl, Braden recites the "Great Big Owl" story from the Gymboree tape. His version goes something like this. "Uh Great Big Owl. With long pointy nose. Pointy ears. (Growling)Claws for toes. (Not growling anymore.) He lives high duh tree. When he looks you. He flappa duh wings and says 'who, who, who'." When Shelley or I tell him the story, we cup our hands in front of our mouths to make "who" sound louder. Braden, when he tells it, place his hands flat on each cheek to say "who". Cracks me up.
His other favorite bedtime ritual is to recite the "Three Little Monkeys Swinging in the Tree" story - also from Gymboree. (My apologies to Jeffrey if you are reading - I realize you have an irrational discomfort with "Gymbo the Rhythm-less Clown", but this is my baby we're talking about!) Braden's version of the song: "Three little monkeys swinging duh tree. Teasing Mr. Alligator 'catcha me' - 'catcha me'! CHOMP! Two little monkeys," etc... No part of the song gives him quite the pleasure as bringing his left hand down from above his head to his right hand while growling "CHOMP"! But anyone who knows the song could have guessed that part.
Finally, he has developed an obsession with throwing things over the fence. Doesn't matter which side of the house, front yard or back, side yard right or left. If he has something he can carry, and has the thought flash across the front of his busy little mind, he sprints to the nearest fence and tries to throw his payload over it. Upon completion of this devilish task, he usually turns around and asks "where toy go?", like he has no idea he just chunked it into one of our (fortunately) patient neighbors' yards. This behavior is irrating with only one redeeming element. Whenever we are in the house, in the car, at a restaurant - anywhere - and we ask him where something went, the answer is invariably the same. Example: Me, at Jason's Deli: "Braden, where is your fork?" Braden: "Over duh fence!" Everything in the universe which is temporarily misplaced is reported by Braden to be "over duh fence". Often, if we are home, and we can't find what we are looking for after searching a bit, we will make the rounds in the backyard, looking into the neighbor's yards to see if maybe, just maybe....
Austin is starting to show signs of spring fever, which is understandable given that we are four months into Spring here in Houston. He is loving baseball (mostly playing 3rd base) and enjoying the long evening sunshine with his friends across the street. Getting him out of the bed in the morning is another matter altogether.
That's going to about do it for now. We are looking forward to Dad and Mom coming for a visit next week, with Mom getting her "Longwood Mother's Club" card renewed, and Dad getting dragged out to another Astros game to sample America's past-time and the best bargains for food and beverages in the Southeast corner of Texas. (My favorite "Dad quote" from the last Astros game we went to: "That was a good bbq sandwich, but not five dollars and ninety-five cents good!") Honestly, can't you just hear him saying it?
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
4 is the Loneliest Number (Part II)
Austin, Shelley and I went to Lubbock, Texas this weekend for the Texas State Destination Imagination tournament. Elementary through High School age kids from all over the state, including the Rio Grande Valley (about 18 hours by car!), were there representing the various regions from which each was sent as a winning team. Austin had four teams from his elementary school who competed at the State competition, which was held on the surprisingly good-looking campus of Texas Tech.
We put Austin on a bus at 5:00am Friday morning, then got a hot cup from McDonalds and hit the highway. Next, we dropped Braden off in Granbury (Jamie and Jeff were going to keep him but Jeff's Grandfather died in New Jersey and they were there for the funeral). Braden, suspecting something was askew, kept asking "where Jamie go?", with his palms turned up and a wrinkle across his forehead. How can someone so devilish be so utterly charming at the same time?
Anyway, we got to Lubbock about 3pm, then waited for the bus to arrive closer to 5. After a quick visit, the kids got back on the bus and the parents followed to Tech, where there was a "pin exchange" for team-members at the United Arena (Bobby Knight's classroom). There were easily 1,500 kids on the floor of the arena, each with pins from their region to exchange with pins from other regions, as a sort of "social mixer" as well as collection opportunity. I could not believe the degree of seriousness with which some of these kids/sponsors took to this activity. There were people with hundreds (100's!) of pins of every shape and size, from multiple states and years. Austin's prize collection was a Fort Worth region pin set, which featured a stagecoach with spinning wheels, and three different colored horses, all attached to the stagecoach or each other by a thin chain. Austin did not want to trade any of the pins he had left by the time he needed just one horse to complete his collection, so he went to the wallet and made a girl a cash money offer for her horse. That boy is going to be an investment banker or a corporate raider someday, I just know it!
The next day Austin's team ("The Crazy Craniums") had to compete in an "Instant Challenge" at 10:20am. This is the event where the team is brought into a room with several judges, who present the team with a complex challenge and give them a few minutes to discuss and come up with a solution, then present their solution, then answer questions about their process and presentation. Every team in the elementary school age group (I'm guessing about 150 total teams) gets the exact same challenge, so they cannot discuss the nature of the challenge until the event is over. I am sorry to say that I have not yet asked him the details of the challenge. Suffice it to say, the team thought the challenge was much more difficult and complex than the regional challenge. Still they felt like they did ok.
Then we waited around on campus until 3:30 for their prepared challenge presentation. (This was the radio program they created with sound effects, set, costumes, etc...) They nailed their presentation, each one doing their part terrifically with no missed lines or cues. Everyone of the parents and kids were very excited to have them do so well and, frankly, to have it behind us.
Dinner on campus at Flatlanders (good bbq, bad shrimp, 2.5 stars) then on to the United Arena for the awards presentation. Out of 64 elementary teams which had the same prepared challenge presentation, Austin's team finished in 4th place, which meant they got a medal, but did not qualify for global competition to take place in Knoxville, TN in May. The kids were happy and the parents were thrilled!
The crazy neighbor across the street has a 5th grade daughter on a team from Hamilton who won 1st place (1st!) in the State and will be going to global competition. It is the first time I have ever seen our neighbor cry, ("crude tomboy" being a simple description of her, "borderline personality disorder" being the clinical definition) and I have to say it was very touching. The kids were absolutely ecstatic, and it was quite thrilling to see a team from our school win it all.
We were all exhausted, but got up at 5:30am on Sunday to drive back to Granbury to get all of Mama Hen's chicks back together in one nest as early as possible.
Austin got a certificate and a trophy from the school to go along with his medal and is about to get caught up on lost sleep, as are we all.
Fourth place was a very good showing for the team's first trip to State competition, and though the team was disappointed they did not win the right to go to Global competition this year, they are convinced that they will do better at State competition in Corpus Christi next year and go on to conquer the world. If this group of kids stays together, I have no reason to doubt them.
We put Austin on a bus at 5:00am Friday morning, then got a hot cup from McDonalds and hit the highway. Next, we dropped Braden off in Granbury (Jamie and Jeff were going to keep him but Jeff's Grandfather died in New Jersey and they were there for the funeral). Braden, suspecting something was askew, kept asking "where Jamie go?", with his palms turned up and a wrinkle across his forehead. How can someone so devilish be so utterly charming at the same time?
