Steph and I had a dinner + and movie last night, starting with food + libations at The Cheesecake Factory. That was an interesting meal, as the manager at the Factory was Steph's manager at Friday's in Ft. Myers some 12 years ago... small world, eh? So Hugh came by and we chatted for a bit. He is in interesting fellow, and we chatted about our favorite Caribbean things (he's from Barbados) like Carib beer and Bake & Shark in Trinidad.

The piece of the resistance was getting to see Indy IV on opening night - a real treat! It was a little bittersweet since one of my childhood heroes is pushing 70 and he's not buckling nearly as much swash as he used to, but he did pretty damn good for a geezer (sorry Dad). It was neat seeing some of the original characters either through reference or return, and it was an interesting switch replacing the Nazis with Soviet Union Russkies. The script did well to hint at some OSS work Indy did between the previous Indy flicks - all set in and around WWII. And, I'm interested with the Mutt Williams character - he could be a good choice to continue the franchise, if that's possible. I was wondering what supernatural relic would be the gretchen in this release, and it seemed a tad far-fetched at the time... but then I thought afterwards that previous gretchens were the Ark of the Covenant, the more esoteric Sankhara Stones, and finally the Holy Grail. So, really, how far-fetched is the crystal skull? Not much for this flick, and all the previous Indy films in which suspension of disbelief is a requirement. Here's hoping Indy V doesn't take 15 years...

I just finished mowing the back yard today -- an activity which I don't really like but there was a confluence of events that necessitated mowing. The weather is fantastic, the grass is (was) as high as an elephant's eye, and the kids are napping. 'Round the back forty we have two maple trees and a magnolia. The maples were planted in 2002, just before the house was built, and started out around 4-5 feet tall. Apparently one of them just loves the location as it is as high as our two-story house. The other is about half that size. The magnolia I planted in '03 started at four feet (I brought it home in a bucket in the back of the now-extinct Altima) and is now around ten feet. As I was mowing around these trees, admiring the full foliage and soon-to-be-blooming magnolia buds, I was wondering: does a longer gestation/maturity cycle lead to longer, er, longevity? Perhaps put another way: if you take longer to "grow up", will you live longer?

Considering this question for trees is probably not the answer. I would imagine that given a relatively stable environment a tree will live indefinitelya really, really, really long time, given the species. And by stable I mean stable over the lifespan of a tree. So what about the fauna? Why have a lifespan at all? Supposedly cells oxidize over time, breakdown, and the internal biological clock of the cell determines that it is done, and that's that. Cells die and are not replaced, biological processes eventually breakdown, immune systems weaken and the animal/person either dies "naturally" as the cells contributing to life support are too few in number to sustain life, or the animal/person dies as a consequence of the immune system's dysfunction.

I will naturally require some empirical evidence. Off to Google and Wikipedia to look up the numbers.

UPDATE:
Well, I certainly found some interesting things to ponder. I still need some data on timespan for sexual maturity. Courtesy of the Encyclopedia Britannica:

Max Lifespan, in years:
Dog 34
Elephant 57
Horse 62
Human, Medieval England 33
Human, early 20th Century 50
Human, current 77-79 (varies by region)
Giant Tortoise 177

Gestation Period, in days:
Dog 62
Elephant 640
Horse 337
Human 266
Giant Tortoise 120-240

What gives with the tortoise?

So we're on Day 2¼ of a 2½ day weekend without Mommy. We're fairing ok, but I can't get as much done as I had intended. I managed to get the front lawn mowed, edged and weeded, but I still have the entire backyard to do - perhaps today during nap time. I had also contemplating starting my radiator replacement job, but I think that's going to be about a 6 hour activity, so I will have to wait until Steph gets home. We haven't been to the Comet in a few days... I may try to do that this afternoon after nap time, but that depends on how tired I am after the back yard activities. :)

Not to be outdone, Devin does his share of getting all over himself in the hampsteresque tube structure at Chic-Fil-A.

Steph has been working on new decorations for Maya and Devin's respective rooms. What follows are pictures of what Steph has created out of foam, pipe cleaners, heart and soul. What a job, eh?

Maya has a "tree", Mommy tickles Devin with a tree, Maya & Devin & Mommy, and as I mentioned earlier, the huge branch that fell in the same area. This branch was big enough that I could barely move it. We were in the area 15 minutes before it fell.

I've gotten quite a few questions along the lines of "how do I get pictures and/or video off of the blog?" Here's a short tutorial.


If it's a "regular" blog picture (meaning, you click on a picture and it opens in the same window but in a larger size), then you only need to right-click on the picture and select "Save Picture As...". Once you do this, you'll get another dialog box that asks where you want to save the picture and what you want to name it. Simply supply the folder and file name, and you'll have the picture!

