(( Tomorrow I am 29. I keep getting older. Adz stays the same age.
I like Independence Day quite a bit. My birthday over the years has almost always been wrapped into Independence Day celebrations. For example as a kid my cake was often red-white-and-blue colored, sometimes with toothpick flags stuck in it! Blow out the flags, yay! I never minded. My mom sometimes worried that she was shortchanging me on my birthday, but I never felt that way at all. I sometimes got strange questions. One of them was, “Did you used to think the fireworks were for you?” Grown-ups ask stupid questions of kids sometimes when they don’t know what to say. Early on, I co-opted Independence Day, or it co-opted me. What little boy wouldn’t want fireworks on (nearly) his birthday? Giving into it just meant that my birthday party was a huge picnic celebration over a four-day weekend, every year! Not that!
As a kid I always thought 4th of July was a pretty damn cool holiday. As an adult, I feel the same way. The fun ratio is better on Independence Day, compared to other holidays. No family pressure. No religious baggage. Good food. Nice weather. A healthy combination of fun and meaning. And it ends with colored lights exploding in the sky, and a sense of solemn pride and optimism. I am glad to share a birthday (nearly) with America.

-Big Adz ))

• June 28th
• 09am- 10am- Norah Joles
• 10am- 11am- Jace Collins
• 11am- 12pm- Janor Slitcher
• 12pm-1pm- Nick99 Razor
• 1pm- 2pm- Robie Bloch
• 2pm- 3pm- Digby Smalls
• 3pm- 4pm- Rai Fargis Drum N Bass Hour
• 4pm-5pm- Moondoggirl Moomintoog
• 5pm-6pm- Billy Mikoyan
• 6pm-7pm- MichelleD Eksol feat Paper Scott
• 7pm-8pm- Joaquin Gustav
• 8pm-9pm-Tukso Okey
• 9pm-10- Grateful Stryker
• June 29th
• 10am-11am Mimi Carpenter

I promised some pictures. First I saw Uncle Janor, and he played all of our favorite songs. He rocks.
Next I heard Nick99 Razor. He sounded awesome. This was a really great concert ( I think of it as KidsStock hehe ). During this concert of course it occurred to me that Kids5B has been very good for us, and I lost myself in my own thoughts for a while. It might have been the music, or it might have just been past time for me to take a moment for reflection.
I went to the doctor, I went to the mountains. I looked to the children, I drank from the fountains. Theres more than one answer to these questions, Pointing me in a crooked line. And the less I seek my source for some definitive The closer I am to fine

No offense to Ms Robie because song sounded awesome. But, this was the first time I heard this song in the correct key. You see, the very first time I heard this song was here. ANYWAY… I heard it properly for the first time today, during my quiet time.

Is this song profound, or just an attempt to sound profound? I can’t tell. It’s a pretty-sounding song, in any case (unless your roommate butchers it). And, something can be taken from the lyrics, I admit. No one has the definite answers — especially not the professor, not the bible, and not the beer, nor the friend at the bar. So, don’t get bogged down in the unknown. Follow your instincts and go with what is know-able.

This has been an emotional week for me. There was a very touching post in a political blog this week. Someone I’ve never met just poured his heart out on matters that meant alot to me, and he received a surprising amount of unanimous positive feedback. I am sorry cannot link you to the post. Between this post, and some of the transformation stories I read at Kids5B, I feel a new sense of clarity, resignation, and comfort. What a combination, huh? I am tempted to pour out my thoughts on this blog but I know that I cannot. Not really. I can just say that some times it feels that the world is against me, or us, rather. That we are the world’s monsters. We are seen in black and white, with no insight. So much easier, to dehumanize…it sure makes it simpler, doesn’t it? For me, it can be very difficult to hear what people think of me. Its terribly repetitive, and its not a healthy thing to hear. And I’m tired of it. That’s the clarity and resignation part. I’m just happy i found some people, both in SL and in RL, with whom I feel comfortable, to whom I owe no explanations. That’s the comforting part.

Its enough to make me find insight in a pop song.

-Big Adz

I thought this story was supposed to be in David‘s Starry Nap room inspired by that story, but instead it was at Sok’s display. That’s okay. I found it.

I wandered in and found a seat as Sokmunky began the story. My little brother David held up the book and showed it around to us whenever there was an illustration. Twelve kids were there, sitting in comfortable cushion chairs. And…

Crap Mariner was there! She hovered over the story area rather than sitting with us. I think she was worried about our lungs. I like her because she is a mecha like me. …even though she makes me cough.

I can see why Sok read this story — it has sheep in it! A sheep with the power to destroy the universe!

“The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same. And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them? Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important? Is this not of more consequence than a fat red-faced gentleman’s sums? And if I know– I, myself– one flower which is unique in the world, which grows nowhere but on my planet, but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning, without even noticing what he is doing– Oh! You think that is not important!”

His face turned from white to red as he continued:

“If some one loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars. He can say to himself, ‘Somewhere, my flower is there…’ But if the sheep eats the flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened… And you think that is not important!”

He could not say anything more. His words were choked by sobbing.

During Kids5B, you can catch more story-times like this at the following times:

• Saturday, 27 June 6am SL- Short stories, including Sam the Fire Cat
• Sunday, 28 June 7am SL- Stories about ducks!

• Most of the art supplies and coloring tables were provided by Cricket Nelson.
• caballete dibujo’s created by David Thurman
• Interactive Coloring Pads created by Adz Childs
• Pottery Wheel that dispenses pottery if you “work” for a few minutes.
• Sky Writer – Lets you draw in mid-air! (Build-permissions required for operation)
• Free settable baby alphabet block full perms (novelty created by Adz Childs and Seth Mandelbrot)
• Free pair of scissors that only appears when you run (novelty scripted by Seth Mandelbrot)

• Dads : Randy Burt and Domineck Heron

Wed on Aug 15, 2007

• Adopted Son: Adz Childs

Age 8
adopted July 11, 2007

• Adopted Son: David Thurman

Age 5
adopted May 21, 2008

“We created this gallery to showcase our family. We love our dads very much and we are good boys and good brothers to each other always.”