Have You Played Atari Today?

For his 9th birthday, Zach is having a sleepover with four of his friends from the neighborhood. We did the usual birthday party stuff earlier in the evening: we had the organized games, the singing of Happy Birthday, the cake and ice cream, and the opening of the gifts. We figured that as the night went on, they would probably end up spending a good amount of time on multiplayer videogames for the Wii.

But so far tonight, the big winner has been the old Atari 2600, which we dusted off and set up the other night. It has kept them entertained for over three hours so far.

Apparently, Guitar Hero and Super Smash Brothers are no substitute for 25-year-old classics like Ms. Pac-Man, Combat, Megamania, and Outlaw.

Eagles Spirit

Today was Eagles Spirit day at Zach and Phoebe's elementary school, and we realized yesterday that Zach has outgrown his Eagles gear.

This meant that Phoebe was going to be in fine shape for Eagles Spirit day, as she was able to sport Zach's old Westbrook jersey. It also meant that we were compelled to go on a shopping trip for a new Eagles jersey for Zach last night.

Before we went, I had two suggestions for Zach.

First suggestion: Jerseys aren't cheap. And while the Eagles' veteran superstar players like McNabb, Westbrook, and Dawkins are terrific, they might only be around for another year, maybe two at best. Go with one of the young players, like DeSean Jackson (the promising rookie WR), Stewart Bradley (Peter King's pick for All-Pro at middle linebacker this season), or Trent Cole (who is probably the team's best defensive lineman).

Second suggestion: Go with the classic green or white jersey. Not that bizarre canary yellow and powder blue throwback jersey they wore for one game last year (in recognition of the Eagles 75th anniversary). And not that green-on-black "alternate" eyesore they've been dressing in once a season, ostensibly for the purpose of increasing jersey sales among the aesthetically challenged.

Ultimately, though, it was going to be Zach's jersey to wear, so I gave him complete autonomy over the decision.

He wore his new alternate green-on-black McNabb jersey to school today.

An independent thinker, this one is.

But If You Try Sometimes You Just Might Find...

Ben's preschool teacher reports that she sat down next to Ben at school and told him that she wants to see him do a good job writing his letters today.

Ben's reply: "Well, you can't always get what you want."

(To be fair, this is something Ben hears from me with some frequency.)

Football fever

We're all very excited about the NFL postseason, with the Eagles having found a highly improbable path into the playoffs.

So in an effort to introduce the kids to the joys of illicit gambling, I had everyone in the family fill out an NFL playoff bracket today. I'll keep score throughout the playoffs in order to determine which of us is the Master NFL Playoff Prognosticator of the family.

(Picks are in the comments. Feel free to add your own picks if you'd like to go head-to-head against Team Houserspawn.)