Walkin' and Talkin'

Tonight, Owen and I went for a walk just before dinner. Here's a rough transcript of our conversation.

Owen: "Daddy, what's this way?"
Me: "It's a new way. This will be an adventure walk."
Owen: "Yeah, I haven't been this way in a long time."
Me: "Yep."
Owen: "Daddy, this is the way to the choo-choo Christmas lights!"
Me: "Yes, this is the way [to the house that had a Christmas train display on the side of their house--10 months ago!]"
Owen: "Daddy, I like this new way."
Me: "It's fun to try new paths and new directions, huh?"
Owen: "Daddy, I want to go home now."
Me: "But we just started! How about we turn up here?"
Owen: "Okay!"
...
Owen: "Daddy, it will only be a short time when there will be choo-choo Christmas lights!"
Me: "Yep, probably only a month away. After Thanksgiving."
Owen: "Yeah! Tomorrow there will be choo-choo Christmas lights!"
Me: "Um, I think it'll be a bit longer than tomorrow."
Owen: "No it won't be long. It will be short."
Me: "Yes, it will be short. Let's turn up here."
Owen: "We can tell Mommy that we went a new way!"
Me: "Yep!"
Owen: "Daddy, what happens when you mix red and white and blue?"
Me: "I don't know, what?"
Owen: "I'll give you a hint: (whispering) it's a rectangle."

Comments

Anonymous said…

I remember that it wasn't just "christmas lights" it was "CHRISTMAS LIIIIIGHTS!!!!!"

October 28, 2008 at 7:06 AM

Anonymous said…

That is just so sweet.

October 28, 2008 at 7:36 AM

mama mia said…

priceless

October 28, 2008 at 5:44 PM

The Ghost of John Brown said…

It's good to know that our dear boy Owen is a true patriot.

October 29, 2008 at 9:38 AM

A view from your shut down

The Daily Dish has been posting reader emails reporting on their " view from the shutdown ." If you think this doesn't affect you, or if you know all too well how bad this is, take a look at the growing collection of poignant stories. No one is in this alone except for the nutjobs in the House. I decided to email Andrew with my own view. I plan to send a similar letter to my congressperson. Dear Andrew, I am a professor of astronomy at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA houses one of the largest, if not the largest collection of PhD astronomers in the United States, with over 300 professional astronomers and roughly 100 doctoral and predoctoral students on a small campus a few blocks west of Harvard Yard. Under the umbrella of the CfA are about 20 Harvard astronomy professors, and 50 tenure-track Smithsonian researchers. A large fraction of the latter are civil servants currently on furlough and unable to come to work. In total, 147 FTEs

The Long Con

Hiding in Plain Sight ESPN has a series of sports documentaries called 30 For 30. One of my favorites is called Broke which is about how professional athletes often make tens of millions of dollars in their careers yet retire with nothing. One of the major "leaks" turns out to be con artists, who lure athletes into elaborate real estate schemes or business ventures. This naturally raises the question: In a tightly-knit social structure that is a sports team, how can con artists operate so effectively and extensively? The answer is quite simple: very few people taken in by con artists ever tell anyone what happened. Thus, con artists can operate out in the open with little fear of consequences because they are shielded by the collective silence of their victims. I can empathize with this. I've lost money in two different con schemes. One was when I was in college, and I received a phone call that I had won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas. All I needed to d

back-talk begins

me: "owen, come here. it's time to get a new diaper" him, sprinting down the hall with no pants on: "forget about it!" he's quoting benny the rabbit, a short-lived sesame street character who happens to be in his favorite "count with me" video. i'm turning my head, trying not to let him see me laugh, because his use and tone with the phrase are so spot-on.

Mahalo.ne.Trash

Search This Blog