Reading

Wild Thing read this book by himself this morning. This was a positive development both because he read a book on his own and because it helped him cool off after getting angry with me this morning.

Friday Random Ten: Nothing Left to Burn Edition

1. "Calendar Girl"--Stars, Set Yourself On Fire.
2. "Why Don't You Stay Home--Nina Nastasia, On Leaving.
3. "Black Wings--Tom Waits, Bone Machine.
4. "I'm Leaving Now"--Johnny Cash (with Merle Haggard), American III: Solitary Man.
5. "I'm Going to Walk Your Log"--Cat Iron, Cat-Iron Sings Blues and Hymns.
6. "Our Pasts, Like Lighthouses"--Rock Plaza Central, Are We Not Horses?
7. "You and I"--Ray Charles and Betty Carter, Ray Charles and Betty Carter.
8. "Saint Cloud"--Six Organs of Admittance, School of the Flower.
9. "Song for a Clock"--Portastatic, Be Still Please.
10. "Quattro (World Drifts In)--Calexico, Feast of Wire.

Now, off to the library ...

Easy come, easy go

Things have cooled off with Adriana, I guess. Why? "She was rude to me." Oh well.

It's love

Wild Thing was pensive on the bike ride home tonight. Then, abruptly, he blurted out, "I love Adriana!" Adriana is his favorite playmate at school. I guess things have taken a more serious turn. I asked him whether she knew yet; he replied that he'll tell her tomorrow.

The ADA in Action

Wild Thing this morning used his building blocks to construct a model city. He pointed to a strategically placed block: "That's the handicapped ramp."

Joke

Wild Thing, to Overtired Spouse, at 6:20 this morning: Knock knock!

OS: Who's there?

WT: Ilove.

OS: Ilove who?

WT: I love you!

He's still unclear on the whole knock-knock joke concept, but he certainly can charm his parents when he's got a mind to.

Cheesy musicals in the canyon

Yesterday we did part of this hike. We didn't make it up to the homestead, much less the spectacular view, but it's a pleasant-smelling and relaxing trip along the canyon floor. Best of all, from Wild Thing's perspective, it got us out into nature where, if we were lucky, we might stumble upon the magical town of Brigadoon.

Mind you, he hasn't actually seen Brigadoon yet, though we are going to a showing this afternoon (if he can calm himself enough to sit through part of it). But for some reason the idea has really, um, enchanted him.

Indeed, he is so invested in the tale that his own biological functions appear to be necessary to the functioning of the town and its spell. For example, he informed us that his own flatulence gave the town the energy to appear. "If I don't have gas, then it won't appear again." For this reason, he informed us, it wouldn't be necessary for him to say "excuse me."

The Tale of Gothie

Wild Thing told me a story this morning and asked me to transcribe it for him. (OK, he didn't use the term "transcribe.") I thought I'd share it here. It's not bad, considering it was composed entirely while he was sitting on his potty chair.

Once there was a little boy named Gothie. He went outside and played when nobody was looking. Then along came a woman who didn't know where he was and he ran away.

Then the woman found the boy, and she threw him into a cage.

Then along came a man who put the boy in a different cage with no toys and nobody to play with. The boy scraped his knee on the hardwood floor and then he bonked his head on the metal bars above him.

Then a witch came and asked the boy if he wanted to escape on her broom. She said, "I'm nice."

The boy did--and he was saved from the wicked old bad guys.

THE END.

Friday Random Ten: Breathing Room Edition

Oh, why not.

1. "Lovely Rita"--The Beatles, St. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
2. "Settled Down"--Richard Buckner, Bloomed.
3. "Baltimore"--Lyle Lovett, Joshua Judges Ruth.
4. "Pony"--Tom Waits, Mule Variations.
5. "Wanted Man"--Johnny Cash, The Essential Johnny Cash.
6. "Promised Land"--Johnny Allen, Alligator Stomp.
7. "Tears of Rage"--Bob Dylan/The Band, Basement Tapes.
8. "Yardbird Suite"--Charlie Parker, Ornithology.
9. "Names and Dates and Times"--Ani DiFranco, Puddle Dive.
10. "Pili Pili"--Ernest Ranglin, In Search of the Lost Riddim.

Benchmarks and signposts

Brief notes on a few recent developments.

• Wild Thing's reading skills are still growing. He's gaining confidence and can often read a complete sentence and make sense of it with a bit of prompting. He still jumps to guess a word on the basis of a couple of letters sometimes, but is increasingly patient enough to sound them out. He still limits most of his reading to things he's not officially supposed to be reading; his own books he's much rather we read to him most of the time, so we learn about new words he knows when he reads them off a sign.

• WT also has found his first teacher that he actively doesn't like. It's not entirely clear what happened, but there seems to have been some sort of diaper change/potty usage dispute. Whatever the cause, he will now announce on the weekend--"It's not a school day? Good. Now I don't have to see Vanessa!"*

• The return from daylight savings time has been hard on everyone's sleep schedule...
  

* Not her real name, of course ...

Ear Infections: No Fun

The subject line says it all. Sleep? What's that?