Friday, September 8, 2017

7 Quick Takes about Bittersweet Nintendo Sessions, Skydiving the Evans Way, and a Finger Sandwich Recipe for Your Next Society Luncheon

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?

1


I found out a few months ago that our library has a few Nintendo Classic consoles. I ask about them every time I go in there, but they're always checked out.

But we got one this week!

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Please forgive the dungeon-like lighting and the exposed insulation. Our basement is a work in progress.

It's built to look like the old school Nintendo, but with a few obvious improvements. It comes pre-loaded with a few dozen original Nintendo games (can I admit that I sort of miss blowing in the cartridges?) and the controllers are wireless.

After we put the kids to bed we headed to the basement to try it out.

"We get to keep it for a week?" Phillip asked. "That's great! The kids can play it, too."

It took us about 2 seconds after we turned it on and looked at the terrible graphics to realize that no child born in the 21st century would ever want to play this. Ever.

2


It turns out that reliving your glory days is a double-edged sword. I used to be so good at Dr. Mario, you guys. So. Good. In 1998, people could hardly see the pieces as fast as I was stacking them up.

Fast-forward to today, and I guess I should've expected what happened.

Yes, I know I haven't played for 20 years, but I still thought that at least some of my former skills would remain. After all, I was amazing.

After I totally failed at a few rounds of Dr. Mario, Phillip asked thoughtfully, "Are you sad that you wasted so much time on this game in high school and now you're not any good, or are you sad that you've wasted the last 20 years of your life on things that have nothing to do with Dr. Mario?"

I'd say it's a little bit of both.

3


For her birthday, we got my daughter tickets for her and a friend to go indoor skydiving. We finally found a date to go this week, and for a few minutes there I thought it was going to be a real disaster.

In typical Evans fashion we drove all the way there and realized I'd left the tickets at home. On the counter right next to the door. So I wouldn't forget them.

And then my daughter's friend couldn't find her waiver. This was just after I'd opened my big mouth and mentioned that I wasn't her mom, so no faking that she was mine and signing one for her.

Luckily, Phillip texted me pictures of the tickets and they accepted that, and the person at the desk turned a blind eye to the concept of legal guardianship and let me fill out the waiver myself.

Once we got in, it was actually a great time.

4


School started this week, and that means back-to-school haircuts. I lined up all the boys in the family, from Phillip down to the toddler, and just cut all their hair one after the other.

I kind of liked the gradient when I swept up all the hair.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
This is like an evolutionary chart, except it's how blonde hair goes from light to dark as you age.

This happened to be the toddler's first haircut, so it was kind of a big deal for him. (I lie, it was only a big deal for me. The toddler couldn't have cared less.)

It's always sad to see that baby mullet go. 

I texted Phillip a picture and said:

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}

In a way, that visual actually did make me feel better. I really don't like clowns.

5


On Labor Day, we went to a fireman's parade. I didn't count, but there were at least 20 fire trucks of all shapes and sizes, blasting their sirens and honking their horns. My 3-year-old was torn, because he doesn't like loud noises but he really, really likes fire trucks.

At the end they had a bunch of games and demonstrations by the firefighters, including speed-dismantling a car with a windshield cutter and the Jaws of Life.

It's 7 Quick Takes Friday! How was your week?  {posted @ Unremarkable Files}
Only afterward did I notice that all of their helmets said "Firefighter 1." No hurt feelings in this  precinct, guys! You're ALL #1!

My preschooler is now obsessed with the "fireman who killed the car." This was on Monday, and yesterday I think he asked me about 2 dozen "why" questions about it before breakfast.

6


The 2 dozen why questions before breakfast were just a warm-up, though. Every time I think he can't possibly say "why" any more than he does already, he finds a way.

Here are some conversations we've had lately.

3-Year-Old: Can I go outside?
Me: Yes.
3-Year-Old: Why?

Me: [watching him empty his potty into the toilet] Don't get pee all over, please.
3-Year-Old: Why?
Me: ... I'm not even going to dignify that with a response.
3-Year-Old: Why?

And after watching me get out of the shower the other day, he asked, "Mom, why your bum shakes?"

They say there's no such thing as a stupid question, but if there's an exception my 3-year-old is going to find it or die trying.

7


Just in case you've been following our adventures pretending to travel the world and felt intimidated by the fancy dishes I've been cooking, I'll have you know that last night we had hot dogs cut in half and served on hamburger buns. It was the only kind of bread we had left in the house.

The kids couldn't decide whether to call them 'hotburgers' or 'hamdogs,' but it was easy and everyone ate every last bite.

And actually, serving them that way kind of made them look like classy little slider appetizers, so I think we all won.

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8 comments:

Tracy said...

There is a coop on fb that sells the (original) Nintendo game system, preloaded with 500 games if you were interested. Have a good weekend! Tracy

Ann-Marie Ulczynski said...

That's so fun with the Nintendo!

Jenny Albertson said...

I've wanted to indoor skydive for so long! Also, I was really good at Tetris as a kid. And super Mario but now I'm sure I'd fail terribly

RM said...

Oh my gosh - my husband wants me to cut our toddler's hair SO BADLY, but I just can't bring myself to do it. It's so curly and cute and I just can't! I totally understand. We aren't quite to dirty clown stage yet. ;)

Rachel said...

I love short hair on little boys. I think toddlers don't get haircuts often enough, but I'm always happy to cut their hair--I just love a neat neckline and hair nicely trimmed around the ears. I've given a bunch of "first haircuts" back in the salon and to friend's kids, it's always fun!
It always amazes me how much kids love hot dogs. And teenagers. We make lunch for a bunch of teens every Saturday and I actually avoid hot dogs in spite of how easy they are because they eat hot dogs like maniacs. Like, no lie, 7-10 hot dogs per teenage boy. This just isn't sustainable. We are having hot dogs for their lunch today, for the the first time in like a year, so I think there will be a lot of excitement.

Jenny Evans said...

After Dr. Mario, Tetris was my second best sport.

Jenny Evans said...

I'm sure your hot dog lunch went over really well! I think it's more special when the odd meat-like casings are an occasional treat instead of a regular thing.

Jenny Evans said...

The girls said they absolutely loved it. Get a Groupon though, it's not cheap.