"Put your money in the bank"

We're still on vacation for the holidays, and were prepared to leave for home tomorrow (Sunday, the 31st). This afternoon we got a call from my uncle that my dad's dad had passed away. This is not even a month after my mom's dad passed away.

We had the opportunity to visit "Pop" over the holidays - he has been in an Alzheimer's care facility for at least a few years now, and we had Christmas lunch with him by the fireplace. He was not very responsive during our visit, and it was pretty evident that he might not have much longer.

We remember Pop for a lot of things:

√ His service in the war flying glider planes. The purpose of a glider pilot was to fly behind enemy lines and become an infantryman. Thankfully, Patton overran his goal in France and Pop's mission was aborted (and led to a leisure trip to Paris, if I recall correctly).

√ His dedication to his family. Pop and Mimi were married for 61 years as of December 26th. I went with Mimi to visit Pop on their anniversary, and it was enjoyable to watch her love on him, though he didn't know her or understand the significance of the day. He cared deeply for his children and grandchildren, and I know he would have adored his three great-granddaughters, if he had been able to know them.

√ His sentimentality (if that's a word). Pop would never let an opportunity pass for a story about the past, a remembrance of an old friend, or a simple hug. He loved to hold us in his lap when we were children, and I always cherished those moments.

√ His slow pace. One time, Chris and I ventured to Wendy's for a dinner. Pop ordered his chili, we got our meals, and we sat down. He said, "Boys, just because it's fast food doesn't mean you have to eat it fast." And there we sat in Wendy's for no less than an hour. That's hard for two boys probably 13 and 10, or somewhere around those ages.

√ His financial prowess. "Put your money in the bank" was a favorite saying of his. Pop grew up one of 9 children, had begun working in a mill as a young boy, went off to war, came back with barely anything, got his degree and master's, taught accounting, began a small accounting firm, lived modestly, and invested wisely. Mimi still lives in the house they built in 1951.

√ His love for the Scriptures and hymns. Pop always enjoyed Psalm 23 as his favorite passage, and you couldn't get away without him humming "In the Garden" or "Amazing Grace." On numerous trips to visit him after his mind had all but faded away, even when he couldn't complete a full sentence, once we'd start singing hymns, he'd hum, sing, and often cry along with us. We knew how much they meant to him, and they touched his heart till the very end.

One last story - Angela, Abby, my dad, and I went to visit Pop while we were in Savannah for my mom's dad's funeral. While there, we sang some Christmas hymns and then I prayed. After the prayer, we all said we loved him, and each gave him a kiss. When I got to him, I could tell he was trying to say something, so I paused and waited. He said, "That was a good one" and that was all. It was the only thing he had said the entire time we were visiting, and I knew it was the singing that gave him joy.

We loved Pop dearly, and his mind has been gone from us for many years. Now his body, too, has faded away, and we will recall with great love and joy the man he was and the legacy he has left with each one of us.

A Merry [Downpour'd] Christmas

Obviously, we have many stories to share and have had a wonderful time with family. We woke up Christmas morning to torrential rain and tornado watches. Oh, and it was 70 degrees at 8 am.

Besides all the presents, time with family, and great food - we are most grateful this year that our baby girl is feeling much, much better. She's been converting to formula and it has greatly improved her weight, sleeping patterns, and her overall demeanor. In fact, she has been the happiest little girl of late.

We look forward to showing lots of great pictures and tales of big toes in the mouth (both at the same time!).

Faster x2

Upon a successful Christmas shopping trip for myself (see below), I got home and jumped online, to see about the clubs I had just bought (do you ever do that - where you investigate your purchases after you purchase them!!??).

To my surprise/excitement/dismay, the clubs were $50 cheaper online, with free shipping and no tax (small wonder!*). I called up the store, and they said they don't honor the website prices, so I'd have to return the clubs and then order them online.

Willing to save $70, I packed them up before church and then hit the mall after church. I lugged the box in, made my case to the "Front End Lead" (I'd hate to see the "back end lead"!) and after some discussions with his boss via walkie, he decided just to give me a $50 gift card to the store (they couldn't rebate the tax, no worries).

I have to give it to Dick's Sporting Goods - they're pretty good folk. AND, I just got in the mail a $10 gift card w/ purchase of - you guessed it - $50. So, I can go spend my "free" money and get not $50, but $60 out of it! Merry Christmas!

* "Small Wonder" comes from a road trip that Ang and I took to Philly, and all throughout Delaware there were billboards/signs promoting the state with the slogan "Small Wonder." Ang and I thought it was so silly and lame that we began exclaiming it at anything we thought slightly amazing. It's one of those "had-to-be-there" inside jokes which I'm desperately trying to explain to the world - and getting nowhere with it....

Faster than a Speeding Bullet

Ang - the sweetheart she is - got me a gift card for a sporting goods store so that I could buy myself a 3-wood for Christmas. Since she and Mia are out of town, I decided to brave the last minute shoppers and headed out to the mall. [Overall, not a bad experience, actually.]

After playing golf with my cousin and uncle over Labor Day, my cousin noted that I'd probably be better off with a new set of irons than a 3-wood, as my irons are my Grandaddy Mac's old clubs (probably at least 20-30 years old, heavy as a brick, and very unforgiving).

I asked the sales assoc. what a good set of irons would be, and he asked if I needed just irons, or a complete golf set. I said just the irons at first, but then remarked that I didn't have a good 3-wood or 5-wood. For the same price as the irons he took me to, he also showed me a full set that were just as good and had everything I needed. I asked if I could hit a couple clubs in the practice area, and he said sure.

Well, sure enough, I pull out the 3-wood, and what do I do but smack it 225 yards (that's a lot, for me). Not too shabby. Then, I pick up the 6-iron, and lo and behold - I hit it 174 yards (I've never even hit my current 3-iron that far). I was sold.

I consulted with Ang, who was on her way to Brian's graduation (yeah, Brian!) and she agreed that I could purchase the set. Now, I have an extra bag, which I may sell on eBay, but I'm ready to play golf (considering it's going to be in the upper-60's tomorrow). Any takers??

My baby is more fireproof than your baby!

While I applaud society's (in general) and as a result our government's efforts to protect the lives and interests of its citizens, it is with great humor, accompanied by disdain and annoyance, that I come across the stating-the-obvious warnings I find on labels, coffee cups, etc. - everywhere it seems.

Take for instance the standard disposable coffee cup at your local Starbuck's: typically printed at the bottom of said cup is the sentence, "Warning: this beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot." THANK YOU, Mr. Coffee Cup Printer Man. Usually when I order a cup of coffee, unless I specifically ask for iced coffee, I expect that it will be hot. But just in case there was any doubt...

What breaks the mold is the "guide to children's sleepwear," which I found recently in Macy's at the check-out counter and also on specially marked tags throughout the children's apparel department. On this guide I read: "The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sets national safety standards for children's sleepwear that are designed to protect children from burn injuries if they come in contact with an open flame, such as a candle or stove burner. Do not let your children sleep in clothing that does not meet the CPSC sleepwear standards."

OK. Soooo...in other words, when I tuck my little baby into bed at night next to the burning candle and hot plate in her room I'll be sure to put her into jammies that meet the CPSC sleepwear standards so that once her jammies light up and I remove them these flame resistant garments will most likely not continue to burn! These will also prove very useful when I move her crib into the kitchen next to the stove.

These warnings scream: you as a common, possibly somewhat educated populace, despite whatever you may say or do probably have either no common sense, are too busy to use what common sense you have, or better yet, have become so sophisticated in employing your common sense that if we don't print this warning you will sue us for liability, negligence, or some other such fuzzy legality that when it really comes down to it was your own fault for not using your common sense!

