Whaddaya Think of That?

I am generally of the opinion that most mass entertainment is purely for enjoyment (or tolerance, as the case may be), but I have to say our recent viewing of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian may have changed my mind-at least a bit.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for being entertained. Escapism is a practice I can really hide behind.

The best review we'd heard of the movie went something like this: "If you liked the first one, you'll like the second one, too... 'cause they are essentially the same!"

From the first trailer, the boys had a plan to see v2.0. They loved the original(history and facts are tops!), and were thrilled to see a movie set in a place they'd been.

When Tate was turning 7, he told us definitively that he'd like to go to "a dinosaur museum and an art museum." Our best bet was to take a trip to see Grandma & Grandpa in Washington, DC. Once on the Smithsonian Mall, we hit Natural History, National Art Gallery, Air and Space, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument (or "giant pencil", as it was dubbed).

The movie was fun. As expected, the shortest among us couldn't have had a better time. And when we got home, we saw art breeding art. Dane stated emphatically that "The Thinker" was his favorite character (spoiler alert: when Larry and Amelia ask him for some information, he just keeps saying "I'm thinking, I'm thinking, I'm thinking...") and Dane does a pretty good impression of the voice. After we all laughed at Dane for a while (a relatively frequent passtime here) he told us that he was going to build his own "Thinker" with clay.

Here's his finished product:


Not bad for a little monkey!

Tate watches the news (apparently)

I was teaching Tate's Primary Class (Sunday School for those under 12) a couple of weeks ago. The concept we were talking about was Fast Offerings: an offering made in lieu of $$ spent on food.

Tate wasn't really focused as this verbatim account will show:

Me: What do we call money we give to help the Church?
Tate: Tithing! (Correct and fully acceptable at this point)
Me: Correct. What's a slighly lesser amount we contribute?
Tate: Taxes!
Me: Uh, no. Taxes are more than Tithing, I promise.
Tate: Bailout!

At this point it was all I could do to stop laughing. I explained that Bailout comes from the Government.

Ultimtately, we refocused and he went on to contribute to the discussion.

Tate: Fast Offerings, Fast Sunday. Then why does it go so slow???

10 Things I learned at the Scottish Festival

Tonight the Omahecks ventured south to Thanksgiving Point and the Scottish Festival and Highland Games. Not knowing completely what to expect, I have to say that we learned quite a bit: primarily that we need to be better about carrying a camera with us. Sorry, no photos.

Learning Points:
1) Haggis (at least what they serve at the Heritage Foods trailer) isn't too bad. In fact, Tate is a real fan.

2) Pipe and Drum bands are very cool.

3) The concept of belonging to a "clan" is really appealing. Maybe that's why I flaunt my Batesville roots. Being from Batesville is like being in a clan.

4) Traditions for the sake of tradition has its place (it's generally called kitch).

5) Traditions that bonds those otherwise unconnected is powerful.

6) Traditions that can generate a profit: wicked awesome!

7) 6'9" is freakishly tall. We saw Cyndie's HS classmate and our college friend Kenneth Roberts at the show and even from a distance he's just still really long.

8) The origin of the word "tattoo" comes from a Dutch phrase for "shut off the tap." When the English military bands played the "tattoo", the bar tenders would stop serving drinks and send the soldiers back to barracks. Any guesses where the other usage of "tattoo" comes from?

9) The more swords and weapons, the cooler the tent.

10) There is a special place in Heaven for a guy who dresses in medeival armor and spends an entire evening fighting an incessant line of children. Accosted by pygmys armed with shields and foam swords, he also puts on a good show and lets the children win. Every time.