Tonight's Music Video

We begin this week's Mark-a-thon, with this video...

This Week's Nancy Article

Here's another article on the comic strip, Nancy. I'm really surprised to see this strip getting as much attention as it does. It seems like every week or two, I'm coming across another article related to this comic strip. Of course, a lot of this could be due to the fact that I continually get flagged to these types of articles, thanks to my good friends at Google, who seem to know all my interests and habits (yikes!).

Still, I would venture to say that there's been more written about this strip (or maybe more acutely, about it's author) in the last couple of years than in the decade before it.

This is one of the few things in my life - maybe the only thing - where I feel like I was a little ahead of the curve (probably not, but don't burst my bubble).

Anyway, check out the article - if only to check out the cartoons. It will improve your day.

You're welcome

More Favorite Photos

Speaking of favorite photos (as I was here and here and here... and probably a bunch of other places), here are a few more of my favorites.

I have several photos on my bureau, all of which I love (otherwise, what’s the point?). This photo is one I love for a lot of reasons...

It’s a photo of Helaina and Rachael sitting in our wagon, all settled in, ready to go on our evening walk. I love how cute the kids look. I love their little kids clothes - the stretchy waistband pants and their little sneakers. I love that they're so happy and that they're ready to go!  (I also love the fact that Helaina is showing off her doll.)

The photo was taken on September 3rd 1991. The date holds no particular significance, other than it was just an ordinary evening, an evening when I happened to take this picture. And I think that's part of the reason I like it... it just one more ordinary evening. I love those times.

And speaking of Helaina and Rachael, this weekend, we drove over to the college, along with Sam, to go for a short walk. About fifty feet after we go out or the car, Rachael decided that she wanted to try to give Helaina a piggyback. Why this idea popped into her head, well, I don't ask those kinds of questions. After a very minor bit of prodding, Helaina hopped on Rachael's back and Rachael asked me to take their picture - which I did. In fact, I took several pictures. Here’s one of them...

After Helaina hopped off, I mentioned that it reminded me of a photo I took of the two of them a long time ago, way back when they were little kids. When we got home, I dug out the old photo - and I posted it on Instagram, along with the photo I above.

This picture was taken on the same evening as the one at the top of this post. I love this old photo - a lot. I love it for all of the reasons I mention above. I love that they’re so happy and they're happy, not only because of what they’re doing, but also because they’re doing it together.

What I really love about this photo is that I feel like it really captures the nature of Helaina’s and Rachael’s relationship, and it captures it in a way that words can't convey. Here’s Rachael in the front, charging ahead, all the while encouraged by Helaina’s laughter. And here’s Helaina, happily hanging on for dear life, enjoying every minute of the ride.

Boy, I love this photo.

The Weekend

It’s hard to believe it’s been four months since Christmas. A quarter of the year has gone by already. It’s also hard to believe that it’s been four months since the entire family has been able to be together. Strange, but the four months since Christmas seems to have flown by, while the four months since we’ve all been together feels  much, much longer.

But we were all together this past weekend, albeit in our staggered, yet thankfully overlapping schedules.

I took a number of photos over the weekend. Here are just a few...

This is photo of the train Rachael rode in on. It's not a particularly good photo and it doesn't really mean much, beyond being a memory - which I guess is true of all photos.

There are often so-called every day memories from when I was I kid that I wish I had photos of. One of those memories is of taking the trains down to North Carolina. In my mind, I remember what it was like, I remember the look and the feel and the smells, but I sure wish I had some photos, as well.

This photo isn't likely to mean much, if anything, in years to come. But then again, it might. And that's reason enough to have taken it.

On Sunday morning, we went for a walk to the tower. Here's a photo taken on the way up to the tower...

 And here's one taken on the way down...

In between, I think it was Jake who spotted some flowers which I had never noticed before...

I guess these are pretty plentiful but like I said, I never noticed them. I'm not sure if these are Wood Anemones (as first thought) or Liverwort flowers - or maybe those two are one in the same? I have no idea. You can read about them here. Let me know what you find out.

Here's a photo taken at the top of the hill, near the tower. Notice that some of us are standing away from the slippery, rocky edge, the wisely recommended (by me) fifty feet... and some of us are not. I'll wait while you contemplate this for awhile. 

By Sunday afternoon, after we headed back home, we were one Jake short (since he headed back to his apartment), but we gained a Helaina. After Helaina opened her Easter basket, we went on another walk, this time to the College. 

This is one of several photos taken of Rachael giving Helaina a piggyback. I'll have a little more to say about this another time. Maybe.

Back at home once again, we managed to squeeze in the Dying of the Easter Eggs ritual - thank goodness. I would hate to think that I wasted my time hard boiling two dozen eggs - for nothing. 

It's been a while since we've dyed eggs, because it's been a while since we were all home for Easter (though, as it turned out, Jake conveniently had to leave). I'm not sure why I thought this, but I thought some of the kids thought this was fun. Now, I'm not too sure. It almost seemed like it might have been an ordeal. 

Obviously, at least one person isn't happy about the smell. Is it the smell of the eggs that's so offensive or is it the smell of the vinegar needed for the dye? My guess is, yes (to both).

Helaina left on Sunday night, and on Monday, I brought Rachael to the bus station. Now, for better or worse, it's back to the usual quiet of the house, leaving little to do but more laundry and more dishes - and to contemplate what in the world I will do with two dozen colorful, hard boiled eggs.

Today's Incredible Clip

This is pretty amazing.

I hope you're sitting down because here's a clip of the REAL Bruce Wayne talking on the phone to the REAL Batman. Impossible, you say? Nothing(!) is impossible for the World's Greatest Detective - and here's your proof!

Prepare to be astounded.

Further Evidence...

... of the rapid decline of Western civilization:

Today's Video Clip

Pretty much every year, we would go on a family vacation to Cape Cod. One of the many rituals we had was that as soon as we crossed over the canal, we would throw on a mix CD of some Beach Boys music.

One of the things on that CD was an extended cut of some of the outtakes from the "Good Vibrations" sessions. This clip, only in part, covers some of it.

It really takes me back...