Erin's fundraiser yesterday. it was Erin's idea, and him and his friend Orion did much of the prep for and running of it. certes I never did anything the like at the age, nor even conceived doing. don't ask the town to participate!. looking for a place to stage the thing. we didn't even ask about the space that our homeschool cooperative rents, as that organization is hardening into a school, and the word liability is a constant chorus. the place where Erin and his friends take karate was happy to provide the space. the head librarian was supportive, and an event probably can occur there, but she had to okay it with library trustees, so couldn't fit our rush schedule. Erin and his friends wanted to do one of these right away. they are already psyched about the next one. what it came down to is 16 kids (boys) gathering to play Magic cards. Erin paid for snacks and some small prizes. we didn't work hard scrounging for that sort of stuff. one time when I was working for the wine store a caller asked for freebies. Harvard Business School was doing a reunion dinner of some such. the caller wanted the store to supply the wine. he stated, as an attraction, that the participants represented a demographically exciting group. Harvard B School demographically exciting? demographically cheap, maybe. anyway (not anyhoo) $270 was collected for UNICEF, which Beth and Erin decided was the best place for the funds. I was pleased that the participants were interested in the sum collected, despite the distraction of Magic Card Fever. one of Erin's friends will set up a web site for the next event, and the scale will be much bigger. I took a lot of pictures. the karate studio has mirrors on three walls, so I couldn't resist taking shots with arty angles and reflections that would not be useful on the website or local newspaper article. hum dum de dum. I am not the least bit a gamer of any sort. these card games make my eyes cross. the rules are somewhat fluid, as new cards with new abilities constantly appear. the more you spend on cards the better player you can be, which is an American analogue, I should think. a feverish collector's interest rides with the gaming interest. these games seem to appeal exclusively to the Y chromosome. I don't infer that the game itself is especially for boys but the culture that attaches is kinda thick. anyway (not anyhoo) it's good to get some awareness going at this age. rather than build 20 year olds looking to kick Saddam's personal ass. a mental grip, that is, on a world that isn't a movie starring Rambo.