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Dad Bulletin

Things for dads to know:

*"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" will air on Oct. 22 (ABC) this year. It will air again on Oct. 27 (part of a CB double bill)--!

*If you're making a Halloween costume, felt squares, super glue, and sweat pants are your friends. I was a Kindergarten teacher for a long while: I actually have more to say about felt squares. If you're mass-producing cut-out shapes (and this is basically a big part of what you do, in education), then you want to STAY AWAY FROM THE CIRCLE. A circle is a pain in the ass to cut out. Substitute triangles: They're easier, and they'll give your piece an arty, semi-abstract look. Also, think about negative space. Let's say you're making a flower costume. Instead of cutting out blossom after blossom after blossom, just TRIM THE CORNERS OF YOUR FELT SQUARE. So much quicker and easier. This really is what you learn when you are a teacher (in case you were wondering).

*Children are hypnotized by simple sewing projects. A needle, some thread, and a small grid. It's like PIED PIPER powerful. I so look forward to this. (It's a big part of Montessori education; I also read a work by a Montessori thinker that argued strongly in favor of having all parts of the family home at an early hour. Trim the extracurriculars. Trim the work commitments. Sit in quiet with your family--and do some sewing. Good luck with this.)

*People are saying "Abominable" is a really great movie.

*If you sing "I'm a Little Teapot" while burping your baby, you can sometimes get the burps to sort-of-coincide with the climax of the song. "TIP me over...and pour me out!" And then it's as if the baby *is* the teapot.

Portrait inside my mind....
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