Overtly Orange Office. Other Observers Opine, "Obnoxious!"

But we love it. K8's dad passed the orange loving bug onto us and I've really turned it into more of an obsession. It was Sinatra's favorite color too and Old Blue Eye's taste is unquestionable.

We still have to put some stuff on the walls and fill the shelves but for the most part, I can declare another project done. I think the black-brown furniture really helps calm the bright orange down just enough. Ikea is my new BFF! Eventually we will have to go back to get doors for the wardrobe... eventually.

Grand Art!

I'm really looking forward to Grand Old Days this Sunday. Not only are we going to a friends house that is even closer to Grand than our own, but my favorite local artist, Jao, will be performing at the intersection of Albert and Grand.

If you plan to go to Grand Old Day make sure you check her out. She will be performing at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30.



Now if only I could convince her to paint something for the wall in our newly remodeled office. More on that tomorrow.

Y Water is AWE... wait for it...

SOME!!! Y Water is the coolest kid product I've seen in a long time. It's organic vitamin water for kids that comes in these funky designed bottles that can be connected together to build whatever you want. I'm already fantasizing of a giant double helix of water bottles in the playroom. Imagine instead of throwing out or recycling your water bottles you reuse and collect them as toys. Brilliant!!

Even their website is great. Super interactive and fun. Just like their product.

Unfortunately as of right now it's not available in MN. I'll do some heavy lobbying at the Coop next time I'm there. I can only imagine the cost of FedExing a case or two here from LA.

Hero of The Week: Dave Eggers

Here in the Twin Cities we have some great organizations like Bolder Options for connecting school kids with adults willing to give some of their time, knowledge, and attention. None, however, come even close to being like 826 Valencia in San Francisco and its spin-offs around the country. Please watch the video of Dave Eggers speech from TED 2008. He definitely has that giddy excitement that can inspire anyone and combines that with a sense of humor and adventure that our education system is so often devoid of.

Backyard Shenanigans

I'm callin' 'er done.... for now.

I dialed back my overly ambitious plans for gardening this spring. I'm relatively satisfied with what we managed to get done and am leaving all the plans for the front yard for next year. What we did get done turned out to be a pretty nice play garden. I'm also pretty proud of the amount of recycled/reused materials I was able to use.

The veggie fort turned out pretty sweet using the neighbors tree trimmings. It seems pretty sturdy and will really look cool once the sweet 100 tomatoes, yellow plum tomatoes, and scarlet runner beans start to grow over it all.

It looks like the poppies that we transfered and split from the neighbors yard will survive along with all the other flowers and veggies that we purchased... except one Himalayan Blue Poppy that didn't make it. Hopefully the huge volume of basil we planted will keep up with our steady use. We should have everything we need for a great ratatouille this fall. Mmm.

Hero of The Week: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Known as the Iron Lady, Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is the first woman democratically elected to such a high office in the continent of Africa.

I think the real key to her greatness in my eyes is that she appears so grandmotherly. She is wise, calm, and compassionate. She also has that brand of tough love, exclusive to grandmothers, that commands everyones respect. She is 100% genuine in her love for her people and her desire to make her nation, her continent, better for all within.

Click here for a video of her dealing with a mob of angry ex-soldiers. Make sure you watch it to the end.

P.S. I have no intention of doing any sort of lengthy bio on any of my Hero's of The Week. This is in part due to my laziness but more so that wikipedia does a much better job at it than I could.

Quote of the Day

Today we went for a long walk and ended up at the park next to the Y-Dub on Selby. It's a nice little park, well shaded, and usually pretty quiet. We haven't been there for quite a while since we only went there after we went to the Y-Dub and obviously my fat ass hasn't been there in quite some time.

Anywho, when we got there today a German speaking group of parents and their kids were there. Q started running around with a few of the kids. At one point one of those kids, a 4 year old girl, from the top of the play equipment kicks it old school. "Intergalactic planetary. Planetary Intergalactic. Another dimension. Another dimension."

Ok, so Hello Nasty isn't exactly "old school", but it was out well before she was born. Man, those Germans sure now how to raise a kid right.

Ozfest

Making comb-overs cool.


Rockin' the rice cereal!


Ozzi vs Blanket

Little Green Thumbs

After many revisions our play garden in the backyard is coming along. On Sunday I got the framework done for what will hence forth be known as Nature Fort, formerly know as The Gourd Fort. Turns out the growing season for Bird House Gourds is really long. But thanks to the great employees at Mother Earth Gardens I found some climbing beans and cherry tomatoes that should work great instead. I can see why the City Pages named them Best Garden Center of the Twin Cities.

In addition to Nature Fort, we've created a new area for perennials. I don't remember everything we planted in there but mostly it's poppies. For a path through the flowers I used some small logs I had and buried them half in the ground to make a path of "balancing posts". Q's kung-fu training has begun.


I'll post real pictures of everything on a more ambitious day. For now I just need to get to sleep so we can go run around in a proper garden, the sculpture gardens at the Walker, before we hit Arty Pants tomorrow.

Hero of The Week: Hans Rosling

I've been thinking for a while now that I should start a regular themed post. I've also thought, since before Q was born, that good role models in todays media are hard to find. Mainstream American society seems to present our children with pro-athletes and celebrities as the only options for our children to look up to. Not that all celebs and athletes are bad. An authentic Alan Page jersey is still on my wish list. In fact the Honorable Judge Page will most likely make this list in the future. Today, however, I'd like to highlight maybe a less obvious choice, Hans Rosling.

Not that discovering a new famine related paralytic disease in Africa isn't enough but what most impressed me about Hans is his new way of looking at world statistics with the software he developed. Better than me trying to explain it all, I'll just let Hans do it himself.

I know I can buy carbon offsets....

...but where can I get sissy offsets. I need to build something or play some tackle football. Maybe I should pick up smoking cigars again. That's manly.

This arrived in my email the other day....


...and I briefly considered going. I think K8 will be going in my stead. If you decide to go too, make sure to say hi to her. She should be easy to find. She'll be the most beautiful woman in the room (aaahhh) and she will be talking about how she has the best husband in the whole wide world ;)

I'll be getting plenty of "girl talk" tomorrow night at Bar Abeline with my mom friends for another well deserved "Moms' Night Out" I can already taste the margaritas... um, I mean beer. I am continuously amazed how this group of stay at home moms are willing to put up with this stay at home dad. I really am lucky I managed to find such great friends willing to look past my manly veneer... eroded as it may be.

Thanks Mo!

The City Pages was right. Wild Rumpus is the best children's bookstore of the Twin Cities. Everything about the store is great. If it wasn't such a pain in the ass to get to from St. Paul we would be there every other day.

Q got a pretty big kick out of Mo Willems and the new The Pigeon Wants a Puppy book, but at 3 years old, the animals managed to get more of Q's attention. Mo absolutely packed the place. We now have an autographed copy of There Is a Bird On Your Head. I only wish I could have gotten my copy of You Can Never Find a Rickshaw When It Monsoons sign too.