Even the lord rested on the seventh day

The blog is going on hiatus for a few days.

Az anyam is not feeling well and that's going to take all my time - making chicken soup, collecting herbs for homeopathic remedies, tracking down leeches, etc.

I am soooo like az anyam. And sooooo like az apam.

Az anyam loves compartments. It's odd. Car compartments, purse pockets, sewing table drawers, kitchen cupboards. She's a bit odd that way. The weird thing is so am I. I think that is the root of why I enjoy pouring water from one container into another. I could spend hours putting a ball into a compartment in my car and taking it back out. Why I just happen to have some video of me doing just that:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1287388380453855100

I do, however, also take after az apam. I throw just like he does:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1287388380453855100&hl=en

Why babies aren't allowed to drive

Or become firefighters.

I haven't been on the planet all that long of a time. I've learned a ton of things - how to walk, how to cry, scream and complain to win friends and influence people, how to feed myself, etc. Every once in a while I don't get everything perfect.

I know that is hard to believe. I keep getting my front and back mixed up. Two days ago I couldn't get on my fire truck facing the right direction.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3023721856526169443&hl=en

I may have gotten a detail or two wrong with getting on the truck, but the important thing is that I could still play the annoying "I see a firetruck" song.

Like a moth to the light

I find it hard to relax. After my exhausting meetings at the UN I was hoping for a few quiet days to rest, relax and recover.

I tried just lounging around on the deck, but it's so hard.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MatthewStrada/Export/photo#5114484369636495426

Especially when there are balls to throw and sand to be moved from the sandbox to the water table.

Pools of Meetings

A wise man once said, "Attending meetings is considered 'working,' even if you don't do anything but sit there. Try to attend as many meetings as possible."

That is only trying to find the silver lining in an otherwise awful situation of having to attend a meeting. Why all this talk of meetings? I've been attending a few in New York City the last few days. You may have seen some of the news articles :

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=153639

This is a picture of me in the one act that is worse than a meeting - being in the pool.

The man is keeping in me down

You ever feel trapped? Like you're in a situation and you just can't get out? Like you have been locked up and the key thrown away? Like forces outside your control have conspired against you? Neither have I, but I've heard of people feeling like that.

On a totally unrelated topic, I was in my bedroom the other day when I realized I hadn't yet instructed az apam in what I needed him to accomplish that day.

Fortunately, my voice has gotten stronger so I was able to instruct him from the top of the stairs.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5026156865276732983&hl=en

The foolsball is the funball

Remember a while back I was talking about how I like to help around the house and do nice things for az anyam? I think it was yesterday. She likes to do nice things for me too.

Remember when I was talking about how I was gonna rock the world with my football moves? That was awesome. It was also Tuesday. Yesterday at my favorite little boutique az anyam bought me my very own football. It's wicked cool. I've been practicing ever since then.

Swifferingolas

I've been trying to help out around the house a bit lately. Two primary drivers for this:



1. I love az anyam and az apam. Anything I can do to make their lives easier, I should do. Sometimes having a spectacular child like me can be challenging, so it's my way of giving back.






2. I'm trying to establish my bona fides for the benevolent part of the whole benevolent dictator thing. If that requires me to Swiffer the floor every once in a while, I'll Swiffer the floor every once in a while. If only there were a product better than Swiffer. Maybe SC Johnson makes something. Or Unilever. Procter and Gamble certainly isn't cutting it.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2041904461526518841&hl=en

Games people play

Something I've started noticing more and more is the games people play. I have found that people take one of three roles in social interaction - child, parent or adult. Most negative behaviors can be traced to confusion or switching of these ego-states. Upon taking these roles in a social setting, the interaction is a game where the winner is the first to settle into the adult state.

I also have been noticing a lot of different games with balls. Yesterday I showed my football moves. Today I would like to highlight my moves from a game I like to call I-carry-around-a-big-beach-ball-until-az-apam-knocks-it-out-of-my-hands-and-then-I-chase-it-down-and-we-do-it-all-over-again.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MatthewStrada/Export/photo#5111508616096498418

Next time you are carrying a beach ball and see az apam you should give it a whirl.

Tas Bacsi and Miklos Bacsi better watch out

Case Western Reserve University has been known for its academic rigor, not its athletic talent. That all changed a few years ago when a pair of cousins attended CWRU and played some football. It is now known for neither its athletics nor its academics.

Should I choose to attend az apam's alma mater, I could be the one to change all that. Here's a picture of me from Sunday. I'm going to patent this move. I call it my Rice-a-Roni, not to be confused with my Shake-and-Bake. The Rice-a-Roni has a little more kick and a lot more spice than the Shake-and-Bake. 16.5 years from now that move will pay the estimated $3,141,592 in annual tuition to attend any institute of higher learning.

The bestest anyam in the world

Az anyam was so kind to me. With the help of IKEA, she made a table and chairs for me. IKEA did the easy part of cutting the wood. Az anyam had the challenge of assembling, sanding, staining and putting other stinky goop on it.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MatthewStrada/Export/photo#5111140142262239954

It's just like the table az anyam and az apam sit at for dinner. I can use it for reading, listening to music and when az anyam and az apam aren't paying attention, I can even stand on it.

You should have seen the other guy

I have gotten a bit beaten up and bruised up lately. I had a whole story cooked up about al-qaeda ninjas supported by the trilateral commission who learned of my plans for taking over the world and so they came after me, but I decided I'd tell the truth. I could never post a tall tale.

I still don't have the walking thing mastered. Especially when I'm tired, I fall. A lot. The bruise on my cheek is from a dive I took into a kitchen chair. My legs look like I played soccer without shin-pads. I'm considering going back to crawling.

