FOR AMY

Amy posted a couple questions/comments on one of my recent posts, so I thought I'd try to answer them.

Eben's concerts both went really well. The band concert was held outside, and the sun was really beating. (It was the hottest day of the year so far for us.) Eben played Smoke on the Water with Bailee (his cousin) for a saxophone duet, and he also played the drums (yes, the drums!) in a blues pick-up group. He played a snare and a hi-hat cymbal. He did really great! Mom told him that he should start playing the drums at church while Uncle Bill played the bass, but he poo-pooed that idea really quickly.

Last night was the chorus concert. That was held last night in the school cafeteria, and it was really crowded. Eben had a solo part in Boondocks (he did great!) and also sang in a small group for "Bet On It" from High School Musical 2. The school principal actually practices with the chorus each week, and the principal sang a solo during the last number "Stand By Me". After the concert Mr. Schooley (the principal) came up to me and said that Eben was "really going to be a rock star". He said that he had a "tremendous voice". Quite the compliment. Unfortunately, Eben is thinking of not doing chorus next year. He says that the songs "aren't cool". And, he says the on the cool songs they do perform, everyone "messes it up".

I have less knowledge about video games. I do know that both Dwane and Eben are really, really good at the Nascar PS games. They have both said that Nascar 08 is really, really hard, and they very rarely play it because they find it so challenging. Dwane's favorite games have included the GT driving games, and then he found "Dirt". He absolutely loves that. In fact, when he first started, he was so addicted to it that he "beat the game" in about a week. Of course, he was staying up until about 3:00 AM every day for a week, and the garbage was never taken out. The guys at Game Spot told him that "Grid" was by the same makers as "Dirt", so he was really excited to try that, and he loves that one as well. In fact, he thinks he may like it even better than the GT series. Dwane prefers games that are very, very realistic, and I guess Grid & Dirt fit the bill. Amy, if you're having a specific problem about Nascar 08, let me know. I'm sure Eben will have some sort of advice for you!

PS Amy--what Nintendo DS games do you love?