Secret. » family

Parentis Contrariness

Benjamin Parzybok — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:21:35 +0000

I don’t think it’s curable.

A couple of videos of Darth and I annoying our subordinates.

PDX Writer Interview: Laura Moulton on Bing Lang Girls, pocket mustaches, and looking for the helper

Benjamin Parzybok — Thu, 28 May 2009 21:35:39 +0000

PDX Writer Daily interviews Laura about the Object Permanence project. Cool.

I’m going to head down tomorrow to get some pics, but in the meantime here’s one that PDX Writer took.

I wish I got the Object Mobile as a mobile writing studio after it was finished — it’s pretty…but I believe there’s a line.

Object Permanence – Laura’s website goes live

Benjamin Parzybok — Mon, 18 May 2009 06:35:39 +0000

Update: Fixed the dates.

Laura and I launched the website for her Object Permanence art installation piece that will take place on the Portland State University campus from May 27 – May 29.

It’s a simple site, but I had forgotten how much fun it is to work on a project-based piece rather than a whole website.

The website is here: http://lauramoulton.org Let us know what you think.

Object Permanence is really cool. From Wikipedia’s entry:

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. Without this concept, there is no differentiation between the self and world. Objects would have no separate, permanent existence. This is why Piaget argued that object permanence is one of an infant’s most important accomplishments.

two roosters and my new pin

Benjamin Parzybok — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:48:04 +0000

I’m really liking my new pin — it came in a box of capsule art by Callithump (“Callithump! is a magazine of arts and literature distributed through toy capsule vending machines.”) Totally awesome. We used to do something like that – ah, they even mention us here. At any rate – while it was delivered on the backs of a narcoleptic tortoise, they are definitely deserving of your adulation.

Update: Look you can buy a “Oh my god, what the fuck” pin here:

http://www.callithump.org/page2/page2.html

Also, two roosters we met today, both were grumpy and friendly, all at once.

What kept us sane, day by day

Benjamin Parzybok — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:25:53 +0000

We were completely snow-bound in the biggest snow storm in 60 years, with all four of us sick, two kids and a cat running up the walls, and out-of-town guests snowed away.

So what kept us from re-enacting The Shining?

Laura is a master at To-Do lists. This is a sample from one of those mind-numbing days, which within its objectives contains bits of general advice on how to not spread sickness (cough into your elbow!) and what any of the tykes might have said at the moment (scratch my leg, check!). No item is ever too small for these lists, and items already accomplished are gleefully added so that they maybe be pleasurably crossed off the moment they are noted:

Phew.

2009: Bring it on!

Oh Update: Here’s a pic of one of the insane people I live with. I think it gives a new meaning to the word ‘steampunk’

birthday cake

Benjamin Parzybok — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 17:59:32 +0000

Ben Rosenbaum was talking about birthday cakes (and, err, good and evil). We just had a cake-a-lapooza here ourselves for Coen’s 5th(!) birthday. This is the impressive work of Coen’s grandmother.

This is a definite improvement over last year when we drank a bit too much, stayed up late and tried to recreate busytown.

This year it was a carrot cake (truthfully, we just didn’t tell him – we all wanted a carrot cake and the idea of carrots in a cake still sounds like putting turnips in a milkshake to him).

It seemed to go over well as it was promptly devoured by a horde of small two-legged creatures.

How we used to play video games

Benjamin Parzybok — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 06:38:58 +0000

I taught Coen how to play a game I used to play in elementary school tonight – a sort of sketch war, an interactive drawing where you advance on each others’ base ships using pencil-stroke-powered fighters. I had to help a little, but I think it no exaggeration to say he was ecstatic about it. Here’s a photo of our ongoing game (click for a close-up).

Anyone know the real name for this and/or play this as well?