Health Class

See if you can follow the logical progression:
     We sat down for family dinner time.  I asked my normal questions of the boys.  "How was your day?"  "What did you do in school today?"  Coco proceeds to tell us how they had a project in class.  It was all about the benefits of science.  Lab partners were teamed up.  One of his football teammates decided to name their team "Friends with Benefits."  Demi almost spit out her food.  I almost choked I was laughing so hard.  Demi asked Coco if he knew what the phrase meant.  As Coco declared that, in fact, he did not, Caz was sinking into his chair and trying to hide an ear to ear grin behind a napkin.
     After commenting on Caz's poker face, Demi asked him, "don't you start sex ed soon?"
     Caz wanted to crawl into a bag.  He wanted to be anywhere but in the vicinity to have to answer that question.
     "Yeah, right before Christmas break"
     "Merry Christmas", I responded.

Salute to Service

November is now Movember.  But it also the start of the NFL's Salute to Service to honor the service men and women of the US Armed Services.  I really like that campaign.  It's long over due.
     I saw an older gentleman at the gym this morning.  He wore a t-shirt dedicated to Pearl Harbor.  It got me thinking.  Do most Americans still give a thought to Pearl Harbor Day?  I was born the day after, so I always have it in mind this time of year.  But for the generations born after, what does Pearl Harbor Day mean?  We have our 9/11.  We promised to Always Remember.  But will we?  What will generations to come think about 9/11?
     There are some really cool tributes going on.  The Cardinals are all wearing a #40 sticker on their helmets.  The ASU marching band formed a lot of military shapes before moving to a PT42.  The Bruins had a great honor guard present the colors, with a young service woman singing the national anthem.  They recognized service men and women all game long.  They had personnel stationed overseas send in pictures via Twitter, then posted them on the Jumbotron.  I hope these campaigns help keep the importance of these people and what they do, at the forefront of people's consciousness.

Report Cards

This year is the first for no hard copy report cards.  Long in the past are the days where students bring a piece of paper home for the parents to sign.  It's all on-line.  That is a good news, bad news scenario.  Sure, its green and environment friendly.  Sure, it's immediate access.  But the school portal stinks.  It is set up very poorly.  The ascetics aside (which are horrible), it's just not user friendly.  It times out a lot.  The screen and click flow are horrid.  I know we spent a bundle on it.  We got ripped off.

Thor: Dark World

I will give it 4 Chinnies overall.
     The whole family attended this one and walked away smiling.  I would highly recommend spending the extra $ to see this in 3D and on the RPX screen.  This was a great action flick for that.  Great special effects.  Good plot.  Marvel wins again.
     Demi was enthralled with Thor.  A smart Natalie Portman was there for yours truly.  The kids got to see things blow up.  Something for everyone.
     No spoilers but there were some good cameos too.

The Start of the Offseason

And so it begins.  Today marked the end of the football season.  We played our arch nemesis, Hanover.  Again.  Two times in one season.  Yes.  We lost.  Again.  But the boys played tough.  We kept it close.  It was a hard hitting, physical game.  This was not a game for the meek.  Coco was tough.  He played though a bad cold.  He was stuffy and miserable.  But he played through it.  I was proud of him.
     I was proud of all of them.  All my boys played well.  It was a long and trying season.  We faced a lot of challenges as a team.  Most of them were not on the gridiron, either.  Sure, more wins would have been nice.  For them.  For the kids, they are now old enough to start using wins as a measure of success.  I still use more in my definition of success.  The boys got better, all season long.  And they had fun.  They formed a team.  I call that a success.

Family Time

Today was a great family day.  I got up early to get some yard work done.  Sure, I could have slept in.  But I wanted to have it all.  I wanted to get my yard work done and spend time with the family.  Caz had a state XC meet in Wrentham.  I had been probing him for the last two days, trying to figure out if he wanted Mom and Dad going to his meets and cheering for him in the stands.  It took me a while to crack is guard.  He put up a good layer of indifference.  But I finally got through and could tell that he appreciated the support.
     So Demi and I loaded Gizmo into the car and made the trek to Wrentham.  Sure, it took longer to drive there than it did for him to run the course.  But it was worth it.  He put in a really great effort.  It was also nice to see him with his team.  They are a good bunch of kids.  Seeing them interact is priceless.
     When I got home, I cooked up some dinner for later, during the game.  Coco was in the den, so I could watch college football with him and cook at the same time.  He had been home sick the past few days.  He must have watched 12 hours of college football today, all told.  As soon as I walked through the door, I got a full recap on the games I had missed.  He was really into it.  I think I have created a monster....Good for me....

Dead Mau5 Baby!

It's finally showtime.  Weeks of labor is finally unveiled.  Caz will be wearing his costume tonight.  He has spent hours crafting this thing.  He ordered parts from Amazon.  He spent hours shopping...yes, shopping...with Demi, to find the right material.  He has to go to the hardware store for supplies and materials.  He got a tux at Building 19.
     Caz went next door to have Yaya help him make cuts in some thin plastic.  He watched.  He learned.  After watching my dad cut, he was able to work on his own.  He cut the mouth all on his own.  The ears he crafted out of hard packed styrofoam.  Then he bolted those ears on, all on is own.  He stretched the material all over the round head pieces and ears.  He painstakingly glued the material, so that it didn't bunch up in folds.  He rigged working speakers into the eye pieces, so that the speakers were the iris.  He put neon lights all around the ears and eyes.  He mounted an old bike helmet inside the bowl, so that the rig would fit on his head.
     Halloween.  Showtime.  Dead Mau5 was in the house.  Caz looked great.  He really did.  Then the rain and wind came.  He was scared the elements would ruin it.  So he stayed in.  He mounted the head piece in the bay window.  The Trick or Treaters loved  it.  Caz took it all in stride.  I am so proud of him.