Household Members

Happy Birthday stringmonkey  and niece #1!

Alan closed the drapes this morning, and I slept in until 10:30am. It was awesome. I also had a dream that my friends Tom and Dan were able to get married on the 10th anniversary of their civil union, but then it was happening at a Renaissance Faire, the wedding party was in some grand procession and things got weird. But I did have happiness upon waking at their happiness in each other.

On my list of stuff to accomplish this weekend is:

• renew DL at MVA
• drop off old mirror, lights, etc at Salvation Army
• IKEA trip for mirror and shower curtain
• purchase OTR microwave and new disposal
• test drive bugs(?)
• groceries
• finish washing hall bath walls
• clean and empty kitchen

But first I need to shower, grab a book and check off item #1.

See folks at Holiday Faire tomorrow.

I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog. Well, Maxi is at it again - separation anxiety. She'd been fine for the last couple weeks and now she's back to being frantic when we're both gone. This morning while I was gone for an hour getting the truck inspected and an oil change, she managed to do damage at all three doors. The front door is now missing about 18" of trim - shredding to pieces, the back door has had the carpet torn up and pulled back and at the door from the mudroom to the garage more drywall has been clawed off and a torchier lamp in the recroom was knocked over and the shade broken (fortunately the shade is just plastic and the bulb didn't shatter). Of course now that I'm home, everyone is completely calm and ready for a nap. As far as I can tell this is mostly, if not all, Maxi's doing. I expect Markie helped but Maxi is maul-the-drywall-and-wood trim dog. Sigh. I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog, I love my dog.

• 12:27 My back is killing me; week 2 of operation "fat daddy" sees my general fitness going up but my weight hasn't budged. #
• 15:34 Allergy tests show I'm allergic to my bed and pillows. My dust mites is off the chart. And those special mattress covers are expensive #

...live, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

So I was explaining the results of my allergy test to one of my bosses today...

Me: "Seems I'm allergic to dust mites."

Boss: "Where do dust mites come from anyway?"

Me: "You see, when two dust mites love each other..."

Got a call from the kitchen contractors and our new kitchen cabinets are in. Yay!

They hope to deliver them tomorrow and start work on installation on Monday. Looks like we'll have to spend some time clearing out the kitchen this weekend. I think the most important thing will be installing the coffee maker in the guest bathroom. I might want to pick up some paper plates and bowls so we don't have to worry about dishes for a couple of weeks. Hmm, now that we have a dining room light, perhaps I can add a power cord towards the dining room table for snacks, microwave, toaster, etc. That might work. I hope the fridge can remain plugged in and just shifted as necessary for the workers convenience. Hmm, should clean up behind the fridge, (eek) and stove for that matter. Oh, and  need to go shopping for a new over the range microwave...

yay!
sigh.

At least I asked for tomorrow off to attempt to fight this cold, run some errands and relax. Dunno how much of that I'll actually get done, but hopefully I can at least renew the driver's license and catch a nap.

Interesting...so my (potentially) last trip while on this international project will take me to Orlando in December. Just found out the detains on our team dinner on Wednesday night...

(Company sponsoring) is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the team dinner for the (project name) business week in Orlando at the Grand Floridian Resort in Walt Disney World on Wednesday, December 3, 2008. Our dinner reservations are at 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM. As special dinner guests of the Grand Floridian Resort that evening, we will be escorted to the special viewing area following dinner for the “Wishes” nighttime spectacular. "Wishes" is the largest fireworks display ever presented at Walt Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom, and explodes with vivid color, sound and gut wrenching emotion. We have arranged for motor coach transportation for everyone from the (conference center) to the Grand Floridian and return to the (hotel) that evening. We look forward to seeing everyone in Orlando!

