Regular Life

“I don’t like going to the beach,” my son said.

Start the sound clip below and then click the thumbnail image to get an idea just how much he ended up hating it (earbuds will immerse you, but speakers will work):

I didn’t specify when he said it, because he told me that more than once during the first several days of our Sanibel Island vacation.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, son,” I said. “I would like for you to go with me in the morning. It’s my last day here, and on Saturday mornings you and I always have our father-son time.”

“Okay,” he said.

On top of that, he had another incentive.

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Benjamin,

Remember that night I recorded you while you read one of your bedtime books? You read Slip, Slide, Skate, and then you asked me to record myself reading the next one.

In my hotel room on Tuesday night I listened to you reading the one about the little girl who goes ice skating. I listened to the whole thing, and you did a great job. I smiled when I heard your voice and the pages turning.

I thought that on your last day of being six you might like to hear the recording of me. If you are at home, then pull out Duck and a Book and follow along; if not, then just imagine the pictures. It’s only a little more than a minute long.

I am sorry my work trip got extended by a day and I can’t be there to read it to you in person. I will see you on your birthday.

Love,
Daddy

(Click any pic to enlarge, and just click the “play” button to listen)

I parallel park Homer along a city street just two blocks off McKinney’s downtown square. Alvis and I grab our cameras — similar Nikon DSLR’s — and meander across the road.

As I step onto the opposite sidewalk, I see a dejected clown coming right for me. He is not smoking a cigarette, but he looks like he wants to be. We sidestep Sparkles and stroll along to a street barricaded at one end by a stage.

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At a recent Cub Scouts den meeting, one of the boys brought his mother to help explain and showcase the violin. It is one of my favorite instruments, so despite my usual reservations about taking Benjamin to a meeting that ends a half hour past his bedtime (on a school night), I looked forward to the evening.

I took along my digital recorder to capture some of the live music. What I got was not what I expected.

In this clip, the young lady explains the bow, and Benjamin’s input bewilders one of his fellow Scouts who happens to be just as vocal. If not more.

A transcript follows after the more link below, for those who either have no way to listen or cannot make it out.

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(Click to enlarge.)

 
Sound Clip – Ben explains how some spiders catch their prey.
 

It wasn’t what I had in mind when I started the car Sunday morning.

After my son and I played catch and other games in the back yard early, I decided we needed to get out of the house, to one of the places I recently discovered while wandering away from work.

On past walks and bicycle rides to the donut shop, Benjamin had toted along books in his backpack. The tradition became this: move a while, then stop and sit on the sidewalk for me to read him a book. Benjamin decided to continue this tradition on trips that don’t involve deep-fried breakfast food.

This time there was a twist that, while initially undesirable, turned out to be pleasant. (as usual, please use headphones or earbuds for maximum immersion)

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These sound clips should take some of you back to your childhood. Sadly, they may take some of you nowhere because you weren’t born yet. Or, and this might be sadder still, you just aren’t geeky enough.

Naming the clip is encouraged.

 
I wrote this in anticipation of a movie slated for a 2010 release. For extra phantom bonus points, name it.

Following my after-dark Harvard experience, I quickly made my way back to the “T” and rode back to Davis Square, where I ate at Redbones, a southern-style barbecue restaurant. Never would I have guessed that I would find barbecue to rival that found in Memphis and Alabama (can’t speak for Kansas City). Seated at the counter in full view of the grill and the rest of the kitchen, I got a firsthand look at how it’s all done, but I took pictures of the crowd instead.

I also came away with a much better understanding of what root beer can be. Tower Root Beer in a bottle — try it if you have a chance. Apparently it started in 1914, went out of production in 1978, and just returned to the market last year. It is made with (a lot of) pure cane sugar, not that corn syrup-based crap (but they now offer a diet option, too).

I got (and this time recorded) directions from a Redbones staffer and easily made it back to the main highway and then my hotel. I found during my trip that the abbreviation she used for “Avenue” is quite common in those parts.

The next day I ended up working later than I had anticipated, and missed meeting up with Dave and his brother in Boston. I was very bummed about that, but at least he had someone along with him to still have a good time.

Widener Library on Harvard Yard (click to enlarge)

One of my goals for the trip was to see and walk around the grounds of Harvard University.

I got out of the customer’s site a little late on my last night there, so I was in a rush to get to my hotel, change clothes and grab my camera, and get to the campus before dark.

As the pictures show, I didn’t make it.

Despite that, through the course of the evening, I:

• Rode a subway for the first time ever,
• Ate an amazing barbecue sandwich and drank the best root beer I’ve ever had, and
• Added another area to the list of places I would like to live

.

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Sometimes a walk with a child is just what the soul needs. The bird sounds help, too.

While visiting family over Memorial Day weekend, Benjamin and I lit out Sunday morning for a nearby Tulsa city park. The air was dry, the breeze was light, and the sun shone down just hot enough to make us appreciate the shady spots.

The birds sounded glad to be alive and were busy impressing, defending, and maybe even making small talk. Benjamin was his usual talkative self.

Use headphones or earbuds to let the clips below surround you in exactly what I heard (and hear what makes a binaural recording superior to mere stereo).

You might feel like you’re walking right alongside Benjamin. His mother and grandmother come up on the right in one clip, coincidentally about the same time a blue jay gets annoyed.

It sounds corny, but closing your eyes enhances the listening experience.

(click any image to enlarge and any play button to listen)

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It’s been too long since I’ve posted a sound clip out here.

Back in February, Benjamin improvised a song — part gibberish, part sweet, and part nonsensical. In other words, all the parts that make up most popular songs today (except the sweet part, maybe).

Click the “play” button below to listen.