Here is the "Jack-O-Lantern" that I carved for Zach today. It took me 20 minutes flat. I'm not done with it yet - I think I will accentuate the borders a little.
If it's really bad... like REALLY bad... and you can't tell what it's supposed to be, it's a Superman emblem.
Far be it for me to make a 'traditional' scary Jack O Lantern.
Here's the rest of the story...
Last week (Oct 18 and 19) we spent the night in the City trying our best to act like tourists.
Although we live but 45 minutes from San Francisco (30, if the 
traffic is cooperating and I feel particularly zealous) we rarely visit it as a family and we less so masquerading as tourists. As a matter of fact, until last week, none of us have ever ridden a cable car. Now, I'm not saying that cable cars are only for tourists - many SF residents rely on cable cars as their regular method of public transportation up and down the hills of San Francisco - but if you don't live in the City, you will most likely not find the need to ride one.
Anyway, we finally rode one and I must say it is actually quite an efficient, if not technologically antiquated, way to traverse the city. The view through the 'port hole' to the moving asphalt below and the burning smell of the wooden brakes all but makes me long for the days when such a ride would have cost no more than a nickel. But, of course there are other amenities of the modern era that make living in these less-innocent, more complex times worth while.
For example, our hotel stay was pretty awesome. We stayed at the Worldmark Trendwest San Francisco Timeshare that we own located no more than 10-walking-minutes from Union Square. It featured two TVs (one a flat-panel LCD), two full baths, a mini fridge, a sink, microwave, wireless internet access and, unlike other Trendwests that we've stayed at, full hotel-style room and bell services.
On our 'whirlwind' tour of San Francisco, we also managed to stop by Fort Point. It was a bummer that my childhood memories of exploring the aged bricked hallways of the fort could not be duplicated or shared with my own kids. The fort, alas, was closed do to 'security reasons'. The irony of the symbollic stronghold of security being closed for security reasons isn't lost on me. It's yet another sign of our times, I guess.
Of course, Pier 39 and the Blue and Gold Ferry were among our stops. We also managed to swing by Chinatown, Old Saint Mary's Cathedral and other SF landmarks like Lombard Street, etc.Hopefully the kids will grow up with fond memories of one of the greatest cities in the world and one day be able to take their kids their too.
Did you know that in California it's OK for a 13-year old to get an abortion without telling her parents about it?
...BUT in Massachussetts, it's NOT OK for a 13-year old to play tag at school.
What an upside-down world we live in. As Albert Einstein once said, "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
This is a gross story. If you have a weak stomach or had just eaten, don't continue.
Although a judge dismissed theft and criminal mischief charges yesterday against a Penn State student accused of killing a snake and cooking it on a George Foreman grill, the assistant district attorney said he may re-file the charges.
Baren Berg, 21, was accused of killing the snake, a friend's pet, with a pocketknife while spending the night at the friend's apartment. The snake, a two-foot black and white baby king, was a little thinner than the roundness of a quarter, David Klug, a Penn State wrestler and the snake's owner, said.
Neil Bretz, also a member of the Penn State wrestling team, testified yesterday at Berg's preliminary hearing that the night after he allowed Berg to spend the night at his apartment, he found his roommate's pet snake dead.
He said he was awakened Aug. 24 during the night by Berg, who had allegedly put the snake on Bretz's neck and told him there was blood on his bed. Bertz said he yelled at Berg to leave him alone and went back to sleep.
Bretz testified that the next morning he found crusty scales and a piece of meat on a George Foreman grill in his kitchen. He said he also found blood in his sheets.
He said he went to his roommate's bedroom, where the snake lived, and found the head of the snake in the doorway, a piece of raw snake on the floor and a bloody knife in the empty fish tank where the snake had lived.
Berg's attorney, Sean McGraw, said Berg killed the snake, but only after it bit him.
A friend shared this picture with me... I thought it too funny to not pass along.
I have no details about this picture.
