The latest internet meme.
The driver of the ice cream truck in our neighborhood has a lead foot. Seriously, I have never seen an ice cream truck drive so fast. There has been a time or two when we fleetingly thought about buying something from him, but he is past our house and around the block before I can even reach for my wallet. I swear the driver thinks he is training for a drag race.
This afternoon the weather was great so we had our doors open when we heard the passing of the ice cream truck. A moment later we heard “ice cream man…ice cream man…” Honeybun and I both looked out the screen door at the same time to see the 7-year old neighbor girl from a couple houses down running past. “Ice cream man! Ice cream man!” She had her little hand in the air waiving a dollar bill and running as fast as her little legs would carry her. A moment later her mother passes by…”Don’t run into the street.”
I was thinking, “no way she’s catching that guy.” It was almost heartbreaking, “Ice cream man…Ice cream man!” little legs pumping, money waiving.
I guess he must have heard her when he stopped at the end of the block to turn the corner. A few minutes later we saw her walking back toward her house, Popsicle in hand, mom walking behind. Mission accomplished and all was right with the world.
But I bet that strange ice cream man will drive by again at 30 mph tomorrow. He truly is someone I would say is not in it for the money.
Great day yesterday.
Started just hanging around the house. One of our bushes plays host to a number of ladybugs. Bailey loves catching them. Afterwards she was giggling over how they tickle her fingers.
"I caught a ladybug!"
We had been looking forward to taking Bailey to see fireworks for the first time. The weather wasn’t wanting to cooperate though. The day had been mostly cloudy and rain storms were passing over. I decided to take Bailey to the park anyway. Honeybun met us there later and brought extra clothes (Bailey already went through one change for getting wet) and the canopy.
The rain began again about a half hour before the fireworks were to start and the temperature was going down. We lowered the canopy as far as it would go. It was 54 degrees and we were bundled up under blankets and a tarp to keep the rain off. We could see other fireworks in the distance so we were hopeful the show we were at would not be rained out. But start time came and went with no fireworks. The rain was still coming down and just when I thought it wasn’t going to happen, flash…”boom!”
It was cold and wet, but there were fireworks.
Coldest 4th of July I ever remember, but totally worth it.
More of Bailey on the rope at gym class. Moving pictures this time.
Friday mornings are gym class. One of Bailey’s favorite activities there is swinging on the rope over the foam pit. I put her on the rope and let her swing out. This is normally met by her calls of “Higher!”. She has been getting as high as I can boost her for a few months and has increased the degree of difficulty by swinging from one hand before sliding down the rope and dropping off.
Today she asked to go higher and I told her that she would have to pull herself up if she wanted to go higher, which she promptly did.
Bailey climbing the gym rope-climb
I was cheering like it was overtime in the Super Bowl.
For some perspective, the rope below her feet is about 8 feet above the floor. She figured out how to bring her feet up and put them on the ball then stand while pulling with her arms. Then she was able to hold on to lift her legs around the next ball that she is grabbing with her legs in the picture. Maybe next week I’ll get some video.
Funny thing to me is that she is the only one in her class that will go higher than the knot at the bottom of the rope. Don’t little boys like to climb anymore?
Tags: Bailey
“A priority is something you are willing to give up almost everything for in order to make sure it stays alive. And if you think you have 27 of those, you’re nuts.”
-Merlin Mann
“Is the thing you claim that is really important, really important? Because if a lot of people actually looked at where their time and attention went, the parts that they do have control over, it would like the most important thing in their life is Facebook.”
- Merlin Mann
Happiness is not merely a feeling.
I’m also still reading Seth Godin’s Linchpin. Godin believes that the new economy values artists. He says, “Art is unique, new, and challenging to the status quo. It’s not decoration, it’s something that causes change.”
He also says, “Most of all, art involves labor. Not the labor of lifting a brush or typing a sentence, but the emotional labor of doing something difficult, taking a risk and extending yourself.” He is not talking merely about making a painting or writing a book. Art can be done wherever you are, even in a cubicle.
In an article about employee training, Techcrunch makes a sad but true observation.
American corporations consider their workforce to be disposable — like ball-point pens and cigarette lighters. Gone are the days when a company would train a factory worker to become a computer programmer or offer lifelong employment. It’s all about quarterly revenue and profits now.
And this is exactly why you should read Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin.
Tags: Godin
