Random Picture Dump and Stream of Consciousness Thoughts

Sorry, folks, I just haven't been in blog writing mode recently. Maybe it has something to do with my football teams being pummeled week in and week out, maybe it has to do with busy times at work, maybe it just has to do with being out and out lazy.

So in the meantime, until I get motivated to write more, here are a few pictures:

Thalia and Nelson, watching TV:


Pearl, who just, by sheer coincidence, happened to be walking by the stove while there was a leftover chicken nugget lying around. She swears she had no idea that it was up there.


OK, what the hey, I've started a blog post, so here's what else is on my mind:

• Coming home from Target yesterday we were listening to (what else?) the Rolling Stones. "Let it Bleed" came on. Abra piped up "there's a Glee version of this song!" uh, really? Now I don't know the first thing about Glee, other than it seems like some up-with-people pop soap opera thingie. And I can't imagine them doing "Let it Bleed". So we went back and forth on this for a while, and finally worked out that Abra was thinking of "Lean on Me", not "Let It Bleed". Too bad -- I was looking forward to seeng how are they were going to work in lines such as "oh that jaded, faded, junkie nurse // what pleasant company!".

• Wacko is in desperate need of a haircut, but has gotten too old to deal with the groomer. So the poor dog is going to have to deal with Brenna and I being his groomer. Pictures when we're done, but I am reminded of my kindergarten picture, where my father literally had given me a bowl haircut the day before.... The good news out of this is that as near as I can tell, the grooming clippers are close enough to the ones the haircut place uses on me, so when I'm done with the dog, I'll just start in on myself.

• RichRod.... sigh. Yeah, it's time, Michigan, time to let him go. I'm fine with the progress made on the offense, but watching the defense take backwards steps each year has gotten me at the end of my rope. I'd live with a coaching change on defense, but we've already had that, and still things go worse. I'm not going to beat this issue to death -- volumes are being written online right now about this (and here's one I mostly agree with). But suffice to say: while I'm not a card carrying member of Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork, I'm going to advocate cutting our losses on this one.

• The Redskins -- was there anyone on God's green Earth that didn't know the Redskins were gonna lose to the Vikings last weekend once Minnesota got rid of Brad Childress?

• Thursday Lebron comes back to Cleveland. This is going to be interesting, to say the least. I'm not above enjoying watching the Heat struggle so far this season.

OK, that's it for now. Hopefully next time I'll be more interesting....

What Time Is It?

In school, Thalia is learning about telling time from analog clocks. So she had a homework assignment tonight to write out the time based on the clock hands that the teacher drew on the clock. She has to write it two ways, the digital time, and the time using words. Like this:

Sure. Easy enough. Look at the clock, write the time. But, uh, what if the big hand is at the 6 and the little hand is pointing right at a number? That can't be!


Yep, Thalia, that's right -- that doesn't make sense. Well, that's a one-time mistake on the homework, right? Surely it couldn't happen again--


No, that doesn't make sense either!

So I thought about getting her to make a "best guess" at the time on the clock, but you know -- she's absolutely right, those clocks don't make sense. So I signed off on her answers. They look good to me!

Heh, it's a good thing her teachers love her....

School Picture Day

OK, here we go with the obligatory school pictures.

Abra, 3rd grade.


(Dear School Photographer: when posing kids wearing glasses, you might try a little harder not to have the lights reflecting off the lenses, you know? a slight tilt of the head is all it takes. ok, thanks, bye....)

And Thalia, 1st grade:


That one turned out really well, I thought. For once Thalia does not have her "death rictus" smile that she often uses for posed pictures.....