'Tis the season

A lot of people do a lot of good things at this time of year. It's a shame they don't continue all year long the selfless acts of kindness they share in the last month or two of the year...

Oh wait! Some do! The Gives Me Hope site collects evidence that humanity exists all year.

To those that perform random, or targeted acts of kindness all year round... Thank you! The world is a better place because of you. To those that don't - may I suggest a New Year's resolution? :-)

Hey you!

In case it wasn't obvious...

How often have you seen a sign that just flat out states the obvious? Many are the results of lawsuits (or to prevent them). Remember the "Caution: This cup of hot coffee may be hot" warnings? Or "This jar of peanut butter contains peanuts"?

The folks over at Oddly Specific have collected signs from all over that have the same flare. I'm curious what lawsuits brought on some of these signs...

Unemployment stats

The New York Times posted an interesting infographic about the differing unemployment rates that apply to the US population based on race, gender, age, and education. See who else is suffering with you at the NYT's Unemployment Lines.

A little doodling

One of the little "personality" things about Google is their Google Doodles -- changes to their logo on the main Google page that represents a significant event or anniversary. I'd been catching most of them by accident when I saw them. Using bookmarklets as I do, I don't often go to the Google homepage often anymore.

Along comes Doodle Watch. Several sites had collections of the Doodles, including Google itself, but this is the first site that does it all automatically, from different countries, allows rating, searching via tags, guesstimates when the next one will appear, and a lot more. Kinda cool just to browse random Doodles as well.

Quick note: Did you know that clicking on one of these Doodles on Google's home page will automatically take you to more information about that particular topic?

Happy Holidays

Jack Bauer is no match for Santa!

Think ahead!

Snow hearts

My youngest son and I went out to shovel snow Saturday before all of our Christmas travelling around. We did our driveway, neighbor's driveways and sidewalks. He's really getting good at getting at it, and I'm glad for the help. It's still fun for him :-)

When I shovel snow, I shovel in front of me, so that I don't leave ghost prints (the snow that's packed down in the shape of footprints and doesn't shovel up easily with the rest). I try to get out to shovel before we drive the cars over the fresh snow as well for the same reason.

That day, we hit the snow about 7:15 or so, but not before some traffic had made the rounds apparently. The newspaper carrier (I think) had driven up the apron on my neighbor's driveway to turn around. Apparently making a three-point attempt, this is what was left behind after I shoveled the unpacked snow off the top... Simply amazing!

Candy Canes

How they're made:


More fascinating history about them can be found at this Mental Floss article

Bad Economy?

The economy is so bad that I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.

It's so bad, I ordered a burger at McDonalds and the kid behind the counter asked, "Can you afford fries with that?"

The economy is so bad that CEO's are now playing miniature golf.

The economy is so bad if the bank returns your check marked "Insufficient Funds," you call them and ask if they meant you or them.

The economy is so bad Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

The economy is so bad Obama met with three small businesses to discuss the Stimulus Package: GE, Pfizer, and Citigroup.

The economy is so bad parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children's names.

The economy is so bad Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

The economy is so bad Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore.

The economy is so bad the Mafia is laying off judges.

The economy is so bad Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

9-11 all over again

September 11, 2001 was a terrible day for America (and many other countries for that matter).  For many it's still really hard to remember.  For others, remembering is necessary to keep their loved ones alive, if only to them. 

Wikileaks has released 500,000 text messages sent on that day (from 3am on September 11, until 3AM the following day (US east coast time)).  Conspiracy theories asside, it is interesting and scary reading.  Interesting how the event was broadcast and communicated.  Interesting how the pages were intercepted.  Interesting how people reacted (corporate meetings called, etc).  Scary to relive the events.  Scary to have the human side of the events broought back to the front of your mind. 

Scary that this could still happen again.

Chrome

My wife had been suffering with IE for a while and so I finally got her set up with Google's Chrome browser. No more unresponsive links. No more crashing the whole browser when one tab flakes out. The great speed claims are holding true for her so far. She said the transition was really easy and no issues. It imported her bookmarks. Saved her default search engine...

Google is apparently really pushing Chrome this holiday season as well. Though I've not seen them anywhere "in the wild" yet, I did come across some really cool ads for Chrome...

Speed:


Tabs:


Themes:


Stability:


Security:


Omnibox:


Incognito:


Full video:


Making of...


Japanese ad

What would Christmas be like?

Colors of the rainbow

I used to think that the presence of all colors was black. Mix all the paint together and you got black.

Then I learned about prisms in school and that taught me that the presence of all colors of light is white.

This weekend I made another discovery. The presence of all colors of Play-doh is purple.

I'm so confused!

Benefits of living in the country

Out the back window of my Dad's house...  And this is a common occurance!

Snowman humor

See Tundra Comics for more...

Hand getting tired?

Is your hand getting tired from addressing all those Christmas cards?  Or maybe you are still recovering from writing thank you notes for your birthday.  Technology is here to help!

Typing is so much faster, and less painful, but so much more impersonal than handwritten letters.  Now you can have the best of both worlds with FontCapture in a few easy steps.  Print the template.  Fill it in.  Scan it and upload it.  Download your font.  It's that simple.  And Free!

Then create labels, postcards, or entire letters to grandma in your own "handwriting" on the computer.  She'll never know (unless she too reads this blog!)

Siiiiiiiinging in the... BATHROOM?!