Anyway, we got to Lubbock about 3pm, then waited for the bus to arrive closer to 5. After a quick visit, the kids got back on the bus and the parents followed to Tech, where there was a "pin exchange" for team-members at the United Arena (Bobby Knight's classroom). There were easily 1,500 kids on the floor of the arena, each with pins from their region to exchange with pins from other regions, as a sort of "social mixer" as well as collection opportunity. I could not believe the degree of seriousness with which some of these kids/sponsors took to this activity. There were people with hundreds (100's!) of pins of every shape and size, from multiple states and years. Austin's prize collection was a Fort Worth region pin set, which featured a stagecoach with spinning wheels, and three different colored horses, all attached to the stagecoach or each other by a thin chain. Austin did not want to trade any of the pins he had left by the time he needed just one horse to complete his collection, so he went to the wallet and made a girl a cash money offer for her horse. That boy is going to be an investment banker or a corporate raider someday, I just know it!
The next day Austin's team ("The Crazy Craniums") had to compete in an "Instant Challenge" at 10:20am. This is the event where the team is brought into a room with several judges, who present the team with a complex challenge and give them a few minutes to discuss and come up with a solution, then present their solution, then answer questions about their process and presentation. Every team in the elementary school age group (I'm guessing about 150 total teams) gets the exact same challenge, so they cannot discuss the nature of the challenge until the event is over. I am sorry to say that I have not yet asked him the details of the challenge. Suffice it to say, the team thought the challenge was much more difficult and complex than the regional challenge. Still they felt like they did ok.
Then we waited around on campus until 3:30 for their prepared challenge presentation. (This was the radio program they created with sound effects, set, costumes, etc...) They nailed their presentation, each one doing their part terrifically with no missed lines or cues. Everyone of the parents and kids were very excited to have them do so well and, frankly, to have it behind us.
Dinner on campus at Flatlanders (good bbq, bad shrimp, 2.5 stars) then on to the United Arena for the awards presentation. Out of 64 elementary teams which had the same prepared challenge presentation, Austin's team finished in 4th place, which meant they got a medal, but did not qualify for global competition to take place in Knoxville, TN in May. The kids were happy and the parents were thrilled!
The crazy neighbor across the street has a 5th grade daughter on a team from Hamilton who won 1st place (1st!) in the State and will be going to global competition. It is the first time I have ever seen our neighbor cry, ("crude tomboy" being a simple description of her, "borderline personality disorder" being the clinical definition) and I have to say it was very touching. The kids were absolutely ecstatic, and it was quite thrilling to see a team from our school win it all.
We were all exhausted, but got up at 5:30am on Sunday to drive back to Granbury to get all of Mama Hen's chicks back together in one nest as early as possible.
Austin got a certificate and a trophy from the school to go along with his medal and is about to get caught up on lost sleep, as are we all.
Fourth place was a very good showing for the team's first trip to State competition, and though the team was disappointed they did not win the right to go to Global competition this year, they are convinced that they will do better at State competition in Corpus Christi next year and go on to conquer the world. If this group of kids stays together, I have no reason to doubt them.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Silence is not always golden
I thought the lack of a response to the posting I made at the end of January was a little strange. It was absolutely the most opinionated, inflammatory posting in the young life of my blog, but the response was mild, to say the least.
Until today. Wow!
There are three entries here, but it is only the last two (from today) that require a response. Allow me to address the issue of the talk-radio host condemning liberals as "anti-God", and I'll address the rest later.
If this talk-radio host was referring to the entire Democratic party as "anti-God" then he is an idiot. But he no more speaks for the majority of Republicans with his opinion than the nutcase professor Ward Churchill speaks for the majority of the Democratic party with his. ("The people who died in the World Trade Towers were Nazis who had it coming," or words to that effect.) Extreme opinions exist in both political parties, and nobody in the mainstream of either party can fairly judge the other by the tail ends of their bell curve.
If the talk-radio host was referring to a sub-set of the Democratic Party as "anti-God", I find that position hard to argue against. There is an "anti-God" subset of the Republican party, for that matter.
But are you serious that a visitor to your church is "invited to participate in communion regardless of his ...personal spiritual beliefs"? Is a visitor asked to believe that Jesus is the Christ? How about that communion is a holy sacrament remembering the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf? Would one of my "anti-God" Republicans be invited to communion?
I assume there is some expectation about a person's essential spiritual beliefs, and that failure to agree with those beliefs would mean you were not invited to participate. If so, then we agree in principal that some things are not to be tolerated - we just might disagree on the details of where to draw those lines. If not, then communion is not really a holy sacrament - it's snack time with really small portions. In other words, if it can mean anything, then it means nothing.
Speaking of tolerance, you agree that "certain things should not be tolerated", (t-shirts to be printed soon), but then do not specify that which shouldn't be tolerated. Surely you're not saying that the free, public expression of the opinions of that radio host shouldn't be tolerated? I await your clarification.
Until today. Wow!
There are three entries here, but it is only the last two (from today) that require a response. Allow me to address the issue of the talk-radio host condemning liberals as "anti-God", and I'll address the rest later.
If this talk-radio host was referring to the entire Democratic party as "anti-God" then he is an idiot. But he no more speaks for the majority of Republicans with his opinion than the nutcase professor Ward Churchill speaks for the majority of the Democratic party with his. ("The people who died in the World Trade Towers were Nazis who had it coming," or words to that effect.) Extreme opinions exist in both political parties, and nobody in the mainstream of either party can fairly judge the other by the tail ends of their bell curve.
If the talk-radio host was referring to a sub-set of the Democratic Party as "anti-God", I find that position hard to argue against. There is an "anti-God" subset of the Republican party, for that matter.
But are you serious that a visitor to your church is "invited to participate in communion regardless of his ...personal spiritual beliefs"? Is a visitor asked to believe that Jesus is the Christ? How about that communion is a holy sacrament remembering the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf? Would one of my "anti-God" Republicans be invited to communion?
I assume there is some expectation about a person's essential spiritual beliefs, and that failure to agree with those beliefs would mean you were not invited to participate. If so, then we agree in principal that some things are not to be tolerated - we just might disagree on the details of where to draw those lines. If not, then communion is not really a holy sacrament - it's snack time with really small portions. In other words, if it can mean anything, then it means nothing.
Speaking of tolerance, you agree that "certain things should not be tolerated", (t-shirts to be printed soon), but then do not specify that which shouldn't be tolerated. Surely you're not saying that the free, public expression of the opinions of that radio host shouldn't be tolerated? I await your clarification.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
The Crazy Craniums
Several posts ago, I mentioned Austin's participation in an extra-curricular activity known as Destination ImagiNation. As we spent 13 hours yesterday at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, TX for the Gulf Coast Regional DI tournament, I thought I would tell you what this is all about.
