I had the chance this past weekend to take Nathan to the Gruffalo’s child. It was at The Grand Theatre and put on by Tall Stories. The city also had a table setup to make crafts. In typical Nathan style, he made 2 puppets. The kid loves doing arts and crafts.

 

We waited for the show to start and one of the things that impressed me most was about five minutes before the show started the mouse, who is one of the main character’s in the show, comes out and starts working the crowd asking for cheese. The reason this impressed me is as one who has done a fair number of IT presentations over the years, meeting the crowd beforehand gives a good feel to gauge your audience.

The show started shortly after and I will say it was very well done. The person playing the Gruffalo also plays the part of the Snake, Owl and Fox and he did a great job mixing it up. All the actors were very good and I caught the lady playing the mouse smiling from ear to ear as she rested along side the stage waiting for her next part in the play. You could tell she was enjoying performing the show. There was a joke or two that maybe only the adults would have picked up but this show did a great job of entertaining all ages. I see they are moving on to the United States now but if you do get the chance go see a show, do it as I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

 

Pictures of the Gruffalo’s Child play are courtesy of Tall Stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay, so Windows 7 was released on TechNet and MSDN on August 6th but I was too busy to notice; Tracey was into day 4 of being induced with our first child. Yes I said that right, Day 4! Tracey had to be induced so we were 4 days trying to get her into labour. Long story short, my son Nathan was born at 10:34pm on August 6th.

You probably have noticed I haven’t posted in a bit even with all the good stuff going on in my life, (new house, baby) I haven’t had much time to devote to the blog. Now that things are settling down a little bit, I hope to be able to start posting some more.

My girlfriend’s boss sent this home with Tracey today to give to me. Many years ago, Tracey gave this to her boss and so the favour is returned. I think its a pretty accurate test actually from what I have seen from my nieces and nephews. I’ve been joking with Brad on MSN that I will need to be learning the DDT (Diaper Deployment Toolkit)  Anyways, I hope you find this as good as I did.

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Mess Test

Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

Toy Test

Obtain a 55 gallon box of Lego’s (you may substitute roofing tacks if you wish). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold and take off shoes. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream because this would wake a child at night.

Grocery Store Test

Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

Dressing Test

Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside.

Feeding Test

Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Night Test

Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 3:00pm, begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00pm. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00pm. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00am. Set alarm for 5:00am. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

Ingenuity Test

Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube and turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Use only scotch tape and a piece of foil. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty box of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Automobile Test

Forget the BMW and buy a station wagon. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Stick it into the CD player. Take a family-size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a rake along both side of the car. There, perfect!

Physical Test (Women)

Obtain a large bean bag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Then remove 10 of the beans. And try not to notice your closet full of clothes. You won’t be wearing them for a while.

Physical Test (Men)

Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheque to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

Final Assignment

Find a couple who already has a small child. Proceed to lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, and toilet training and child’s table manners. Suggest many, many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.