When my nephew was really young he used to sing while he was going to the bathroom. When he wasn't within eye-shot, we'd just listen to see if he was singing. If so, we knew that he'd stepped away to go to the
bathroom. I think that my youngest did this for a while as well (now he whistles).

A trip to the restroom at work just now took me back to those days so long ago as I heard the soft humming of Christmas songs coming from behind a stall door. Funny what makes you remember things.

I often times will have some really weird thought pop into my head. It seems totally disconnected from anything that we're talking about at the time, and yet somehow related. If I take a couple of seconds I can
usually trace it back 4, 5, 6 or more steps to something that is relevant.

Odd how my mind works...

Summary of Life

Summary of Life

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:
1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats..
2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food..
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandma's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:
1) Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2) Wrinkles don't hurt.
3) Families are like fudge....mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD
1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE:
1) You believe in Santa Claus.
2) You don't believe in Santa Claus.
3) You are Santa Claus.
4) You look like Santa Claus.

SUCCESS:
At age 4 success is . . . . Not piddling in your pants.
At age 12 success is . . . Having friends.
At age 17 success is . . Having a driver's license.
At age 35 success is . . . ..having money.
At age 50 success is . . . Having money..
At age 70 success is . .. . Having a drivers license.
At age 75 success is . ... . Having friends.
At age 80 success is . . .. Not piddling in your pants.

English Language

As a native speaker, I guess I am just used to all of the nuances of the English language.  When I took foreign language in school (German, Japanese), everything seemed to be based on rules.  For English everything seems to be based on exceptions.  I'm learning that all over again while helping my youngest learn to read. 

Definitions of words are also kinda wacky.  English started as a mixture of languages (if I recall correctly), but in general, words have "stems" that can help at least get you close tothe true meaning of the word.  Then mix in homonyms and it's incredible that two people can speak to each other in English at all.

The folks over at the Washington Post turned this chaos into a little humorous activity, asking readers to provide alternate, humorous, meanings for common words.  The Apropos of Nothing blog captured the winners of this neologism contest.

No more fogged mirrors

Here's my little Lifehacker-lite tip of the day... :-)

I set my furnace to kick on right as I'm getting up each morning so that as I take my shower, releasing all that moisture into the air, the hot air comes streaming into the bathroom to suck it up. As I get out of the shower, the mirrors are clear and ready to use.

Make it fun! Change the world

The people over at Volkswagen are known for automobiles, but they also have a little side project going on to change the world. They are the creator and sponsor of a project and website called The Fun Theory. According to their site, they are "dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better."

The premise is that people are more likely to do something -- cleanup up dirty streets, exercise, talk to each other, recycle, be polite -- if it's fun for them. Humans are complex creatures. We are driven by a number of multi-dimensional needs including the need to fit in, the need to acquire stuff, the need to be loved, the need to feel safe, the need to feel in control. Even the most altruistic among us is still in it for themselves (even if it's just to leave the world a better place than it was when they got here). Engage all of that selfishness and still make something that's fun... that's ambitious. Get people to do something good for their neighbor, the neighborhood, the area, the world at the same time? That takes true talent. Glückwünsche Volkswagen! Glückwünsche.

You're invited to participate as well. Be part of the movement. Get inspired by others' submissions, vote on your favorite, then submit your own ideas.

The Elves! They Attack!

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

My life...

In the absence of clearly-defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it. -- Robert Heinlein

Echo

It's amazing what the human body can accomplish.

FIRECRACKERS!

And it's not even July! These girls are amazing! 4th -8th grade!

Give 'em a shot!

Can you imagine if he'd been able to play the whole season?!

Different does not mean can't. Handicapped does not mean won't. Slow does not mean loser. Disabled does not mean unable. This country, this world, would be a very boring place if we were all excellent at everything we tried.

It's true that there can be only one best, but there can be billions of really greats. A little heart, determination, and opportunity, will enable those really greats to know their worth and value. How can you be really great? How can you help somone else realizae their greatness?

Saturn

The folks over at Boston.com have another awesome collection of pictures in their Big Picture collection. This one is of the planet Saturn. At least I think it's still a planet :-)

Truly spectacular!

This explains it all

Another "read it on the Internet" post...

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway,
I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.

I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor..

So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
The car isn't washed
The bills aren't paid
There is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter
The flowers don't have enough water,
There is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
And I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day,
And I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail...

1+1 = Alpha

Admit it. When you were in math class, you turned your calculator over (or slide rule for some of you :-) and tried to see how many words you could spell. Well, like a lot of things nowadays, someone (with too much time on their hands) has already done the work and posted it on the Internet. There are apparently quite a few more than my vocabulary would support when I did it...

Join me for lunch?

Two quick lunch-time sites for reference today. The first is to help you find a fast food restaurant. I know, I know. Not many people need help with this. Seems like you can't spit into the wind without a little spittle landing in a fast food joint's parking lot (don't ask me where that visual came from). They're everywhere. Well, now they're on the web too -- at Fast Food Maps.

If you can't talk someone into joining you across town for your favorite fast food, how about meeting them halfway using the Mezzoman site. Enter a starting point for you and one for your friend (city will do) and then where you want to meet (Italian, golf course, pizza, a mall, etc) and the site will map (and list) out suggestions for you -- halfway between you and your friend. It'll even give you a link to see the weather at that meeting spot. Pretty cool.

And of course, both of these sites use Google Maps for their interface :-)

Too old to trick or treat?

