This is what happens when you collide with your friend's forehead while playing tag at full-speed in gym, if he's about six inches shorter than you are.
Update 20.Jan 07: I asked at dinner if anyone had asked Lars who the president is but it's probably best they didn't, as he doesn't seem to know. He was, however, able to name all the Buffalo Sabres (occasionally with number and position), so we think he'll be fine. We are headed for the rinks now; the idea of not skating doesn't seem to have entered his reality. I hope his face will fit into his helmet!
I've set a goal for myself: by the end of next week, I will have figured out how to blog by e-mail. I've finally managed to fix (by no fault of my own) my iPAQ so I'm carrying it around again (it wasn't keeping my calendar, so was often little more than a paperweight) and it would be nice if I knew how to mobile blog so I could send in snippets from the road now and then. I know...who really cares if I'm stuck next to a smelly guy on the train? Probably nobody but figuring out how to blog about him might just distract me enough to make the trip bearable. Remember, this is my blog - as much as I might sometimes pretend it's about my kids, when you come right down to it, it's really all about me. *grin*
The shipping confirmation said 3-Day UPS and gave a delivery date of the 19th but Chris discovered a pile of boxes the approximate size of a Fiat on our front porch and messaged me that my cubbies had arrived! This picture shows four (of five - the last one appeared later on) of the shipping cartons. The odd thing is that although the cartons are huge (50" x 20" x 20") and heavy (lightest is about 60lbs), we didn't hear the delivery guy at all. Not a sound, not a thump, not a porch rattle. Nothing. We live in a wooden house that shakes when our kids walk around, so it's sort of curious that we managed to miss someone making a 240 pound delivery on our porch. Maybe they were teleported in? After dinner and before I left for hockey practice, we uncrated and set it up. Pixie approves of the new cubbies! She hopped right in to inspect our work and has staked out a favorite cubby. Look for a fleece blanket and a catnip mouse to be stored in that one. I decided to be nice and *not* block up the door - we'll have to squeeze by it in our den entry way for a while until the weather warms and we can start construction to move the door. We can't do it now, because the wall where we will put the new door has heating pipe on both sides and to alter that, we'll have to have the heat off and be able to empty the pipes. Not something we'd be wise to start in January...it's been warm lately, but we're still prefering to have the heat on. I'll be able to work from home tomorrow, so will get some actual items stored in the cubbies. Look for a follow-up photo soon!
Pajamas are on, teeth are brushed and everyone is tucked in his favorite way. Kisses are given, lights are out, good nights are said in all the languages we like and it seems that tonight will be a quiet one. I put away a few things from the hall shelf and head downstairs. I've just reached the den when I hear a soft thump from upstairs. There's a slight pause, then another thump and a shuffling noise. I go quietly back upstairs and hear muffled whispers.
"this one's yours...and here, these."
"thanks."
There's a pause in which I detect faint clicking. Then, a whisper I can't make out, followed by the quiet sound of bed covers being shifted; small someones nestling in. Ahhhh...bingo. They have the Gameboys and the last whisper was a warning to get under the covers for better concealment.
As I head to their room, I'm impressed - usually a nighttime raid such as this would have required a lot more noise and carrying on. Plus, they were cooperating and being polite - any mother would be proud! They've learned to whisper and probably made some arrangements ahead as far as who would do what, to minimize conversation. Too bad they haven't realized that their being under the covers will also render them less aware of what's going on outside of their tents! I snap on the light, my hand out. Two tow-heads appear with wide, guilty eyes and Gameboys are dropped into my hand without a word. Heads hanging, the extra cartridges are also handed over. For a moment, I feel awful. I want to dive under the covers and get up a game with them! Then I remember it's a school night and I'm the mom and the morning will be awful if they don't get to sleep. Sometimes, responsibility sucks rocks.
The first batch of rocks Ross polished is done and wonderful! (You can catch up on earlier parts of the process here and here.) He got some really interesting colors and textures. We're all curious to see how future batches will come out!
Cuddled on the couch watching very bad TV, the subject of writing thank-you notes for our Christmas gifts came up. Usually, I either write them myself or provide all the required tools (notepaper, pens, stamps, addresses, legible handwriting for envelopes, etc...) and then stare at Chris while he cranks one out. This year, however, he said, "I already sent mine." He already sent his. He ALREADY SENT HIS?!? Moreover, he didn't put in any thanks from me, his loving wife who has spent over a decade writing thank-you notes on his behalf. His reaction? He didn't put any of my thanks in because he didn't know what to say for me. I told him to put,
"Karen died from shock when she learned that I wrote my own thank-you notes this year, so she's unable to send her own. Before her untimely death, she enjoyed her Christmas presents very much."
For the record, I don't really like pina coladas, although I gave them a very fair try.
While I was out playing hockey, the boys played Star Wars. Chris reported his favorite moment as Ross, instructing Lars, "Tonight you're going to get frozen in the Craptonite but don't worry because when you unfreeze from the Craptonite you'll be blind but the blindness wears off."