Destination ImagiNation, (DI), according to their website (www.destinationimagination.org) is:
Hamilton Elementary, (Austin's school), has a very well developed volunteer group supporting this program, and sent five teams to the regional tournament. Four of those teams won the right to go to the State DI competition in Lubbock. One did not.
There were five "Team Challenges" for all DI teams across the United States this year. DIzzy Derby required designing and building a motorized vehicle which could carry up to 2 kids and could be navigated around a course. These teams also had to prepare a skit to describe "the action", had to prepare methods to respond to technical challenges during the skit (change a tire, lift the vehicle without touching it), etc... Our crazy neighbor's daughter is on a team from Hamilton that won 1st place in the elementary school division for this Challenge and is going to state.
Another challenge involved studying 12 modes of transportation, and then, on the day of the competition, the team is given a scenario around which they have 30 minutes to create a six-minute long improv skit incorporating 1 mode of transportation chosen by the judges, as well as other creative elements. Another challenge involves building a bridge from lightweight materials, estimating how much weight it can support during the team challenge, and creating a skit which involves "bridges (or connections) which exist between two cultures". You get the idea.
Austin's team chose to participate in "Live: It's RaDIo DI!" Their challenge involved creating an 8-minute skit telling a story via a live radio broadcast, incorporating live sound effect elements, an eccentric character and a commercial break. Immediately before their presentation, the judges give them a "breaking news headline". The team then had 1 minute to develop a "news story" around the headline, and figure out how to incorporate that "improv element" into their broadcast.
Their skit was "The Dr. Kookenstein Show", featuring Austin as Dr. Kookenstein, (speaking in a British accent, something I'm not sure I ever really grasped but something he did surprisingly well). As the broadcast begins, he and his assistant Hunchenstein had created a potion which turned two girls into a cat and monkey. It was interrupted with a commercial break and a news bulletin regarding the Empire State Building sinking (their improv element). Then, returning to the broadcast, the girls/animals proceeded to escape from the Dr's laboratory, followed by a comedic encounter with Labbott and Marcello, who proceeded to confuse the Dr. and H-stein with their "cat's on 1st street, monkey's on second" routine, followed by the girls/animals and the Dr. & H getting into a brawl on 2nd street where the broadcast came to a cliffhanging conclusion. The broadcast was enhanced with sound effects ranging from a homemade rainstick, keyboard, splashing in water, buzzers, corks uncorking, balloons popping, and many others. If you didn't follow all that, it's okay. It all made sense as you watched it unfold.
The Crazy Craniums, as they named their team, included 3 boys and 4 girls from the 4th grade at Hamilton. They won a "Renaissance Award" for best set design. The judges cited their creation of a wall (4'x6'x1" thick styrofoam sheet) which separated the radio station on one side from a living room on the other. The living room side of the set featured two of the girls listening to the broadcast on an old time radio they made, and a cuckoo clock on the wall with a cuckoo bird which popped out of the clock (a dowel rod stuck through the wall from the radio station side with a cuckoo bird on the end) to announce the time for the "Dr. Kookenstein" show to begin. They were the ONLY team of nearly 100 in the Gulf Coast region (including jr. high and high school teams) which incorporated listeners into their broadcast, and did it in an ingenious way.
Oh, and they also won 2nd place in the elementary school level, which allows them to go to the State Competition in Lubbock! Texas Tech is hosting the tournament April 8-9th, and everyone should come! I mean, haven't you all just been looking for any excuse to spend a weekend in Lubbock, Texas! (It's truly beautiful in springtime. Unless it's snowing. Or there's a tornado. Or a dust storm. Weevils can be a problem sometimes, sure...)
Two quick observations about Austin's response to their victory. He was so excited by their winning 2nd place, that when the other students from his school started chanting "Ham-il-ton, Ham-il-ton", Austin turned to them, (away from the judges presenting the trophy and medals), and begin raising his arms in the air to encourage/lead their chanting - in front of a gymnasium filled with about 1,000 students and adult partners(!) So swept up in this glorious moment was he, that upon returning to where the team were sitting, he realized he had forgotten to get his medal. With somewhat less panache, he slipped up to one of the judges a few minutes later and explained his bone-headedness.
The second observation involved Austin's "we're going to Disneyland" moment. When we got down to the gym floor after all the prizes were awarded, Austin was talking to one of the two other boys on the team. He was obviously very excited, and very hoarse. After hugs and congratulations, he turned to his friend Cameron and whispered, "Dude - we get to ride on a bus with a toilet".
Ah, the simple things...
Destination ImagiNation, (DI), according to their website (www.destinationimagination.org) is:
"...one of the world's largest creativity and problem solving programs for youth of all ages, with thousands of participants in 47 US states, 15 countries and Canadian provinces participating annually. Destination ImagiNation® helps kids develop a unique and critical skill set by emphasizing: creativity, brainstorming, critical thinking skills, presentation skills, problem solving, project management, knowledge application, confidence, teamwork, time management, collaboration and research skills.
Our teams solve two types of Challenges within the program year. The Central Team Challenge involves structural, technical or theatrical oriented Challenges and takes several months to solve. Throughout that time the teams also practice improvisational Instant Challenges, which stimulate the team’s ability to think quickly and creatively with only minutes to prepare solutions. When tournament time rolls around, each team’s score reflects its Central Team Challenge performance plus its response to an Instant Challenge."
Hamilton Elementary, (Austin's school), has a very well developed volunteer group supporting this program, and sent five teams to the regional tournament. Four of those teams won the right to go to the State DI competition in Lubbock. One did not.
There were five "Team Challenges" for all DI teams across the United States this year. DIzzy Derby required designing and building a motorized vehicle which could carry up to 2 kids and could be navigated around a course. These teams also had to prepare a skit to describe "the action", had to prepare methods to respond to technical challenges during the skit (change a tire, lift the vehicle without touching it), etc... Our crazy neighbor's daughter is on a team from Hamilton that won 1st place in the elementary school division for this Challenge and is going to state.
Another challenge involved studying 12 modes of transportation, and then, on the day of the competition, the team is given a scenario around which they have 30 minutes to create a six-minute long improv skit incorporating 1 mode of transportation chosen by the judges, as well as other creative elements. Another challenge involves building a bridge from lightweight materials, estimating how much weight it can support during the team challenge, and creating a skit which involves "bridges (or connections) which exist between two cultures". You get the idea.
Austin's team chose to participate in "Live: It's RaDIo DI!" Their challenge involved creating an 8-minute skit telling a story via a live radio broadcast, incorporating live sound effect elements, an eccentric character and a commercial break. Immediately before their presentation, the judges give them a "breaking news headline". The team then had 1 minute to develop a "news story" around the headline, and figure out how to incorporate that "improv element" into their broadcast.
