The On-Line Equivalent of Selling Band Candy…

My daughter Allie is a member of her school’s “Odyssey of the Mind” Team.

Odyssey of the Mind is an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for gifted kids from kindergarten through college. Kids apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics. They then bring their solutions to competition on the local, State, and World level. Thousands of teams from throughout the U.S. and from about 25 other countries participate in the OM program.

Allie’s team made it to the State competition here in Kansas….and took 2nd, which qualified them for a slot at the World Finals, being held at the end of May in Boulder, CO. Needless to say, I’m as proud as can be.

So, yesterday, the team’s coach had a meeting with the parents and let us know that we’re now in fundraising mode, to pay for their trip. We’re going to be doing the usual school fundraising: neighborhood door-to-door, a bake sale, etc. It occurred to me, though, that since I have a fairly wide readership on this journal, I would make a direct appeal to you guys. Think of it as the on-line equivalent of selling Band candy…but without the candy.

If you’d like to contribute to the West Junior High School Odyssey of the Mind Team trip to the World Finals, please use the Paypal button below. Any donations will be gladly accepted…and you don’t have to be a Paypal member, either. Visa and Mastercard are accepted via that link.







Be sure to include your name and address, so that the kids can send you notes.

…and Thanks from a very proud Dad.

Trophy Meme

Taken from too many folks to mention:

If you were to kill me and have me stuffed as a trophy, how would you pose me? Include whatever details you like: dress, props, expression, etc. Post this in your journal to find out how your friends would immortalize you…

;) This is fun, and a little sick. In other words, it’s delightful. Be creative.

Doctor Who, Three Episodes in….

Watched the third episode of the new series last night. Bloody hell was that good. Best yet….of course I’m a sucker for snowy Victorian streets and howling zombies, so there ya go.

This is the first of the episodes that was genuinely creepy, and hearkened back to my favorite period of the show — the more hammer-horror-influenced early Tom Baker seasons of the mid 70s.

The BBC has released pictures of the super-nifty boxed DVD set that will be released in the UK in November. I *must* track this down when it comes out:

The exterior packaging…

The interior packaging…

Thank god for a DVD player which is multi-region and converts PAL to NTSC signals.