That D@!* Musical Swing (Punisher Version)

Like many new parents, we use a battery-powered swing to help the Unknown Baby Boy fall asleep for his naps. Our model comes with a musical option that plays an assortment of tunes. They range from "Ode to Joy" to some pretty irritating, calliope-sounding music that could be easily be heard at the circus. But one song in particular makes me smile every time I hear it.

The Unknown Wife asked why, so I showed her this clip (I just linked it because embedding was disabled for this clip). Caution - turn the sound down, because it cuts to a pretty loud, discordant piece near the end.

The Unknown Wife said she'll never hear that tune again without seeing this clip in her mind's eye.

Mission accomplished - my work here is done.

Update on The Unknown Son

So far, Unknown Son is recovering nicely from his surgery on Monday. It looks like he'll be getting his chest drainige tube out today. That means the only tube left in will be the IV that gives him fluids,

Last night he ate two small pancakes with peanut butter (a taste he got from his DaD), he even took a couple of short walks (about 50 feet). Today, we'll go for as many walks as he can handle.

In the meanwhile, there are always videos. For now, it's the Muppet Movie. What can I say - I believe in a classical education.

It'll still be a couple of days before he gets discharged, but for now - Wocka Wocka Wocka.

Updated 1:30 -- he just got the chest drainage tube out, and they've capped his IV (it was only giving a minimal amount of fluid, anyway). So, he might conceivably be home tomorrow. But we'll see.

Best of Jackie Chan Fight Scenes

I'm a big fan of martial arts films. And in that genre, no one does it better than Jackie Chan. Here's a compilation someone put together of what they rate as the top ten fight scenes from his movies.


HT: Marginal Revolution

And in case you want more, here's the same fan's compilation of Jackie Chan's top ten stunts:


Enough goofing off - back to work.

The Pursuit of Happyness

At the Unknown Household we've been enjoying our subscription to Blockbuster's DVD-by-mail service. Last night we saw The Pursuit of Happyness (appropriately enough, what with today being the 4th of July). I'd rate it the best movie I've seen in the past year, and one of the top ten on my all time favorites. The themes of the movie really hit home - it's a classic Horation Alger story. I always like movies about "stand-up" guys, and Wil Smith did a phenomenal job in portraying a man who rolled the dice with everything he had to work towards a better life. And the character he played (the real-life Chris Gardner), was determined to be there for his son even through it all.

I'd definitely recommend it - it's a good pick for the whole family, and the lessons it shows are worth repeating to any children in the vicinity.