"Dr. Mat our bentist" or "Nick in the dentist care"

So, share day was 'write or draw about a trip to the dentist':

Yeah, it's pretty creepy at our dentist's office.  Dr. Matt, there at the top, really does have a smoldering skull and a penchant for Charlie Brown shirts.  And N's hygienist does where freakish large clown buttons on her scrubs, smile demonically and keep her cell phone in the zipper of her pants.  I know, weird, huh.

From Marci's  '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat...'

"There has to be crying... it is opera."
 

True that...

To Mount Destiny and Beyond

This came home in Z's schoolwork folder today:

 Here's a detail, "...going sledding on a huge hill there that we call Mount Destiny." 

You never know as a parent what is going to stick, whether it's a nickname or a tradition, spaghetti on the wall, or a flip comment like the one I made once during a walk in Symmes Park, one of many great local parks around here.  As we came around the corner of a trail, there was, on our right, looming menacingly, a ginormous hill.  I knew that in the winter local kids sled down that hill and I had it in my mind that it held some vague destiny for them.

As we looked up it I said aloud:  "Wow, boys, it's Mount Destiny!"  Just a casual , stream-of-consciousness sort of comment.  Today at school I overheard N talking to another boy about sledding:

"We like to go sledding at Symmes when it snows a lot."

"Yeah," said the other boy, "We go there, too.  There's a great big hill there, near the basketball courts."

"Yeah, that's the one,"  N said excitedly, "Mount Destiny!"

"It's called Mount Destiny?"

"Yeah," N answers.

"Cool..." said the other kid.

It is my hope that in eight or nine years, when the boys are getting together for sled riding with their peeps, that every kid in the whole district knows which hill is Mount Destiny.  They will.  And I will know that a throwaway, goofy-assed, self entertaining, offhand remark started the whole thing.

Here are a couple of pictures to lend some verisimilitude to the whole thing:

There's one more iconic (in my mind) picture, taken on the day we took Mount Destiny as our own:

 Well, I broke one of my own rules today and posted more than three (or was it four) pictures in one post.  Oh well, a story has to tell itself sometimes.

From Marci's  '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat..."

"Swim like the wind."

Best mixed metaphor, ever...

A Cat and a Baseball Guy

Z is a minimalist sometimes, clean, classic lines in pencil or ink.  Here is a cat:

It could be Mittens who you might remember from "Catfestation" a few days back.  He's a cute little stumpy tailed thing isn't he?

Here's another simple drawing from Z:

Well, he just couldn't be happier about having no feet, hands, buttons, number, glove nor bat, teeth, pupils, corporeal perspective or knees, ...oh and his ears have wandered off as well.  It's funny that with all that missing we still know he is a baseball guy and, somehow, we can also feel the joy and anticipation pouring out of a little guy as the season approaches.  And, although the cat is simply rendered, we still sense Z's love of cats, his appreciation of the grace and beauty inherent in the feline form.

Guy Clark, a singer-songwriter I fancy, was once asked about writing strong lyrics and he said, essentially, to leave something out, leave holes in the story for your audience to fill in, and that's what Z has done instinctively.

(Yeah, whatever Bill, that's about the one-millionth cat he's drawn and he had probably just started the baseball guy when he was called to dinner, or arms, by his Dad, or brother.)

From Marci's '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat...'

N:  "Let's go to Mexico."

Z:  "We always go to Mexico... let's go to Canada."

N:  (pause)  "Why?"

Yeah, it's that easy to make fun of Canada, I don't know why that is, but...

"I Mosle Play Rook and Roul"

Introducing... Willis!

This is part of the press packet I think:

I'll use the ring.  "Hi!  My name is Willis.  I am a part of the Mapits (Muppets).  I play the proms (drums).The shoe (show) is all was (always) a hit.  I am a Baboon.  I mosle (mostly) play rook and roul (rock and roll).  It is fun to play with a band.  And to be with the Mapits (Muppets).  Most people think I am a chimpans (chimpanzee) but I am not!  My croow (crew) think I am good at plaing (playing) the droms (drums).

I love that he's got a crew and most baboons are a little touchy about being called chimps.

I think this is the official fan photo:

N mounted it on a piece of cardboard, pretty fancy, eh?  I think it's cool how the images are very similar, even the kit is the same.  Fine rendering there, I'd say.