~ posted by Ang (actually by Dan, but Ang left it as an edit and then went out of town)

A Brave New World

No, I haven't been reading Aldous Huxley. This another story of our brave little girl.

Today, lil' Mia, at only 11 lbs 6 oz, had to get an endoscopy. That involved being put to sleep with general anesthesia, having a camera plunged down her throat, and waking up with a weird lady trying to feed her sugar water out of a bottle! YIKES!

The Doc was really great, he even did this on a 7-week old the other day. Anyway, he saw no visible signs of any problems (except a little irritation of the duodenum), and we'll hear back about the biopsy in 7-10 days. Our little one woke up a little groggy, but after eating and resting in her car seat, and then a good nap, she was no worse for the wear.

Thankfully, we didn't see this, but apparently they couldn't find a vein for the IV in her feet or arms, so the IV ended being put in her forehead. Poor thing!

Scenic Shuttle

While in Savannah, we spent some time at my Uncle's house on the Wilmington River, and it just so happened that the night we were there is when the Space Shuttle Discovery took off. After a couple false starts, we made it out to the dock at 8:47pm (we got fooled by the countdown, and they had a "scheduled hold" at T-minus 9 minutes).

We kept staring towards the south, hoping to catch a glimpse of something (not sure what). While we were debating where exactly we should look, someone exclaimed, "There's a glow in the distance!"

Sure enough, it started almost like a sunrise, with just a reddish glow over the horizon. After about 15 seconds or so, all of a sudden a bright orange ball of flame rose above the trees. It stayed a pretty small ball of orange until (we assume) it rotated, and then we saw the tail (?) of the rockets - like a streak of orange in the sky.

Needless to say, it was pretty surreal. Savannah is about 300 miles from Cape Canaveral, and it was amazing to be able to see it from that far.

"Mac"

Last week, my maternal grandfather went to be with the Lord. One thing
is for sure, he was ready. The report from the hospice room is that when
he knew it was his time to go, he would wake up every 30 minutes or so,
one time exclaiming "what am I still doing here!?" and another "let's
get this show on the road!" He was ready for his time with the Lord, in
a better place, with a whole body.

As we drove from the funeral home to the gravesite, a significant
percentage of the cars traveling in the opposite direction pulled off to
the side of the road out of respect for the procession. I don't know how
common this practice still is in this day's age, but it definitely
remains in good ole Savannah.

Angela remarked that from the day she first met him, she knew he loved
her as if she were his own grandchild. Grandaddy Mac was a family man,
and even those who were "transplanted" into the family were deeply loved
by him. And we all loved him dearly.

For a brief summary of what Grandaddy Mac meant to us, click here. For pictures from our time together as a family, click here.

O Christmas Tree!

A quick little video of putting up our Christmas Tree (and a few extra shots of the little one!).

Click HERE.

Happy Girl!

Despite some continuing reflux problems, our girl is still as happy as ever. The pictures below are from Thanksgiving weekend through today:

My own Thanksgiving feast of sweet potatoes - on a picnic!!

Mommy and Daddy kept throwing this brown, oddly-shaped thing back and forth. I'm not sure who won, but I think Daddy threw the best.

Mommy set out all these small people on the floor. For some reason, I really like the baby. I hope he's warm - I know how cold I get when I don't have any clothes on!

Somehow, all the people suddenly got bigger!! The guy in red is trying to read my bib, but I don't think he can understand English.

Ahh, just chillin' in the big, comfy, round chair. Actually, this is the new outfit that Nana got me for Thanksgiving. Although I've lost some ounces (I'm still trying to find them), this 6 mo. outfit fits perfectly!

Get your squint on, yo!

Closing shot. Yes, I'm just a doll....

Toast and Jam

I've failed to report on the wonders of my new email device for work. As you may recall, I began with a PocketPC, citing its limitless options, powerful mini-OS, and touch screen. Then, my emails weren't coming through well enough, and it just didn't get things done.

So I switched to a Blackberry. Thankfully, due to wonderful GSA contracts, it only cost the taxpayers $20. Why the Blackberry is superior (in my current situation):

1) Instant e-mail. Sometimes before it shows up on my computer. Opens up instant communication, which has been especially helpful recently as I've been stuck in meetings almost the entire week.

2) Instant calendar sync. No explanation needed.

3) Instant memo sync. Instead of taking paper with me everywhere, I simply open up my Memo pad on my BB and type out what I need to do. It automatically puts a "task" in my mailbox on my computer. That way, I don't forget to look at my memos, and I get done what I said I'd do.

4) Verizon Wireless. I just like it better than Cingular. Personal preference.

5) My biggest fear was the lack of touch-screen and the track wheel thingy. In fact, the track wheel has become my favoritist friend. No more two-handed operation needed to hit a button on the screen. Just scroll and click. [Makes it more tempting to use while driving, which could be considered a negative....]

6) It's fast. My PPC seemed to get slow. Maybe too much open, too many bells and whistles. The BB just zips along. Ahhhhh....

Also thankful for...

1) Children's consignment shops where you can buy nearly new toys very inexpensively... Mia loves to jump!


2) Gifted knitters, who share their handiwork with us...see Amelia's adorable little sweater and matching booties. (Many thanks to Bethy who made and gave it! =) )


and lastly, on a different, more seasonal note...

3) the Internet, which makes Christmas shopping possible after 11 p.m.

~posted by ang

Thankful

We are very thankful for many things:

1) Our families, although we didn't have the opportunity to visit them over this Thanksgiving.

2) Our health, for Angela recovering well from surgery and a beautiful little girl.

3) Our peace, from our Savior Jesus Christ.

4) and Our Food. =) More specifcally, I'm grateful for my wonderful wife who cooked an amazing Thanksgiving lunch. Although only two of us, we had a full spread. And our little girl, who had a rough day on Thursday, sat quietly in her swing for our entire lunch.

Unsinkable

So we watched Titanic last night. The cleaned-up TV version. I think this is the second time we've caught it on TV, and it's not a bad flick (again, if you see the cleaned-up TV version).

Both times, once the movie is near the end, I hear a little sniffle from next to me, and I see this look in Ang's eyes. "Baaaabe," it slowly comes out, with that "I don't ever want to lose you" pouty face. And then the two most important words of our relationship.

"No boats."

That's right - "No boats."

Remind me not to watch Jaws, Air Force One, or Panic Room with Ang. Else, it might be: "No beach;" "No planes;" and "No house."

Our Brave Little Girl

Lately, Ang and I have been praising lil' Mia for being brave. Much of this began with our trip to LA, considering all the many strange places she had to sleep and how well she handled the trip. It may seem strange to tell a not-quite-6-month-old that she is brave, seeing as how she wouldn't understand any of it. I think it's quite fun, and if nothing else, she feels reinforcement just by our smiles and attitudes.

This is all a background to tell you of how incredibly brave our little one truly is. After about a week of Mia being really fussy and appearing to have some intermittent pain, Angela took Mia to the doctor last week. They found that Mia had lost about 10 ounces, and the doctor attributed the problem to reflux. So, for the last week, Mia has been taking baby Zantac.

Ang and Mia went back to the doctor today, and things haven't gotten much better. She lost a few more ounces, and has still been very fussy while eating. All in all, the doctor suspects that Mia may have celiac disease, which is even more plausible considering that Ang's mom has celiac.

Due to this suspicion, and also to get more general info, the doctor ordered Mia to have blood work done. Not just one or two - but 7 tests! I.e.- lots of blood. Well, Mia is right at the age where she can have her blood drawn from her arm, instead of her heel, and it would be difficult to get this much blood from the heel.

Thankfully, I wasn't present for this appointment, as even the nurse sniffled and had watery eyes because she had to poke such a little patient. Ang was strong (at least while in the office) and sang and comforted Mia so that she took it like a champ.

