Bwahahahahaha!

Hey, I'm actually documenting an event less than a month after it actually occurred. The Mad Scientist turned six! Here he is in his lab coat wearing, mouth full of chocolate cake glory:

Watch out, Megan and Beka. I think those two may have come up with some new molecules. Let's hope they're not radioactive:


Makin' slime!:"Don't strike till you see the whites of its eye!" Oh, how Dan loves a chance to get in a good one liner. However, despite all of the well timed striking, the eye remained in tact even after all the kids had taken several whacks. Dan had to bring in the muscle:
After Dan had his way with it:
The birthday boy holding the fruits of Dad's labor from the bowls of an eye shaped pinata:
Enjoying a gift from Grandma:

On to Father's Day. I was sick that morning. The kids started their banter around 5:00 am. I whined at Dan to please get up with them. And I got breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. Poor Dan. He did, at least, get to go trekking through Pine Valley with Bennett:
Also, Dan turned really old. Warning: Mushiness will ensue---you might want to get a barf bag or skip this paragraph. I am so very glad Dan was born, and that I had the good fortune to cross his path, and that we managed to get through the most awkward courtship ever and actually end up married. He is so much better than I deserve. Truly I didn't even know a relationship could be this good, and I honestly feel sorry for everyone else, because I'm certain I've got the best marriage. Dan makes me feel beautiful (even when I'm not). He makes me feel like he thinks he got the good deal in this arrangement (which he didn't). We talk about everything, and he always gets me and never thinks I'm crazy. Okay, well, that's not true, he thinks I'm a nut case, but he loves me, even the craziness (okay, that's not entirely true either...but most of the craziness anyway).
I hope this next bit isn't crossing the line. Laraine will someday tell me I shouldn't have made this public, but I can't resist. She came and told me that she's "a mommy." She's got two little ping pong type balls in her dress. Is this based on how she sees my endowments? Should I feel insulted that she didn't at least go for tennis balls? I comfort myself with the knowledge that she could barely fit what she's got down that dress. Here's a "cleavage" shot:

Jasper's trying to get the balls out of her dress in this one:

On the Review Blog: Dan reviewed Up (movie, not preposition---is this joke getting old?)

Thanks to Elizabeth for taking the pictures at Bennett's party.

I Would Do Anything For Love....

Today's subject: Embracing the Shameless Melodrama
Sometimes I like to pretend I'm classy. Then I remember how much I love Meat Loaf. But how can you not love a guy who makes this his album cover? Yeah, sometimes I worry that there may be way too much Goth Dork in me.
I guess it's even more Jim Steinman than it is Meat Loaf. His rock anthems sometimes make me weak at the knees. Seriously. I love the soaring, passionate, crashing nature of his melodies---and his lyrics, screaming with emotion, yet barely making any sense. I love Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, and *gasp* even Celine Dion if they're singing Steinman's stuff. Jim Steinman is the KING of melodrama (when it comes to melodrama royalty, his only real competition is Emily Bronte), but he knows it, and he pokes fun at it even as he wallows in it. I love this guy. I mean, he writes titles such as, "Life is a Lemon and I Want my Money Back" and "Good Girls Go to Heaven (Bad Girls Go Everywhere)." Check him out here performing "Hot Summer Night/The Wolf with the Red Roses"---it's brilliant (Meat Loaf singing "You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth" follows---and what can you say? Meat Loaf is awesome, but you'll probably only watch the whole video if you're really looking for enlightenment):


For your amusement, here's my list of Top Steinman lyrics---really just about any Steinman lyric is over the top, but here are my picks:
-"You're burning up in your bed, you got a fever of love/And there's not an antibody in sight"
-"Will ya cater to every fantasy I've got?/Will ya hose me down with holy water---if I get too hot?"
-"We're living in a powder keg/And giving off sparks"
-"And the last thing I see is my heart/Still beating/Still beating/Breaking out of my body and flying away/Like a bat out of hell"
-"We were doubly blessed/Cause we were barely seventeen/And we were barely dressed"
-"She used her body just like a bandage/She used my body just like a wound...But I can see her rising up out of the back seat now/Just like an angel rising out of a tomb!"
-"Oh I know you belong inside my aching heart/And can't you see my faded Levis bursting apart?" (Is that line really as bad as I think it is? I hope I haven't offended anyone, but how could it not make the list? Yet it actually comes from one of my favorite songs.)
-"I want you/I need you/But there ain't no way I'm ever gonna love you/ Now don't be sad/'Cause two out of three ain't bad"

Here's to the genius of Jim Steinman!

My brother showed me this the other day. Videos for Jim Steinman music are really good fodder for this kind of thing. I admit to being most amused by this:


And if you're interested in what might get my vote for cheesiest video ever...ah, it makes me grateful to have grown up in the 80s:



Okay, moving on....
It's been an age since I blogged, so here's a bit of what's been happening:

Big sigh of relief for my parents. They managed to get us all married off. Laurie and Dave are now living happily ever after. He's a pretty good guy. I like him, even though he likes the Next Generation more than the original Star Trek. (I always find myself questioning whether people with that opinion have souls, but I guess that's overly judgmental, and Dave appears to have a soul. Cool thing about Dave: His favorite book is Moby Dick. No, really.)
Here's an attempt at a photo of the family. Yeah, attempt.... Bennett appears to need the restroom.
Bennett graduated from kindergarten. Why can't colleges figure out how to hold a proper graduation? The kindergarten knows what's up. Graduation ceremonies should consist of less than a half hour of the graduates singing things like "The Wheels on the Bus" and we'd all be spared a lot of agony.
Bennett likes to make signs. Here are some examples. Dan was given this first one after displeasing Bennett in some manner.
I found this one on the bathroom door. Yes, folks, our bathroom is for the use of both genders.
I threw Laurie's bridal shower.

And some images from Easter:

Today's Reviews on Dangie's Reviews:

Taken (Past Participle, not movie) and
Star Trek: Beginnings

And I'll end this long and meandering post with a Dannism: "You know you're a Runner Dad when you've got My Little Pony Band-aids on your nipples." (In case you're confused, his shirt chafes him there.) Hmm...My Little Pony Band-aids on bleeding nipples....I'm thinking Jim Steinman could go somewhere with that...