I got a real kick out of this Strange Brew comic today.

Emily and I decided about a month ago that we would surprise my parents by me flying home at a completely random time and showing up at their new house. It worked like a charm! Alas, since we were all caught up in the moment, we didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the event.

Well, a week later we decided on another surprise - Melissa and Molly (whom I affectionately call Max) flew down from Minnesota to do the exact same thing! And this time, I was able to catch Dad’s reaction on tape. View the moment right here.

[Editor’s note: The sounds a bit scratchy and the video is small (in viewing size) and large (in file size) but hey, I’m just getting into the video business ]

So I made a little bet with my sister Melissa. Eat a deep-fried twinkie on a stick at the Minnesota State Fair and I’ll get you the latest Harry Potter, children’s edition.

As you can see, she has filled her part of the bargain

However, with the pictures also came a further request. She wants the last Harry Potter as well. Should I just say she’s done enough already, or should I perhaps argue that she can have the last one if she buys a pickle from the pickle sellers at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival? Not just buy it, though. The pickle sellers are known for their lewd comments relating to their long green wares, and I think a bit of playing along with them is in order. Pictorial evidence is of course necessary. . .

I met a bunch of friends last night to go to the St. Giles Fair in Oxford, only to find that the fair didn’t start until today. Yesterday, it seems, was a setup day, and even though everything looked ready to go last night, nothing was moving. . . except people. Apparently the memo never got out to most of Oxford, and a good number showed up expecting a good time at the fair. Instead, they got an interesting surprise. On the carousel stood a priest and a boys choir, preaching to the slightly confused crowd. I’m not a huge fan of taking advantage of people to get your message across. There’s a difference between establishing normal hours for a service in a church (or anywhere else, really, as long as it’s not in a public place) and catching people unawares.

To be fair, it may have been different than I perceived. Perhaps the church thought that the crowd may enjoy a bit of music to make them feel better after the disappointment of not having the fair. If that was the case, then I applaud their foresight. Since my time watching showed something more like a service than a performance though, I feel it the intentions of the church may have been more towards conversion than entertainment.

Such a funny little world we have.