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daily journal
Gyro Bowl Any parent will immediately understand the genius of this product.  It's a cereal bowl mounted on gimbals so you can swing and twist it any way you want and the stuff inside won't spill out. I'm almost tempted to buy a bunch for our house. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 10:08 PM | permanent link
CubeDudes Rock CubeDudes a Flicker set of characters from movies, comics, and pop-culture in general that have been re-created using LEGO pieces. They are pretty amazing.  Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 8:26 AM | permanent link
Maybe Next Christmas I know Heather loves the Snuggie she received as a gift this past Christmas, but I have to think she would have loved this even more. posted by Brendan | 2:30 PM | permanent link
T-Shirt War This is a lot of fun to watch - and contemplate how they planned and filmed this short film. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 4:59 PM | permanent link
Quest vs Venture The battle we've all been waiting for.  posted by Brendan | 12:58 PM | permanent link
A Teacher's Dream Zoe is building up a reputation for being the sweetest person on the planet and a teacher's dream student.  She's no pollyanna - she will let you know when she doesn't like what's going on - but she has a pretty strong spirit. Heather has been substitute teaching a little more frequently at the kids' school this year, and subsequently is hanging around with some of the teachers more. Today, they got to talking about Zoe and one teacher offered up this to explain Zoe's demeanor in school: "You could tell Zoe to go sit on a tack and she would. And then she'd say, 'Isn't this fun!'"Yep, that sounds like Zoe. posted by Brendan | 1:18 PM | permanent link
Visiting My Dad My dad�s crazy hectic schedule for his campaign to win the primary election in DuPage County for one of the open Circuit Court Judge positions has not left him a lot of time to talk or visit with me or my family. The election is on February 2 � just a week away. He is in the homestretch. Every waking moment is given to shaking hands, smiling, and rallying enough support to win the election. So I thought we would do the next best thing and visit the giant head of my father currently on display alongside Ogden Avenue in Lisle, IL. Not quite the same as dinner at the old man�s house, but I thought it would be sufficient in a pinch.  We all thought Dad looks pretty good. He�s holding up surprisingly well considering the stress and strain of the campaign. And just like any other McKillip get together, we had to make time for group photos. Everyone spread a little closer together.  I know that compared to my Dad we all seem pretty small, so here�s a close-up of me and the kids:  Good times. posted by Brendan | 12:55 PM | permanent link
Stand Firm Against the Tide Ian will argue that "every other 10-year old had a cell phone, so why can't he have one." And Heather and I will counter with "not every 10-year old has a cell phone." Then I find this chart and start mentally working up a new counter-argument to use.  posted by Brendan | 4:48 PM | permanent link
How To Choose Which Cereal to Eat I don't eat cereal anymore. I stopped sometime back when I was in college. Found that I was hungry thirty minutes after eating a bowl of cereal, so I got to thinking eating cereal was a waste of time. Anyway, Heather and the kids eat plenty of cereal. We have got boxes of it everywhere. So while this decision chart might not be helpful for me, I think everyone else in my house could benefit from it.  [found] posted by Brendan | 11:30 AM | permanent link
Another Reason to Own an iPhone So I could have one of these toys to play with.  Parrot A.R. Drone (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma / January 6, 2010) Parrot A.R. Drone, a four-propeller flying drone that connects to an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch via Wi-Fi with a video-streaming camera hovers at the Consumer Electronics Show. posted by Brendan | 5:38 PM | permanent link
01.02.2010 Today's date is a palindrome - written forwards or backwards it is the same number. To celebrate, starting at 12:01pm I will start working backwards until I go to sleep at the same time I got out of bed this morning. (luckily Heather let me sleep in late today) posted by Brendan | 10:16 AM | permanent link
My Son's Arsenal This Christmas my father granted Ian his long-standing wish to own the Nerf Vulcan.  The toy is essentially a rapid-fire chain gun that uses Nerf darts for ammo. It fires 3 darts a second. Frankly, it's awesome. After watching Ian lug this new weaponry around the house the last few days, when this comic popped up on Sheldon I had to laugh.  posted by Brendan | 6:04 PM | permanent link
