Sandy’s Halloween Trick

Fun, Harry Potter, Holidays, JSL, NHL

Wednesday is Halloween.  However, thanks to Hurricane Sandy, going Trick or Treating is the last thing on many people’s minds.  We knew that Wednesday was likely going to be a washout here.  Of course, if that’s Sandy’s only legacy by us, we’ll count ourselves lucky.

On Sunday, the sky was cloudy, but there was no rain.  It was a perfect time for the boys to a) be outside (something they won’t get to do for the next couple of days) and b) try out their costumes.

Boys In Costumes

JSL had decided he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear.  Unfortunately, all of the Buzz costumes were for little kids and didn’t fit him.  After Buzz, he couldn’t decide on Indiana Jones or Captain America.  In the end, Captain America prevailed.

Captain JSL America

The costume itself was purchased for Halloween, but the mask and shield were items JSL already owned.  (His mask fit better than the costume’s included mask.)

NHL chose Harry Potter, of course.  We’re in the middle of reading the books and he’s in love with the entire series.  When he needed glasses, back in March, he even picked a frame out because it looked like Harry’s.

NHL Potter

NHL loves casting spells with his wand, even if he wasn’t quite character-accurate with the magic he was doing.  Hint: Harry Potter does not tend to use Unforgiveable Curses like Cruciatus or Avada Kedavra.

Potter_Spell

The kids had a blast playing in their costumes.  We don’t know what the next few days will bring.  Hopefully, we’ll escape this hurricane with minimal damage.  At least the boys were able to have some fun before Sandy struck.

Stay Safe In Sandy

Weather

205341W_sm

This weekend was all about preparation.  B did some shopping early Saturday morning to beat any panicked crowds.  When she got home, I vacuumed out the gutters (with JSL’s help) and put away anything which could take flight in high winds.

It’s hard to tell whether we’re in the path or not.  We live in Upstate New York and are in the cone of possible paths.  Even if we don’t get hit with a direct strike from Sandy, though, the rain and wind could do a lot of damage.

I’ve been through a few hurricanes in my lifetime and they are not to be taken lightly.  Don’t think "this is just a category 1."  That’s more than enough to destroy your property, injure you or your family, or worse.  For those who are in the path of the storm, please prepare (if you have any more time) and stay safe.

NOTE: The image above comes from the National Hurricane Center’s web site.  It’s a great resource for information on what is happening and what will happen with Hurricane Sandy.

Aloha Friday: Musicality

Aloha Friday, Music

Yesterday, I wrote about how NHL playing the drums and bells/xylophone.  When I was in school, I played a musical instrument also: violin.  I was never that good at it, though.  To play the violin, you need to draw the bow across the string while placing your fingers in just the right spots to make the correct note.  Doing this once might not be hard, but shifting strings/finger positions in rapid succession to play a song gets tricky.

My Aloha Friday question for today is: Did you ever play an instrument?  If so, were you good at it?

P.S. If you haven’t already, try out my Twitter applications: FollowerHQ and Rout.

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha Friday by Kailani at An Island Life

Aloha #162

Musical NHL’s Shoo Fly

Music, NHL, Videos

We recently discovered something about NHL.  He has a talent for music.  He began playing drums and bells (which I always just call xylophone) last year.  This year, though, he’s really hit his stride.

A few month’s back, while at B’s grandmother’s, NHL picked up a an electronic keyboard and began playing a song.  He had never actually played this instrument before so his ability to play a song astounded us.  Then, I realized what he was doing.  He took a song that he had learned on bells and mentally remapped the notes to the keyboard.  We later asked him to duplicate this feat on B’s parents’ piano and he was able to easily.

I help him out with band practice many times a week and I’ve seen the same thing happen with many songs.  He’ll play very slowly, struggling to find the right notes to hit.  Suddenly, a light will go off in his head and he’ll play the entire song perfectly without looking at a single note.  His teacher is impressed with his skill and we’re so proud of him.

And now, a special performance of Shoo Fly by NHL:

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