The fight for diverse and conscious voices

(Background: it is Pygment's and my habit to squeeze each other's tushes affectionately when we pass behind the other person.)

I squeeze Pygment's butt...

Her: Hey, that's my butt!
Me: Of course - I just had to check because it might be someone else.
Her, looking skeptically at me: You can tell who it is by squeezing their butt a little bit?
Me: Certainly! If it's the wrong person I get slapped.

*we dissolve into giggles* I head for the computer...

Her: How are you going to blog that?
Me: Just the way it happened, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_pEEmrG_O0

In the course of a mini-rant about how we can do better than Nature, Neil deGrasse Tyson tells an extremely abbreviated version of one of my favorite jokes.

http://boingboing.net/2014/09/27/john-oliver-vs-miss-america.html

John Oliver versus Miss America. I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks.
( Spoiler best line )

Pygment is being affectionate and cuddling with me after naps.

Her: *sigh*
Me: What?
Her: Being happy.
Me: Yes, dear.
Her: I'm being "yes, dear"-ed.
Me: Yes, dear. (*pats her on the head*)
Her: You could stop PAT-ronizing me.
Me: Yes, dear.
*pause*
*I start chuckling*
Her: What?
Me: Well, I was thinking that "yes, dear" is a kind of Troll version of "I am Groot" - it expresses so many things.
Her: You're so weird.
Me: Yes, dear.
Her: You're going to post that, aren't you?
Me: Yes, dear!
Her: You could just post the last line and people would get it.
Me: That misses the point; a good story has build-up.
Her: Yes, dear.

Last night, Thing 2 was in his final concert for his school. It was a musical of sorts, with a little story and several songs and all the kids on stage.

At the end of the last song all the kids raised their hands up. Most had an open hand, waving good-bye. A few had their hands up as fists.

My kid?
Did the Spock "Live Long and Prosper" hand.

Apple... tree... plop.

at the RSA Security conference:

"We can trust the NSA because without a doubt it is history's most powerful, pervasive, sophisticated surveillance agency ever to be totally pwned by a 29-year-old with a thumb drive"

"We all deserve credit for this new surveillance state that we live in because we the people voted for the Patriot Act. Democrats and Republicans alike. We voted for the people who voted for it, and then voted for the people who reauthorized it, then voted for the people who re-re-authorized it."

visit ifwemadeit.com

If you just want the sense of the thing, watch this: http://www.ifwemadeit.com/really-really-cheap-long-form

Newcastle Brown Ale can't advertise on the Superbowl - they're an alcohol. In fact, they can't even use the word Superbowl because the NFL sues everyone who does so without the NFL's permission. Being British, they think this is all hilarious and have created a site and a whole pseudo-ad campaign around the ad they aren't making.

I needed something to lighten up after yesterday's somber posts.

I think this is the last preparatory post I will need to make. Comments and encouragement on the previous episodes (part one and part two) have been helpful.
( This should be shorter, and has a joke and a story )

I have a long post brewing inspired by my own son's bar mitzvah and a very different bar mitzvah I attended this past weekend. In an effort to make the post shorter and more accessible to everyone else I need to do some background explaining. This is the first part.
( It takes the form of a joke )

(or, as Pygment said, "If you give a monkey a cookie...")

This morning Thing 2 comes downstairs and discerns that his mother has bought hamentashen (Purim cookies with jelly).

Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "No. You can't have a cookie first thing in the morning. Have breakfast!"
Thing 2: "I have!"
Me: "No you haven't; you just came downstairs. You haven't eaten anything yet."
Thing 2: "Oh"

And off he goes to the kitchen where he gets a bell pepper, which he eats whole and raw. So very not my child. Anyway, two minutes later:
Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "No. Have breakfast."
Thing 2: "But I had a pepper! Mommy lets us count that as a vegetable."
Me: "I'm not debating whether it's a vegetable. But you still need to have a real breakfast."
Thing 2: "Fine!"

And off he goes to the kitchen where there is negotiation with his brother about whether he can finish the tortellini left over from the previous night. About five minutes later:
Thing 2: "Can I have a hamentaschen?"
Me: "You just ate an entire big serving of pasta and now you want a cookie?"
Thing 2: "But it had spinach! Lots of spinach!"
Me (laughing): "Alright, you can have a hamentaschen."