Day 4.340: Holiday bowl

It was our work holiday party this afternoon. In a change from the hotel parties of past years, we went to Spare Time bowling this year. It worked very well (for me at least). We had three games, food, drink, a grab-bag gift swap and a lot of fun - including the side game which resulted in a fastest bowl of 23.46 mph (suffice it to say I did not challenge anyone in that competition).

My scores were 90, 92, 122 - which is not only fairly respectable for such an occasional bowler, but also a huge break with my tradition of going steadily downhill from the middle of the first game onwards!

Day 4.339: A few E5N1isms

E5N1 has a way with words. Quite often the wrong words.

Apple cider has become apple slider in our house thanks to him and when we're out and planning to visit a restaurant we'll often be heard to declare that we are going to a food-house because he called them that for the longest time and would accept no other name for them.

The other day, the kids were testing each other on the names of states and their capitals from our USA placemats and E5N1 wanted to say something about Mexico. I imagine he was anxious to make it clear he didn't mean New Mexico, so he called it Plain Old Mexico.

And finally, yesterday morning, at his preschool, they were talking about one of his classmates who was going in for minor surgery today.  It triggered a little sympathetic ailment for E5N1 who told Exile #2 during the afternoon, "My throat is hurting a little bit - I think I need to have my stencils out too!"

Day 4.338: At home to Christmas

I love Christmas. It's sad that we won't be with extended family again this year, but our little household is still embracing the festive season.

Day 4.337: Repast of the Sith

E5N1's clock went missing several weeks ago.  This is a problem primarily because it means that there is nothing to discourage him from getting out of bed when he wakes up and potentially (although, to be fair, not inevitably) waking us up too.

We searched everywhere for it, astonished that it could be so efficiently hiding.  Then we gave up.

On Sunday it reappeared.

Oh, yes I forgot to mention that it is a Lego Darth Vader clock and this is what he was doing when we found him behind the couch:

Who knew that there was room for ice cream on the dark side?

Day 4.336: The little engineer

This is one of my favorite Dilbert cartoons - it often crosses my mind.



My job description and my reaction to it are somewhat similar at times. But anyway, this post is not about me and my diminutive stature or my work.

No, it's about E5N1, who has found an affinity for the Magneatos - or balls-and-rods as he calls them.  He has discovered the joy of making strong structures with triangles and is often trying to persuade me to build with him - usually at completely impractical times.

Over the weekend, we did find some time - he designed this tower (it's not actually square but trapezoid (as E5N1 says in his American-educated way.)   It started off with "Halloween colours" i.e. red and blue and moved on to "Christmas colours" - yellow and green (don't ask me!).

Exile #3 and I helped to make it.  The tower was taller than me and used all the pieces.  Exile #4 showed up for the photo-opportunity and to help with the knocking-down part of the project - rather satisfying of course.