weekend

Saturday

• We did some yard work.
• Me, MrC & MrG went for a bike ride on the BurkeGilman. MyBetterHalf & MsS fought zombies with the GirlScouts
• As a family we went to see local JrHigh perform “Adam’s Family” musical.
• By myself I went to see “Us”.  Good movie. Glad I went. Haven’t had a nightmare yet.

Sunday

• MrC bought a suit from Goodwill, and dressed up, and went with MyBetterHalf to see “Cats”.
• MsS went to a cartooning thing with GirlScouts
• I watched MrG soccer team have their first game of spring, beautiful day, too. My fav part, he had the ball, three defenders charged him, and he was able to complete a pass to a teammate who was open. There was no one on the bench, so everyone played the entire game. He said he was tired.
• Me, MrG, & MsS went to Leena’s Diner for dinner.

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The Rules Do Not Apply

The Rules Do Not Apply by Ariel Levy.

Not my cup of tea.

And it’s depressing.

2019 Seattle Snow

…so…recently we in Seattle area had lots of snow, for us.

The childrens missed a bit of school:

• Mon 2/4 – Snow Day
• Tues 2/5 – Snow Day
• Wed 2/6 – 2 hour delay
• Thur 2/7 – 2 hour delay
• Fri 2/8 – half day early release
• Mon 2/11 – Snow Day
• Tues 2/12 – Snow Day
• Wed 2//13 – Snow Day
• Thur 2/14 – Snow Day
• Friday 2/15 – 2 hour delay

And then the next week, Feb 18-22, was mid-winter break!

While at home, we started joking about home schooling, and tried to have the childrens do some reading math music and writing everyday. One morning on a late delay (Simon & Anna were with us, waiting for bus) the childrens even played school. We took some walks in the snow, but they don’t like it. I was happy that MsS and I got to walk through the woods, everyone else was cold and headed home. They did coloring and drawing contests, they were playing board games together, MsS & I tried to make “slime” and “ubluck” (pro-tip, cornstarch and water, left in cupboard, covered, will make several colorful molds), of course the played on electronics, they all will play “RoBlox” together, I played FortNite duos with the boys,…

…and from aboot a month ago… the Song-of-the-About-A-Month-Ago

The Hu – “Yuve Yuve Yu”  I like the combination of traditional instruments and rock, I like the lyrics,

other contenders

• DJ Snake, Selena Gomez & Cardi B “Taki Taki” which sounds way better in my car, than on my phone or laptop.
• The Hu “Wolf Totem“
• Nine Treasures “Wisdom Eyes” (this is a strong second place!)
• and to be honest, even BabyMetal “Karate“

 

Let me what else… I contacted my Senators & Rep to tell them “Trumps proposed border wall is a terrible idea, please vote against it.”

Other recently stuff

• MrC told me, while crying “I’m the dumbest kid in my class.” I tried to cheer him up, I tried to tell him, you’re behind and that’s partially parents fault, but we can get caught up, I know you can, and school is a lot more fun, and a lot easier if you are caught up. A few days later, I came home late from school, depressed because I’m behind, and he happened to still be awake, smiling, giving me a hug, and cheering me up.
• MsS wants to go to a horse camp. She is still interested in stories from when she was little at bedtime. She has a stuffed animal (Actually, many…but she recently gifted dozens of them, and narrowing down her collection.) the stuffed animal we call Evie. And for some reason I decided that Evie, like Groot (never watched movie, or read the comics) but Evie can only say her name. And she’s spaz at bedtime. The other night she bounced out into the snow.
• MrG is missing basketball. A few times, when there’s not snow on the court, we will go and play, but he usually wants to leave when other kids his age show up. Today he was very distraught about his ability. He will be trying out for a spring select team, and I think he’s nervous.

Radio Ga-Ga

Last night MyBetterHalf and I left the childrens and went to local, very crowded, very warm, very narrow seats, theater to watch Bohemian Rhapsody.

I was alright.

Returned home, remembering one of my fav songs of when I was their age, and they watched the video for “Radio Ga-Ga”. I didn’t watch, I just listened. Most of my youth, I did not have MTV, so I listened to radio, and made mix-tapes of favorite songs, often waiting an hour for my song, and getting grumpy at DJ talking over it.

 

The War That Saved My Life

The War That Saved My Life – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

MrG suggested I read this, and it was a good.

I especially liked how the protaganist struggled to use words to convey her feelings, and was frustrated by it*, which I assume is something my children go through daily.

