I know this is a parenting blog. And I know that it ISN’T a Star Wars blog, but I can’t help but post this conversation between a friend and I over IM. This actually happened. I know that at least most of this is legitimate, but I think she started playing up her end toward the end. In any event, I know it isn’t all made up because this is the same woman who told me her husband’s Boba Fett bust was Darth Vader, so knowledgeable, she isn’t.

In the context of a different conversation, I off-hand mentioned Obi-Wan. This led to the most unintentionally funny interpretation of Star Wars I’ve ever heard (funnier even than than the one I posted before). Please know that I don’t post this out of malice, but because it is funny, and that I don’t think she’s not intelligent or anything just because she misremembers Star Wars. I know a lot of geeks who would think that way, but I want it clear that I’m not one of them. Enjoy. (reposted from my facebook)

(10:00:56 AM) MisterBixby: no, but thank you. I think I need to walk this path on my own
(10:01:04 AM) MisterBixby: without an Obi-Wan for a while
(10:01:16 AM) Daisy the Fairy: Obiones are GOOD
(10:01:46 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yodas are good look how wis eYoda was and he told hans solo and princess leah and darth all how to live and be happy!!
(10:02:10 AM) MisterBixby: ??? He never talked to han solo or princess leia
(10:02:22 AM) Daisy the Fairy: oh?
(10:02:31 AM) Daisy the Fairy: im sure he did at soem point
(10:02:31 AM) MisterBixby: no hehe
(10:02:43 AM) Daisy the Fairy: in 4 movies they crossed paths somewhere!!
(10:02:53 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and he imparted his little green wisdom
(10:03:32 AM) Daisy the Fairy: YES because in that one movie he showed hans solo how to sword fight and called him grasshopper whcih I thought was weird caus HE is the green one
(10:03:35 AM) MisterBixby: … Han and Leia were in three movies, only two of which contained Yoda, who never left Dagobah, while Leia and Han never went to Dagobah
(10:03:46 AM) MisterBixby: ok, now you’re putting me on!
(10:04:22 AM) Daisy the Fairy: huh?
(10:04:41 AM) MisterBixby: goofball
(10:04:49 AM) MisterBixby: have you ever even seen the movies?
(10:05:41 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yes!!
(10:06:19 AM) Daisy the Fairy: except the last one in the catch up ones where hans goes all the way darth
(10:06:23 AM) Daisy the Fairy: not that one
(10:06:27 AM) Daisy the Fairy: but the others !!
(10:06:35 AM) Daisy the Fairy: i even went to a CONVENTION
(10:06:50 AM) Daisy the Fairy: it was my first vacation with jay
(10:06:52 AM) MisterBixby: ok … you know that han solo is not darth vader right? Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker…
(10:07:16 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and we left halfway through cause ror and mark were just standing in line all day waiting for autograhs
(10:07:23 AM) MisterBixby: I think you meant that Yoda told Anakin and Padme (Luke and Leia’s parents) how to be happy
(10:07:46 AM) Daisy the Fairy: right but anikan grew up to be hans solo and then by soem dark magick he turned into darth right?
(10:08:05 AM) MisterBixby: wow… no
(10:08:10 AM) Daisy the Fairy: no?
(10:08:13 AM) MisterBixby: no
(10:08:21 AM) MisterBixby: Han Solo is half his age.
(10:08:30 AM) MisterBixby: well, a little more than half.
(10:08:37 AM) MisterBixby: He’s a friend of Darth Vader’s SON
(10:08:59 AM) Daisy the Fairy: well then ..huh.. who did hans solo turn into/
(10:09:18 AM) MisterBixby: Han Solo
(10:09:30 AM) MisterBixby: Not HANS. It’s HAN
(10:09:37 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and what happened to annikan, annikan is that little boy who was princess leahs son right?
(10:09:39 AM) MisterBixby: Are you kidding me with all of this?
(10:09:43 AM) Daisy the Fairy: ?
(10:09:52 AM) MisterBixby: seriously!
(10:09:59 AM) MisterBixby: Princess Leia doesn’t have a son
(10:10:09 AM) MisterBixby: not in the movies anyway
(10:10:21 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yes little anikan!!
(10:10:40 AM) MisterBixby: you know that the three movies that came out in the 90s are PREQUELS to the ones that came out in the 70s, right? They happened BEFORE the Luke and Leia movies?
(10:11:19 AM) Daisy the Fairy: because princess Leah got killed by thos monsters in a tent after her pplanet blew up
(10:11:32 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and then somehow she was back.. how did hat happen?