If it's a "picasa" blog picture (meaning, you click on a picture and it opens the Picasa web site photo album), then you have a few steps. Once you have opened the album, you can download the entire album by clicking the "Download this album" link, that is on the left-hand side of the album. You'll also note the Picasa download link represented by the Picasa icon to the right of the link - click this to download Picasa, which you'll need if you want to download entire albums. If you want just a single picture, once the album is opened, find the picture you want and click it. You'll see a larger version of the picture, and there is a link on the right-side of the display that says "download this picture". Click the link, and then select the location and filename and click okay. That's it!

If you want to download video... well that's a bit more complicated. First, find the video in the blog. Click it to play. Fast-forward to the end. Once you get the ending frame that says "replay", click the menu button in the lower-right corner. You'll see two options: embed and url. Click "copy to clipboard" under the "url" section. Then, open a browser window to www.keepvid.com. Click inside the text-box, and then press CTRL-V, or right-click and select Paste. That will put in the URL to the video. Then, select "YouTube" and click the "Download" link. This will enable an option below that says ">> Download <<". Right-click this link and select "Save Target As...". You must save this file as a .flv file, but you can name it whatever you want, such as "maya sleeping.flv". Click OK and the video will download. You will need a special player to view these - I recommend VLC Player - available here.

Just thought I'd post a bit here on what we're using to log these miles on the trails.

Steph is using a Specialized Crossroads, which is basically a "comfort" hybrid. It has a relaxed geometry, which is good for Steph as she has long legs and a short waist - she doesn't need to be hunched over.

I'm using a Giant FCR 3, which is a "performance" hybrid. It's mostly a road bike, but has a slightly aggressive geometry, similar to a mountain bike, so I'm used to it.

The kids are cruising around in a Chariot Cougar 2 (red/silver/grey). We opted to spend a little extra money in this regard, because it's carrying precious cargo. Chariots are handmade in Canada, and have a stellar reputation for performance, safety and. stability. We also tacked on the stroller kit - we plan to use this as a stroller when we travel, as the tandem stroller is heavy and just plan unwieldy. I've ordered a custom canvas bag for travelling from Hoggan's Custom Canvas. It will look something like this, but will be larger.

There are some other options too which we are working out... like rear-view mirrors, extended bars, replacement grips, etc but we haven't gotten all that put together yet.

Devin and Maya enjoying a snack in the Chariot on the Silver Comet Trail

Enjoy these!

I'm sitting on a 767-200 at 9am on a Sunday morning. The dogs got dropped off at day camp bright (well, not really, it was before sunrise was off and running) and early, and the realtors should be at the house for what I hope to be a productive open house. The kids didn't sleep well in a new place, as expected, and neither did I in the house by myself. However, I did manage to finally get my archived email uploaded to my Google Apps mail account (yay anywhere archives) and I managed to get all my email accounts, including work, funneled into The One Mailbox. Yay for piped searches and flexibility! Bye bye memory hoggin' Outlook 2007, hello anywhere-mail access!

On another note I stopped by Best Buy and noticed that The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is out on DVD now...wonder if it's a decent film...
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Another two years, another user conference over and done-with. I'm glad to be home. It was pretty strange, being away from the kids at this age. Steph told me they were acting differently, and things were certainly different when I walked in the door yesterday evening. I'm usually greeted with loud yelling and frantic requests for "Up! Up!"

Yesterday, however, found the kids somewhat less enthusiastic about my return. I suspect there was probably some leftover resentment about my absence. I came up the stairs quietly, and planned to surprise them. Vicki and Steph were talking in the kitchen, while the kids were watching Sesame Street and running around. I popped my head around the corner during a segment about dogs and cats, so the kids were momentarily captivated. When I said, "Hi, look at the doggie," the kids didn't even respond. After a second greeting, Devin finally took some interest and was piqued at the fact that here stands Daddy. He ran over, as I initially expected, and wanted to do climbing. Maya remaind stoic and detached and eyed me with slight annoyance, either at interrupting Sesame Street or not being present for the last 3 days. Dinner was served and the aura of disdain was painfully present while Maya ate. Devin, merrily content with food and Daddy, was a happy boy.

After dinner it was bath time, and by this time, things with Maya seem to have normalized. I gave her extra bubbles in her bath and some extra Elmo toothpaste/lube - both of which appeared to restore the father/daughter bond.

This morning, things were back to normal and everyone seems to be content with the fact that I'm home... for a few days, at least. Oh well, such is the way of work.

A shot looking up at the Book Depository building. There is a X in the street, perpendicular to where those people are standing, which marks the spot where the final shot killed JFK

The "sniper's nest" is the upper right dark window.

