Painting

The posting by Melissa and Rob of Luke painting his room reminded me of the time that Jonathan painted his room - without help from an adult.
Jonathan was about 2 or 3 years old. I had been painting his room in the evenings. I always used oil-based paint for the trim because I am a purist. Or, maybe just a nut.
So, I was in the habit of leaving the paint can, paint thinner, paint bucket (for mixing the paint), the brushes, etc. out in the hallway for the next evening's work. One afternoon Jonathan took it upon himself to finish up. He had been watching me and apparently taking coupious notes. He opened the paint can with the little opener thing. Then he poured some paint into the paint bucket. He didn't quite understand the thinner concept but he realized it was a clear liquid so he got some water form the sink and poured it into the bucket with the oil-based paint. Then he mixed it with the mixing stick. Then, with brush in hand he proceeded to paint the wall in his room. Kind of like what Luke did except it didn't spell any recognizable words.
Now, don't try this at home. Oil paint mixed with water makes a mess on the wall and is almost impossible to remove.

Avoiding Phone Hell

I found this great web site for instructions on bypassing those Interactive Voice Response systems. Check it out.
http://gethuman.com/

Riddle

What former US President pardoned a fugitive who had been living in Switzerland for 17 years to avoid prosecutiion for not paying $48 million in taxes, tax fraud and illegal oil deals with Iran? Another hint: The fugitive's ex-wife had given over $700,000 to Democratic causes including $40,000 to a New York Senator's campaign and $450,000 to this former US President's library fund.