(10:13:44 AM) MisterBixby: Little Anakin grows up to be Anakin, who falls in love with Padme. Anakin falls to the dark side after getting Padme pregnant. Anakin becomes Darth Vader. Padme dies in childbirth after giving birth to Luke and Leia. Luke is sent to be raised by his uncle, Leia is raised as a princess on another planet. Vader doesn’t know he has children. Luke grows up on Tattooine and meets Obi-Wan who trains him in the force, and begins to teach him how to become a Jedi. Luke and Obi-Wan meet Han Solo and Chewbacca and they all rescue Princess Leia. Luke then learns that Vader is his father. He goes to finish his training with Yoda. Then Luke redeems his father, reverting him to Anakin and they kill the emporer
(10:14:01 AM) MisterBixby: That was Shmi, Anakin’s Mother.
(10:14:03 AM) MisterBixby: NOT LEIA
(10:14:12 AM) MisterBixby: Who is Anakin’s DAUGHTER
(10:14:17 AM) MisterBixby: you are serious?
(10:14:19 AM) MisterBixby: really?
(10:17:46 AM) Daisy the Fairy: wait no THAtS all wrong maybe we are talking about a different star wars movie??
(10:18:14 AM) MisterBixby: HAHAHA ROFLMAO!
(10:19:55 AM) Daisy the Fairy: seriously
(10:20:01 AM) Daisy the Fairy: i remeber it all different
(10:20:03 AM) Daisy the Fairy: huh
(10:20:22 AM) Daisy the Fairy: whos padme ?
(10:20:47 AM) Daisy the Fairy: was she the young version of princess leah? natalie portman one with the hats?
(10:20:50 AM) MisterBixby: The girl that little Anakin loves…
(10:21:07 AM) MisterBixby: Yes, Natalie Portman (IS NOT THE YOUNG VERSION OF LEIA!)
(10:21:14 AM) Daisy the Fairy: uh huh
(10:21:23 AM) MisterBixby: She’s Leia’s MOTHER!
(10:22:13 AM) Daisy the Fairy: iwhat? no leah was an orophan??
(10:22:30 AM) MisterBixby: OK, I know that it may not be nice, but I am DYING here! This is like me trying to describe the pantheon of pagan deities to you. I know names, but have NO idea who they relate to
(10:22:31 AM) Daisy the Fairy: she does not ahve a mother she was rAISED BY THOSE CUTE ROBOTS
(10:22:42 AM) MisterBixby: OMFG
(10:23:27 AM) MisterBixby: no, she was raised by Bail Organa on Alderaan. She owns R2-D2 and C-3PO
(10:23:41 AM) Daisy the Fairy: AND THAT LUKE HE WAS RAISED IN A BAR THAT WHARE HANS SOL FOUND HIM.. i REMEBER thaT SCEANE
(10:23:59 AM) Daisy the Fairy: THERE WA SA BRAWL
(10:24:11 AM) Daisy the Fairy: WE HAD A LITTLE ACTION FIGRE SET UP AT HOME
(10:24:33 AM) MisterBixby: Luke was raised on a moisture farm (on a desert planet they have to extract water on farms) and he GOES TO a bar, with Obi-Wan and that’s where they meet Han Solo. (NOT HANSSSS)
(10:25:20 AM) Daisy the Fairy: no thats not right…
(10:25:35 AM) MisterBixby: yes. yes it is
(10:26:25 AM) Daisy the Fairy: nooooo..ohh wait yes it is
(10:26:41 AM) Daisy the Fairy: because he fell from the sky right? cause HIS planet exploded
(10:26:50 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and his mom sent hm away like moses
(10:26:54 AM) Daisy the Fairy: whoosh
(10:26:59 AM) Daisy the Fairy: I remeber now!!!
(10:27:23 AM) Daisy the Fairy: so the farmers were his adopted parents
(10:27:46 AM) MisterBixby: fell from the sky? What movie did you see?!
(10:28:11 AM) MisterBixby: Just so you know. I am SAVING this conversation and WILL BE sharing it with Jason the very next time I see him
(10:29:18 AM) Daisy the Fairy: no remebr that the planet expoded and his mom sent him off on a rocket??
(10:29:31 AM) MisterBixby: That’s SUPERMAN!
(10:29:35 AM) Daisy the Fairy: huh?
(10:29:39 AM) Daisy the Fairy: is it?
(10:29:51 AM) Daisy the Fairy: no im sure I can picture it its Luke AND lAURA
(10:29:59 AM) MisterBixby: yes. Krypton exploded, his parents sent him to Earth in a rocket.
(10:30:11 AM) MisterBixby: No, it is Jor-El and Lara.
(10:30:21 AM) Daisy the Fairy: HUH
(10:30:24 AM) Daisy the Fairy: WELL..
(10:30:24 AM) MisterBixby: Lots of shimmery silver? White hair?
(10:30:37 AM) Daisy the Fairy: BUT lUCKE WAS STILl ADOPTED AND RAISE DIN A BAR YOU said
(10:30:43 AM) Daisy the Fairy: YEAH AND A SWORD
(10:31:51 AM) MisterBixby: he was NOT raised in a bar, he was raised on a farm
(10:32:18 AM) Daisy the Fairy: I think it was a bar hun i REMEBER the fight sceane with all those one eyed desert catpeople???
(10:32:24 AM) Daisy the Fairy: i think they raised him no?
(10:32:46 AM) MisterBixby: WTF?
(10:32:59 AM) MisterBixby: No. nothing like that happene.d
(10:33:42 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yeah.. those catpeople
(10:34:02 AM) MisterBixby: there are no cat people
(10:35:45 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yes there are they massacre people all over the place they have glowy cat eyes
(10:36:16 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and they killed Leah that first time when she was annikans mom???DUH!
(10:36:38 AM) MisterBixby: Leah was never anakin’s mom
(10:36:42 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and apprently raised Luke in that bar
(10:36:49 AM) MisterBixby: you’re killing me
