Future Poltergeist

Update: actually I like this one more . . .

Relia and I sitting at the dining room table as she continues her quest to understand how knock-knock jokes really work. Relia: Knock-knock. Me: (wearily) Who's there? Relia: Um, um, (long pause as she thinks up a joke) - DF: (running from the other side of the house) KNOCK! KNOCK! (collides with my leg while looking supremely pleased with himself) Me: Hey buddy, who's there? DF: KNOCK KNOCK! We're trying hard to figure out humor over here.

This is from today's Astronomy Picture of the Day.

(Note, this post contains some politics but is meant in a light tone. Please take it as such.) An interesting post at NRO about what each of the candidates favorite movies are. The list is as follows: Herman Cain: The Godfather Michele Bachmann: Braveheart , “or maybe Saving Private Ryan ” Newt Gingrich: “Probably” Casablanca Rick Santorum: Field of Dreams Ron Paul: “I don’t watch many movies” Gary Johnson: Dr. Zhivago Mitt Romney: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Rick Perry: Immortal Beloved Barack Obama: Casablanca , The Godfather , Lawrence of Arabia , and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest If someone handed you this list and asked you to match it to the candidates it would be pretty tough to do so. As it probably should be. Both Obama and Gingrich like 'Casablanca' (as do I) but it almost certainly has to do with the witty writing and the love story more than any possible political reference. It made me think about what I'd answer if I was a candidate (don't ...

I'd like the kids to learn that when I open the refrigerator door to get them something it is not an invitation for them to jam their way in or open the door to it's widest possible angle. Not sure how to teach them this but as God as my witness; they will learn.

A couple of months back I had a conversation with my dad about our various e-readers. I made a point to him that old, classic books were usually free. To illustrate this I used the example of the Great Books of the Western World series. All of this, I proudly told him, was now free through my Kindle. Well, almost all of it. If you're not familiar with the series, back in the 50's a collection of the important books of Western civilization was put together by Encyclopedia Britannica. It stretches back to the ancient Greeks and is as far forward as the 19th century, ending with Freud. We had it while growing up and dad gave it to me about ten years ago or so. Here is wikipedia on it . The only thing not out there for free was the introductory book, called 'The Great Conversation' and two volumes that index the set by ideas. After talking to dad I cracked open the Conversation just to see what it gave me. To my great surprise it had a suggested reading plan. The s...

A few months back I ran across this concert on TV and DVR'd it. What a gorgeous and lush version of 'Roxane' here! Simply wonderful. This is my 'Calgon, take me away' video. For when the the kids are driving me a bit nuts. All you other at home parents have these types of things too, right?

I was able to watch most of today's game. The first half pretty closely, the second half had a lot of family stuff and then work. From what I saw I was very happy with the play of Ponder. The Vikes are not on the same level as the Packers but they certainly gave them a game. They obviously have some building blocks in place. After this loss they are 1-6 and certainly not a playoff contender. This has some fans dreaming of draft position for next year and I can't say that it hasn't crossed my mind too. At this point last year there were only five teams with either zero or one win. There were also five teams with two wins. Here is the list and their eventual draft position: Buffalo 0-6, drafted third San Fran 1-6, seventh Carolina 1-5, first Dallas 1-5, ninth Detroit 1-5, thirteenth Denver 2-5, second Cleveland 2-5, sixth San Diego 2-5, eighteenth Cincinnati 2-4, fourth Minnesota 2-4, twelfth After this week there will be six teams with either zero or one wins. There will als...

DF is picking up more and more words and the pace is accelerating. This means more conversation, some of it very funny. The best part is when you ask him a question and he very confidently says 'Noooo'. Occasionally he gives you a 'yeah' but not that often. If he bumps heads he pulls back and says 'sorry' (more like 'sah-ee' but you can tell what he means). He is also very clear about wanting 'up' or 'down' or 'outside'. Very, very clear. With this you can also do some basic bargaining. Things like offering food or reading a book instead of going right to bed. It also lets us reassure him that, yes, he too will be getting a snack when Relia does. My favorite bit is that he sometimes sings along with the music. Not often and he still has a lot to learn, but it's pretty sweet. We were kind of afraid that with Relia being so aggressively verbal, DF would be kind of quiet. If he didn't have to talk, why would he? In...

I remember we used to lay out the track when we'd have a snow day from school. Nothing like this though.

(We had tacos, not Ritz crackers. And DF learned how to say 'taco'.)

The latest Booker Prize winner was awarded yesterday. Congratulations to 'The Sense of an Ending' by Julian Barnes. I haven't read it nor any of the others this year so I have no opinion on its quality. From what I understand the author is very well regarded. I also take it that this years shortlist was widely panned. This has prompted quite a bit of soul searching as to what the Booker Prize should actually be looking for. Here's an intriguing answer from Jeanette Winterson. There are plenty of entertaining reads that are part of the enjoyment of life. That doesn't make them literature. There is a simple test: "Does this writer's capacity for language expand my capacity to think and to feel?" As I said, it's intriguing. Under this definition two of my favorite authors, Heinlein and Stephenson, would certainly qualify since they fit that exact quality. Each of them has expanded my 'capacity to think and feel'. I think Stephen Ki...

