As Stevie mentioned we had a great time down in Illinois over the weekend. We had a get together with our extended family to celebrate our grandparent's 64th wedding anniversary. Maria and I are well on our way to that - only 62 1/2 more to go! Here we are at our Aunt Jan's house on Saturday.

yo x-mass eatings

I hope that everyone had a wonderful christmas time. we had a great time down in illinos with my grandparents and everyone. tom and I along with our cousins tim, jenn and liz all went to see "cheaper by the dozen." it was a pretty silly movie and I would suggest it for anyone who is in the mood for some good clean fun(sorry norris). I had fun helping tom drive his stick all the way down there. I dont think he enjoyed as much as I did. there was not very much at all in Iowa or Illinois so that was too bad but it was like 50 degrees a couple of days so that was nice. well I am going to catch up on some me time. I look forward to seeing all of you next sunday. peace.

Happy Birthday, Anderblog!

Happy Birthday, Anderblog!

I'm not sure of the exact date, but I remember being invited to sign up for the family blog a year ago when we were in the Easy Internet Cafe in London. So, thanks, Peter, for the good idea!

This Christmas vacation has not been as interesting as the last, as we've spent it moving furniture. Everything that Norris didn't take with him, we bundled up in garbage bags and boxes and moved to the garage. We are hoping someone will steal it. Then we moved Liv upstairs, Joel and me to Liv's old bedroom, and the computer stuff into our old bedroom. It's certainly good to move every once and a while to get rid of stuff, including the dust. We are having a hard time not throwing ourselves on the floor, thinking it's our bed, and keep walking out to the dining room to check our mail.

Happy Birthday Dad! Merry Christmas to one and all!
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quinirius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to the, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angle, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in he rheart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20 (NIV)

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| |_| |/ _` | '_ \| '_ \| | | | |  _ \| | '__| __| '_ \ / _` |/ _` | | | | 

|  _  | (_| | |_) | |_) | |_| | | |_) | | |  | |_| | | | (_| | (_| | |_| | 

|_| |_|\__,_| .__/| .__/ \__, | |____/|_|_|   \__|_| |_|\__,_|\__,_|\__, | 

            |_|   |_|    |___/                                      |___/ 



               __  __            _    _ 

              |  \/  | __ _ _ __| | _| | 

              | |\/| |/ _` | '__| |/ / | 

              | |  | | (_| | |  |   <|_| 

              |_|  |_|\__,_|_|  |_|\_(_) 











            `'. 

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        !@!@!@! 

       _!_!_!_!_ 

      |  ||    || 

      |  ||   ||| 

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...and

Merry Christmas!

                  |

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             ...  | |    |__,'[] `,__        _'  `__

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       MAY YOUR PATH      ` '                  /\|/\  

                           ' '     /\|/\        /#\ 

   LEAD YOU TO PEACE AND  '  '      /#\          # 

                         '  '        #    /\|/\  # 

        HAPPINESS       '   '        #     /#\   # 

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          EVERYONE      '      '            #_ 

Elvish has left the building

No, actually Elvish is probably just coming into its own, now that there are movies that need to provide Westron, I mean English, subtitles for the Sindarin and Quenya dialogue! Liv and I had a great time going to see the Return of the King last Saturday, and in that spirit I offer this seasonal greeting:

(that is "valina nosta heru!" meant to mean "be-happy (at the) birthday (of the) lord")

hello everyone

I am at school right now in the south high media center. it is really boring and I had nothing else to do so I decided to update everyone on how my day is going. well, in gym class today we played kick ball again and so that was a good time. my team was killing the other team and needless to say, I was pretty much the mvp for the first couple of innings. my team was up 23-1, the competition was not too great. I suggested to my gym teacher, ms. frisvold, that I be traded to the other team. in an attempt to "equafy" the teams she agreed to my proposition. the tide turned in my new team's favor after that point but alas, it was too little, too late. we ended up losing 17-31 but the true reward is in the spirit of a little friendly competition. I ended up getting four in the park homeruns, a triple and a double. most valuable playa. I asked the girl sitting next to me if she had anything to add but she graciously refrained. peace.[

As you all know the Lord of the Rings Return of the King opens today, and I can' t wait to see it. It's already got a buzz as being a front-runner for Best Picture. Below is one of the many glowing reviews of the film.. Enjoy!

Review of the Movie

tumor: part II

hello everyone. I hope that all is well. as some of you may be aware, I played in a tennis tournament this weekend at the U of M. on friday night I played m first match against tom litscher, but we wont talk about that one. I lost... so anyways, I played again on saturday morning against some kid named sam something or other. he's not really much to write home about and I have beaten him quite handily in the past. I was feeling fine, everything was going smoothly; I won the first game very easily and was surely coasting to a glorious victory when suddenly my neck tensed up really painfully. it was really weird. all of a sudden my neck was just hurting really bad. I couldnt rotate my shoulders on my forehand because that would require me to turn my neck in a fashion which now gave me great amounts of pain. I started playing badly but I was still able to pull out a win: 6-4, 6-3. it was probably one of the most painful physical endeavors of my entire life. I am not sure what it was on my neck, it could have been a tumor maybe not. ok so I won that match but I was still in a lot of pain. my parents got me a bunch of advil or something so I took that. they also got me some ice. I iced my neck and massaged it for the two or so hours I had until my next match. nick hansen was next on my agenda and it was a daunting task to say the least. when i went out to play this match I was a little bit anxious because I didnt know how Iwould feel but everything worked out pretty well. I didnt experience very much pain at all but still lost the first set 3-6. the second set was mine for the taking though as I won it 6-3. for the third and final set we played a super tie-breaker. that is, a regular tie-breaker, only you play to ten instead of 7. I lost it 10-12. it was very close, but I think, without my obvious handicap, I probably would have left victorious.

