Happy Halloween!

Halloween 2007

A Beautiful Morning

This is the view from the window near my cube. It is a chilly morning (around 40 degrees) and there is fog around the Chattahoochee. Very nice.

Saturday yielded Eagle Fest at Mt. Paran. We got to see friends while the kids played games and rode the rides. Emily and Emily Lorenz (pictured) had a mishap and had to be bandaged. As Emily L. said, "Ooouuww!" (FYI: the are fake wounds which cost about $1.50 :)

Emily and the Horse

We are still at the Corn Maze and Emily got her first pony ride. She thought it was awesome (as all little girls do).

We're outside Canton, GA, at Cagle's Dairy Farm doimg the corn maze. We were going to go to Resaca but it was an hour away versus the less than twenty minutes to this one. the maze is 10 acres- that's more than enough maze for our kids!
(FYI: Alex is not crying in the picture)

Amanda and I went to Medieval Times to celebrate or 11 year wedding anniversary and took the kids with us (they ate free during the month of September). A good time was had by all! If you've not experienced it, it is worthwhile- two hours of continuous entertainment, plus some tasty but messy food (they make you eat with your hands).

FW: Happy Labor Day!

As always, we're at the pool, having a great time. We hope you are, too!

She Loves to Swim and it Shows

Claire turned 21 months old yesterday. Can you believe that she is already a fish? She has virtually no fear in the water and doesn't mind getting water in her face. And she looks cute, too!

Emily took her yellow belt test today. We won't know for sure if she passed until Monday, but we're all very proud of her and are sure she'll be yellow next week!

Emily Yellow Belt Test

AND A ROLLER-COASTER!

What a monumental day! Emily finally tried a roller coaster (albeit a mini one) and she loved it! On to the the... barnstormers and tea cups?

Tilted and Whirled

Make that eight!

One Last Hurrah

Today it's Em's turn to take a friend to American Adventures. Sammie and Emily are having lots of fun together. Just like Alex did last week, Emily decided to try the Tilt-a-Whirl - and loved it! She and Sammie are riding it for the third time right now.

Another Disneyphile

I believe you can tell from the picture that Claire enjoys her Mickey. And Minnie. And Pluto. She wants to take them everywhere right now. I guess we'll have to be sure and see M&M&P the next time we go to Disney World!

AHN | Eco-Vandals Tag Hummer In DC; Neighbors "Smug" About Incident | July 21, 2007

AHN | Eco-Vandals Tag Hummer In DC; Neighbors "Smug" About Incident | July 21, 2007

This is taking things a bit too far...

Howdy, Pardner!

Emily sends a big Hey out to all you prairie dogs.

Emily earned her white belt in Tae Kwon Do. Ever since Alex decided to stop last year, Emily has been telling us that she'd like to try it. And from what I hear, she loves it!

Alex lost his first tooth

Yes, today Alex became a man. Well, he's at least less of a baby, as the first of his baby teeth has come out. boy, they grow up so fast...

Land of the Rising Sun

Our company is consolidating employees on the upper floors of our building. I was moved from a third floor "corner cube" facing the parking deck to a tenth floor window cube facing the woods with a pole- a so-called "obstructed viewbicle". It would be better if the pole weren't there; but then the morning sun would probably give me a tan.

We're back from vacation, but the fond memories remain. We had loads of fun and a good amount of rest on Jekyll Island. I can't recommend it enough, especially if you have the chance to go with an expert like June McCash. We learned a lot and enjoyed family time to boot. Go! Soon!

From Vacation

Jekyll Island

We're spending the weekend at Jekyll Island with Amanda's mom, her Uncle Richard, and her Aunt June. June (McCash) is an expert on the history of the island, having written several books on the subject; we are fortunate to be able to learn so much about the building and people here. Yesterday we went to the ocean and the kids had loads of fun. It is quite different from Ft. Walton Beach, with fewer people around. You can really enjoy it. This morning we went to brunch at the Jekyll Island Club, which was delicious. It is hard to imagine the amount of power and money that once dined in that room. Later today we will probably return to the ocean or go to the sea turtle hospital.

Alex Graduates

Today is Kindergarten Graduation Day at Mt. Paran. Alex is having lots of fun at the after party. It's at Acworth Beach. Can you believe we have a beach?

Georgia is on Fire

I don't know if the picture does it justice, but there is a thin veil of smoke hanging over Atlanta today. South Georgia is on fire, and the winds have brought a reminder to us. And it's not just fog_ no, you can *smell* it in the air.

