Month: April 2006

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Nintendo DS Download Station is very cool

So, I read about the DS Download Station and thought it to be a good idea. It is "try before you buy" for DS games. I walk into Best Buy and the employees are confused. Finally we get one in the know and we stand in front of an endcap of games. There is a tiny sign with instructions. Apparently the wireless equipment is buried inside the endcap (they should make this a little more obvious). So, you turn on your DS and wirelessly connect to, um, the endcap and get a selection of games. You choose one and it begins downloading. As long as you don’t walk more than 15 feet from the endcap you get the game. Once it is 100% downloaded you can walk away and play the game until you power off the DS or twelve hours elapses.

The only downside is that right now they only offer 7 games for trial. I love the concept! Noah has been playing the game we downloaded last night all day long. No more spending $50 to find out that they don’t like the game.

Update:The XBox 360 also allows for downloading demos at the store.

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Blogger Pandemic Prompts Blogger Shoot

East Tennessee has become inundated with amatuer jouralists and main stream media has had enough! Thanks to good ol’ boy politicing, April 23 marks the official opening of Blogger hunting season. Tired of people sitting around in their pajamas (or less!) and making cold, hard cash while writing unsubstantiated drivel that may even be down right made up (like what you are reading now)? Help lean out the pack. Arrive at the Coal Creek Armory at 4:45pm on April 23, 2006 to start the hunt.

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Rice on Iran: ‘We can’t let this continue’

The countdown is on! Anyone want to place bets on when we go in? I’m betting within 30 days we have bombers in the air and troops moving across the border.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that it is “time for action” on the international demands for Iran to cease its uranium enrichment activities.

[Source]

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From the mouths of babes

This goes hand in hand with my earlier post.

Dad, asking nicely: "Why are you crying?"
Sarah: sits silently with chin on fist
Dad, asking nicely: "Why are you crying?"
Sarah: sits silently with chin on fist
Dad, becoming frustrated and gruff: "Why are you crying?"
Sarah: "Because you won’t let me tell you why I am crying!"
Dad: blink. blink.

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Juggling for health

Last night I made it to the Knoxville Jugglers Club! It has literally been years. What a pleasure! The group has very talented jugglers so we were able to feed clubs (multple jugglers all passing clubs to a single person), 3 person run-a-round (a crazy aerobic club passing routine), passing of 6 7 and 8 clubs, and other assorted fun.

The club meets 2 Tuesdays a month at the downtown YMCA. Resisting the urge to sing was hard. Man what a building! I must go back with a camera. I felt like I’d jumped back in time with the dark, hardwood basketball courts, polished block design building with inlaid marble, stairs that look like they belong in ancient government buildings, and narrow staircases that make you think you are going to a maintenance area but really lead to a track that looks like the set of Roller Derby. The track honestly doesn’t look like people should run on it, instead something motorized should be speeding around it.

The hour and a half of juggling did wonders for stress relief and my body, albeit slightly sore, is thankful for the exercise.

Remember to mark your calenders, I will be juggling at Children’s Mental Health Week Day at the Zoo, April 29 from noon to 1:00pm.

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Failing Dad

Cathy and I bill ourselves as "approachable parents." We want our children to feel comfortable approaching us on any topic including sex, drugs, and so forth. Apparently there is something at a genetic level that keeps children from talking to parents.

Sarah is currently in honors math. I am proud that she excels. Sarah yesterday brought home a note explaining that she will not be invited into Algebra I because she has failed her last 6 tests and told the teacher she "doesn’t want to be in Algebra I." Throughout the past grading period I’ve constantly asked, "how are you doing?" only to be told "fine." My trust has been betrayed. I neglected to talk to the teachers and get regular reports on Sarah. I let her down but the onus is not completely upon me. I cannot help those that do not seek help. I all but begged her to ask for help and she hid her test results from us.

Repercussions? 1) Severely limited extracurricular activities in the 8th grade until she shows responsibility and caring about her studies. 2) Much more parent/teacher communication next year. 3) Calendar planning skills to be enforced.

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Touch the puppet head

So Amy, Evan and Cathy are heading to the zoo to visit with Aunt Carmen, Gabriel and Abby. This will be Evan’s first trip and Amy is bouncing off the walls. I am dying to go! This afternoon/evening we have Sarah needing to be picked up from afterschool activities, Noah needing to be dropped off then picked up from Karate, and Cathy has a meeting at the same time as the Juggling Club. If I attend the Juggling Club I can enlist another juggler to help me at this year’s CMHW Zoo event (Saturday, April 29 from 10am-2pm – I perform from 12-1).

These choices give me ulcers. Had I woken when I wanted I could have accomplished enough work to feel justified in taking some time at the zoo today but I didn’t. I don’t want to make Cathy skip her meeting but the juggling is good therapy and I’ve wanted a 2nd juggler to attend the CHMW event for years. I’m going to skip the zoo, work hard today, and juggle tonight.