I'm amazed at how many teenagers stop by our house each year. Some actually have costumes on, but others are dressed as "bums," or "teenagers," or "football players." Misscellania ran a list that might apply to those teenagers one day...

10. You get winded from knocking on the door.

9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.

8. You ask for high fiber candy only.

7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose your balance and fall over.

6. People say, "Great Keith Richards mask!" and you're not wearing a mask.

5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and can't remember the rest.

4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of restraining orders.

3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with a walker.

1. You avoid going to houses where your ex-wives live.

Happy Halloween!

Putting Edge

A little late, but we finally took my older boy and a couple of his friends out for a birthday event last weekend. His birthday was actually back in May, but things happen, so, better late than never. :-) He chose to go play glow-in-the-dark putt putt at Putting Edge. Everybody had a great time. I think he even got the low score! Bonus!

As this event fell within my week of consumer experiment, I went out to their site to say thanks. While there I found an on-line putting game on their site! Even more fun! Check it out!

Click here for a $2 coupon

Finally...

Just a quick update for those waiting for an update on my "consumer experiment." I've got my list ready - there are over 50 brands from one week of logging - and I'm going to start trying to hit some of them tonight... more later...

It wears you down...

I noticed a couple of weeks ago that when I got into the car in the morning I needed to adjust the mirror almost every day. I'm sure that my wife hadn't borrowed it, so I was uncertain why the mirror kept moving out of alignment. I'd have to adjust the mirror up in the morning.

As I began to track this more, looking for a cause, I realized that when I started heading home at night, I'd have to adjust my mirror down for my evening drive. OK, so now I knew it was me who had been the poltergeist adjusting the mirror (I wonder what else I do subconsciously now).

It still took me a little while longer to realize that it was just because of my posture. When I head out in the morning, I'm fresh, energized and ready to head to work (yeah I know, I'm a little sick sometimes). After "a long day at the office" I crawl back into my vehicle and slouch into the seat, adjust the mirror and head home.

I'd never before noticed this very obvious example of how a day can really wear you down.

Anyone else have this issue?

Change of plans...

As I was laying in bed last night, I tried to run through all of the brands I might be writing down starting this morning. I played through my morning routine in my mind, ticking off each thing I interacted with. The alarm clock would be the first thing. Bedding. Television. Pain on the walls (as I felt my way in the mostly dark hallway to the bathroom). I quickly realized that there would be too much to include if I recorded EVERYTHING I interacted with, so I decided to narrow it down to "consumable" items -- things that would need to be replaced by their usage or consumption. Surely this would be a more manageable list.

Before I had hit the car to drive to work, I had already recorded over 20 brands to contact for my little experiment. I added almost 20 more throughout the day. This little experiment was turning into a much bigger project that I was thinking initially. And I still haven't figured out the tracking logistics.

I'll continue logging the products/brands, and I'll start thinking about the tracking (brand, website, contact form, data contacted, date replied, automated reply or personal, type of reply (email, snail mail), newsletter subscription, etc. So much work yet to do...

Bring it on...

I'm gonna try something I think might be interesting starting next week. I'm going to keep a log of every commercial product/brand that I use during the course of one week. Then at the end of the week, I'll seek out the customer contact form on the web for each product, say something nice about the product, give them my email address and home address, and ask for coupons if available. I'll keep track of the initial list of products and then record what response, if any, I get. I think I saw something similar done before, but I can't find the link at the moment.

I'm curious not only what "financial gains" I might achieve (every coupon helps, and if they add me to a list for future mailings, even better), but also how companies are treating such requests these days. Are they reacting to more and more people trying to "milk the system," or are they seeing this as an avenue to reach more customers, instill brand loyalty and get them to purchase their product more often? Do they only respond via email, or will they respond via snail-mail as
well? Will they say "Thanks, we're glad you enjoy our products," or will they say, "If you liked that product, try this new product that we've just released."

My initial thought was to just pick a single day (weekday or weekend day), and use that list. I'm sure that there would be plenty of companies to contact. I'm talking about the alarm clock, the toothpaste, cereal, TV, car, cat food, bulk-goods store, grocery store, furnace, gasoline, lunch meat, "Tupperware-esque" containers, vitamins and everything else that I actually utilize in a day. I'm not going after stuff I don't use, just to get stuff. I'm communicating with companies with whom I already have a relationship of some kind. Then, I realized that over the course of the week (all seven-days), the number of companies added each day would dwindle geometrically as I use mostly the same things each day, so I decided to stretch it out for a whole week.

I'm sure it will generate more email. I'm sure it will generate more snail-mail. I recycle both, so I'm not worried too much about these increases. There are some things that won't necessarily justify a coupon, or "reward" of some kind. I'm thinking that the furnace manufacturer might deal only through dealers. The same thing with my car manufacturer. I might get a few cold calls from them, but with my Google Voice account, I can stop those as spam if I need to.

I might throw in a couple of brands I regularly visit or use, but just didn't hit during this period -- some fast food spots, etc. - just to see what happens as well.

There is definitely a selfish angle to this (the coupons, samples, etc), but I am very curious about the responsiveness of the companies as well.

I'll keep you updated on the experiment as it progresses.

Only a child...

