Say cheese!
happy llama by nef
A smile for spring…
Category Archives: Just Plain Silly
Day 94
Before and After:
A Wordless Fable of Stress Relief
“Golden Eggs, Before,” by Jess Chernesky
“Golden Eggs, After,” by Jess Chernesky
The Moral
When you put too many gilded eggs in one basket
you have to find a way to lighten the load.*
The Postscript
Even though we all have bad aim, the family had fun tossing these pretty eggs.
*Splat—and that’s that.
Share and Enjoy
Day 81
Day 80
“Gallon Grenade,” by Jess Chernesky
Since the last post I missed the opportunity to write about National Ravioli Day and the Vernal Equinox, both March 20, but there’s no use crying over spilt milk—or the tasty union of cheese and dough or the first day of spring…
Well, even if I wasn’t able to balance an egg on its end or gather my culinary wits enough to put puffy little pasta pillows on the dinner table (frankly, we prefer pierogis), but that doesn’t mean yesterday wasn’t bursting with strange, colorful, and delicious moments.
Not least among these was the loud and messy instance of a gallon of milk dropped like a grenade at the front door. It exploded upon impact and let flow a milky river on the front porch and in the entryway, splattering the glass on the open screen door and soaking a rug with just moments to spare before we needed to leave to take the youngest to CCD—now much more generically called “religious formation.”
Everyone (typically) went into voluminous overdrive, and in the cleaning process I broke the mop. It was that kind of day: avalanche, cleanse, regroup, and proceed.
“Cry Me a Milky River,” by Jess Chernesky
Everyone (typically) went into voluminous overdrive, and in the cleaning process I broke the mop. It was that kind of day: avalanche, cleanse, regroup, and proceed.
Good things happened as well, and we made it through the day. Pasta showed up on the dinner table in Primavera form, simultaneously albeit accidentally honoring spring and Ravioli Day. We dined “picnic style” in the living room and had some much-needed conversation and laughs. Also on the menus: salad and meatball subs. A house specialty and favorite, meatballs were served in celebration of… well, let’s just say to honor “rolling with the flow.”
Share and Enjoy
Day 74
“Supertoe,” by Jess Chernesky
Sleep? What’s sleep?
It’s been the longest week in memory,
but it’s Friday,
and everyone in my house
is looking forward to the weekend.
Overwhelmed isn’t
but busy is good—
it means
the juices are flowing
and things are happening.
That’s worth celebrating.
(Think I’ll take Supertoe for a spin…)
Share and Enjoy
Day 73
By dansheadel (originally posted to Flickr as pict1715) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Happy PI Day!
Why not celebrate with a slice of PI pie? Here’s my personal favorite: cherry!
And what exactly is PI? As explained on the PI Day website,
Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.
Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point. As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. While only a handful of digits are needed for typical calculations, Pi’s infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.
PI Day is celebrated annually on March 14 (3/14) worldwide. On March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (HRES 224), recognizing March 14, 2009, as National PI Day.
But even if you’re not a “numbers guy” or gal there are countless way to honor this unusual holiday. Wikipedia list some fun examples, including:
- “eating pie, discussing the significance of the number π and more recently watching [or reading] Life Of Pi.”
- receiving your acceptance to or rejection from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “which has often mailed its application decision letters to prospective students for delivery on Pi Day. Starting in 2012, MIT has announced it will post those decisions (privately) online on Pi Day at exactly 6:28 pm, which they have called ‘Tau Time,’ to honor the rival numbers Pi and Tau equally.”
- visiting Princeton, New Jersey, which “hosts numerous events in a combined celebration of Pi Day and Albert Einstein’s birthday, which is also March 14. Einstein lived in Princeton for more than twenty years while working at the Institute for Advanced Study. In addition to pie eating and recitation contests, there is an annual Einstein look-alike contest.”
So forget the French Revolution and get your Einstein on. Today—and every March 14 ad infinitum—you can have your PI and eat it, too!
Afternoon Update: Another slice of PI
“Another slice of PI,” by Jess Chernesky
Share and Enjoy
Day 72
Day 67
“This Drain Is Not Just for Rain,” by Jess Chernesky
When technology falls short:
You have a new Voicemail message from: xxx-xxx-xxxx.
“We got nine fifty five. Education for over here in the day at ten thirty. Could you school hours the other programs for all information please visit our website. Thank-you(?) for your attention good morning this is Mary Nolan Superintendent of richmond(?) Virgin regional school District. Due to inclement weather our school-avoid(?) nine minutes late opening today. The water before school program is canceled homework(?) because we get like fifty home-or-chicken(?) case over here at nine fifty fiv…”
—transcription of a voicemail message announcing
a public school delayed opening due to snow
sent via email from my TV/voice/Internet carrier
Share and Enjoy
Day 64
“My Favorite Sharpener,” by Felicia Chernesky
Meet one of my favorite Christmas presents of all time, this thing of beauty, my beloved electric pencil sharpener, for few experiences are more lovely and satisfying than putting the perfectly chiseled point of a freshly sharpened pencil to an unblemished and inviting sheet of paper.
Like my iron preference for a certain kind of pen—the result of a self-consciously achieved affectation when I decided in the seventh grade that as an aspiring “artiste” I would write forevermore in black ink alone—fetish begets habit.
I feel false when forced to write in blue ink. And let’s face it, I need my pencil points sharp to feel comfortable and comforted—and fulfilling this need is intoxicating to the instance of inspiration. (In fact, I’d be willing to argue that the poet Coleridge’s “heightened consciousness” was brought about by the regular use of a seductive, razor-like Ticonderoga No. 2.)
“That’s the point!” by Felicia Chernesky
I’m jesting, but only a bit. It’s a small thing that makes me happy, this sharpener, and sharpening my pencil is a good ritual to begin putting words onto the page. Later, when words fumble and fall, there’s that bouncy pink tip at the other end of the point to offer forgiveness and the blessing of another chance to refashion the markings made in a heady mix of creativity, graphite, and clay.
