tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131254072024-03-07T04:03:28.913-05:00iPont Shuffle - Life is RandomThese are some photographs that tickle my fancy. I didn't even know I had a fancy until recently...iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-21466237099290270772012-04-11T22:55:00.000-04:002012-04-11T22:55:01.224-04:00The Summer Series Begins with Marshmallows<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/135.jpg" /><br />
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I know that it has been a while since I posted a picture, so hopefully, saying that I'm
starting a series will inspire me to post more often. Now that the long, hard winter is
over, thoughts can start turning to warmer days and outdoor activities.<br />
<br />
The first barbecue of the season isn't actually official until you have the first toasted marshmallow of the season.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Location: Outer Banks, North Carolina</i></span><br />
<br />iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com01340 Duck Rd, Duck, NC 27949, USA36.191905938210134 -75.76125741004943836.191104938210131 -75.762491410049435 36.192706938210137 -75.760023410049442tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-6697853349025206782011-11-05T11:31:00.000-04:002011-11-05T11:31:45.109-04:00The Scariest Pumpkin of All<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/134.jpg" /><br />
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This Magical Pumpkin fills me with dread. Whenever I see it, my wallet gets lighter.<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">
<i>Location: Magic Kingdom, Orlando, FL</i></span><br />iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Liberty Square, Orlando, FL 32836, USA28.4199492 -81.582948428.412966700000002 -81.592818900000012 28.4269317 -81.5730779tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-3039350222178402202011-08-09T02:24:00.000-04:002011-08-09T02:24:07.600-04:00Okay, I lied<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/133.jpg" /><br />
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So way back <a href="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/2005/05/family_24.html" target="_blank">here</a>, I said that I probably wouldn't appear in any of the pictures
in this blog after that first one. So I lied. This is my third triumphant appearance,
labeled with my trusty sparkler in case there was any question about my identity.<br />
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Yeah yeah, I know. This would have been a good post for Father's Day and I'm about two months late. Sorry, but inspiration runs on its own schedule. <br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i></span><br />
<br />iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-27172625242768296452011-07-23T10:30:00.002-04:002011-07-23T10:30:01.803-04:00What Just Happened?<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/132.jpg" /><br />
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Let's play a game and imagine what happened about 8 seconds before this picture was taken. Almost everyone can play because almost everyone has a picture like this. Well, anyone who has a sibling does.<br />
<br />
The obvious possibilities:<br />
<ul><li>The older brother stepped on the younger brother's toe.</li>
<li>The older brother threw the younger brother's favorite rock into the water.</li>
<li>The older brother said the younger brother's shirt was ugly.</li>
<li>The older brother said that if the younger brother smiled, it would break Daddy's camera lens.</li>
</ul>Boy is the older brother going to be sorry when the younger brother turns out to be bigger than he is. And takes up wrestling. And gets all of the girlfriends. <br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br />
<i>Location: Duck, NC</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com01344 Duck Rd, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949, USA36.191516298442771 -75.76268434524536136.190715298442768 -75.763918345245358 36.192317298442774 -75.761450345245365tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-47563677207121161692011-07-20T02:12:00.001-04:002011-07-20T02:35:56.082-04:00The Shuttle Program Ends<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/131.jpg" /><br />
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It's funny how you have no idea of the scale of some things. The Space Shuttles fall into this category. You know intellectually that a rocket is a pretty big thing, but you don't really appreciate the size until you stand next to one.<br />
<br />
Douglas Adams (of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy" target="_blank">The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</a> fame) said it best:<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: inherit;">Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.</blockquote><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Location: U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville, AL</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com05 Tranquility Base, Huntsville, AL 35808, USA34.710683854459994 -86.65236711502075234.709052354459992 -86.654834615020746 34.712315354459996 -86.649899615020757tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-9016533381983340672011-01-09T23:38:00.000-05:002011-01-09T23:38:43.813-05:00Name That Flower<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/130.jpg" /><br />