And to think I've been begging for them to get me off of this assignment...

acronyms aplenty, I must have been near a government facility.

theodorad  was kind enough to host us at the SDO Friends and Family event this evening at Goddard. It was so much fun, and very educational. We got to see SDO in the clean room, and they even had the back panel open so we could see the propulsion system, and some of the other important bits like the little adjuster wheels (every action produces and equal and opposite reaction, blah blah), the AIA telescopes off the top and one of the high gain antennae. We also got to visit the cage of poor Triana, sitting and waiting for some unknown fate. She showed us the Thermal Vac Chamber (the outside of it obviously, since inside was the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter being tested), as well as the acoustic test chamber with the insanely thick and yet not thick enough walls. We also were able to meet some of her co-workers and attend a talk by one of the scientists talking about the plans for SDO, the instruments that it will host, the data they will receive and what they hope to do with the data. The three instruments are EVE (Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment- measuring extreme ultraviolet irradiance [it must be screaming UV]), AIA (Atmospheric Imaging Assembly- getting HD images of various layers within the sun) and HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager- to study and understand the magnetic activity of the sun.) This should advance and build on the knowledge gathered from SOHO.

Okay, so it was very sciency, and Shequey was in space-geek heaven, and I retained at least 10% of the information spewed at me (I hope) and just basked in the shared glow of Theo's accomplishment. It was a pretty darn awesome evening.

Global Warming my old friend...great to see you back again...

A new Irish film claims that climate change guru Al Gore is an alarmist and that those who think they are saving the planet are only hurting the poor

IF THE ADVANCE publicity is anything to go by, Not Evil Just Wrong will do for Al Gore what Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 did for George W Bush.

...their latest film - which takes on what are described as global warming alarmists - is "the most controversial documentary of the year". Indeed, it could very well be the most controversial. And Al Gore and Hollywood may well not want you to see it. And in that respect, Gore and co are actually succeeding for the moment. Because there is no completed film. Not yet anyway.
----
IN BRIEF, THEIR other main assertions are: there has been no global warming since 1995; the polar bear population is not under threat from climate change but from human hunters; they also say that the Arctic and Greenland glaciers have been receding since 1850, long before the invention of SUVs; and, finally, that the UN's International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) takes issue with Al Gore's contention that sea levels will rise by 20ft (more like 19 inches, says the IPCC). More...

It will uses a similar 3 act approach as Expelled to laying out its case:
1) Looks at previous "scares"
2) Explores the "flaws" in the climate change argument
3) Measures proposed to tackle climate change will cause crisis and chaos

If you believe like most sane skeptics of the global warming crisis that the science isn't in and it's not at all sure what could be done to change the climate at this point you should consider funding this work. Buy stock! It will provide you a better return than GM at this point.

Fun and tiring weekend. Isenfir's Games Tourney was fun even if a bit soggy. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very cooperative for fighting but there was plenty of gambling and socializing - and a little bit of drinking - we were at a winery after all. The folks at Hill Top Winery are very nice, make some very nice fruit wines and meads and let us use the site for free in exchange for being medieval color for them for the day. One thing I have to say for this shire - people know how to cook! There was a lot of excellent food at the potluck. No one went away hungry.

Today we spent some time in the yard, Mike did some planting and a bit of leaf removal. I finished the edging between the driveway and the lawn. Speaking of the lawn, the grass and clover have started sprouting! Yay! This is so sad - I'm thrilled with home renovations and hopes of a new lawn (or rather un-muddy front yard). Sewing projects continue.... I'm still trying to figure out the best way to attach the refurbished paneling. It's a challenge since I want to put it up horizontally but the boards aren't always going to start or end at a stud.

• 09:19 @FOXPhotog Yup, back to Worldgate. 3 days in a row and while my body is soar it is a good soar. #

...live, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There have been a few posts on same sex marriage since the passing of Proposition 8 in California, and similar propositions in other states. A friend of a friend posted a comment hoping that the passing of Prop 8 could be a good thing in some ways in that it is stirring up support of its defeat all over the US.

