The Waterloo Gala

A couple of weekends back we attended a school fund raiser that I didn’t get a chance to really write about yet.  But as I look back on it, I see more and more that this was just too blog worthy not to catch up on.

 

It was billed as the “Waterloo Gala” (pronounced GAL-ah and *not* GAY-lah.)  Everyone thought gay-la was incredibly funny when I said it.  They advertised for it about month in advance and needless to say all the kids were super excited about it.

 

The actual event had all the things I expected.  There were fun games, lots and lots of lollies (candy), bake sales, plant sales and art booths.  They had 4 or 5 different kinds of raffles.  The most hilarious being the “Pony Plop” where a pony is penned in a small field of grass that has been laid out with a numeric grid… and can you guess? They sell the numbers on the grid and where ever the pony does his business the holder of that number gets a prize.  If that image was not funny enough, then image a small crowd gasping in anticipation when the pony lifted his tail and then the groan of disappointment when it turns out to be “only a pee.”  We unfortunately didn’t win.

 

What was really blog-worthy though was the stuff I did not expect.  Like the “Bottle Lottery” which was rather like a cake walk only you won booze.  This is right on the school grounds remember.  You should have seen the hoots and hollers when the adults won booze.  The Bottle Lottery sold out in less than an hour.

 

Next on the booze tour was the full on beer tent.  Yes, you read that right.  In the middle of the school yard was the adult beer tent with 4 different bottled beers and a wide selection of RTD’s (Ready To Drink beverages).  RTD’s are like cans of bourbon and coke, rum and coke, vodka and juice, etc.  All of them pre-made, 12 oz size, and *significantly* stronger than beer.  The beer tent managed to keep selling throughout the event (from about 6 PM to 9 PM).  Thankfully we only live 2 short walking blocks from the school.

 

Last we have my favourite… the water balloon catapult.  At first glance you may ask how this could possibly compare with the schoolyard beer tent, but imagine this… The catapult has about 90’ range.  The target is a non-descript box located about 90’ away from the catapult.  The target is not marked and in the middle of the event—neatly bisecting the attraction side from the beer tent side.  Now picture about half a dozen partially drunk parents wandering in to the field of fire whilst their kids take aim.  Peg the drunken parent at 30 yards with the water balloon catapult might be the single biggest untapped fund raiser event in the world.

 

All told the event raised $30,000.  How much did your school raise last event?

 

Gabe had a great time.  I'm fairly sure he ate his body weight in candy.  He also swung a sledge hammer on an old beater car a few times.  He ran around like crazy.  Amy and I enjoyed the beer tent and successfully avoided the catapult hazard.  Our friend Lisa ran the Plant Sale which turned out to be not nearly as popular as the Bottle Lottery.  We got a great deal on plants near the end of the event.  Who needs a beerfest? Show me the way to the next school Gala!

Watchmen

I won't write a long review--I'm sure you can find plenty from better critics.  But here's my quick thoughts.

It is a good movie.  You have to work (a little) to keep up with it and ponder the themes.  I'll give you a bit of a head start just so you can think about it a little before you go see it.  The movie is set in 1985 in a version of history where the USA won the Vietnam War and Nixon was catapulted to popularity--elected to 3 terms.  But the world is now more corrupt, more on edge.  The Cold War is escalating, the Soviet Block is not crumbling.  If you're over 30, then much of this may sound bizarre and intriguing.  But if you're 20 ish then you might ask what all the fuss is about.  The story definitely has a target age of relevance

The notion that this is a superhero movie is actually not much of a factor to the story.  The Watchmen are just easier to pick out from other characters, but they contain all the same flaws (or worse) of the world they live in.

I liked this movie because it was interesting to consider all these 'what if" possibilities.  The story asks some really hard questions and I found myself left wondering what my answers really would be.  Any movie that keeps me thinking is good in my book.

BUT... this is not a happy movie.  It is NOT a kid movie in any fashion.  This is a nudge or two beyond simple violence and sex which it has plenty of.  It may be particularly hard for women to watch.  I don't mean that in a sexist "women can't hack it" way, but the movie's themes are quite sexist.  The story's treatment of women is harsh.  In my opinion this is over done, but there is no denying that the movie makes its point. 

