I think that “It’s amazing how different they are” is something that you hear many people say when they’re talking about their kids, and I’m no exception.  My two oldest daughters have the most contrasting behaviors between each other; it’s probably because my youngest two don’t have fully developed personalities yet, so it’s hard to say about which siblings differ the most from each other.  But here is the example that made me reflect upon this:

Tonight the kids were given glow sticks to play with.  The glow sticks came with a plastic wheel.  Our eldest, Taylor, who is 8, used her wheel to make a flower out of her glowsticks.  Really, it was quite creative and also pretty cool-looking and beautiful.  Her 4-year-old sister, Sammie, put her plastic wheel on her face and used it to make funny faces.  Both creative, but Taylor’s idea was so much…  well, it was a better idea, let’s be honest.  And you might be saying, well, that’s the difference between 8 and 4.  A perfectly logical response, but if you knew my girls, this wouldn’t surprise you, and I’m not convinced that it’s their age difference more than their personalities.  Taylor is much more artistic while Sammie is a clown.  We love them both equally of course, but it’s really fun to note their variety.  It’s amazing how different they are…

I tend to scan the web for amusing stories and things that are a bit out of the ordinary. Apparently, it is getting tough in the 100 acre woods. Seems thatWinnie the Pooh was charged with robbery.

Now I know there is a site for stupid criminals, and I think the guys in this story should be in it. Don’t go robbing people in a very easy to identify costume. Sounds to me like a rash act, but I would expect to be stared at if I was dress as a Pooh Bear. Next question, will Disney sue?

I never thought Winnie the Pooh would have been the one to lead a life of crime. I always thought that Owl or Eeyore had the personalities for this. Unless of course the Stuffed with Fluff is all a ruse.

All this reminds me of the gloomy little gray donkey, Eeyore. He was always my wife’s favorite Pooh Character. I really enjoyed giving him ‘voice’ when I read the Pooh stories to my girls. Not sure I ever got totally gloomy, but I tried, and the girls seemed to like it.

Recently there was an article on cubs.com about how it’s been 20 years since Wrigley Field started night games for the Chicago Cubs, i.e. got lights in their stadium.  That made me feel kind of old because I remember that event, and it was 20 years ago: 8-8-88.  Sigh.  Since when can I remember 20 years ago?  But anyway, I remember an elderly gentleman (turns out he was 91 in 1988 and actually remembered the Cubs winning the World Series in 1908 – a stark reminder that there is NO ONE left today who can say the same…) flipped the switch to turn on Wrigley Field’s lights for the first time ever.  Funnily enough, it was a bit too early in the evening, and many fans and spectators said they couldn’t see a difference in the lighting on the field.  But it was symbolic, and Wrigley Field finally had its lights, even if it was the last major league ball park to get them.  And the event was proven even more symbolic than functional that night when the game was postponed because of rain.  So the first FULL baseball game at Wrigley under the new lights was actually 8/9/88.

Apparently the lights were snuck into the field in the middle of the night, under cover, literally.  They were hoisted into place quickly by helicopters, for fear that protestors would shoot them in order to try to preserve the neighborhood’s charm and innocence.  But the plan was not foiled, and 20 years later, we still get to enjoy night games at Wrigley.  GO CUBBIES!!!

SPOILER ALERT!!!  The following blog post contains a synopsis of the final episode of the ABC reality show, The Mole.  Do not read if you don’t want to know what happened!

Last night’s Mole finale did not disappoint.  Well, maybe for those of us who got 0 points in the tangents.org mole poll…  But as far as dragging out the results episode like most reality shows do, the Mole was not guilty of this.  The episode was only an hour long, they still had one elimination to reveal, and they revealed the winner of the game without dramatizing things by adding a commercial break.  Turns out,  good guy Mark took home the cash, all so his wife can stay home with the kids and not work anymore (be careful what you wish for; sometimes I wish I could go back to work and get away from the daily chaos of the chorus of crying kids!).  Then, it was time to reveal the mole…  but first a dramatic commercial break, of course!  We returned from commercial, and they milked it even further with some more dramatic pausing…  and then we learned – CRAIG is the MOLE!

At least I don’t have to go back and count up points for our tangents.org mole poll – I believe Jamiahsh is the only one who ever guessed Craig, therefore, with 1 point, he is the winner of our tangents mole poll!

