Sure the Mr. Rogers talk gets me all mushy, but then I read Robin's link in Press (and bookmarked) and now I am a big old pile of mush. Cutiehead Jason!

JZ you just made me get all teary at work.

I loved Mr. Rogers, I watched him long after I was too old for the show. My favorite part was the Neighborhood of Make Believe and it always felt special when he'd take out the minatures of the buildings and set them up. He didn't do that often, most of the time time Trolley led us into Make Believe, but I really loved those minatures.

he's reluctant to throw *anything* out, and believe me when I tell you that his place is already more than full of stuff.

Steven has two broken betamax recorders. Need I say more?

It's the sheer *amount* of stuff The Boy has that freaks me out. The attic is well-nigh full. The basement -- ALL OF IT -- is full. The garage is full.

This isn't stuff he *uses,* mind you. It's stuff he brought home at one point or another, thinking "I could DO something with this!" Like, yards and yards of the metal chain mesh thingie that supermarket conveyor belts in the checkout line are built on.

He has an arc welder in his living room. And an egg incubator.

No, SERIOUSLY.

I'm not usually a PB fan, but the recharge station makes me want to steal the idea and make my own for like $4.37

Of course, I'll never actually do this.

Aw. JZ, that story is so typical. ::hugs JZ in mutual Rogerslove::

Totally Random: How cool is it that I am using the Bene Gesserit litany against fear in my class tonight?! I will subvert the mudanes...um, subversively?

Also, I'm listening to QI episodes on youtube while I write the class (because I can't get enough of Alan Davies, god help me please) and I just heard Stephen Fry say 'loomed up' in this great booming voice. Immediately thought of Pete. With whom I've never even had a pixeled conversation...how odd and wonderful the interbunny community is.

Mr. Rogers seems like he was a very nice man. Maybe it's a generational thing - I just didn't get into it. I loved Capt. Kangaroo and of course the Muppet Show. I totally cried when Jim Henson died (I was about 20).

Beej, there's a feature in today's Home section in the Post - the one where they advise people on what to do with a problem room. One of the things suggested is using magnetic chalkboard wall paint (also magnetic chalkboard primer) to paint a room in so that the entire walls can be used for notes, etc. Could be awesome ... or horrible. But they won't get mad if the kids color on the walls (as long as they use chalk).

_I_ need this paint. Having an entire 'notable' room would make my writing life so much easier.

Seriously, I'm going to go get that article. Thanks Todd!

_I_ need this paint.

Yeah, a friend of mine did her kid's room in chalkboard paint and confessed that she fantasized the whole time they lived in that house about kicking him out of that room to take it over as a study.

One of the blogs I follow (sounds like Lifehacker but I'm too lazy to be sure) had a bit the other week about making a 4x8 foot whiteboard out of the stuff they use to line super-cheap shower stalls. This is probably where I got my "hack my own charging station out of home depot materials and duct tape" fantasy, now that I think of it.

Thanks Tom and JZ. I LOVE Mr Rogers and always have. And it seems to run in the family. We don't watch the show regularly but every time Frances comes across his show (yes, they still air it on PBS) she wants to watch. We saw the Koko episode just the other day.

From the land of I'm Too Damned Lazy To Google: Colorado is Mountain time zone, yes?