The First School Open House of Horrors!
skoral 
My Son's 1st Grade Classroom
First of all, there was no ‘open’ about it. The room must have 95 to 100 degrees, and about 25 parents, exhausted from work, stinking up the room with good ‘ole corporate B.O. (yeah, I fall into that category)!
The school was having a book sale in the library, so naturally, my son wanted to go check out the books. On one table, there were the tried and true classics… Charlotte’s web, The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes. To a true bookworm’s shock, a violation so horrific that it surely would have caused humpty dumpty to fall in shock greeted me…
A Captian Underpants book tossed haphazardly on the mountain of classic fairytails, novels and Caldecott award winners, no doubt by an irritated parent resisting their child’s impulsive buying habits.
Family Story Night at the Library… FAIL
There cannot be anything worse than expecting a quiet, child-lulling story time at the library but walking in to a mosh pit of four year-old ‘screamers’ with parents in a twisted Stephen King-ish version of romper room! It is even worse when you and your boys are exhausted from a long day of learning and just not up to the energy required of such an event.
Amidst the chaos of crying, screaming and general discord, my boys and I sat, motionless, just observing it all. It really was too much, from singing “This old man” to “5 little monkeys” to doing jumping jacks to get the blood flowing (of which we had no part in), there was just too much activity for the boys to handle. Right at the point where everyone was running in circles (like cheetahs), Andrew decided he’d had enough and just keeled over and curled up in the fetal position to go to sleep. Alex was staring off into the middle ground, a kind of deer-in-the-headlights look that he makes when he’s too tired to think. I suggested that we go over to the kids section and play games on the computers for awhile. Both the boys slowly got up and we left this seventh circle of hell.
When does a good thing costs too much…
Udon Noodle Soup
Ever have a moment when the perceived value of an object of your desire suddenly drops below the amount you thought you should have to pay?
I had one of those moments tonight. My wife and I decided to take the kids out to this place called “Kabuki” for dinner in Canton. We’ve eaten there before, but either they raised their prices, or I just never noticed before. We both got Udon noodle soup which, frankly, was about what I was expecting. The kids got a sampler plate that had a little of everything on it.
Wonderstruck, a novel in words and pictures by Brian Selznick
I’ve always had a soft spot for comic books, graphic novels and drawn art in general.
In my early years, I spent much time living the “Tintin” series by Herge. I love Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson) as well as the original Batman series (Bob Kane). The last set of comics that I read was Mouse Guard (David Petersen). An Excellent series where mice struggle to live safely and prosper amongst harsh conditions and a host of predators. Thus the Mouse Guard was formed. There are over four books, which include: Fall 1152, Winter 1152, The Black Axe and Legends of the Guard. I must say that it was my most beautiful and intelligent wife that reintroduced me to the series during the Border’s store closing sale on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor (picture above right).
Today, I was introduced to a completely new type of book. Brian Selznick, probably best known for the Caldecott-winning “The Invention of Hugo Cabret“, has written a new book, but “is a novel in words and pictures”. NPR radio did a review this morning that I listened with great interest on the way to work this morning.
Father Mychael Judge, 9/11 attacks, NPR
NPR had a really moving story on this morning about Father Mychal Judge, the first casualty of the 9/11 attacks.
After 10 years, people are still moved by the stories and acts of heroism.
Hear it on NPR here: http://www.npr.org/2011/09/09/140293993/slain-priest-bury-his-heart-but-not-his-love
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This is the fourth iteration of Son's personal website. He's a Father, Husband Web Developer and Linux Systems Admin.
This site is run on a Small VPS: 220MB Ram, 5GB Space 100MB uplink.
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