I am another happily married heterosexual person totally and completely in favor of same sex marriage. Honestly, as long as marriage stays between two adults, I could care less what their race or sex is. I've heard comments regarding religion, civil unions, and even the slippery slope to polygamy and the like from those who oppose same sex marriage, but they just don't hold water for me. No law will be made to force your church to marry a same sex couple. While I'm sure some religious gays and lesbians would love acceptance from their church, that is not the issue. The issue is letting states marry those of the same sex. And marry, not civilly unionize, but marry. We've learned from history that separate but equal is far from equal. And I don't see how such a proclamation would affect current marriages. My marriage is not redefined anytime someone has a Vegas marriage that is annulled in a week.

What it really comes down to is, love is love. People should be free to marry the person they love. (Note: the person, not the people) I couldn't imagine telling any of my friends that they couldn't marry who they loved, so long as they were both free to marry. I wish everyone happiness, regardless of creed, race or sexual orientation.

Others have been far more eloquent on the subject, most notably the clip of Keith Olbermann. I don't have any new words to add to the subject, just my unflinching support of love and its triumph.

I think my son saved my life…sort of.

Wednesday morning I woke up and decided that I was going straight to the gym and renew my membership. I took my gear with me, signed up, and have been working my way back up to a full regular workout with stretches, cardio, and weight machines. When I get home at night I’m inviting the boys to take a walk around the neighborhood with me just to get the heart pumping a little why Sue is working on dinner. I’ve gone to the gym now every day for the last three days and I’m trying to decide if I’m going over the weekend as well. As 6:30am normally comes too darn early I’ve been trying to figure out why all of a sudden do I have this overwhelming desire to exercise, eat better, and tone up.

I finally figured it out and it was shocking on how subconscious it must have been but it's the only thing that makes sense. Tuesday night at the dinner table we were talking about how it was important that the boys eat so they could grow. Z is built like his mother and has not a spare ounce of flesh on his body. We were jokingly telling him he’s too skinny and needs to eat more of his dinner. His brother M says he’s eating enough because he’s “fat like daddy” …and he’s happy to be big like me. Course, M isn’t fat…he’s got some chunk to him but he’s a solid brick and clearly not obese. So I kind of laughed it off, told him he wasn’t fat, and reminded him saying stuff like that wasn’t nice. I also didn’t think about it again.

But I must have. And what I must have thought was I didn’t like the message my youngest son was receiving by my appearance and by my exercise habits; which was to say none. My weight had been slowly creeping up but I have been holding steady at a place I didn’t like but dieting (really, just watching what I hate) wasn’t getting me anywhere. I know my metabolism has slowed a lot and that I have to work harder just to maintain but I have my son to thank right now. He made me get off my ass and do it not only for myself but to be a good example to him and his brother.

And if self drive isn’t enough to get me into the gym I’ll take a little guilt (I was raised Catholic after all) and the respect of my sons to get my ass on the elliptic machine. I'm not going to kill myself by overdoing it but I will kill myself if I don't do something.

• 09:01 Hit the gym for the second day in a row to had off seasonal illness. Funny I think it is working and I have a little more pep in the step #
• 09:02 @soucyn Dude! How can you say that about Aradd? #

...live, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Help me my friends! I don't know what to do this week! Need 2 WR, 2 RB, and one WR/RB flex...

WR (2)
1. Santana Moss (Was - WR) Dal
2. Muhsin Muhammad (Car - WR) Det
3. Bernard Berrian (Min - WR) @TB
4. Roy Williams (Dal - WR) @Was
5. Marvin Harrison (Ind - WR) Hou

RB (2)
1. Marshawn Lynch (Buf - RB) Cle
?. Jerious Norwood (Atl - RB) Den
?. Mewelde Moore (Pit - RB) SD
?. Willie Parker (Pit - RB) SD

Flex (1 from above)
1. ???