Happy Mother's Day

We're at American Adventures celebrating a mom and her kids. Claire can't participate much but she and I are amusing ourselves. Just think, all you moms- you, too, could be riding bumper cars with your offspring!

Again, Happy Mother's Day!

Today is Alex's class trip to Turner Field. What an experience! The whole class is loving it! After this we're eating at the Varsity Jr. Grease will be had by all!

Hybrid Cars And Fuzzy Math - washingtonpost.com

Hybrid Cars And Fuzzy Math - washingtonpost.com

Finally, a clear rebuttal to the "Hummers are more environmentally friendly than Priuses" garbage. It was so obvious in the original article that they made glaring errors, yet so many people took it at face value. Come on- they said the energy cost per mile over 100K miles was over three dollars- yet the cost of the car is only $25K and the cost of the gas for that 100K miles is less than $8K. So who's paying the rest of that $300,000?

Alex, Emily, and I are off to a banner start, enjoying the rides at AmerAdvent. Planes, Trains, and Teacups- no automobiles, but the obligatory slide, of course. Come join us!

Alex's birthday was yesterday (at Monkey Joe's), and today we are at Burger King for his birthday dinner. Can you believe these kids are growing up? I can...

Lego my Wii - Joystiq

Lego my Wii - Joystiq

Seems that some people would rather play with Legos rather than play with their Wii. I don't think I know these people.

Be sure to peruse the image library by following any of the links in the article. Browse around via Next/Previous to see some great shots of the Lego Wii.

Radioactive Boy Scout | Technology | DISCOVER Magazine

A Michigan kid achieves fame - and fusion- in his basement.

My favorite quote:

“These kids are studying much more useful physics than what the country is spending billions on... They’re not going down the mainstream path to oblivion.”

Lego Sofa - Gizmodo

If this doesn't take the cake (or at least allow you to build one out of Legos). It's amazing what people will buy.

But I know one five year old (almost six!) that would love to have this in his room. :)

No Fluff Just Stuff Podcast

No Fluff Just Stuff Podcast

NFJS is a developer symposium (mostly Java) that roams the country educating developers. They've hosted the best seminars I've attended. They now have a podcast where they talk to the very smart people who present at NFJS and give a sample (or sometimes a whole seminar) of the kinds of stuff developers need to hear.

Lego MMO Revealed - Kotaku

Lego MMO Revealed - Kotaku

Sweet! "Lego Universe"! If done properly, this could be an amazing experience, ready to waste the childhoods of most American children!

Interesting Fair Tax Discussions

http://www.progressiveu.org/020605-fair-tax-plan
http://www.progressiveu.org/192600-fair-tax-plan-prt-2
http://www.progressiveu.org/192824-fair-tax-plan-prt-3

It's Emily's Birthday!

Emily had some friends over last night to celebrate turning eight. Boy can little girls get loud and shrill! They were up having fun very late- I believe the "earlybirds" went to sleep around 11:30, but Emily and Sammie (just over Emily's right shoulder) didn't go to sleep until after 1:30 AM! As a party favor, we took this picture and printed it on T-shirts, with all the girls signing the back. Needless to say, they all had loads of fun!

From Emilys Sleepover

Wii!

That's what we're saying about our new Nintendo. It's tons of fun! Workouts with Wii Sports and action with Zelda: Twilight Princess, plus news, weather, internet- there's nothing like streaming TV off the web to your, er, TV. But seriously, it's a lot of fun and is quite a different gameplay. Stop by and play a while!

Family2007

Claire Walks!

Claire started taking two or three steps at a time, then a few more, and now she's able to walk six feet or more at a time. It's only a matter of time before she's running full tilt. She already loves to climb on (or over) things- she's even managed to climb into the bathtub.

Oh, and she stacks our shoes on the back of the couch. I don't know what that's all about...

"CBS viewers, especially those who are always suspecting the network of tilting left, may have been jolted by the recorded announcement played during the closing credits of 'Armed & Famous,' the show that preceded the president's speech on the network. Said an announcer: ' 'Criminal Minds' is next, here on CBS.'"

Despite which way you lean, that's funny!

Tom Shales - A Few Choice Words, Including 'Mistakes' - washingtonpost.com

East Cobber

Well, it's official. Claire is "Baby of the Year" for East Cobber magazine! Our "little angel" has been quite the blessing to our family, and now is her chance to make others happy. During her reign as BOTY she will strive for world peace and an end to asparagus at dinner.

