Dumbo Octopus

Grimpoteuthis: Dumbo Octopus:

The subject of our younger son’s science report last week. I think there was a Power Point involved.

After five minutes of googling, I gather that there are 13 species within this genus of “pelagic umbrella octopuses” who vary in appearance, but all have the Dumboish fins/ears.

And, yes, apparently it is “Octopuses” and not “Octopi”...a word I have been mispluralizing for my entire life. Octopus is not Latin in origin, but rather Greek. Which would make it “Octopodes” in the plural. But the standard English plural is -“puses”

Or so I just read. 

My son is not terribly interested in this plural debate. 

And he told me I made the Dumbo unrealistically colorful, which is a definite possibility.

Kraken Loves Cthulhu for Valentines Day

Kraken Loves Cthulhu for Valentine’s Day:

Valentine’s Day has been pretty uneventful for us. The day went officially unacknowledged at both kids’ schools. Gone are the days of homemade Valentines for the whole class collected in a decorated shoebox. Both kids and my spouse claim to have little or no interest in chocolate, so not much gratification there either. 

But I couldn’t let the day pass completely without comment. 

We are still on a bit of a tentacle kick around here. Cthulhu mostly, but in a pinch, a Kraken will do. 

My exacting younger son informed me that the Kraken is too octopuslike and not squidy enough. He also suggested that the ultimate Valentine’s Day image would be of two roses exchanging or sniffing a human. Perhaps next year?

And I just want to point out that I have not assumed the gender of either tentacle owner. (My kids have been embroidering the “did you just assume my gender meme” lately. More to come on that later, I am afraid)

View our previous valentines here

OctoPug with School Bus Chew Toy

Hank from Finding Dory Brings Broccoli for Lunch.

In a moment of Holiday Weekend Desperation, we went to see "Finding Dory."

One child was adamantly opposed to seeing the movie for mostly irrational reasons.  The other child, usually philosophically opposed to the viewing of movies in theaters in general (and against leaving the Xbox for any reason) was strongly in favor, mostly because he knew that his brother really didn't want to go.

We did not manage to depart for the local theater until about the time the movie was purportedly supposed to begin, therefore embarking on a 12 minute walk full of recrimination and complaint. Remarkably enough, we made it in time to see the movie start even after large tubs of popcorn and high fructose corn syrup beverages had been purchased. We did miss the previews and the Pixar short. I was sorry about that.

Everyone agreed that the movie was pretty good, and that Hank the octopus was a high point.

Sadly, there was no actual broccoli in this particular lunch. There were strawberries, but I did not think a berry would look as nice with Hank's skin tone.

As I'm sure have already mentioned several times before, our kids are secretly enthusiastic broccoli eaters, but they prefer not to reveal this shameful fact in the public arena of a school or camp lunch.

I am in the process of giving up on packing them lunch items that I think they should eat in the mostly vain hope that they might eat them...even though I am pretty sure that they won't eat them. As one son is thirteen now and his nine year old brother seems to be an honorary adolescent just by association, pretty much whatever I am pushing is a lost cause just because I am pushing it.

At this point, I have begun to fear that too much broccoli in the lunch will drive them to a lifetime of nothing but cheesecake and salt and vinegar potato chips just to spite me.

Octobear Meets Sharktopus

 My kids have not seen "Sharknado."  Can you believe it?

"Mom! Come on!  A man cuts a flying shark in half with a chainsaw!"  How could we possibly resist that?

I admit I definitely have a different standard for movies than for graphic novels.  I have read a great many age-inappropriate things to the kids.  (if it is a book, it must be just a little bit good for them, right?)  We even read Ethan Nicolle's definitely adult-oriented "Bearmageddon" featuring the above "Octobear." 

Brief exposure to even the most ridiculous movie imagery, however, can easily result in a child who is afraid to walk his full bladder  across a darkened bedroom to use the bathroom because alien face-huggers or land sharks could be lurking in the Lego box.  Perhaps we will hold off for a bit longer on "Sharknado" and its very tempting close relative "Sharktopus." 

But the creatures are funny enough for napkins.

Octobear

Last night, Archer came across an image of a Bearmageddon style Octobear in the sketch pages in the back  of the most recent Axe Cop book,  reminding him and Ansel how much they like Ethan Nicolle's other web comic "Bearmageddon."  Full of blood, dismemberment, profanity and pot jokes, even after I have edited it for lower school consumption, it is still age inappropriate...Much to my kids' delight of course.

I tried to cute up the Octobear idea for today's napkin, but Ansel was definitely not impressed.