Category Archives: Family Stuff

Stuff that’s good to do with your family.

Meet Ellie

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Say hello to our new family member, Ellie. She’s a German Shepherd almost 2 years old.  We were lucky enough to rescue Ellie through Serendipity GSD Rescue, a very well run rescue service that was able to match us with a family that was forced to give her up to move close to an ailing family member.

We’ve spent the weekend with Ellie and she has absolutely melted our hearts with her intelligence, warmth, and playfullness.  My daughters have now met their match in energy levels.

Erin petting Ellie while we watch Mary Kate play baseball

In our search to rescue a dog I found that there are any number of rescue services for each breed you’re interested in most major cities.  Check the APDA.org website for the officially sanctioned rescue services but most will register their pets with either AdoptaPet.com or Petfinder.com (as will your local Humane Society).

Update:  Here’s IO9’s top ten list of Greatest Superhero Dogs for your enjoyment!

Gaming With Your Kids

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Over at NewbieDM.com they have a review of an interesting RPG game called rpgKids developed for parents to play with their kids.  It’s only 2.99 over at RPGnow.com so it’s at least worth a shot. Dads familiar with DM’ing may pass on this kit and develop their own from scratch just as easily but for someone like me who always preferred a character role it looks like a lot of fun.

Early May Roundup

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Lots of great stuff out there that deserves an honorable mention rounded up from the first few weeks in May:

  • In music we have news from Ars about the Library of Congress’s new National Jukebox and also the announcement of yet another collection of Pink Floyd music I will be forced to purchase (can’t wait for Wish You Were Here in 5.1).
  • In Chicago media news Alton Brown has called an end to ‘Good Eats’ to work on a new project.  The tv series The Chicago Code has been cancelled much to the chagrin of the wife and I.
  • In science fiction and fantasy news the 2011 Hugo finalists have been announced.  Here are some very cool (ok, epic) science fiction artists and some of there latest work.  Also, LOTR/Weta fans may want to act fast to get their own signed print of ‘Disturber of the Peace.’
  • From the LOL files, we have a special book for frustrated parents, Go the Fuck to Sleep, and even though I’m not a Red Wings fan, this video of a Red Wings assistant coach owning a Sharks fan deserves a standing golf clap.
  • And last but not least from the Shit Just Got Real file, sitting down is killing you, here’s how to track how much bandwidth you’re using now that AT&T is metering your internet (log in using your ATT credentials).  And if you haven’t read and been enraged yet by the financial mess this country is in, the most recent article by Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone, The People vs. Goldman Sachs, is a great place to start and a must read.

A Dungeons and Dragons Park for Your (inner) Child

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Yes, you read that right. Hang your fuzzy 20 sided die on the rearview, throw your nerf foam swords in the trunk, and if you have them, don’t forget the kids and start your adventure to the D&D park in Carbondale, IL, properly called Jeremy “Boo” Rochman Memorial Park. From the article and pictures I just ran across on CNET, it looks like the perfect place to take your kids and relive the epic D&D campaigns of your youth.