I liked the description of how an abused child can not understand, or accept, love given.

I liked the description of life on the home front in WW2 England.

 

*Do we ever get over this, let me ask Nobel Laureate T.S. Eliot…. my buddy T.S. replied:

So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years-
Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l’entre deux guerres-
Trying to use words, and every attempt
Is a wholy new start, and a different kind of failure
Because one has only learnt to get the better of words
For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which
One is no longer disposed to say it.

“East Coker” – V

2019 Oscar nominees: animated shorts

Took the childrens to go see this years Oscar nominations for Animated Shorts.

We voted:

1. “One Small Step”
2. “Tweet Tweet”
3. (tie) “Animal Behavior” and “Late Afternoon”

 

 

The Thing About Jellyfish

I highly recommend The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.

MsSqueaky read it, and wanted me to read it. The introduction, she had just gone to bed, so I went in and said “I’m hooked.” The first chapter, nice, I’m sure she wasn’t sleeping yet, so went to tell her “I’m really liking it so far”.

I really enjoyed it. I loved learning new things about jellyfish, I liked how sections were started with a “how to do a science report”, I loved the main character and her voice and the choices she made were totally in character, I liked the conflict with others, not because anyone was bad, but just different. I wish I had a science teacher like the one in the book. I hope I can be as awesome as the parents. I like how the story was born of a rejected magazine article, LOL. And…I’m glad I don’t have to go back to middle school ever again.

MsS and I chatted about the book today while walking in the snow.

A few quotes, just to give a hint of the flavor of the book, and I’m just flipping pages, I don’t have a favorite passage, but in no particular order, here are some examples of the text.

“Thank you, might Thor,” he said, “for showing us your seminal receptacles.”

I whipped around, the hiss already coming out of me. “Just go, Mom. I don’t. Want. You. Here.”

If I wanted to pass seventh-grade science, I was going to have to speak out loud.

 

Akata Witch

Akata Witch – Nnedi Okorafor

Your standard kid discovers they have powers, teams up with other kids and fights the big bad.  Like Buffy, HarryPotter, the Xmen,…

Started slow.

Good, but I wanted more of her descriptions of Africa and her magic system.

Great finale.

last week

MsSqueaky had a combined band concert, sixth graders from five schools, then the Middle School band… and then the HS drumline brought in the HS marching band. The middle school band director was speaking to the 6th graders (and their parents) “…yes, you will be busy, but you can do it…”  and asked her middle school band how many did sports, drama, honors classes, had good grades, other activities…and most did. A few of her students gave testimonials… band is like a family… it is work but it is worth it.

MrGrunty and I went to a local HS basketball game. The JV team was finishing up their game, and we saw a half court buzzer beater to win it!  MrG said he doesn’t want to play for the team, because the coach was yelling at his players.

MrCuddles and I have been playing duos on FortNite. It’s fun. We had a game, and there were only three left… we were so close to winning, but the last person elimated both of us. MrC freaked out, started blaming me… I smiled, and told him it was a good game, we will do better later…. “sports”.

weekend

Yesterday, I took them to the local music store, so I can get my viola tuned-up. I was looking for easy duets for viola, which they had one book. And easy viola-clarinet duets…which I don’t think exist. (Business idea!!! LOL)  After we walked through a wet-land area under a bridge.

Last night I hooked up my old electric guitar, brought out the djembay, and brought up the keyboard, …and told the childrens, “take turns being band leader…and don’t play so loud that that cops show up.” And then MyBetterHalf & I went on a date.

MsS – she’s the one that wanted to learn to play guitar. I showed her a few things. Today, her friends were here building a fort in the backyard, which fell apart initially, but by the time they left it had a stable roof (which Katherine exclaimed “won’t fall down on you!”)

MrC – he and I spent some time just playing with circles and fractions. He’s getting closer to getting it…as in a fourth is smaller than a half, even though four is bigger than two. I think he had a bit of fun with it. He and I played some duo FortNite, I let him be in charge, because he’s better than me. Since he knows I love to talk basketball, last night he tricked me into letting him stay up later by asking for more stories about Dennis Rodman.

Today, with MrG a good day. We cooked fried rice. We played basketball, he was laughing while recreating recent bloopers/missed-calls from the NBA. We went on a small hike through a park that had been hidden from me(!). We played FortNite and our goal was maximized zombie-zapping, I like FortNite teamwork.