On Memorial Day Jason and I went to a cook-out at our friends' house. I wasn't prepared for the dessert they had planned. They made "spaghetti ice cream!" No, I don't mean spaghetti flavored ice cream...nasty! (This is not Baskin-Robbins' newest flavor.) They served us ice cream that looked just like spaghetti noodles, topped with marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, and even meatballs on the side. It was wild! I wish all meatballs tasted like chocolate ice cream! …
Archives for May 2006
Little Cubs Field
Now here's a story that will warm any baseball fan's -- and especially a Cubs fan's -- heart. I got an e-mail the other day from Dennis Garkey, the president of a non-profit group called Build Little Cubs Field. The aim of the group is to build a wiffleball-sized replica of Wrigley Field in Freeport, Illinois. The project, which has been supported by Ron Santo and the Chicago Cubs, will feature brick walls, the famous ivy (some supplied by the Cubs), the basket over the wall, and even a replica scoreboard. It will be used for Little League (7-8 yr old boys and girls), kickball, wiffleball, …
Set-Up for Failure
Jason and I got a chance to catch an episode of "Honey We're Killing the Kids" the other night on TLC. I was, like many people, intrigued by the concept. The premise deals with the important issue of childhood obesity. In true reality TV fashion, an expert (in this case, a nutrition expert) comes into an "extreme" household and shakes it all up, giving them challenges that are meant to improve their lifestyles. Some of the challenges have included: "Sack the sugar," "Family eats together," "Set a bedtime routine," "Limit television hours" and "Exercise together." It's so sad that these …
A Lesson in the Little Things
Tonight Kim and I had the privilege of babysitting our goddaughter Isabella. We took a field trip to the park. Upon arriving, I did the typical grown-up thing: scope the playground equipment in search for the most fun, unique, "big budget" installation. We grown-ups are naturally geared to skip past the things that appear ho hum. We have this "been there, done that" thing going on. Of course I expected that Belle would follow suit and make a beeline for the big multi-slide, suspension bridged plastic edifice. Nope. …
Thumb Wrestling Federation
Check out this original take on Thumb Wrestling, brought to you by Bernie DeKoven and featuring the Thumb Helmet: Self-evidently, one takes a bit of foil, or candy wrapper, and twists it around the top part of the thumb so as to make a helmet similar to the classic Pickelhaube helmet worn by the German infantry in World War One. Notice the extreme spike-height in the illustration on the (right.) This is the kind of Thumb Helmet worn by a high-ranked Thumb Warrior, for, indeed, the higher the spike, the greater the skill required to win. …
Six Years of Childlike Wonder
As Kim mentioned in her latest post, we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary yesterday. After picking up some delectable morel mushrooms at the Farmer's Market, we had lunch at Ian's Pizza (Mac and Cheese pizza for Kim, Philly Cheesesteak for me.) Then we toured the new Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and the Olbrich Botanical Gardens -- both free! -- and capped off the evening at The Eldorado Grill for dinner and the Hilton's Olive Lounge for some dueling piano action. It was a beautiful day, packed with new adventures and a cornucopia of childlike curiosity. Ever since we spent a …
Foods Collide
Yesterday Jason and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Man, the way this marriage is flying, we’ll be up to 60 before we know it. Jason had the whole day planned by the time I awoke to breakfast in bed. (He makes the best scrambled eggs!) After enjoying the spring weather as we bummed around Madison’s famous Farmer’s Market, Jason excitedly shared with me one his new discoveries in town, Ian’s Pizza. Talk about childhood! You can read all about Ian’s at Jason’s recent blog post. …
An eBushel of eBooks
For the fans of the comic strip, I am happy to announce an avalanche of new eBooks featuring a variety of classic Kim & Jason episodes. What's neat -- in my opinion -- is that they're optimized for on-screen viewing, or you can print them and share them with friends. Club K&J subscribers can get them all for free right here. They can also be purchased individually for the astronomical price of $1.99 (actually, The Olympics is just 99¢) My favorite? It's a tie between The Mall Santa and T-Ball. (Kim steals the show in both of them.) For those of you relatively new to the strip, …
You Want What On Your Pizza?
Today I had lunch with a friend at a remarkably childlike place. It's called Ian's Pizza, and it sells pizza by the slice as well as by the pie. What's remarkable is what's on those slices. You can choose from Mac and Cheese (their most popular), Lasagna, Steak and Fries, Chicken Cordon Bleu, or Guacamole Burrito, to name a few. (I heard they had Chicken Mashed Potato, but I didn't see it on the menu.) Of course, you can also get -- ho-hum -- pepperoni. I felt like I was in the middle of Escape Plan Challenge #15 -- eating something new. If the concoctions above don't seem too appealing to …
Free Kim & Jason eBook
I just uploaded a free Kim & Jason eBook. It's got a bunch of my favorite strips -- the ones I sent to the newspaper syndicates last fall. If you have never read Kim & Jason, this is a great introduction. If you're a regular, then this is a great tool to share with the uninformed. Feel free to e-mail this post to a friend (or seven), or download and print the eBook to share around the water cooler. I appreciate the help in spreading the word. …