Happy Birthday Declan! I hope you mom let you tear apart another birthday cake today.  posted by Brendan | 9:19 PM | permanent link Fun With Candy The other night I stole some M&M�s from Heather while she was assembling some treats for one of our kids� Christmas party at school (don�t worry, she had plenty). I was snarfing the M&M�s down quickly to avoid having to give them back while I walked into Ian�s room to see how he was coming along with his homework. I forgot what was said exactly, but whatever it was Ian made me laugh.  Heather recommended a drink of water to relieve the back of my throat, but I decided to wait. I figured the irritation would go away on its own. 10 minutes later I am pleasantly surprised by the taste � and sensation - of chocolate running down the back of my throat. Apparently the chocolate I had coughed up while laughing at Ian�s joke ended up lodged in the back of my nasal cavity. It sat there for a while until gravity did its thing. It was like getting a chocolate treat all over again. posted by Brendan | 1:24 PM | permanent link
That's My Dessert It's a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Heather made it for me to take in for my department Christmas party luncheon.  I didn't want to have to keep identifying what I brought in to share with the group. This way they can just read the top of the damn cake and figure it out for themselves. I haven't tried the cake yet, but the frosting is wonderful. posted by Brendan | 11:37 PM | permanent link
Procrastination Perfected  Labels: comic strips, Fun posted by Brendan | 10:30 AM | permanent link
Do You Like This Post: Yes or No? Emma has reached the age where writing notes and passing them along becomes a popular pastime. I don't date contemplate how much note writing goes on at school (I imagine a lot), but at home Heather and I receive our fair share of hastily scratched off notes from Emma. Usually they are short, with a brief "I love you" followed by a request to answer some question. Examples: "Dad, I love you. What do you have for lunch?" was slipped into my messenger bag one morning before I left for work. "Dad, thanks for driving. Can I pick the next show: Yes or No" was passed along to me while we were traveling back from Ohio last weekend. The notes are usually fun stuff and are always good for a smile. The best note I�ve seen so far was an epic (relatively) script that Emma produced and left for Heather right around Thanksgiving.  Not sure if Heather took the time to answer all of those questions. I�m also perplexed by the inclusion of the color question in amongst all of those questions about pets. But who am I to dissect the mind of a 7-year-old girl. I�d rather enjoy the notes for as long as she will write them for Heather and I. posted by Brendan | 1:07 PM | permanent link
I'm Getting Old I returned home late Monday night and found Ian was still up churning away on his homework. He had had basketball practice after school and more than his usual load of homework, consequentially he was up beyond his regular bedtime trying to finish up his school work. Ian is easily distracted, so sometimes it will take extraordinary efforts from Heather and me to keep him on task when there is a deadline involved. In Monday�s case, that deadline was trying to get him finished and into bed before 10 o�clock. He had wandered down into the kitchen and started asking a question about something that had no relevance to his homework, school, or sleeping � so I cut him off and planned on redirecting right back upstairs with a firm declaration that he was running out of time. I don't recall exactly what I said, but it was along the lines of, "That isn't important right now. You need to hunker down, get focused, and finish your homework so you can get to bed. It's already 9:30." Ian stopped dead and looked at me. "'Hunker down', what does that mean", he asked while giving me one of his more confused looks. "Hunker down? Who says that?" I dismissed his questions with a wave of my hand and sent him back upstairs to his room to (finally) finish. While he was climbing the stairs I started thinking myself. Where did I come up with 'hunker down'? I can't remember ever using that phrase before. Even if I had, it's not really that strange of phrase, is it? Why did Ian seem so confused by it? I've heard that phrase used for years. Then I suddenly felt old. It was like when my sister called me out for naturally and conversationally using one of our Dad's favorite phrases. Talking like your dad means you're turning into your dad, which means you're getting old. I don't care how cool you may think your dad is; he's always old. Talking like him is one of the first steps in getting old. Now with my little turn of a phrase, not only was I feeling old because I was obviously using the vernacular of old people but my son was recognizing my oldness and highlighting the generational gap in his confused face. I guess it's going to be all downhill from here on out. Jeepers, this sucks. posted by Brendan | 1:25 PM | permanent link
Can I refill your eggnog for you? Between everything Rankin & Bass have produced and Bing Crosby�s propensity for working a Christmas scene into many of his films, come December I�m always scrambling to fit in all the Christmas movies and shows that I want to watch. How much Christmas-ier would it be if I could slow down and enjoy an annual viewing of a modern Christmas classic like National Lampoon�s Christmas Vacation while sipping a holiday beverage from one of these:   A Christmas Story House Gift Shop � the online presence for another fantastic Christmas movie � is selling these replicas mugs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Christmas Vacation. How cool is that. posted by Brendan | 5:15 PM | permanent link