 So, on it goes here at 'ihopeiwinatoaster.'  I have pretty much come to the realization that I am more an archivist than a blogger, I am pretty sure blogs are supposed to be read by others and I don't know that many people are reading this.  Do I care?  Not really.

When I was a kid maybe nine or ten, I spent a lot of time learning to play guitar.  I was determined I wanted to be the guy who could sing a song and play along with it (so many people I knew were just learning leads and snippets of songs) so, I needed to practice.  And I learned that there is a certain pleasure in practicing, in working towards a goal, in getting it right.  The first time I got through 'The Times They Are A'changing' without botching it I was alone in a basement.

Right now, I am alone in a basement.  Still practicing, still trying to get it right.  I didn't mind forty years ago and I really don't mind now.  I figure I'll know what I am doing by the time this reaches an audience, like say when the boys are fifty and I am long gone.

From Marci's '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat...'

"Dad is Zack's cough courageous?"

"No, Nick, it is not contagious."


Around here you get points for just trying new words...

Com(paper)puters

The boys  creative output is always tremendous, but, somedays it's a veritable thinktank around here.  Case in point:

It's made from a regular sheet of paper, folded in half.  This may seem small to you and I, but, and  here's the clever insight, it's "little guy size."  You and I might think it's a netbook, but, to Z it's full-sized.  Brilliant.

Let's check it's features.  Most noticeable right off, it is ultra-light, like no pounds, no ounces, man technology these days.  It says "file," "bookmarks" (with backward 'k's, we're working on that), and "home page."  I'm thinking it's got a fairly standard OS. 

The keyboard is where things get really innovative.  Since it is indeed for "little guys," the design team has eschewed the standard qwerty keyboard and gone with a never before seen alphabetically ordered one, but, for technical and cosmetic reasons I can't claim to understand, the s, t, u, v and w, are all missing.  Interesting.  There is a minus, a plus and a multiplication key (screw that division crap) and again bucking tradition, the numbers are along the bottom.  Wow.

There are also a few new icons on the keys with which I am as yet unfamiliar.  That row there on the right, I feel certain that that is a "home" or "new message" key there next to the 9.  Under that is the new, ultra-hip "dude" key, with that Otl Aicher inspired stick-man pictogram (all the cool kids have one).  Next, the inexplicable "volcano" key (which I am understandably afraid to press) and, what appears to be the "electrocardiogram" key, handy.  And, the key I am so excited to see, the "instant happy" key, why has this been so long in coming?

And, finally how about that, delicious glacial blue monochromatic look it's sporting, too cool.  (I do think they're gonna have to design those missing letters back in, though.)

And there you have it, the new "Little Guy" line of notebooks from ZNova (see what I did there), they're hip, light, iconoclastic and I've got a deep inventory of them right now.  Order now!

From Marci's '...things you don't expect to hear form the backseat...'

N:  "Ow!  why did you throw that at my face?"

 Z:  "I didn't aim..."


Well, that clears that up...  wait, huh?

Mondrianesque

Prepare to be dazzled:

Yes, thank you, he is brilliant.  See how he worked the 'Z' in there and then mirrored it to sustain the overall balance of the piece.  Note the subdued palette, the use of line and I think there was a sponge involved (actually I know there was a sponge involved because one came home in his bookbag, still wet, loose).  I really like it.

From Marci's '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat...'

"Zacky, can I have your skunk?"

I'm fine with the one I've got...

 

Life Simplified

The boys like to make pretend items out of paper.  This all started with cell phones, the flippy kind.  They have made numerous laptops (I've got a couple of prototypes I'll show you in a future post), and what I assumed were smartphones, an occasional iPad and, although they have never held one, what I think are gametoy, hand-held thingees.  N made this one:

Obviously a screencap of a game in action.  There are directionals up there near the top, the obigitory + and - signs, an okay button, you get it.   It's clearly a two-cat game and home is right there center screen.  And, if you look carefully you will see these:

Yeah, it's that simple folks.  I have been through "not git to"on my way to "git to" and it's not a pretty place.  (Interestingly, and I just noticed it as I was editing this, there is another "git to" just under "not git to."  It even seems to be on the same island.  Well ain't that profound?)

From Marci's '...things you don't expect to hear from the backseat...'

Z:  "I love the game Pig Launcher... it is like basketball, but with pigs."

"N:  "Oh yeah, that is a great one!"

Well... I do love all things pig.  I'm in...