This Christmas, I had the idea of sending a little candy to my cousin Darren, stationed in Afghanistan. Amanda let the idea blossom into something wonderful- sending candy to Darren's troops stationed in Afghanistan! She spent many hours cooking up about eighty pounds of candy (only a portion of it is shown here) which we mailed today. Each person reporting to Darren should get their own bag of People Chow. To those who are stationed overseas this Christmas- Merry Christmas, and thank you for all you do!

The Democratic Party PartyBuilder Fair Taxation
Here's a surprise! Opponents of the Fair Tax are always saying that it's a Republican scam, a way to stick it to the middle class. But here is a fledgling group of Democrats, registered right on the Democratic Party's website.

I personally see it as simply a better way to do taxation than the current, very broken system.

The Banana Splits - Google Video

Last week's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me episode had a question about The Banana Splits, and boy did that bring back memories. I remember watching this show as a child and loving it. I still find myself singing the theme song in my head sometimes (it's very catchy!).

If you remember watching this when you were young, please let me know!

Halloween night, one of my family's favorite times of the year. We set out at 6 PM, as usual; we set out just as it gets dark so that we can all trick-or-treat together before Amanda heads back to the house to hand out candy. This year was different, however- there have been very few kids out so far, including our own! Emily and Alex went to about twenty houses, and then they declared they were done - we were home by 6:40! At 7:15 I convinced them to visit some other houses in the cul-de-sac (two), then at 7:30 or so Amanda convinced them to go out for a little longer; they probably hit 5-10 more. It's been a very light year for trick-or-treating, but at least our kids got "their fair share". :)

Happy Halloween!

You just can't get enough

Emily, Alex and I are partaking of one of the last weekends at American Adventures. They've decorated for Halloween. Some of the decorations are pretty scary! You wouldn't expect that at a park aimed at small children. Well, they make up for it by giving candy at each of the rides. That's what we need- more candy to add to the 5-10 pounds we got from our earlier endeavors.

But as you can guess, the kids love it.

Go LEMA!

Our team-building exercise was to build a "world class" organization. We flew through that and went on to make a world class architecture.

And oh, the Dreams we Have...

Zurg in Jail
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

We were at Magic Kingdom on the first da of the "Year of a Million Dreams". We had so much fun! Our touring plan (www.touringplans.com) worked very well here because Claire can ride all the rides in Fantasyland. Things went very smoothly till lunchtime; after lunch, all we did was Tom Sawyer Island (my first visit there _ever_) and shop. We went home for downtime in the afternoon, then returned to the park around 7 PM. We were only expecting to stay for two hours, but saw a sign saying "extra magic hours", which worked out great! Steve and Amanda got to ride "Pirates of the Carribean" (Shirl rode it earlier in the day) after the evening fireworks with only an eight minute wait. Sure, we didn't get home till after 11:00 AGAIN (even with the ride home the next day), but it was well worth it. All in all, visiting the Magic Kingdom last really topped off our great vacation.

Happy Anniversary

A Great Way to Celebrate
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

While our anniversary was Thursday night, we waited until Saturday night to celebrate. We went to Citirico's for dinner, dressing up like adults for a change (a rare thing for us indeed). They served us with customized menus; Mickey and Minnie adorned the top dressed in their wedding finery, with the title "Happy 10th Anniversary Steve and Amanda". And as you can see from the picture, our dessert was decorated just the same. While Amanda and I rarely live it up like this (it was the most expensive dinner we've ever had) it was well worth it. Ten Wonderful Years together and a whole lot more to go!

Breakfast at Mickey's

Greetings by Goofy
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

We had breakfast at Chef Mickey's. Goofy welcomed us with open arms. We met Mickey, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Goofy, and received a nice anniversary cupcake. Lots of fun- perhaps the high point of our kids' visit!

Boo to You!

Boo to You!
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

Friday night was "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party". Despite being a "hard ticket event" (requiring extra cash), it was worth every penny! Emily and Alex trick-or-treated (the adults did too!) and scored more than 500 pieces of candy! In addition, Alex and Emily rode Dumbo, then Alex and my mom rode Dumbo while Emily and I rode the Carousel. Emily danced with Chip, Steve rode Space Mountain, we saw the fireworks ("Hallowishes"), and we saw the "Boo to You!" parade- TWICE. We watched it in Frontierland from a bad vantage point, then made our way toward the front gate only to be blocked by... the front of the parade! And the second time, we were in the front row! We didn't get home to 11:30 (with some very tired kids), but it was well worth it. Good thing the next day was a down day!

