Kids Say the Darndest Things

Maybe this post is better suited for a MyFace or SpaceBook account. Maybe it should have been twittered. but seeing as how I have none of the above and have no desire to begin tweeting like a twit, I will post this little tidbit here, in an old fashioned blog.

As a reward for the kids work in the yard as mentioned in the last post, Kerri decided that the kids could stay up until midnight watching movies. After a long and heated debate, they settled on Spiderman I and II. I skipped out on the first, but joined in at the intermission to soundly squash everyone at 100 pin bowling. Afterwards, with a large plate of nachos in hand, we settled down to watch the second installment of our friendly neighborhood web slinger.

The movie was fairly eventless, with only the usually gasps from the girls at Peter Parkers lack of romantic intuition. Girls seem to know exactly what a guy should do in any given romantic situation, while the majority of us male-folk stand there as clueless and slack jawed as Mr. Parker. It has to be a product of the fall. In heaven, I imagine that us guys will have the answer to any romantic situation, just as the girls do. But then it will be too late. (See Matthew 22:30)

But I digress. Back to the movie... As the final scene rolled by, as Mary Jane stands in Pete's door after running away from her own wedding in favor of Spidey, she tells Peter, "I am standing at your door Peter, I have always been standing at your door"...

At that very moment, a little Roo voice, from beneath a blanket, snuggled deep down in a too big chair, says, in a very sassy and drawn out voice, "stalker".

Peels of laughter ensued which ended the effect of the deeply romantic moment, in which Peter Parker says nothing, or at least very little... Which, apparently was exactly what he was supposed to say in that romantic instance. I guess? I don't know. 

...of Backyards and Automated Sprinkler Systems

One of the benefits of teaching, both in the public schools and at the college level, is the time off. I never really understood the need for the breaks, but now after seven years of being "on stage" for four or more hours every day, I find that I really look forward to the down time. More than that, I need the down time. It allows you to re-animate.

This week, for the Carlsbad Municipal Schools and New Mexico State University, has been a very welcome and needed spring break.

On an average evening in the Christensen house, you will find my wife or myself grading, preparing lessons, reading about teaching techniques and of course, attending to the various tasks required to run a household. This week, however, there has been no grading, no prep, very little required reading and the like. This week, we have taken the opportunity to work on fun things, cool things, our things, and boy has it been fun.

When we moved in in August, we found that this new house came equipped with an automated sprinkler system. Unfortunately it had been maintained by at least one large canine who decided the chewing sprinkler heads and burying the valves was the preferred method of maintenance.

This week, armed with plyers, gloves and the debit card (for new sprinkler heads), I set forth early, as the mist hung low in the yard and I conquered the beast. This morning, with the help of my lovely assistant wife and three weed pulling children we de-weeded the backyard and tested the system.

In addition to these momentous feats, we built a cabinet for the television and I started a novel. The cabinet is on wheels and once the TV is strapped in, the kids will be able to check it out on weekends to watch a movie in their room. We have never liked the idea of having a permanent TV in the kids rooms and as they get older, this seemed like a nice compromise. We shall see. We shall also have to wait and see about the novel, which is currently only 1200 words long and will probably wax cheesy as it is about a young city slicker who travels west to start a new life in Montana.

Now it is time to trounce my family at 100 pin bowling and so I will sign off. I hope that your week has been as non-productively productive as mine.