We adults cringe at the thought of being stuck with needles, but it takes a very brave little girl to have her blood drawn.

Baby sleep habits

1) When adults are sleepy, they go to sleep. When babies are sleepy, they (often) don't want to go to sleep.

2) The less sleep adults get, the more they are able to sleep that night or the next night. The less sleep babies get during the day, the less likely they are to sleep well at night. In other words, long, hard naps are critical for sleeping well at night.

3) Adults don't like to be bothered while they sleep. Neither do babies. =)

She did it!

****Breaking news****Amelia rolled over from her back to her stomach for the first time ever today. After napping well for about an hour she began making some noise and then crying. When I went upstairs to check on her, I found her lying on her stomach, NOT the way I had left her when I put her down for her nap (she usually begins her nap on her side and ends up on her back). I think she was a little startled but soon calmed down and drifted happily off to sleep after being re-placed onto her back. :-)

Another milestone passed and one step closer to independence...scary thought...!

~posted by Ang

The Story of San Diego (and beyond!)

Continuing on our "The Story of ..." series, our next stop is San Diego - the wonderful, perfectly climated, almost in Mexico, paradise of Southern Cal. We only had about 36 hours in San Diego, but needless to say, I now know why Mike wants to retire there (and he's only 25).

After checking into our hotel on Sunday afternoon, we headed down to the Zoo, which is a must if you're in San Diego. More than just animals, it's like an oasis in the middle of mostly brown flora. The trees are massive, cool breezes flow through the hills, and they do have an incredible assortment of animals. We spent about 2 1/2 hours in the zoo.

Next, we headed up to Mission Beach, recommended to us by a local. It was just getting to be time for sunset when we found a place to park and hit the beach. The water was cold (as I had heard about the Pacific). Not knowing the area well, we ate a Tony Roma's and then headed back to Rancho Barnardo to our hotel.

The next morning we traversed back down to La Jolla, a wonderful little town on the cliffs above the Pacific. We found it on a perfect day and spent a few hours near the water and strolling through the town. From there, we headed up the coastal highway through Solana Beach, Encinitas, and up to Carlsbad, where we had our first ever tasting of "In-N-Out Burger," famed to be the best burgers in the world by our California friends (it was mighty good).

Next, we headed up the 5 to Highway 1, which then takes you through Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, and up to Long Beach. Ang, Mia, and I jumped inland from Newport Beach straight up to Anaheim to our hotel, while Mike and Sarah enjoyed their convertible for a few more hours by heading all the way up to Long Beach.

So, that's the story of the end of our California travels. Now, here are some pics to prove it!

Big elephant!

Mia says: "That's an elephant."

Rhinos are indestructible.

Even big pandas get thirsty.

Sarah and Ang show their love for pandas.


The La Jolla Cove

"Don't push us in!"

The girls would call for waves to crash on the rocks...

...and then run away when they hit!

But we managed to get one good picture with a crashing wave.

And in case you didn't know, Disneyland is in California. =)

Election rundown

So how did we fare in Tuesday's election?

Losses:

1) Rick Santorum. As you may know I'm a huge fan of Senator Santorum. Part of it is personal, but an even greater reason is because of who he is in the Senate. In an age when no one seems to stand for anything, Sen. Santorum is a truly principled man. He believes in something and doesn't care if it isn't popular. He has sought to help the helpless and protect the innocent. The Senate has lost a real leader and a great man.

2) The Senate as a whole. Thanks to George Allen's incomprehensible gaffes, such as his inability to keep his mouth shut, the Repubs have lost control of the Senate.

3) The House. Nancy Pelosi will be speaker of the House. Need I say more?

Wins:

1) Frank Wolf. Congressman Wolf is a real statesman and represents the VA 10th District wholeheartedly. It's good to have him back.

2) Virginia marriage amendment. Passed overwhelmingly. Conservative values still prevail in VA.

3) ROAD BONDS!!! Loudoun voters have recognized that the state and development community won't and can't solve all of our transportation problems. Now the County will be using local funding to build roads. It's time to get some pavement on the ground.

The Story of Flying

Most people's first question when we tell them we took a trip to LA is: "How did Amelia do flying?" Thankfully, we had flown twice with her before, so we knew that she would handle it pretty well.

Going out, we seemed to time things perfectly. Amelia ate in the airport about 45 minutes before we took off. Then, right was we were about to take off, she got sleepy and fell asleep through takeoff.

[Side note: Have you ever flown in a 777?? I was blown away by the power in the engines. We were stuffed (no empty seats), and the thrust in the engines was phenomenal.]

Amelia managed to sleep about an hour and a half, then she ate, played, and was ready to sleep again. This time, she slept about 2 hours, most of the time laying on my lap (which was much easier than holding her that long).

She didn't wake up until we landed, so it was perfect timing.

Coming home? Well, same scenario, where she ate about 45 minutes prior to take off. But for some reason, she couldn't settle down, and she ended up screaming for about 30 minutes straight. I then spent the next hour or so holding her, bouncing her, etc etc. She finally slept for a bit, woke up, and was fussy again. Nonetheless, we could definitely tell: 1) she was tired of being on the road and out of her routine, and ready to be home; and 2) her teeth/gums are really bothering her. I think it was a combination of the two.

So she was great going, a little difficult coming home, but all in all- she's a great traveler.

The Little Princess

No, not Shirley Temple...much much cuter!! We've gotten rather behind on posting pictures, so now's the time to catch up! Here are some random pictures from the various occasions of the last few weeks...

Pretty in purple =) Thank you, "Aunt Sarah," for my adorable purple dress and booties! (Thank you, Sarah's mom, for making it!!)

Perfect Saturday afternooon for a stroll with Daddy (btw...we love this hat, Kerri!)



Heading outside for another walk with Daddy - the weather on this day was chilly and very windy, so we outdid ourselves on the layers, even putting socks on her hands!

Getting bundled up for a beautiful fall outing

And we're ready to go!!

After her first cereal feeding...I forgot to take the picture before I washed her face, but you get the idea from the messy bib! It actually looked like the bib ate more cereal than Mia did! But we're learning...=)

Picture's a little fuzzy, but this gave the best showing of what a good time she was having. We love the Bumbo seat!

Hmmm..what finger to teethe on next...



The one drawback to playing in the Bumbo seat is that Amelia can't quite reach her toys if they are on the floor. To remedy the situation, I turned her toy basket upside down and put a few toys within her reach on the basket. Looks pretty funny but it did the trick!

This is a fairly typical scene these days - Dido likes to find a comfy spot near Amelia during tummy time, and Amelia keeps the cat (and herself) entertained!


More to follow...

~posted by Ang

Amelia & Dido...Da-Da-DAAA

In a break from recent events, I have a story to tell from a few weeks ago, when Amelia and Dido (our esteemed Jekyll and Hyde cat) came to, as Danny so eloquently put it, a perilous juncture.

Amelia was playing happily in her Exersaucer, while I was sitting in the recliner taking care of some motherly business. (I'll spare the blogging world the details on that one!) Dido was making her way toward me but paused by the Exersaucer to rub her face against it and sniff the toys, as she often likes to do, partly out of genuine kitty-like interest and partly to get her share of my attention.

Because Dido is infamous for being sweet and innocent one minute, in attack mode the next (hence the "Jekyll and Hyde" reference above), I watched her carefully but was fairly confident based on previous experiences that she was only trying to get my attention and not headed for 'Mia's feet (or any other appendages, for that matter!). So in my efforts to make sure Dido didn't attack Amelia, I was momentarily oblivious to the curious little eyes and hands that were mesmerized by this very soft and pretty kitty.