Tree of Life

Tree of Life
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

We spent Friday morning at Animal Kingdom. We did the Safari, which had to stop three times because animals were in the road. We saw lots of animals out and about- too bad my camera couldn't handle it! Most of the photos were blurry. After that we made our way to the Jungle Trek, and on the way ran into a "living vine"- a cast member dressed up as a vine, climbing lamp posts, entangling herself on railings, etc. After the Jungle Trek we saw the Festival of the Lion King then had lunch, after which we spent some time looking for Alex's lost sunglasses, then headed home for downtime to prepare for the Halloween Party.

Night Fountain at Epcot

Night Fountain at Epcot
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

Thursday was Epcot. Soarin' (in the Land Paviliton) was great- Emily and I rode it TWICE. The ride had technical difficulties the second time, while Amanda rode with us. Emily loved it. Living with the Land was very interesting and educational. Alex was scared of the dark parts but loved the greenhouse (we have lots of pictures). We even found two mickeys (I'm sure one of them qualified as "hidden"). Turtle Talk with Crush was also great- very interactive. And the fish in The Living Seas- Wow! Another hidden mickey, albeit a pretty easy one to spot. Took the boat across the lagoon, saw some characters, ate a Teppanyaki Lunch, saw the fountains, then went to the hotel for a break. (I highly recommend downtime during the hot part of the day.) When we returned, we parked at Boardwalk so we coudl come in and leave via the International Gateway. We rode Spaceship Earth, which everyone enjoyed, then had ice cream while we waited for Illuminations. I do believe this was the first fireworks show that Emily enjoyed! Unfortunately, Alex and especially Claire did not. Claire wigged during the fireworks. After that we made our way home with some very tired kids.

Greetings from Disney/MGM

Today was a great first day to our vacation. We checked into Saratoga Springs at 10 and were in the park by 11:30. We've seen lots of great shows and met a bunch of characters. I think Alex liked meeting the Green Power Ranger the most, and Emily liked Kim Possible. Steve *finally* rode the Tower of Terror- what a rush!

Albert Einstein Quotes

"Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe - a spirit vastly superior to that of man. . . . In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is indeed quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive."

Pump You Up!

Another Pump It Up birthday party. Kids sure do have a lot of energy! They can run without stopping for an hour and then eat sweet stuff. Oh, the humanity- and the metabolism.

A Labor (Day) of Love

Kids Love Superman
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

We met the Bunkers in Paducah, KY, for Labor Day this year. We visited the Paducah waterfront, went across the border to Metropolis, IL, to see the giant Superman statue and visit the old fort, spent time in a freezing cold pool, played video games, and last but not least, went to the Paducah Labor Day parade. Lots of fun for the weekend and good memories for us all.

And we scored five pounds (literally!) of candy at the parade!

And Claire Marches On...

Claire Stands in her Crib
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

In addition to a full crawl, Claire is pulling herself up now. She is rapidly progressing when it comes to mobility. Emily was that way - she walked at 11 months. Claire turned 9 months yesterday, so it could be "no time at all" before she's toddling.

(And boy is she cute!)

Claire Crawls

Claire Crawls
Originally uploaded by GalapagosFinch.

It's official - Claire crawls. She's still in the super-grumpy stage (kids get grumpy when they are in the process of learning things) but she can now coordinate her arms and legs to move around. It seems like slow motion when she does it, but I'm sure that will last all of three days before she'll be racing around the house. Time for us to put those gates back up!

LBDelicious

A friend's girlfriend is a very good cook, and also a communications major, which leads to an excellent blog about cooking and eating. If you are partial to either one, give her blog a skim.

A fairly taxing debate - Orlando Sentinel
Another FairTax rally. Some debate on how many people showed up, but it was still in the thousands.

I'm sad that the first person they talked to didn't get it. Yes, his income tax would go down, but he makes it sound like he wouldn't be paying taxes. Government can't exist without money; taxation is a "necessary evil".

One point they bring up is that the "real tax rate would end up being higher" than stated in the current bill. However, that would only occur

if Congress voted to increase the tax

. Well, or if they changed it before the bill in its present form was enacted. Either way, future changes require Congress to increase the tax rate, which would become a very public obstacle to them increasing their spending.

This story also points out that the FairTax rewards saving rather than spending. This means that people who take care of themselves (via saving for the future) will be taxed a "little less" than those who don't. Those who live beyond their means are the ones that are really screwed (they were screwed to begin with; this just speeds them to their coming crisis).

Transition still worries me, though. People need to understand the ramifications of the FairTax before it goes into affect lest mayhem ensue. And we can't have mayhem, now can we?

YouTube - Thanks Comcast

Clark Howard pointed out that YouTube has become a place for people to post videos/audios of their customer "no-service" experiences. This one is a Comcast technician who fell asleep while on hold. There's another one of AOL bullying someone who is attempting to cancel their account. If you have a bad story - publicize it!