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I generally don't know my hydrangia from my hyacinth. I see a pretty flower, take a picture of it, and the story usually ends there. But some people can look at a flower and rattle off multiple syllables in Latin, so I got curious. It only took me about twenty minutes of surfing the Internets to find out that this flower is a Hibiscus. This discovery was not accompanied by any great feeling of accomplishment, so my next flower picture will be described as "pretty [insert color here] flower".<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br />
<i>Location: Port St. Lucie, FL</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Port St Lucie, FL, USA27.24402312508586 -80.31186103820800827.241638625085859 -80.315509038208 27.246407625085862 -80.308213038208009tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-54016995589479177102010-12-28T00:27:00.000-05:002010-12-28T00:27:00.624-05:00That's No Moon...<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/129.jpg" /><br />
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Oh wait, that <i>is</i> the moon. Sorry. Too much Star Wars on the brain.<br />
<br />
Watch the first two <a href="http://www.adultswim.com/shows/robot-chicken/extras/starwars/episode-iii/index.html" target="_blank">Robot Chicken Star Wars</a> episodes online while they last.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br />
<i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Punta Cana, Dominican Republic18.5333333 -68.366666718.2078188 -68.8335857 18.8588478 -67.899747699999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-42697912546797267652010-12-08T22:16:00.000-05:002010-12-08T22:16:13.529-05:00Medium-Rare, I Said!<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/128.jpg" /> <br />
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One of the joys of parenthood is that if you don't screw things up too badly in the early years, you can eventually start handing over some of your chores. Don't really care for mowing the lawn? There is probably an 11-year-old who will be happy to do it. And if that 11-year-old happens to live in your house, you just hired yourself a free landscaping service. The same goes for grilling up some burgers, taking out the garbage, washing the windows, and cleaning the gutters. Now I finally understand why my parents never kicked me out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> <i>Location: Duck, NC</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com1Duck, NC, USA36.19519615226816 -75.76167583465576236.186537652268157 -75.776266834655758 36.203854652268163 -75.747084834655766tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-30695382921781354512010-06-14T23:22:00.000-04:002010-06-14T23:22:00.527-04:00Not So Amusing<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/127.jpg" /><br />
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Like every kid, I loved amusement parks when I was little. They used to be all over the place -- Adventurer's Inn in Flushing, Rockaway Playland, Rye Playland. Well, Adventurer's Inn got condemned and Rockaway Playland closed. I guess I'm old now because I can't even watch my kids on a "spinny" ride without feeling a little queasy. So now I have to find other things to occupy myself while the kids are off having fun. When did amusement parks stop being amusing?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> <i>Location: Metro NY Balloon & Music Festival, Brookhaven, NY</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com1Brookhaven, NY40.821673240474666 -72.87041473144240.789197240474664 -72.928779731441992 40.854149240474669 -72.812049731442tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-88452065780676683912010-05-24T23:32:00.000-04:002010-05-24T23:32:41.254-04:00Following Directions<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/126.jpg" /><br />
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Usually, I can "direct" until I'm blue in the face, but the children will go along doing what they're doing, happily ignoring me. Once in a while, though, when the planets are aligned just so, they will both cooperate. Maybe they're just taking pity on the old man. That's okay -- beggars can't be choosers.<br />
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<i>Stand like this. Move your head a little more towards your brother. Stop fidgeting. Smile more. Nope, too much. Now pretend you like each other.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"> <i><br />
</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Punta Cana, Dominican Republic18.5333333 -68.366666718.2078188 -68.8335857 18.8588478 -67.899747699999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-43048883966291936982010-04-22T23:58:00.000-04:002010-04-22T23:58:01.068-04:00Splash<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/125.jpg" /><br />