In the end (no spoilers), the movie leaves only questions.  In true comic book style the story ends, but is not quite resolved.  This movie will probably occupy your thoughts for a while.  It might spark some heated spousal discussion.  It is designed to provoke by forcing to light ugly situations and how one might deal with them.  The only answers are gray. 

 

 

A good picture this morning

I got this shot this morning on the walk in to work.  It came out super well.  Of course I don't have to be much of a photographer to get pictures of sights like this.  I was just in the right place at the right time.

I have more shots of this ship in my Harbor Ships photo album.

Cheers!

 

A good picture this morning

I got this shot this morning on the walk in to work.  It came out super well.  Of course I don't have to be much of a photographer to get pictures of sights like this.  I was just in the right place at the right time.

I have more shots of this ship in my Harbor Ships photo album.

Cheers!

 

Le Masquerade: The Boat

That panel with the name of the boat opens to reveal a small speed boat/launch/life boat.

We had a sexy visitor to Wellington Harbour this week. A sleek luxury yaught of the first order, Le Masquerade. This looks like a $20 million boat, at least. I stopped by on my walk past to snap some shots. She is privately owned by some UK industrialist. The paper says it takes $5 million dollars a year to keep the boat maintained.

Moods of the Bay

I've said before that the bay has a different look every day.  While many "themes" repeat each day is just a bit different.  Then you have days like this which stand out as unique.

 

 

 

 

But then there days like today which are simply perfect, but my meager camera skills can not capture it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The other moods I'd like to show you I can't... These are the days when the wind and rain scrub the grass from the ground and everyone can only struggle head down in to the gales.

But today the weather is fine.  The sunny harbour picture is from today.  I walked in at high tide and the waves had stopped.  The water was still and sparkling.  I think I saw some penguins on the ride in, but they are hard to spot at a distance.  If they were not penguins then we had a lot of shags out swimming this morning.  A great day!

On Kindle, Twitters, and Publishing

Some of you may recall that Oprah did a show back in October featuring the Kindle device from Amazon.  I must admit that I missed it.  For those of you that don't watch Oprah or know what the Kindle is (pictured), the Kindle is an electronic widget that downloads books on to a high contrast large display screen.  It's wireless (uses the Sprint network as a matter of fact) and can store hundreds of titles--each purchased off Amazon's website for a fee from a few dollars to $20 USD.

Why is this blog-worthy?  Well it is a demonstration of a new publishing era.  If you fancy yourself an amateur author (all you NaNoWriMo's) then all you need to do nowadays is convert your masterpiece to a PDF file and post it for sale.  Amazon will even take your book (for a piece of the profit).  Other sites exist to post your books like...

http://www.smashwords.com

http://www.fictionwise.com

...and I'm sure many others.  This is pretty new business and probably a good time to be looking at it.

Publishing in this way has a slim fraction of the overhead costs of a paper printing.  Authors can get a much larger portion of the purchase price.  Digital media will never completely replace the book, but it is a nice way to dabble and take some risks with new authors.

There are other devices as well.  The Kindle2 is probably the coolest, but it only works in North America--due to that wireless dependence on Sprint.  But other versions of readers sync to your computer and therefore can store all the same content for travel--you just won't be able to download from the airport.  Unless, that is, you travel with a laptop.  Clunky, but cheaper.  The Kindle2 comes in at $359 USD.  That's a chunk for most folks--even in America.  But readers will likely come down.  Certainly if readership picks up (and thus purchase revenue increases) you'll see more subsidized devices--where Amazon give the device away cheaper to facilitate more eBook sales.

Stephen Fry is a UK comedian and actor.  While you might remember him from the blockbuster film "V is for Vendetta" (also starring Natalie Portman), he is more recently famous for being the biggest user of Twitter on the planet.  Stephen has over 250,000 followers on the trendy new application.  Twitter lets you type out a short 160 character message that will be broadcast to everyone that choses to follow you.  These messages are usually delivered to your mobile phone via SMS (thus the 160 character limit).  Why is Stephen important to this story?  Well Stephen has recently purchased a Kindle while on holiday in America.  He's broadcasting his positive experiences with the device to all 250,000 of his followers.  While this is only a small fraction of Oprah's viewership, it is a more mobile device oriented crowd.  There is a powerful surge of marketing behind the Kindle now.  Digital publishing is going to increase in the next few years.  Will it hold out as a lasting media? Who knows?  But certainly the short-term outlook is all positive growth.