Beach 2006 001

Emily and Alex in Sand
Originally uploaded by Grand_Vizier.

We went to the beach last week and had lots of fun. See a slideshow
at Flickr

BonairePhotos - Junk Shrine
From a friend of mine:

I saw your blog entry about plastics in the ocean.

I’ve seen that exact problem when I was in Bonaire. On the western side of the island, the windward side, we saw a bunch of plastic stuff blown onto the shore.
This was made from the junk.

Found on the internet...

Going from the McMansion to the McMausoleum

Baby boomers on the downhill slide are thinking about the afterlife. And they are coming to the conclusion that it should be supersized. There is a growing market for ostentatious, very, very expensive mausoleums. “Nobody wants a cookie-cutter burial anymore,” said a funeral association rep. Claims one cemetery owner,“The mausoleum says, ‘I’m really significant in this world.’” (Or was.)

PBS - The Voyage of the Odyssey - Sailing on a Sea of Plastic

I never knew there was a location in the ocean where stuff gets trapped. It makes sense; when you have motion in multiple directions there are often high points and low points (signal interference patterns are a good example). But that we could accumulate so much plastic garbage in one place is, well, embarrassing. We really should be ashamed of ourselves.

Emily and her Glasses

Emily and her Glasses
Originally uploaded by Grand_Vizier.

Emily went for an eye exam this morning and lo and behold, she has the same problem Alex has, only not as severe. Amanda took her to the mall and they picked out some very nice glasses. Emily says she's excited - she knows she looks good in them!

Talking Cats - Google Video

"Oh Long Johnson, Oh Don Piano". See it now!

Alex and the White Belt

Tae Kwon Do 6-1-06 (49)
Originally uploaded by Grand_Vizier.

Alex broke the board and got his white belt! This was his third lesson in Tae Kwon Do and they had him take the test to get his belt. We didn't even know it was time for that, so we weren't all that prepared - Amanda wasn't even there! But given the number of belts on the wall, I'm sure she'll have plenty of chances to see him break things with various parts of his body.

BTW, the young man holding the board is Daymon Mayham, Alex's instructor for the day. He's the son of a friend and coworker, Scott Mayham. He's been doing this since he was Alex's age, and now he's a third degree black belt who has won championships - something to which Alex can aspire!

Emily's last day of school was on Wednesday, concluding with a "Character Traits" ceremony where the teacher recognized their best qualities. Emily was recognized for Excellence, as she always wants to do her best. Emily was sad to leave school, but she knows she'll be seeing her friends again soon. But she sure will miss her teachers... 

Claire's Baptism 2006 003

Claire's Baptism
Originally uploaded by Grand_Vizier.

Our beautiful baby girl was baptized on Sunday. She was perfect during the ceremony- not a whine or a whimper. Emily and Alex were good, too. Emily did a very small wave at one of her friends, and at one part of the ceremony, Alex got curious about what was in the baptismal font.

You can see other photos at Flickr.

Steves Digicams - Canon PowerShot SD300 Digital ELPH - User Review

We just got this camera yesterday. I'll post pictures from it soon.

Are We There Yet? - AutoWeek

Oh No!

The Prius gas mileage has been beaten - by a German!

Claire & her tongue

Claire & her tongue
Originally uploaded by Grand_Vizier.

Don't you love it when children discover new things?

Discovery Channel :: Vegetables Fight Global Warming
Eat your veggies and save the world.

Hangers

Bales of plastic hangers to be recycled. Something I saw back in February but forgot about.

Go figure.

AA Again

(That's American Adventures)

E&A rode Crazy Bus (not pictured) five times- in a row! The girl running the ride thought they were cute- how each time they told her (again) that they had just ridden the bus. The thing is, they were just about the only people riding it, so they were hard to miss!

Angels Over Atlanta

The Blue Angels are visiting Atlanta this weekend. We parked at the Walmart diagonally across from Dobbins Air Reserve base, and it was a great location. We might not have seen every move, but they flew RIGHT OVER US multiple times. It was great- and loud!

Homestar Runner
Have I mentioned this before? Some really goofy videos about some very odd characters. Don't forget to stop in and see Strong Bad answer user emails.

Free Comic Book Day 2006
Check the website for a store near you that is giving away comics from a list of 28 special editions. The comics range from Archie to Star Wars to Donald Duck and beyond to the "not so recognizable" names.

FairTax on Wikipedia
It's crazy but true - I never even thought of checking Wikipedia for information on the Fair Tax Act!