After working late last night I headed home, looking forward to seeing the little man. I walked in to find that he and J were sitting about two inches away the TV with the PS2 on, playing (and pretending to play) SSX. Barely got a hello out of ‘em. A while later I was sitting at the dinner table with the monkey. I’d made him one of his (former) favorite snacks, edamame. After setting it on the table near him he screamed “NO!” and pushed it away. Well, awrighty then. Moving right along I asked him if he’d had a good day, and what he’d done. The lad replied with a new non sequitor…he called me, his mother, a poopyhead. And added insult to injury by aiming his index finger in my direction, while making spectacular laser sound effects. Now I know what he’s learning at pre-school.

More bad news than good today. Let’s start with the little there is of the latter. The St. Paul City Council has had the good sense to propose making it legal to use skateboards, in-line skates and roller skates on streets and sidewalks. “Right now there are more limits on skating than on carrying guns,” said Council Member Jay Benanav, who is sponsoring the ordinance change. So that’s a recognition of the ridiculous, and taking action to correct the situation…as long as citizens behave responsibly. Bravo. The bad news is that we seem to be stepping in the wrong direction on a number of other issues…too numerous to go into. A few of them have caught my attention. First off, Minnesota’s new conceal and carry law went into effect yesterday, which makes me, and many other Minnesotans, very uneasy. Also in the news, “Three States Aim to Outlaw Eco-Protests“. This legislation is supposed to cover so-called eco-terrorism, but I fear that non-violent actions and organizing will be prosecuted as well. As a long-time animal rights advocate, I find this very troubling. And lastly, a little too close to home…a friend of a friend has just been the victim of an absurdly Orwellian abuse of power. Yesterday he was out and about during his lunch hour, with a buddy who needed to stop by the bank. While waiting for his friend he took out his camera, as we bloggers are wont to do, to see if there was anything interesting to photograph. Next thing he knows he’s being manhandled, detained and screamed at by a belligerent bully of a cop, who’s going on about the Terrorist Alert Orange. I’ve long been aware of the erosion of our civil liberties, so I shouldn’t be so surprised. And I’m not the only one wondering what America stands for these days. But the backlash hasn’t been big enough. Hopefully it won’t be too little too late.

Despite any aforementioned weirdness, it really was a lovely weekend. And now I have the photos to prove it. Most, but not all, feature the little man. Couldn’t help myself. I’ve put together a little gallery for your enjoyment…and mine.

It was a memorable memorial day weekend. A fairly relaxing few days with gorgeous weather. But not without its usual, and unusual, ups and downs.
unforeseen event the first:
On Saturday the little man and I had just come back from the playground. He was settling in for some fingerpainting fun while I popped upstairs…to compulsively check my email. As I drew closer to my computer I experienced a sharp pain. In my foot. I looked down to discover…I’d been stung by a bee. For the first time in my nearly thirty years. What it was doing on the floor of the computer room, I don’t know. But I do now know that I’m not allergic. Unlike other members of my family…including the little man. I’m just glad it was me, and not the monkey. Phew. The moral of the story? Email can kill, but fingerpainting saves lives. Or something.
unforeseen event the second:
Dan Simmons made me cry. That’s not to say that I don’t expect science fiction to evoke emotion…but it’s rarely been done so strongly or so well. I’d been meaning to read the Hyperion books (yes, Simmons is a big Keats fan) for some time. When I delved into them over the weekend I was hooked. Book one is structured similarly to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, recounting the travails of seven travellers. Simmons gives each a unique and thoroughly believable voice, so much so that it nearly feels like seven separate books…but then he weaves their tales together to form a cohesive whole.
unforeseen event the third:
Memorial Day sort of snuck up on me this year. I usually invite a large crew of folks over for a bbq, but this year I didn’t have the time or energy. So we had just a couple of guests, but enough food to feed many more. As were feasting on our crazy vegan bbq banquet I noticed the little man had two things near his plate at the table. A bag of potato chips, and a bag of fresh baby spinach. Instead of going straight for the chips he surprised me by pulling the spinach closer. Reaching in to the bag and eating the leaves like they were chips. unforeseen event the fourth:
After our bbq guests departed last night and the fireworks had finished (we have an excellent view from the computer room, photos to follow) I found myself torn. Between reading…and playing more SSX Tricky. Reading won out, this time…but for how much longer? I’m not too worried. I’ve always been an avid reader. But I do remember a certain summer…when I found myself hopelessly addicted to the original Legend of Zelda, for classic Nintendo. Often foregoing sleep, showers and food in an effort to finish the game. It doesn’t seem likely that I’ll ever fall so far again, but I’ll have to stay on the alert.

