I’m not sure how it came about that we played La Bamba, but we did.  There was dancing.  Young and old were either playing or dancing.  It was good.  There was life, there was fun, there was family, friends, and fellowship.  There was love.  All from a silly 3 chord song with a catchy hook.  I hope your weekend had a La Bamba  in it.

We went to Colorado Springs today for a pre-Father’s Day family time. The girls were cute at the zoo there.

1) The surprise non-geek post: Ligers

2) I’ve been blogging (mostly at this site, but when I started on a site that no longer exists) for over 10 years

3) Doing the math on that, I’m not a very consistent blogger

4) Before switching to WordPress I wrote my own blogging platform

5) Most people really want pictures of my daughters on this site, but I’m a bit short on photographs

6) After all this time I think my Sister-in-Law, Shari, still thinks I’m a dork

7) I have probably gotten the most comments on this blog from my mom, who used to regularly correct my spelling and grammar

8) This list isn’t very interesting

9) The blog I used to link to, but that is defunct, but that I miss the most is “Apropos of Nothing”

10) Before Facebook and Twitter I used to spend a LOT more time on this site

I got called into the owner’s office and was scolded for making fun of the name by laughing. I would like to take this time to point out that you’re welcome to laugh at all my posts – whether they’re intended to be funny or not – and I will not call you into my disorganized office (which I will be cleaning this week). I will, however, show you my guitar center.

The first exhibit we looked at that I enjoyed a lot was a fashion exhibit.  While I’m a t-shirt and jeans guy the exhibit showed styles and dresses from the last 100 years and what blew me away was that many of them could have been worn by people today.  It made me think that maybe the newness of those things we see on reality TV is really just recycling and re-hashing.  I also enjoyed that one designer took a man’s suite, tore it apart and turned it into a woman’s dress and in so doing made a creative expression, but also mocked the designers of the time (or so said my wife, who knows about these things and is a regular commentator on all things fashion).  There was also an interesting display that showed dress patterns over several hundred years, but all of the patterns were done in the same white material so you could observe the gradual changes in the patterns and not be distracted by the materials and prints/weaves that they would have had.  My engineer/nerd self was quite pleased with this display.

Secondly they had the most awesome marble-on-a-track fixture.  It was large and went through no less than 4 rooms.  It took about 5 minutes to complete (possibly longer) and the girls and I ran after the marble.  Except that the marble was a volleyball sized plastic ball and the track was huge.  If you miss the Indy 500 (and I would), this is another race to see, and the crashes never happen so you don’t have to worry about the plastic marbles dying.

One other thing I thought was cool was a 360/mobeus strip sort of model sailing ship.  I’m not sure how to describe it, but it was a perfect example of the sort of thing that was at once creative and abnormal as well as very detailed and precise.

If you find yourself in Indy, go there, you won’t be sad you did.

C. S. Lewis

I enjoy exaggeration.  There is something that feels compelling, exciting and at the very least mischievous about pushing things to a limit.  So when I read this quote I wanted to stop and meditate on it because I have had moments where this principle came home to roost.  In arguments.  In attempting to let my children know that they were not to do something again (or I’ll rip your lips off and paste them to your forehead).  In despising a food or circumstance.  The truth of the matter is that I will probably exaggerate until I reach death or an old age or becoming mute.  Even then this blog may live on for a time as a monument to my folly.  So  I shall be very grateful to Mr. Lewis for sharing this bit of wisdom, but I shall be infinitely grateful to him for other principles such as the principle of the safety of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia:

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Think about that for a few moments.

We’ve paved the streets of heaven
in circuit boards and glass
and the joy it brings in this lifetime
never seems to last

And minute steaks and rice and prayers
hold us over for a while
the trade of love for business
is a signature of style

Work so hard for 2,000 feet
two cars in a garage
60 hours a meager week
in this life’s intense barrage

Where are we going?
are our hearts broken?
I guess it’s a work in progress
I guess it’s a work in progress [ed.: See the double entendre there?  I was so clever]

We paint the face of Jesus
in a lovely modern mark
He loved to walk and teach us
He loved to love from His heart

[ed.: and apparently that's all I wrote]

I think this was supposed to be a song, but I don’t find any trace of chords, nor do I recall any :)

“I said I’ll make note of that.”

Me: “Make note of what?”

Discover Rep: “That she declined the offer.”

Me: “OK, thank you.”

The reason I asked him to clarify was this: “Making note” doesn’t necessarily mean “I have filled out the form she declined and we won’t bother you any more for at least 6 months.”  It could mean, “This woman’s husband is a crackhead, do not talk to him.”

Evie joyfully replied, “Yes! His name is Hercules.”

The checker then enquired, “Hercules?  Is he a big dog?”

Jessica and I both laughed out loud and she explained to the checker that Hercules was a miniature poodle.  I predict this will be the first of many times that assumption comes about.  There is no better ‘worst possible’ name for this dog.  Except maybe “white armpit beast” which was one of my more creative suggestions.  The family declined that name in favor of something else.

There is one stipulation: 1) No corn. 2) There is no number two.

4 shot dead in Chicago home – because the fact they were shot is not enough, we need to know it was inside. A home. In Chicago.  I wonder if they were shot alive in the woods in Benton, IL instead of Chicago if it would have been picked up [ED: I'm not trying to be callous about murder, I'm just weirded out by the odd specifics of the headline].

Russia pledges $50 mln to replenish Kyrgyz coffers – That’s health care generosity.  I had no idea that the civil unrest in Kyrgyz was due to coffing.  I thought that they were ticked at their president, but it turns out that they had a respiratory disorder.  I feel better now knowing that Russia is on top of the coffee people of Kyrgyz.

Palin urges less government, lower taxes at Boston Common Tea Party rally – If I was charging as much as she is for ‘appearances’ and ‘speaking’ I would want to have lower taxes so as to keep more of that money.  Also: does she like her tea strong like the British?  Would that be ironic?  British.  Tea.  Taxes.  It feels historical somehow.

Google Adds Real-Time Twitter Archive Search – when I tweet I consider it 140 characters or less of throw-away rubbish.  Now you can search for my rubbish and the rubbish of millions in real time.  That’s like being on the receiving end of a garbage disposal.  Yummy!

The right answer? Her tights itched. Jessica offered to buy her new tights and ballet was back on :)