After the big reveal, which happened quite early in the hour I might add, compared to the way they’ve done things in past mole seasons, time was spent recapping episodes with the knowledge of the mole’s identity.  It was fun to see the different contestants’ reactions to Craig being the mole, and it was even more fun to watch the clips that were recorded during the playing of the game of them suspecting Craig.  I always like when they explain the hidden clues from every episode that (supposedly) pointed to the mole.  I say supposedly pointed to the mole because a few of the clues were far-fetched; for example the business about the latitude and longitude.  One of the clues I liked is the one where they altered the backround where Craig was giving an interview.  There were two “i” statues, and they altered them so there were 4 “i” statues when Craig was doing his interview.  Get it?  4 “i”‘s = four eyes – Craig is the only player to wear glasses.

Anyway, it was a great season like always.  Even though I lost the tangents.org mole poll, I’m actually glad I did because if Nicole (she was my guess) was the mole, I would have felt it was so obvious it actually would have dampened my enthusiasm for another season.  But since I was SO taken by surprise, as far as another mole season goes, I say, bring it on, and soon!

It took nearly a day to come up with something intriguing to post for number 200 and it came to me while I was a church going over music that I will be singing at mass Sunday morning. The organist and I were trying to decide on a communion song. While going through our list of possibilities, my focus was drawn to the beautiful “Panis Angelicus.” I have always found it quite challenging yet fun to sing in a language other than English. Our church choir attempts to fumble through Latin pieces a few times a year with varied results. I would love to find a great arrangement of “Pie Jesu” (perhaps from the Andrew Lloyd-Webber “Requiem” that I have found to be my favorite version of the several I have heard). Call me a romantic in the classical sense.

One of my favorite performers is no stranger to singing in different languages. In fact, Josh Groban’s professional debut happened at the spur of the moment and was part of an English-Italian duet.. While employed as a rehearsal singer for the 1999 Grammy Awards, Josh (age 18) was asked to fill in for an ailing Andrea Bocelli on the live broadcast. He performed “The Prayer” with Celine Dion in front of a large audience while millions watched on television. A little luck never hurt anyone.

Almost overnight, the baritone/tenor (critics are still not sure what to classify him; Josh considers himself a “tenor in training”) appeared all over media. He made appearances on the television series Ally McBeal and on several talk shows. Oprah Winfrey named his holiday album, Noel, one of her Favorite Things. He has released a total of 4 solo albums all of which have been certified multi-platinum (selling at least 2 million units) and been featured on other recordings (the soundtracks to A.I. – Artificial Intelligence and The Polar Express). Mr. Groban has also recorded duets with the likes of Charlotte Church and Barbra Streisand. In March 2008, Josh performed the role of Anatoly Sergievsky in a concert version of the brilliant yet little known musical Chess. People may remember the cult 80s song “One Night in Bangkok” that originated in the show.

An excellent performer who is not afraid to challenge himself by going against the norm.

Closer By Josh Groban. Songbook for voice, piano and guitar (chords only). Text language English and Italian. 96 pages. Published by Hal Leonard. (HL.306860) See more info…

It seems that anything new that concerns Harry Potter entices me to revisit the literary adventures. In the coming months, we will have the cinematic version of the sixth movie as well as the publication of The Tales of Beedle the Bard. I think that the most interesting device used in the whole series was introduced in the first novel by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter And The Sorcerers Stone – 10th Anniversary Edition (or the Philosopher’s Stone depending upon which side of the Atlantic you live). The Mirror of Erised showed the young wizard and his best friend, Ron their most secret longing, their fondest wish.

In the mirror, the central character saw himself surrounded by his murdered parents as well as other relatives looking on him lovingly. He was so drawn to the image that he would continuously return to the mirror which was well hidden within the confines of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Later, Harry brought Ron along with him in order for him to see his parents. However, Ron only saw himself as Head Boy and winning the House Cup. Ron, the youngest male member of the Weasley family, has always felt like the low man on the totem pole. His pet rat had been handed down from brother to brother. His wand was horribly overused and taped together several times. His vision within the mirror showed that he longed to become something greater than any of his siblings and to be able to achieve something no one (maybe even himself) could have dreamed.

However, the mirror is not all good. Professor Dumbledore tells Harry that thousands of students had discovered the mystery of the mirror. But, many of them became so enthralled that it drove them insane. So powerful was the attraction of the device that it was to be moved far away; yet, not before Harry asked his mentor what he saw in the mirror: Socks. Was he being truthful or teaching the 11 year-old a valuable lesson?