I should have mentioned that Nano starts in a couple of weeks. I'll keep the sales pitch brief and just send you to their site here . If you've ever been tempted, well, give it a try.

I just wrote out a post for CWT's travel blog regarding my bucket list of future travels. Don't remember when it will be published but I'll flag it when the time comes. It's a little embarassing because the whole thing reads like I've been watching too many of those retirement commercials where people have vineyards and backpack the silk road. Yeah, without winning the lottery, my list will go pretty unfulfilled. While I was mentally composing the list it struck me how different this list would have been just five years ago, before the kids started arriving. Back then I could dream of longer trips and riskier venues. If I was gone for six months the FP Gal would miss me. If I left her with three kids for six months, she'd probably kill me. Not that I'm complaining. There are compensations. The cross country road trip and the stay at Yellowstone will be different and better. Even the trip to DC will be better because I'll get to tap into their youthful wo...

After I picked up Relia today she quizzed me on her lunch. Relia: Guess what I ate today? Me: What? Relia: Peaches and pizza. Wanna know what was on the pizza? Me: Sure. Relia: Goop [our family word for sauce and cheese] and meat. Me: What kind of meat was it? Relia: Pizza meat!

Today, willfully and happily, Relia wore jeans to preschool.

Gorgeous shot from Vienna.

This morning I took Relia to the MOA while the FP Gal stayed home with DF. The one on one dynamic is an unusual thing for us now and in some ways much easier. We had more freedom of movement and fewer demands. Here are some of the things that happened: We stopped so I could get some coffee. They had a chalk board where people could write about their dreams. I asked her what she dreamed about, fully expecting her to say something about princesses or something. Nope, she simply said 'the sun'. I dutifully wrote that down. There was an older lady using two of those ski pole thingees as she walked. We met her as we were getting on an elevator. Relia: Why does she have those sticks? Me: Uh, it helps her. Nice lady: Do you like these? They help me walk. Relia: (pause while she tries to keep the conversation going) My Grandma D is still alive! Nice lady: Oh . . . ! Me: (shakes head and struggles for words while the door closes) Relia: I wish we could have talked with her lon...

Quick review and then some detail, ok? Neal Stephenson's latest is a kind of computer culture thriller. It reads like a cross between Clancy and a hacker magazine. With a little bump for the quality digressions that Stephenson is so well known for. It's a big book (1000+ pages) but reads quickly enough. It features not one, but two different action sequences that are at least 150 pages long. 'Reamde' isn't as mind stretchy as some of his recent stuff but it was well worthwhile. Now for some of the things that struck me (possible spoilers): The main family features three brothers that grew up in the farm country of Iowa. The family is extremely into gun culture. The opening scene features a Thanksgiving family reunion shooting range. Given where I grew up (and especially my in-laws!) I felt pretty at home with all of this. Lots and lots and lots of guns in this book. They are treated respectfully throughout. Both in terms of people being taught to use them ...

We had a nice and rumbly thunderstorm roll through here around lunch time today. Very nice. I was hoping it would stay through the afternoon but it didn't. Or at least it's done now and hasn't come back. The last few weeks have featured oddly warm weather. Especially for October. Some nights were legitimately hot. I confided to the FP Gal that I was ready for something cooler and it may have arrived. I could go for a nice killing frost actually. Get rid of the wasps (a real problem for me this year!) and stop the fall allergy season. On the other hand, I don't want the really cold stuff that will be here in a few weeks either. Sigh.

Relia brought a bunch of crayon pictures home from preschool today. The top one on the pile was labeled 'American Robin' so I asked her what it was. Relia: It's a robin. Me: What color is its tummy? Relia: Its tummy is red. Me: And what color is your tummy? Relia: Golden!

Inspired by the comments from this post , I'd like to write about when good bands go bad. These are some of my favorite bands/singers and some of their music that I just can't stand. Tears for Fears, 'Shout' - I don't like the rhythm or the message. And this song just got played into the ground. In the pre-cassette days I'd fast forward through it. Naked Eyes, 'Always Something There (to Remind Me)' - Liked this song just fine when it first came out. Then it got overplayed. Even later it became one of the most popular song on retro '80s radio. Gah. Sting, 'Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot' - This isn't one of his biggies, true. It came from his 'Mercury Falling' album which was mostly very strong. Only two bad songs and Sting went ahead and released one as a single. I'd scratch this one right off of the disk. REM, 'Happy Shiny People' - Maybe a stretch to call them a favorite band but I liked a lot of what they did...