... and yet so wise. It is a shame the rest of us aren't as smart as our children - that we have removed such wisdom from our adult minds. I am trying to foster the strength, wisdom, charity, compassion, and tenaciousness shown by this young child in my own children; for the people and for the planet. The need for many, many more people like this then 12-year-old Severn Suzuki is great. This speech was delivered in 1992, and yet we are only now beginning to understand, and to act.



I only hope it's not too late.

Have you donated blood lately?

Just a reminder that the need for blood continues. If you're able to donate -- whole blood, or components -- the life you save just might be your own (or mine!). Make the time... Take the time.

Thanks!

Find our more information and schedule an appointment at the American Red Cross donation site.

Whitehouse letters

An interesting video about some of the letters US President Obama reads every day...

I'm scared...

I'm scared of getting sucked into another TV series. I managed to evade the Lost hype -- just never got into it, but this one looks really interesting. I hope it holds up to all of its pre-launch hype. In a week we'll see...

Bird music

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Reading a newspaper, I saw a picture of birds on the electric wires. I cut out the photo and decided to make a song, using the exact location of the birds as notes (no Photoshop edit). I knew it wasn't the most original idea in the universe. I was just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating.

I sent the music to the photographer, Paulo Pinto, who I Googled on the Internet. He told his editor, who told a reporter and the story ended up as an interview in the very same newspaper.

Here I've posted a short video made with the photo, the music and the score (composed by the birds).

Music made with Logic.
Video made with After Effects.

The newspaper story about my work (O Estado de São Paulo): http://tinyurl.com/l4qdbg (Google English translation)

Money to burn?

According to an article in Forbes Magazine (Sept 7, 2009, pg88), the following people have a lot of money to burn on Internet advertising:

Mesothelioma attorneys san diego
buy structured settlements
phoenix dui attorney
new york mesothelioma lawyers
phoenix arizona dui attorney

I'm just sayin' :)

Happy Grandparents Day!

Funny tales from Grandparents

1. She was in the bathroom putting on her makeup under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!" I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye....


2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him 62. My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"


3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. She heard the children getting more and more rambunctious and her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three year old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"


4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire that hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"


5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo and I said, "No, how are we alike?'' "You're both old," he replied.


6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied.. "I can't read."


7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door saying, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these, yourself!"


8. When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fire flies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."


9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, "I'm not sure.." "Look in your underwear, Grandpa," he advised, "mine says I'm 4 to 6."


10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother,"Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting,"she said, "how do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."


11. Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Do you know what pregnant means?" she asked. "Sure," said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child."


12. A grandfather was delivering his grandchildren to their home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. "They use him to keep crowds back," said one child. "No," said another. "He's just for good luck." A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrants."


13. A 6-year-old was asked where his grandma lived. "Oh," he said, "she lives at the airport, and when we want her, we just go get her. Then, when we're done having her visit, we take her back to the airport."


14. Grandpa is the smartest man on earth! He teaches me good things, but I don't get to see him enough to get as smart as him!

All sky!

Marriage is like a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle -- all sky!

-- Cathy Ladman

quote

It ain't what people call you. It's what you answer to.

--Quoted by Tyler Perry in Madea's Family Reunion

Marriage

My wife tells me that if I ever decide to leave, she's coming with me. -- Jon Bon Jovi

heigh-ho...heigh-ho...

...It's off to school we go.

My kids start back to school today -- 1st grade, 5th grade, 6th grade -- in three separate schools... They're all really excited. We are too -- especially my wife :-)

Doppelgänger?

The other day at work, one of my co-workers said that I was a dead ringer for this guy, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

I guess he looks OK, though I think he has me by a few pounds :-)

I've never been told I look like anyone famous before. No, that's not true. My wife once said I look like this guy, actor Michael Douglas as the main character in the movie Falling Down.

...but I was not as well adjusted back then :-) Again, not a bad looking guy, so I should be flattered.

If you know who I am "in the real world," let me know who you think I look like...

Purse Snatcher Strap

I know, as does every parent, that my kids are very smart and will go far in life. In fact, I'm counting on it. Someone will have to pay for me in my old age.

I hadn't really thought about how early my oldest son had started showing his brilliance until the other day, though. Yes, he started reading early, walking early, talking early, etc, etc, etc, yada, yada, yada, but I didn't realize how inventive and smart he was at such an early age.

For quite a number of years, when my wife goes shopping and uses a cart, she takes her purse and actually buckles it into the "child seat" in the cart. I don't think it's because she got in the habit of strapping the kids in and just kept with the flow. She is a creature of habit, but I don't think she would carry it that far.

She told me the story awhile ago, but it didn't stick (or I didn't have a blog at the time to use to brag). Apparently, when my oldest son, then two years old, was out shopping with my wife and step-mom, he used to take the second seat belt and strap my wife's purse into the cart. He might have been amusing himself and his ability to be so in control, but when my wife went to remove her purse -- "WAIT! Why is my purse buckled into the cart! Hey, wait a minute. That would keep someone from walking by and taking my purse while I'm not paying close enough attention. Cool idea, son. Thanks." She locks her purse into the cart every time she goes shopping now.

OK, so maybe my wife deserves the credit. But my son certainly receives a co-author on the idea. And it sounds cooler to say my 2-year-old came up with the idea :-)

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOQRSTUVWXYZ

Look closely at the title of this post. See anything missing? It's not there -- it's all over my tile in the kitty litter area instead!

