In case you were wondering, her original goal expressed to members of the Rotary Club who sponsored her, was 15 miles. She set that because the coolest prize is given to kids who walk that far.

The WAT is an interesting study in family and school psychology. First of all, the pressure is clearly on for everyone to participate. A day does not pass when we do not receive something in our “school-home folder” about the event, although it’s always a very pleasant reminder. Judged by the number of times it’s been mentioned, the most compelling argument in favor of full participation seems to be that “we do all of our fundraising early in October, and then we’re done for the year!” Last year, the WAT raised over $100,000. Impressive. Oh yeah, the money goes for a worthy cause, too.

The children are also exposed to some extensive brainwashing … I mean propaganda … I mean marketing. Anyway, there have been at least two “rally assemblies” so far, and the WAT has been a major agenda item. As mentioned in an earlier post, Jocelyn wanted to walk 15 miles because she’ll get the best prize. Clearly the logic appeals to 5-year-old, but how do you get her to internalize the loftier goal of raising more money for her school?

We’re also working on getting her to do all of the asking, rather than relying on parents to do it. At this point, if Jocelyn could type, I’d encourage her to invite readers to make a fixed pledge within their means. Be prepared for a phone call. You can pledge per mile, if you want to. Maybe she’ll walk 15. Who knows?

… or WAT, for those in the know ….

In preparation for the massive annual school fund-raiser, scheduled for October 9, Jocelyn actually suggested a practice walk through our neighborhood today. So, we decided to walk to lunch on Lincoln Avenue after school, and then walk home. That’s a first leg of 1.5 miles, followed by the 1.0 mile leg home. Jocelyn walked about 1.4 miles with no problem … but as soon as the end was in sight, she needed to rest. She also immediately downgraded her original goal to something like “maybe five miles.”

The walk home was a breeze after refueling with PB&J and a cookie.

So, tonight we had shrimp for dinner.

(Don’t worry, this Blog is not turning into a daily dietary recap of our family life. Although it might turn into a vivid discussion of poop for a few months.)

Jocelyn had asked to try shrimp because she saw Sagwa eating it on TV. Unfortunately, we bought small shrimp meat, figuring we’d start small and get bigger. Surprisingly, the small shrimp wasn’t quite what she had in mind. Who knew Sagwa eats the big guys? Upon rejecting the little shrimp meat, she noted, “You mean we’re eating newborn baby shrimp?”

Well, I don’t know. Were we?

Tonight, I treated Jocelyn to a dinner at Wienerschnitzel (which, by the way, was called “der Wienerschnitzel” when I was younger … maybe), America’s largest hot dog chain. It was not our first time there, not even our first time with Felicia. We go often when Mommy is out for her own evening appointments (usually a haircut, or a hairstyle … maybe).

It was quite crowded actually. We had a nice dinner, plus I got to have chili dog. And chili fries. And a chilicheeseburger. And a Diet Coke, of course. About half-way through the meal, Jocelyn ignores what I think is a reasonably diverse crowd, and says, “Look, Daddy … lots of kids are here with their dads.”

As a mea culpa, I must strongly assert that I am fully capable in the kitchen, and choose the fast-food-hot-dog route solely because it pleases my daughter. And I’m sure all of the other dads eating dogs this evening would echo my sentiments!

We do not have official parental visual confirmation of the actual activity, but one of the following is true:

1) Felicia can now move from her lying on the floor position into a full, upright seated position all by herself.

2) Her sister helped her (and then denied it), thus preparing herself for a lifetime of being a willing accomplice.

I get asked all of the time to try to explain what Karen does for a living.
Since I’m not very good at describing her daily duties, I’ll let today’s San
Jose Mercury News at least explain one of the products her company makes.
She works for Crossbow, which is mentioned in the Smart Dust article. ….

We took another loss today, 2-1. Suddenly we have an offensive scoring problem, and no idea how to fix it. We’re demon shooters in practice (versus our own teammates), but we get all timid when faced with the prospect of kicking the ball against a member of the other team. For the moment, I’ll chalk it up to good sportsmanship.

Apparently, teeth are yellow. Not white.

We were discussing tongue and teeth colors around the dinner table, and Jocelyn said that teeth are definitely yellow. Karen mentioned that teeth are usually white, and got what she deserved: “Your teeth are yellow, Mommy.”