Month: June 2010

– After the unofficial vote yesterday, I don’t think I made much progress convincing myself (or Maile) that watching Lost on dvd fits within the parameters of our no-tv-for-a-year rules.  Bryan, I’ll be returning the box to you bright and early Monday morning, hoping to re-borrow it on January 1st, 2011.  For anyone who is counting, the final tally I calculated was 6-6 (many people never said what they actually thought, so I had to use the tone of their comment to decide which way they were leaning…I know, I know, a totally subjective method)

– Check out this link to the Fireside Writer’s Conference being held this fall.  We’ve got one speaker’s bio and picture up (but you have to go there to see who it is), and many more to come.  (Editor’s note – make that two; now you have twice as many reasons to click over and take a look).

– I’m about to go on a guest-posting tour to a blog near you. Let me know if you’re interested in having me swing by your site and do a guest-post (email me at shawnsmucker(at)yahoo.com).

– Currently reading: Deep Church, A New Kind of Christian, A House For Mr. Biswas (still), and the most recent volumes of The Missouri Review and Glimmer Train (yes, someone throw me a life preserver because I’m drowning in books)

– Spend these days listening to: Innocence Mission, Over the Rhine, Sting, Natalie Merchant and David Gray

So what are you reading? Listening to? Looking forward to about the weekend?

As you know, we are attempting to go one year without watching television.

As you may also know, one of the caveat’s is that we are allowed to watch movies.

So what constitutes a movie?

This question came up after I threatened on Twitter (follow me HERE) to borrow or steal Seasons 1-6 of Lost, mostly because Bryan Allain kept talking about it EVERY Tuesday on his blog and I finally started paying attention (by the way, if you haven’t read his recap you have to – it was apparently the most read blog ON THE PLANET on that particular day, or close to it).

Magically, “Lost: Season One” appeared on my dining room table (thanks Bryan).

Suddenly I was faced with a conundrum, a quandary, a sticky situation (can you tell I pulled these from my Word thesaurus?): is watching Lost on tv legal?  TECHNICALLY, it’s not a tv show anymore, right?  Maybe?  Couldn’t I classify Seasons 1-6 as a really, really, really long movie?

Maile wasn’t buying it, so I took to Twitter, asking people to vote yeah or nay, hoping to garner some support.

Well, it didn’t work – I was voted down by a margin of 5-1 (actually, the total vote was 5-1).

So like a kid who loses best of three and shouts “okay, best of five” then “best of seven” then “best of nine,” I’m taking this vote to the blogosphere.

What say you? Does watching Lost: Season 1 violate our terms of “no TV for a year”? Be careful how you vote – my short-term entertainment future depends on it.  And if you’ve already voted once, feel free to comment, but no way does your vote count again (unless you’re the one who voted in favor of it on Twitter, then by all accounts vote early, vote often, vote anonymously).

My son Cade is 6 years old. He’ll be 7 later this month, and I am constantly reminded of this by the non-stop birthday list that is always changing.

But one of my favorite things about Cade is the crazy stuff he says. His sister Lucy (5 years old) is always correcting him, and he comes running, checking for clarification.  I feel like I’m always telling him that Lucy is right.

This constant rightness by Lucy is something he will probably grow to despise in the coming years.

In the mean time, we really enjoy his off-the-wall comments.

Like this one:

Maile was running late and Sam, the baby, was crying because he wanted to be fed (something only Maile can do at this point).

Cade: Dad, what’s wrong with Sam?

Me: He’s just hungry.  Mom’s on her way home.

Cade: Oh.  Are you going to feed him with your knuckles?

Me: What?

Cade: (looking at me out of the corner of his eye) Nupples?

Me: Um, they’re called nipples, and no, I’m not feeding him with mine.

Cade: (looking at me, on the verge of laughing)

Me: Okay, son, let’s talk.

*****

This may turn into a serial post, but that all depends on Cade.  In the mean time, have any kids you’ve been around said off the wall stuff?

My sister Sharalee Halvorsen took this photo.  Check out her website here (she’s available for hire but in high demand).

I am a huge autumn/winter fan.  Leaves changing, cool temperatures, that whole mood of heading into the holidays – I love it all.

Summer? Not so much.

But in an effort to stay positive, I’m listing 10 things I love about summer.  This is inherently an excercise of faith – not sure if I can actually think of ten, but here goes . . .

1) Baseball – as a kid, baseball was my absolute favorite sport, to watch and play.  Now that my son Cade plays baseball, it’s a great reminder of those hot summers I spent throwing ball with my dad.

2) Water – there are few things that feel as nice as jumping into a cool body of water on a hot summer day.  Lakes, swimming pools, creeks, large puddles . . . all are great remedies for the summer heat.

3) Long Days – the best part of the day, that time after 7:00 when all is quiet in the house, seems to last even longer when the sun keeps shining.  And it’s so much easier to get up in the morning when our closest star is hitting you in the face.

4) Fresh Food – around here there are road side stands selling all kinds of awesome garden goodness: fresh strawberries, vegetables, watermelon – it all tastes so much better knowing it was just plucked, pulled or peeled on the same acre you’re standing.

. . . and that’s it.  That’s all I’ve got.  Help me finish this list and get through the summer without melting.

What are your favorite things about summer?