The UN can be a scary place.

Rolling Stone conducted a poll of its readers to find out what the worst songs of the 80's were. Ready? 10. Rick Astley - 'Never Gonna Give You Up' No real argument here, it's not a good song. However, it really isn't any worse than most of the awfulness that was popular around '88 and '89. My guess is it stands out now because of the rick-rolling craze. 9. Taco - 'Puttin' On the Ritz' This wouldn't have gotten my vote. It's certainly not a great song but it isn't bad. In fact, it has some good ol' nostalgia going for it. 8. Toni Basil - 'Mickey' I'll disagree here too. This song still has wonderful pep and energy. Would not have gotten my vote. 7. Bobby McFerin 'Don't Worry Be Happy' I have dim memories of this song being overplayed back in the day but it doesn't bother me now. Sorry, not on my list. 6. Falco - 'Rock Me Amadeus' This song has been in heavy rotation on the '80s ...

I think this is how Ozzie sees himself.

We're still working on alphabet stuff with Relia. She's more and more interested in what letters go with what words. We often will say 'what sound does it start with' and then matching that up with the correct letter. So the other day we were talking and whales came up. It went something like this: Me: What sound does 'whale' start with? Relia: Wuh. Me: And what letter says 'wuh'? Relia: (pause) Um . . . I don't know. Me: It's a 'W'. That's a tough one. It doesn't say its own name. Relia: (pause) That's because it doesn't have a face. True that, little girl. True that.

Tuesday is Nana day so after I picked up the kids I dropped Relia off at the FP Gal's parents house. DF hates this (he wants to stay too) so I tried to cheer him up by taking him to a park. We had the park all to our lonesomes, which was odd since it was a nice day. Not that big of a deal since he really isn't dependend on finding new friends yet. And in some ways it was nice since I didn't have to dodge someone else's little darling while keeping him from tipping off of a platform. We did the slides and the swings and (his favorite!) the steering wheel. We walked around for a bit. This park is right next to a large playing field, currently striped for football. No one was there so we walked out there. After some time he got tired and wanted to be carried. So up on my shoulders and we took a long route back to the car. Nuh-uh! When I tried to put him in he tried to shut the door. DF was not done at the park! So we walked back to the equipment and I let him lead me to wh...

Relia: Dad, can we got to West Virginia? Me: Probably some day. Relia: Good. I really want to go their so I can make some cousins. Me: (pause) 'Make some cousins'? Relia: Yes, I want to go their and make some cousins. I asked her how you 'make' cousins. She told me that you talk to them and be nice to them and then come back a few days later and do it again.

An interesting article from Neal Stephenson on our society's inability to do 'the big things' as well as we used to. My lifespan encompasses the era when the United States of America was capable of launching human beings into space. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting on a braided rug before a hulking black-and-white television, watching the early Gemini missions. This summer, at the age of 51—not even old—I watched on a flatscreen as the last Space Shuttle lifted off the pad. I have followed the dwindling of the space program with sadness, even bitterness. Where’s my donut-shaped space station? Where’s my ticket to Mars? Until recently, though, I have kept my feelings to myself. Space exploration has always had its detractors. To complain about its demise is to expose oneself to attack from those who have no sympathy that an affluent, middle-aged white American has not lived to see his boyhood fantasies fulfilled. He talks about the various ways that...

Today was the Twin Cities marathon and our little family went down to the creek to cheer on the runners. I took Relia last year and she enjoyed it (I think the FP Gal and DF stayed home). This year we all went and it went pretty well. We parked and walked down to the course where we found a curb to sit on. The FP Gal and I cheered on the marathoners but the kids were quiet at first. I fully expected DF to get into it but he seemed more baffled than anything else. After a bit Relia got into it. Especially once we started pointing out names on shirts so we could make some cheers personal. DF finally warmed up and wanted to rush onto the street. We steered him away and let him run around near some trees. Eventually the trees got Relia's attention too and we were pretty much done with the runners. I'm sure the runners appreciate the cheering. They certainly seem to. But I can't help feel strange to sit there and watch ordinary people making huge effort. They run past...

We put a deposit down on a new car today. Well, new for us; technically a used car. The FP Gal wrote about it here . Not a fancy car, but one that will serve our needs and give us the space needed for a third car seat. The most astonishing thing about it and what made us move so quickly is that it is a used car with only 2000 miles on it. As far as we can figure it was only driven to church on Sundays by a family of seven. The inside looks very nice and the thing is functional as all get out. It's red, like the car in the picture in the link. I suggested that we name it Cherry Baby, but the FP Gal has protested.

Tonight while the FP Gal and I were finishing up dinner, Relia came up to DF and and loudly 'whispered' in his ear to distract us for a minute. He of course had no idea what she was talking about so he ran off. She then decided that it was up to her to do the distracting so she put on an impromptu dance. We never did figure out what she was up to.