(10:37:27 AM) Daisy the Fairy: well i dont know I think maybe I watched a different version. was there ever a remake??
(10:37:47 AM) MisterBixby: no
(10:37:49 AM) MisterBixby: never a remake
(10:37:58 AM) MisterBixby: there are six movies
(10:38:01 AM) Daisy the Fairy: maybe there was one you don’t KNOW about???
(10:38:28 AM) MisterBixby: you have somehow morphed all of them into some crazy time-travel resurrection cat-people superhero space adventure movie
(10:38:30 AM) Daisy the Fairy: well I don’t know how you could have had it all wrong
(10:38:41 AM) MisterBixby: ROFLMAO!
(10:39:03 AM) Daisy the Fairy: seriously well art is open to interprtation
(10:39:08 AM) Daisy the Fairy: :p
(10:39:10 AM) MisterBixby: There are NO Star Wars movies I don’t know about
(10:39:20 AM) MisterBixby: THIS IS NOT INTERPRETATION! THIS IS JUST WRONG!
(10:39:24 AM) Daisy the Fairy: there might be
(10:39:43 AM) MisterBixby: no.
(10:39:47 AM) MisterBixby: no there isn’t
(10:39:50 AM) MisterBixby:
(10:39:56 AM) Daisy the Fairy: Could be
(10:40:12 AM) MisterBixby: trust me on this, please. There are not star wars movies I don’t know about
(10:40:30 AM) Daisy the Fairy: Someone could ahve made an INDEPENDANT star wars movie,
(10:40:45 AM) MisterBixby: honey …. no
(10:40:49 AM) Daisy the Fairy: maybe we got a bootleg copy!!
(10:40:59 AM) MisterBixby: OMG
(10:41:10 AM) MisterBixby: I’m calling Jason. Give me his number. This is crazy talk
(10:41:52 AM) Daisy the Fairy: ########## dont post his # he wuill back me up
(10:42:16 AM) MisterBixby: I’m kidding. I’m not going to call him… But I AM sending him this conversation
(10:42:33 AM) Daisy the Fairy: hell back me up!!
(10:42:43 AM) MisterBixby: I can’t wait to hear it
(10:42:48 AM) Daisy the Fairy: i swear you are all wrong on this
(10:43:06 AM) Daisy the Fairy: So much of star wars was about reincarnation and resserection
(10:43:12 AM) MisterBixby: OK. I eagerly wait the illuminating light of knowledge
(10:43:22 AM) Daisy the Fairy: I can’t believe you missed those very importent themes
(10:43:31 AM) Daisy the Fairy: :-*
(10:43:45 AM) MisterBixby: Not reincarnation and no one ever gets ressurrected, although they do talk to the ghosts of the dead
(10:43:53 AM) Daisy the Fairy: SEEEE??
(10:44:11 AM) Daisy the Fairy: szzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! that is me doing that sizzle finger thing!
(10:44:17 AM) Daisy the Fairy: cause I scored!!
(10:44:21 AM) MisterBixby: All six movies are the story of a fallen hero and his redemption
(10:44:33 AM) MisterBixby: no one is ressurrected. How did you score?
(10:44:53 AM) Daisy the Fairy: I was right
(10:45:02 AM) MisterBixby: about what?
(10:45:21 AM) Daisy the Fairy: reincarnation
(10:45:25 AM) MisterBixby: There is nothing in this conversation that you have been right about
(10:45:32 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yuh huh!
(10:45:43 AM) MisterBixby: reincarnation is the same spirit in a new body. That never happens anywhere in these movies
(10:47:02 AM) Daisy the Fairy: YES! the whole Leah Pattyme thing
(10:47:05 AM) Daisy the Fairy: and luke!!
(10:47:47 AM) MisterBixby: Leah and Padme are NOT the same person
(10:47:56 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yes they are too
(10:48:00 AM) MisterBixby: Leah was born before Padme died.
(10:48:04 AM) Daisy the Fairy: nah
(10:48:14 AM) MisterBixby: @WHAT DO YOU MEAN “NAH”?!
(10:48:16 AM) MisterBixby: YES!
(10:48:19 AM) Daisy the Fairy: NO!
(10:48:22 AM) MisterBixby: Padme is Leah’s MOTHER
(10:48:30 AM) Daisy the Fairy: oh for heavens sake
(10:48:36 AM) Daisy the Fairy: you need to rewatch i think
(10:48:39 AM) MisterBixby: I love that you’re getting frustrated with ME
(10:49:18 AM) MisterBixby: OK. We’ll watch together. I have all six movies. We will have a weekend long Star Wars A Thon.
(10:49:56 AM) MisterBixby: you tell me when you see the cat people and when Padme’s spirit leaves her body and enters Leah’s already living (thus already ensouled) body.
(10:52:17 AM) MisterBixby: Cat person? http://www.asquaredconcepts.com/costumes/tusken_raider.html
(10:54:06 AM) MisterBixby: you there?
(10:54:32 AM) Daisy the Fairy: one sec
(10:55:02 AM) MisterBixby: ok
(10:55:38 AM) Daisy the Fairy: how do u save the convo I want to send to cris SHe will back me up!!
(10:55:49 AM) Daisy the Fairy: or email it to her if u saved
(10:56:11 AM) Daisy the Fairy: YES thsoe are cat peopel!!
(10:56:18 AM) MisterBixby: Click in the window and hit CTRL-A and then CTRL-C then click in your new email and hit CTRL-V
(10:56:29 AM) MisterBixby: OK, those are SAND people and in no way are they cats
(10:57:25 AM) MisterBixby: Also … I have to go back to this … “no im sure I can picture it its Luke AND lAURA”