If you weren't already aware, Devin is fascinated with light switches. Until recently, we would have to hold him up to the light switch, and he would crane his neck around until he could watch the lights going on and off as he manipulated the switch. Now, he's figured out he can move (we're still lucky in that respect) stand on a chair and flip the switch all by himself.

*sigh* This is a hairline crack in the top of the radiator. I got by all winter with it (obviously) but today, the ol' Camry didn't really appreciate the warm weather.

Maya and Devin decide to get into the Sunday paper. This was entertaining until I remembered that I had yet to read it.

Hey gang,

I'm in the process of uploading some new videos to my YouTube channel. You can view the channel by clicking here. You can subscribe to my channel if you want to keep tabs on my videos - but of course I'll post here whenever one of interest comes up!

So this morning I got up, around 8:30 and went and laid down in Devin's room. He was the first one up and tossed all his crib accouterments, so I reset his crib and he went down for another half-hour. Around 9:00am Devin decided he was up for the day, so I changed him and got his milk going. Maya was up by this time, so we all settled in for a breakfast of Cookie Monster Organic Mini Waffles (blueberry), Giant Strawberries, Blackberries, and a Veggie-Soy "breakfast pattie". Yeah, I know it sounds weird but it's actually pretty tasty, for soy.

After the kids finished, Steph was up so I decided that we were going biking. Steph almost opted to stay home and get some homework done, but I guilted her into going. We packed up some lunch for the kids and went down to the Silver Comet Depot. Here we met a likable feller named Ozzy and he got us set up with bikes. Now, Steph and I actually have our own cycles, however they are both in storage. And, mine is equipped for off-roading, so it wouldn't be a great ride on the Comet. Steph's has practically deteriorated, so she'll probably need a new one. Anyway, I got some sorta Raleigh, I think, with a Shimano 21 speed ring shifter and linear brakes - nothing special, but it works. Steph got a Specialized Crossroads, and she was quite happy with it. The kids got a Burley two-seater trailer with universal join linkage. You can see below what they thought of it:

Not exactly what you'd call an auspicious start for our trek. I like the Burley trailer. It appears to be sturdy and capable, and has enough storage space for the kids' lunch and some extra stuff. The tires are nice and big, and round (bonus!). The trailer also has a 3-piece cover which includes snap-down flaps for covering the opening. The flaps are "screen", "clear" and "tinted". We used the screen as it wasn't that cold, and the trailer tends to retain heat very well. My little thermal engine toddlers pumped out plenty of BTUs to keep the interior warm.

After the first 15 minutes, Devin was out like a light. We gave them some juice and a mini-box of raisins to keep them busy. Towing the trailer was easier than I thought. Steph remarked that I seemed to be performing a significant amount of gear-changing, but that's what a transmission is for - adequate distribution of power to the drivetrain with least amount of stress to the engine. Or something to that effect. At any rate, it was quite fun.

We rode for about 4 miles out from the Depot to Powder Springs. Steph was getting thirsty, and like doofuses we only packed stuff for the kids and not ourselves (duh!) So we stopped, gave the kids a fruit strip (pomegranate!) and turned round towards the Depot. Another four miles, and we're back at the depot and the kids are, shall we say, less than clean. We get our gear turned in and load up for the ride back home (it's a long one - about 5 minutes). We decide to let the kids eat their lunch because it's pushing 1pm and they'll be ready for naps. So we give them the sack lunch and they eat while we ride home. That was a mistake. PB&J, dates, a cheese slice and pretzel all make for great makeup/hair products. A bath is required before anyone touches anything in the house.

So, we plopped both kids in our garden tub and had bath/funtime for a half hour before putting the kids down for a nap. They really enjoyed the bath, and they are actually getting more fun out of those foam numbers and letters - they can recite some bits and pieces of the alphabet and can count a few numbers.








So, all in all, we decided we would definitely do this again as a regular activity. We will probably purchase our own trailer, and we'll have to get Steph a decent bike at some point (mine is fine, but just needs road tires). The Depot seems to have reasonable prices, plus they do free brake/adjustment service. And, if you purchase a bike from them, any rentals within 30 days prior to the purchase are deducted from the price! Sounds like a nice deal, which is good because the kids really enjoyed themselves, and getting outside is always good.

I finally got my old blog merged in, so everything is under one blog. Neato! Thanks to Paul Cooley and his blog2blog tool. If you ever need to backup/merge/convert blog posts from one blog service to another, this is the tool to use. Supports Blogger, MSN Spaces, LiveJournal and Wordpress. Check it out here.

Birthday Party - March 2008

Pictures from our trip up to Charlotte this weekend