Craftsman

Reed, with the help of his older sister, created this beautiful heart-shaped necklace out of pipe cleaners and beads.

(Net)Work Cut Out for Us

Olivia is really into television—her favorite shows are “FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman,” “The Electric Company,” and any documentary on Abraham Lincoln—but she’s also literally getting into televisions, at least ones she cuts out of cardboard boxes.

Bubble Boy

Bubbly Personality from chris k on Vimeo.

Along for the (Bus) Ride

My officemates and I are on a flex schedule for half the year. For me, it means that I get a day off during the work weeks of December through February, as well as June through August. Today marked my last flex day for this three-month stretch, and fortunately for me it coincided with the day Olivia’s class was taking a field trip to our community’s performing-arts center for a production by a traveling children’s theater troupe. (I’m sure chaperoning this sort of thing beats chaperoning your kid’s high-school dance.)

The performance was great and all, but I have to say that highlight was situating 36 first-graders on the city bus that speedily transported us from and to school across our area’s many potholed streets. Many laws were undoubtedly broken—passenger capacity, speed limits, noise levels—but we all arrived back safely. (Except for Aaron. He might still be on the bus. If anyone has seen him, please let a teacher or a chaperone know. Thanks.)

Elementary, My Dear Watson

(Photo courtesy of Carol Kaelson/Jeopardy Productions Inc., via Associated Press)

Olivia and I, like many of our fellow humanoids on Monday, watched two former “Jeopardy!” champions attempt to regain past glory against an IBM computer named Watson, a rising upstart in the world of television quiz shows. The word from TV land is that the much-hyped battle of man vs. machine netted “Jeopardy!” its highest rating in four years, as well as the second spot in household ratings for television shows on that day, finishing behind only CBS’s “Two and a Half Men.” (Alas, not even a supercomputer can explain how that contemptible show continues to garner top honors in the contest for most eyeballs.)

Watson’s question of “What is Toronto?” for the first day's Final Jeopardy clue about U.S. cities elicited some chuckles from those gathered in our living room, but our laughter was born of nervousness, a signal of unease for what had just unfolded and would continue on the show’s three-day run—a non-human utterly dominating humans in a seemingly human game. Ken Jennings, one of those humbled former champions and apparent “Simpsons” fan, said wrote it best: “I, for one, welcome our new computer overlords.”

Absence Make the Heart Grow Fondue

My valentine prepared a Valentine’s meal for the ages—and for all ages. The kids and I loved dipping sundry edibles into hot vats of cheese and chocolate. The little guy got so caught up in the novelty of the dipping that he launched a cheese-covered crostini behind him and onto the curtains, which I like to think he did on purpose so that the curtains could feel some love.

Go off the Depot End

We occasionally make our way to the home-improvement store to test its ability to help keep our kids in order. The results have been encouraging. The race-car shopping cart certainly keeps their interest, as does their infinite array of paint swatches.

Birthday Celebration

Forget you, state of Illinois—we are the true land of Lincoln. Olivia has carved out room in both her room and the guest room downstairs for her Lincoln paraphernalia—books, movies, CDs, dolls, giant pennies, and giant five-dollar bills. On this date of his birth, she made a poster to commemorate his legacy, as well as her admiration for him.

I believe that everybody is treated equal. I love Lincoln.

My Fair Lady (and Gentleman)

We took the kids to the nearby university to attend its international festival. Okay, I’ll admit it: part of the attraction of going to this particular international fair is that we are able to sample some milk teas. The learning of various cultures, sampling of ethnic cuisines, and watching of a multicultural dance lineup—those things are all nice, but so is only playing a buck for a generous cup of fusion milk tea with boba.

Screen Time

This is like a riddle wrapped in an enigma stuffed in a turducken: the kids are watching a video of a kid—a younger Olivia—watching a video. Current-day Olivia is watching the former-day Olivia on the TV, while Reed is watching on the video recorder the video of a younger Olivia watching video of herself on the same video recorder.

Makes sense, right? More so than this stupid movie.

Take Heart

2011 Valentine's card

Tickled Pink

Reed was greatly pleased by the pink cowboy hat he found in the costume bin at the discovery museum, the sight of which took me back to a time when another cowpoke roamed the plains in her pink Stetson. He made his way from the hand-puppet station to the Big Piano, where you stomped out “Home on the Range.”

Going Told Turkey

10 Fat Turkeys is Reed’s book du jour, the one with which he ends his days, but also the one he requests when he wakes. Beni and I handle the nighttime readings, and Olivia’s the one who kicks off the mornings.