Despite never having seen Star Wars (we think it's not for very young kids, which may be provincial but after Star Wars, how could you go back to Bob the Builder?), Ross has been enamoured of the whole concept for years. He plays Star Wars (with and without actual Star Wars toys). He idolizes Yoda. He checks out every book the library has on the subject, over and over, memorizing the contents. He plays Lego Star Wars on xBox whenever he's allowed to turn the game console on. His Halloween costumes have been assorted SW characters the last two years and he has a line-up of several more planned. His writer's workshop stories are frequently about new droid adventures.
We figure Ross has been ready to see the movie for about a year now but Lars is still a bit young and, since what one watches at home the other sees also, Ross had not been able to see Star Wars. Enter our friend Rob, who has an amazing entertainment setup in his living room. Yesterday, Rob hosted a three-episode Star Wars marathon for Ross, complete with snacks, drinks, and some darned good Chinese take-out (I adore cold sesame noodles in Brooklyn. They're just not the same anywhere else). We watched Episodes IV (original version), V, and VI. Amusingly, Ross gave most of Episode IV a detailed play-by-play, "Next he's going to...!" and, "This is where they...". He was mildly confused at the beginning of Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader did not come down the ramp from the ship couging, as he does in the Lego game movie clip, and after that settled in to watching more than narrating. Ross pressed for another episode but Rob and I agreed three was enough for one sitting and we'll go back for the remaining parts on a different day. Ross voiced a bit more disappointment about not getting to see another episode on the way to the car but was asleep before we hit Manhattan and my guess is there were Lightsabres in his dreams.
The den in our house is small (about 7' x 14') but has a very high ceiling (nearly 10') and large windows, so it doesn't feel closed in. It took me a while to find desks that fit the space and were suitable for what we do. When I found them, I was mortified by the cost but no matter how much searching we did, we couldn't find anything we liked better or that would work and cost less so we bit the bullet and bought them. They were mail order and despite 43 measurement checks, I was nervous that they wouldn't fit...but they did and they are PERFECT. They exactly fit side by side. They also look great and are well made. We forgot about the money almost as soon as the desks were in and nearly two years later, we still love the desks. I get to work from home quite often and I've amassed quite a collection here of materials and equipment so that, even when I have to go in to the city, I rarely have to trek all the way out to the office. The time savings is great...but it means I constantly have stacks of cardboard boxes filled with catalogs or demo equipment hanging around. Sometimes when I'm dreaming of having a heck of a lot more money than I have, I peruse catalogs in search of better storage methods. I've had my eye on a cubby set that would be PERFECT, if it wasn't forty-six million dollars (ok, not quite that much but it's all the same, really, if you haven't got it). Each time the catalog arrives I find the picture, affirm that I still think it would be perfect and sigh as I realize that my measly savings just won't cover it. And then, a January miracle - IT'S ON SALE. It's on huge sale, 70% off. I checked my savings account - I have the money! I measured twice. I measured three times. Heck, I measured seven times because I wanted to make sure it would fit...and it will fit! In my den! Where it will make my cluttery gack look reasonable! When you come over to gawk in admiration, please try not to make fun of me for buying perfect furniture that blocks a door. The door WILL MOVE! We plan to renovate that bit of the house...just as soon as we recover from doing the kitchen.
Lars likes tricky things. He likes the letter 'C' because it was tricky and asked to borrow sounds from letters 'S' and 'K'. He likes matching an expected result in an unexpected way. For example, it's tricky to make harmonica notes by sucking the air out the back end rather than employing the standard blowing-in method to produce the same notes. He also enjoys explaining something when it's too tricky for you to figure out on your own. Such explanations are especially satisfying when the trickiness in question is Lars, himself. Smug glee just glows off him whenever he gets to announce, "I was being tricky!" If you don't look totally impressed, he'll wiggle his eyebrows and nod confirmingly while saying, "You don't believe it!"
Q. Why hasn't Karen written in days and days? A. She has been wandering NYC amid Tibetan Monks and Confused Engineers, returning home too dazed (those monks wear *really* bright robes) and frustrated to do much but crank out required documents for her continued professional survival.
Q. What's with the new "College Bound" sidebar bit? A. While I swear my two wonderful sons were JUST BORN, they claim to be ALREADY SIX and NEARLY EIGHT. By their time measurement scale, they will begin college TOMORROW and I am really not financially prepared for that to happen. An honest look at my financial skills reveals the following:
I am not very good at saving money
I am pretty good at earning money
I am extremely good at spending money
My strongest skill has proven to be a rather surprising way to improve my weakest skill, thanks to UPromise(a program every parent should check out). In three years, our normal spending, with a minimum of extra thought, has produced over $1000 in college savings for the kids! Granted, it's a tiny amount compared to what they'll need in total but it's amazing that companies have given us that money for education based largely on our capacity for buying Kleenex and Triscuits. Pottery Barn, LLBeans, and Land's End also participate - very beneficial to us as I spend money at those websites anyhow and, through UPromise, I get a rebate in our 529 college funds each time I do. [Note: If you are not a parent and would like to sponsor my kids, PLEASE let me know - I'll send you an invitation so you can link your own purchases to my kids' accounts!]
