Well, it is time for another installment of the things that have been on my mind for the week. I know that the number (bullet) style list is a fan favorite, so I'll stick with the crowd-pleasers.

1) First and foremost, I may have to give up my geek title. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy came out yesterday and I haven't seen it yet. A movie like that, which is on a short list of books that I think deserve to be made into contemporary movies, to more closely portray the vision that the author was trying to express while writing the work. (I know old school movies are important and have their place, but I think that contemporary visual effects when used skillfully and sparingly would be a fantastic reason to reshoot a couple of movies from the past.) I haven't been impressed by the movie reviews, or more accurately the reviewers. I don't think that you can just believe any old review that you read, because most of them are garbage. We are lucky to have the internet for this, because I think you should cautiously search out two or three reviewers that most closely seem to mirror your tastes, and stick with them for as long as you can. Use them like an older sibling, and pick their brains, but don't believe everything that they say (It had to be said C, cause it took me 6 or 7 years to stop believing that swallowing toothpaste would kill me).

2) There are books that I wish I was smart enough to be able to sit down and have the will to read from cover-to-cover (that sounds like a good bookstore name, not Stacked). I have not been able to read non-fiction for a while (perhaps 3 years, since little feet came pitter-pattering into my life), but if I could I would want to check out a few books: Name All the Animals, by Allison Smith; A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson; The True History of Chocolate, by Sophie Coe, and Michael Coe; The Fabric of the Universe, by Brian Greene (who also wrote The Elegant Universe). Those are a few of the books that are really jumping off the shelves at me. I'll try to think of some more for another post.

3) Oh, I guess I won't surrender my geek status, like I hinted at, because this afternoon I successfully fixed the wireless network problems we have been having, and enabled and started using the wireless security features, as well. Our connectivity problems were getting bad for a while last week. It started on Wednesday or Thursday, turn on the laptop and it would connect to the open network (I couldn't get the security features enabled yet) and then 5-10 minutes later it would just disconnect. It would still detect the wireless network, but would take 2 or 3 minutes to reconnect, then 5-10 minutes later it would disconnect (the interval was actually usually 8 minutes, 40-some odd seconds). Then I started trying to diagnose the problems (I thought it was the router) but after I change any of the settings on the router, the laptop wouldn't be able to detect the wireless network at all, no matter how many times I told it to check again. So I went to the router's manufacturers website, and actually found this tool called netstart. I downloaded it, and in about a TOTAL of 8 mouse clicks I had the desktop configure the router for a secure network AND the laptop was connected and secure as well, with no connectivity losses anymore. I was actually extremely surprised at how easy that little program made the whole process, I even left the network connection status screen up on the laptop, pessimistically thinking that I wanted to see when it disconnected from the network again, but after about 2 hours it back apparent that it was on a stable connection. So my new theory is that it could have been some problem with the factory configuration of the network adaptor on the laptop, but I guess it seems ironed out now.

4) Oh, and the big news: I'm going to be cutting back my hours at the bookstore. I haven't decided yet whether I'll be going down to one night a week, or whether I'll be taking a break from gainful employment, it depends on the boss'. The store was just sold to someone else, I'm not even sure that they are going to want to keep me on, but you know, twelve hours a week was beginning to cramp my style, and feel like, well, work. Fortunately I have a sugarmommy.

Well, that is all the typing that my little fingers are in the mood for, and I didn't even get around to all the ridiculous national news from the week (runaway brides, and money thieves from Massachusetts).

Bowling time!

Last night was such a fun night: Kyle, William and I went to the bowling alley over in Honeoye Falls (yes, William, that is a waterfall, that is why it is Honeoye FALLS). We had such a good time, we were the only ones in the bowling alley, and the owner drank more than Kyle, William and I put together. He was OK on the customer service side, he let us pick the music, he checked on us a few times, and he apologized that the pizza place that is right in the bowling alley was closed, and told us if we wanted anything, he would order out for us. He was a funny guy.

I couldn't remember the bowling scores (perhaps I didn't want to remember) but you can check out Kyle's site for the games break down. I started getting a little tired toward the end of the games, we might have been bowling to quick......or maybe it is a flaw in my exercise regiment (the fact that I don't have one?). But next time I look forward to taking it easy and having just as much fun. We went to the Brewery after, and had another beer and some appetizers that Kyle was nice enough to give his professional chef's opinion on. heheheh, I think it was very fun to go out for food with someone who cooks for a living, added dimensions of the magic of food coming out of the back kitchen.