Their skit was "The Dr. Kookenstein Show", featuring Austin as Dr. Kookenstein, (speaking in a British accent, something I'm not sure I ever really grasped but something he did surprisingly well). As the broadcast begins, he and his assistant Hunchenstein had created a potion which turned two girls into a cat and monkey. It was interrupted with a commercial break and a news bulletin regarding the Empire State Building sinking (their improv element). Then, returning to the broadcast, the girls/animals proceeded to escape from the Dr's laboratory, followed by a comedic encounter with Labbott and Marcello, who proceeded to confuse the Dr. and H-stein with their "cat's on 1st street, monkey's on second" routine, followed by the girls/animals and the Dr. & H getting into a brawl on 2nd street where the broadcast came to a cliffhanging conclusion. The broadcast was enhanced with sound effects ranging from a homemade rainstick, keyboard, splashing in water, buzzers, corks uncorking, balloons popping, and many others. If you didn't follow all that, it's okay. It all made sense as you watched it unfold.
The Crazy Craniums, as they named their team, included 3 boys and 4 girls from the 4th grade at Hamilton. They won a "Renaissance Award" for best set design. The judges cited their creation of a wall (4'x6'x1" thick styrofoam sheet) which separated the radio station on one side from a living room on the other. The living room side of the set featured two of the girls listening to the broadcast on an old time radio they made, and a cuckoo clock on the wall with a cuckoo bird which popped out of the clock (a dowel rod stuck through the wall from the radio station side with a cuckoo bird on the end) to announce the time for the "Dr. Kookenstein" show to begin. They were the ONLY team of nearly 100 in the Gulf Coast region (including jr. high and high school teams) which incorporated listeners into their broadcast, and did it in an ingenious way.
Oh, and they also won 2nd place in the elementary school level, which allows them to go to the State Competition in Lubbock! Texas Tech is hosting the tournament April 8-9th, and everyone should come! I mean, haven't you all just been looking for any excuse to spend a weekend in Lubbock, Texas! (It's truly beautiful in springtime. Unless it's snowing. Or there's a tornado. Or a dust storm. Weevils can be a problem sometimes, sure...)
Two quick observations about Austin's response to their victory. He was so excited by their winning 2nd place, that when the other students from his school started chanting "Ham-il-ton, Ham-il-ton", Austin turned to them, (away from the judges presenting the trophy and medals), and begin raising his arms in the air to encourage/lead their chanting - in front of a gymnasium filled with about 1,000 students and adult partners(!) So swept up in this glorious moment was he, that upon returning to where the team were sitting, he realized he had forgotten to get his medal. With somewhat less panache, he slipped up to one of the judges a few minutes later and explained his bone-headedness.
The second observation involved Austin's "we're going to Disneyland" moment. When we got down to the gym floor after all the prizes were awarded, Austin was talking to one of the two other boys on the team. He was obviously very excited, and very hoarse. After hugs and congratulations, he turned to his friend Cameron and whispered, "Dude - we get to ride on a bus with a toilet".
Ah, the simple things...
Friday, February 11, 2005
The Boomerang & The Boy Who Belonged to Himself
Bedtime at our house is fairly consistent.
Austin ("The Boomerang" as we like to call him) gets put to bed about 8:30. Then, for the next 30-45 minutes, he experiences severe dehydration (up to get a refill on his water), remembers school work due tomorrow (up to tell Mom), obsesses over "something" stuck in his tooth (up to floss), worries about me going to bed before he falls asleep and turning off all the lights (up to ask me how late I'll be up), and otherwise creates a dozen or more "reasons" to get out of bed over and over.
He asks me to "snuggle" with him every night - usually I do, sometimes not. When I do, we lie down in his bed, he spoons right up against me, and then starts in with the questions. Or he tells me stuff that happened that day at school, often involving girls who are tormenting him, conflicts on the playground, or the various and many shortcomings of his teachers. No matter how much the world has changed in 30 years, I'm sure my last bedtime thoughts as a 4th grader were probably about awful girls, dumb teachers and recess, too.
When he was little, he used to want me to sing to him, or tell him a story about when I was little: his favorites were always the ones involving his Uncle Steve and me getting into trouble with his Grandpa. (There are several of that variety!) For a while, he used to want me to make up a story, usually involving characters from the Harry Potter books. I'd start making up some nonsense about terrible and outrageous misfortune, and he'd laugh and beg me to tell him more. Many nights, Shelley would hear us giggling 30 minutes past his bedtime, and would have to come in and remind us both 'tomorrow's a school day' or some other responsible thing. He loved to be rocked and sung to when he was a baby. I guess he still needs that, in a bigger, cooler way, of course.
Braden ("The Boy Who Belonged to Himself" as we like to call him, a reference from Shelley's childhood book "Mister Dog" - which he loves) has his customs, too. He only wants Mommy now, at bedtime or most of the rest of the day for that matter. Needless to say, Shelley is ready for me to take over with Braden by bedtime, and I try every night to initiate the sleep sequence. I usually succeed in getting his underwear exchanged for a pull-up, get the pj's on, teeth brushed. Occasionally I get to read him a few books. But by the time the lamp by his bed is turned out, he wants me to "go vay", and (here's my favorite) "keen kitchen da-ee".
Let me explain. When I was still allowed to put him to bed (books, songs, tuck in) he used to ask for "mo sawns" every time I said it was time to go to sleep. I would say "okay, one more song", each time telling him "this is the last song then Braden has to go to sleep". "Kay da-ee," would come the reply, and then we would repeat the cycle. I eventually could get away by telling him I had to go clean the kitchen. For some reason, that was okay and he would roll over and go to sleep.
Now, he doesn't want even one "mo sawn", and he directs me to "keen kitchen" as soon as I get him covered up. If I do start to sing a song, (usually "Sunshine on my Shoulders" by John Denver, his favorite and the song he asks Shelley to play EVERY time they are in the car together), he will interrupt me and say "seen yeow bird da-ee". (Yeow is pronounced like "yellow" if you removed the l's and made it one syllable.) I start to sing "yellow bird, high up in banana tree", but always stop short sometime around "banana", sputter and say "that's not Daddy's song, that's Mommy's song". For reasons known only to my two year old, this cracks him up, every night, without fail. He will laugh and cover his mouth like we've done something we shouldn't have. Then "keen kitchen".
Regardless of how bad my day has been, or how rotten the boys have behaved, the first time I check on them after they have fallen asleep causes instant amnesia and I am overwhelmed by their absolute sweetness and innocence. They will always be babies when they sleep...