The Great Talker Pretty much from the moment I met Heather I knew she was a talker. While I would be overwhelmed by it initially, I have grown comfortable with her gift for gab. In fact, I like to sometimes joke that she can carry the conversation for both of us. So it was only natural that our children might inherit Heather's talkative streak. Ian certainly has. He can � and will � talk your ear off on whatever book he�s just read or video game he�s played or cartoon he�s recently watched. He rivals his mother in his ability to fill up dead air with his ideas, observations, and questions. Emma tends to follow after me - the silent type. She can, like me, get on a roll from time to time and talk you up and down the room, but she tends to keep to herself most of the time. Though she may loosen up when she�s really comfortable. And then there's Zoe. Even though she is the youngest person in the house, she has already outpaced Heather and Ian in the ability to speak at length about everything without taking a break for air. She is a mini-marvel of gab. It wears me out just listening to her. I can't imagine having the energy to keep your jaw moving that much and still have the reserves to run around outside with friends, color 400 pieces of paper, write three songs, construct paper towel Halloween costumes for your stuffed animals, and recreate a small town out blocks and Littlest Pet Shop toys in the basement. It's no wonder that out of everyone in our house, she falls asleep the quickest and sleeps the longest. And that�s her in Kindergarten. What's going to happen when she's 15 and has ten times the amount of things to talk about? She might end up carrying the conversation for the whole family. posted by Brendan | 4:50 PM | permanent link
The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions Looks about right to me:  [via] Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 7:23 AM | permanent link
We Never Did Rent That Film Again The Empire Magazine blog recently had a post about those movies that you shouldn�t watch with your parents. Writer Chris Hewitt presents some compelling arguments that there are movies that, whether it is because of the subject matter, the violence, or the sex, you just shouldn�t sit down with your parents in the same room to watch. At the end of the post Hewitt asks readers to submit their own suggestions for film experiences best not shared between parents and children, and I got to thinking about how I would answer. The first film that sprang to mind was The Name of the Rose, a Sean Connery / Christian Slater who-done-it set in the 14th century. Why?  My dad rented it for my brother and I to watch with him one weekend when we were probably middle-school/early high-school aged. I don�t remember much about the film accept for the scene that got my dad out of his seat like his pants were on fire.I don�t think my dad realized The Name of the Rose was a rated �R� film. He probably thought he was getting a mystery/thriller about monks in the middle ages starring James Bond. But when Christian Slater and the peasant girl started getting acquainted in a carnal fashion, my father discovered his oversight. He leapt over the coffee table to hit the fast-forward button on the VCR and frantically used his body to block my brother�s and my view of Slater and a young female engaged in - now - high-speed copulation. A few moments later we were back to monks and hair-shirts and my dad riding the VCR remote with an itchy trigger finger. When you compare this film with the others that get mention Hewitt�s post and the comments section The Name of the Rose is insanely tame, but for a few moments that night I don�t think my dad could have thought of worse film to be watching with his teenaged sons. And thinking about it always makes me laugh. posted by Brendan | 4:57 PM | permanent link
Elizabeth, Explain This . . . Okay my sister the big important attorney, you need to answer for your profession. From Chicago Bar-Tender: A woman has sued the Brookfield Zoo in a slip and fall case that she claims started with the dolphins.I can imagine a person wanting to try and sue because people are stupid. But aren't attorneys supposed to be smart? I thought that's why you went to school for so long. How can any attorney accept this case with a straight face and clear conscience? Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 12:08 PM | permanent link
How I Met My Wife Did I ever tell the story about how I met my wife? It�s a spine tingling epic full of laughter, tears, and dolphins; but it started with Heather winning over my attention pretty much like this: posted by Brendan | 4:24 PM | permanent link
