It was a quiet day today. We didn't have to get up early because we went to Mass last night. Michelle did some grocery shopping with the girls while I took the boys for a walk to the Souhegan river. Along the way we passed a field that had half a dozen wild turkeys grazing on it. We got a bunch of rain today, and more is planned for the rest of the week. I've put the sprinklers on sensor mode so that they don't bother if there's been a recent shower. All this rain has made it feel tropical outside, unpleasantly so. In the afternoon we went to the Home Depot to stock up on a few basics.
Apple's Music Store - On the way home we stopped to pick up some more blank CDs. Besides putting our digital pictures on the CDs, I want to burn some music -- legally. I was excited to see that Apple's music store (AMS) is starting to pick up some artists. I had a stupid benchmark when it first came out. I went to the top 40 list and then asked AMS if they carried that song and artist. I know, it's a silly benchmark for a thirty-something year old. The vast majority of the time the answer was no. It's been a few months now and I re-tried the benchmark. What do you know?! Many were available. I guess Apple has been busy signing up more labels and artists over the past few months. So I punched in a few of Michelle's favorites from the past year and they were all available. Time to get the credit card out and burn some custom favorite songs CDs.
Vatican speaks, liberals explode - There has been a lot of charged language about the Vatican's recent statement, "CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS". For all the criticism thrown towards the hierarchy making such a statement, I have to wonder how many of the critics have actually read it?
How far can immodesty go - Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin covered a topic that just grosses me out in her recent column, "Letting it all hang out". Evidently low waistline hip hugging pants are going lower by the month. Quoting from the column:
Canadian teen singer Avril Lavigne's perilously sagging pants are a global youth phenomenon. "My butt crack showing is like my trademark," she gracefully explained to a music reporter. Salon.com writer Janelle Brown approves: "(T)he butt crack is the new cleavage, reclaimed to peek seductively from the pants of supermodels and commoners alike."
What will it take to convince the current cohort of exhibitionistas that sleaze is not sexy -- that less is not always more, that low is low-class? [...] Alas, modesty has been long out of vogue. But it's a fashion rule of thumb that what's out eventually becomes in. The day when "clothed is the new naked" can't come soon enough.
"Butt crack is the new cleavage"!?! Ick! ICK! ICK!! Please, Please let this fashion trend pass -- and quickly! I see enough butts every day with three kids in diapers. Seeing more in public would not bring positive images to mind.
Trend tracking - The Wall Street Journal had an article last week, "Web Allows People Like You And Me to Spot Trends. Uh-Oh." about how relatively easy it is now for anyone to track trends automatically via some websites. Links include Google Zeitgeist, JeevesIQ, buzz.yahoo.com and 50.Lycos.com. I also like to check out Blogdex once a day to see what bloggers are linking to. I have to wonder if this won't create a "trendy" backlash.
Cell phones - Michelle and I have been looking at our monthly phone bill and then comparing it to the recent "family plans" that wireless carriers are offering. For the past four years I've avoided having a cell phone but this is considering a cell phone to replace our land line. A pair of cell phones might be on par or cheaper and keep the two of us better connected during the day. With the five children Michelle is often out running errands, taking the kids to the pool or park, visiting friends, etc. Michelle would also be able to catch me on the commute and request a last minute grocery item rather than sending me after dinner. We're not sure about this yet, but we're considering it. I have this geeky interest in the phones with the built in camera. Perhaps that way I'll be less surprised with Michelle's latest purchase when I come home from work. She can send me a photo of that new dining room set before she buys it!*grin*
Revolutionary Family - Claire and I were talking about how she watched an episode of PBS's Liberty's Kids while she was in Indiana. They came to a segment where they were discussing the differences between then and now. They mentioned how the typical family had five children then while today it's now two. Claire smiled and thought about how she had a family more like that of Revolutionary times 225 years ago. Maybe that explains this picture where Abby and Claire look more like Laura and Mary Ingalls...