A Slice of America

One of my college professors, an immigrant from Germany, said that she didn't completely understand American culture because she hadn't gone to an American high school. That may or may not be true, but as I attend high school football games with an adult eye, I realize how much of it is uniquely American. Now, American football is played in places outside of the United States. As a matter of fact, a team from Canada came down to our area to play earlier this month. Of course, the article shows that there is still a difference in popularity between football here, and anywhere else.

Are high school age level marching bands a mainly American thing? I did a little searching on the internet and couldn't find much on foreign marchers. I have read that teenage sports can be taken as seriously in other countries as high school athletics here. However, is there that "Friday night lights" feel? The cheerleaders, the marching bands, Homecoming, the age level of spectators--from octogenarians to toddlers? Do school boosters have concession stands, serving local versions of our pizza, hot dogs and popcorn? Do other countries have similar jock/cheerleader stereotypes?

I am having fun attending all these high school games. I'm also finding I enjoy watching football at the high school level.

Tired

I have a post brewing, but at the moment I am tuckered out. The Musician is in marching band and had Band Camp this week, so I drove her to and from the high school twice a day, in addition to dropping off and picking up my husband at the bus stop. Then there was an Ice Cream Social for the band tonight, in addition to getting all the parents to sign up for stuff.

We're seriously getting into that time of our lives when we're going to spend our time driving our girls around to activities. We may as well enjoy it, because I'm sure it will speed right by. Mr. BTEG is already working concessions at the high school football game next week. Let the fun begin!

Books, Books, Books!

Mr. BTEG wanted to stop at the bookstore while we were out today to look for a particular book. The bookstore we visited had many books on sale, and they were also buy two, get the third free. We needed no further prompting to add some books to our home library. One of the books I picked up was Crocheting for Dummies. I would like to try to learn how to crochet at some point, and an extra reference book is always useful. We also picked up an American Girl Mystery Puzzles set. There are four puzzles, and you put the puzzles together to solve the mystery. The Dancer and I are looking forward to trying this out. Perhaps the Equestrienne will join us.

Our main purpose for going out was to get dance clothes and dance shoes for the Dancer. She needed new ballet slippers, new jazz shoes and some new dance wear. That stuff really adds up, but fortunately she doesn't need it all that often. She *really* loves dancing, though, so it's worth whatever we can do to help her.

Deja Vu, Sort Of

So, the four of us are sitting at the card table playing Settlers of Catan, when the pizza arrives, and we whip out plastic plates and paper towels, and I quip, "Why do I feel like we're in college?" Only I was never part of the gaming crowd in college. I did eat lots of pizza, though.

It's touching to me how you can keep being part of people's lives long after you are gone. The board game we played was inherited from a friend who's been dead just over two years. We just played the game at someone else's house, so we opened up his copy that's been in our garage. I bet he would have loved playing with us. Maybe we will play together someday.

Yo Ho Yo Ho

Last night we had family game time playing Pirates of the Spanish Main. The basic idea is sending your little ships around to islands to pick up gold, and attacking the ships of your opponents. Since there are literally hundreds of ships, however, part of the game is in the strategy. Ships can be bigger and better at warfare, but slow, or smaller and better at zipping around to islands picking up gold, but easily destroyed in battle. Also, crew can add features to the ship, but take up cargo space. And each fleet can only be 40 points (or 45 if you add a limit ransom character). It can be fun, but very time-consuming.

Seasonal Fun

I bought a little game on ebay for my youngest daughter, who loves bunnies, and we played it for the first time today. It's made by Playmobil, it came from Germany, and it is all in German, so it was fun and educational at the same time! It's called Wettlauf um die Möhren, or Race to the Carrots. See, the bunnies have escaped their hutch and they're trying to get to the field of carrots. But if you land on a circle with the picture of the farmer, or Bauer, you get stuck with the farmer figure, and you can't get into the carrot patch if you have the farmer figure.

We christened him Jack Bauer. I wonder what he's gonna do with that pitchfork. :)

Then there was a rousing game of bunny Jenga.

Pizza and Cards

We invited the Pistol Packin' Presbytera to our home this evening, since her husband Chaplain to the World is in St. Louis. We had a make-your-own pizza night, so everyone could have their pizza the way they like it. The Presbytera made hers in the shape of a heart, because she misses her husband. Aw!

Now the four of them are playing the card game Zigity.

More LEGO

Since we're on the subject of LEGO(R), I thought I'd share one of my own little creations, a one-of-a-kind mini-fig. Does anyone remember the series of tie-in commercials with the first Star Wars "prequel" that featured Col. Sanders, the Taco Bell chihuahua and the Pizza Hut girl flying off in Col. Sanders' white car to save the universe? Well, my husband once created these characters as mini-figs for his Brikwars army for a campaign. We wiped a mini-fig clean with rubbing alcohol, and I painted it to resemble the Col. What do you think?

He had the abilities of a Jedi according to the Brikwars rules. Although unfortunately none of the Trio survived the battle, it was really fun. Here's a synopsis from the official Brikwars page featuring battles by the Buckeye LEGO(R) Owner's Club: The interstellar war of two starfaring civilizations is interrupted by the interference of hallucinating civil-war reenactors and an SCA rennaissance fair gone wrong. All vie to discover and make off with a mysterious crystal of unimaginable power, which is defended by the super-powered Colonel Sanders, Taco Bell Chihuahua, and Pizza Hut Girl.

Good times, good times.

By the way, apparently we weren't the only ones to have this sort of idea.