Investment Opportunity? Maybe I buy stock now and sell for profit 20 years from now for the bankroll to have my own tattoo removed. Tattoo removal firm aims for IPO as black ink flows "Tattoos are becoming more common in the workplace and in society," Keefe (Dr. Tattoff's chief executive) said. "My suspicion is that along with that, the tattoo regret factor will only grow as people get older." Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 5:10 PM | permanent link I'm Not Who I Thought I Was I was cleaning out some boxes in the basement last night getting items ready for a donation to the Purple Heart Veterans organization when stumbled up this:  Amazing, huh? Not sure how my parents kept this secret for so long. Apparently I am a full year older than I thought I was. The certificate clearly states that I was born in 1971. Not 1972 like I've been walking around telling people all these years. Oh, and I guess I can't be President of the United States either. posted by Brendan | 12:23 PM | permanent link
She Seems Like a Friendly Person I don't think this is what my wife had in mind when she encouraged me to join Facebook so I could connect with a bunch of people.  Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 1:30 PM | permanent link
Ghost Busters I love the original from the 1980's, but this version might have been pretty fun too. Labels: 80's, classic movies, Fun posted by Brendan | 10:25 PM | permanent link
The Deification of Youth and Stupidity Craig Ferguson is a genius. I should watch his show more often. posted by Brendan | 10:05 PM | permanent link
Happy 123456789 Day Hey, It's 12:34:56 on 07/08/09 Live it up. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 12:34 PM | permanent link Something To Think About  Labels: comic strips, Fun posted by Brendan | 9:07 AM | permanent link
The Ledge is Open The Ledge opened today. 4 glass-encased boxes suspended from the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower.  And here's a shot looking down through the glass floor:  I can't wait to go. posted by Brendan | 12:59 PM | permanent link
Color Tricks The green spiral and the blue spiral are actually the same color.  Wild. [via] Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 11:25 AM | permanent link
The Great Nerd vs. Jock Debate While plenty of people are fawning over the President's speech/jokes at the 2009 Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner, I preferred John Hodgman's performance. posted by Brendan | 12:46 PM | permanent link
My Mom is Sixteen Now my mother is actually sixty years old, but I am beginning to believe that she might actually only be 16 - more specifically, a 16 year-old babysitter. Case in point. My mother came over Friday night to watch our kids while Heather and I went out for dinner to celebrate our anniversary. My mom did the typical grandma/mom/mother-in-law things:
Sounds like a teenaged babysitter to me. But maybe that�s the price we pay for getting free babysitting. If Heather and I had employed a real teenager to watch the kids we probably would have dealt with the same and also had to give them money at the end of the night. posted by Brendan | 12:35 PM | permanent link Pure Evil It's been a while since we took a swing at the legal profession. Here's a nice one from today's Last Kiss.  posted by Brendan | 9:27 AM | permanent link
Emma Has Two Loose Teeth And she can make one of them really wiggle. This video was produced with special love for her Grandpa McKillip - who always enjoys seeing crazy stuff like this. posted by Brendan | 8:51 PM | permanent link
We Have a Death Star!
posted by Brendan | 12:03 PM | permanent link
This Could Be Fun Freeze Mentos in ice cubes. Serve up with Diet Coke. Hilarity ensues.  Now I just need to find a Diet Coke drinker . . . Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 12:42 PM | permanent link
Always Support the Home Team I know Lebron and the Cleveland Cavs are having a rough go at it against the Orlando Magic, but the one game the Cavs have won so far in the best of seven series (they're playing game five right now) came with another superhuman finish from Lebron. I absolutely love this clip from a Cleveland news station that was not carrying the Cavs-Magic game where Lebron sank an impossible three-point buzzer beater, but obviously had the game on a monitor just out of view of the cameras. I particularly enjoyed the guy dancing in the background. posted by Brendan | 9:51 PM | permanent link
Funny Things My Wife Says To Me This morning: Heather: I had some strange dreams last night. Me; Really? Heather: Yeah, in one dream I was kissing Roger Moore. But don't worry, nothing else happened.  Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 1:30 PM | permanent link
Glimpse of the Future Will this be Ian and I in 20 years? BEDFORD, Ohio � An Ohio man who argued with his grown son over a messy bedroom said he overreacted when he called 911. Andrew Mizsak called authorities Thursday after his 28-year-old son � who's a school board member in the Cleveland suburb of Bedford � threw a plate of food across the kitchen table and made a fist at him when told to clean his room.Probably not. I always follow through on my threats. Ian would have ended up spending the night in the clink if he threw a plate of food at me. (And for the record let it be known that I didn't go for the obvious impact legal prosecution for throwing plates of food over arguments concerning dirty bedrooms has on the political aspirations of a grown man living in his parent's basement joke.) posted by Brendan | 5:10 PM | permanent link