Austin ("The Boomerang" as we like to call him) gets put to bed about 8:30. Then, for the next 30-45 minutes, he experiences severe dehydration (up to get a refill on his water), remembers school work due tomorrow (up to tell Mom), obsesses over "something" stuck in his tooth (up to floss), worries about me going to bed before he falls asleep and turning off all the lights (up to ask me how late I'll be up), and otherwise creates a dozen or more "reasons" to get out of bed over and over.
He asks me to "snuggle" with him every night - usually I do, sometimes not. When I do, we lie down in his bed, he spoons right up against me, and then starts in with the questions. Or he tells me stuff that happened that day at school, often involving girls who are tormenting him, conflicts on the playground, or the various and many shortcomings of his teachers. No matter how much the world has changed in 30 years, I'm sure my last bedtime thoughts as a 4th grader were probably about awful girls, dumb teachers and recess, too.
When he was little, he used to want me to sing to him, or tell him a story about when I was little: his favorites were always the ones involving his Uncle Steve and me getting into trouble with his Grandpa. (There are several of that variety!) For a while, he used to want me to make up a story, usually involving characters from the Harry Potter books. I'd start making up some nonsense about terrible and outrageous misfortune, and he'd laugh and beg me to tell him more. Many nights, Shelley would hear us giggling 30 minutes past his bedtime, and would have to come in and remind us both 'tomorrow's a school day' or some other responsible thing. He loved to be rocked and sung to when he was a baby. I guess he still needs that, in a bigger, cooler way, of course.
Braden ("The Boy Who Belonged to Himself" as we like to call him, a reference from Shelley's childhood book "Mister Dog" - which he loves) has his customs, too. He only wants Mommy now, at bedtime or most of the rest of the day for that matter. Needless to say, Shelley is ready for me to take over with Braden by bedtime, and I try every night to initiate the sleep sequence. I usually succeed in getting his underwear exchanged for a pull-up, get the pj's on, teeth brushed. Occasionally I get to read him a few books. But by the time the lamp by his bed is turned out, he wants me to "go vay", and (here's my favorite) "keen kitchen da-ee".
Let me explain. When I was still allowed to put him to bed (books, songs, tuck in) he used to ask for "mo sawns" every time I said it was time to go to sleep. I would say "okay, one more song", each time telling him "this is the last song then Braden has to go to sleep". "Kay da-ee," would come the reply, and then we would repeat the cycle. I eventually could get away by telling him I had to go clean the kitchen. For some reason, that was okay and he would roll over and go to sleep.
Now, he doesn't want even one "mo sawn", and he directs me to "keen kitchen" as soon as I get him covered up. If I do start to sing a song, (usually "Sunshine on my Shoulders" by John Denver, his favorite and the song he asks Shelley to play EVERY time they are in the car together), he will interrupt me and say "seen yeow bird da-ee". (Yeow is pronounced like "yellow" if you removed the l's and made it one syllable.) I start to sing "yellow bird, high up in banana tree", but always stop short sometime around "banana", sputter and say "that's not Daddy's song, that's Mommy's song". For reasons known only to my two year old, this cracks him up, every night, without fail. He will laugh and cover his mouth like we've done something we shouldn't have. Then "keen kitchen".
Regardless of how bad my day has been, or how rotten the boys have behaved, the first time I check on them after they have fallen asleep causes instant amnesia and I am overwhelmed by their absolute sweetness and innocence. They will always be babies when they sleep...
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Monday, January 31, 2005
Certain Things Should NOT Be Tolerated
January is about to come to a close, so it is time to wrap up the month with a variety of leftovers, some ranting and who know what else. As always, your feedback is welcome!
Adult Partners
Julie had the following response to my hint that the Cub Scout term "adult partner" (used in place of "parent") irritated me in some unspecified way.
I will now explain the reason for my irritation with things rather than express that they irritate me and leave the reason unclear. Because I agree completely with Julie's observation regarding the importance of being sensitive to the specific
boys in scouts. If I didn't know all the boys in my den, I would use the generic "partners" until I knew if I could use "parents", which is my preference.
The policy per se was not my beef: rather, I am upset at the need to have such a policy. When did we become a culture where boys are considered "lucky" (to use Julie's word) to have their fathers involved with their extra-curricular lives?
Steve and I recently argued about who should receive the benefits of a legally recognized marriage, and my primary argument is that the nuclear (or nu-cu-lar, if you prefer) family is the building block of a stable society: Dad, Mom and child(ren). A government can and should afford extra benefits to its citizens who form themselves into these families, because those families benefit the government (society).
Since I believe we risk destabilizing the entire culture by de-valuing the traditional family, I also believe we are well on our way to you-know-where in the proverbial handbasket. So much so that it is unlikely that boys in a scout group will have a parent involved with them. So we need a policy to address that appalling reality.
God help us.
If You Are Still Reading...
Sponge Bob is not gay. Neither is Buster from the Arthur book series. Of course, nobody said they were, so everyone should just knock if off already.
The problem? Social conservatives view every attempt to discuss "tolerance" in public schools as a Trojan Horse for unleashing an attack on traditional values. Social liberals mock them for being hypersensitive, homophobic, ignorant and - this is the most offensive of all -- exclusive.
Both sides are wrong. Liberals promote "diversity" of every type EXCEPT for diversity of thought: being conservative and traditional are intolerable, for example. Conservatives let their belief in "right" and "wrong" spill over from fundamental matters of faith to areas where tolerance is to be preferred, becoming self-righteous and judgmental instead of humble and loving.
I personally think that "tolerance" is overrated: certain things should not be tolerated.
(That sounds like a terrific slogan for a t-shirt. Maybe I'll have some printed up and sell them online!)
Speaking of Selling Online
It was suggested this week that I should point a link to my fastest rising affiliate, since I was willing to link to my current best selling affiliate and have tolerated Blair's links to his own site.
Agreed. Let the world know their name: TV Products A2Z
The Other Foot's Shoe
Let's imagine for a moment, shall we?
The President selected a woman who is black to be Secretary of State, the first black woman who would serve in that role in the country's history. Her appointment was approved in the Senate, but 13 white senators, lead by a former member of the Ku Klux Klan (Robert Byrd, W.Va.), voted to oppose her.
What if the President had been a Democrat, and the white Senators Republicans?
Hmmm, let's imagine. Every race-baiting, hate-mongering civil liberties spokesperson in the country would be demanding impeachment, if not criminal charges, for the Senators. Major papers across the fruited plain would have front page headlines outraged over the unmistakable discrimination.
But the President is a Republican, and the Senators Democrats, so there was not a peep in all the land.
Strunk and White - My Heroes!
For my 41st birthday I received the book "Elements of Style" by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, (yes - THAT E.B. White).
Technically speaking, it is an English language textbook that contains elementary rules of usage, principles of composition and commonly misused words and expressions. Others might scoff at such an offering, but I am thrilled. How could you not love the following advice from "Chapter V: An Approach to Style"?