Then all of a sudden, with a swiftness I could not have predicted, Amelia's little hand grabbed Dido's tail! Now it may seem that the clutch of a four month old (four months at that time) would be weak and of little effect. Oh no, my friend. There's something to be said for the power and strength in the uncoordinated yet fully capable grasp of an infant. (If you've ever had a baby pinch you, you know what I'm talking about - it HURTS!) I sat there, in shock, and saw Amelia's life flash before my eyes, thinking, "Oh dear, she's got the cat's tail and the cat is going to flip out and bite her head off!" and offering up a quick prayer, "Oh, Lord, help me save my child!"

This was one of those rare moments when it felt like the real-time events unfolding before my eyes were moving in slow motion yet I had only seconds to make matters right before someone, or something, got hurt. And unfortunately, that motherly task I was involved in at the time was binding me in a way from which I couldn't easily free myself. Nevertheless, I was desperately trying to reach out and get a magazine, a book, ANYTHING in between the cat's jaws and my baby girl! All the while, saying "Amelia, let go of kitty's tail..." (which of course was useless).

Dido responded somewhat anticlimactically (thank goodness!), merely turning her head around and letting out a pitiful little meow, after which Amelia released her grasp. Almost panicking at this point, I was able to thrust a papered Dry-Cleaner's hanger(odd but the only item within my reach) in between Dido and Amelia, just in case Dido should decide to make a sudden revenge lunge at Amelia (which she didn't).

In the end, all was well. And as I sat there breathing a sigh of blessed relief, Amelia, darling little girl, looked up at me with her sweet beautiful eyes, and I saw the evidence of her bold and daring move: a fist full of cat fur.

~posted by Ang

The Story of the 710

["The Story of the 710" is the first in a series of posts from our West Coast trip. I will publish them as stories come to mind. And as I have time.]

I'll let you be the judge of whether our story can match the recent crime fighting episode of mon frere. But our stories start out eerily similar. In two simple words: We're okay.

It all started with a rental at Dollar Rent-A-Car at LAX. We decided on a Chrysler Pacifica, a crossover SUV that would have enough room for all of our luggage, stroller, and carseat. It was very nice indeed (and only a bit more than a midsize car).

I started to get concerned when I tried to accelerate on the freeway, and I began to hear a clicking sound. It went away when I let off the gas. I then did the frenzied mental checklist of: transmission? - maybe; throttle? - maybe; engine? - don't think so; transmission? - I really think so. I almost pulled off the freeway, but decided to keep going a bit, as I was at my exit off the 105 to the 710 (FYI, for all you non-LA'ers out there - every freeway is called "the __" - such as "the 5" or "the 405," etc.).

Going around 50mph, I then hit the gas to bring my speed back up. Nothing. Just clicking. At this point, I hit the brakes, and the only place for me to stop, is between the split of NB and SB 710. You got it. NB traffic on my left, SB traffic on my right, and lil' ol' Dan sitting right in the middle (in the emergency lane, mind you). I pop out of the car and notice smoke. I realize I'm toast. And only 10 minutes out of the parking lot.

Thankfully, first instinct was to call 911. I did. No answer. Call back. No answer. Realize I'm not supposed to call 911 about disabled vehicles, but I did anyway. Held on- and got a person. Told them my dilemma, stressed the fact that I was in the middle of the freeway and from out of town. And she sent some CHiPs my way.

In the mean time, I call the rental company, and a very nice man said he'd send a tow truck to bring me a new car. That's nice. His first suggestion was to just drive the car to my destination (about 10 minutes off), which I was more than happy to do if I would not be held liable for any damage to the car. Being so assured, I went to crank 'er up. Nothin'. Settles that question.

Ang, mind you, is understandably shaken up. Cars are whizzing by on either side going 50-70mph. And I'm not so sure if it was the possibility of getting hit or the possibility of someone actually stopping (and the unknown) that worried her more. Either way, we prayed lots both vocally and internally.

Probably 20 minutes later, the Highway Patrol finally show up. They first ask if I have AAA, which I do, and said they'd call AAA, as they'd be faster than the rental company. Fine by me.

Then, dude comes back and says, "I want to get you somewhere safe. Let me put my push bumper on and I'm gonna push you to the next exit."

So while Chris got to sit in a squad car, I got to be pushed by one. He pushed me up the exit ramp, onto the 710, to the next exit, down a hill, and into an abandoned parking lot. While he had been pushing me, the rental company came back on the phone and said the tow truck would only be about an hour. So I told the policeman to cancel the AAA call, and then he said he had to go.

Yes, I was safe from traffic, but now I'm wondering where in the middle of LA had he left me?? I even asked if it was a safe part of town, to which he only casually mentioned that they don't get many calls from that area. That's comforting.

What was even more intriguing was that there was a Shell station across the street. "You and your wife and baby can go wait in there, if you'd like," was his suggestion. Now the mental dilemma: where do more crimes occur? Parking lots, or gas stations where there is lots of money to be found? We decided to stick in the car (and we sort of blended in. Sort of.)

Thankfully, our great friends M&S were about 30 minutes behind us, and they came and waited with us until the tow truck showed up. Switcheroo with the cars, and we were off to the hotel. Safe and sound. Oh, and when I asked the tow truck driver if it was an ok part of town, he didn't share the confidence of the police. Good thing I didn't know that first...

Personally, I was definitely more worried being on the freeway and afraid someone would stop by and shoot/mug us, compared to sitting in a dark car in a semi-dark parking lot, where at least some people were milling around at the gas station across the way.

All in all, I managed to get a free day's rental out of it. I could have (should have?) demanded more, but I wasn't up to it. So that's the story of the 710. I'll never think of that highway, nor of our first night in LA, the same.

What is this 'Where Have You Been' ?

You've likely noticed a lack of updates over the last week.
Thankfully, I have a good excuse.

Our good friends Tim and Rebekah got married in Riverside, CA last
weekend, and we spent a week in LA, Corona, and San Diego.

I'm in a conference currently, but you will get some great stories coming soon.

Here's a teaser- Think: East Coast family stuck in middle of freeway
in LA @ 10:30pm with a broken-down rental car.

She must be ours

About 1:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, Ang mentioned that she wanted to go to Tyson's Corner so she could get the makeup she was looking for to get purrdy for our friends' wedding. Then, it was a decision - go on Sat. afternoon, or go Sunday after church. If Saturday, we risk interrupting Mia's schedule two days in a row. If Sunday, it may just make the day too long.

We decided to go Saturday. We left at 2:15, right at Mia's nap time. As she's gotten older, she hasn't slept as well during our outings, but we went anyway.

We hit the Container Store, Crate & Barrel, Tyson's I, and Tyson's Galleria. Ang fed Mia in between the two Tyson's stops. Then, at about 5:30pm, after we were all finished shopping, since Mia was doing so well, we decided to stick around and eat at the Cheescake Factory in Tyson's Galleria. We had been walking around the Galleria for almost an hour, and she had been in the Baby Bjorn the entire time. We didn't hear a peep from her, as she was too interested in all the people, shops, and bouncing up and down.

Once in the Cheescake Factory, she fell right asleep in her carseat, and almost made it our entire dinner. Right as dessert came (you can't not get dessert at the Cheescake Factory), she started fussing and caused some consternation. But other than that, our little angel is quite the shopper. We got home right at 8:30pm, to make it a full 6 hours out of the house. Made for a very nice date, dinner, and outing.

Just thought I'd brag on our girl...

She learned it all from me

The epitome of cuteness. And yes, I'm saying this about someone other than my own child. Mia will have her moments, all in due time.

But for now, we have this on tape, and you can't miss it. (Be sure to read the description first, it helps explain a lot).

Sporadic

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the video. Work is busy and I've also been caught up watching the playoffs, so I haven't had time to blog anything of much substance (do I ever blog anything of much substance?).

