Robot Torture

Yesterday Rob did a bit of a robot theme day for the girls. He got out their old robot costumes he made for them some time ago out of diaper wipe boxes with cut-out arm holes, mega-blocks lego, duct tape and electrical fixtures. They rented a robot movie and they each got a robot toy from Toy 'R Us.

It was Kaylee's toy that started it all.

Her robot had little motorized wheels under the bottom for propulsion. Kaylee was playing with it and put it on my head. Faster then you can say, "Danger, Will Robinson," the little wheel had sucked up my hair and wound it into the inside of the nasty creature. It was stuck fast to my scalp via very tightly wound hair.

Yes, it hurt.

Kaylee was good enough to turn the robot off so the wheels would stop turning, but it was too late. It was stuck fast, and I couldn't pull it off.

I went upstairs to Rob to seek assistance with my dilemma - a toy robot stuck to my head.

Well it took some doing. For a while we thought we'd have to smash the toy or shave a chunk of my hair off on the top of my head. But finally we worked the monster loose, and returned Kaylee's toy to her unharmed.

I've never trusted robots.

Rainwater Only

We were walking to soccer with the girls tonight and Emily looked down to see the picture of a fish painted on the curb by a sewer grate, along with the words, "Rainwater Only." Emily asked why there was a fish on the sidewalk. I said so people don't put anything down the sewer that would hurt the fish.

She said, "Oh. Like cats."

Huh. Good deductive reasoning.

"Yes," I responded. "Like cats."

A Device to Root Out Evil

So this sculpture, by artist Dennis Oppenheim, is coming to Calgary. Apparently it's very controversial and has been making a lot of people angry. By "people" of course I mean Christians. So should I be offended by this? I'm not sure. What do you think?

Old & New

I read this excerpt from a book It made me think a thought. It seems like movements, systems, and organizations are only good when they are new - or at least moving towards something new. So many are old and settled. Something about being "settled" seems to result in decay. The decay strikes at the core of the thing, undermining it's very purpose. It all starts to fall apart. What I want to know, is what happens after that - after it all falls apart.

Team Bonding

I was thinking about team bonding activities. I think they are good. Or at least harmless fun. But it seems to me actual team bonding of any significance takes place while really working together. If the team is dysfunctional, disengaged or fractured in their everyday work then I'm not sure white water rafting together is going to fix that. In fact it'll likely annoy people.

By contrast the bonds that form while depending on each other daily, in a myriad of ways, working through long-term problems, meeting deadlines, achieving victories - are real. I hesitate to say this, because I like white water rafting as much as the next person, and who doesn't want a day out of the office once in a while. But I think if a team is functioning well on a daily basis, the energy and connectivness that results makes these sorts of outings less necessary - but probably a lot more fun!

Life Without Risk

When I was 12 I went to Disneyland for the first and only time. I didn't like it that much. Maybe I was a bit too old, but it was hot, the lines were too long, and everything seemed so fake. With the Lake and riding I guess I was used to adventures being a bit more real.

I've been through an adventure or two since then and learned more about the veneer of of reality.

I guess I'm in a bit of a Douglas Copland phase just now. I recently read his first book, Generation X. The title of one of his chapters is "Adventure Without Risk is Disneyland."

Ha! I love it!

Becoming Human

I was thinking something yesterday while I was working out on the treadmill at work. I was thinking that we must believe in something strongly enough to sacrifice for it. And then we must do so. We must sacrifice. Then we become human. Otherwise we are not. We are less than. We remain asleep.

I don't know why it's so, but I think it is.

I also think it's cool we have treadmills at work.