Chocolate and peanut butter

Lewis and Clark. Watson and Crick. Kosar and Slaughter. Yin and Yang. Salt and pepper. These are all great pairs. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts with each of these.

Now take a trip with me on a culinary, mental excursion. Imagine bagels and pureed fruit. Now that is a great pair. On the greatest pairs of all time scale it is up there with me and Kai.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MatthewStrada/Export/photo#5109644853693104818

I couldn't get it into my mouth quickly enough. If Chico and the Man were food they would be bagels and pureed fruit.

Prepositions are tough

Last weekend, when we had guests, the old males tried playing a game called cornhole. It was a simple game. Just put beanbags through the hole. At least it sounds simple. I thought I would show them how it's done.

Some of us, who are verbally challenged, didn't find it so easy.

First, I thought the goal of the game was to take the beanbags out of the boxes.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8730990306865011617&hl=en

Then I tried taking the beanbags away from the box.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7013702803122266867&hl=en

I've only been speaking the language for NEVER. A little patience would have been appreciated.

Can you be an American Idol if you're 1/2 British?

Today's post is a little bit different. It involves an insanely cute picture of me followed by a story for which I don't have any relevant pictures, but I do have a link.

The ridiculously cute picture of me unrelated to the story:


The story:

I have two role models under the age of 10, my cousins Sandor and Sari. I've posted about them before. My Sari cousin just started Kindergarten and has been doing very well. You can read all about it here:

http://webbosfamily.blogspot.com/2007/08/welcome-to-kindergarten.html

I hope that in a million years or whenever I start my schooling, I do as well as she is.

Kinda like Everest

Supposedly, George Mallory was once asked why he climbed Everest. He is rumored to have replied, "Because it was there." We all have our Everests to climb. And climb them we must. Because they are there. Once you reach the summit, the apex, the apogee, the zenith, the pinnacle, take a second to appreciate what you've accomplished and then it's time to start getting into trouble again.


My latest Everest has been az anyam and az apam's bed.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=195813823427723677&hl=en

Sometimes reaching our goals has unintended consequences - now that I can climb onto the bed az anyam and az apam leave their bedroom door closed.

We Have a Winner

Congratulations to Shirley Neni and John Bacsi. They win the prize for the loudest and most obnoxious toy. There is no need to get me any more loud or noisy toys the contest is over. If you didn't know there was a contest.....too bad. You lose.

They won with the really loud, annoying red fire truck. It plays two songs and some other noises depending on which button I hit. I really like to hit the song buttons over and over and over and over again.

http://picasaweb.google.com/MatthewStrada/Export/photo#5107451847704770562

Remember all that stuff I was talking about sidekicks yesterday? One key thing to remember is that I am still the main guy. That means I get to ride my new toys first.

Every wunderkind needs a sidekick

Batman had Robin. Captain America had Bucky. Superman had Jimmy Olsen. The Incredible Hulk had Rick Jones. The Green Arrow had Speedy. The Human Torch had Toro. The entire Justice League had Snapper Carr. Courageous Cat had Minute Mouse. Those were just superheroes.

If you look at the geniuses who tried to take over the world, they all had sidekicks too - the Brain and Pinky, Lex Luther and Ned Beatty, Goldfinger and Oddjob. Dastardly and Muttley.

I have found my sidekick. I shall call him Kai, which is good because that is his name. His blog is here. He shall help me develop my plans for taking over the world.

I had been considering getting a sidekick for a while. Over the weekend we hung out a bit. In talking of world domination, Machiavelli and self-purpetuating autocracies, Kai pointed out the benefits of being a benevelont dictator. I was so impressed with his analysis and his climbing ability, I offered him the job on the spot. He is yet to accept, but I've got my fingers crossed.

We have to work out the details yet, but I see his job as sidekick not in a Frodo and Sam kind of way, but more like Ishmael and Queequeg. I can't wait to see his whale-harpooning ability in action.

Animals are mad crazy

Mama and Papa took me to the zoo during their visit. We saw all sorts of great animals. My interest in the zoo animals has increased quite a bit lately. I get what they are about now. I used to be all, "Yup. Right. Sure. Yeah, it's a living thing that isn't a person. Cool." But now I am totally, "Wicked cool - it's like a thing that isn't a person but is like moving around and stuff."






With the stone tiger, I was more, "What a lovely oppportunity for a group photo" than "Totally awesome - it's like a living thing that isn't a person or living."



I got to see the groundhogs from uber-close. They're not really hogs.

I then went to see my most favoritest animal in the world - the dog. I love the fact that unlike most animals, I get to pet and play with dogs.

For some zany adult reason, Mama and Papa didn't let me frolic with these dogs. I guess wolves are a bit more dangerous than your average ordinary dogs.

Science is not really what I expected

I have so many stories to tell and only one post a day to do it. I am still in the middle of last week story-wise, but I am living in now.


Mama and Papa came to visit from Canada. They were so happy to be in a more temperate zone in balmy Connecticut that they took me to all sorts of hot places. We went to a children's science museum.

There were all sorts of cool things to see. My personal favorite was a giant toilet.

I used a new, improved scientific method to understand it. Instead of getting my hands dirty and my feet wet, I got my hands wet. First we had to put on chic new lab coats. Az anyam thinks her tie-dye lab coat is cool. Pshaw, it's got nothing on the haute, plastic, blue smocks we got to wear.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4062143804473055825&hl=en

We got to take balls and drop them in a large bowl of spinning water. The balls would then disappear. It was way amusing as it combined two of my favorite sciences - splashing my hands in water and plastic balls.

Mama then tried to entice me into playing a game that the big kids were playing (usually an effective ploy), but there was no way I was getting flushed away from this bowl full of science.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4833892959470302276&hl=en