Monday, October 8, 2012

Fatherhood and the zombie apocalypse | BabyCenter Blog

In the tradition of my other unwritten parenting masterpiece, Force Father, in which I share how to raise a child using Star Wars?s guiding principal, comes Zombie Dad.

In this new volume, I will describe how to accept that our children are zombies and impart techniques for breaking through and raising zombies who just might be able to get by in society.

Our children are zombies, you ask?

Yes, after successive nights of battling Theo over the brushing of his teeth?

Dadler: Theo, brush your teeth.
Theo: No
Dadler: Theo, it?s time to brush teeth.
Theo: No
?30 minutes later?
Dadler: If we had back the time we?ve spent fighting about brushing your teeth, we might have cured cancer.
Theo: No

?it?s come to me that the reason our culture is gaga for zombies (The Walking Dead, etc.) is because our children are zombies.

In addition to the physical similarities between a zombie and a baby pointed out by Charlie & Andy last week, look at the behavioral facts: They do not hear us when we speak. They do not acknowledge simple requests like stop hitting your sister. They only eat foods that are a lot like brains (pasta). They do not listen (did I mention this one twice?).

Oh, sure, they do wonderfully non-undead things like laugh, draw pictures of butterflies, basic math, and say ?I love you.? But they are still up to 62.5 percent zombie.

Zombie Dad will teach you how to cope, including the chapters:

? Breaking through the zombie silence
? Why your zombie eats only brains (pasta) and how to turn it to your advantage
? Undead soccer: How to appreciate the nuances of a clump of children standing over a soccer ball kicking each other
? Zombie toileting: Flushing is not for everyone
? Even a corpse can say ?please? and ?thank you?

Much like the The Walking Dead has games and apps supporting it ? including one that lets you keep track of how many times your heroes whack a zombie with, say, a shovel (I?m not making this stuff up) ? I?m creating a companion app for Zombie Dad called ?My Little Zombie.?

It?s kind of a riff on BabyCenter?s awesome baby app but with special undead features, such as daily activities you can do with your walking-dead child, like staring contests.

But what do you think: Am I missing any chapters or app features you think might come in handy? I?m open to ideas?

Like what you?re reading? Bookmark ?The Dadler? or follow LeDadler on Twitter and don?t miss a word.

Photo: ?That?s a zombie with blood dripping out of its mouth? by Theo, which was Theo?s birthday card for Mrs. Dadler.

Source: http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/10082012raise-your-zombie-with-my-new-parenting-book/

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Luck rallies Indianapolis past Green Bay 30-27

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is hit by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry (53) during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Perry was called for unnecessary roughness. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is hit by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry (53) during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Perry was called for unnecessary roughness. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is hit by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry (53) during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. Perry was called for unnecessary roughness. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts interim head coach Bruce Arians watches from sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)

Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones goes in for a six yard touchdown reception against Indianapolis Colts defensive back Josh Gordy during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts tight end Coby Fleener (80) is tackled by Green Bay Packers strong safety Charles Woodson (21) during the first half of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Oct. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

(AP) ? All Chuck Pagano asked the Indianapolis Colts to do was focus on football.

Andrew Luck and Reggie Wayne did that ? and more to honor their ailing coach.

The rookie quarterback and veteran receiver connected at the most critical moments Sunday, including a 4-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left to complete the Colts' second-half rally and stun Green Bay 30-27 on perhaps the most emotional day in Lucas Oil Stadium history.

"I'm sure we were all lying to everybody the whole week, trying to downplay it," Luck said after throwing for a career-high 362 yards. "I think we all went out there wanting to do it for Chuck more than anything else. To see all the emotions on Mr. Irsay's face, BA's, everyone in there, I think it's one of the greatest athletic moments I've ever been a part of."

It's a day nobody in Indy or around the league will soon forget.

Interim coach Bruce Arians, nicknamed BA, acknowledged he was fighting back tears when he spoke to reporters. From the sounds of it, so were Luck and Wayne.

The sometimes emotional team owner, Jim Irsay, sniffled as he spoke inside a silent locker room before dashing off dash to the hospital where Pagano is undergoing treatment for leukemia. He wanted to personally deliver the game ball to Pagano, who celebrated his 52nd birthday Tuesday.

"We know what kind of man we have down the street, fighting, fighting for his life, and winning the fight," Irsay said. "You guys doing this today, Bruce coming in, all you guys pulling together, Reggie being so close to Chuck going back for so long. Everyone in here knows how much that this means, and this ball is going right down the street."

Pagano made it perfectly clear Friday, in an emotional email to players and coaches, that he didn't want guys playing for him; he simply wanted the Colts (2-2) to play for themselves and match last season's victory total.

"Focus on being 500 by 4:30pm on Sunday. Nothing else," he wrote. "That has to be our mind set. 60 minutes, all you got, one play at a time! WIN!"

Turns out the players wanted this one even more for Pagano than he wanted it for them.

"I've got 12 years of (special) games," said Wayne, who has known Pagano since the two were at the University of Miami together in the late 1990s. "But this did mean a lot, just with the whole deal with how the week's been going. You know, I talked to coach Pagano and he wanted us to win so bad. Is it a high? Yeah. I don't necessarily have one other than the Super Bowl game. But it's up there."

Team officials honored Pagano by hanging signs that read (hash)Chuckstrong behind each goal post and wore lapel pins with orange ribbons on a white background.