I was tired. Not tired enough to sleep, but too tired to do anything productive. Just awake enough to consume some easy entertainment. But still. I should have known better. And I probably did, really…but that rarely stops me. Not only had I added “Star Trek: Nemesis” to our already jam-packed Netflix queue, I even bumped it up to the top of the list. As dreadful as it was I couldn’t stop watching it, as J wisely did. I watched it all the way to its very awful end. And I have to report, the only pleasure derived from viewing this film was reading Ebert’s review afterwards. Here’s just one of his many gems:
“There might have been a time when the command deck of Starship Enterprise looked exciting and futuristic, but these days it looks like a communications center for security guards.”
Ouch. Another viewing of Trekkies would have been far more satisfying. Happily that’s due to arrive next Tuesday.

Thanks to Complicated Fun for pointing out this bit of good news:
A note from Low, May 2003
“Hello everyone.
It is time we addressed the recent situation that many of you are already aware of. It’s unfortunate that this has been played out in a public manner, but so it is. We have all had to work through some personal things recently (which took longer than we would have liked…). After sorting it out, the good news is that Zak is remaining in the band. We are sorry you had to ride along with us through this process– stuff like this just happens sometimes– but we feel better for it, and are excited for the future. As we had always planned, we are taking some time off, but we will be seeing you around. Thank you for your patience, and have a good summer.”

So that’s it. Buffy, as we know it, is over. I’m still in shock (felt a little awe too, with Joss back at the helm). The ending isn’t going to be all things to all people. I didn’t walk away entirely satisified. But it did make possible many future outcomes. We’d better get a spin-off, or a feature length film out of this. Until then Buffy’s departure leaves a huge hole to fill. What to do with the newly freed up time on Tuesdays? Well, I can get more reading in, for one thing. And next Tuesday I’d like to see “Spellbound“, an award-winning documentary that “presents the intense, real-life experience of the National Spelling Bee as illustrated by the stories of eight driven, young spellers who compete for the top prize.” A subject near and dear to my heart. Landmark will be showing it for a while, but next Tuesday’s screening is a benefit for Achieve Minneapolis, a group that sounds worthwhile. Beyond that, I’m afraid I may be sucked in by a different distraction…my newly acquired PS2. Purchased from a co-worker who is all about his Xbox these days. Currently we own only one game, SSX Tricky (as I declined to purchase any of the Grand Theft Auto titles along with the console). But I’m hoping to get set up for Dance Dance Revolution soon, tricked out dance mats and all. I guess there really can be life beyond Buffy. Sad, isn’t it?

Thoughts that crossed my mind, while eating lunch at my desk today:
- Eating with freshly-sealed teeth creates an interesting, though not at all pleasant, sensation.
- It’s a good day to be eating soup. I’m glad I whipped up a batch over the weekend…and remembered to pack some for my lunch.
- After a string of recent, humbling defeats I may retire from foosball. Until I get my groove back.
- How will I know if my groove is back, if I’m not playing?
- I need chocolate.
- I tend to be more productive, and prolific, after consuming Advil Cold & Sinus. Best not make a habit of it.
- I hope this entry doesn’t have me competing with the dullest blog in the world.
- It’s the end of an era. Tomorrow night UPN will be airing the last new Buffy episode. Ever.
- At least I will be among friends while viewing it. Sigh.

I shall refrain from posting any spoilerish details. Suffice it to say, I enjoyed Reloaded. I have a few criticisms, but still look forward to the final act. That’s the problem with trilogies. I hate cliffhangers. I need closure. Happily I don’t have to wait another four years. And not long after Revolutions comes out, we will be treated to “The Return of the King“. In somewhat Matrix-related news, I’m currently reading “Vacuum Flowers” by Michael Swanwick. It’s pure 80s cyberpunk, but with a somewhat noirish feel. It focuses heavily on the use of wetware…exploring its equally fascinating and repellent applications. In non-Matrix news, turns out that the Tunbridge Wells hero was just another hoax. Found an interesting interview with the perpetrator, explaining his actions. It includes this oddball quote of the day: “kittens are the new sex”.

What could be a better follow up to another enjoyable, action-packed weekend than…dental work. It’s my first cavity in 15+ years. And only my second one ever. Some people think that my obsessive-compulsive brushing is actually the cause of this cavity, but I just cover my ears and sing “la la la I can’t hear you”.