PKU: The Video

PKU: All the things they can't eat

I watch an email list focused on PKU (parents, kids, PKU adults, etc).  A great deal of the messages ask for technical answers about how many PHE's are in this or that or what do if this or that occurs.  But fairly regularly someone sends a message out for simple help.  Here is one from today...

Hi everyone;
 
I bring my 22 month old daughter to a babysitter for the afternoons, and I would like to start sending her over with dinner since she isn't picked up until after 6pm.  I usually just send her over with an afternoon snack, but the sitter told me today she would have no problem feeding my daughter dinner, and since they usually sit down to eat at her house around 4:30 or 5, I think this would be better for my daughter...  Since my daughter isn't 2 yet, I'm still learning myself what I can give her for meals, and I'm nervous about leaving it to someone other than my husband or myself to feed her. I would love some imput or suggestions about this.  I haven't ordered any low-pro foods yet, and to be honest I have no idea how to go about doing so.  And is ordering from Cambrooke, etc something that all PKU parents do right away?  I feel like I have SO much more to learn about meal options, etc and I would truly appreciate any advice you could give me.
 
I have to admit, when my babysitter pulled me aside this afternoon and started telling me about how my daughter wants a banana or other foods the other kids are eating, she said it was "so sad" that she couldn't give her some.  My daughter has a very low tolerance, and I made it clear to her from the beginning that she was only to feed her the foods I brought over that day.  I know for people who don't have to regularly deal with PKU it's hard to comprehend, but I've done all the explaining I can to her about what I know.   To be completely honest, I felt very inadequate as a mother after this conversation, and I broke down as soon as I closed the door behind me.  I wonder sometimes if I'm doing all I can do for my daughter...  I knew this day would come, and I (or someone else) would feel so terrible that my daughter can't eat what the other kids are having, and I know she is still too young to understand why, but it breaks my heart.
 
I'm so sorry for going on and on, I just didn't have anyone else to talk to who might know what I'm feeling, and although I don't write too often on the listserv, I read each and every post daily, and I appreciate how much you have all educated me and helped me through so far.  I've gotten so many tips, and had so many laughs, I've been angry, and I've been scared, etc about what is to come, but it's all SO helpful.  I'm so grateful for the listserv, and all of you.
 
Thanks for listening, and thanks in advance to any feedback I might recieve.
I'm sure it'll get easier...my mother tells me to take this one step at a time, but this is a step I don't think I was quite ready to make just yet.  Are PKU moms and dads ever ready?

I chose to answer this one...

Hang in there!

 

It is easy to look at what your daughter can't eat and feel saddened by the things missed... but you have to remember that it is just food.  There are many, many great joys in life yet to be had.  You look at some of the treats she can't have and you have your own memories of these foods.  You perceive these treats much differently than she does.  She has never experienced a twinky and probably never will.  A chunk of why you may remember a twinky fondly is because you remember your mom giving them to you with big hugs while you cuddled on the couch and watched cartoons.  But can you see where half of that association comes from? Cuddling with mom on the couch with cartoons!  That's the real joy.  You can substitute a rice kispy treat covered in frosting for the Twinky and the experience is much the same.  She can develop her own associations and favorite foods from the still large selection of things she can have.  Not one measure of happiness is lost.

 

~Curtis

 

She then replied...

 

Curtis,
 
I have to tell you, I've already gotten about 10 responses, but yours was the one that made me stop and think.  You left me speechless, but I want you to know the positive impact you've just had on me, and I will never forget your words of wisdom.  I'm forever grateful....
 
