Hmm...

Somehow I don't think DHS would endorse this particular method of child-rearing...



...even though it looks like the kid is having a ball.

Somethin' for Dinner

One day back when I was about 10 or 11 years old, my Uncle Jack was babysitting, and he pulled out the blender to make himself a protein shake. We asked what he was making, but he didn't have a name for it (and he always liked messing with our heads), so he said "Somethin'".

After whipping himself up a batch of Somethin', he made some for us. To help the taste, he put Hershey's Chocolate Syrup in it, and called it Chocolate Somethin'. To this day, every time I make a dish with no real goal or list of ingredients, I call it Somethin', and remember Uncle Jack's protein shake. I hear his voice in my head every time I do it.

The wife-unit and I have been rather unmotivated lately in the grocery shopping department, so we've been getting really light on the vittles in stock. Last night, after looking in the fridge, the freezer, and the pantry for about the fourth time, I just started pulling stuff out at random.

I figured I might as well get used to doing some improvisational cooking, because apparently kids expect to be fed on a daily basis. Who knew?

One serving's worth of Hot & Sour Soup mix... check

A cup or so of whole wheat noodles... check

Pound of hamburger... check

Unopened jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce... check

I had the pans out and on the stove when the wife-unit piped up: "What are you making?"

"Somethin'"

I imagined a group of kids working on their homework at the dining room table, or arguing, or talking on the phone, and saying "dad, what's for dinner?"

And in my head, Uncle Jack said, "Somethin'"

Then there was my brother's version... "A great big plate of Eat What Yo Papa Fix!"

The noodles and soup mix went into one pan, the burger into another, and 15 minutes later it was all drained and tossed together. I don't know if it was a good dish, but it didn't taste horrible, and with a little salt was fine by me.

Which of course means my wife won't touch it and our kids might need some chocolate syrup to help it go down. But for me and the dogs, it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.

Except the dogs aren't getting any.

Prints

We went for the fingerprinting today. They used the electronic version this time... last time I was fingerprinted it was with old-fashioned ink and got screwed up along the way so it had to be redone. This time the computer complained if it wasn't clear enough, prompting the officer to clear the print and start over.

$40 and 20 minutes later, we're ready to be booked into prison or become adoptive parents. Take your pick.

Just Arrived

4 fingerprint cards (2 for each of us). Please to fill out and return.