Yep, still here.

Things are mostly going well, though I'm feeling a bit blahish at the moment. Hopefully things will clear up a bit at some point.

Woohoo.

Went to Alex's school today -- got to meet his new teacher. She seems very nice and eager for the challenge of dealing with him and a number of his friends all in the same classroom. I'm glad there are a number of people he already knows. :)

Things are good and not so good... not evil, not insurmountable, but not good.

Good things: Alex and I are healthy. We're ready for his school year. He's more talkative and conversational than ever before, which is very pleasant. He's remembering difficult words and putting concepts together -- all in all a series of good signs, given his level of autism.

The bad bit? Self-control issues. He gets angry and disappointed very easily and when he does, he either throws himself to the nearest soft surface and cries or he lashes out. Fortunately, the lashing out is becoming less and less common. The bigger self-control issue is his tendency to get into everything, even if he knows he'll get into trouble for doing it. Today's case in point: I had some paints out for a set of crafts I had been working on. They were sealed and had been there for a few months without him acknowledging it. When I woke up from a nap this afternoon, I found purple spots on the rug. When I questioned Alex about it, he showed me an item he had "painted". I then asked him to show me where the paint bottle was; we eventually found the cap... then the nearly empty bottle on its side. The whole bag of crafts had been hosed. I wasn't real happy at that point -- not angry, but really disappointed. I plan on discussing this with his teachers; they might have a few tips on how to start curbing his instincts.

Every day's a learning experience...

But what the hey? We can try again now that it's September.

Anyway, still working from home for a while: Alex doesn't start school for a few more days, so we get to spend some quality time together. This has worked with mixed results. We're having fun, but we also are getting on each other's nerves a bit. It will likely be better when he's back around his friends again. :)

Hope folks are doing well and enjoying the unseasonably nice weather...

Not much going on. Filmfest this weekend here at Casa del Box, featuring military films. If you're in town and interested, drop me a line so I can make sure there are parking passes available.

Woot.

Yeesh. How did this happen? How are we almost done with the year?

Been a quiet week so far. The Moose is down at Mom's enjoying the Nana spa; I'm mucking around with the house bit by bit. Today, I'm heading out for a while to get my hair cut and a new pair of shoes before heading down to meet up with Danny and others for dinner. Tomorrow I brave the crowds to gather up all the items Alex needs for second grade. I don't remember our lists being that long when I was a kid. :P

Hope everyone's enjoying the last of the summer days...

Or is it? :)

http://icanhascheezburger.com/2009/07/28/funny-pictures-for-rest-of-flock/

Woohoo. :)

1) Got my tire fixed (this time, a screw was embedded in the tire wall, so only a patch. Yay!).

2) Got Elodie inspected. (No problem bits again -- Saturns rock!)

3) Took the boy food shopping.

4) Went swimming. Alex is really trying harder and harder each time we're in the water.

5) Did some laundry. It's not folded yet, but it's done.

All in all, not a bad day at all.

Well, I suppose the good part of not posting is nothing's gone kablam. :) Alex is doing well; he's almost through summer school and we have to figure when he will be heading down to Mom's for his second summer vacation.

Hope everyone's doing well. :)

... so that I will use this darn thing for what it's for. :D

Got back from Otakon a few hours ago; it was all right, though definitely not mad moniez by any means. However, we got to see a bunch of folks and meet some new people. I count that part as win. The Moose spent the weekend with his dad and his folks; he brought home a bulldozer and was happy as a clam.

Tomorrow must be devoted to cleaning this place up; it's suffering from con devastation. :P

Sleep well, folks. :)

Hi, kids -- yes, I haven't been posting, but honestly I haven't had much exciting happen lately. Alex is home and we're off and working on his summer school term. He's excited about it, which makes me happy. Anything that helps him learn is a good thing. Other than that, life is about as it always is.

So, what's up with you? :)

Thought I would finish out the month with a sweet, but slightly creepy song about love; the video's a little odd, too, but I don't expect anything less from Madness. Here it is - your final song for June: Madness and "It Must Be Love"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnTmRKuMqqs

Spreading a little love around tonight -- doesn't seem right to have the 80's without featuring one of the bands with the oddest hair styles. Here's A Flock of Seagulls and "Space Age Love Song".

(So shoot me -- I like this one better than "I Ran"...)

A little of the classic hair metal tonight: Twisted Sister and "We're Not Gonna Take It"

BTW, before anyone freaks, the rant at the beginning of the video is nearly a word-for-word recreation of his speech from "Animal House"; just substitute "pledge pin" for "Twisted Sister" button. He later went on to play The Master on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". :)

Another two-fer tonight: you get the original video and then the same song via "Muppets Tonight".

Here's your original, where you may find yourself wondering, "How did I get here?"... (Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime" - live version as strangely YouTube doesn't have the original video :\)


And here's Kermit's version, a la "Muppets Tonight"...

Let's move along to a quintessential 80's band: Huey Lewis and the News. I like this song for its ridiculously catchy rhythm, but you might find yourself (like me) wishing that the camera would back off just a bit. :)

Here, there, and everywhere, "It's Hip to Be Square"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_byVtHrGEM

Well, I was saddened when I heard about Ed McMahon on Monday because he was the king of the second bananas.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQqY5VWief8)

And the Farrah Fawcett news was depressing, but not unexpected. I was hoping she'd make it a little longer, but it's good that she's not in pain anymore.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvkDdSvGJ5s)

However, the Michael Jackson news completely floored me. The first album I ever checked out of a library was a Jackson 5 record. I sung along with all the songs, watched the cartoons on reruns, and had my obligatory copy of Thriller as a teenager. Even over the years and through all his personal weirdness, I still enjoyed listening to his music.

So, in honor of his music, I plan to backfill the 80's days I've missed with Michael Jackson videos. For tonight's current entry, I go way back to 1980. He looks very, very different, but the thing that really impresses me is that he looks so happy in the video. (Not to mention shiny -- it's just as well that he eventually channeled the sequin look into only one glove :D) Here's Michael Jackson and "Rock with You"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hK3Y1Ehv9c

This one is kinda nifty as his method of poking back at all the stories written about him in the various tabloids; I like the Liz Taylor shrine section myself. :)

Here's Michael Jackson circa 1987 from Bad: "Leave Me Alone"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KAJw4y8wE

One last backfilled Michael Jackson for you: "The Way You Make Me Feel". In some ways, this is a tremendously funny video as the poor girl is aware she's in a music video and seems desperate to escape. Then there's the dance by the sprung hydrant that's a bit creepier than the "Thriller" dance.

Judge for yourself -- here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEU9Q8NlOiY

Back again to the early days of Michael Jackson's solo career. I always thought he looked fresh from a prom in this one. It could just be the big tie, though. :)

Here's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_hz2am90Hk