Luke and Laura was GENERAL HOSPITAL!
(10:58:33 AM) Daisy the Fairy: Oh
(10:58:34 AM) Daisy the Fairy: yeah
(10:58:42 AM) MisterBixby: hehe
(10:58:43 AM) Daisy the Fairy: well thats true
(10:58:46 AM) MisterBixby: <3
(10:58:57 AM) Daisy the Fairy: heart too:D
(10:59:31 AM) MisterBixby: OK, we have to change the subject. I can’t take this anymore! We will watch the movies and we’ll see who was right. OK?
(11:00:16 AM) MisterBixby: I can’t believe you got me to spell Leia as Leah … I’m losing my brain
(11:00:37 AM) MisterBixby: I’m posting this now.
(11:00:52 AM) Daisy the Fairy: brat!!!
(11:01:03 AM) Daisy the Fairy: but everyuone wills ay I’m right anyway!!1
(11:01:23 AM) MisterBixby: I’m sure they will
(11:01:30 AM) Daisy the Fairy: ficx my typos at least
(11:18:07 AM) MisterBixby: nope. I didn’t fix mine either
(11:18:18 AM) MisterBixby: I guess I could …
(11:18:22 AM) MisterBixby: except the names.
(11:23:42 AM) MisterBixby: I’m fixing the spacing typos (where the last letter of one words gets pushed tot he front of the next word instead.

