journal features

"Spot It"

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Toronto, 2011.09.28

This summer, while taking a ferry trip, we saw a parent playing a card game with a child about Kenny's age. It's called Spot It, and it requires that you find the common cartoon image on two circular playing cards. You can apparently slap down any two cards and find a match.

I asked Mari how this was possible, and she said, "It's math!"

Anyway, Kenny finds it engaging, especially when Daddy makes it a competition. The game's designer put "For ages 7 and up" on the label but Kenny's perfectly capable.

Mari had a laugh tonight when Kenny and I were head to head over the cards and both said, "Hmmmmm" the same way at the same time.

rand()m quote

On the endless saga of Rob Ford, mayor of Toronto; "It shouldn't have had to come to this. I'm so tired of getting up every morning and wondering, 'What will it be today?' I'm so tired of giving the benefit of the doubt again and again, only to be let down again and again.... Somewhere a responsible adult has to appear, draw a bright moral line, tell the truth and say unequivocally what won't be tolerated. Somebody has to do the right thing."

—Denzil Minnan-Wong