Hum, That's Odd!

I read a quip once that I will paraphrase: Scientist don't say "Eureka" instead they say "hum, that's odd."

Connor had a "that's odd" moment involving color and heat. When we took him to Christian's "working man's shop" Christian cut a pipe with fire, Connor wasn't impressed with the fire show but he did notice that it was odd that the metal changed color. "Hum, that's odd," he said. He wanted to know "why" --  like I could answer that, I could barely even see that.

Easter Sunday they brought me a pretty pink candle, we dutifully lit it and as it burned through out the day Connor noticed when he wasn't fighting, playing, talking or snuggling with Christian, that it was odd that the unmelted wax was a different color than the melted wax. The unmelted wax was a pale pink, the melted wax was a vibrant pink, "Hum, that's odd" he said and wanted to know why. Yeah right -- like I could answer that.

I had a long lovely day with Roger Wednesday, he did my taxes, he printed me new brag photos, a lot of them, we drove around the neighborhood. We just messed about until it was time to pick up Connor from school. As we are driving home Connor asked, rather dreamily, from the back regions of the truck, "Dad does time slow down in the Spring." No. No, Connor it doesn't, why do you ask? "Well there is more light in the Spring so I thought maybe time slows down."

He is delightfully frighteningly intelligent sometimes.

Intelligence is one of the things I love about my family, friends, customers and Grandson. Easter Sunday dinner was simple, delicious, easy, and the chat was lively, funny, scattered every where from movies, books, history, racism, politics, pets, and intelligent. Very, very intelligent.

I'm still thinking top ten stuff:

Top ten camping trips. Jeff's and my primitive camping trip to Platt. I can't remember the new name of it. Kathy's and my primitive camping trip to the San Juan bluffs. Jean's and my primitive camping trip to the Taylor river.

Jean's and my camping trip to the Taylor river was primitive but she served a meal fit for a king in the dark dark night of the Colorado mountains. That made me think about top ten meals; The time a bunch of us went to a French restaurant and the menu was in French. I ordered the only thing on the menu that there wasn't a clue what it was. One of the best meals I've every had.  It was some kind of scallops in some kind of champagne sauce on a bed of some kind of creamy dreamy mashed potatoes. I remember it still.

It's odd we felt no shame traveling light and primitive. It's wonderful how much fun we had sharing, laughing, sleeping close to the stars, having a wonderful meal out of tin cans. Camaraderie and intelligence and adventure doesn't have to be eating at a snooty French restaurant, it can be hot dogs over an open fire with people you love.

Shame is powerful. Many of a human's deepest hurts come in some form of shame. The hurts inflicted by shame lasts with us a long, long time. People try to manipulate others with shame and I'm here to tell you shaming doesn't work. It is powerful and it inflicts pain but it doesn't work. It doesn't change behavior.

I have no shame in the movies I have watched lately, all of them were excellent, some of them were odd.

Boyhood -- very interesting -- filming the same boy for a week every summer for twelve years to tell the story of a boy growing up. Fabulous experiment, so so movie, but worth seeing for it's unique vision.
The complete Harry Potter saga, yeah I got hooked and wanted to see him become more powerful and powerful. I am now well versed in Harry Potter iconography.
The Guard -- great comic Brendon Gleeson vehicle about a low level Irish guard and a FBI agent. Comic in the shoot out, drug running, murder, small Irish town vein.
The Good Lie -- A surprisingly moving story about some Sudan Lost Boys adaption to America.
Life Itself -- The Roger Ebert documentary. I sure miss him.
Birdman -- Fantastic, odd, really odd, another filming experiment that was a huge success. Fantastic.
The Theory of Everything -- You will see why Eddie Redmayne won the Oscar for best actor. From my perspective the wife might be the real hero.
House of Cards -- TV series Christian recommended, more great acting. I loved the first few discs, but quit watching when the series devolves into soap opera. Same thing happened to me with The Downton Abby series, great at first then soap opera.
Homesman -- If it's Tommy Lee Jones it has to be good.
Belle -- being mulatto in 18th century England.
The Imitation Game -- my absolute favorite, or rather my current favorite. Every thing was perfect, story, acting, story, acting, story, acting. Perfect movie. If you only see one movie see this one, about the breaking of the Enigma code during WWII.
The Song of the Sea -- An intelligent cartoon that tells a charming story based on Irish mythology.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy -- Re-watched this beauty of a film. Cold, brooding, convoluted, interesting, and more Benedict Cumberbatch.
Call the Midwives -- Another BBC TV series recommended by a work colleague. Very good stories about midwives who live at a nunnery, and birthing babies, in 1950's England. Better watch it Jane if you haven't already. I don't think I will watch anymore, I don't want to see it devolve either.
Zen -- Another BBC TV series about an Italian detective. I could say it is good, but I'm not sure, I might of just got hooked by its charm. Rufus Sewell is charming.

Claire is moving to Minnesota, Christian is moving to Edmonds, Ian is traveling, Roger is back to full speed ahead running, Stephanie is fighting garden weeds, Connor is asking questions with out shame, Jan is burning holes in her new blanket. Don't ask, I feel ashamed.

Book club last night. Nobody read the book Wild. Oil change, pedicure today. I'm making Manhattan Clam Chowder. I keep trying to beef-up my B-12.

I have more past to remember then future to dream about. I blend my dreams into watching Connor grow. That boy sure loves Christian, now that's odd.