Jenn 
 
(ps I might have to print this one out and stick it in my wallet for years-to-come of reassurance)

I have already replied to Jenn, but I wanted to capture it here too.  Rarely have I felt this proud about something I've done.  It was just a simple note.  But I am glad it helped this one mom and her daughter.  I don't know that I could say who helped who more today.

Internet Policy for Kids: A Warning

Young Australians find porn everywhere

AAP | Tuesday, 03 March 2009

 

Young Australians will likely see pornography before they are legally allowed because of a proliferation of easily available X-rated material, a new study says.

The Australian Institute of Criminology says there is a "very high" chance that Australian teenagers will be exposed to pornography before the age of 18 – the legal age to view and purchase explicit sexual material.

Institute analyst Colleen Bryant said there was concern that young people were being inundated with sexual information before they were capable of integrating it into a healthy sexual identity.

"The proliferation of pornographic materials and their ease of access are such that it is not a matter of whether a young person will be exposed to pornography but when," she said.

Dr Bryant said scientists were divided about the harm caused by porn as research was struggling to keep pace with changing media technologies and children's engagement with sexual material.

She said pornography might promote unhealthy sexual attitudes and behaviour by encouraging males to view females simply in terms of sexual potential.

"Protecting young people necessarily requires equipping them and their caregivers, with adequate knowledge, skills and resources," she said.

Dr Bryant said research showed males reported more positive attitudes to pornography from an early age than did females who were generally extremely negative.

But by their mid-20s, both males and females might report similarly positive attitudes.

For that reason, seeking to minimise exposure to pornography was not the whole answer.

"Though restricting exposure will remain a priority, an over-reliance on this approach to protect against the perceived harms of pornography is problematic as it fails to recognise the realities of ready availability and the high acceptance of pornography among young people," she said.

***

Porn is available on the Internet folks.  Lots of it and plenty of it is available with no age protection whatsoever.  If you have kids using your computer for the Internet while you are not actively watching what they are doing, then they are easily able to find, view, create, and send porn.  Web cams, phone cams, and digital cameras are all well within the abilities of a child to use.  They pick up these internet widgets faster than you.  Keep your family computer in view at all times... period.  Do not put computers with network access in to your kid's rooms or in rooms out of your view.  You should also talk with other parents of your kids' friends to discover what their computer use policy is.  Kids are crafty and they'll quickly discover that Tony's mom doesn't pay attention to what they do on the computer...

One other line bugged me in this article though.  "Encouraging males to view females only for their sexual potential."  This goes both ways folks... Many females want to have sex just as badly as males.  There are plenty of content sites that show some pretty "unhealthy" female to male exploits.  Of course the vast majority is designed to cater to men, but I am sure teen girls will be just as crafty at finding what they like to look at online as the teen boys.  Girls are not immune.

Warning... I'm about to toss out shocking subject lines just to hit home what is *easy* to find on the internet with *no* real age proection... You can quickly find every kind of heterosexual behavior that you might fondly remember from Playboy stories--anal, oral, both at the same time, groups, ridiculous groups, 18 yo models, etc.  But in addition to these you'll find bondage, domination, pain, sex involving urine and excrement, extreme sexual feats like inserting very large objects, and sex with dogs or other animals.  You can find *all* of these with simple web searches and in "5 clicks or less."

There is certain to be something you find offensive on the internet.  Full video clips of it will be available for free with no real age protection.  I appologise for being so graphic, but if you didn't know, you needed to know.  Again... you must monitor what your children are doing in both your home and other people's homes.

You must be ready to talk about these things with your kids too.  The reality is this stuff is there.  They will be exposed to it at some time or another and it would be better if you warned them about it before running in to it on their own.  You should also let them know that they should pay close attention to how this material makes them feel and discuss those feeling with you.  You might carefully consider how you feel about it at the same time.  The most important thing to pass on would be for your children not to feel shamed by it (my opinion, of course.)  How you deal with sex is your parental concern.

Our kids are connected to the world in dozens of ways we were not.  Aside from legitimate web sites offering content (offensive, but not predatory), there are of course real predators.  The isolated computer combined with the Internet is just too much for unmonitored access.

Credit Crisis

I linked this in facebook already... but it was so interesting I thought I'd embed it here too.

 

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.