We've not changed anything recently, but for some reason my cats, probably just one actually, has chosen to pee all over the tile instead of in the litter pan. Not sure why. Haven't changed the litter brand or type. Haven't changed the litter pan. Haven't changed the location of the litter pan. Haven't changed his diet. No indication that he's sick or anything. No change in how clean we keep it (we try hard). No change in the family dynamic. No new cats, or other pets added to the mix. No drastic change to our family schedule (haven't really even gotten into the school routine yet). Nothing else is different in his behavior. No indication that he's been knighted and is too good to use the litter pan now. It's not like he misses, he just goes outside the litter pan. This is a multiple-times-a-day occurrence! Thankfully it's on tile, and not carpet (duh!), but it's still stinky, messy to clean, and just frustrating that we can't break him of it.

The cat that I think is torturing us this way is our indoor/outdoor cat Joey. I've watched him a couple of times when he comes in from the outside, thinking I could catch him and redirect him appropriately. No go. He goes to eat, then wanders away, sneaking back to leave his mark when I'm not watching...

I'm out of ideas. Thoughts?

Another word game

MustPopWords requires you to type in words you can spell with the letters appearing on the dropping balls. Keep making words to keep the ball count below 50. Slightly addicting, but I can't seem to get past making 3-letter words :-(

Healthcare Reform in the US

I usually try to keep my political views out of this blog, but in this case I think that the issue is important enough to break that code. President Obama and his staff are trying to reform the health care system in the United States. There's a lot that I think is broken, and though I am happy with my current coverage for the most part (a price break would be nice, though), there are millions of people without health care in this great nation of ours.

The Obama administration is feeling a little headwind on their plans for reform -- some from the health care industry who would have to clean up their act and play fairly, at some loss of revenue, and some by those who are just opposed to anything that the Democrats do. There's a lot of fighting, discussing, arguing, debating, posturing and politicking going on all over right now.

The American Medical Association has weighed in on the new Obama health care proposals.

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves. The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted. Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, "Oh, Grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it. Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing. The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter...."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea. The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the asses in Washington...

'Nuff said.

Sept 26th -- Free Food for the Mind!

The Smithsonian is sponsoring Museum Day - a chance to visit over 800 museums around the country for FREE. Click the graphic above and let your adventure begin!

Let's go shopping...NOT!

I know, I know, this is probably just something that someone typed up and not legit, but it's funny nonetheless. Some of them might be fun to try myself one day... I'm just sayin' :-)

Abbott and Costello in today's world

You have to be old enough to remember Abbott and Costello, and too old to REALLY understand computers, to fully appreciate this. For
those of us who sometimes get flustered by our computers, please read on...

If Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were alive today, their infamous sketch, 'Who's on First?' might have turned out something like this:

COSTELLO CALLS TO BUY A COMPUTER FROM ABBOTT

ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: Thanks I'm setting up an office in my den and I'm thinking about buying a computer.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: No, the name's Lou.

ABBOTT: Your computer?

COSTELLO: I don't own a computer. I want to buy one.

ABBOTT: Mac?

COSTELLO: I told you, my name's Lou.

ABBOTT: What about Windows?

COSTELLO: Why? Will it get stuffy in here?

ABBOTT: Do you want a computer with Windows?

COSTELLO: I don't know. What will I see when I look at the windows?

ABBOTT: Wallpaper.

COSTELLO: Never mind the windows. I need a computer and software.

ABBOTT: Software for Windows?

COSTELLO: No. On the computer! I need something I can use to write proposals, track expenses and run my business. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yeah, for my office. Can you recommend anything?

ABBOTT: I just did.

COSTELLO: You just did what?

ABBOTT: Recommend something.

COSTELLO: You recommended something?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: For my office?

ABBOTT: Yes.

COSTELLO: OK, what did you recommend for my office?

ABBOTT: Office.

COSTELLO: Yes, for my office!

ABBOTT: I recommend Office with Windows.

COSTELLO: I already have an office with windows! OK, let's just say I'm sitting at my computer and I want to type a proposal. What do I need?

ABBOTT: Word.

COSTELLO: What word?

ABBOTT: Word in Office.

COSTELLO: The only word in office is office.

ABBOTT: The Word in Office for Windows.

COSTELLO: Which word in office for windows?

ABBOTT: The Word you get when you click the blue 'W'.

COSTELLO: I'm going to click your blue 'w' if you don't start with some straight answers. What about financial bookkeeping? You have anything I can track my money with?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: That's right. What do you have?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: I need money to track my money?

ABBOTT: It comes bundled with your computer.

COSTELLO: What's bundled with my computer?

ABBOTT: Money.

COSTELLO: Money comes with my computer?

ABBOTT: Yes. No extra charge.

COSTELLO: I get a bundle of money with my computer? How much?

ABBOTT: One copy.

COSTELLO: Isn't it illegal to copy money?

ABBOTT: Microsoft gave us a license to copy Money.

COSTELLO: They can give you a license to copy money?

ABBOTT: Why not? THEY OWN IT!

(A few days later)
ABBOTT: Super Duper computer store. Can I help you?

COSTELLO: How do I turn my computer off?

ABBOTT: Click on 'START'.............

Mini Cooper humor

A friend of mine owns a Mini Cooper. I had lunch with him the other day and was relating this to my kids, who refer to my friend as "Purple Shirt Jeff." What made me bring this up to them was that we were passing a Mini dealership. When I pointed out that "That's just like the car that Jeff has now," my youngest proceeded to ask if it was going to get any bigger when it grew up.

