coming soon to Bejing

I have my favorite new word since "Burpday" was recently retired. (In December 2002, at her birthday, my sister said that I should enjoy Pook's word since it would probably not last. Turning seven last week was the first time it wasn't a Burpday.)

Bug woke up excited and eager to go to school. Today is his last day of class, class party and a "Mini Field Day". However, that title just wasn't up to Bugs standards. He likes things B I G. And so he has declared it to be the "Aklympics" instead. I suppose since he does live in "Aklanta" that this is quite appropriate.

He found a shirt with a number on it. (Perhaps so the tv commentators could identify him?) It was important. Then some fast shorts. "Are these tall socks fast?" He settled on short socks. "Do I have to wear my regular shoes?" (I could tell he really wanted to wear cleats but knew better.) The answer was yes, regular shoes.

After breakfast I got into the shower. He was hanging out in the bathroom with me. Suddenly, "I need an Aklympic flag!" Well, go make one dude. He runs out, returning when I was drying off, holding a light green flag, cut from rectangular paper into a rectangle (these things are always important) and decorated with green stripes and some adorable orange stars that looked like suns. After negotiating my way out of sending the handle of my Swiffer to school, I helped him tape his flag onto a dowel flagpole. He waved it around and started humming. I asked if he had Aklympic music too. "No, but I can write some!" He ran off.

He came back, beaming with excitement, holding a paper I must, must, must scan if I can get it back. It looked a bit like this:

//.///././////.//.././//

ADK/IO/DA/MOM

"What does it sound like?!" I hummed an Olympic theme. The scowl led me to believe I had read the music wrong. (Reading this type of music is not my forte and I've been in this bind before. It is similar to the "oijt What does that spell?" phase. I recognize the trap.) "Just read the letters," he says with impatience. I tried the tune of my Olympic theme again with letters: "A D K IO...." The telltale signs of a meltdown were showing around the edges. Maybe, just maybe he'd hum it for me. Otherwise I was in trouble. "Bug, can you hum the music that was in your head while you were composing this?" Thank goodness he agreed. Great tune he picked for the Aklympics too: What can you do with a drunken sailor? I hummed along. He was happy. He packed his flag and music to take to class.

I'm bringing the drinks to the Aklympics today. I'm sticking with juice boxes because I worry about having drunken sailors participating in Aklympic sports. Could be messy.