With UPromise in mind, I started researching other ways to benefit from my shopping proclivity and discovered affiliate programs. Because of this, Reason Enough will now feature links to places we like to spend our money. Since we'll buy from these stores anyhow, we may as well get a bit back for it - all of which will go into the kids' 529 accounts. If you're also a fan of the stuff I post about or link to, please consider buying it by clicking through my blog! In recognition of your help in sending my kids to college without putting me in a box under a bridge, you will be repaid with gratitude and warm hospitality whenever possible! [Note: You'll probably get the warm hospitality anyhow...we're nutty like that.]
A. NO! I am only putting up sidebar click-throughs to places I will buy from, so that I can benefit from my own purchases, and links in my posts will be to items I use and enjoy, just like always.
Dissolve thoroughly. Then, add 1-1/2oz Blended Whiskey. Fill with boiling water and stir.
Note: We prefer mugs to punch cups, as they are better for wrapping cold hands around to warm up. Also, more fits in a mug. This is not a dainty sort of drink, more one to prop yourself up with - a sort of portable winter fortification.
I can't figure out how to get jigglers out of cookie cutters to save my life, so I distract everyone's attention from the unevenly cut blobs with 32-bit color:
Ok...please try the video again? I've changed the upload settings - maybe it will make a difference. Sorry for the late revision but I was in the city all day and then made a six-layer Jello Jiggler cake for Lars' school birthday book reading tomorrow and then enjoyed a movie while indulging in chocolate and a hot brick toddy with Chris. All's well that ends well!
Fraukow learned a new blog thing this week and inspired me to figure out a new blog thing, too. So here, for your amusement, a badly filmed bit of an impromptu, post-dinner show at our house:
If you can figure out on your end how to view the clip using MediaPlayer, you should be able to adjust the brightness and get a better view of what's going on. Ross has clearly paid careful attention to the Broadway shows we've seen and I'm wondering when we'll be called in to explain about Tom Lehrer to the folks at his school.
The first stage of the maiden run of Ross' rock tumbler is complete. The rocks, once dull and rough, are now smooth and showing more interesting colors:
With two interstates, three state highways, and a major shopping center within a two mile radius of our house, we are not really in the country...but sometimes it's hard to tell. This morning, a limping doe was sighted at the school bus stop - she'd probably been clipped by a car. A neighbor reported her to the town and a cop was sent around to investigate. We heard two shots and then confirmed with our neighbor that the doe was down, in plain sight, at the bus stop and the cop had left! Chris called the township to ask if they'd come to collect her and was told they usually send a truck around at the end of the day. Chris mentioned that this particular carcass was left in the middle of the elementary school bus stop, and the same five kids who'd been traumatized by Bambi's mother's painful limping that morning would return at 3pm to find her dead at their feet. The lady in dispatch agreed it would be better to send someone over sooner, so we were thankfully spared a round of afternoon drama.
My morning meeting ran much longer than I expected it to so I was rushing up Seventh Avenue from 29th, wondering if there was any possible way for me to make it to 117th and Broadway on time for my next appointment when suddenly, before me, there were FUZZY COW CABS. Despite my hurry, I stopped dead and whipped out my phone to grab a picture. FUZZY COW CABS! FUZZY! COWS!
Only in New York, I tell you, and right on time for a much needed smile. As I was snapping the pic, a woman about my size asked if I would like a ride in one of the "bull taxis," compliments of the Professional Bull Riders' Association. They are promoting their triumphant return to Madison Square Garden this month by dressing five NYC taxis up as bulls (you can't really see the horns in the picture, but there are horns as wide as the cab where the "on duty" light usually is) and ferrying folks around, free of charge, anywhere in Manhattan. Free! My associate and I quickly decided we were game and hopped in for a very nice (and speedy) ride uptown. It made my day!
2007 started out with great friends, great food, and great fun...hopefully an indication of how the rest of the year will play out. Every NYE, one of our kids makes it to midnight and the other falls asleep. The last few years, they've traded off...if Ross makes it one year, Lars stays up the next. The kids at Chez Stoll also split the shift (Lindsay is snoozing upstairs).
The grown-ups hung out in the dining room, with the Emergency Back-up NYE Ball ready in case the Times Square version should encounter trouble.
Chris asserted that you should never drink champagne before midnight on New Year's Eve and here's proof that he's probably right - I would ordinarily know better than to let a consultant do his own rigging and wiring:
This is what happens when you collide with your friend's forehead while playing tag at full-speed in gym, if he's about six inches shorter than you are.
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