I know someone who is working on escape plans. 

Hum,

I wish I could make this stuff up myself, but I don't think I'm that smart.

Last night we went to McDonald's. After everyone ate very well, we got a bit of a treat for each of the kids. Emma asked for a Fudge Sundae, Holly wanted the same, and Ryan wanted plain. After I brought them to the table, Emma asked for her Sundae, then Holly looks up and said she didn't want a Sundae, she wanted her "Monday".

Fears

I really can't remember if I mentioned this point before, but even if I did, I feel compelled to revisit the issue.

Fact: Children are like a giant mirror, and will force you to confront or deal with, any fears or pet peeves or "strong feelings" that you have. For example: if you have an issue with bodily fluids, your kids are going to puke on you a great many times. This is because when you have an issue, just once is a great many times in your perception. If you have a thing about feet (like me!!!!) you just may have a couple of kids that wake you up in the morning by trying to put their feet in your mouth. But additionally, you will need to accept the universe and everything in it as "the way it is supposed to be" and accept yourself and all of the strange things that happen. I guess you might call it a form of child-induced Buddhism?

Another new toy.

Well, this week we made the last big purchase with our tax refund. A notebook computer. Everyone is going to give me a hassle, however, because I got a Compaq. It is nice, and I got all of the wireless settings correct, with the exception of the security features....everything works fine, until I try to enable the encryption. I don't seem to be able to get the same encryption setup on the router and the notebook. I'll have to try figure that out, soon...

Well, I have to work tonight, I expect to be pretty bored. Thursdays and Saturdays are a little slow. Friday tends to be the busiest night.

The funniest thing happened on the way to my blog.....

I just caught myself before making the most hideously embarassing blog post of my life. But since I caught myself, I feel the rather compulsive urge to out myself, and divulge the thought that I was about to fleece (nod to Kelly) myself with.

I was just watching the movie Love Actually, and caught myself thinking what a solidly romantic and entertaining movie it is......but in light of my previous post, I think that would be such an indescretion as to warrent a little bit of Seppuku.

Movies are crap:

I was thinking on the way into work today about how most romantic comedies, or chick flicks seem, in my opinion, to be destroying the culture of the US. I'll explain before there is mass-hysteria, have no fear.

Men and women grow up watching thousands of movies and TV shows that depict weddings and marriages to be these idyllic, blissful events during which nothing really goes wrong (With the possible exception of bizarre bachelor or bachelorette party mishaps) . As people grow into adulthood being fed such a steady diet of deceit and misinformation they begin to accept that as the norm. As a culture everyone expects to get "married and live HAPPILY EVER AFTER." Depending on where you look, you'll get different answers, but it seems that most divorces occur within 5 years of the wedding. And something like 50% of marriages end in divorce. Come on people. It seems that the expectation of what marriage is comes into direct conflict with the reality of marriage.

You would think that the trend for the young of America: living together before marriage, would decrease those figures, but it doesn't seem like it. It seems like it doesn't change those number at all.

The theme of this whole post is this: Marriage is hard work, and it is continual. It is something that both people need to work at for the rest of their time together. There is no end point in the future in which you won't have to be considerate of your spouse's feelings, or consult before making big decisions. There will never come a time when you won't need to care about their physical well-being, or care about whether they are just plain happy. There shouldn't be a time when a nicety is taken for granted, or one person takes all the (for lack of a better word) limelight. (Actually, I think that the Eastern Philosophies of Chi might be more appropriate in that phrase, but it might disturb some people's sense of the universe.)

It seems to me that even in marriage, both people are changing. We are always changing. As long as we are breathing and moving, our person's are in flux. You just need to include your partner in the transitions. Holding hands generally means that you don't loose contact, in more ways then one (Tim's deep thought for the day).

It is a commitment that it seems that most people don't seem to grasp at the outset, and therefore just drop like a hot potato when it becomes too much work for them. In the past when the divorce rate was a fraction of what it is today, the world was a completely different place. Women were traditionally dependent on their spouse's income for sole support. The societal and cultural mores were entirely different about acceptable behavior, divorce didn't happen back then. Infidelity, I would imagine, must have been just as frequent as today, it just wasn't discussed by people or the media.

In conclusion, there might be a lot less of a "culture-shock" or "reality-check" of movies and other popular forms of media didn't only show such a flowery, lopsided version of reality. There is something to be said for other countries that had media literacy as part of school curriculums beginning in the first grade. But then I guess you don't make money by telling people the truth, you tell them what they want to hear.

From the one with the mouth.....

