My Son, the Catholic...

This morning, 6:40 am:

Happy Fat Wednesday Mom.

Uh...today is Ash Wednesday. Yesterday was "Fat Tuesday"...so, happy Ash Wednesday.

Man, 40 days is a long time, huh? Like longer than a month...

Yes, it is longer than a month.

Are there going to be any Friday the 13th's in the next 40 days?

I have no idea.

Were there any Friday the 13th's when Jesus was in the desert for 40 days?

I have no idea.

Is grape soda really soda, or is it juice?

Soda.

This is going to be really hard!

Yesterday when I picked the boy up from school they were making Mardi Gras masks and bead necklaces. I asked the kids, "Are you guys making this for Fat Tuesday?" They all gave me blank stares. I said, "Mardi Gras?" and the boy says, "What is Mardi Gras?" I told him we would read about it when we got home. So while the boy and the dude were working on homework, I looked up Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday and reported my findings back to the boy.

"So, Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday, and Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Lent is when you give up something important to you for 40 days representing the 40 days that Jesus supposedly went into the desert, fasted, prayed and came out and started preaching to people."

This is when the boy decided that he would give up soda for 40 days.

My need to keep my son informed on the world around him has led to him now participating in Catholic ritual. I will not discourage it, as there are far worse things than not drinking soda for 40 days... I will however try to keep information to an absolute boring minimum if anything ever comes up about Cults, or Virgin Sacrifices.

Hours of hilarious fun....

for your cat!!






The last thing I need is one of my neurotic cats thinking they can fly a plane, drive a tank or commandeer a fire truck... The visual though, is highly entertaining.

x-tremegeek.com

radiohead 15-step w/USC marching band

Just in case anyone missed this.

Friday the 13th, a really bad day.

A conversation with the boy after school today.

Boy: (despondent tone) Hi Mom.....

Me: Hey dude! How was your Valentine's Party?

Boy: Fine.

Me: Was it fun? Did you get lots of Valentine's? Did you eat lots of candy?

Boy: Yes. It was fine....but today was a really bad day.

Me: Oh no....why?

Boy: Wellllll...it is Friday the 13th.... and I was unlucky all day.

Me: What? There is nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th. People make that crap up.

Boy: No! It is unlucky! First, I got chocolate milk sprayed in my face and on my glasses. Then, when I was trying to clean my glasses this kid told me that my face looked weird with my glasses off. THEN at recess the kid tackles me, THEN ANOTHER kid tackled me, THEN ANOTHER KID ran me over with his scooter. It was just a really bad day.

I can only hope that all of his "bad days" and Friday the 13th's are that bad. And in the mean time...I'm going to find whomever is filling his head with this paraskavedekatriaphobia and give them a good talking to.

Beirut

Petra turned me on to these guys and I am really liking them.


Sunday Smile (on Saturday)

BEIRUT - Sunday Smile from The Flying Club Cup
Uploaded by flyingclubcup

Elephant Gun (I kind of hate the video..but the song is good)


Check them out.

My friends do the coolest things

With much thanks to Anika and Ted.

Representing the EAST COAST: a care package from Anika.


I love the rocks and shells soooo much. We have rocks and shells from the Pacific, but I think that these are our first from the Atlantic. Also, the scarf is fantastic! The gum will freshen my breath and make my mouth happy! The magnets will hold all sorts of treasures and the Crystal Light...it will be crystally and lighty.

Representing the WEST COAST: Ted sent me an extra special t-shirt signed by the RZA!


Wearing that shirt the other day, I was nothin to fuck with.

You guys are great.

xo-

a

Tuesday.....more or less, the way it is in the hood.

An oldie, but a goody.

I learned a new thing today

The gamma rays studied in high energy astrophysics are not the same gamma rays that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk.

And some other stuff.

Good to know!

Brain wear

Leave it to the Danish to make helmets fashionable......









If they could only guarantee that they could make you look as adorable as the Danish girls that are modeling them.....


YAKKAY

Let Freedom Ring

The boy ate his breakfast in front of the computer this morning and we watched and listened to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech. When I asked his thoughts afterward he said "I am really glad that he gave that speech and did what he did so that people would feel like they had the power to fight for their rights and freedom."

Wow. Sometimes 8 year old's are actually paying attention.









When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"