"No, son, a Mini Cooper is not a baby car, it will not get any bigger," I had to reply. We all had a good laugh at his insight.

Mountain living...

Good thing -- no mosquitoes. Apparently it's because there is no standing water for them to bread in 'cuz it's always running downhill.

Bad thing -- no-see-um's (aka biting midges). OUCH!

These boots were made for hikin'

So that's just what we did... We hiked from Max Patch to Lemon Gap on the Appalachian Trail in NC the other day. The guide books say that's a distance of 5.8 miles, but I don't think that includes the mile or so climb to the top of Max Patch to start the trip, so let's make it an even 7 miles including the "up the hill, down the hill" games the kids played.

My mother-in-law lives at about 3750 feet up in the mountains, and Max Patch peaks another 900 feet higher than that at about 4616 feet above sea level. We ended at Lemon Gap which is back down to about 3500 feet so it was a nice downhill slope most of the time. My mother-in-law has hiked about 3/4 of the Trail so far. Now my kids can say that they've hiked 0.32% of it!

They had a great time, though I had to carry my youngest (and another one his age) at the very end. 5-1/2 year olds just can't handle all of that yet I guess. The views were really spectacular even through most of the trail was through the woods. The path was really well maintained. It was a nice trail to cut our hiking legs on. I suspect that we'll do more as the kids get a little older.

Travel times

OK, so 12 hours in the car is never a "quick trip," but once again it seemed like forever on the way home yesterday. It seemed like much longer than the time it took to drive to North Carolina on the way down last week. We took exactly the same router (but in reverse) on the way back. Yes, there was a little more construction, but not enough to impact this perception I don't think.

One day while we were down there, we went to a place my mother-in-law works to say hi, get a quick tour, and just to have something to do. The house was just over 2 miles from the main road, though it took (or seemed to take) quite a long time to get there, relatively speaking. It was on a mountain, so there were all these switchbacks, narrow roads, steep grades, even a creek to cross on the way there. When we got there, it was really cool. The owners of the house own Mary Mac's Tea Room in Atlanta. Very nice people and a very nice (and large!) house.

Anyway, back to the issue... When we left, it seemed like it took just a few seconds to get back to the main road. Go figure!

Some might way that it takes longer when you don't know exactly where you're going. OK, on that theory, the house visit makes sense. Took longer to get there because we weren't sure where we were going and seemed to be much quick retracing our steps back to the main road. But that doesn't work for the ride home. We knew exactly where we were going and it still seemed to take a lot longer.

Some might say it's the anticipation of being home. You want it so bad, it can't come fast enough -- kind of like a watched pot never boiling. A little credence in there I guess...

Maybe it was because we were all really tired on the way home and that disturbed our sense of time. Pretty sad to be so darn tired from a vacation, but.

I'm not sure what it was, but I'm really glad to be home... finally...

On the raod again...

We try to find something interesting to do on the way home from NC. Sometimes we play Are we there yet?, a kind of I Spy / Bingo card game mash-up. Other times we play the Alphabet game. Anything to help pass the 11-12 hours that we're couped up in the wagon.

One "game" we often play if the license plate game where we keep track of all the states we can find on the passing license plates. The only rules are that they cars/trucks/semis, etc have to be on the same road as us, and they have to be moving. Cars in parking lots when we have to stop don't count.

I forgot to print the sheets so that we could play on the way down to NC, but on the way back we saw 30 states and 2 Canadian provinces. We had plates from as far west as Washington (a semi, I think) and as far east as New Jersey.

We didn't get to count it because it didn't fit the rules we'd established, but we did see an Alaska plate in a parking lot. That started a whole debate about why we'd be really unlikely to see plates from Hawaii... :-)

zea mays everta

My kids love popcorn. I love popcorn. My wife loves popcorn. I've loved popcorn for a long time, but I did not know these 20 things...

Mia Rose

I'm not sure when I came across Mia on Youtube, but I really enjoy listening to her. She sings a lot of covers, but has some of her own as well. Ana Free is a friend of hers as well that I like.

One of Mia's fans decided to put together this "What the future holds" video. Given Mia's quick rising star, this video may be very prophetic... Enjoy

100 things your kids may never know about...

The Wired Geek Dad recently posted a list of things that his his will never know experience except through reading about them on Wikipedia or some future equivalent. These are items that were ever-present in his youth and while growing up. Some were more fleeting than others, but anyone his, or my age will remember them.

It's interesting thinking about what my kids might put on a list like this of their own someday... Hover boards, teleporters, instant ice cream, humanoid robots, self-cleaning houses, One-terabyte cameras, ... hmmm

Radio Disney

I've not posted recently about Radio Disney partly because we've not been able to attend any of the road shows recently (busy summer, shows further away, etc), but don't YOU forget about them. Lots of fun and prizes to be had for all!

I still keep the calendar to date on the right column whenever they add anything to their official calendar or I hear about the road shows on the radio, etc. Check 'em out!

What are you doin' right now?

The New York Times had an interesting interactive breakdown recently of how we each spend our 24-hours allotted to us each day. Categories include activities like eating, sleeping, watching TV, household chores, computer use, etc. The interactivity is just as interesting as the data itself.

Warning: Don't read this one at work. People will stare!

Just try reading this without laughing till you cry!


A guy who purchased his lovely wife a pocket Tazer for their anniversary submitted this:

Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol &Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 15th anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Julie. What I came across was a 100,000-volt, pocket/purse-sized tazer. The effects of the tazer were supposed to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety….?? WAY TOO COOL!

Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two AAA batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button and pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arc of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. AWESOME!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Julie what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave.

Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-A batteries, right? There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong?

So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, and tazer in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries.

All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5″ long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and (loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-A batteries) thinking to myself, 'no possible way!' What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best.

I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as if to say, 'don't do it dipshit,' reasoning that a one second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad. I decided to give myself a one second burst just for heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and . . HOLY MOTHER OF GOD . . WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION . . . WHAT THE HELL!!!

I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs? The cat was making meowing sounds I had never heard before, clinging to a picture frame hanging above the fireplace, obviously in an attempt to avoid getting slammed by my body flopping all over the living room.

Note: If you ever feel compelled to 'mug' yourself with a tazer, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one second burst when you zap yourself! You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor.. A three second burst would be considered conservative? IT HURT LIKE HELL!!!

A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), I collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. The recliner was upside down and about 8 feet or so from where it originally was. My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I had no control over the drooling. Apparently I pooped on myself, but was too numb to know for sure and my sense of smell was gone. I saw a faint smoke cloud above my head which I believe came from my hair. I'm still looking for my nuts and I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return!

P.S. My wife, can't stop laughing about my experience, loved the gift, and now regularly threatens me with it!

If you think education is difficult, try being stupid !!!

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a filtered bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.. WHY? Because we were always outside playing.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on..

No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Play Stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

--

I'm not advocating a lot of the things called out here. This is definitely a different time we live in, but it kinda makes you think. It makes you think of all the fun we had back them. It makes you think, "Am I allowing my kids to have that much fun, and can I?"

Reader's Digest had an article this month called Bubble Babies talking about how the "Kiddie-Safety Industrial Complex" has convinced us to part with our money -- in the name of keeping our children safer. I remember a similar story about a mom in New York that let her 9-year-old son ride the subway alone. My immediate reaction was WHAT THE...! Then I shifted to, "well if he's mature enough, I guess." Then, "surely the "sane" people outnumber the "criminal elements" by a large enough margin that he'd be safe." I was conflicted.

There's no debating that science has improved our standard of life and living, but have we taken it too far. In many ways, I think so. I'm guilty of over-protecting my kids as well. We live in one of the safest cities and neighborhoods in the country, and yet, I won't allow one of my children to go around the block, out of my sight, without at least one of the others going with them. Safety in numbers. If something does happen, there'll be someone to help, someone to scream, someone to describe what happened. The likelihood of anything more tragic than a scraped knee happening is less than me winning the multi-state lottery three times in a row in three weeks (Anyone care to calculate the odds of that just to keep me straight?).

I remember playing in an abandoned log cabin way back in the woods. I remember playing in a hay loft that was surely decrepit enough to be condemned. I remember bringing a lit sparkler into the house (and burning a hole in the carpet -- never had that babysitter again!). I remember jumping on a trampoline without the net enclosure. I remember riding my bike in the middle of the street, without a helmet. And I survived.

But... I also know of kids that have broken their arm falling on the padded section of a McDonald's play area. And a 10-ish-year-old that had to wear a halo brace for quite a while because of an injury in a ball pit if I recall (or was it a moon jump?).

I'm not saying that my parents didn't care about my upbringing or my safety - they did. I'm also not saying that I followed every rule they set.

As a parent, our children are the most precious things we "own." It's only natural to want to keep them as safe as possible, right? At whatever "cost?" If that means going a little overboard, so be it.

I don't like my kids jumping off the swing set. My wife insists that they wear helmets when they ride bikes or scooters. Are they better off because of rules like these? Probably. At least in the short-term. Will it prevent them from taking chances, risking it all, finding the cure for Cancer? Only time will tell. I hope not.

Unemployment...over time

My sister finally got a job the other day after being unemployed for several months. I'm glad for her. It's a huge weight off her family's shoulders. She's not alone in her experiences. It's no secret that Michigan's not doing so hot right now. There are many, many people that haven't been as lucky as her.

A co-worker of mine shared a site he had seen that showed the employment status over time for many metropolitan areas from 2004 to present. It's really quite interesting. it shows we still have a long way to go, though.

Dear Anonymous...

I guess it's not fair for me to ask who you are because I don't say who I am, but my head's spinning trying to think of who you might be... I know that several of my coworkers read this (Thanks!), and several friends and family (Thanks!), but I'm trying to think of which of you started working after me.

Oh well... Thanks for reading my thoughts and leaving yours! I get an email when someone leaves a comment and I LOVE seeing those pop into my mailbox. It's always a pleasant surprise and it reminds me that people are visiting.

Thanks again!

I wanna do something that matters

There is a Lady Antebellum song called I Was Here that's used as part of an advertisement for one of the breast cancer fundraising walks around here. It's an encouragement to "do something that matters" like raising funds for breast cancer research. I've not taken part in any of the walks so far, but I wanna do something that matters too.

I wanna leave something behind. I want someone to remember me for what I've done. I have not set such lofty ambitions as curing cancer, curing the common cold, or creating world peace (though if someone could take care of those soon, I'd be grateful). Those are simply not in my skill set to achieve. I won't be able to build a faster computer. I won't be remembered in some encyclopedia, filed virtually alphabetically. I won't even be able to build a better mousetrap – have you seen how effective those things are already?!