Ang may update you soon on an interesting interaction between Amelia and our cat. It's a good laugh.

8-year old candy man

Who'd have thought that my past would catch up with me?

Check it out.

He who smelt it....

This may be a little inappropriate, but it's a fact of life, so let's be brurtally honest. Remember the last time you walked in a public bathroom, and it - well - smelt to high heaven? Or the last time you were in a porta-potty that needed some TLC?

[Tangent: The most amazing porta-potty I've ever seen was at the half-way point down the Grand Canyon. It was the mother of all porta-potties, with like 8 different stalls, all sharing one disposal point. But, like often, I digress...]

Well, every night on my way home from work, I have the privelege of driving past the Town of Leesburg's waste treatment plant, where they take "waste" and turn it into fertilizer. In fact, the pellets are of "Exceptional Quality" and can be purchased for use on your lawn. (I'm not joking!)

I applaud the town's ability to take a reprehensible product and turn it into something productive. If only they could find a way to cut down on the smell that meanders down to the highway. To top it off, there will be office, retail, and residential developments on either side of this facility. Someone's going to have to be creative to keep the smell under control....

Busted

So, about 7 months ago I blogged about getting a PocketPC phone for work. I was excited to be on the leading edge of technology with a very powerful phone/PDA combo.

I'm still excited about the Cingular 8125. It has a lot of potential. In fact, WindowsMobile 5 is a fairly well built mobile OS, with a few flaws I don't like. (I'd really like a Motorola Q, but that's another story.)

However, it has become painfully clear that the main purpose for getting it (besides having the mobile for work) - which is quick and easy e-mail access - just wasn't quick and easy. In fact, it was quite painful and taxing. There is a solution to allow our GroupWise server to "push" e-mail just like a Blackberry. But, the County isn't going to take the time to implement a new technology for just one guy.

So after some thought and a few e-mails to my boss - I'm ditching the PocketPC and getting a Blackberry. Yes, you scoundrels, start tossing your rotten tomatoes at me (or back at me, as I've tossed them out previously). "But Blackberries aren't as 'powerful' Mr. Techno-Man." "You don't need instantaneous e-mail." "It doesn't have a touch screen."

All true - but what I need now is integration. What I need is seemless synchronization. And that's what I'll get. I'll post my thoughts after playing - **ahem, working** - on my Blackberry for a few days.

Standing Tall

Amelia tried out the Exersaucer for the first time this week! She LOVED it, and even though Momma couldn't quite capture the excitement on camera, Amelia smiled, cooed, and made her latest noise (a cross betweeen a squeal and a shriek - a squeak, as it were...).

All 25 inches of me! I'm aiming to be as tall as Daddy.
=)

"Not while I'm playing, Mom."

Studying hard - must be Momma's girl... :-)

Ahh..."first steps"...ok, so maybe that's going a little far...

-- posted by Ang --

Belated News

Yes, it's true. Just as everyone has suspected....

(hah! made your heart skip a beat, huh?!)

The alumni of Patrick Henry College are definitely superior to the current students. Or something like that.

In an athletic exercise that proved we are too old to be doing these kinds of things, about 14 alumni took on about 35 students in a game of tackle football. And yes, the school made us sign waivers, considering it was played on their property.

The first half saw little offensive action, except for a big play for each side. There were a few turnovers for each side as well, which made it fun.

[Did I mention we had refs, chains, and even mouthguards!]

In the second half, the alums took the lead, only to see it vanish again. With the alums again holding a one touchdown lead, the students began a drive and got down to about the 1 yard line (due to a bad pass interference call by the backjudge). The amazing alum front line held up and on 2nd and Goal, Mark L. stripped the ball out of the running back's arms and Aaron C. pounced on it like a Marine on a...well, whatever a Marine would pounce upon in the line of duty.

Anyway, that basically sealed the game.

Yours truly threw for 2 TDs, caught one interception, threw one interception (it was on fourth down, so just as good as a punt), and escaped major injury.

Props to the front line: Mike H., Jimson, Mark L., and John K. They fought on both sides of the ball for a full hour and won the game for us.

Oh, and the real game ball goes to: The other team, for letting Jesse Brown play - he's not really an alum, but he is a former student and good pal. Jesse ran for a touchdown, caught a touchdown, and laid some hits on the other team that just makes you hurt down deep.

Baking Soda + Vinegar

Q: What do you get when you combine rivalries, human nature, and a few sticks of dynamite??

A: Feuding Miners

Sign of Smart Thinking

Apple Computer thinks of everything.

I pressed the button to begin a videoconference with my family today, and lo 'n behold - iTunes (which had been playing in the background) automatically paused itself. Think about it. Of course you don't want music playing during a video chat. How smart to integrate the programs so well that one thinks for the other.

Another reason I like the Mac OS.

It's all worth it when...

...you walk in the door and get a big smile from your little girl. =)

PhotoBooth

What I received during work yesterday...

"I love you, Daddy!"

I know this guy!!

Matthew went to PHC and was a class behind me. They didn't say this on the show, but he scored a perfect 1600 on his SAT. Makes a little more sense now, eh?

Wheel of Fortune Contestant

Crunch time for Santorum

I thought this was a very insightful column.

Link

Oh yeah- Beach pictures

I forgot to post the link to our pictures from the beach. So, here it is.

Don't you hate when...

...you print a lot of copies of something, only to find a typo or realize it was the wrong document? I feel really bad, like I'm wasting money.

But then I get some weird sort of satisfaction knowing that I'm recycling what I've wasted- like it's okay that I just blew off 25 descendants of a former tree.

Thanks for asking

My astute sister asked a good question: What did I mean when I said that soccer is really called football?

I started wondering where the term "soccer" actually came from. So, thanks to trusty ol' wikipedia and a little thing called "Wikiality" - I now have the answer.

What American Sports Need

What makes European soccer (okay, it's "football," but I'm using soccer to avoid any confusion), and probably all European sports, so wonderful is a dreaded term called "relegation."

For ease of discussion, I'll use English soccer as an example. There's a "top-flight" division called the Premiership. It's the best. Major Leagues. #1. If you play in the Premiership, you're one of the best.

BUT- what happens if you end up at the bottom of the league? Out of 20 teams, if your team is one of the bottom 3 - you get "relegated." Dropped. Gone. You stink once again. No longer do you play in the Premiership, you play in the League Championship - or, in other words, second best. Almost the majors. And we have a term for that - minor league.

On the flip side, if you play in the League Championship, and you finish in the top three - yep, you guessed it - you get to move UP to the Premiership. Your team always has the chance to make it to the big time. You may only stay one year, but you get to play against the big boys: ManUtd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle, ....

So why do I make such a big deal about this? Because the Kansas City Royals would have a reason to play to win. Right now (maybe a bad example, since the season's almost over, but anyway), right now, they and Tampa Bay are the two worst teams in Major League Baseball. They're horrible. In fact, I often forget that Tampa Bay has a baseball team (they once had Fred McGriff, and that's like the only Devil Ray I could name).

At this point, why should Tampa Bay care whether they win or lose? Why should the Royals play hard when the season is a lost cause? Do fans actually go to baseball games in these towns? However, if they face the possibility of being dropped from the Majors, I think they'd keep fighting. They'd try to be 4th-worst, not THE worst.

Moreover, you'd have a continual change in those teams that stink. You wouldn't have to put up with the Devil Rays every year. Once they're gone, the next year you get to play the champions of the second-division (if there were one). So while they may not be on par with the Yankees, for example, they might at least be better than those horrible Devil Rays and Royals.