Luck and Wayne showed their support in another way.

The No. 1 draft pick was 31 of 55 throwing with two touchdowns and one interception, and ran for a TD, too.

Wayne finished with 13 receptions for a career-high 212 yards ? the second-highest total in Colts history behind Hall of Famer Raymond Berry in 1957. And he wore the orange gloves, instead of the traditional pink ones for breast cancer awareness month, because that's the color for leukemia patients.

"I just wanted to do something, you know, for Chuck," Wayne explained. "I had some equipment guys make some calls. If they (NFL officials) fine me, they fine me, I really feel like that would be a terrible thing to do, but if so, so be it, I'll go ahead and take the fine and do it for Chuck."

It was a wild finish to an emotionally-charged week in Indy that began with Monday morning's announcement that Pagano had been diagnosed with leukemia after players left for their bye week.

Green Bay (2-3) had a chance to force overtime with a 51-yard field goal. But Mason Crosby's attempt went left with 3 seconds to go, setting off an emotional celebration on the Colts sideline.

"I thought they (Colts) played well," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "Obviously, a tough week for them. I thought they played with a lot of emotion, a lot of energy. Frankly, I'm more focused on my football team and my football team is not playing the way we are capable of playing."

Pagano knew the motto all week would be to win one for the coach.

On Friday, he set out to change that speech ? a message Wayne and Luck took personally, especially after falling into a 21-3 halftime deficit.

In the second half, the Colts dominated.

Luck threw an 8-yard TD pass to Dwayne Allen and set up Adam Vinatieri for a 50-yard field goal to make it 21-13 midway through the third quarter. He then ran it in from 3 yards out with 18 seconds left in the third quarter to get the Colts within 21-19.

A few minutes later, Vinatieri hit a 28-yard field goal to give Indy its first lead, 22-21.

But Aaron Rodgers got Green Bay's offense back in sync in a hurry.

Alex Green ran 41 yards on the Packers' first play, and Rodgers threw an 8-yard TD pass to James Jones on the next one to give the Packers a 27-20 lead with 4:30 to go. Rodgers was 21 of 33 for 243 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

All the Packers had to do was stop Luck one more time to clinch it.

Luck and Wayne wouldn't allow it.

With the clock ticking down and anxious fans hoping and praying they could get this win for Pagano, Luck converted two third-down passes to Wayne, then scrambled for a third third-down conversion before, fittingly, spotting Wayne for the go-ahead score.

"Chuck's instilled a lot in us," Wayne said. "His whole motto since day one, the first meeting has been team team, team, team. Nothing else. So we've wanted to do it every week as a team. That's all we practice, that's all we preach."

NOTES: The Packers lost three starters during the game ? running back Cedric Benson (ankle), defensive tackle B.J. Raji (ankle) and tight end Jermichael Finley (right shoulder). McCarthy did not have immediate updates after the game. ... Colts defensive end Robert Mathis left with a knee sprain and did not return after trying on a brace. ... Wayne now has catches in 100 consecutive games and passed college and pro teammate Edgerrin James for No. 2 on the Colts career list for yards from scrimmage. ... Packers receiver Donald Driver played in his 197th career game Sunday, breaking a tie with Bart Starr for second in team history.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-10-07-FBN-Packers-Colts/id-03aaf4a27f0046e5ab5a46f0b844877d

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Will California gas prices set records this weekend?

Experts predict that California's drivers will briefly see prices higher than the current all-time record of $4.61. When will gas prices go down?

By John Voelcker,?Guest blogger / October 6, 2012

Traffic moves on Lincoln Boulevard, near a sign posted with gasoline prices at a Mobil gas station in Santa Monica, California October 4, 2012. Pump prices in California soared this week as key Golden State refineries were disrupted at a time of low inventories, putting prices on track to break a record set in the summer of 2008.

Jonathan Alcorn/Rueters

Enlarge

Brace yourself, Californians. Gas prices are going up. Again.

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With the Golden State already paying some of the highest gas prices in the nation, California drivers will find it's going to get more costly than ever to fill their tanks.

According to?Reuters, oil analyst Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for Oil Price Information Service, expects the state's drivers will briefly see prices higher than the current all-time record of $4.61 a?gallon.

Yesterday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the state was $4.31.

The soaring gas prices are due to a regrettable combination of three events.

First, state refineries have lowered production as they get ready to make the switch to "winter blend" gasoline.

Second, a power outage at a Torrance refinery combined with a partial shutdown at a Richmond refinery to cut production severely.

And third, a crude-oil pipeline to San Francisco Bay Area refineries from the state's Central Valley has been shut for several weeks due to high organic chloride levels in the crude.

Kloza doesn't expect the record gas-price levels to last for months, but only for weeks, perhaps even a few days.

But it may offer little comfort to Californians that their?gasoline costs?are still far lower than in other parts of the world.

In the U.K., for example, this week's average price of?1.3883 per liter translates to $8.50 per gallon--higher even than the?$8-per-gallon prices seen in London?earlier this year.

Over the Labor Day weekend, U.S.?gas prices hit an average of $3.80 per gallon.

Prices in California have been above $4 a gallon for many months now.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best auto bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger,?click here.?To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on the link in the blog description box above.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/BIKKbGS8jpo/Will-California-gas-prices-set-records-this-weekend

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