How do you carry your mole rat?

He ain't heavy, he's my mole rat? Ummm... :) Anyway, this is B's clever solution to the problem of how to have 2 hands free when playing computer games, as Rufus is usually stuffed under B's right arm & restricts his movement a great deal. I am more delighted that he's actually using 2 hands for something, because B doesn't usually think to use both hands & gets frustrated when he can't do things one-handed (one of the mom-tapes is "use 2 hands, chick, that's why you have 'em"- chick being B's nickname).

This morning's breakfast was unusually lively & fun. All 3 of us were eating breakfast together, which can only happen on weekends (or on vacation), but sometimes doesn't even happen then (the guys have been going off for early-morning sails & the like). B was singing a parody song by Weird Al (Addicted to Spuds) & ad-libbed perfectly "Why do I...have 2 plates?" as he was singing. We all cracked up. Turns out that C is not yet accustomed to B's breakfast independance, learned over the summer, & so they both had gotten him a plate. Later in the meal B was staring at me, singing Dare to be Stupid (a parody of Devo's Dare to be Human) so I asked him if he was trying to tell me anything... more laughter. I adore 80's music & am really enjoying B's renditions of these parodies of 80's songs, but I think it may be time to dig-up the originals for him to hear (it's hard to understand just how brilliant these parodies are if you haven't heard the originals).

It's raining like mad at the moment- Ernesto's legacy in the northeast US... (it is Ernesto, isn't it? I called it Elmer this morning, to great hilarity, but I knew it was an E name for a guy... C was imagining Bugs Bunny cartoons). C & B are off to a movie with a school friend & family. B hasbeen wanting to see "Over the Hedge" &, since he rarely angles to see movies in theatres, we have been trying to get out to see it. I was going to go, not really to see the movie, but for the company, but we called some church friends this morning & are getting together with them this evening for dessert & good company, & that's all I've really been craving (the good company, that is, although C & B did go out & buy a carrot cake... :), so I stayed home to blog, wait for my mom to deliver potato salad (long story) & perhaps watch my new Inuyasha movie.

Speaking of Inuyasha, B & I had a giggle last week in Japanese lesson. I had been varying my "sowarinasai" (sit down) requests to B with a variation I'd heard on the anime- "osowari". Usually when you add "o" to the beginning of a word or phrase in japanese you just make it more polite (hence "oshiri" being the polite form of "butt"... hee hee). I used it during our lesson & Tomoko began to laugh... I guess this particular term is used with one's dog... B cracked up when she told us- "I'm not a dog mom! (giggle)". It certainly fits with the context of the Inuyasha anime. Yesterday we hit the anime store on our errand rounds & he saw Inuyasha trading cards at the checkout. When he pointed them out I said "osowari!" & he just cracked up... don't think the checkout guy knew what we were talking about (in restrospect, though, he probably should have...). We have been working very hard on our adjectives in japanese & it's making it so much easier to make distracting conversation with B when we're out & about & he starts getting overwhelmed with triggers & being away from home (B's psychologist thinks the japanese helps because he has to use more thought to understand what I'm saying, which distracts & takes away the power of the overwhelming thoughts). When we were at the anime store B also read some labels in hiragana, which just tickled me pink. Time to learn katakana!