Juggle different

This looks pretty cool when he gets several balls going.

Thank you

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation."
— Pres. Woodrow Wilson
November 1919

My Clone

Here in Missouri, voters will be deciding Nov. 7 the fate of several Constitutional amendments.

One of the more controversial is Amendment 2, the stem-cell initiative. Basically it would guarantee that everyone in Missouri has access to all stem-cell research and treatments that the federal government allows. It's a safeguard against an overactive legislature that's tried to ban stem-cell research many times before.

But the fight is over some of the smaller type that attempts to address cloning fears.

All this cloning talk reminded me of a little ditty by Isaac Asimov. It's sung to the tune of "Home on the Range."

Warning: Not only does this tune deal with cloning, it deals with sex. So if you're easily offended, skip down to the cute picture of Zoe. She's not a clone.

"Oh, give me a clone
Of my own flesh and bone
With its Y chromosome changed to X
And after it's grown
Then my own little clone
Will be of the opposite sex

Clone, clone of my own
With its Y chromosome changed to X
And when I am alone
With my own little clone
We will both think of nothing but sex

Oh, give me a clone
Is my sorrowful moan,
A clone that is wholly my own.
And if she's X-X
And the feminine sex
Oh, what fun we will have when we're prone.

My heart's not of stone
As I've frequently shown
When alone with my own little X
And after we've dined,
I am sure we will find
Better incest than Oedipus Rex.

Why should such sex vex
Or disturb or perplex
Or induce a disparaging tone?
After all, don't you see
Since we're both of us me
When we're having sex, I'm alone.

And after I'm done
She will still have her fun
For I'll clone myself twice before I die.
And this time without fail
They'll be both of them male
And they'll each ravage her by and by."

Trick-or-treat, smell my feet

Zoe put on her princess garb for Halloween and went looting at the mall. Tons of kids were running everywhere. She didn't get much candy (the proprietors at the mall are notoriously stingy with their treats), but that wasn't really the point. She had a blast, bouncing off the walls and smacking people with her princess wand. We're already planning next year.

Congratulations Jessica and Mike!

My cousin Jessica got married this past weekend to Mike. A Jew and an Irish man, they decided to beautifully blend their families' traditions. In addition to the hora at the reception, they had the chuppah made out of Mike's family tartan. Well done.
May you have a long and happy marriage, y'all.
Mazel tov!

Belly dance

Zoe was born less than a week after this video was taken. We've all been dancing ever since.

Uke joint

Jake Shimabukuro will make the ukulele cool again. Seriously. Check it:

Avast, ye scurvy dogs. Hoist the mizzen and yer tankards. Tomorrow be the highest of Pastafarian high holy days.

My pirate name is:

Black Sam Read

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas,
you can be pessimistic at times. Even through many pirates have a reputation
for not being the brightest souls on earth, you defy the sterotypes. You've
got taste and education. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from
piratequiz.com.

Wedding Shots
I've put up a few pics from MP & McD's wedding.
Check them out here
Some could be considered incriminating — but only if you know the story behind them.
Enjoy.

Congratulations Mary Pat and McD!

Their wedding in South Bend went off with just one hitch -- and it was beautiful.

The town is beautiful, too.
Some of the hotel rooms looked out over Pier Park. Below is a panorama.

I'll put more pictures of the town and the wedding on Flickr, as soon as I weed out the crappy and incriminating ones.

Boulevard Baptist Church in Springfield has decided to try some blatant honesty.
The sign's been up for weeks. If it were a joke, wouldn't they have taken it down by now?

Wikipedia killed my cat ...

Zoe and her left foot

Zoe turned 1 on July 15. We took her outside so she could enjoy her cake without us having to hose down the kitchen later. She didn't smear it on her face like most kids. Instead ... well, you'll see.

Wakarusa '06

We made it.
The Wakarusa weekend went so fast, it seemed like just a refreshing breeze.
Ticla, Claude and Zack made it to Springfield from Birmingham on Wednesday, and we headed out for Lawrence on Thursday morning.
We were supposed to pick up Eartha at the airport in Kansas City, but alas, she missed her flight. We thought we'd go to the festival, set up camp and then leave to get her in KC when she arrived on a later flight. Leaving, however, once we'd set up camp, proved to be impossible. So she was on her own. But Eartha is resourceful and resilient, and she made it to the festival on her own steam. And we had a blast.
We saw too many shows to list, but here are a few videos I found.
The day show (above) was Bela Fleck sitting in with Donna the Buffalo. I think you might be able to see my head bop up a few times, because I was right at the front.
The night show (below) is the encore for STS9, which we caught after Fleck and his Flecktones wrapped up on the neighboring stage. We were right next to the fire spinner in the video. He was endlessly amusing, as was the entire weekend.
So maybe y'all will come with us next year. You won't be sorry.

Only two more days of work before the relaxing, music-soaked Wakarusa vacation.
To top it off, some of my best friends are coming up from Alabama to go to the festival, too.
Can't wait.

Memorial Day

Looks like walking to me ...

Come to Daddy ...

Polly and Graycie have become fast friends.

Welcome, who?














Say hello to our little friend. This is, perhaps, the sweetest cat in the world. And she has joined our family. God bless her.
But there's one problem. We don't have a name for her yet.
Do y'all have any ideas?
I thought about Fuzzbucket, but that doesn't seem to fit.