"Arctic Howling"

If I were more ambitious and had unlimited time I would write a story for each of these titles Zack and Nick came up with.  Damn, that'd be fun...

When I was a kid it was band names.  I remember an old-timer - when I was a kid, that is, hell, now I am an old-timer - told me once that they used to make up minor baseball team names.  N and Z are making up guild names.  Yes, guild names.  For some multi-player game they like on their Kindles.  It is called Graal Online and some of their friends play it. Apparently, you can form groups of folks called "guilds" and name them.  There are quests and such.  I am a terrible parent...

These are their ideas, Zack wrote them down:

     Shielding the uknown (sic)
     Codekeepers
     Dragon Kids
     Dragon Born
     Arctic Dragons
     Arctic Howling
     iNoob
     Stir the Code
     Randomosity
     Death of the light
     Thorn holders
     Thorn keeper
     iGuild
     Juggling Death
     Forestfire
     Kong ko
     Mr. Turtle
     Copper
     Piniata
     Duck Forest
     Tiki
     Potion
     Kingly Alliance
     Acez
     Concortron
     The Avatars
     Wild fire
     Clash of the Uknown (sic)

I would name any band I've ever been in, or ever will be in, any of these names.

I hope to hell there is a band called Acez, or a blog called iGuild, or a monster truck called Concortron, or a college team called The Avatars, or a heartfelt memoir about a Luddite of a man awash in a sea of Apple products called iNoob.  And, there'd better be a craft beer named every damn one of these things...


This guy is cool.  He's a genie.

Nick made this guy.

He is clearly the new coach.

Hi! I'm your coach.  Why are you laphing?  its not like im a toatle airhead or enything RIGHT!?

Well uhhhhh... you are a Air-head I could use you as a hot air balloon if I tied a basket to your head and if I let air out of your head I could probably fly to Jupider.

 Clearly spelling is still an issue around here.  "Laphing" is my favorite...

Math isn't much of a problem these days since Zack started making these nifty graphic comics explaining some of the concepts they've been working on.  This one is called "Inverse Land."

This one is on the identity property.  I think it's called "Fraction Papers!"

I love this little detail:

What a happy place.


Anyone who's been around here knows that that ain't all of this story.  There is always more, whether we decide to tell it or not, of every story.

For instance, Zack came down while I was ironing in the basement to ask me which of the names I liked, he'd narrowed to several he had checked off on the list.  We talked a little about it and I went on to tell him about how when I was a kid we liked to make up band names.

"You know what, The Acez would be a good name for a band..." he said, running up the stairs.

That's what I'm sayin'...


When the boys came home today they didn't have much homework and decided to do it over the weekend - in-service day tomorrow - so we were sitting in the living room reading when I decided to ask them again about showing stuff they made, like the stuff above, on my blog.

They assured me there wasn't a problem but I came to a realization that, even though they are fine with it now, they may not always be.  I sort of pressed it a bit and Zack said he didn't understand why it could be a problem.

I didn't really know how to answer him, something long and drawn out about bullying and mean people and future political careers and future girlfriends and future employers seemed too much to really explain.

"For instance Zack, I used the comic you did in your math journal, and..."

"Awesome!"

"... someday someone might make fun of them."

"Really?" he asked, a bit incredulous.

"And Nick, I told you I wanted to use the air-headed coach you made up..."

"Cool, I love him!"

"... but someone might think you were mean or disrespectful or something because it seemed like you were making fun of him."

"Really?" he echoed Zack's incredulity.

"Oh, probably not..." I trailed off.

"But it could  seem like you weren't being very nice to him and making fun of his comically large head," I said.

He laughed, knowing that we both have cartoon imaginations.

"Yeah, I guess, maybe...  But, Dad, it was just a scene from something bigger, just make sure you tell'em that."


...just a scene from something bigger.

Yep.

Remember that every time you tell a story and your stories will serve you well.


From Marci's "... things you don't expect to hear from the backseat ..."
 
"I just had a smart idea! Sometimes I scare myself."


I hear ya little dude, I hear ya...


Thanks for stepping in out of the cold today, at least here, now, today... but maybe not where you are, or, uh... when you are.  Yeah, I still get this all confused.  Peace to you and yours, today and always.