Random Acts of Posting

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We smiled. We exchanged a knowing glance at each other. We'd been waiting for this day.

Leah and I decided that we were not going to pay our children to do things that are a part of normal, day-to-day, being-a-part-of-a-family things (See: take out the trash, make your bed, pick up dog plops, etc.) Rather, we decided that we would "pay" for our kids to do things that we value and see as important. In Asher's case, we came up with reading books, then reporting back to us. A book report, per se. But I decided to add a touch of Geek Dad, in this case: Books + Reports + Technology (Posterous/Gmail)  = Asher's reading blog, "25 Cents for My Thoughs". For each book he reads and blogs about, he earns 25 cents. His first post, a brief review of Brian Moses' Trouble at the Dinosaur Cafe, is up now. (NOTE: I added an Amazon affiliate link in the post. If anyone clicks on the link in Asher's blog and buys the book, he get's store credit to buy books of his own.)

My hope is that Asher reads himself a library . . .and I go broke, one quarter at a time.

As a kindergartner, I remember parading class to class on October 31st, in a Darth Vadar costume. I had a certain swagger when I rocked that black plastic and vinyl getup. It felt good to be a bad guy, even for an afternoon and evening. Maybe this is the Original Sin theologians talk about, this desire to be a bad guy, even when you know it's not right. Turn thirty or so pages, and sometimes I wear that Vadar costume in my heart. Sometimes, while my kids and I wait in a long line at Target, I want to be a bad guy and tell that fool to shut the Sheol up as he talks loudly (and crudely) on his iPhone. Other times I don't even stop to think about being a bad guy--I just do it. I wish I had gotten all that bad guy out of me on that Halloween parade.

(Thanks to Chadwick Trentham, my Chewbacca, for sharing this video first.)