My nephew

Family Picture Day

Every fall my family takes family pictures at John Ball. Several people were taking pictures, and as you can see, we all just decided which camera we'd look at. I kept saying, "Tell us who's taking the picture," but would they? No.

Consider this exhibit J of why I'm always right.

FINE!

I have been commanded by several family members to update my blog, so here goes. If it's as dull as I anticipate it will be, you have only yourselves to blame.

Life in My Room:

Monday through Wednesday I work from 7 am until 4 pm, after which I come home exhausted and watch either Law & Order: SVU, Whose Line Is It Anyway, or America's Funniest Home Videos (depending on the night) while playing Neverwinter Nights. Christine is asleep when I leave and comes home about ten minutes before I go to bed.

On Thursdays, which we both have off, we often spend the day at Borders. Christine does homework while I gather a stack of books to flip through while I drink coffee. I often wonder what the next person to come to my table thinks when they see the stack of books. Last time I left Fellowship of the Rings, The Dark Knight Strikes Again, Great Readings in Philosophy, Introducing Karl Barthes, and The Movie Plot Generator. I have eclectic tastes.

Today, however, we are staying in as neither of us is feeling well, and Christine needs to be more productive today than she feels she can be at Borders, because this weekend we are travelling to Grand Rapids (or G-Rap as some have taken to calling it) for family pictures, a fall tradition. This year we will be joined by my 9-Month old nephew (as if there aren't enough pictures of him in the world). I kid. I love pictures of him.

I have been reading AN Wilson's biography of CS Lewis as well as The Lord of the Rings. I am becoming fascinated by Mythopoeia, the construction of myth. I am working on one myself that may take a lifetime to create, as did Tolkien's, but I am enjoying occupying that world, especially when work gets tedious.

In the meaintime, I'm writing a prime-time soap opera about growing up in Grand Rapids. It's called The G-Rap, and I am played by Haley Joel Osment. He's doing it for free as part of his community service. Like any teen drama, it will be hip and fresh and will introduce new teenage slang such as "Grap-tastic," "Carbonics," and "Kresgese." Look for it on the WB in the next year or so.

That last part is a lie, which is why it was interesting.

EDIT: My wife just informed me that it's "Fellowship of the RING, not Fellowship of the RINGS!" in a tone that would only be appropriate had I written that I recently ate a kitten.