Ginger Unplugged

Princess left her homework out and I have to admit I was having a great time reading it. Her answer to questions 6 says: Well, I think it's fascinating that people think that we're over racism because we have a black president, when really, if that were true no one would make such a big deal about it.

We were on our way to Crash's first outdoor performance of the musical Coconut Island. Crash was moping in the van and saying (and I quote), "Musicals are a pit of humiliation with no point." I was hoping Husband would offer encouragement having been in many, many musicals himself. But no. So I nudged him. Me: "Have YOU been in any embarrassing musicals, Husband?" Husband: "Ooooh yes. Dracula and the Bogus Pompadour." Crash: Pompadour? Husband: Yeah. It's a really bad hairstyle. I was Dracula with big hair. And the whole thing was written and directed by a guy we called Captain Cloud. On off nights I was Hulk Hogan and got to rip off my shirt and stuff. He ends up defeating Dracula's pompadour you know. I'm not sure it helped Crash feel better but he did stop complaining.

Here are my kids' answers to that well-worn question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Princess: A novelist and a pilot. Crash: An engineer, astronaut or a photographer. (Funny, he never takes pictures of anything.) Butterfly: A cat groomer, "And when I really grow up...a museum artist." Monkey: An Astronaut. I asked him "What does an astronaut do?" He responded, "Flies around in spaceships and pushes buttons and stuff." I think he's got a pretty good handle on it. Unfortunately, Sleestack didn't answer as her only words are banana, light and plant.

Crash's school asked if he could be part of a marketing program to increase school lunch awareness next year. They want to take pictures of him to use on their Child Nutrition Web Site, posters for lunch rooms and the district office, newspaper articles and all that. There are two problems with this. (1) Crash is not a big fan of school lunch and neither am I. (2) They're not going to like the goofy faces Crash insists on making in every photo taken of him. "They'll just have to deal," he says. A taste of what they're in for: Somehow, I don't think I'm going to get the chance to fight for a federally mandated gluten free lunch option in order for them to use his stunning modeling skills nation wide.

Oh my gosh. You will probably not be as amused at this as I am but Monkey started singing this out of the blue today. I think Butterfly taught him. The Words: Don't snap your fingers in a Z-formation, Head rotation, Elbow, Elbow Wrist, wrist Aww, give me a kiss.