Friday night delay

I have an idea for what I want to do on this Friday night's post, but I realized that I'd left the camera in the diaper bag since Grace's Kindergarten concerts on Tuesday . . . and the battery was dead.

So, I've got to charge the battery (because my idea involved me using the video in the camera, you see?).

And while that is going on, I'm typing a pseudo apology to you here while watching the small bits of grass sprouting under the drench of my twice-daily sprinkling out the back window.

I'll get the video made and up either later tonight--if I feel up to it (hey, it's FRIDAY!) or definitely by tomorrow . . . sometime.

In the meantime, here is the subject matter of my (eventual) video:

Can you guess what I'm up to?

Question of the Night

I was hanging up a white dress shirt in the closet tonight when it struck me:

Whatever did happen to that scourge of laundry?

Did we start using NASA-influenced, space age fabrics that repelled the (sweat?) stain from around the ring?

Did all laundry detergent companies begin mixing anti-ring component chemicals into their base layer products?

Was it defeated in another component of the Reagan Revolution, but we were too busy watching the Soviet Union fall and forgot to notice?

Did "ring around the collar" (like so many social mores) just become an acceptable part of modern life, embraced by slobs and a younger, more callow generation?

Did Tom Cruise choose to wipe it out by his lonesome, back when he was Good Tom and before the Scientology turned him into murderous Evil Tom? (And speaking of Evil Tom, shouldn't Ed Asner's people be on high alert for the inevitable attempt of Mr. Asner's life following Suri's frightened reaction to the surly cantankerous character Asner voices in Pixar's new movie, Up?)

*****

In other media/video/delayed reaction news, I haven't yet posted the LOST Untangled video finale because I forgot to . . . and because they haven't finished it yet either.

Buffy - Joss = WHY???

I'm a big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but ONLY of the TV show helmed by Joss Whedon. I have seen the craptacular movie version that inspired Whedon to do a much, MUCH better TV show . . . but I found nothing to like about the movie. (It came out when Luke Perry was still riding the "popularity" of Dylan from Beverly Hills 90210, a TV show that I hated with a passion that I normally only reserved for New Kids on the Block and . . . later in life and pop culture chronology . . . Whoopi and Cavemen.

So, um, anyway, BtVS the TV show, was one of my first TV obsessions. I loved the first five seasons of the show with unreserved love. I lived through the later seasons due to dedication and a sense of completedness. But I've never had any desire to revisit the movie and see if there is anything worth redeeming in it.

Now there is even LESS reason to think of Buffy in cinematic terms. Because, according to reports, there is (yet another) movie reboot in the works, but this version of Buffy won't have the involvement of Joss Whedon.

And at least one Buffy fan with a popular forum isn't happy about it.

I just don't see the reasoning behind it. How large of an audience that liked the original movie (surely not enough to justify expense?) would be interested in watching a remake unlike the original. And how many (if any?) of the Whedonites would bother to spend their money on this?

Something is clearly wrong here, right?

*****

If Buffy isn't your thing, perhaps I can interest you in this bit of movie-making news? Yeah, I didn't think that would interest you either. (It sure doesn't interest me.)

Do you see what I see?

Look at the photo below.

Do you see what I saw? I saw a Victorian style silohuette, a profile of a famous head.

(In actuality, I took this picture at my desk when I walked back after lunch. It is the screen-polishing cloth that came with my iPhone.)

But my brain saw George Washington in profile. As soon as I took the picture, however, I changed my mind and now I think a better choice is one of those modern half profiles of Thomas Jefferson as he was depicted on the special Lewis and Clark anniversary nickels. (Do you know what I mean?)

Can you see what I see/saw?


-- Posted From My iPhone (so, I apologize in advance for any typos I missed)

A Memorable Weekend, 2009

Today was a day that required two different showers and three separate applications of sun screen. (The second shower was to help remove all of the sun screen residue and just to help my body relax at the end of the day.)

The family has spent more than our share of time outside this past weekend and that is indisputably a good thing. We got the normal household chores taken care of, but the swingset is getting a decent amount of use and the patio is enjoying the company. Heck, even the front porch is getting frequent visits . . . and we might buy a wooden and iron bench to encourage more "sittin' around" time out there.

I haven't gotten much bike riding done yet (but I've got it in mind). I did take advantage of a brief excuse today to do some bicycle-based reconnaissance. You see, we are finalizing details on Grace's upcoming sixth birthday party--which we are having at a park down the street from us. But this part is oddly configured and stretches across a few blocks of land, with two separate entrances. In order to give the best directions on the birthday party invitations, I hopped on the bike and pedalled down there this afternoon to verify which entry way (on Spring Rd.) was the most appropriate one for the shelter we've reserved. In the end, the party will be a good one, especially since we are moving it (and later Sarah's) up a few weeks to grab kids before the cycle of vacation's begin.

I (October 17) never knew this problem, but Lynda (July 1) understands the frustrations that Grace (June 26) and Sarah (July 22) have had with inviting lots of people to a party and not having many of them show up. So, we're pushing forward . . . kind of like states due during presidential election primaries.

I'll keep you informed later on for how it all went.

We are much closer to getting our garden project underway. Now that we've found a stump removal company that is much cheaper in price, we expect to get the back corner of the yard cleared of scraggly dead pines, random growth, and obstructing stumps in the next week. I put together the garden enclosure box today (four feet square . . . roughly speaking) and as soon as the stumps are gone, we'll put down the box, fill in with soil mixture, plant some vegetables . . . and pray that something (ANYTHING!) sprouts and develops. I'm now trying to decide what vegetables we should plant--given the fact that we'll be putting seeds in soil around June 1 and contemplating if we need to consider starting a separate spot (where?) for compost.

Now, I know that at least a few of my readers are dedicated composters, so I expect some good words of wisdom from you on technique, containment spaces, and whatever a complete novice needs to know. (By the way, when we went to dinner at a small sandwich/ice cream/coffee shop down the road tonight--Serendipity it's called--I noticed on their menu that they give away their coffee grounds for composters. Sven, if you don't already know this, you should walk over there--if you are in need of more coffee grounds.)

So, I'm excited to be doing something new and different as the seasons change. I really want to keep us outside more and more. The good news is that Hannah seems to be all for it. Hopefully, we can keep that spirit alive in her.