Help me, Obi-Mom Kenobi! You're my only hope!

I'm not really supposed to do that... for fun, I mean.

“I’m not really supposed to do that… for fun, I mean.” – Anakin, Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

What happens when the highway engineers of the world get a little punch-drunk? Highway Engineer Pranks. My favorite is the Rotary Supercollider.

Your presence is soothing.

Anakin Skywalker: (eyes closed) “Don’t go.”
Padme Amidala: “I don’t want to disturb you.”
Anakin Skywalker: “Your presence is soothing.”

Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones

We were all a little nervous about Dad Windu getting laid-off and being home all.the.time. Rightfully so, I think.

Were we going to get on each other’s nerves?
Would DW start channeling his inner professional and start managing the way I ran the house and our homeschooling?
Would Padawan Learner get distracted having someone else walking around, talking, and moving in and out of our ’school’ space during the day?
Would I begin to chafe at having to share the computer, the kitchen, and the teapot more than a few hours each night?

It has, thankfully, worked out very well this past month and a half. Dad Windu has his own routine going for large parts of the day, and he and I are getting out for a daily walk nearly each afternoon. PL has benefited from having Dad Windu right there for some of the math questions that I would normally have to go look up. I’ve enjoyed having another adult around to talk with during the day. DW helps with the house picking up, meal prep and chauffeuring tasks, freeing me from having to do all the day-to-day boring tasks myself.

In the end, we’re enjoying each other’s company on a day-in, day-out basis, and truth be told, I’m going to be a little sad to see him go away for 9 hours each day once he’s back working someplace.

We have perfect weather today for the Boonta classic.

“Toogi! Toogi! Greetings! Toong mee cha kulkah du Boonta magi! Tah oos azalus ooval Podraces. We have perfect weather today for the Boonta classic. The most hazardous of all Podraces.” – Fode & Beed, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

Ever wonder how the weather outside your door compares to weather in the Star Wars universe? Come on, admit it. You know you have.

Well, wonder no longer. Tom Scott has linked the varieties of weather here on lovely planet Earth to the weather you’re likely to experience in such interesting places as Tattooine, Kamino, Yavin 4, Endor, Hoth and Naboo. And if, like me, you’re currently experiencing the weather of Kamino, be sure to carry your best manners and a very large pocketbook around today.

I will not defer.

“I will not defer…I have come before you to resolve this attack on our sovereignty now.” – Queen Amidala, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

Amy, over at The Foil Hat, has this up today, and I thought it was too brilliant not to, like ya know, share. Take back your right to an opinion.

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Who's scruffy-looking?

Princess Leia: “Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder.”
Han Solo: ”Who’s scruffy-looking?”
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

Well, at present I am.

With Dad Windu off relaxing at his brother’s house, it was just Padawan Learner and I hanging out this afternoon and evening so we decided to have a Star Wars movie marathon in the basement. We ran through Episodes I, II and IV. For some reason PL decided to skip III, which surprised me, but perhaps it was just to be kind. I think he knows that’s my least favorite one.

As any self-respecting movie marathoner knows, that means nothing more pulled together than comfy pants, piles of pillows and blankets, and those fine lunch/dinner/snack combos of What’s in the fridge? and What’s left in the cupboard? and Do we have any extra Christmas goodies still in the freezer?

I hope you all had a good weekend, too.

Kill them immediately!

“The Chancellor should never have brought them into this. Kill them immediately!” – Darth Sidious, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

Padawan Learner’s cat, Stretch, has been staring at the computer monitor for some time now while I’ve been working. Glaring at it really. And if I move the mouse even a little bit, she whacks at the screen trying to get at the cursor. She despises the cursor.

I do believe she would kill the cursor twice dead, if at all possible.

You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander.

Moff Jerjerrod: ”Lord Vader, this is an unexpected pleasure. We are honored by your presence…”
Darth Vader: “You may dispense with the pleasantries, Commander. I’m here to put you back on schedule.”
Moff Jerjerrod: ”I assure you, Lord Vader. My men are working as fast as they can.”
Darth Vader: ”Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them.”

Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

Yeah, that’s pretty much me right now. I’m going to be done dispensing with the pleasantries in about 3 more seconds.

Padawan Learner has a facebook ‘friend’ that’s really laying the “I’m the one that’s been chosen to SAVE you from your wretched life of disbelief” crap on mighty thick these past couple of months. She’s even begun using Dad Windu’s recent lay-off and our possible need to move if DW finds work out of the area (something she knows PL is dreading) as her “lead in”. He’s asked, and then told, her to back off about the religious stuff, and she has point blank said that she has no intention of doing so NOR does she have any intention of apologizing if she has been shoving her religious beliefs in his face against his wishes and offended him. I’m trying my hardest to stay out of it, to continue to let PL find a way to deal with it, but… it won’t be much longer if it doesn’t stop. Immediately.