Happy Mother's Day Growing up in the 80's, there was one thing I learned quickly: always do what Mr. T tells you to do. That's why I always try to treat my mother right. Happy Mother's Day Mom. And God bless Mr. T. posted by Brendan | 9:53 PM | permanent link
And I Don't Even Like Pepsi Cola Not only is Stephan Pastis comic Pearls Before Swine brilliantly funny, but the guy's blog can be equally as fantastic. I am disturbed by mindless conformity to long-held traditions. And I am determined to change them. Mr. Pastis is my new favorite person. Labels: comic strips, Fun posted by Brendan | 12:42 PM | permanent link
Edible Art Somebody got the idea of sticking un-cooked spaghetti into hot dogs and then boiling the two together. The results look a bit Lovecraftian if you ask me.  As fun as it may seem, I don't know if Heather and I could get our kids to eat this. I think they might find it too weird to eat. posted by Brendan | 8:27 AM | permanent link Muppets' Eleven The Muppets and Ocean's Eleven mashed-up Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 8:17 AM | permanent link
Deliciable Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 11:10 PM | permanent link Methinks This a Novel Idea To celebrate the 445th birthday of the William Shakespeare, somebody decided to make today "Talk Like Shakespeare Day." The Mayor of Chicago even made it official.  Have fun. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 1:13 PM | permanent link
Memories of Medieval Times Our trip last week to Medieval Times was everything that I expected, and some things that I didn't. To be sure, the show of battling knights was as cheesy as I remember from the last time I went nearly twenty years ago, but it also remained equally as much fun - especially with Ian, Emma, and Zoe there. They had a blast watching the show, eating their meal with the hands, and partaking in the pre-show activities. With everything that went on, my two favorite moments don't have anything directly to do with the spectacle of Medieval Times. My dad, Heather and the kids drove up separately while I met my sister, brother-in-law, brother, and friend in downtown Chicago. Thanks to after work traffic, ur trip out of the city took forever; so Heather, Dad, and the kids enjoyed the pre-show activities without us. Dad snapped these photos of the Ian, Emma, and Zoe while they were waiting to go into the arena.
The photos were captured using my Dad's iPhone, so they're not the highest quality, but I think they are fantastic. The grainy photos capture my kids being themselves - not hamming it up for the camera or holding a pose forced upon them. They look natural and real - like my kids. Maybe it was because I wasn't there to enjoy that part of the Medieval Times experience with them, and these photos give me a glimpse at what was going on, but I'm glad my Dad sent me those photos. The other memory I am walking away from our trip to Medieval Times is seeing Zoe honesty become smitten with a boy. For the show we sat in the Green Knight's section. The Green Knight was the "bad" knight, the one who wanted to fight everyone and was overall a nasty guy. When he spoke during the show he always used a angry, menacing voice. After the show all the knights come out and sit on thrones for the audience to come up and snap photos, talk to them, and in general act goofy. We were all milling about trying to get a closer look at the Green Knight and the others when Heather suggested to Ian, Emma and Zoe that they might want to get the Green Knight's autograph. Ian and Emma begged off the suggestion, but Zoe thought it was a perfect idea. She immediately turned and started making her way through the crowd to get herself up in front of the Green Knight. Once she had his attention, she stepped right up and asked for the autograph - which he graciously provided. A short time later, while we were all still talking, I noticed that Zoe had wandered back close to where the knights were all sitting. The crowd around the knights had thinned out, so Zoe had found a spot on a bench where she could sit and stare directly at the Green Knight without any obstacles. She sat with her Green Knight autograph firmly in hand while staring intently at the man who had signed it for here. She hardly ever took her eyes off him. As I went over and sat down next to her, she turned to me and said, "I know what the Green Knight's voice is really like. He was talking mean during the show. But now I know what his voice is really like." She then turned and went back staring at the Green Knight. I put my arm around her and gave her a hug. She never stopped staring. It was even difficult to get her to leave, she kept wanting to turn around and look back at the Green Knight. I don't know what it was that captured her fancy, but the girl was smitten with the Green Knight. It sure was cute to see when she is only 5 years-old, but I imagine my reaction my be entirely different ten years from now. posted by Brendan | 9:51 PM | permanent link
Heather Would Smash My Potatoes Remember last week when I brought up the Pearls Before Swine comic and poked fun at how I might handle a similar situation. Well the wife kidnapping storyline came to its conclusion today, and I imagine it would end in similar fashion for me.  Pearls Before Swine has become my favorite strip being published currently. It is well written, well drawn, focused in its approach, and displays an overall creative energy that is lacking in many current comic strips. Labels: comic strips, Family, Fun posted by Brendan | 4:54 PM | permanent link