You may say to yourself- but Mr. Davis, if your plan were implemented, we might not get to see the revival of such teams as the Tigers and Marlins (to a lesser degree, who seem to vascillate between World Champions and bottom rung at the turn of the tide). The Tigers, for example, had a measely winning percentage of .265 back in 2003- they only won 43 games that year- they've more than doubled that this year. They would be stuck in the "minors" if you're plan were in place. Well, maybe. But it also means that you must fight for the right to play.

No more mediocre sports. Make every game worthwhile. That's why I watch the Premiership. That's why soccer is the best sport in the world.

He can fly

Here's the video I mentioned before. Apparently, they're speaking Czech.

For the Swamster

I was going to comment on your page, but I'm not a team member...hmmmm....

What I was going to say is that I think FSU might lose every game the rest of this season. Say what you want about Drew Weatherford (yes, he's only a Sophomore), but I think it all comes down to the offensive scheme. Could they be any worse than they are now??

Bobby may think his son is doing a great job, but I think Jeffy needs to go sooner rather than later....

Emus on the Elevator

As if "Snakes on a Plane" weren't bad enough, check out the two sequels...

(Be sure to click the image to see it full size.)

 

  

Think past the immediate

Have you seen that great commercial where this guy in Europe (Italy?) has made wings and is standing on the bridge over a river, ready to see if he can fly? The whole town is coming out to watch (the priest on his bike), and he's ready to go. [Very dramatic violin in the background.]

He finally takes the plunge, and swoops down, and.... HE FLIES!!! It's great. The crowd goes nuts: "He can fly! He can fly!" And then some old curmudgeon has to state the obvious: "But he can't swim..."

At that point, you see the man and his wings obligingly glide into the water. Very ironic indeed.

If I find a link to it on YouTube or GoogleVideo, I'll send it over....

PTL, Take 2

Ang's pathology report came back- the mass was a "schwannoma" and was deemed benign. Good news.

Also, she had the drain taken out today, which is a great relief, and the incision seems to be healing well.

We're very blessed and grateful for the Lord's kindness towards us (not saying that His kindness is only shown in health and healing, but I think you understand).

Monkey-ish-ness

I'm sitting here watching the most boring game in the history of Monday Night Football (3-0 after 3 qtrs), so I thought I'd tell you about us cleaning out the dryer pipe (for lack of a better word).

We live in a townhouse (duh) and our dryer is on the top (3rd) floor. Because of its location, the house designer decided it was easiest for the dryer to exhaust through the roof- meaning that's where the lint goes out.

For a long time now, our dryer has had a hard time drying clothes. We thought there was some lint clogged up, so when my dad was in town, we bought a 10' 3/4" PVC pipe and a little cloth duster thing. The thought being, if there's lint stuck up in the pipe, we can stick that duster up and try to get the lint to fall down. That worked for a bit, but didn't solve the problem.

With my father-in-law in town, we decided to tackle it head-on. He and I went in the attic and detached the pipe from where it comes up through the attic floor. We were able to see a lot of lint stuck in the pipe leading to the roof, so we cleaned out lots and lots of lint.

However, having a gut feeling that there was more to be done, I decided to start climbing around and made it all the way up to the underside of the roof.


We pulled the pipe from off the connector that is attached to the roof, and I was able to stick my hand up and feel the screen that keeps birds from coming in from the outside. And what did I find, but the entire screen was plastered with old, stiff lint. I spent about 10 minutes pulling all the old lint off, clearing the path for new air to cleanly pass through.

What an ordeal. But, we should be drying in quick-drying bliss for the next few months, at least.

Recovery

Today I'm part husband, part dad, part legislative aide to the most courageous member of the Board of Supervisors in the fastest growing and richest County in the nation (whew!), and part handyman. Each one has its place:

Husband: Angela is recovering well. She's very tired, and she's now starting to feel some discomfort in her neck. All to be expected. She rests well, and said she misses being able to hug me for real (right now it's a "cautious hug"- kinda like when you barely know someone). She's the sweetest thing, even when she has a hole in her next with a tube hanging out, and has had a nerve clipped.

Dad: Amelia is taking it all in stride. We've been feeding her bottles of stored breastmilk for the last few days. Angela is just now starting to nurse her again, and that's going well. We have to protect the drain so Amelia doesn't accidentally grab it, but so far so good. This has made me appreciate Ang all the more, as I've been the one getting up at 3 and 6 am to feed the baby. Oh for when Angela is feeling better. (shame, shame!)

LA: I've been e-mailing and calling folks from home today, while not on Husband or Dad duty. It was actually pretty busy this morning, and tomorrow is a Business Meeting, with a late night worksession on Wednesday. Back in the swing of things.

Handyman: Our dryer has not been drying well. When my dad was in town, we cleaned out some lint and thought we had fix'd it. Not so, bro. While Dad and I laid the foundation for the solution, my father-in-law and I put the finishing touches on the job. We crawled up in the attic, took apart the lowest elbow of the dryer vent (which goes out through the roof), and have cleaned out bunches of lint stuck between the attic floor and the roof. This will revolutionize our drying experiences. We're not quite finished, but the post-surgical wife is sleeping, and the only attic access is in our walk-in closet.

So, a simple day in the life of me. =)

Quote of the Day

"Two times ain't no hill for a climber."

I'll leave the interpretation up to you.

Praise the Lord

Dear All-

Thanks for your prayers today. Angela's surgery went very well. The surgeon (Dr. Prasad) was great and was very pleased with the surgery. The mass was fully contained and came out relatively easily.

Angela is home resting and doing well (although the 45 minute ride along the Beltway/Toll Road home didn't sit well with her queasy stomach).

We are blessed beyond belief and thank you again for your prayers and kind notes. As Angela was wheeled into the OR, I was trying to think of a good verse to keep in my mind during the surgery and waiting period. The verse/song that came to mind is from a Sovereign Grace (formerly PDI) song:

O Lord You have searched me
And You know my ways
You perceive all my thoughts from afar
Your hand is upon me wherever I go
Before I form each word You already know

Chorus:
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, You are there
If I rest on the far side of the sea
Your love hems me in both behind and before
You have laid Your hand upon me
You have laid Your hand upon me

Where can I flee from Your presence O Lord
If I sleep in the depths You are there
Your day will consume all the shadows of night
The dark cannot hide from Your brilliant light

The chorus is a very comforting, peaceful reminder of God's love and faithfulness, and that He holds us in His hand wherever we are (including the OR, or the waiting room, for that matter).

Two notes: 1) We totally forgot the MRI films for the surgery today. I happened to see someone walking down the hall with films in their hand about 30 minutes before the scheduled surgery time. I gave a quick call to the surgeon's office, who then called the Radiology place and had them start printing the films. I quickly made my way down the street (not far, thankfully) and picked them up, so we were only a few minutes late (could have been real bad).

2) The staff at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda were super-nice and friendly. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. And as I said before, Dr. Prasad (and his staff) are very helpful, super-competent, and very assuring.

More updates to come (and no, Angela is not going to the shower tomorrow....)

Prayer Request

Please pray for us this week, and especially for Angela. She will be
having surgery on Friday morning at 11.

In a nutshell, she has a soft tissue mass in her neck, close to her
coroted artery (its official title is a Sympathetic Chain Schwanoma).
She is having it removed before it causes any problems.

While its location gives cause for concern, the surgery is relatively
minor. Nonetheless, we are a bit nervous as the day approaches.

Please pray: 1) for wisdom and steadiness of hand for the surgeon (Dr.
Prasad) who will perform the surgery; 2) for strength for Angela's
body during the surgery and for a healthy and speedy recovery; 3) that
they mass will not rupture during removal and will be completely
removed; and 4) anything else you'd like to pray for.

We will keep you updated....

Why I Love the South

We just returned from a nice week at the beach. One of the highlights
of my time in Savannah was seeing this sign on a small, sandy alley on
Tybee Island: "No Thru Fare".