It may not do anything for you, dear reader, but I love it!
Valentine's Day Placemats
I came home from work the other day to find the Valentine's Day decorations had been retrieved from the attic and placed throughout the house. Coming into the kitchen through the garage door, the first thing I noticed was the pink and red, heart- and cupid-covered placemats on the kitchen table. Because of the way my mind works, I was reminded of something we learned at Brite Divinity School in a class on worship.
The different seasons of the church are identified by their association with specific colors and symbols: white at Easter, evergreens at Christmas, etc. Our professor suggested the presence of these colors and symbols in the church was a powerful and important reminder of the current season. The seasons, he argued, were cyclical and reassuring reminders of the continuity of the church and the orderliness of God's creation. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 The colors and symbols remind you where you are in the world.
Our boys grow up in a house where the year is broken up into seasons, too, each one represented by its designated colors and symbols. Each season is a period of anticipation for something wonderful which marks the end of that season, but the beginning of a new season. For example, the current Valentine's Day decorations will go up to the attic the same day the Easter decorations come down.
If I may extrapolate from my seminary lesson, then Austin and Braden experience the world as somewhat more secure, more joyful, more predictable because of the colors and symbols Shelley uses to decorate our home. Each time the Valentine's placemats come out, the boys know a breakfast party for the school kids in our neighborhood is approaching, as well as chocolates and goodies from their grandparents. Easter decorations foretell church, extended family and baskets of more goodies. And the Christmas decorations - well, forget about it!
How lucky (there's that word again!) they are to have a Mom who marks their lives with symbols and colors of the seasons. To grow up knowing where you are in the world, to look forward constantly to a celebration, to experience life as reassuring and predictable: these are all good things for our boys, and a great blessing to witness.
Happy February!
Adult Partners
Julie had the following response to my hint that the Cub Scout term "adult partner" (used in place of "parent") irritated me in some unspecified way.
I have two students in my class who are foster children. If they were to attend a scout meeting and you referred to their partner as a parent, they probably would explain, "Oh, he's not my dad". Wow! How would it feel to have to say that in front of a group of boys lucky enough to have their biological fathers with them? If acknowledged as an adult partner, no explanation needed, this child is now like everyone else at the meeting and not singled out.
I will now explain the reason for my irritation with things rather than express that they irritate me and leave the reason unclear. Because I agree completely with Julie's observation regarding the importance of being sensitive to the specific
boys in scouts. If I didn't know all the boys in my den, I would use the generic "partners" until I knew if I could use "parents", which is my preference.
The policy per se was not my beef: rather, I am upset at the need to have such a policy. When did we become a culture where boys are considered "lucky" (to use Julie's word) to have their fathers involved with their extra-curricular lives?
Steve and I recently argued about who should receive the benefits of a legally recognized marriage, and my primary argument is that the nuclear (or nu-cu-lar, if you prefer) family is the building block of a stable society: Dad, Mom and child(ren). A government can and should afford extra benefits to its citizens who form themselves into these families, because those families benefit the government (society).
Since I believe we risk destabilizing the entire culture by de-valuing the traditional family, I also believe we are well on our way to you-know-where in the proverbial handbasket. So much so that it is unlikely that boys in a scout group will have a parent involved with them. So we need a policy to address that appalling reality.
God help us.
If You Are Still Reading...
Sponge Bob is not gay. Neither is Buster from the Arthur book series. Of course, nobody said they were, so everyone should just knock if off already.
The problem? Social conservatives view every attempt to discuss "tolerance" in public schools as a Trojan Horse for unleashing an attack on traditional values. Social liberals mock them for being hypersensitive, homophobic, ignorant and - this is the most offensive of all -- exclusive.
Both sides are wrong. Liberals promote "diversity" of every type EXCEPT for diversity of thought: being conservative and traditional are intolerable, for example. Conservatives let their belief in "right" and "wrong" spill over from fundamental matters of faith to areas where tolerance is to be preferred, becoming self-righteous and judgmental instead of humble and loving.
I personally think that "tolerance" is overrated: certain things should not be tolerated.
(That sounds like a terrific slogan for a t-shirt. Maybe I'll have some printed up and sell them online!)
Speaking of Selling Online
It was suggested this week that I should point a link to my fastest rising affiliate, since I was willing to link to my current best selling affiliate and have tolerated Blair's links to his own site.
Agreed. Let the world know their name: TV Products A2Z
The Other Foot's Shoe
Let's imagine for a moment, shall we?
The President selected a woman who is black to be Secretary of State, the first black woman who would serve in that role in the country's history. Her appointment was approved in the Senate, but 13 white senators, lead by a former member of the Ku Klux Klan (Robert Byrd, W.Va.), voted to oppose her.
What if the President had been a Democrat, and the white Senators Republicans?
Hmmm, let's imagine. Every race-baiting, hate-mongering civil liberties spokesperson in the country would be demanding impeachment, if not criminal charges, for the Senators. Major papers across the fruited plain would have front page headlines outraged over the unmistakable discrimination.
But the President is a Republican, and the Senators Democrats, so there was not a peep in all the land.
Strunk and White - My Heroes!
For my 41st birthday I received the book "Elements of Style" by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, (yes - THAT E.B. White).
Technically speaking, it is an English language textbook that contains elementary rules of usage, principles of composition and commonly misused words and expressions. Others might scoff at such an offering, but I am thrilled. How could you not love the following advice from "Chapter V: An Approach to Style"?
Put yourself in the background.
Do not affect a breezy manner.
Avoid fancy words.
Prefer the standard to the offbeat.
Be clear.
It may not do anything for you, dear reader, but I love it!
Valentine's Day Placemats
I came home from work the other day to find the Valentine's Day decorations had been retrieved from the attic and placed throughout the house. Coming into the kitchen through the garage door, the first thing I noticed was the pink and red, heart- and cupid-covered placemats on the kitchen table. Because of the way my mind works, I was reminded of something we learned at Brite Divinity School in a class on worship.
The different seasons of the church are identified by their association with specific colors and symbols: white at Easter, evergreens at Christmas, etc. Our professor suggested the presence of these colors and symbols in the church was a powerful and important reminder of the current season. The seasons, he argued, were cyclical and reassuring reminders of the continuity of the church and the orderliness of God's creation. "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1 The colors and symbols remind you where you are in the world.
Our boys grow up in a house where the year is broken up into seasons, too, each one represented by its designated colors and symbols. Each season is a period of anticipation for something wonderful which marks the end of that season, but the beginning of a new season. For example, the current Valentine's Day decorations will go up to the attic the same day the Easter decorations come down.