As I said, I know at some point she decided to just play it up, and try to get my goat, but to be honest, I was having too damn much fun! I hope you laughed as hard as I did!

I must say, seeing the prequels actually adds more pathos to Luke’s conversations with Obi-Wan about Anakin and with Vader in the hallway about the conflict within him. “It is too late for me, my son” rings more emotionally true than before.

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It’s a TRAP!!!

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Are “There’s too many of them” dude’s goggles made out of pink acetate?

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Biggest glass jaws in all of sci-fi? Storm Troopers. One laser blast on their armor, one smack from an ewok (AN EWOK!), one rock to the helmet (seriously, what’s the point of this “armor?”) and they’re down for the count.

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I have witnessed the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!!!!

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O Noes! Chewbacca did NOT make the Tarzan call when swinging at the Chicken Walker with Ewoks hanging from him! He did? Oh, dear! (Lana: “He’s either Chewzan or Tarbacca! And he’s like a HUGE Ewok!”)

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Han (futzing with the door): “I got it, I got it”)
[Door closes}
Lois: “I don’t got it”

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And like a PIMP, she says “I know”

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Vader: “Obi-Wan has taught you well”
Lana: “He ALWAYS says that”
Lois: “Cuz Obi-Wan has taught him WELL!”
Me: “Doesn’t Yoda get any credit?”

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Aaand another Skywalker loses a light saber hand. At least this one was already mechanical. I wonder, since Luke looks at his hand and then at Vader’s stump before spurning the Emperor, if there is an academic paper to be written on how the entire Vader character arc turns on the anguish and inhumanity of being behanded. Does Anakin’s fall begin when he loses an arm in the fight against Dooku? Is it cemented when he loses the remaining arm and both legs in the fight against Kenobi? Does his redemption begin when he removes his son’s hand? Is that cemented when his son returns the favor and brings back the emotions he felt when he lost it the first time? Could I get a doctorate based on this?

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Lois has been holding on to me tightly since the final confrontation with the Emperor. Then Vader grabs him from behind.
Lois: “I like this part.”

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Lois: “Dad, did you know the Millenium Falcon has headlights?”
Me: “No, I didn’t.”
Lois: “It does, I’ve seen them.”

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I’ve always found the reveal of Anakin’s face from the Vader helmet to be kind of a let-down. He seems too much of a schlub to have been badass Vader.

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Death Star II’s Main Power Core and Master Control Program’s Core, separated at birth? Discuss.

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Death Star blows up, millions killed. Celebration on Endor is a fantasy. Read the Real Truth! Galactic Republic Senate investigations will begin soon. Read more here

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I really miss the old Yub Nub song.

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Since Anakin was redeemed as an old man, WHY would Lucas replace the old man ghost with Hayden Christianson’s ghost?

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I really, REALLY miss the old Yub Nub song.

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This has been a wonderful Geek Family weekend. I loved sharing these experiences with my kids. Now to figure out how to get them into Star Trek. I don’t own any of the series, and only the NextGen movies. Maybe they need a few years to be ready for all of it? That would give me time to acquire them all. What’s funny is that I’ve always been a Star Trekite, but thanks to Lucas’ epic high roll in “Merchandising” and “Brand Tie-in” I have raised a couple of Star Warsians. Ah well.

Both girls loved the Star Wars-a-thon.

It started out harmlessly enough. My newly-toddling son liked to watch Cubs games with his old man–or, at least whatever he processed them to be. At first, it was because he liked to sing the simple chorus to Steve Goodman’s “Go Cubs Go” at the end of every home win. Then as he watched more games, he began to pick up on the basics–the basic shape of the field, pitching, batting, and running.

So, one day, when he was being frustrated, sweet and restless all at once, I popped in Wii Sports and whipped up a baseball game. He loved it. Cartoony and basic, he was able to follow things so much easier.

Eventually, he started to want his own remote, and he swung the remote like he was hitting the ball. He’d cheer when someone (usually not me once I hit pro) hit a line drive, running after he got a “hit.”

Growing up with a dad who was a gamer, growing up loving video games, and seeing how increasingly dependent on technology each generation becomes, I’m concerned about my son playing video games at the expense of other joys of childhood.

I had thought things were going well. He loves to have stories read to him; when it was warmer, he always wanted to go outside. But over the holidays, it has become evident that I may have inadvertently created a monster.

Several of the various holiday parties we attended had Wiis. My parents have one. So from the 24th through the 29th, he got a heavy dose of watching the grown-ups play Wii.

So it was no surprise that whenever we visit my parents, after greeting his grandparents, he runs right over the charging station and yells “Wii-oh-Wii-oh-Wii.” And if he doesn’t get it, boy, look out.

