June 27, 2005
"We Drew Straws"
Apparently the kids couldn't remember whose turn it was to pick a TV show this morning. They told Katy they settled it by drawing straws.
Katy asked them what straws they used, and who held them. This was met with a puzzled look.
Turns out they really did draw straws - as in, they each drew a picture of a straw. Then they measured them with a ruler. Cameron's was longer. He got to pick.
Well, sure. That would work.
June 21, 2005
Heavy Machinery
Thanks to my sister Meg, Claire and Cameron got to see what things are like Down On The Farm in Oklahoma a couple weeks ago.
They ran on top of hay bales:
They played in a big truck full of recently harvested wheat:
But the highlight of the trip was the Big Tractor. Not only did they get to ride through the fields in enclosed comfort, but each of them got a turn steering the behemoth. I remember getting a similar ride on a farm that belonged to friends of my grandparents when I was four or five. Steering that big red thing was the thrill of my young life - the images are still very vivid to me. I can still remember the sense that I was controlling something that was so, so, so much bigger than me. Power!
Anyway, tractors have come a long way from the days of iron bucket seats. Take a look for yourself:
Heavy Machinery (4.8 MB Windows Media movie)
June 20, 2005
The Devil's In The (current issue of) Details
Perhaps some of you remember me asking what cheeky monkey signed me up for two years of Details magazine, aka Cosmo for Men.
Well, the other day I got a funny letter. Seems even the people at Details are a little confused as to whether I wanted this subscription:
Just for the record, I checked "no" and dropped it in the mail. Guess I won't be seeing this publication for much longer - which is no great loss, frankly.
Other People's Content
Yes, I have my own stories to tell. But this morning I read something on poker player Paul Phillips' site that made me laugh. He discusses his slow pace when solving puzzles for this year's U.S. Puzzle Championship, summing up with this statement:
"You kids, enjoy your lightning brain function while you have it. Once it's gone you're just another sack of meat."
June 15, 2005
Yeah, yeah, I know
I haven't posted in weeks.
I'm sure I'll have some real entries directly, but this quick one-liner will have to do for now. We just got back from Oklahoma. On the trip, Cameron received a scale model of a construction truck-digger-trencher-thingamajig. This morning, as we were all packing, he was wandering around looking for it.
"Have you seen my Trench Wench?"
Hahahahahaha