5 Things I Think I don�t know what the San Francisco Giant marketing team was thinking when they rolled this slogan out, but it sure is a doozey.  Even a week a later, every time I read �Play with balls of fire� I shake my head and laugh.  Knowing that I have a long road ahead of me, I�ve already started telling Heather that I want to buy a motorcycle. Even though I figure that I won�t have time to really ride and enjoy a motorcycle for about ten years, I need to start working my argument now in order to wear her down enough that I could pull the trigger on that sort of purchase in the next seven or eight years. (Economy and college tuition willing) I need to figure out if the Can-Am is cool or totally dorky in case I want to work it into my argument. The more I look at it the more I'm coming down on the side of totally dorky.  Before  After  A few years ago Get Fuzzy was the popular strip, even won a Reuben Award in 2002, but now it feels like Conley keeps re-hashing the same jokes over and over � usually dragging them on (badly) for days. Even when you think he might be trying something different, like last week when he started the story with the ghost hunters; it only ended up as way to bring the terminally un-funny Manc back into the strip for some more tired bad accent jokes. And this week we're back to monkey jokes. Move on or get off the page. Don't turn into Garfield. Labels: 5 Things I Think, comic strips, DC, Fun, Sports posted by Brendan | 1:26 PM | permanent link
Hey. It's a Joke If Heather ever happened to be kidnapped - not that I want that to happen, but let's just pretend for a moment that it did - I can imagine there being a scene at our house not unlike what occurred in today's Pearl Before Swine.  And that's only because I like messin' with my kids' heads. Labels: comic strips, Family, Fun posted by Brendan | 10:24 PM | permanent link
Mow the Law This is the UK TV commercial for the Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women Bikini razor. It will never air on TV in America because of either 1) America's prudish hyper-sensitivity to anything remotely sexual in nature or 2) Britian's off-kilter sense of humor.  My guess is #1And I love that British sense of humor posted by Brendan | 4:22 PM | permanent link
Evap-or-what? I was always a good student in school, so I delivered my assignment to Emma on Thursday as she requested. If you recall, she had surprised me with a question Sunday night, "Can you dry out water," and then gave me three days to consider my answer.  Following her instructions, I wrote my answer down ("Yes, you can dry out water"), sealed it in an envelope, and handed it to her.She excitedly ripped the envelope open and pulled out the slip of paper. She read my answer aloud before charging up to me declaring that I had gotten the answer correct. Then I learned the inspiration for Emma's puzzle for me. A little over a week ago her class had put some water into a small class cup. The cup was set in the window of their classroom in a spot that would get the most sunlight. Thursday the class had checked the cup and learned that much of the water was now gone. It had "dried up." Emma asked me how I came up with my answer, particularly if I had put a glass of water out by a window for a few days. I told her that I didn�t put any glass of water out; I just thought about the problem for a few days and wrote down my answer. I think I impressed her with my keen scientific reasoning abilities. Heather asked Emma some questions about the water evaporating. Emma's response was along the lines of "What's evap-or-what?" So the classroom experiment might not have been the resounding success that the teacher may have hoped for, but at least I know Emma had some fun learned some basic scientific concepts � even if she can't remember all the terms. When Zoe saw all the attention Emma and here question for Dad had generated, she decided to try and jump into the action. "Daddy," she said, "I�m going to ask you a question and I want you to write it on piece of paper and put it in an envelope and give it to me. Okay?" "Sure, Zoe, what�s the question?" "Can you dry out a balloon?" I don�t know how I�m going answer that one. posted by Brendan | 1:17 PM | permanent link Hmmmmm . . . . BERLIN (Reuters) � A German woman has divorced her husband because she was fed up with him cleaning all the time.I never thought about just tearing down the dirty walls and rebuilding them. I've always opted for repainting, but there's something to be said about starting fresh instead of just covering up. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 12:17 PM | permanent link