So yeah, the Wii at our house will be hidden for a month or two.

Working in a small but well-known dot-com has its advantages.

For one, I have the option to skip breakfast if I’m running late because there’s always free oatmeal:

For another, there is ample supply of free non-alcoholics:

Specifically, my favorite:

And for those cold train rides home, a lovely gal from Switzerland will warm you right up:

All of this is located in my lunchroom. Imagine my surprise when I entered it yesterday to find a new guest had joined us all for lunch!

If you can’t make that out through the blurriness, it is a MAME machine. Chock full of arcade games dating back to 1976. Three sets of controls though … One set short for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2! Oh the Terrapinanity! I was never an Arcadian, but I love not having to spend quarters on it

I may be skipping lunch the next couple of days after the holiday! Hey! I have something new to be thankful for!

So, like all responsible parents, Bat-Mom and I have done our level best to carefully monitor the media that Lana (newly 7 WHOLE YEARS OLD!!!!) and Lois (who is adjusting quite nicely to being 5) are exposed to. This means that:

• we don’t let them surf  the internet alone (they have their own folder of bookmarks to which they are allowed to navigate unsupervised, but all searches and queries are done by mom and dad who then read the wikipedia article or whatever with them)
• they don’t watch movies that we haven’t seen first or that we aren’t sure about the language and subject matter content.
• we don’t swear where they can hear (our words are a medium as well, and if you don’t believe that it is the most powerful medium they will ever be exposed to, you are dead wrong) and we strongly discourage our friends from doing so as well – Grandpas can’t be helped, they are a breed unto themselves.
• they don’t play video games that we haven’t vetted
• they don’t have a lot of time unsupervised with the tv, and in fact, they don’t have the knowledge and skillset to navigate the wide wide world of cable tv on their own – with the possible exception of On-Demand, where they also have a set of proscribed options to choose from.

I know all of this makes Bat-Mom and I sound like over-protective parents. We would disagree. We create clear boundaries for our girls and then give them a great deal of freedom within those boundaries. Included in that freedom are plenty of options for getting themselves mildly injured, testing their own personal limits and opportunity for spectacular failure – all VERY necessary aspects of childhood.

And I think that, using this philosophy, we have two pretty well-adjusted, intelligent and happy kids.

In fact, I have never heard Lana utter a stronger curse than “dang!” and Lois has only once said “dammit,” but tentatively, and at a dinner conversation where Lana was trying to remember her class’s “Word of the Week.” She remembered that it began with D, ended with “-ght” and the “gh” was silent and meant “frustrated or angry.” Lois ventured “da … dammit?” which, ignoring the spelling aspect, was a pretty good guess actually (the word was “distraught”). To her credit, Lois had a look on her face that indicated she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to say this unfamiliar word. We then had a conversation about “grandpa-words” and how some words are ok for grown-ups, but shouldn’t be said by or around little kids. They understood that, but I didn’t give them a list of the bad-words. Best not to encourage through discouragement!

So, now, I think we might have done our job a little too well.
More navel-gazing after the jump

So far the Dads of this site are boring you with philosophy.  Its now time for some good ol’ geekling fun!

As Misterbixby has stated, our daughters, Lana and Lois, are growing up along the path of the Geek.  Do not be mislead, though.  The way of the Geek is not their only interest.  They are also regular girls that like girl things.  Like arts and crafts.  Here is an example of when arts and crafts mixes with Geekdom:

Lana and Lois love video games.  They love to play them. They love to watch others play them.  It works well for Misterbixby – he can get in some game time and the kids just sit there and “help”.  (Ask him to tell you about the lesson he taught them of how “Three is the Magic Number” and how to “hitthething-hitthething-hitthething”)  There is one time this does NOT work well for Misterbixby, though. This would be when he plays on his DS.  You now have three heads trying to look at this little screen.  He gets quite frustrated.  I get enjoyment watching the three of them jockying for postion.  But I digress….  anyway, apparently Lana was tired of watching Daddy play on his DS.  What do you think a nearly-seven-year-old would do at a time like that?  Did she ask to use Daddy’s?  Did she ask for one for her birthday? for Christmas?  Nope.  She did the next best thing.  Lana made her own DS. 
continue reading "Geek interests + Creativity = Ingenuity"

As long as I can remember, we’ve had some type of video game console, and I still enjoy them.  It stands to reason my  son will dabble as well, especially since he likes to hold an inactive Wiimote and play baseball with me.
continue reading "A kindler, gentler Xbox Live?"