Back home and happy

Ariel is so happy to have Daddy home, all she can do is drum on her pumpkin!

So yes, I've been back from Ottawa for quite a few days now, and just now getting around to blogging. Pathetic, I know. Lots going on, besides settling back into work. October is here, one of my favorite months. The brisk Autumn air is upon us, I have some new clothes, and life in general is just pretty damn good.

Jeff and Marie now have their twin girls, and I am so happy for them. They are going to have a blast...already they are a family of four, which is amazing. Can't wait to see them. Next April we shall get all our girls together for a picture. I'm glad Ariel will have some playmates to see through the years as we make our annual visits. As you can see, she is becoming rather bored only having pumpkins for friends.

Had a good Thanksgiving weekend. Saturday night after a fun day of teaching I attended film group at Ron Reed's to discuss Garden State, thanks to Mike. Such a great film. Saw lots more this time around, continued symbols of water-baptism imagery: during the hamster funeral scene, the covered pool symbolizing Large's dormant numb state, moving on to his reluctance to dive into his friend's pool, and his opening up to Sam after diving in finally, then the 'baptism from above' in the rain at the quarry, followed by his intimate moments with Sam soaking wet in the tub, where his mother died. The whole thread signifies his new birth, coming out of his shell and actually living. Lots of other stuff too that people pointed out, about the cinematography and pretty much everything else. I hope to frequent the film group more often as my schedule allows. I think I shall present Cars there once it's out on DVD, seeing as how one could write an entire sermon at that film.

The other day I found some awesome deals on DVD at the Bay, of all places. On their bargain rack I found butt-cheap copies of The Miracle Maker, Season 1 of Rex the Runt, and that Sci-Fi Cartoon compilation I've been seeking for months. The latter disc has a cartoon I seem to remember seeing in Kindergarten: The Huffless Puffless Dragon, which I think they screened for us so we wouldn't smoke. Pretty important, seeing as how there were millions of 5-year-olds tempted to light up back in the early 80s...bloody Human League, terrible influence. I'm watching Miracle Maker currently and taking a closer look at it since seeing it on TV years ago, and a miracle is exactly what it is.

Speaking of miracles, here's Ariel again.