my apple ipad 2 still hasn’t shipped but the smart cover showed up yesterday.

like a little kid who enjoys the box more than the toy inside i was surprised at how long and how much fun i had with just the cover.

i’m used to and desensitized to the fear mongering in network and cable news, but lately the scariest stuff i hear comes from the weather channel.

i’m expecting any day now for our house to be swept off its moorings by wind, rain or earthquake.

mid-way through easter sunday natalie said she thought we needed to sit the kids down and explain the meaning of easter to them.

i asked why did we need to do that?

natalie reminded me a few years ago when the kids were visiting a church with caro they approached the pulpit and ethan exclaimed “look, tarzan!”

ok, i guess its necessary they can at least identify jesus…

brilliant, simply brilliant…

mississippi shows how you handle westboro freaks

read the story first, then watch the video…

i’ve been in technology for over twenty years and by no means could be considered a luddite, but yesterday i popped my short message service (those of you more experienced may refer to it as sms or texting) cherry.

it was as unsatisfying as i had expected and worse yet, i’m kicking myself for not having sent “what hath god wrought?”

i’ll leave it up to the reader to determine the significance of that message…

a secret to get your kid to beg for homework.

did you know woot would send “random crap” to you in a box for only $5! i didn’t either until my neighbor received just such a box, with the label “random crap level8″ right there on the packing label.

no surprise, i was much more excited about the possibilities of the box than i was after viewing its contents…

after that fun, i saw my kids duck in to the backyard across the street. when i went back to get them i entered our neighbors lovely manicured garden where they were potting plants and listening to pandora playing the “cat stevens” channel.

entering that serene setting took away nine levels of stress and concern and i can’t tell you exactly how long after my kids left i followed them out. in fact, i might still be there now had i known for sure my kids wandered home and weren’t out terrorizing other neighbors elsewhere.

ethan came home and told me another kid repeatedly threw water and sand at him on the playground just before school let out. it appears to be the first issue ethan has had with this other boy so i’m not sure if its a bullying situation or just a playground game gone awry, but it reminds me of my first experience with a bully.

we were living in st. louis when an older boy moved in across the corner from us. the very first time i met him he was out riding on the street on a ten speed bicycle. after saying hello he asked me if i knew why you weren’t supposed to use only the front brake to stop a ten speed. never having had a bike with hand brakes before, i told him i did not know.

he rode down the street a short way, turned around and came at me at full speed. about ten feet away he locked up the front brake and went flying over the handlebars while the bike flipped over behind him. this would be the only pleasant experience we enjoyed together.

we shared the same bus stop even though he was a few years older than me. apparently hurting himself didn’t fulfill his pain quota and he starting hitting me at the bus stop day after day.

after this went on for a while i finally complained to my parents and my father suggested i hit him over the head with my lunch box.

this was back in the day when lunch boxes didn’t have rounded corners, were made from industrial strength steel and contained a glass lined thermos that alone weighed a few pounds…

assuming my father was serious, i did just like he suggested the next day when the bully started picking on me again. i got in a good shot and the lunch box trick had the advertised effect.

but the reason this story is memorable to me is the reaction i got when i got home – i of course was beaming with pride and happy that the boy had stopped picking on me, but my father was angry and couldn’t believe i that i hadn’t known he was only kidding…

logan has an ear effusion. it would be quite sad if it weren’t so funny having her misunderstand everything we say.

natalie asked if she wanted to go to new hampshire. she responded we’re getting a new hampster?”

after talking about a vulture she called it a vel-crow.

and even worse for me, because as natalie noted, she seems to have the hardest time picking up lower tones – so i need to speak with a helium voice, or shout to have any chance she understands me…

i work from home so i’m not driving around a lot. however, lately, every time i am on the road i’m surrounded by other drivers texting with their “smart” phones between their faces and steering wheels.

i need a proper defense from these lunatics, unfortunately the only things i have thought of would cause them or their cars physical harm….

somebody out there must have a better idea. i’m not going to take kindly to being wiped out by some idiot tweeting…