So…I just called to make dinner reservations for Friday night and told the host that it was for 5 adults and 2 high chairs. He responded in an odd voice, “Five adults and two high schoolers????”
My mom is dying. Having raised a boy she thinks this is beyond funny. She is picturing us warning him about these two monsterous high schoolers that are going to clean them out. I can’t imagine what was going through his mind.

In picture number one you see a young male trying to hang onto the last remnants of his former more natural self (and doing a pretty fine job of it.)  In picture number two you see this same male on the right having fully given in to the more civilized life.  Both these photos are of camping/hiking trips that my dad took with his cousin.  The trips were separated by about 30 years.

I read about this in another blog post. You toss your camera and take pictures of Christmas lights. To do it, you set your camera to have anywhere from a 0.5 to 1 second exposure and an aperture of f/8, then set the timer and throw the camera up just before the shutter opens. Then catch it just after it closes. Good luck and don’t ruin too many cameras.
Here is a link to a really cool story on the history of Christmas lights.

A welcome mat that weighs (humiliates) your guests.

I don’t know why, but I kinda want one.  This just cracks me up.  I keep picturing all the different people approaching our front door and their reactions.  Totally Priceless.

Here is a little informative information I ran across in the New Yorker.  It is so off color, Ashlee made me sensor it, so there is a cleaner version below.  Here is the link to the article as it was originally written, so read at your own risk.

The New Yorker
A Guide To Summer Sun Protection
by Zev Borow August 10, 2009

SPF creep has hit the triple digits with Neutrogena’s SPF 100+ sunblock, leading some dermatologists to complain that this is merely a numbers game that confuses consumers.
—The Times.

SPF 4—You’re joking, right? This is some kind of joke? 4? We make this stuff for armadillos. Or maybe you’re one of those “adrenaline junkies” looking for another freakish way to court death. Seriously, people, the sun is deadly. It’s a giant ball of fire, literally, and it will kill you . . . if you let it.
SPF 12—Great for practical jokes, if your idea of funny is making someone think they are protected from the sun’s seriously f*****g powerful and harmful rays when they’re actually not. Bonus: Comes with an “I AM, OR ONE DAY WILL BE, A DANGEROUSLY NEGLECTFUL PARENT” visor.
SPF 30—Perfect for driving all night through a rainstorm.
SPF 50—Acceptable for most summer daytime use if applied correctly, which is to say, ingested orally via four separate SPF “sunshakes,” two in the morning and two after lunch, each made with three parts sunblock lotion to two parts heavy cream. Tip: Another tasty option is our “SPF-egg-white omelette.” No carbs!
SPF 75—Slathering oneself in a good SPF 75 says something to the world. It says, “I don’t mind spending a little extra if it means doing what’s right.” And “Clearly the health of my skin is more important to me than the health of your skin is to you, and, while that is sad, all I can do is lead, because I am a leader.”
SPF 100—This is to SPF 99 and below as excellent heroin is to Capri Sun juice boxes. If you haven’t already, ask yourself: Are you gonna run with the big dogs? Or stay on the porch with the pups?
SPF 125—Remember the first time you were allowed into an airport first-class lounge? Or experienced o**l ***? Add using SPF 125 sunscreen to the list of experiences that you will never forget.
SPF 150—Nothing will make you feel as safe and protected and confident and prepared. Because SPF 150 does something more powerful than just protect you from the sun a hundred times better than the ridiculous, flimsy, paper-thin skin God gave you. SPF 150 actually repels the fear and anxiety and vulnerability and paralyzing paralysis that affects so many of us each and every time we walk outside during daylight hours. It’s patented, and made in Norway, by Norwegians. So say it out loud: The rest of your life starts now.
SPF 175—Ever wanted to have unprotected *** with a p********e in Haiti? Don’t answer. Doesn’t matter. The point is with SPF 175 that’s now an option.
SPF 200—The truth is, most people are never going to need the level of protection this lotion provides. Recently indicted? Not a problem. Being hunted by a pack of rogue genetically mutated polar bears? Have a sandwich. Take a nap. Seriously, make yourself a sandwich, then go take a nap, because there is nothing out there that you have to worry about ever again. The nightmare is over.
SPF 233—Close your eyes. Good. Now imagine a world without poverty and disease, where children of all races and religions join hands and sing old ***** spirituals, a place where the vicious cycles of boom and bust are replaced by never-ending Wonder Wheels of boom . . . and boom. SPF 233 is not inexpensive. But, in the war against the evil that is the sun, can you put a price on freedom? ♦

The space shuttle returned to earth yesterday. Watch the reaction of this unsuspecting golden retriever.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. I have a fun one for everybody and Ashlee and I really need your help identifying the animal in these photos. We spotted it in the park behind our house and only had our cell phones handy. We tried to get closer to figure out what it is but is scampered off. Please vote, we can’t figure out what this is.

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The good news, I finished our tax return and I get some of my own money back. The bad news is it is nearly 75% of the federal income tax that was withheld. This means that not only does the government take my money every year, but they take too much of it and then try to make me feel good by giving me a “refund.” Every year I think I change my withholding so that it will be closer to what I actually owe and every year they end up getting more of my money. Good luck to the rest of you and here’s to making sure the government gets as little of your money as is possibly legal.

On a side note, I am so glad we just spent a trillion more dollars on things that I probably won’t help “bail us out” and I don’t agree with anyway. I am really happy that the government is going to take care of my health care and retirement and it is going to be great. I am too dumb to invest my own money and plan for these things myself so I am lucky to be an American where I am entitled to everything.