He and I both know the difference between someone who holds strong religious beliefs and someone that is being a religious bully. We know lots of people who hold strong religious beliefs. We know that this is not acceptable or normal to the majority of people with strong religious beliefs. As I told PL, “She’s not being a friend; she’s being a bitch.” There’s a big, big difference between the two. And yes, that is the word I used.

Now I’m off to find 50 cents for C-3PO’s cussing jar.

PS – Yes, I know this is a rather crabby post. Feel free to disregard as needed.

Exciting is hardly the word I would choose.

“Exciting is hardly the word I would choose.” – C-3PO, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi

We three Jedi have seen our share of pavement lately (and concrete and bridges), and it’s taken a toll on our homeschooling routine. **Take a piece of paper, run it through the keep-your-identity-nice-and-safe chipper/shredder, toss them all up into the air with a forced “Yippee!” (knowing full well that you’re only going to have to pick up all those little bits in about 30 seconds) and you’ll understand what I mean.** I may be going to go out on a limb here, but I think even Padawan Learner is tired of the unexpected days off as we drive from one corner of the state to another and another and another.

One thing I’m learning in this whole Dad Windu lay-off situation is that routine is our friend, our really good friend. PL and I do our usual math, writing and history/science stuff in the living room each morning while Dad Windu goes upstairs to practice Spanish, do some more job search stuff, and keep up with his professional network. In short, he stays out of our way and we stay out of his as we all get down to work. After lunch, we go about our own special projects.

There are so many things up in the air, and some unpleasant realities that we’re probably going to be facing in the months to come, that our routine is becoming a bit of a security blanket for the three of us. Christmas and the scheduled week-long break that followed it were nice, of course, but a bit too distracting at this already wildly distracted period of our lives. Normally PL looks forward to these days stolen away from our day-to-day routine, but on our way home after our Dutch class today he said a little wistfully, “Tomorrow’s just a regular ordinary day, right?” I know I breathed a sigh of relief when I answered, “Yes. Yes, it is.”

See? No problem.

Anakin Skywalker: “Ray shields.”
Obi-Wan: “Wait a minute. How did this happen? We’re smarter than this.”
Anakin Skywalker: “Apparently not. I say patience.”
Obi-Wan: “Patience?”
Anakin Skywalker: “Yes. R2 will be along in a few moments and then… he’ll release us from the ray shields.”
[R2 comes skidding across the hallway and bashes into the opposite wall]
Anakin Skywalker: “See? No problem.”

Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

OK, for all of you out there with witty words of homeschooling insight, bitter words regarding in-laws, and moments of “OMG you won’t believe what this kid just did”… I’m sorry. I took a couple of weeks away from blogger land and am now slogging through page after page after page of must-read blogs on my reader. I do this once a year, when the need strikes, and you’d think I’d learn by now. I am smarter than to be surprised by the result, but… well, I guess I’m not.

Seriously, you folks are prolific! Take a nap or something. Go shovel the drive way. Knit a pair of felted slippers. You southern folks are cold enough to need the additional exercise to help warm up, right? Give a girl some catch-up time!

Always in motion is the future.

Luke: “I saw… I saw a city in the clouds.”
Yoda: “Friends you have there.”
Luke: “They were in pain.”
Yoda: “It is the future you see.”
Luke: “The future? Will they die?”
Yoda: “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”
Luke: “I’ve got to go to them.”
Yoda: “Decide you must, how to serve them best. If you leave now, help them you could; but you would destroy all for which they have fought, and suffered.”

Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back

We traveled 8 hours on Thursday up to Dad Windu’s old college stomping grounds with another 9 hours to return home yesterday. We visited houses perched on the sides of a valley, perpetually gazing at the narrow lake below. We observed snowmobiles fly along abandoned railroad lines and crossing the bottom level of a lift bridge. We haunted the local library (as we are known to do) and asked about homeschooling groups in the area. We learned of one of those snowmobile riders who, while we were in the library, tried to cross that narrow lake’s ice cover but didn’t quite make it. The owner, terribly cold but fine, now the owner of a sled sitting at the bottom of that narrow lake. We sat in the hotel’s hot tub and talked about high school, hockey, miles traveled, and life in the Great Frozen Midwest with another family of travelers. We saw an eastern skyline blushing pink at the audacity of a brazen orange sunset.