If I may extrapolate from my seminary lesson, then Austin and Braden experience the world as somewhat more secure, more joyful, more predictable because of the colors and symbols Shelley uses to decorate our home. Each time the Valentine's placemats come out, the boys know a breakfast party for the school kids in our neighborhood is approaching, as well as chocolates and goodies from their grandparents. Easter decorations foretell church, extended family and baskets of more goodies. And the Christmas decorations - well, forget about it!
How lucky (there's that word again!) they are to have a Mom who marks their lives with symbols and colors of the seasons. To grow up knowing where you are in the world, to look forward constantly to a celebration, to experience life as reassuring and predictable: these are all good things for our boys, and a great blessing to witness.
Happy February!
Sunday, January 30, 2005
4 is the Loneliest Number
Pinewood derby was yesterday, and Austin's entry "The Flying A" was the best car we have ever entered. He consistently finished 1st or 2nd in the eight qualifying heats they had for the Webelo 1 division, which featured 13 cars of various designs and speeds. By finishing in 3rd place overall in the heats, he was able to advance to the final round, featuring four cars from the Webelo 1 Division.
In the finals, four races are run, with each of the cars running once on each of the four lanes, (in case one or two of the lanes are running quicker than the others).
"The Flying A" finished in 3rd during the 1st heat, and in last the other 3 heats, making him the 4th place car in the Webelo 1 division.
1st - 3rd place get trophies. Last place gets a "Scenic Driver" trophy. So the most heart-breaking position in which a scout can finish has got to be 4th place, knowing you were so close to the trophies and yet going home with a pocket full of squat!
Thus, when Austin got home, he proceeded to place his car in the trash can, in perhaps the most dramatic scene I've witnessed since Jodie Foster's on-screen depiction of a "tay in the win" in the movie 'Nell'.
Once we got his post-melodramatic-stress-disorder under control, we went to the store for a pint of Blue Bell's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, and it was good to be Austin again.
In the finals, four races are run, with each of the cars running once on each of the four lanes, (in case one or two of the lanes are running quicker than the others).
"The Flying A" finished in 3rd during the 1st heat, and in last the other 3 heats, making him the 4th place car in the Webelo 1 division.
1st - 3rd place get trophies. Last place gets a "Scenic Driver" trophy. So the most heart-breaking position in which a scout can finish has got to be 4th place, knowing you were so close to the trophies and yet going home with a pocket full of squat!
Thus, when Austin got home, he proceeded to place his car in the trash can, in perhaps the most dramatic scene I've witnessed since Jodie Foster's on-screen depiction of a "tay in the win" in the movie 'Nell'.
Once we got his post-melodramatic-stress-disorder under control, we went to the store for a pint of Blue Bell's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream, and it was good to be Austin again.
"The Flying A"
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Thursday, January 27, 2005
An Eclectic Visual Bouquet? Of What?!
Anecdote #1
Shelley: "Braden - what's your name?"
Braden: "Baden."
S: "How old are you?"
B: "Two." (Holds up several fingers.)
S: "Did you know your whole name is Braden James Horst?"
B: Silence.
S: "Can you say Braden James Horst?"
B: (Storm passing across his face.) "Dub duh uh Ma-ee duh ub truh-bull."
S: "What?"
B: "Dub duh uh dub Ma-ee duh ub dub uh truh-bull."
S: "Oh no baby - just because Mommy uses your full name doesn't mean you're in trouble!"
Anecdote #2
Not one, but two #2's today from our (dare I say it) potty-trained [past tense] 2 year old. [Note to self: buy lottery ticket with as many 2's as possible.] Sheila has stepped out on faith and boxed up all his diapers to give to charity. Austin continues to use the potty exclusively, except for campouts and the occasional urgent circumstance on the golf course. That makes 2 potty trained children, though I don't mean to 2-t our own horn (not 2 much)!
Anecdote #3
Austin completed assembly on his pinewood derby car today. I took all the parts to work this morning to weigh on our postal scales. "The Flying A" weighs in at a trim 4.8 ounces, below the 5 ounce limit but not too far below. (Remember, the car is shaped like the letter "A" when looking down at it.) He and Shelley voted for the name "The Flying A" over my preferences "The A Bomb" and "Kicking A", which was never even really given a chance. I hope to post a picture (my first) of his car -- ideally beside a trophy of some sort -- this weekend.
Finally
I am preparing my longest post ever: an end-of-the-month roundup of your reactions to previous posts, short rants and other tidbits which did not make the cut for a prior post. It should be up by Monday night, so please mark your date books for Tuesday morning! Current topics include Secretary of State Condi Rice, Sponge Bob and Patrick Star, an ode to Mssrs. Strunk and White, and Valentine's day place mats.
In other words, an eclectic visual bouquet of miscellany and whatnot. Woo-hoo!
Shelley: "Braden - what's your name?"
Braden: "Baden."
S: "How old are you?"
B: "Two." (Holds up several fingers.)
S: "Did you know your whole name is Braden James Horst?"
B: Silence.
S: "Can you say Braden James Horst?"
B: (Storm passing across his face.) "Dub duh uh Ma-ee duh ub truh-bull."
S: "What?"
B: "Dub duh uh dub Ma-ee duh ub dub uh truh-bull."
S: "Oh no baby - just because Mommy uses your full name doesn't mean you're in trouble!"
Anecdote #2
Not one, but two #2's today from our (dare I say it) potty-trained [past tense] 2 year old. [Note to self: buy lottery ticket with as many 2's as possible.] Sheila has stepped out on faith and boxed up all his diapers to give to charity. Austin continues to use the potty exclusively, except for campouts and the occasional urgent circumstance on the golf course. That makes 2 potty trained children, though I don't mean to 2-t our own horn (not 2 much)!
Anecdote #3
Austin completed assembly on his pinewood derby car today. I took all the parts to work this morning to weigh on our postal scales. "The Flying A" weighs in at a trim 4.8 ounces, below the 5 ounce limit but not too far below. (Remember, the car is shaped like the letter "A" when looking down at it.) He and Shelley voted for the name "The Flying A" over my preferences "The A Bomb" and "Kicking A", which was never even really given a chance. I hope to post a picture (my first) of his car -- ideally beside a trophy of some sort -- this weekend.
Finally
I am preparing my longest post ever: an end-of-the-month roundup of your reactions to previous posts, short rants and other tidbits which did not make the cut for a prior post. It should be up by Monday night, so please mark your date books for Tuesday morning! Current topics include Secretary of State Condi Rice, Sponge Bob and Patrick Star, an ode to Mssrs. Strunk and White, and Valentine's day place mats.
In other words, an eclectic visual bouquet of miscellany and whatnot. Woo-hoo!
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Life Offline
Okay, so I'm sure everyone who sets out to create a blog as their new year's resolution runs out of steam about January 20th: things get a little busy, work starts gearing up, the usual stuff.
