All tigers like water, but this one really likes that water. Look at that face (and scroll for more photos)!
Photon vs. Cobalt: Cherry Beach Smackdown
Actually, they’re having a blast. That’s Cobalt doing the chainsaw impression: no surprise that her owners have recently seen Evil Dead: The Musical…
UPDATE: James’ gorgeous photos are up!
Ooo Wii
So three or four weeks ago, Grandpa Cook dropped by with an early (as in 5 months early) birthday gift for Jon: a Nintendo Wii.
(For those who don’t know, this new video game console (it’s pronounced “Wee”) has wireless remotes that require you to make motions similar to what’s going on onscreen. It comes with five sports (tennis, bowling, baseball, golf and boxing), and Grandpa had bought another disc that had more games (air hockey, pool, ping pong, targets, etc.) and came with a second controller. The second controller allows two people to play together.)
I’d been wondering about a Wii for Jon since it was released; I wasn’t sure a) whether he would take to it, and b) whether it would take to him. The answer to a) is “fish in water” and b) is “they’ll figure it out between themselves”.
Not all of Jon’s movements are the same as other people, but he figures out what works for him, as do we all (his bowling technique is odd, but see the photo below). And not everything is an equal challenge: in tennis he plays more by sound, since the ball is so tiny and quick. His favourites are bowling and boxing, but what Jon really likes are the training sessions for the sports: bowling Power Throws and Picking Up Spares, and golf (!) Target Practice. And he makes the family do their Wii Fitness Test (three random training sessions) every day.
The other addictive thing is that you’re represented by a cartoon version of yourself that you create. This “Mii” is what is taking part in the events, and it truly makes you feel like you’re part of the action. The other fun thing is that if family and friends have created Mii’s, but aren’t there or participating, they still may appear in the crowd, or on your ball team. It makes everything more personal.
He beat his own father in bowling!
We brought this thing up to the cottage last weekend, and pretty much the whole family got some measure of the addiction. It was a great social time for Jon, who played and watched delightedly, including Auntie Patti and Uncle David’s 9-hole round of golf!
David lines one up during the epic round of golf, whle the crowd looks on.
Patti nails the green again!
Grandpa has given Jon two early birthday presents in his time, and both have been out-of-the-park home runs. Thank you, Grandpa!
Gym class
I went to gym class today. I like to play a game. I love to end up with the YMCA dance. I like to go back to class to have my snack. Timaira passes out the pylons and we play a race game. The other team won. This afternoon we have choir. Tonight I’m going to watch Between the Lions one.
Kablooey
Life and it’s little intracacies. Just as work started to slow down to “Barely Manageable”, I strolled in from walking Photon to find my computer—which should have been asleep—running all of its fans at the volume of a vacuum cleaner. The hard drive had failed.
From there, it has devolved into a series of episodes much like Fortunately, a book I loved as a kid: Fortunately, the computer is fine, unfortunately there is a mechanical flaw and physical damage to the hard drive. Fortunately I do backup, and had backed up important work files relatively recently; unfortunately I have been not as rigourous at saving my email and iPhoto library with all the family snaps in it. Fortunately there is a reasonably priced data recovery service in our neighbourhood; unfortunately reasonable price means something different in the data recovery world.
You get the idea. I’ll learn the extent of the loss in the next day. C’est la vie. But let me be a lesson to you. Oh, I had excuses too, I had a big pile of DVDs out to back everything up. I put it off one day too long. Don’t be me. (Brought to you by the National I-Told-You-So Council.)
If I had three wishes……..
May 23/07
My first wish I would like to have another Math CD. I like to work on money problums and puzzles. My second wish would be to visit my grandparents more offtin. I like to spend more time wit them because I love them. My third wish would be to paint my room purple. I would also like to add more bookshelves in my room.
Jon
The cottage
I’m going to the cottage this evening And I’m going to sleep in bed at the cottage.
I like to play Wii at the cottage. I like to watch channel 398. I like to go to the cottage in the car. I listen to the iPod on the way. We’re taking Photon with us on the trip. I like going to the cottage. Tonight I’m going to watch a Looney Toones DVD.
Jonathan