From PlayStation to Playing Field

As many parents of young boys know, sometimes they like to personify the players in their video games. On more than one occasion, my son has told me about the great plays he made, the teams he beat and lord knows what else.

I'll listen to his stories and gently tell him that it's Madden 08, not real life 2008. My husband on the other hand has a lot less sympathy and tells him without any fluff that he's playing a video game and that real life football isn't as easy as selecting a player and maneuvering a controller.

Perhaps I should have been a little less coddling mother and a bit more reality father. This past Monday Sean started practice with his DFL team the Buffalos. Last year Sean played flag football and had one two-hour practice a week. This year is the first tackle year and I'm spending my free time at the middle school football field.

Last year Sean played center. This year he wants to be the QB. He's having a difficult time adjusting to the fact that he'll probably be a lineman. He wants receiver gloves and I'm leaning toward arm pads.

He's completed only two days of practice and promptly fell asleep both nights. Tonight after school we'll work a bit on his footwork, and push ups.

Sean carrying the ball

Pushing his coach around

Getting the lesson on where to be looking

Smiles

My daughter Sarah spent the weekend at Camp Condo with her niece Mia.  After taking a drive on the wild side the girls finished their day on a pachyderm.  One can see from the smiles that Camp Condo beats Camp Cabin any day.

Addiction

I am a Crack addict. I've found help though at Crackberry Here you will find all things Blackberry. Mind you though, these electronic devices are only known as Blackberries to those who are not users. I would say addicts, but aren't all users addicts, and well - user is so much more politically correct.

I currently am using a Blackberry Curve. But it's not the last one I'll own. Seems there's a Blackberry Thunder (Storm) on the horizon. Ironically it will somewhat resemble the iPhone but we won't have to go through the whole withdraw process.

Now, my Crackberry not only receives calls and allows me to place them, I can take pictures. I use to stare at my phone in wonderment, trying to figure out how to get those pesky pixel out of my phone and into something more useful.

a picture taken at Easter found on my Flickr site. (I'm so organized)

Just about the time I had given up hope I hear from Blackberry that I can now ship my pix to Flickr. Well, tickle me pink, I can post my pixels to that darned old site that allows for people to look at other people's pixels in the comfort of their own home.

Then just today, while trying to make up for the fact that I've not placed any verbiage on the pixel packing site I started writing, and posting and editing and look at what I found. I can now take my mobile pixels and post them to my more stationary pixel posting platform.

I will now stop the silly alliteration and join Judge Judy already in progress.

If I have my cell phone, with pictures stored on them memory card, in my pocket, does that make me a pixel packin' mama?

I didn't meet him

I didn't meet someone over the weekend. I do believe his name is Rick, and I'm pretty sure he's as fascinated by greyhounds as I am. He also enjoys photography. Most notably action or sports photography.

He lives in Arizona and frequents the track quite a bit. He's also friends with a few greyhound breeders. I know he has at least one daughter. To say this young lady is an accomplished clarinet player is like saying a Rolls Royce is a four door sedan. The statement may be true, but there's a big middle of information that's being left out.

I've not met Rick, but I will certainly introduce him to each and every greyhound lover here in Ohio. You can view his photos on Flickr...search for Greyhound Rick. You'll be glad you did.

The setting sun only enhances this young lady

Thank You Rick, your photos are breathtaking.

Sean

Sean tries on his first helmet
Sent from the blackberry and posted on the blog! Look Mom - Hands Free

Sorry about my luck (edited)

(Originally posted in June)

That's what he said, at 3:30 this morning. Funny thing is, he meant it. He being a Columbus Police Officer. He was expressing his condolences for the mailbox that broke into 4 pieces, the 20+ year old pine tree that was up rooted and probably most of all the two cans of grass clippings that were so cleverly spread back over the grass that they came from.

Around three this morning there was a faint knock at the door. All I can think of is that he didn't want to wake anyone up. Argus and Sadie woke up. Sadie leads the chorus of barking and Argie supplies the echo, "I guess I should be barking too." I was able to quiet them down, but Sadie maintained a low grumble for another minute or so.

Then the phone rings. It's a pop quiz before the sun is required to shine. Fortunately I knew my address, so after passing the pop quiz, the very nice officer introduced himself

and explained that we was calling because I didn't answer the door. When I spoke to my mom this morning, she asked why I didn't answer the door. I didn't think quick enough to tell her that she taught me not to answer the door in the dark, especially if the weather was staging the perfect murder mystery backdrop.

I'm happy to say that it was only a double homicide, the mailbox and the tree. One trash can will be treated at the scene. The other one may need some minor surgery to become useful again. By the sprinkling of car parts left over, I would say that the culprit, or rather car may be in serious, but stable condition.

I am now starting on the call, coordinate and replace montage. Wish me luck, or as Mr. Police Officer so eloquently said, he's sorry about my luck.

The bucket of car parts,

collected the day after

The 1999 Mustang, defeated by a pine tree.

**Next**

Sometimes life is just a never ending loop.  I was caught in this loop over the weekend.  That's the photo loop.  I had to laugh at all of the sit-coms that made a half hour joke of vacation slides.

 

Family B was invited over to Family A's house for dinner and drinks.  Everyone compliments Mrs. A on such a lovely dinner while husband A slips from the room.  Then Family B hears that unmistakable noise.  I can't quite explain it in the two dimensions that text allows but close your eyes and with the right hand click the magic button.  Now with minimal electronic intervention, slide 1 is pushed back up into the carrousel, as it is being advanced one position so slide 2 can drop into place.

 

That in itself marks the start of boredom.  After making it through the Sit-Coms and laughing when you're in mixed company so that no one knows that you're guilty of subjecting your neighbor to your vacation slides of Branson Missouri, you sell your slide projector at your next garage sale.

 

As 124 film gave way to 110 and the disc camera was poised to change the nation, slide processing became extinct.  Remember grandma's pocket 110 camera with the FLASH CUBE?  We were so in luck when the cube made way to the flash tower (?).  It contained 10 flashes, but you had to flip it after number 5.

 

The disc camera was a new concept and quite a spiffy one at that.  By default the film was auto-advancing an the flash was built in.  Built in, how flipping exciting is that?  It was the disc camera that taught me about grain.  No matter how much you loved the photo, blowing it up to even a 4x6 made it look like a beginner mosaic.

 

Now you're wondering where in the hell this blog post is going.  I'm wondering too, but don't despair, as I won't bore you by telling you I voluntarily spent hours looking at stranger's photos.  Especially those of a Mr. Greyhound Rick, who's photos will be displayed on my blog, with proper credit.

 

Flickr - You can see anyone's vacation photos in the privacy of your own home.  Just don't tell anyone.