With tears of geekish pride welling up...

Ok, I promise at some point I will blog about the trip to the beach, but first, I have to show you this. I know it's hard to believe, but I HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

She has never seen any of the movies, and I really don't understand how she even acquired enough information to think of this, but here is Darth Vader:



She thought this up on her own and made her own mask and found the rest of the costume in the house. My only contribution was to inform her that it wasn't "Dark Vader and his Life Saver" and to give her the correct terminology instead.
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Priceless

Sometimes there are things that happen in our work lives that leave us wondering if this is all some kind of joke, and that in reality we are all still in high school and just pretending to be educated professionals.

Scissor Girl is so much more eloquent in describing this phenomenon, but I do have to share this gem.

writers: be warned, you will feel the urge to poke yourself in the eye after this.

A co-worker who holds (precariously) a lead creative role with a major (but also pain in the ass) client just told the client that to make the change that was requested might be "a little confusionary" for the users. I'm not sure which is more depressing, the fact that he said it, or the fact that the client didn't seem to notice.

Add that to your dictionaries, my friends. It's pure gold.
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Notable Stuff

I often come across interesting and unique stuff in my internet wanderings. I will share them. They are fun to look at, fun to buy, or sometimes just interesting to know that stuff like this exists.



via Paraphernalia
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hurricane daze

Power is out; airport closed for the last 36 hours and will likely remain so. Kids asleep and blogging via text by the light of some leftover glow-sticks from july 4. Still no threat, just highly inconvenient wind and rain. Question of the day: what topics have you discussed while without power, and with whom?
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Force of Nature Smackdown: Hurricane Dolly vs. The Children

In all seriousness, this has been a pretty good trip. The first three days were awesome weather. The waves gradually became more aggressive with the coming weather, which kept pace nicely with the increasing bravery of the kids. We had a lot of sun and boogie boarding, sandcastles and seashells. Last night the wind and rain spinning off the north edge of Dolly came blowing in. We got to watch as the storm surge slowly pushed the water levels up the beach. At one point the waves nearly swallowed a pickup truck that we can only assume was operated by a driver who got a little too arrogant and forgot what happens to sand when it gets wet. This morning the waves had covered the entire stretch of dry sand that yesterday had led from the boardwalk outside our room down 100 yards to the water's edge. The waves are now washing seaweed (and unfortunate amounts of trash) all the way up against the boardwalk's edge. We want to go down and run around in the ankle-deep swamp, but the wind is fierce and unrelenting. That leaves us with two kids trapped in a condo with not a whole lot to do. It's a good thing we bought a lot of food (for them) and beer (for us). We have taken them out for short forays into the wind, partly to break the monotony, and partly in some vague hope that the power of nature will instill some sort of humility or at least scare them into behaving like humans. None of these is working out so far, but I'll keep you posted.

The hurricane is really not a threat here, so if we can keep from selling the children on eBay today, we'll head home tomorrow. We may end up driving because the flights will be a mess, but that's ok. We've discovered that iPod Shuffles have an effect on the kids similar to a tranquilizer dart. We'll just keep throwing goldfish crackers into the backseat until we get home.

Here are some pics.

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vacation in progress

Kids: loving the surf, boogie boards, sand, pool, and new friends.
Us: loving sea, relaxation, waves, and time together.
Activities: swim, surf, eat pizza and cookies, build sand castles, sleep late.

We are still subject to the alternate world we inhabit, but these days give us some new adventures anyway.

Love to you all.
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Saturday Recipe: "A Great Saturday"

Start with one Saturday and make sure no plans are in place for it. Choose wisely.

Add:

1 or more persons that are loving and strong forces in your life.
a dash of exercise
a small nap
a few small tasks that needed doing, but at a slow pace
some letting go of things that need to move on
a simple meal shared with love

Mix all of these things, and let them be for as long as it takes for the sunlight to creep across the walls of a quiet house. When the sunset is casting those dancing shadows of leaves on your kitchen wall, pour a glass of wine. Enjoy a moment of silent gratitude.


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The Week that Wasn't

The last 7 days were not good. They were hard, sad, exhausting, frustrating, painful, and tested my limits. I will write about some of what last week was, but not today.

So for now, I need a rain check on the last week or so. Next week will be better.
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Saturday Recipe: "Independence Day Bellini"

Easy one for a relaxed holiday morning:

1/2 glass of "Orange Strawberry Banana" blend juice (or similar)
1/2 glass of champagne
slice of fruit on the rim

The perfect thing to kick off a lazy weekend of eating stuff that's bad for you, drinking more than you think you should, and trying to stay out of the heat.

Have a great holiday, everyone!
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Alert: Total Time Waster

Photo Bombers
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