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Now I understand the allure of a beach house. It makes it very convenient to spend all of your time at the beach. There are two things that I can sit and watch for hours -- a roaring fire and the surf in the ocean. Ah, the best of both worlds -- a bonfire at the beach.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"> <i>Location: Outer Banks, North Carolina</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Duck, NC, USA36.1934136815147 -75.75512301918024636.1928726815147 -75.756035019180246 36.1939546815147 -75.754211019180246tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-9333287139792252612010-01-08T00:57:00.002-05:002010-04-23T00:07:12.607-04:00Let Sleeping Tigers Lie<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/124.jpg" /><br />
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Not lay. You would never say, "Let sleeping tigers lay". Well, you might say that, but you would be grammatically incorrect. "Lay" is a verb meaning "to put". You can lay a blanket on a bed. You can lay a section of pipe. You can even lay your hands on someone. But you cannot lay down. "Lay" doesn't work that way, irregardless<b><sup>*</sup></b> of what you were taught.<br />
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In the spirit of completeness, I should mention that "lay" is also the past tense of the verb "to lie", so it is correct to say, "He lay down yesterday", but that just makes things more complicated. Who designed this language anyway?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 78%;"><b><sup>*</sup></b>I meant to do that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br />
<i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0Dominican Republic18.531896297858445 -68.36371922485341215.928684297858446 -72.099070724853419 21.135108297858444 -64.6283677248534tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-78183057303605064252009-12-03T21:25:00.003-05:002009-12-03T21:35:32.112-05:00Location, location, location<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/123.jpg" /><br /><br />Sometimes it's the food that makes a great dinner. Somestimes it's the wine. Sometimes it's the company. And sometimes, it's just where you happen to be that makes it memorable. With this kind of view, you could serve pretty much anything and I would probably remember it fondly.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-13980388490784355312009-11-09T23:35:00.001-05:002009-11-09T23:37:29.563-05:00Cockroaches Are Not Cute<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/122.jpg" /><br /><br />This is a picture of an eight-year-old boy holding a cockroach -- A Huge Frickin' Cockroach. (That sounds even better if you say it with a Scottish accent, but then again, what doesn't?) I was eight years old once, many moons ago, and I don't remember a time then or now when I would have held a huge <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_hissing_cockroach" target="_blank">Madagascar hissing cockroach</a> in my hand. Not long ago, I would have freaked out just knowing these things existed, and there's my son calmly holding one in his hand looking like he wants to pet it. If I weren't so grossed out by the possibility of splatter, I would have stepped on the damn thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: New York City, NY</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-15296797761278260322009-07-27T00:46:00.002-04:002009-07-27T00:55:26.904-04:00Meeting John Glenn<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/121.jpg" /><br /><br />This week was the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing (for those of you who<br />believe that that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Moon_landing_hoax_conspiracy_theories" target="_blank">actually happened</a>). This week, we also celebrated the 88th birthday of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn" target="_blank">John Glenn</a>, the first American to orbit the Earth (some 7 years before Neil Armstrong blasted off).<br /><br />I had the honor of meeting Senator Glenn at the <a href="http://www.nasm.si.edu/" target="_blank">Smithsonian Air and Space Museum</a>. He turned out to be one of the most gracious people I've ever met (and sharp as a tack, too). In this picture, he is pointing out a few interesting details of his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_6" target="_blank">Friendship 7</a> capsule to my 10-year-old son. This was an immensely cool situation that I hope my son can appreciate when he gets older.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Washington, DC</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-27445268313770429812009-06-21T23:27:00.002-04:002009-06-21T23:31:58.983-04:00Types of Drunks<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/120.jpg" /><br /><br />Working in bars for the last umpteen years, I've run into my share of drunks and they tend to fall into a few categories. There are the happy drunks, the mean drunks, the obnoxious drunks, and the show-off drunks. There are the drunks who actually get better at pool, darts, and foosball the more they drink. There are the drunks who <i>think</i> that they sing or play guitar better the more they drink, despite the painful reality.<br /><br />And then, there are the drunks that just quietly fall asleep at the table and wait for someone to carry them home.