How do you draw a monkey when you're five (on a Magna Doodle)?

Pre-Kindergarten Class Homework May 2009

There is a mascot in Super Girl's pre-kindergarten\kindergarten class. "Mister Bear" comes with a bag containing a blanket, his toothbrush, a pillow, and his teddy bear. The assignment that comes with him involves doing stuff with him and writing in "his" journal about his evening.

This is Super Girl's latest Mr. Bear story. It reads as follows.

"I pulled Mr. Bear in the wagon. I pushed Mr. Bear in my baby swing."

Not bad for five (and no meddling parental help).

B.

Terminator/John Connor(s)

For the record, I am a huge Terminator series fan and am really pumped about Terminator 4 opening in a week's time.

Here's a link to an article:

These are the John-Connors I Know I Know from filmchatblog.blogspot.com

When I found this article, I had been writing something similar. This article is better than I would have written.

I would actually go so far as to put the Terminator franchise in the top seven science fiction film/tv dynasties of all time, along with , in no order, Star Wars, Battelstar Galactica 2003-09 version), Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly, and Lost. The idea of a holocaust that all humanity faces at the hands of our own creation has teeth and resonance. The Stalingrad-like view of the Earth after "Judgement Day" is one of the bleakest future visions ever put to screen.

John Connor is the center of the series. He is flawed and fallible, preordained and ultimately victorious. If you've never seen any of the Terminator films or the TV series, John Connor is the leader of the human global armed resistance to the Skynet computer system that triggers a nuclear war and then enslaves the survivors, with a view to eventually exterminating them. Remind anyone of a certain world war?

John (with humanity) is eventually victorious, sometime after 2029. In response, Skynet sends a number or "Terminators" or killer robot/cyborgs back to kill him, at least four different stages of his life. More than any other series, these movies and TV programs have presented time travel in a way that says "yeah, they traveled back in time- get over it and enjoy the story."

For me, the best single aspect through the entire series has been the urgency, the pressure, and the burden that John and other characters feel in face of the realization that their actions may cause either humanity or Skynet to succeed. That's a lot to live with for anyone. I'll avoid the usual Christ parallels for Connor's character, except to point out the parallel to Jesus' "wholly divine/wholly human" dichotomy to John Connor's state of simultaneously being at pre-ordained to be the leader of the resistance and able to mess things up.

Three movies and a season and a half of television have actually lead to a number of different timelines for how John goes into the future, when the nuclear war/robot attack occurs, and other important details. I was one of only three fans I know for the now cancelled TV series (Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles). The writing was solid and the urgent burden I explored above was very present.

I'm almost finished re-watching the movies and will write about that when I finish. Terminator: Salvation opens on May 21st and I can't wait.

The above picture is an image from Wikipedia of the different "ages and stages" of John Connor.

B.

Bike and Scooter Ride April 2009

Sleep Over Adventures This Weekend

I am a fair-to-middlin' sleepover facilitator... I mean grapes AND marshmallows- who else would have thought of that as a movie snack? Good for five year olds, good for Moms and Dads.

On a less positive side, we were up at 6:25 on a Saturday... Its better than the last one our eight year old had, they were "up" (to stay, they claimed at 2:30AM).

B.

R2D2 Soap Out of Package

R2D2 Soap 1

Found in my parent's basement... I have a few boxes of weird old stuff still in my parent's basement, fifteen years after I last lived there. A recent discovery in one of those boxes was this Star Wars soap. R2D2 is made of hard plastic, BUT you have to use the soap to get him to play with... Tricky! B.

Last weekend's scorecard

Last weekend's scorecard:

• Playdates: 1
• Trips to the beach: 1
• Birthday Parties: 3
• Family Outings to Supper: 1
• Low-Key lunchtime dates for parents: 1

All in all, a very busy but successful weekend. This is why I can never find time to write!

B.

Excellent Photo Essay on Afghanistan

Here's a photo essay of Afghanistan that I stumbled upon. Its really interesting.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/recent_scenes_from_afghanistan.html

B.

Is this for Real?

Is this an April Fool's Day prank? I think it might be, but I'm not sure. Even if its not, it may not be the kind of business you want to invest in during the worst economy since the 1930s.

Would be a fun ride, though... Loud, very loud I imagine...

B.

In My InBox This Morning

I suspect this may have something to do with the date:

Super Girl's airplane

Super Girl's airplane
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

Action Girl's Snowstorm

Action Girl's Snowstom
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos

Missed Opportunity: "Will Canada Arrest George W Bush For Torture?"

I guess it didn't happen, but it gives a fella hope...

Also Next After Galactica: Caprica

Next After BSG: "The Plan"

BSG Finale Thoughts

Okay, after a day of indecision, I've decided to watch the BSG finale, despite being in the midst of five year-old sleep-over chaos.

B.

11:12PM Wow... that is not how I thought the war would end on BSG...

11:57PM Okay its over, allllllll ooooooooover. Bizarre but tasty!

B.

Lost: Season 5 Ep. 9 "Namaste"

Okay is it just me or is Sawyer twice the leader Jack ever was? Maybe he needed those three years to come into his own (or fully develop a conscience). I like the whole Juliette and Sawyer in domestic bliss vibe, but fear that his misguided feelings for Kate will screw it up.

B.

UN Battlestar Galactica Conference

With BSG's last episode airing this Friday, I'm not the only one that thinks its been one of the best written, most thought-provoking shows in television history.

B.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30217&Cr=television&Cr1=

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2009/03/galactica-un.html

Best Part of March Break?

Well, the best thing is time with family... The SECOND best thing is: TWONNIE MATINEES!!!


We're going to see the Tale of Desperaux this pm. A dollar an hour? Seriously, people... :-)