Everyone (young/old; rich/poor; male/female) has dreams and one desire that we choose to share or to remain hidden. The people to whom we decide to reveal them demonstrates a powerful sense of trust and loyalty. Yet, we all have to be careful how we handle our dreams lest they control our lives.

Let’s have a little fun. Tell me how the name Mirror of Erised came about.

I am all for the reinterpretation of a popular character over time to make him more appealing to the masses, but I have found one such instance a bit beyond what I consider plausible. I speak of the up-coming 8th season of Smallville. It not only seems that most of the traditional Superman canon is a MAJOR part of the young adult life of Clark Kent, but it seems that most of them know of his “secret.” Over the last two seasons, both Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen were introduced to the series as recurring characters which would be entirely understandable IF it were a series about the ADULT life of Clark after he had assumed the guise of the superhero. Last season, The Man of Steel’s arch-enemy Lex Luthor discovered the truth about Clark. There have been some interesting action-packed episodes with guest appearances of future Justice League members Green Arrow, The Flash, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Cyborg, and Black Canary. However, I think the show’s creators may have driven the final nail in the coffin. For season eight, the monstrous destructive force known as Doomsday will be introduced. Instead of the inhuman monster who was responsible for killing the Last Son of Krypton, a troubled young man will eventually transform into the character. The new addition will also be involved in a love triangle with Jimmy and his girl friend. GREAT… more twenty-something angst. I think that it is high time that the BOY of steel grew up. I think it will be interesting how they plan to explain a way in which everyone who knows Clark’s secret will forget it (aside from the Kents, Pete Ross, and Lana Lang).

Well… at least Mr. Lucas has done something right. He recently acknowledged the fact that any future adventures of Indiana Jones MUST have Harrison Ford in the titular role. There will be no passing of the fedora and whip to his son “Mutt” Williams in the near future. The final scene of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull alluded to that when THE hat was seen blowing into the church and Dr. Jones snatched it away from the young upstart. Of course I would say that as much bad press as Shia LaBoeuf has been getting as of late, he may find it difficult to find work if he continues on what seems to be a downward spiral.

In this article, Mr. Lucas also speculates on the future of his other cinematic series of films including the opening of Star Wars: Clone Wars this weekend.

Enter to win free movie tickets for an entire year on Fandango!

Sometime in the life of a parent, you have to let your little ones go out on their own. For the most part I am very good at that. There are time, however, that I just want to be by their side. I have two daughters living at home, and one about an hour away. I can, if needed, drop just about everything to be with them. I can see them face to face at almost any time. It is both a blessing and a curse. After they are out of my house, I want them to grow and thrive on their own. I think that is very important.

There is my other daughter. She got married just 1 year ago. In this marriage, there are also two wonderful children of my son-in-law. I know my little girl loves them as she would her own (even though she did not know it at the time, she saw this kind of thing every day see here). Tonight I want to be with my daughter. She was and always will be my little girl, and I have a feeling she would like me there. “There” is many states away. I can’t just hop in my car and drive there overnight. It just isn’t possible to go visit whenever I would like, things like one minor child still at home, work, finances get in the way of traveling. I wish I could, but wishing seems to be all I can do. Don’t believe the phone commercials, a phone call isn’t like being there, as much as I wish it was.

Sometimes, parents just can’t let go…

In the State of Utah, a rock arch in Utah’s Arches National Park collapsed. Now I never have been to the state of Utah, and therefor have never been to this park. From pictures I have seen, it looks like a place I would like to visit. The pictures made me think of one of my favorite places that I’ve ever been is in South East Ohio. A wonderful State Park area called Hocking Hills. As a family we’ve had many great vacations there.

The story of the collapsing arch, made me remember the rock falls around the hiking trails of Hocking Hills. Going back time after time, you can see how the rock falls change the area. Trails are closed or rerouted and each trip can be different than the last.

The thing is that even with this arch fall, people didn’t see it happen. With all the times at Hocking, I never saw a rock fall but have seen the results. I know people do occasionally see them, most of the time they fall unnoticed. I would like to talk to someone who saw a large rock fall.

One thing I just thought about was the fact that these rock falls occur quite often, but people will go right to the edge of the cliffs, even if they don’t know what is or what isn’t under them. Oh well, I guess if they haven’t seen a rock fall, they don’t know the danger the could be in. And I guess I never saw anyone fall off either.