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-10262184954959351932009-04-12T11:53:00.001-04:002009-04-12T11:55:17.475-04:00This is My Backyard<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/119.jpg" /><br /><br />Well, no it's not. But I'm planning for the future. I've heard that your own personal island can be purchased for a modest price. One day, I would like to get out of bed, look out my kitchen window and see this. And then I would wonder who the nice man is who is sitting under my umbrella. Smithers, release the hounds.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-40150588379717852412009-03-02T21:35:00.001-05:002009-03-02T21:46:59.567-05:00Those Bleeping Games<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/118.jpg" /><br /><br />No, I wasn't censoring myself. If you look closely, you will notice that there is not an electronic gizmo in sight. Here we see a boy having fun with a game that has no batteries (Etch-a-Sketch to be exact). I won't mention that two minutes after this picture was taken, he was playing a Wii game with one hand, logging into his Webkinz account with the other, and listening to an iPod. Let's just enjoy the moment.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i></i><i><br /></i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-43864453769046781392009-01-30T00:36:00.002-05:002009-01-30T00:45:09.069-05:00So Happy Together<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/117.jpg" /><br /><br />Remember those carefree days down at the soda shop when you could share a malted and some licorice whips with your best girl? No, me either. When my time came around, it was arcade games and pizza. For my kids, it will probably be something completely different. That's if they can fit girls somewhere between appointments at baseball, soccer, lacrosse, band, and taekwondo.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-33051610289791976502009-01-06T22:33:00.001-05:002009-01-06T22:35:25.634-05:00Sometimes, you just have to say...<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/116.jpg" /><br /><br />Okay, okay. The name of this city is actually pronounced "Poo-KET", but don't tell me you weren't thinking something else for a very brief moment.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Punta Cana, Dominican Republic</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-69786701065211692002008-12-21T20:42:00.003-05:002008-12-21T20:45:45.308-05:00Oh Christmas Tree<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/115.jpg" /><br /><br />Some people have normal Christmas trees with tinsel and glass balls. My tree is covered in Star Wars and Disney paraphernalia. And a good number of the ornaments light up and/or make noise. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Charlie_Brown_Christmas" target="_blank">Lucy was right</a> -- "We all know that Christmas is a big commercial racket. It's run by a big eastern syndicate, you know."iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-78329846318532781432008-12-14T22:26:00.002-05:002008-12-14T22:28:36.427-05:00Two of a Kind<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/114.jpg" /><br /><br />They say that after a while, married couples start to look alike.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Oyster Bay, NY</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-32666289149471179912008-11-05T19:57:00.001-05:002008-11-05T19:59:16.832-05:00Okay, So I'm Competitive<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/113.jpg" /><br /><br />A nice Pennsylvania family vacation. You'd think that we could just visit <a href="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/2007/04/chocolate-world.html" target="_blank">Chocolate World</a>, go on a few rides at HersheyPark, and that would be it. But no. We had to stop at the go karts. I can't get into one of these things without doing everything I can to win. It makes me feel a little bit like <a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=dick+dastardly" target="_blank">Dick Dastardly</a>. And look, there's my side-kick, Muttley.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Camera: Nikon D70s</i><br /><i>Location: Hershey, PA</i></span>iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-22785066365883657112008-10-20T12:14:00.003-04:002008-11-05T19:43:10.078-05:00MovingSorry, no wonderful picture or insightful text this time. Just a note to tell you that the iPont Shuffle has moved to a new address.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/">www.ipontshuffle.com</a><br /><br />If you subscribe to the RSS feed, you will have to update that as well.iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13125407.post-70935698809484755872008-10-18T00:05:00.002-04:002008-10-18T00:09:01.969-04:00Thumbs Up<img src="http://www.ipontshuffle.com/Pictures/112.jpg" /><br /><br />These are the secret signs for the big soccer game. I'll translate for those of you who have never watched five-year-olds play soccer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">One thumb up</span>: I'll stay over here looking cute. You act like you're not interested in the game and don't know where the ball is.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Two thumbs up</span>: Okay. Try not to get kicked in the shins.iPonthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12386709367708267312noreply@blogger.com0