Breakfast Experiment

Tuesday I took Kelly back to Bridgeport for the first time in a couple of weeks, due to the holidays. While we were sitting at the table waiting for her class bell, her friend Brianna arrived. Kelly was shouting "friend! Friend, sit here!" But Brianna needed to go get her breakfast at the school kitchen, so Kelly had to wait to see her.

I got to thinking, since we are trying to enforce breakfast for Kelly, and she wants to have some time with her friend, maybe we could combine the two. So today, Kelly began her experiment, getting breakfast at the school (for $1.10, quite reasonable). When I left her friend had not shown up yet. Since that was the point of letting Kelly eat at school, she may be disappointed, I don't know.

So we'll be running this experiment for a few days. If Kelly can't get enough food into her at school to behave during the school day, or if she decides that she doesn't like it (perhaps Brianna doesn't show up often enough, who knows), then we'll drop the experiment. More later...

Tosser or Corpse?

When I'm going to sleep at night, I must adjust my position at least once every couple of minutes. Jean tells me I continue the show into the night. Jean, on the other hand, barely moves. I swear that sometimes, she is in the same position when I wake up as she was when I went to sleep. How she can do that without getting bedsores is a mystery to me.

So what are you, a Tosser or a Corpse?

Whither Terebi?

I'm sold on weblogging, after three months using the weblogs.com facilities. It's fun, makes me reflect a little on my life, and let's me share my thoughts with friends and family in a single forum. By my count, today is the three month anniversary of Terebi.

But it is a free service, and free things have a way of going away. On today's Scripting News, Dave Winer (the host of weblogs.com) reflects:

We started our hosting services when "business models" promised to reward us for capturing users in some way, on the assumption that we could turn some of them into paying customers, someday.

He then notes that Pyra, hosts of Blogspot.com, another 'free' weblogging service, are asking their users for donations to buy new servers. I tried out their service when I was experimenting with weblogging, but I didn't care for their interface. Nevertheless I wish them luck.

After reading Dave's quote above, I sent him an email letting him know that I would pay to use this site and it's services (at most $5 per month, if you're curious). He thanked me for the feedback. Let's just hope my price curve and his meet. Thanks again for the ride so far, Dave "qbullet.smiley".

Brat Pack Dead Pool

Jean and I came up with this one during our afternoon walk today. Who's going to go first? Sure, Robert Downey, Jr. is an easy pick, but stretch your imagination. Interestingly, he isn't even listed on Bratpack.net which defines the Brat Pack quite tightly by appearances in just two movies. http://www.bratpack.net/

Ray Walston is Number Three

Looks like my bet on a political figure in the famous trio game is wrong. I'd have to say that Ray Walston definitely qualifies to join Victor Borge and Jason Robards.

Guess Billy Barty will have to start a minor trio, perhaps with Werner Klemperer? http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010103/re/people_walston_dc_4.html

Long Weekend Update, Part Two

Monday was a day off. So I took the opportunity to break down boxes from Christmas for recycling, then went upstairs and cleaned up (trim hair, shower, that sort of stuff). I'm covered in hair, grime and sweat, when Jean walks into the bathroom and says \"Kelly wants to go to the 12:20 showing of 102 Dalmatians\". I look at the clock and it is 12:05. "Good luck!" I say. But Kelly is willing to try, so I hop into the shower and race through cleaning up.

Jean tells me while I shower that they are going downstairs to wait in the car. Sound hectic yet? I race through the drying and dressing, and have an inspiration. I grab my shoes and socks and coat and run downstairs barefoot, jumping into the car with Jean and Kelly. Kelly thinks it's funny that I'm putting on my socks and shoes in the car.

Anyway, to cut the story short, we made it, and saw the movie. Not too inspiring after having seen The Emperor's New Groove, which I highly recommend for children and adults.

After that we had lunch then went down to Mentor to go for a walk. Kelly logged twenty minutes before she voted to get in the stroller. We fed the ducks again, just in case the miracle didn't take hold on Christmas day "qbullet.smiley". We came home, I did the check balancing, and now I'm posting about our day. Next I think I'll have dinner.

Happy New Year, all of you!

Long Weekend Update

I made it to midnight last night, but only in the most formal sense. After reading about Haskell for a large chunk of the evening (Jean watching a biography of Paul Linde, Kelly playing with dolls) we played games with Kelly for awhile. Jean had bought Kelly Mousetrap, so we played that for a bit, with simplified rules. Then we played Spoons, a card game Jean's parents taught Kelly. This one works better with more people, but Kelly had fun any way.

We got Kelly showered and conducted the ritual of the new year. This consists of wandering around the house banging pots and pans to chase away the evil spirits for another year. Needless to say, Kelly really gets into this part. At 10:30, we tucked her in and read her some stories. She was ready for bed without protest. Jean and I stayed up a little later, then retired to the bedroom.

I turned out the light, but I was playing games (Minehunt and the tile-matching variation of Mah Jongg) on my Palm Pilot in the dark. Backlit screens are so cool "qbullet.smiley". I'd been playing quietly in the dark for who knows how long when I heard fireworks going off. Check the clock on the Palm Pilot, midnight is here! The sound of the fireworks woke Jean up, and she gave me my first kiss of the new year!

So I rang in the new year, but no parties or watching balls descend in Times Square on television. Suits me just fine.