After Holly got up from her nap (about fifteen minutes ago), I took her diaper off her and put her undies back on her. Thanks for reminding me, Holly. After I pulled her little pants up her legs she reached down and said: "I need to fix me foot sleeve."

I never thought of calling a pant leg, a "foot sleeve".

The Sound of Music.

This morning Michelle and I were gently pulled from sleep's embrace by the sound of two voices, in their own rooms, singing together. Holly and Ryan were repeatedly singing the first line from the first song of the Saw Doctors CD: "All the Way From Taum". They kept singing "the green and red of mayo", over and over, and in pretty good harmony. They managed to stay together singing. Really a different way to wake up!

Here is a great picture that shows the scaled of the birdhouse, two cute kids, and the fact that Ryan can be distracted pretty easily. 

This is the birdfeeder we built, a wonderful shade of gold. The kids love looking out our dining room window, watching the birdies eat their breakfast. 

Kids

I thought that I would make a couple of observations about some things.....some kids and some other stuff. Perhaps my childless friend might get a chuckle.

1) The innocence of the kids is so cute, today while using a plunger on the toilet (come on, thats worth a chuckle right there!) because Holly only goes every three days (thats two), I had to repeatedly tell Ryan to keep is hands out of the swirling water. He just has no concept that it might not be a great idea to touch.

2) On Sunday night we went over to Michelle's parent's house. We had a couple ideas about getting Michelle's Dad to help us throw together a birdfeeder based on a picture in one of Michelle's golden books. We ended up building it in 20 minutes, and then we put it up the next day. It is pretty cute, I'll try to post a picture today.

3) Last night's episode of Scrubs was quite good! The show has really matured over this past year, just since the beginning of this season it has maintained it's comedy status, but become so much more. Sophisticated is quite a wierd word to use for a show that I have been watching since the premiere, but I can't think of any other one that would cover the concept.

4) Kelly, Kyle, I am sorry, I just don't get Napolean Dynamite. I sat through the first 45 minutes, and thought to myself that I would rather be getting a Digital Prostate Exam. (come on, that is good for another one, digital means finger......the exam is done by going, well, the least desirable route).

5) Ryan has been having trouble with some of his words......he mixes some of them up. He picked up a bad of pretzels and started asking me to open them, so he could eat the pencils contained inside. And a couple of weeks ago we bought a Kids Streetside Warning Device, which for some reason got named Gilbert. But Ryan only refers to it as "Yogurt". I guess it sounds similar.

6) I'm on antibiotics for an Ear Infection (otitis media). But, I feel like I got run over. Aches and pains, and exhustion. I'm not used to feeling like this, even on a bad weekend with the kids.....I haven't had an ear infection in a while, but I have quite the history of them when I was a kid.

Well, I think I'm going to go sleep for a bit, while the kids are too.

hehehe

Well, it's been a while, but (not to be too abrubt) again I have a few things that I have been thinking about.

1) The kids are (understandably) very curious about noises they hear outside the doors of our home, especially, when I switched the storm door inserts to the screens. So when the garbage truck came by Wednesday morning, Ryan was very curious about what was happening out there. So I held him up to look out the window, he was admiring the men pouring those big plastic bins into the back of such a large truck, when I noticed what the garbage man was wearing. I thought it a bit funny when I read "Scent Blocker Plus" on his shirt, so much so that I did a web search because I thought it was some new garbage man clothing that made them more bareable to their wivies when they got home.

2) I don't think that I have mentioned this before, but a little site that I stumbled across that I might have brought up before. Check it out.

3) I have been thinking about a few news stories that I heard about chronic back pain being associated with "significant decreases in brain density". The "Timothy's Summary" basically tells us that the near constant stimulation of the brain that the pain causes, results in the "burning out" of specific or general areas of the brain. It made me wonder if anyone is studying whether migraines have similar results.

4) Several movies that I am interested in seeing: Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and if they can every get their act together, Red Dwarf: The Movie.

They loved the hunt! 

Someone loves to help with chores! 

I quite like this picture. I love the paws. They played on Clifford's tail slide too. 

You might be able to tell which children are not in day care (hence not quite used to other children running around and getting a little too close). 

They had quite a bit of fun at Strong Museum....there was a lot to do! And it was rather busy. 

Oi, another week....

Wow, the days are really flying by, seems like some days I have to put my foot down just to take a shower.

I have a lot of pictures to put on here: Easter pictures, as well as a trip to Strong Museum to see Clifford, The Big Red Dog exhibit.