I can only imagine they really meant one of three things- 1) "No Thru
Traffic"; 2) "Not a Thoroughfare"; or perhaps the most creative 3) "No
Thru Fare" actually means what it says- they won't charge you to drive
on their little strip of roadway.

Regardless of the intent, the sign was enough to make me chuckle.

You could say that again...

"An irony of Loudoun is that its residents, in choosing to move here, are helping eliminate the qualities that drew them."

Link

"A Freakish Accident"

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2572539

powered by performancing firefox

I love Bluetooth

I had a conundrum. Old cell phone- all my contacts. New cell phone- nada contacts.

I found the USB cable for the old cell, and synced up my contacts to my Mac. Then, I turned on Bluetooth on my RAZR V3m, hit "pair" on the computer, and they synced up like a charm.

Wow.

Traffic

Do you ever purposefully listen to the traffic reports, just to remind yourself how thankful you are that you don't have to drive in that kind of traffic? Yeah, kinda sick, huh? But those poor, poor people driving down I-95; they have to deal with it every day....

Driving Cross-Country

Props to Uncle Lamar for his fear of flying, but more importantly for his love of America and its beauty, which resulted in a wonderful "Great Western Adventure" some 8 years ago. For a blast to the past, check out my website dedicated to it (click the link on the left that says "Our Trip"). You will note that some pictures are missing- that is to protect the innocent and internet-sensitive members of our family. And remember, this website was created 8 years ago- it's very basic. =)

But, the reason I posted this in the first place was an article from today's Wall Street Journal. See below.

See America First
Cross-country trips have a long and storied history. Why not continue the tradition?

Read More...

Uncommon Apology (of sorts)

"It turns out that the person who exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame was not out to punish her husband."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/31/AR2006083101460_pf.html

Ooops

This is funny:

"But it [Lockheed Martin] was blamed for the 1999 disappearance of the Mars Climate Orbiter, which vanished into space or burned up in the Mars atmosphere after Lockheed engineers incorrectly programmed it using English rather than metric units."

You think for rocket scientists, they'd know better....

Addendum

Did anyone stay up until 12:45 (EDT) to watch Agassi's 5-set marathon against Marcos Bagdhatis (sp?). It was an amazing match. Just proves my point (and James' comment from below).

I wouldn't have usually been up that late, but my Fantasy Football draft didn't start until 10:30pm, so it worked out well.

US Open

Does anyone else think that men's tennis is one of the greatest sports to watch on TV??

It makes me want to run out and just hit the tar out of the tennis ball. Unfortunately, when I get on the court, my grand designs take second place to my ineptitude.

Happy is a Yuppie Word

Okay, so I must not have the best hearing in the world. At the Switchfoot concert we went to a few weeks ago, they sang this song, "Happy is a Yuppie Word." Great song. Regrettably, I couldn't understand most of the words during the concert (*no comments, Daddy-o*).

I can't remember right now what I thought they were singing, but it was pretty funny compared to the real words. Remarkably, Angela knew exactly what they were saying.

Nonetheless, there was another song they sang, where the guy kept singing, "I'm standing on the edge..." and he was on the edge of the stage. I was wondering if the song was some weird ballad about almost committing suicide. My mind was a bit fuzzy.

Well, now, I wish I had really listened to their albums before going to the concert. The song is "On Fire" and is a beautiful, almost modern-day hymn of being on fire when God speaks to you, searching the mysteries of God. Now that I've listened (and looked up the words), he's singing, "I'm standing on the edge of me." As in, I'm getting past myself, giving myself up, and I'm burning to understand the mystery of God and who He is. Or, it could be taken to mean, I'm standing on the edge of new horizons, of everything I can be in Christ, those things I've never been but are now possible.

Here are part of the lyrics:

I'm standing on the edge of me
I'm standing on the edge of everything I've never been before.
And i've been standing on the edge of me
Standing on the edge

And I'm on fire
When You're near me
I'm on fire
When You speak
(Yea) I'm on fire
Burning at these mysteries... these mysteries... these mysteries
Ah you're the mystery
You're the mystery


I think you need to just listen to the song. It's one of my new favorites. Another one is coming soon.

Wild, Wild Card

Typically around this time in the baseball season, the Yanks and Red Sox are fighting it out for the top of the AL East, with the loser taking the Wild Card spot in the playoffs. But things are different this year.

Not only is the fight in the AL Central, but it's between 3 teams, not 2. You've got the "Where did THEY come from" Tigers leading the division by 5 games. The reigning World Champs White Sox are 5 games back, and the resurgent Twins are 5 1/2 back (1/2 game behind the Sox). Now, we've often seen division races that are close between multiple teams, but that's when those teams are around .500.

The Tigers, Sox, and Twins all have records about .580, better than the division leaders in the AL West, NL Central, and NL West. Three teams- incredible records- fighting for the AL Central title, with the 2nd place likely getting the Wild Card, and 3rd place left high and dry.

31 games left in the season. It should be fun.

Honk Honk

I'm not one to utilize the horn on my car very often. My preferred method of displaying dissatisfaction with the driver in front of me is to shine my brights in his rearview mirror. It's more subtle (aurally) and yet typically quite effective (visually)- especially when it's dark. And, it focuses the direction of the complaint upon the one causing the infraction (instead of 13 different people wondering if they were being honked at).

So, I'm fresh from picking up Ang and Mia from the airport, and we decide to hit Macaroni Grill for a nice little "welcome home!" dinner. I'm waiting at a stop light, in the right-hand lane of dual-left turn lanes. Once I turn left, I need to make an almost immediate right into the restaurant park. Our arrows turn green, so I begin my turn. Remember- I'm happily conversing with Ang about her cross-country (almost) ventures.

Imagine my surprise...dismay...complete angst (!!) when halfway through my turn, a huge, white-paneled van comes from my right and is also making a left-hand turn. He came from the "straight" lanes and butts his way into my turn lane. Out of nowhere. With no regard for the oncoming turning traffic, nor for me and my precious cargo.

So I let him have it. Horn blasted for about 2 seconds. Then, after recalling my "complete angst" once again, I lay on the horn for another 2 or 3 seconds. Literally, he came out of my blind spot and just turned right in front of me. What made it worse was his New Jersey tags (nothing against you's guys from Jersey, but you have a reputation - b/c you live near NY, supposedly).

Now he's in front of me. And the right-turn lane comes, and I get in it. He doesn't. I start to say, "If he even thinks of..." and before the words finish, he CUTS IN FRONT OF ME AGAIN!!! This time, ignoring the right turn lane and turning from the travel lane.

And boy, did I let him have it. For like 5 or 6 seconds, I just held my horn down.

Excessive? Yes. Required and justified? Definitely.

Quote of the Year

You just have to laugh when you read this:

"People were probably wondering: 'If they take away Pluto, is Rhode Island next?' "
--Richard Binzel of MIT

Ahh, the little ones always get picked on, don't they??

Canal-ed

Yes, it's official. I have now undergone my first root canal. Contrary to popular opinion, it really wasn't all that bad. The worst part is that it was my very farthest back tooth, so my jaw hurt like the dickens.

**WARNING- Graphic Details of Operation Below**

Besides the jaw issue, I thought the process was really cool. He basically took a tool and I guess ground off the top part of my tooth (yeah, it smelled). Once the canals were accessible, he had all these little needles - about 1 or 1 1/2 inches in length - that he'd basically move up and down in the canal - in a sense, scrubbing it clean. Imagine how you'd take a bottle brush (to use a very pertinent analogy) and move it up and down in the bottle. Same idea.

I have some seriously long roots, by the way. The before and after comparison is quite interesting, as the new "filling" (some rubber material) shows up really well on the X-Ray. So, after much scrubbing, he then took these cool little white things (maybe the composite) and stuck them down in the canals. Those were then followed by some reddish looking mini-toothpicks (there's no better way to describe it).