Then there are emails and calls reminding you that you need to write again, "we miss your stories", etc. It's late, but I think I promised someone today or yesterday that I would write tonight. So...
Business has really picked up online, and I have found myself preoccupied with web page "work" instead of "play". Steve has emerged as my fasting rising affiliate, with sales this month coming nearly every day, and often more than once a day. Sadly, they are mostly of the "Richard Simmons Disco Sweat - DVD" variety, (a payday of $1.73 fyi), but there are bigger sales, too. Not bad, considering the advertising budget for his site is $0, to my knowledge. He still remains second banana behind Mom and Dad, whose site Grand 8 Marketplace continues to generate "pennies from heaven" (as Mom calls their commission checks).
The potty training has had mixed results, though the pee-pee is nearly 100% in the potty at this point. Poo-poo is still a bit dicey, but Braden messing his pull-ups is truly an "accident" now, as the norm is going to the potty. Vocabulary this week has focused a great deal on "boke" and "fick it". Example: "Oh no Da-ee, Bay-un boke dub uh toy. Da-ee fick it?"
Austin had a very successful sleepover with a friend from school Friday night. I emphasize successful because he has tended to get antsy around bedtime in the past and call the whole thing off. But he enjoyed himself a great deal, and he and the boy he stayed with worked on some props for their "Destination Imagination" team. Too late and too tired to go into an explanation of DI - some other time. Like when I catch everyone up on the story about the anniversary cruise Austin "gave" us.
His pinewood derby car is wickedly cool, though I'm sure that is a "stupid" way to describe it. I listen to him incorporating slang and [teenage?] jargon into his daily vocabulary and it makes me want to sit in the rocking chair. Current 'fingernails on a chalkboard' expressions include "gay" meaning "anything stupid" and "dude" meaning literally anything. He says "dude" like I say "uh" when I preach - that is to say, about every 10th word or so. He is still a sweet, goofy kid though, and I cherish that sweetness because I know it has a short shelf life until the expiration date sometime around his 13th birthday.
Had an interesting meeting with the "double-secret sermon inspiration task force" at church Monday afternoon. Several members of the staff meet every Monday to give the Senior Minister ideas/stories/scriptures to use in his sermon. They met with me Monday to help me get ready for February 13th. [New working sermon title: goodandfaithfulservant.com!] Several helpful ideas, but the thing which sticks out the most was the curmudgeon of the group telling us all his theory that the Internet is the Anti-Christ.
I'm going to take a moment so you can let that sink in.
I had neither the time nor the patience to explore this theory, and the rest of the group gave him the "it's a tool, and like all tools it can be used for bad OR for good" speech, and then changed the subject. Sadly, the subject was my comparing building a successful Internet website with being a good and faithful servant of Christ, so the Internet kept coming up. [Key moment for the message: "Millions of people are searching every day - what, as Christians, can we offer to help them find what they need?]
Okay, it seems goofy reading it, but when I preach it with my finely-tuned "10% Billy Graham, 90% Gomer Pyle" delivery, there won't be a dry eye in the house!
Then there are emails and calls reminding you that you need to write again, "we miss your stories", etc. It's late, but I think I promised someone today or yesterday that I would write tonight. So...
Business has really picked up online, and I have found myself preoccupied with web page "work" instead of "play". Steve has emerged as my fasting rising affiliate, with sales this month coming nearly every day, and often more than once a day. Sadly, they are mostly of the "Richard Simmons Disco Sweat - DVD" variety, (a payday of $1.73 fyi), but there are bigger sales, too. Not bad, considering the advertising budget for his site is $0, to my knowledge. He still remains second banana behind Mom and Dad, whose site Grand 8 Marketplace continues to generate "pennies from heaven" (as Mom calls their commission checks).
The potty training has had mixed results, though the pee-pee is nearly 100% in the potty at this point. Poo-poo is still a bit dicey, but Braden messing his pull-ups is truly an "accident" now, as the norm is going to the potty. Vocabulary this week has focused a great deal on "boke" and "fick it". Example: "Oh no Da-ee, Bay-un boke dub uh toy. Da-ee fick it?"
Austin had a very successful sleepover with a friend from school Friday night. I emphasize successful because he has tended to get antsy around bedtime in the past and call the whole thing off. But he enjoyed himself a great deal, and he and the boy he stayed with worked on some props for their "Destination Imagination" team. Too late and too tired to go into an explanation of DI - some other time. Like when I catch everyone up on the story about the anniversary cruise Austin "gave" us.
His pinewood derby car is wickedly cool, though I'm sure that is a "stupid" way to describe it. I listen to him incorporating slang and [teenage?] jargon into his daily vocabulary and it makes me want to sit in the rocking chair. Current 'fingernails on a chalkboard' expressions include "gay" meaning "anything stupid" and "dude" meaning literally anything. He says "dude" like I say "uh" when I preach - that is to say, about every 10th word or so. He is still a sweet, goofy kid though, and I cherish that sweetness because I know it has a short shelf life until the expiration date sometime around his 13th birthday.
Had an interesting meeting with the "double-secret sermon inspiration task force" at church Monday afternoon. Several members of the staff meet every Monday to give the Senior Minister ideas/stories/scriptures to use in his sermon. They met with me Monday to help me get ready for February 13th. [New working sermon title: goodandfaithfulservant.com!] Several helpful ideas, but the thing which sticks out the most was the curmudgeon of the group telling us all his theory that the Internet is the Anti-Christ.
I'm going to take a moment so you can let that sink in.
I had neither the time nor the patience to explore this theory, and the rest of the group gave him the "it's a tool, and like all tools it can be used for bad OR for good" speech, and then changed the subject. Sadly, the subject was my comparing building a successful Internet website with being a good and faithful servant of Christ, so the Internet kept coming up. [Key moment for the message: "Millions of people are searching every day - what, as Christians, can we offer to help them find what they need?]
Okay, it seems goofy reading it, but when I preach it with my finely-tuned "10% Billy Graham, 90% Gomer Pyle" delivery, there won't be a dry eye in the house!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
I See Your Raise Blair, and Call
Because my little brother Blair was so tacky as to post a comment on my blog for the unspeakably self-serving reason of creating additional inbound links to his most popular product pages, I have been forced to respond.
Behold my greatest page ever! The Ab Scissor - Body By Jake
As Sean Connery's character said in "The Untouchables",
Of course, I have stayed up until 3am to finish de-bugging my code, so who knows what price I will pay for my escalation of the on-line rivalry!
Behold my greatest page ever! The Ab Scissor - Body By Jake
As Sean Connery's character said in "The Untouchables",
"They stab one of yours, you shoot one of theirs. They put one of yours in the hospital, you put one of theirs in the morgue. It's the Chicago way!
Of course, I have stayed up until 3am to finish de-bugging my code, so who knows what price I will pay for my escalation of the on-line rivalry!
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