Tid-bits

• "Party People": Parliament's most boringest song. (Which is kind of like saying that you went to Rick James' most mellowest party, but hey, whatev.)
• Speaking of parties: nobody threw one like the Hellenistic Alexandrians, apparently. During a giant civic procession staged in the 270s by Ptolemy II, "...[A]ctors and masses of women joined officials...dressed as satyrs in a show which included scenes of Dionysus' drunken return from India, the figure of Alexander, and an enormous gold phallus, 180 feet long, covered with ribbons and tipped with a large gold star."* Where, oh where, can I hire one of these last for our next holiday bash?
• Rhys: reading. "Go, Dog. Go!" remains a favorite, joined of late by the Word Bird series... and, of course, Lego Magazine.
• Fisher: reading (nothing new) and drawing up elaborate plots for the robo-mechanical domination of the world (also nothing new). He's cranked through the Harry Potter books again--he and Jim are reading them simultaneously--and he's now revisiting the Lemony Snickets. Any suggestions on how to get him to pick up a book he's not already read would be most welcome.
• Science marches on: A fossil of a Miocene whale--possibly of an entirely new genus--was unearthed by a group of amateur paleontologists along the Oregon coast last week.
• Most fun quote from a hip-hop song ever: "Whoop! Whoop! That's the sound of the police." Just try to stop saying it.
• Dangerous diversion: creating your own free ringtones with Audacity. Jim is now the proudish owner of brand-spanking-new "Paranoid Android" and "Knives Out" ringtones, while I kept it simple with Beck's "Truckdrivin' Neighbors Downstairs." Now I just need to find someone to assign it to. 'Cuz it's not quite good enough to dethrone Amy Winehouse's "Rehab," which earns me a funny look every time my phone rings in the grocery store.
• How you know your kids are getting properly exposed to D&D: Rhys comes upstairs and asks "What's the difference between an ogre and a troll?" Fisher grabs the Monster Manual and says "Let's find out."
• Halloween: Fisher is a bandit. Rhys is a... well, can you guess?
  
  All costumery 100% homemade, which rocked. Thanks, Papa, for being the wardrobe master! Hooray for UHU glue, which bonds plastic cups to cardboard box with notable success!
• Never rains but it pours: Should probably return to pursuit of deadlines, which I've been composing this post by way of avoiding.
• Eternal bloggery: I want to write a brief monograph on the topic of Constraint as a spur to Creativity. Would you read it?

*Robin Lane Fox, "Hellenistic Culture and Literature" in The Oxford Illustrated History of Ancient Greece and the Hellenistic World.

Comments

[Amy Sorensen]

Haley went through a re-reading phase. It freaked me out a little until I remembered that sometimes I do the same thing every once in awhile. I got her reading new things by taking her on a Mom&Haley night to the bookstore. Jake really likes Nancy Farmer's books; he's totally into her new series (Sea of Trolls and Land of Silver Apples). They're a little harder than Harry P., but not much.

And, yes, I would certainly read and definitely comment on your creativity post!

Cute costumes!

[Helena]

Maybe he'd like Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians.

[Mimi]

I re-read too. Especially "Go Dog, Go"

Cool costumes. A lego, right? ;)

[Summer]

I love to re-read. I just moved through the Fire and Ice series in anticipation of the next one.....I allow George R. R. Martin the time though, I want it to be just as yummy quality as the four previous.
Maybe truck him down to the library and have him select titles at total random in different sections? I used to love games like that and it could expose him to some new stuff...

[Lori V.]

How funny, Molly... Youngest almost went as a Lego for Halloween. We settled on a mime. Middle was a woman (a mighty effective one, too... he always was a pretty thing). Heh.