I fixed the marinade for the chicken this morning, and it smelled so good. I love the combination of saffron, lemon juice, ginger root, and turmeric. Combined with some Greek yogurt and parsley, the flavors are just exotic enough to give it that Middle Eastern flair. So yummy!

As an added bonus, it really cooled off yesterday afternoon. Today it will only get up to around 67 degrees F. Just perfect for eating outside.

Beerfest? Really? Well, I guess into every life a little tastelessness must fall. I suppose I should feel lucky. While we were grabbing lunch, we went by a store that sold gambling supplies (poker chips, tables, etc.). Devin thought we should get this sign: Men, no shirts, no service; Women, no shirts, free drinks. Yes, we are a classy bunch.

Devin: That’s awesome!

Me: I know, isn’t he the best dad?

Devin: Yeah, he’s even better than a flying monkey!

Me:….

Because how can you respond to praise like that?

Betty Crocker – a compilation of several women (maybe men too, for all I know!) at General Mills, Betty symbolizes American home life. Cookies and milk; a frosted cake under a dome; a steaming casserole from the oven. But she doesn’t want you to have to do it from scratch. No! Betty is there to help the busy moms create a loving, safe, yummy home for her family. Whether you wanted to be like her or strangle her, she is part of our modern history.

Sherlock Holmes – a Victorian-age CSI. Who doesn’t like a good murder mystery? Truly a genre-defining character.

Rocky Balboa – gritty, downtroden, loyal. He was the American underdog, rising despite all the odds. Forever fighting the bad guys.

Mickey Mouse – please, who would have thought you could build an entertainment behemoth around a rodent?

Frankenstein’s monster – is he truly a monster, or just a misunderstood creation of man? Should we fear him or pity him? He set the standard for future multi-faceted monsters/creatures.

Holden Caulfield – brought to life in the ’50s, amongst media images of white picket fences and families grilling burgers with neighbors, Holden behaved and talked like a real teenager. And who couldn’t admire a fictional teenager that could cause so much trouble amongst real-life adults, to the point of getting himself banned from many bookshelves for decades?

Don Corleone – yes, I know I deliberately made that vague; was I referring to Vito or Michael?  And that is the point. The Godfather trilogy elevated the position of Don into our everyday lexicon. We had heard stories of the mob previously, but nothing permeated our psyches and our mental images like these iconic movies.

Pac-Man – no other video game character has higher brand awareness among Americans. Even my mom, who has never heard of Link, Samus, or Thrall (you DO know them, right?), knows Pac-Man.

Jay Gatsby – because we love to hate the rich, while at the same time desparately wanting to be one of them.

and finally, my #1 fictional character of all time: the honest politician. Because you just knew I had to go there.

Well, of course, what was I thinking? Disco balls!

What would you buy?

Doh!

In less air-headed news, I found out I get to be one of the room parents again. I loved it last year and I’m crossing my fingers for this year. I’m also doing collaborative teaching where two parents run the class for 3.5 hours four times a year so the teachers can do on-site training. My training session will be September 10. I can do this, right? And in one of those rare I-should-really-do-that moments, I signed up for our local veggie co-op. Our first pickup is Saturday morning. Wonder what we’ll get?

The current proposals I see out there don’t have any fundamental changes to the way we approach health care. I’m afraid if we do see reform come out of Washington this year, it will be a bonanza for the insurance companies by adding millions to their insured rolls. What I don’t see is a way to save costs, LOTS of costs. Dr. Mark Hyman wrote a wonderful piece over at HuffPo that really captures the essence of this concept. We in America pay more for less (less quality, I mean).

I challenge everyone who believes in real healthcare reform, and not just health insurance expansion, to really try to engage people in this debate. What qualities would their ideal system possess? What would it avoid? Why do we need reform; why isn’t the status quo acceptable? What are they afraid of if the system changes? I will be glad to provide research to address specific questions. No system is perfect, but ours is not the shining star we like to profess. Even the oft-maligned (by American conservatives, at least) NHS in the U.K. has many fans, including the brilliant Stephen Hawking. But I’m sure he’s just been influenced by the liberal media.

1. It is very difficult to please a bunch of East Cobb parents when it comes to adjusting bus routes. Okay, not difficult, just impossible.

2. I made a fool out myself asking his teacher what he did wrong on one paper. Turns out that was a happy face, not a sad or confused face. Hey, I rely on body language.  Work with me here.

3. School exhausts a 6 y/o like little else. I would have had to work overtime to get him this tired during the summer. Only a trip to the water park resulted in a quicker bed time.

4. We still need to work on Devin’s spelling. They were supposed to draw a nervous face and a happy face and write a corresponding sentence. Obviously (if you’ve been anywhere with my son recently) yellow jackets still make him nervous. This one threw me for a loop though: “Sins make me happy.” Turns out that science (but not spelling) makes him happy.

I think Devin’s blog may still have some issues, so I’ll try to fix that tomorrow and post an update there — with pictures even. Yeah, yeah; I know I’m a slacker.

And I’m going to slip this in at the end so maybe you won’t notice, but dang, my mother was right AGAIN. She told me I should listen to the NPR show Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me. Oh my gosh, that program is hilarious. Okay, I swear, this is the last time I’m admitting my mom was right …….. this week.

Second up is the chance to win a $300 shopping spree to Rainbow Resource Center, which is a fantastic place for educational materials. This contest is over at Pioneer Woman. If you’ve never been to that site, be sure to allocate about 4-5 hours just exploring. She has some wonderful FREE Photoshop actions, great photo tips, yummy illustrated recipes, and just good old-fashioned great writing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!