(If you need me to explain this you probably can't help :P)

Today I get a day off from yardwork since it's raining and cold out. My back appreciates it. Now that the front yard has been graded, new gravel laid and the driveway leveled, grass seed, clover seed, fertilizer and straw have all been put down, I'm working on edging between the lawn and the gravel drive. We were pondering what to use. I don't care for the pressure treated garden timbers - we just pulled a bunch of mostly rotted ones that were painted seafoam green out of the ground during the grading. Most of the concrete edgers just don't fit with our style or are too expensive since we need so many. So, this is one time when I can actually thank previous-owner-guy for something. He was an odd packrat, of sorts. He left several carefully stacked piles of bricks out in the woods behind the workshop. I mean 40-50 feet out in the woods, not close to anything and a challenge to get a wheelbarrow back there let alone the lawn tractor with cart. There are more than enough bricks though so now I just have to lay them. I'm close to 2/3 done of the 100 foot stretch. The hardest part is digging up the clay with the mattock. My back is going to enjoy the day off. I think it'll be a day of sewing - my list of commissions just seems to keep growing and I still owe my sister-in-law a quilted wall hanging.

Update on the Audi - the rear brakes have been fixed. Thanks to Scott for his work and to my brother for getting me the necessary parts and being available to advise. The parts cost under $250 and about 3 hours of labor total including the several times Scott had to go investigate the problems or check on things to answer questions for my brother. Even including the labor costs this is much less than what the shops quoted me - $800 and $1200. Hopefully I won't have any more major problems any time soon.

Oh the irony...

It is known that camp Obama pretty much turned off protection on the online donations that would have prevented the type of fraud we know occurred. But they won't be audited and McCain will.

This in part thanks to the law McCain helped pass. McCain will have to pay millions to pass the audit and camp Obama gets a pass on the questionable $300 million in small donations that we had no visibility into.

Don't care what party you belong to; that's a damn shame and should be fixed. It won't of course but I promise you the days of candidates accepting government financing is over.

"On that day let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." -President Eisenhower, Veterans Day Proclamation.

Some of my fellow coworkers and I gathered at the flagpoles this morning to honor the veterans, listing those names of faculty and staff who have served, and remembering the countless other veterans world-wide of many conflicts who "sacrificed the flower of their youth" for our country.

It can't be said often enough- Thank you.

A POW flag flies under our flag at the Honolulu Memorial to the fallen and missing from US Pacific wars in the National Memorial Cemetary of the Pacific in Puowaina crater.

I just saw on the Plimoth Embroider's Story blog that Plimoth Plantation will be selling Janet Arnold's Patterns of Fashion 4. As with all purchases from the retail department of Plimoth, those profits will go towards Plimoth's programs, like the jacket project. So while this is not a fundraiser specifically for the jacket project, the jacket display will benefit from sales.

I plan to place my order soon!

PS: added bonus, the funds will still go to a good cause if you give your friends/parents/significant other this link for a gift for the holidays, assuming you are patient.

After a wonderful weekend, I spent last night downloading pictures from the camera, and putting them on Flickr, but I was easily distracted by programming on the TV in preparations for Veteran's Day tomorrow. I watched a show on the Smithsonian Channel about the Vietnam War and Memorial called "Remembering Vietnam- The Wall at 25". I thought it was very well done, not just talking about the war itself and highlighting various veterans' experiences, but also their reception upon return, some veteran's struggles to integrate back into everyday life, and how the memorial has been helpful and healing. I loved the highlight of the various items and notes left behind at the memorial and how archiving them has become a full-time job for a vet from Vietnam. I also watched the end of Saving Private Ryan on TNT.

It reminded me that I haven't been to visit the various memorials since my middle school trip up here from Greensboro. It is truly a shame that I haven't seen the new WWII memorial, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Wall, etc. in the 10 years I've lived here. I adore the art museums and need to take time out for them too, but perhaps owe it to those who have served to honor their sacrifices by paying homage to the memorials. Obviously tomorrow is going to be insanely crowded, and I have to work, but soon I should schedule time to enjoy those. I didn't miss the USS Arizona Memorial, nor the Punchbowl Cemetery when I was in Honolulu, so why should the local memorials receive less of my attention?

Regardless of where I get in the future, I do want to take the time to thank those who have served and those who serve. Freedom is not free, and I appreciate your service and sacrifices.