It Happened One Life

Author: paul@digitaldendrite.com

  • Word for Word

    This is the conversation I JUST had with Ellen remotely from my desktop to hers:

    Me: are you there?
    Ellen Meyerson: Yeah
    Me: I thought I said no more computer…
    Ellen Meyerson: The issue was sort of open ended because I had an argument that you didn’t respond to in a clear way..
    Me: about 20 mintues ago…
    Me: oh, my. I said no more computer. that was clear enough. consider it clear enough for future, lawyer-girl.
    Ellen Meyerson: But after that, I said it was not eight o’clock. But you responded in a sarcastic and joking manner
    Me: and I said I didn’t care.
    Me: that you were done.
    Me: when do I ever respond in any other way?
    Ellen Meyerson: Occasionally.
    Me: uh huh.
    Me: Are you ready to get back to LOTR?
    Ellen Meyerson: Yes……
    Me: OK. are you ready for bed?
    Ellen Meyerson: uh huh.
    Me: ok, I’ll be up in a minute and we can get a good read in.
    Ellen Meyerson: A minute and a half.
    Me: k

    It’s just going to get worse, I swear…

  • Quickie

    Ellen declared to my friend Kevin that her bedroom was “Where cool goes to die.”

  • Take Us Out to the Ball Game

    Greetings loyal readers! Been a long time since I posted, so I thought I’d share a fun day today.

    Ellen and I got to go sit in a suite at Yankee Stadium (the “new” Yankee Stadium) for a great (if you’re a Yankee fan) game against the Mets. Yanks crushed them, 15-0, and seriously needed a win, but that was just a small part of the day. Today was a true Daddy-Ellen day, and we just had a ball.

    We arrived early (around 11) and wandered the Stadium, stopping first to get some Garlic Fries, which were seriously garlicky but good! We walked around the ground level, munching our fries, getting as far out as center field (and watching batting practice) before we realized that we were supposed to get to our seats to watch the paratroopers by noon (yes, I said paratroopers).

    So, we hustled upstairs to our seats, nice, cushy, seats with a terrific view and watched as an Army plane circled overhead about 10 times before finally disgorging 6 separate paratroopers who spun in for landings in the middle of Yankee stadium. It was pretty amazing, honestly.

    Shortly thereafter, we got up to check out the suite that came with the tickets, the Jim Beam Suite, which was a nice, glass enclosed, air conditioned room with a bar, lots of stand up tables, a made-to-order brick oven pizza place, and a food network kitchen serving some more exotic fare you’d get at a ball game. Today’s special (which I didn’t get to try) was chunks of smoky kielbasa dipped in fresh corn batter and fried crisp. Sounds good.

    After the Suite, we perched back in our seats to watch a good, old-fashioned drubbing by the Yanks. Burnett had it; Santana did not, and the game was quickly out of hand, but much fun. Along the way, Ellen and I wandered downstairs to grab a big, crazy chocolate-caramel apple, which she got all over her face as we peered onto the field for a big, 7 run inning. It was great coming back from getting our apple repaired (the stick broke as we were eating it!) to a home run and seeing Ellen jumping up and down, absorbed in the game on her own. Warms a sports-fan-dad’s heart, I can tell you.

    After further wandering, we perched back in our squishy seats and Ellen wanted to stay for the entire game, even though the game finished 15-0. We listened to Sinatra warble New York, New York and drove off into the sunset.

    Honestly, one of the best days I can remember. Thanks for a great time, El.

  • The World of the Real

    It’s been awhile, but I had to relate these two Ellen stories. Remember, Ellen is 11 at the moment…

    ——
    Kim and I are in the kitchen last night. Ellen decided it was time to ask random questions, so here’s our exchange:

    E: Who is your worst enemy?
    K: Time.
    E: Ok, but can you give me a TANGIBLE worst enemy, please?

    ——–
    Same night, at the dinner table. We’re talking about failblog.org posts we find funny:

    E: I like the ones where there is juxtaposition.
    P: Uh…do you know what juxtaposition means?
    E: It’s where two things end up next to each other in a way they aren’t normally.
    P: That’s close enough.

  • I forgot to post this…

    Ellen came to me before and said:

    dad! I just remembered what amnesia is!

  • Old Aang’s Time

    For this year’s birthday snowman, I decided to do Aang from Avatar. This cake was done in fondant and funfetti underneath in the traditional snowman mold. I’m no pro, but I think it came out fairly good.

    Happy Birthday, El!

  • The Lion and the Sun

    Ellen told me about an hour ago that her assignment for today, an assignment that she was looking forward to, was to write a “dialogue between the lion and the sun,” apparently subjects in a painting that they were shown in class. She went upstairs and 30 minutes later came up with this for me to print out:


    Lion:
    Sun, oh Sun, way up in the sky,
    Why is it that you float up so high?
    When I look at you all I can do is sigh,
    So please, will you please tell me why?

    Sun:
    Lion, oh lion, so close to the ground,
    Can you shine when I’m not around?
    The reason I fly,
    So close to the sky,
    Is that I like to watch you bound around.

    Lion:
    Sun, oh sun, you do know your stuff,
    But while we are bounding, do you sit around and snuff?
    We feel the wind through our hair,
    In the bright summer air,
    About that, we don’t think you know enough.

    Sun:
    I know about that, Lion my friend,
    And I know that on me, you do depend,
    When you wake up in noon,
    The end is near soon,
    And good fortune to you, I will lend.

    Lion:
    Will you tell me about what is little known?
    When dragons did fight for renown,
    Those were the days
    When trouble was way aways,
    And we always slept safe and sound.

    Sun:
    That I can not honestly say,
    But I know that trouble is on its way,
    In light and in dark,
    The bright is just but a spark,
    And all bad guys are in its sway

    Lion:
    So tell me to where I should flee
    And take my people to be free
    When the time comes to go,
    I hope that you know
    I am very thankful of thee!

    By Ellen Meyerson

    ——

    Honestly? No one told her to write it in verse. That’s just ellen.

  • Yogi…and not the bear.

    This morning found me at JAG for an early physical therapy appointment for my back. I’ve been going now 3X/week for 2 weeks now, and feel like I’m making some good improvement. I’m standing next to the table I’m about to lie down on for therapy when an old, short guy shuffles, grinning, out of one of the private rooms they have. I look at him, look away, and then look back as he wanders past me. Yep, Yogi Berra. Apparently, he is there several times a week for PT. Old catcher’s joints, I’m sure. Although he’s known as one of the goofiest men in sports, I would imagine he could go wherever he wants for PT. That makes me think I’m in good hands.

    Update – A picture (a crappy one, yes, but it was taken surreptitiously)! I actually went over and chatted with him today, asked him a question about an old baseball play that my dad wanted to know (Bill Johnson at 3rd!), and shook hands with the guy. Silly, but it will be pretty cool to tell my kids one day that I met and chatted with the Yogster.

  • A 40th that would have been

    Today would have been Gregory Blake’s 40th birthday. I celebrated it with a chocolate crackle and a donation to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

    Happy Birthday, my friend. We miss you.

  • Driving Miss Ellen

    This story is from my dad:

    ———

    We were driving to swimming and talking about the election:

    me: I think I’m qualified to run for president.

    ellen: no, you’re not.

    me: sure. I have the right qualifications.

    ellen: no, you don’t.

    me: then what am I qualified for?

    ellen: you’re qualified to be a good grandfather, to be a good playwrighter,
    and a good driver to take someone to swimming.

    —–

    See? She knows who does what around here. It’s especially good to be a good playwrighter.