Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Laughing at someone else's expense. But quietly.

Over the weekend, we attended an outdoor gathering where attendees were invited to participate in a number of Olympic-themed activities on the lawn. The games were designed for kids--there were sack races, an obstacle course, hoops shooting, and the like. Kids earned a sticker for every event they completed.

I acted as "official" photographer for the event, hoping to capture some shots of folks having fun and hanging loose. I camped out for a few minutes by the obstacle course. Kids were asked to hop in and out of some hula hoops laid out on the grass, then jump over a bale of hay, toss a bean bag into a goal, walk with an egg on a spoon, and a few other things.

I watched one young girl stumble through the course, all arms and legs and gumption and not an ounce of coordination. The poor girl was about, I don't know, seven years old? And she fell down on the course more often than the four-year-olds did.

I did not laugh at her. Instead, I cheered her on and let her know she was doing great, all the while racking my brain trying to remember her name, and to which family she belonged. She tried so hard--and was such a good sport, but just doesn't seem to have inherited any athletic ability whatsoever. I suppose her lack of coordination may also be related to a recent growth spurt or something like that.

So why am I blogging about this? It's because I remembered something that had me stifling my laughter (though it was sympathetic and affectionate laughter, I promise!)--and I honestly had to walk away to compose myself.

Her name?

Grace.


Wednesday, August 20, 2008

I love you Mommy


I love you Mommy
Originally uploaded by knights_writes
Is it possible that my little boy has grown this much in just over a year?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Baby Yeti









I finally finished sewing up this darling "Baby Yeti" sweater, and I hope that the intended baby hasn't already outgrown it!

SPOILER ALERT for my cousin, Amy: I am about to pack this up and ship it to the U.K. for little Aidan, who was born in April. I knitted the sweater in a 9-month size, and it seems to be on the bigger side of that--so hopefully he will get some wear out of it this fall/winter. Here's Aidan:

Yes, it's fluffy. Check out the close up pic of the shag pile. (Don't take that the wrong way, you Brits--I mean "shag" like the carpet.) And yes, it has a hood. Yum!

I may just have to get some more of this yarn (Sprinkles baby yarn, ironically from the U.K.) and knit one up for Ms. Macy--the pattern was a breeze and the yarn is really fun to knit with.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

A Rainbow of Fruit Flavors

Here's a scene from my lunchtime sandwich run downtown: my banana scooter in the foreground, with identical lime and cherry versions in the background.

I like to think they had a sparkling conversation around the bike rack while I was in the Which Wich shop.

And now I'm craving a slushie. You?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Find my work in the August issue of Radish magazine

If you're interested, I contributed to a story called "A tale of four cities" on page 12 of the latest issue of Radish magazine.

The story features firsthand assessments of the walkability of the correspondents' respective cities.

Daily Iowan silent on the Miller matter

Speaking of newspapers... can anybody tell me why there is no coverage to be found in the Daily Iowan about the Arthur Miller controversy?

A scandal that is alarming enough, and serious enough, to warrant an e-mail from the UI president to all UI faculty and staff should surely also warrant coverage in the campus newspaper. Even though the DI is an independent paper, not a part of the University, its primary focus is campus and community news. There is no excuse for the glaring omission, if you ask me.

Did Professor Miller also bribe DI editors? Did he offer them 'A' grades in exchange for their silence? I am appalled that a search on the Daily Iowan web site yielded nary a mention of this ongoing investigation.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen is covering the story. Why isn't the DI?

Monday, August 11, 2008

Local Boy Makes the NYT


Local attorney (and our good friend) Rockne Cole was quoted fairly extensively in this New York Times article about the Postville immigration raid.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/09/us/09immig.html?ex=1376020800&en=714952686f3fa0a6&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I am not ashamed to say that Rockne comes off as a bit of a hero in this piece, and that the article really doesn't miss the mark.

We're proud of you, Rock!

Friday, August 08, 2008

Precious Little Diva

'Nuff said.
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Forced Perspective

I'm sharing this photo because it cracks me up. First, you've got the classic little-kid-in-big-boots shot, and the look on Arlo's face is just priceless. But then if you look a little closer, it almost looks like we have a miniature baby sitting up on the stool. If only I had lined it up a wee bit differently... but I didn't notice the effect until days later.

And now you know the trick of "forced perspective," which is how, in Lord of The Rings, they made Gandalf look so big and Bilbo Baggins so small.

Wheeeee!

(By the way, I found my USB cable, and am now in the process of winnowing down the vacation photo collection to select some shareable shots. Stay tuned.)
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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Did you miss me?

I know, I know, I went on hiatus and I didn't even tell anyone! Don't tell me--you were worried sick, right?

I took a break from the blog to play sister/auntie/hostess to my sister and her kids who were visiting from Denmark this past week. Please stay tuned for the obligatory (and also thrilling!) vacation photos post. I just have to locate the darn USB cable for my camera...

Thanks for your patience. Back to the grind!