i decided to take the plunge and go short again!
first, the haircut... 
it always takes me a few days to get used to oscar when he gets shorn like a wee sheep. i imagine that in the top photo i captured him thinking, "i can't believe all of that fur came off of my little 20 pound body!"okay, now for the rant...this weekend rob and i went to see v for vendetta at our local multiplex. we both enjoyed the movie--though the graphic novel on which they based the film was written 20 years ago about thatcherite england, its messages about fear-mongering and "patriotism" are pretty darn relevant today. anyway, we were watching the credits, as we do, when we saw a family of four--mom, dad, and their two kids under age 5--leaving the theatre. that's when i got angry. v for vendetta is rated R and deservedly so--lots of blood is spilled. it's not the most violent film i've ever seen, but the thought of those little ones sitting through nearly two hours of characters being beaten up, tortured and killed positively turned my stomach. when i was in the airport a few weeks ago, i read a column in the trib by mary schmich on the very topic of adults taking young children to rated R films (you have to register to the tribune online to read it, but it's pretty fast and painless) and at the theatre i remembered the study cited by the column which explains that kids can't distinguish fantasy from reality until age 6 or 7. this experience made me think about the fact that there are millions of parents around the would who wish they could shield their kids from everyday violence (war, genocide, street crime, hunger, etc.) but can't due to circumstances beyond their control while here in middle-america, parents are actually paying to expose their toddlers to violent images. i've done some web searching, looking for a petition to sign or some kind of grassroots action to remedy the misguided logic at work here (a 13-year old can't see a rated R movie without a parent but parents can take their 5 year olds to that same movie), but haven't turned up anything. i know that worse things can happen to a child than seeing a frightening movie, but when this form of emotional trauma is so easy to avoid, i think it just should be.alright, rant's over. my next post will have a sunnier topic, i promise. i'll head in that direction by posting two photos of rob in his beloved yosemite sam cap (at left with siblings and benfer cousins
, at right in our kitchen), which jean found and gave to him for his birthday along with an old wooden treasure chest full of legos--jackpot!
Also posted this on Betsy's Blog: Four Things --------- Four Jobs I've Had: 1. deli manager (sucked) 2. bus driver (fun) 3. engineering technician 4. construction inspector Four Books I Love: 1. The Lord of the Rings 2. The Dragonlance Chronicles 3. Into Thin Air 4. Frog & Toad Four Places I've Lived: 1. Iowa City 2. Fort Collins, CO 3. Salt Lake City, UT 4. Iowa City (in my own house) Four TV Shows I Love: 1. LOST 2. Scrubs 3. Deadwood (HBO) 4. Changing Rooms Four Places I'd Love to Revisit: 1. Germany 2. Maquoqeta Caves 3. Bemidji 4. 1112 E. Court St. Four Things I Love to Eat: 1. reese's peanut butter anything 2. coffee heath toffee crunch (B&J) 3. carrot cake with cream cheese frosting 4. blue diamond almonds Four Websites I Love: 1. Married to the Sea 2. Natalie Dee 3. Toothpaste for Dinner 4. NewEgg -rob
this weekend brought rob's cousin katie's last college softball tournament in iowa city and a bunch of pilger relatives headed to town to cheer on the ball state cardinals. joyce stayed with us on saturday and jan and sam came to hang out that afternoon. rob had the genius idea of busting out the treasure trove of legos jean had brought him for his birthday. sam made a souped-up police boat with two steering wheels and a lot of control panels. rob put together the space shuttle--he remembered just the pieces to look for after all these years. it was kinda eerie. i built the "window wheel mobile" pictured below. the driver is a little lego man with a magic marker face. i don't know who had the most fun...
