Pinewood Derby

Today was Dylan's Cub Scout Pinewood Derby race. He made an awesome Harry Potter-themed car this year. He built and painted it to resemble Mr. Weasley's enchanted Ford Anglia.

Not only was it a cool design, but it ran fast, too. He ran six heats, finishing 1st twice, 2nd twice, and 3rd twice. He's now proudly using his blue ribbon as a bookmark.

Soccer Socked

Today was the last day of Connor's indoor soccer session, and not a day too soon for him. Even though he was excited to be able to play this year, he lost interest after a few weeks. He announced that soccer was boring and asked how much longer he HAD to go. Connor's not an aggressive soccer player, but he does get in a kick now and then.

I think activities like soccer are good for physical, social, and emotional development. Dance class does the job really well, too, but I can't convince either of the boys to do that.

Snowbird Labor

Winter this year seems to be busier than last year for Mom and Dad. While many days last year involved happy hour and scenes like this:

this year looks like this:

They are helping their friends build an addition, which looks like a significant project. I think it's keeping them quite busy.

At any rate, we miss them just as much this year as last.

Pom Pons Down

I came across this little nugget recently and got a chuckle. It's the 1983-84 Hughes Pom Pon Girls dance team. Dig those satin costumes! Reversible with tails and briefs. On my first day of practice as an 8th grader, the captain laid out a costume, traced it onto newspaper, and told us to take the pattern home to sew out of green and white satin.

I knew from the moment I was aware of school dance team that I wanted to be a part of it. Many of my school memories are my dance team memories. We danced to "Everybody Wants You" by Billy Squier; the second year we danced to "She Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer. I can still remember the beginning of my first try-out dance to "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen.

Hughes is no longer a junior high school, and the Pom Pon Girls are now called the Adajios, but I still have the memories, the photos, and my giant pom pons.

My Grammy Moments

Brad and I watched the Grammys (mostly in fast forward) Sunday night. I noted a couple of things:

Daft Punk joined Kanye West on the song he sampled from them, melding their two versions nicely. (Also ties in with my recent post about the song.)

The steel guitar player in Brad Paisley's band was wearing a Pac-Man sweatshirt, which I first heard about on Shari's blog. (Note to self: check out more Brad Paisley. He was really good, and funny, and kinda cute.)

Cher still looks terrific. How does she do that? I couldn't say as much about that getup she was wearing.

Kat Giantis is a celebrity fashion columnist. I don't usually care too much about celebrity news, but her reviews are just so entertaining. Here's what Kat Giantis had to say about Cher at the Grammys:

"Cher and Cher Alike: We've long believed that when the apocalypse comes, the last ones standing will be some hardy cockroaches and the irrepressible, replacement-parts-filled Cher. Now, thanks to the time-rewinding pop-culture icon's appearance at the Grammys, we know exactly what she'll be wearing to the end of the world, which more than likely will be triggered by the cumulative effect of her five decades of deliciously epic fashion disasters. Cher descends on the ceremony in her post-Armageddon finest, wrapping the crumpled remains of a Toyota Prius around her waist and sporting a versatile moth-eaten mesh and chain-link blouse, which can easily take her from a daytime dance sequence with a "Love Is a Battlefield"-belting, rag-wrapped Pat Benatar to a night out with Mad Max at Thunderdome. As for her Duracell 'do (you know, copper top -- and yes, we're seriously sorry for that), we figure the wig's purpose is twofold: It'll keep her looking fiercely wacky in the stylist-free wasteland that is the future, and it will protect her noodle from any peckish zombies on the prowl for brains."

Brrr, It's Cold

Photo credit - BismarckMandanBlog.com

With air temps well below zero and wind chills hovering around the minus 30 range, it's cold! Clint took this photo of a Bismarck statue that someone had adorned with winter gear. I love stuff like this. But don't their feet look cold!

Adidas Oasis

Quoted from the poster on YouTube: "[This is] a new Adidas TV ad campaign that charts the company's development from its origins in founder Adi Dassler's workshop to its status today as a global sports and fashion brand.

The ad campaign, which breaks this week, features references to famous tie-ups or fans that Adidas has had down the years, including Liverpool football club, Liam and Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali."

The Gallaghers make a brief appearance at 0:39.

Perfect 10

In the summer of 1976, I was infatuated with Nadia Comaneci. She scored a perfect 10 on bars, which was a first at the Olympics. I remember playing "Nadia" with my Barbie doll on a set of uneven bars I made out of Tinker Toys.

I came across this really cool Adidas ad that blends footage of her uneven bars routine with video of a more recent gymnastics phenom, Nastia Liukin. The ad aired during the 2006 Olympics.

Pajama Mama

I got these new Victoria's Secret pajamas for Christmas from my parents. I knew I needed new pajamas, but I didn't realize how much I'd LOVE my new pajamas. In fact, lately, I've come to think of the moment when I put on my pajamas as...THE BEST PART OF MY DAY.

Were it not for the social stigma and the smell, I would wear them all day every day. In fact, I've gone a day or two since Christmas without taking them off. They are similar to a pair of grey sweatpants I had in 7th grade. They were my favorite sweatpants for several years thereafter, even after I had to replace the drawstring when it broke.

Thanks, Mom, for giving me a daily dose of "Yesssss!"