Mommy sure is gonna miss us!

As the senior editor-in-chief and the main contributor, I reserve the right to indulge in some personal stories of a whimsical nature. I realize that this is not the sort of article I typically write but I also know that there is nothing you can do about it. You can’t even take back the time you have already spent reading this post so far. Therefore, you may now continue reading about my personal life and I will go back to pondering the greater questions of the world (after I have told my story).

I just got home from an awesome four day vacation at Disneyland. It was by far the best trip I have taken in a long time. The lines were so short we were able to walk up to many rides and get on without any wait at all. The ones we did wait for were usually less than 5 to 10 minutes. I think we did 13 rides yesterday along with a couple of shows and relaxed meals. Not even lines for food!

Anyway, those of you who have been longtime followers of the Brick already know that I have two children. I took the older one (4.5 years old) on Star Tours. This is a full motion flight simulation of a space ship ride with a clumsy robot pilot. At the moment when our impending doom seemed unavoidable (a scary collision with a comet) my daughter said:

“Mommy sure is going to miss us!”

I am convinced that she was completely sincere and these were her last words (she thought). There is nothing like experiencing a ride like that with someone who really believes we were in outer space. That is what makes these rides fun. I can’t wait to take her on Space Mountain and really scare the crap out of her. Does this make me a bad parent?

Earthquake!!!

Run for the hills!

No wait the hills are falling! Run for the wide open spaces with no tall buildings or sharp objects!

I lived not lived in California too long so this was my first real earthquake! Okay, I suppose there are earthquakes here all the time, but this one rattled the plates, caused the light fixtures to sway and vibrated the floor. Actually for a split second I debated whether I should run upstairs and grab the kids or just run outside and save myself. Is that bad? Should I have even considered grabbing the kids?

So it turned out to be a 5.6 magnitude about 85 miles away. So it wasn’t too extreme. But for me (and my first real shaker) it was pretty damn exciting.

My new truck

“Our environmental problems originate in the hubris of imagining ourselves as the central nervous system or the brain of nature. We’re not the brain, we are a cancer on nature.” ~ Dave Foreman

I buy vegetables grown locally.

I ride my bike to work a couple times a month, or at least I try too.

I replaced all my light bulbs with CFLs.

I recycle almost everything that is recyclable.

So what did I do yesterday to help out the environment? Ummmm…. I bought a 2001 Dodge Dakota V-8 4X4 dual exhaust gas guzzling monster.

It was below blue book and I couldn’t resist. I promise not to drive it too much.

“We’re in a giant car heading towards a brick wall and everyones arguing over where they’re going to sit.” ~ David Suzuki

Sorry planet. I call shotgun!

A gratuitous plug for a good cause

A friend of mine is doing a 200 mile bike ride for Breast Cancer Survivors and Cancer research and could use all the help he can get to raise money for this ride.

broken toes and crushed dreams

I broke my toe last Saturday.

Man in tights

My three-year-old daughter’s best friend had a birthday party last Saturday. A “princess” party. It was possibly the coolest party a four year old girl could ask for. All the kids were dressed up as princesses (thanks Disney) and even the little boy had a prince outfit.

As it was explained to us (by the parents of the best friend) everyone was dressing up. My wife understood this to include adults. So off to the costume shop we go…

My wife came back empty handed. No luck finding one she liked but she was sure she had something at home that would suffice. I was not about to be put off by the tremendous price tag on the only decent “prince” costume (as in royalty, not the singer) so I looked for alternatives.

Of course, who could doubt my sincerity as the “Prince of Thieves”? That’s right, Robin Hood! I couldn’t help feeling a little silly in this one but what the heck it is for the kids. And all the adults will be dressing up so it will be fun.

We all get ready for the party and the outfit is even gayer than I first thought. Still, I refuse to be ‘that guy’ and be the one curmudgeon without a costume. On the drive over I finally ask my wife, “The adults are supposed to dress up for this, right?” She says, “I think so.” Uh oh.

Ring the doorbell and the dad opens it wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Rats. His eyebrows raise slightly but he played it cool. The mom came downstairs and immediately busts out laughing. She is also not dressed like royalty.

I did the only thing a man can do when he shows up for a party dressed like Robin Hood for no particular reason… I stay that way and try to act cool.
The one consolation was the four year old who said, “Wow, you look really cool!”

On gun control

The list is part of an email forward I received. I don’t know the origin but I liked it…

The photo is my mom a couple of years ago. And if you are wondering, that was her rifle. She was an excellent shot.
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FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE:

An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.

A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.

Gun control is not about guns; it’s about control.

If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?

If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.

Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.

If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any.

Those who trade liberty for security have neither.

The United States Constitution (c)1791. All Rights Reserved.

What part of “shall not be infringed” do you not understand?

The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.

64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.

Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians.

Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.

You don’t shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.

911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.

Assault is a behavior, not a device.

Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.

If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.

Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.

You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.

Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don’t make more.

When you remove the people’s right to bear arms, you create slaves.

The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

Be a Disaster Action Kid!

Did you know FEMA has a website for kids!

It is full of great tips and advice:

Save Larry!

This in not the normal kind of news and opinion that you will find on The Incontiguous Brick, however it is a story that got to me and I am going to share it.

The other day, while watching TV news, I saw a story about Larry Haubner.

No post today

Due to complications related to a dog-hating skunk and a possible rabies infection there will be no Incontiguous Brick today. Check back soon for future wit and insight about the world we live in.

Thanks for your support.