Tony's First Shower

A first for Tony today, he took his first shower.  He usually has a bath, and likes to soak.  He had a hard time getting all the shampoo out of his hair, but was successful in the end.  His mom told him he should use soap on his knees and feet and private parts.  Tony added, and my armpits.  He was able to soap himself and rinse.  It was fun.  I wanted to take a picture, but that wouldn't be appropriate.  When he was done, he drew pictures with his finger on the glass.  I was going to take a picture of his art, but he Squeegeed it away before I could.  Tony is growing up. 

Book Review: Matilda: A Fun Book

Matilda:
I saw this movie starring Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman and Mara Wilson when it came out in 1996 and enjoyed it.  I am just now getting around to reading the book.  This book is by Roald Dahl and published in 1988.  It is about a gifted child, Matilda Wormwood, her parents who don’t understand her nor appreciate her, her school teacher Jenny Honey, who does understand her, and Miss Trunchbull, the head mistress at the school.  I love this book as well as the movie.  The movie adds much more intrigue and defines the parents more.  It also changes the setting from England to America.  However, the indifference of the parents comes through in both venues, as does the cruelty and meanness of Trunchbull, and the delicate nature of Jenny, who turns out to be her niece.  Both are entertaining and I recommend them both for an enjoyable time.
Trunchbull is over the top, and the story explains that being over the top, no one will believe a child who says what she does, so she gets away with it.  She throws a child over a fence by her hair in the style of the hammer throw.  She pulls a kid up by his ears and another by the hair.  She is really a ghastly person.  The movie added the scene at her house, and Trunchbull jumping from the balcony.  It is a classic scene the way she lands. 
Another difference is the powers Matilda finds she possesses.  They are more extensive in the movie.  In fact, in the book, by the end, she loses her powers as she enters a more challenging class after the Trunchbull leaves.  Lots of fun.

ACE Train 36: Tip Toe through the Vomit

Over two weeks ago, on the ramp that goes from Diridon Station to the light-rail platform there were four putrid droppings of vomit.  Fortunately they were close to the outside wall.   When I first saw them in the morning going to work, I really did a tip toe dance walking through them.  I don't know how I didn't plow strait into them.  I am sure my shoes didn't escape totally, but I wasn't going to check.  I almost contributed to the vomitous piles, but managed to stay my gag reflexes.  A few days before there had been another such pile in the walkway over the light-rail tracks at the same station.   Such things happen of course.  It appeared someone drank too much, or did too much something to make themselves sick. 

The odd thing about these messes is that no one has ever cleaned them up other than Mother Nature.  I still cannot tell you how long it takes for mother nature to totally clean up such a mess, because there are still signs of the vomit.  Yesterday there was a sprinkle, and I thought maybe it was enough to clean it all up, but you could still see them this morning, and I almost walked into them again.  The vomit is all dry now, and the really moist mess is gone, but still just the residual stuff is bad enough.  I saw the VTA staff cleaning yesterday, but they didn’t clean the ramp, just the platforms.  SO it takes over two weeks for Mother Nature to clean a pile of vomit.  I guess a VTA worker could have done it in a few minutes, but who wants to clean up that astuff.

Caleb: Spring Choir: 2013

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaStaCkC464
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2gm1bwZdcQ
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fk6nD5PdC4
A sample
Caleb's choir finally had a formal concert.  They had missed previous ones as they were very involved with the musical rather than choir rehearsal.  Caleb received a certificate for section leader and another reward for attitude.

section leaders

boring awards part

With Annie and Maddie

With Sierra and Tony

With Nicole

Life in Manteca: Sheri Wardle's Birthday and Mother's Day, Caleb Band Awards

We had a busy week.  I stayed home from work Wednesday so I could take Sheri out for dinner for her birthday.  Sheri goes to school on Wednesdays to volunteer.  They sang to her, but she didn't wear the birthday hat.  When they got home we went to Chili's, Sheri's favorite.  Tony went with us. I took pictures, but lost my camera.  Sheri received a few gifts, a journal from April Petersen, A plant from her visiting teaching partner and plant pots from me.

We did not do cake on Wednesday
as Caleb had something for music.  Instead we had
cake on Sunday.  Charity and Anthony brought flowers, and I got flowers and chocolates.  We had a calm day.  Sheri did not want a movie, so a few pictures suffice.
Caleb had his Band Awards last Thursday.  He received his Jazz patch and trumpet pin as well as a certificate for Outstanding Musicianship.  Combo A played, and Caleb was on the drum.

Movie Review: ****The Last Leaf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bscMNNbDNk

This is a 1983 version of the O'Henry story produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This a very well done movie in terms of cinematography as well as the telling of the story and the acting.  This story is a classic story of an artist, who has struggled all his life to paint his master piece.  It is only late in life that he finally is able to do this.  In doing so he sacrifices himself for the life of another.  This version is subtitled: A Parable of Easter or of the Atonement.  As Jesus sacrificed himself for all of us, this man sacrificed himself to paint that masterpiece, and save another.  Is their greater love.

Mother's Day Thoughts from Church

The biggest thought I have been left with was from Brother Crockett during priesthood meeting.  He related a story of when he was set apart as a Bishop.  He visited a stake conference at the tri-stake center in Oakland.  The visiting general authority interrupted the meeting, and made a comment that all he saw was women carrying the babies out.  He admonished the men to take care of this task, as the women were with the babies all week and deserved a break on Sunday.  President Crockett remarked how the brethren quickly repented, as he saw only men taking children out of the meeting after this.
Sister Emily Herrera was the youth speaker in sacrament meeting.  She talked of time with her mother being important, first to teach her how to cook and how to shop.  She goes shopping weekly with her mother, but is now cooking by herself at least one meal a week.
Sister Peterson, our neighbor, talked of some of the trials of motherhood, as well as the blessings.  She is tried in childbirth with a tailbone that always breaks.  She also talked of a couple trials with baby messes; but also the joys of being a mother, relating stories of her siblings.
Brother Poole, former bishop, talked about mothers and the priesthood, and how the roles between man and woman is an equal partnership relationship.  God took the rib, to always remind man and woman to walk side-by-side.
Sweet times with Primary Children singing, and young men young women distributing flowers.
My thoughts: I think sometimes I feel certain tasks belong to Sheri, and even though I do them, I always do them with a chip on my shoulder, "see there, what I have done for you."  I think that attitude does not reflect a side-by-side attitude and I need to repent.