I've Been Given an Assigment While helping my oldest daughter, Emma, with her bath this evening, she presented me with a problem to solve. Or maybe it's a riddle. I haven't quite figured that part out yet."Dad," she instructed, "I'm going to ask you a question and I don't want you to answer it now. I want you to wait and think about it." I've learned that when you 5 and 6-year old daughters start delivering orders, it's best to sit and listen attentively. No use trying to fight it. They have instructions that they are intent on presenting, and no force on earth will stop them in their mission. I sat back and listened attentively. "Before dinner on Thursday", she continued, "I want you to write your answer down on a slip of paper and hand it to me. That's when I will tell you if you are right or wrong." "Are you ready?" My mind scrambled as I tried to anticipate what sort of question a 6-year old girl would pose to their father that they would want him to take four days to figure out the answer to. Was she going to ask for a pony for her birthday? Was she going to suggest selling her sister so we would have enough money to buy a pony for her birthday? Was she going to ask me about Santa Claus? But these guesses, and many others, were wrong. My assignment: "Can you dry out water?" Seems straight-forward enough, but judging from the gleam in her little eyes I suspect she's plotting a twist to the answer this Thursday. So now I have to figure out how I'm going to play her game. posted by Brendan | 8:14 PM | permanent link
Country. Why'd it Have to be Country? I love my wife. Love her bunches. I love her enough that I�m not bothered by her conservative political views or misplaced devotion to reality TV programs.  I�ve learned to take in stride her rabid support for the Ohio State Buckeyes and her unique organization habits.I can even overlook that she mispronounces the work �insurance� and �strawberry� (She puts the emPHASis on the wrong sylLABle) But recently she has taken up an activity that I�m not sure if our love can overcome. She has declared herself a county music fan. Now, there isn�t anything wrong with country music. All forms of music are art and certainly can be appreciated. However, I have yet to be able to comprehend how anyone can listen to more than two country music songs in a row and not go a little batty in the brain. All those twangy voices and steel guitars, it gets to be so, so . . . country after a while. And every song is a little story about how a guy met a girl, or woman killed her husband, or something cute and wacky that kids say. Ugh.  Again, I�m not saying there�s anything wrong with country music. After all, country music does have the highest per capita number of attractive female singers of any music genre. But unfortunately there are no pictures on radio. So I�m still left with the music. Is it me, or is tuning into a country music radio station feel like listening to a series of Ford Truck commercials being played back to back to back.And now Heather is becoming a fan. The radio in our van is being left on US-99, Chicago�s (only) country music radio station. The stereo in the family room is set to US-99. She�s even using the last of an iTunes gift card she received lately to bolster up her country music collection. Obviously I can�t change her, but right now I don�t know how I will live with a country music spinning wife. This could be the biggest challenge to our marriage since the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. posted by Brendan | 8:40 AM | permanent link
Mario Visits Chicago posted by Brendan | 9:50 PM | permanent link
Coolest Animal Ever The Lightsaber-Toothed Tiger  Honor the beast. Buy the shirt. posted by Brendan | 3:43 PM | permanent link
No Particular Reason I just thought this was funny. Labels: Fun posted by Brendan | 1:37 PM | permanent link
Open Letter to My Mom Mom, I know my kids love you and you love my kids. That makes me happy. It also makes me happy to know that you want to share your love of music with them. I think that's great. But if you ever take them to a music program again where they are handing out cheap plastic kazoos for the kids to bring home, I may have to disown you. Love, Your Son posted by Brendan | 11:04 PM | permanent link
That's a Mean Frisbee Thrower I don't know what movie this is from (at least I assume it's from a movie), but it might be just about one of the greatest2 minutes of cinema ever produced. [via ExtraLife] posted by Brendan | 8:56 AM | permanent link
At Least He's Crossing His Legs I don�t think Mr. Dithers is wearing any pants in today�s episode of Blondie.  I guess the stress of not only having Dagwood as your employee but also having to socialize with him is starting to take its toll.Labels: comic strips, Fun posted by Brendan | 4:36 PM | permanent link
The Revolution Will Be In Kilts  I often find myself having similar thoughts that Gramp expresses in last Sunday's Sheldon. Certainly the shifting world economy and political climate is leveling the power across the globe.While I agree with Arthur (the talking duck) that I don't see anyone out there ready to take America's spot on top I don't think he should be worried about some small nation upstart coming out of no where to dominate. However, if Arthur is right, then I'm glad that I've been pushing the Scottish heritage of my "McKillip" surname all these years - despite my father objections otherwise.  It should help score me a choice role in the new government.Plus, kilts for everyone. Labels: comic strips, Fun posted by Brendan | 10:23 PM | permanent link |
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