bonus

Ben doesn't understand the concept of bonus. Or, maybe the more salient point is daddy can't seem to grasp that Ben's not really ready to appreciate the bonus. Let me explain. The bedtime rule is this: You eat dinner, get a bath, brush teeth, eat a vitamin, and read TWO books.

So this is a nice time for me as I really love it when Ben nestles into me and I read to him. So I read one, then two. I then tell Ben that we're going to do something extra special and read a bonus book. This special treat is really for me but he wants another book so everybody's happy. But he assumes that the bedtime starting point is 2+1 at a beginning negotiating point. It's not, "Thanks daddy for the bonus book, boy am I lucky." Instead it's a screaming rant for, and I quote, "fourbooksfivebookssixbooksseveneightninetenbooks!"

So tonight I was very clear that we're getting two books and we're done with no ambiguity. The result: a peaceful bedtime. So Dad learns something new. I'll try the bonus technique when he's a little older and can appreciate the fact that he's getting something beyond what is due. I'm thinking he will be about 27 before this works as I envision but I'll keep on trying.

snow

Mt Hood has gotten lots of snow this fall... really!

Has Christmas jumped the shark?

A NPR story just talked about how the latest thing is to display your Christmas tree upside-down. So I propose that Christmas has decidedly run out of ideas and, hence, has jumped the shark. If you're not familiar with the term...

http://www.jumptheshark.com/

Actual Time 6:58 AM PST 4:48 PM PST

That would be the sunrise/sunset statistic. And then there's this one.

Length of Day
9h 49m
Tomorrow will be 2m 39s shorter.

Ugh ... it's payback for the endless summer. I biked back from the coffeehouse and it was *brisk*... winter is here. OK, not technically which brings me to my next thing.

It is only recently that I realized how the seasons work. I just assumed that the equinoxes and solstices were midpoints of the seasons. I realize now that I'm off by half a season. It seems odd to me that winter starts at the solstice. It would make more sense to me if the shortest day of the year is exactly mid winter and the longest day is mid summer. What can I tell you, as a kid I thought a florist was the guy who installs your hardwood floors.