And how do we celebrate Blogtober? There are lots of ways!

The important thing is to celebrate being a blogger and take pride in your semi-geeky hobby! All month long, I will be posting some of the things that I have learned about or while blogging, blogs that I particularly enjoy, Deep Thoughts about the meaning of blogging, and so on. So now it’s your turn - take part in Blogtober!

The live-action “Fat Albert” movie was pretty neat. It’s very good-natured.

The voice of Bender on “Futurama” is great; just about anything that Bender says is funny, if only because of how he says it and how it sounds.

The “Eucalyptus Spearmint” line of products at Bath & Body Works. The scent is quite refreshing while also calming.

When the word “chicken” is abbreviated “chix” when I order chicken strips from the local pizzeria.

Five years later. Still nearly unbearable. The darkest day of my life. For most of you, too, I’m sure. And for the families and friends and co-workers of every one of the people who died that day. Heartbreaking. As far as I know, none of the people who died that day were relatives, friends, or acquaintances of mine; I simply can’t imagine how much worse it would feel if someone close to me had perished on that day.

But I did know the Towers. The World Trade Center towers. We all did. We’ve all grown up seeing them in movies, television shows, tourist photos, postcards. They were the anchor of the New York City skyline. Seeing them wounded by the enemy, with a gash in their sides and smoke pouring out, was absolutely unreal. Watching them fall was…I don’t know. There aren’t any words. But they were MY towers. I visited them once, many years ago, when I was too young to appreciate the majesty of them. But of course as I grew older, they came to symbolize New York City, and hence, America. Their destruction, for me, was personal. How many of you choke up - just a bit, or maybe a lot - when you are watching a movie and see the Towers? And remember how beautiful, straight, and tall they were? How permanent and loyal and unyielding? They were MY towers. And I miss them.

Take a look at Sassy’s latest hair color…this is (IIRC) her fourth or fifth different color of the summer.

Our children seem to think that we love our cat more than we love them, so they occasionally taunt the Cow Cat by calling her names and insulting her - all in a very sweet, loving voice. You know: “Cow Cat, are you a fat little kitty…?” Poor Cow Cat. But now the kids have moved beyond simple name-calling and turned to graphic representations of Cow Cat.

ME: “Sassy (my 14-y/o), before I drop you & your friend off at Hasting’s, will you run into the grocery store and buy me some Coffee-Mate? Actually, make it two.”
SASSY: “OK, dad!”

*Sassy and friend go into grocery store, emerge a few minutes later*

SASSY: “Dad, they only had one Coffee-Mate left, so I also got you a box of Fruity Pebbles.”

Man, that kid has me pegged.

Congratulations to my kid sister Jen for her promotion to the rank of Captain last week! For the first time in our respective Air Force careers, we are both wearing the same rank. She also just wrapped up a visit from our mother, who traveled from Arkansas to spend three fun-filled weeks in Italy with Jen and her family. They visited Tuscany, Venice, and other cool places, but my mom enjoyed the area around Aviano (including Sacile) the most. My mom’s verdict: “It looked just like the Napa Valley!” She meant that in a very good way, as she LOVED Northern California when she visited us in the Bay Area back in the 90s. She enjoyed the coffee bars that are everywhere, but was somewhat less thrilled by the body parts that are on display in various churches around the region. By the way, the pictures my sister sent me are great — I happen to have a very cute niece & nephew!

I felt a pain in my heart when Bunker Mulligan passed away nearly a year ago; I never met him, but read his blog often, and he was kind enough to visit mine on occasion. And now, again, the same type of pain: Rob, aka “Acidman” of Gut Rumbles, has passed away. Again, never met him, but exchanged comments and even an e-mail or two. Not as much of a shock as when Bunker died, as Rob had detailed his medical problems over the years and many in the ‘Sphere knew that his time would come sooner rather than later. But still: a shock. Vitriolic, verbose, blunt, and crotchety, and a damn fine blogger. RIP, Acidman.

ALSO: Day By Day has paid homage to Rob in today’s edition.

Strolling through my archives, I stumbled across this entry that generated some positive comments; it was a bit of a relief to know that we aren’t the only ones who do this:

My wife and I have lived with very few hard & fast rules since we wed; we’re very easy-going and adaptable. But…but. One rule that we have followed lo these many years is not allowing friends or family to stay at our house. I can hear the collective “gasp!” from many of you…”How can you be so rude? How insensitive and boorish could you possibly be? My goodness, you won’t even let your own parents stay in your house?” (more…)

As we prepare to observe Mother’s Day, I thought it would be neat to share a cool picture of me & my mom, circa 1967. I’m the one in the high-chair. Heh. And ain’t my mom cute? She’s got the whole “hip 60s chick” look about her! Love you, Mom! (more…)

Met with the local school board regarding my daughter’s hair color, and while the experience didn’t give us any resolution, we did learn how to go about addressing the school’s policy. Added bonus: I discovered how fat I look on TV!
And over at Big Sky Blog, some new folks have added some color: Griz tells a tale of a “heavenly” telephone (that even I, the lifelong atheist, very much appreciate!), and there’s some advice for those thinking of moving to Montana (Butte, specifically).