The best part was, after shoving like 5 of those red things in each canal, he then had is assistant fire up some kind of bunson burner, at which time the Doc would heat up his tool and hold it on the top of the red things, which would then stick to the tool and come out. Pretty wild.

Oh, and while he was doing all the digging in my canals, he had some machine that would beep- supposedly telling him if there's any gunk left in there. At one point, I thought he was done digging around, until he tried to shove the white things in, which wouldn't go in one hole. So he had to do some more digging.

But, I'm none the worse for wear. Just ate some grits, and Ang is making me some Jello jigglers. And I'm starting to feel my tongue and lips again.

Next comes the crown, sometime in September.

The new minority...

...take a guess. It's:

MEN!!

Just heard that one study anticipates that 60% of America's wealth in 2010 will be held by women. So my question is, when will the gov't start instituting programs to ensure that men maintain the ability be wealthy?

While that is partly in jest, it does raise a good question. How do the courts define equality? What happens if a minority (whether race, nationality, gender, etc) becomes a majority? Does the former majority class now get minority status? Does it swing back and forth until it is split 50/50 (or whatever the appropriate breakdown is)?

Me, Myself, and ..... Us??

Today's fortune cookie (thanks to China King):

"There is a true and sincere friendship between you both."

I'm still trying to figure out who it's talking about. Me and the lotto numbers?

Batting .714 ...

...wouldn't be so bad for a baseball player.

But in my case, it's the percentage of days last week that I was at Dulles Airport. For the mathematically challenged, that's 5 out of 7 days.

Quick run-down (hey, another baseball metaphor!):

Monday (the 7th)- due to weather and mechanical, Ang's flight is delayed interminably. I also made a wasted trip back to the airport later that evening, hoping to get her bags back (but they went on to MEM).

Tuesday (the 8th)- Ang and Mia back to Dulles, make the flight fine and connect to Memphis

Friday (the 11th- day after British foiled terror plot)- I arrive at IAD almost 2 hours early, only to find my plane delayed 90 minutes (it's 11:30am, and the flight now doesn't leave until 2:30pm). I stick around until 2:45pm, at which time my 1:11pm departure still had not left (the plane hadn't come in from ATL yet), and things were looking bad.

Sat (the 12th)- Arrive at airport at 4:45am, make my flight and connection to Memphis

Sun (the 13th)- Depart Mem for ATL, leave secure area to hang with my folks for 45 minutes, leave for IAD while Ang and Mia stay in ATL with my folks. And I barely made that flight (3rd from last person to get on).

All in all, I went through security 6 times (twice in Sunday), and probably spent about 13 hours in airports, over those 5 days.

Outtakes

These are some of my favorite "not-so-frameable" pictures.

"But I'm tired of smiling..."

"So, I'll just stick my tongue out instead..."

Mother Theresa in training

I actually did frame this one- it's in the basement (my sports room)

Where's Daddy?

I'm supposed to be landing in Memphis right now. But, due to storms in ATL last night that caused flight delays, thus causing crews to need additional hours this morning for rest (it's an FAA reg), thus causing delays today, my 1:11pm departure took off at 4:07pm today. I gave up about 2:30, when the it was clear that the 2:30 departure wasn't going to leave until 6pm or later.

Oh, and this wasn't related to the new security measures. In fact, security at Dulles was a breeze today. Better than I've ever seen it.

Maybe I'll make it in the morning to see my two beautiful girls.

Multilateralism

"The U.S. and France said Friday they have agreed on the text of a deal to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. As Israeli forces massed along its border with Lebanon, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev told AP that Israel was still open to a negotiated solution. CNN understands the deal would create a 400-square-mile zone from which Hezbollah militia would be excluded." (link)

I think the fact that the US and France agreed on anything is more amazing than the fact that Israel and Hezbollah could come to a cease-fire.

Oh yeah, and isn't it funny how the US and France have decided how best to end the fighting b/t Isreal and the terrorists? It's kinda like some random adults you don't even know coming up to your soccer game as a kid, and telling the two teams how they can agree to tie.

Deja vu, all over again....

Remember my blog a while back about our difficulties flying back from Memphis on United Airlines?

Well, consider this part deux - except on Delta.

Ang and Mia were headed to Memphis yesterday, and we dutifully showed up early. I was able to get a TSA Security Pass to help Ang through security and to the gate.

And so there we sat. And sat. First, it was a minor mechanical. Then, a monstrouse thunderstorm with serious lightning. Read: ramp shut down, can't fix the maintenance issue. Storm stops, supposedly fix the problem, and plane boards.

Now, at this point, it's about 6:15pm (for a 4:30pm departure). Ang's connection is 8:15pm in Atlanta, so we're getting a bit concerned. In the mean time, the 5:3opm departure is also boarding, and it turns out they push back from the gate first.

Being the good pilot's son, I decide to wait at the gate until the plane pushes back, just to make sure there aren't problems.

Well, problems there were. Some "other" issue popped up, so they deplaned. While 140 people lined up at the counter to get rebooked on other flights, I quickly asked a gate agent if we could just get Ang's bags and go on home (she was flying standby, and there was no way she'd get to ATL, much less MEM). The gate agent told us to see the baggage services, ask them to recall the bags, and we'd be set.

So, off we head to baggage claim, do our duty, and we decide to bring Ang and Mia home and I'll go back to the airport to fetch the bags.

To keep a long story from getting longer, the bags were sent to ATL (and subsequently on to MEM), so we were without her stuff last night. Thankfully, today's flights were wide open, no storms, and no mechanical issues. And Ang and Mia are happily in Memphis.

Whew.....

Get off it, Eric Wynalda!

Did you happen to see the MLS All-Stars take on EPL powerhouse (and yours truly's fav team) Chelsea??

Nice little "friendly" match, a simple preseason warm-up for our friends from across the big pond.

But, blasted Eric Wynalda couldn't keep talking about how the MLS players were really stepping up against the $200 million team, how you'd expect a lot more from a $200 million team, how even though it's preseason they should have scored a goal, BLAH BLAH BLAH! He couldn't let go of the fact that Chelsea is good, the players cost a lot of money, and they might not have been in top form.

Eric- get off it! They've been practicing as a team for a week. ONE WEEK! The MLS stars are in the middle of their season, fully fit, half the team was from DC United, which has lost something like two (!!) games all year (out of 22 played)!!

You think the Chelsea guys are going to approach this like a ManU match, or Liverpool, Arsenal, etc.???

It's like watching the Redskins scrimmage the Ravens- are we going to criticize either team for playing poorly and mainly with backups??

I guess I wouldn't have minded him bringing it up once or twice, but that was the theme of the commentary, and it really got old.

Obligatory Sunday Blog

For my favorite fan out in KC, I figured I'd have to write something so he wouldn't be bored at work on Monday morning.

So, I started thinking- you know, having a baby is a really good ice-breaker. Anyone can just walk up to you, say, "What an adorable baby!" and a conversation has started.

Now, we don't often walk up to people and say, "Don't you think our baby is adorable!" and a new friendship has blossomed. But, people aren't shy to come up to us.

In fact, at a picnic we attended yesterday, we couldn't keep a 4-year old named Betsy away from 'Mia. I'm not implying she was our only company (that would have made the entire post pointless), but she was persistent: grabbing 'Mia's legs, pulling out her pacifier, putting hands to her face, etc... It was a mess.

But, other than li'l Betsy, we met some good folk, much to Amelia's credit.

Delta

Delta Files to Cancel Pilots' Pension Plan

Ouch....

Gforce blackout - model of bravery

Don't try this at home.

Bring your own sand...

So, who wants to go to the beach?