The Princess
I am a serious addict. I have that sort of disorder-filled personality, as you can plainly tell from my goofy doll-collecting posts. But a serious addiction I don’t apologize for is my addiction to talking to my kids. Seriously, they are funny-funny and interesting people. If you don’t talk to your kids, then you are seriously missing out on the benefits of this very powerful drug.
My number two son, Henry, was telling me the other day that one time in class the History teacher caught him daydreaming and staring at a Mercator Map of the World.
“What are you staring so intently at that map for, Henry?” the teacher asked.
“Just planning world domination,” Henry answered.
The rest of the class laughed at that, including the teacher, but my number two son does, in fact, think constantly about how the world could be ruled better. He likes arcologies which are Paolo Saleri’s concept of fusing architecture in cities with the natural environment. Here is one of the sites he studies and makes drawings from; https://arcosanti.org/theory/arcology/main.html
The first time I heard about the Arcosanti thing… ever… was when Henry asked my opinion about Arcosanti and whether he could make a lot of money designing arcologies.
“What?” I asked. A half hour of intensive and detailed explanation later I said, “Oh.”
The Princess, his younger sister, is more intent on being an artist. Perhaps inspired by me, or perhaps by genetic abnormality, she is determined to make her fortune as an animator. Specifically she wants to create Japanese-anime-style science fiction movies about the future. She showed me her latest drawing just yesterday.
“That is very good, Princess,” I said. “But why are the boy’s gloves on fire? And why is he still wearing them?”
“Daaaad! Those aren’t gloves. Those are his hands!”
“Oh, sorry. My bad. So, why are his hands on fire?”
“He’s using his special magical-fire-power thing to throw fireballs.”
“Oh, that explains it. It’s a Goku thing?”
“Daaaad! Dragonball Z is lame. This is a science fiction story about Project Phoenix Rangers defending their moon base from evil dragon-aliens.”
“Oh. That’s nice.”
So I enjoy talking to my kids. I learn new stuff about You-Tube comedy videos, Minecraft, and Gamer-gate… you know, things that really matter in life.
“Dad?” asked Henry suddenly, “What’s your opinion of the use of tactical chickens in warfare?”
“Tactical chickens?”
Tactical chickens?
“Yes, if we intensify their raptor genes and teach them to carry explosive devices and lasers into battle… you know chickens and turkeys are descended from tyrannosaurs. Robert Bakker the paleontologist says that bird-hipped dinosaurs evolved into birds. He says tyrannosaurs are closer to turkeys than they are to crocodiles.”
“So, you want to revolutionize warfare with exploding chickens?” I asked.
“Tactical exploding chickens. Or maybe strategic is a better word. Cause they could also hunt down enemy soldiers and eat them, or lead laser-guided bombs to the enemies’ headquarters.”
Where else in this old word can you listen to creative ideas and innovations like that? Where else indeed? And it appeals to me because I tend to think like that too. I’m goofy like that.
Catch a Falling Star 