My daily routine outside of the house involves a lot of data manipulation. But once it's manipulated, I'm done. I've found some interesting ways to manipulate the data, and some interesting insights because of those manipulations, but in the end it's very ephemeral. Once it's done, it's done. I may not be able to change the masses, but I think, I hope, that I'm changing those a little closer to home.

I've never been one to collect friends along the way. I have several people (non-family) that I care about, and only want good things to happen to, but none that I really hang out with. Perhaps that's part of my not liking crowds, or because of. I have several people at work that I battle between calling "co-workers" and "friends." The dictionary defines friend as:

• A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.


• A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.


• A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.


• One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement

I guess they'd be considered friends then. :-)

Those people, I think, I have an impact on. I offer my knowledge, assistance, and my ear. I think that they appreciate each of those, and thereby me. I appreciate that.

Family… There, I think, is where I can really do something that matters. It may seem like just a little thing to some. I truly think that some people just don't get it – the act, role, the responsibility of parenting. I see it every time I'm out in public, but I think that's where I can leave my mark which will enable them to leave their mark as well – far into the future.

There is no instruction manual for parenting. There is not even an agreement on how to parent that could be documented. It's all trial and error – and a lot of both. You craft your own operations manual as you go along. There are dog-eared pages when you find something that works, and a bit of highlighting here and there for emphasis. There are notes in the margin, reminding you that this or that doesn't work every time. The recipe is written in pinches, dashes and smidgens.

There is no science as to the amount of attention, sleep, craft paper, bandages, money, exercise, toys, or food that any one child needs. The only thing that really matters is that you wrap it all up in love. You take the life experiences you had, the parenting that was inflict…, er um, used to raise you -- thanks Mom and Dad :-) --, and a grain of updates from the doctors and the media (remember that no one agrees on what's right, and because they use statistics, there's always an equal argument against any stand they take), mix it all together and repackage it as your own parenting style. With a little luck, you'll raise children that are half-way well-adjusted, able to conquer, or at least deal with adversity, be productive members of society and start the cycle all over again with their children of their own.

I think that I'm doing a pretty good job with my kids. My wife has more time with them during the day, but in the end, we find a balance. She adjusts my parenting and I adjust hers. We have a similar style in most regards, so it's more tweaks than corrections. We're teaching our kids to be loving, creative, self-sufficient, inquisitive, caring, intelligent, productive, empathetic individuals. I hope that they appreciate that when they get older.

I am doing something that matters. I am doing something lasting. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that as I struggle through the other daily challenges.

Goin' dark for a few posts...

Maybe it started when I realized I was turning old-er. Maybe it started when Gary got sick. Maybe it happened when I had a little cardiac scare several months ago. Don't know, but my mortality has been kinda running through my head recently. People I know are dying -- my age people!

I've lost three of my grandparents already, but don't remember too much about their deaths (the last one passed away in 1997). I was younger, and two of them were far away so I didn't see them often. My last grandmother is hanging in there and doing well, all things considered. She turned 90 this past March.

A friend at work is dealing with the imminent death of her father who's been battling cancer.

Sometimes I feel like I'm being paranoid about every little thing… Waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop. I know that, for the most part, I have no control of when that shoe drops, and I need to just live my life. I know that, and yet, the little fears keep creeping back when I'm not looking.

I find it a little therapeutic to write these posts - to get my thoughts out there - for my sake. If I get them out of my head, sometimes they leave me alone for a while. So, bare with me for a quick detour through my fears, paranoia and other completely irrational, yet natural, thoughts.

Never thought I'd say that!

Shortly after my kids were born, my wife noticed that she was saying some things that were, um, unexpected... They made perfect sense in context at the time, but after she said them, she realized how absurd they sounded.


Most recently, my daughter had gotten stung by a bee while playing outside in her bare feet. My oldest son ran upstairs to get his Dangerous Book for Boys book (it has, among other things, survival, Boy Scout kinda stuff). As I removed the stinger and applied cortisone and ice, he came rushing down the stairs, book in hand to help. About 10 seconds later... "That's very nice of you to offer, but NO!, you can't pee on your sister's foot!"

Amy -- I suggest you start a book now and give it to your daughter at high school graduation -- or perhaps share it with her potential dates after you review the naked baby bathtub pictures. :-)

Anyone else remember things that you thought you'd never say to your children? Leave them in the comments.

Gameshow funnies

Woman's Day has a collection of 10 Great Game Show Gaffes, mostly from the classics.

Does this kid have ADHD or what?!

My kids' attention span is like this still some days! Heck, MY attention span is like this some days. :-)

Facebook... I'll never understand it.

Guess Julian Smith won't either...

I hope he has a lot of solar panels

The guys over at Ironic Sans found this cool idea for a wall design. It's a wall covered by electrical outlets! I suspect that not all of them are live, but it is certainly a conversation piece! I love the fact that you could (or could not) somehow identify which ones will actually give you juice.

Scanning the comments on the site, the best one was "Baby proofing this would be a bitch." I can just picture someone putting those little plastic caps in each of the sockets :-)

Click on the picture for the full post including a close-up picture.

Cute & sporty babies

I know a song

Up to you to start up

You think English is easy???

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

PS. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?


You lovers of the English language might enjoy this .

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is 'UP.'

It's easy to understand UP meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report.

We call UP our friends. And we brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP. To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearingUP... When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP. When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so........it is time to shut UP!