NEWS FLASH!!!

Saddam Hussein was captured today! Click the picture for the whole story:

Travels (travails)

Travels (travails?)

Returned from Washington, D.C., last night without incident, until we landed in a blizzard. Deborah and I had to wait two hours at the airport while Joel valiantly struggled through snow, ice, and stalled traffic to pick us up. It took us as much time to get home from the airport as to get to Minneapolis from D.C.!

Then today I was driving Liv to her guitar lesson when a man passing me on the freeway pointed out our flat tire (I had thought it was just ice in the wheel wells). We limped into the bank lot where IAC is located and Auntie Janelle quickly pulled on her boots and drove Liv to her lesson on Summit Avenue. Although we have AAA, they were backed up and wouldn't be able to get there for two hours, so I swallowed my pride and asked the bank parking lot guys to help me. They threw themselves into the task enthusiastically, both crawling on their bellies to find the proper spot to place the jack. I felt very guilty, but they wouldn't quit. I was even able to pick Liv up on time. So THANKS freeway stranger, Janelle, Mike, and Billy!

Moving Experiences

Well, we spent all Thursday moving Norris in to his new place. I got 17,000+ steps on my pedometer (usually 10,000 is the goal), some cuts on my hands and aches in muscles I forgot I had.

Thanks to Mark and Nancy for the loan of their van - it was a tremendous help! We used it to bring innumerable boxes and bags of clothes, shoes and whatnot, his bed, four armchairs, a dining room table from Goodwill, various furnishings from World Market, and a desk. Well the desk was for US. Norris benefited from Teresa's work by getting two nice leather armchairs that her boss was getting rid of, and then we learned they (Immunization Action Coalition) had a desk that they were getting rid, so we hauled that back to our place. Once all the rearrangement is done at our home, we'll have a den with a real desk!

No pictures yet, but we can report that Koko gives his seal of approval - he stopped by last night and looked the place over - he likes the windows that reach low enough to the floor for him to look out.



Quick question : someone email me Tom's email address, please (don't put it on the blog, or he'll get more spam.)

liv you silly little couzin

yo cuz, this big black kid in my gym class named chris "killa" otis called me nephew today. i thought that was pretty cool. it sounds like maybe your defensiveness concerning people's reaction to the color of your hair is partly due to the deeper insecurities which drove you to dye it pink in the first place(jp). no but seriosly, I am very proud of you liv. I think thats tight. actually, a girl in my math class has her hair dyed blond and red and black at the same time. it looks pretty crazy. ok, now for the second installment of "stevie's joke of the day."

Q:what did the tea cup say to the tea pot?

A:nothing silly, tea cups cant talk.

I hope you all liked that one. it is one of my favorites. so in my math class today, my math teacher was really dumb and stuff. she is pretty stupid. I dont like her very much. all my other teachers are really chill though. especially mr. fitz. his wife used to be a lesbian. she is also a teacher at my school. he is funny. he curses sometimes but thats not as funny as when he almost curses and then says something silly like "muffed up" instead of what he originally intended. he is like 27 and his wife is 34 or something. peace.

Hair, long beautiful hair
Well, it may (or may not) shock and surprise you to know that my hair is now pink. Well, it shocked Deb, the liturgical dance leader at my church. But when I spoke to her and saw her it seemed to have shocked her in a good way. But then she talks to other people (behind my back, of course) about that my hair poses a "problem." So what does she do? Not call me to talk, of course! That would be the mature solution. Instead she has the other dance leader call me. So first she lies to me then she won't even face the "problem." I find it extremely immature for an adult who is a mother and supposed to be a role model within the church to not only not talk to me about the problem, but lie to me.
I had initially intended on covering my hair with a liturgically colored scarf (as used to be tradition in the Catholic church) and this is still the plan, if she would have just addressed what she saw as the problem, she would have found the solution to be a lot easier than she thought, instead of making me respect her even less.
----Livvi'i

the prodigal cousin has returned

greetings to one and all. the day has finally come; I have obtained my own screen name for the family blogger. to mark this momentous occasion I shall institute a new tradition.

stevie's joke of the day.
Q: what's the hardest part of a vegetable to eat?

A: the wheelchair

sorry about that one if anybody takes offense to it. I think that it's a pretty good joke. I told it to my friend will muessig and he started laughing in the middle of class when we were supposed to be quietly reading to ourselves. he has a very distinctive laugh to say the least.

how about I put in a quote from the latest book I have been reading.
it is a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky with the title "white nights"

"it was a sad and dismal day today, rainy, without a ray of hope, just like the long days of my old age which I know will be as sad and dismal."

there is this girl really annoying girl in my gym class. she is afraid of deer. if people even say the word "deer" she gets all freaked out. what a dummy. she is so stupid. I think that she is actually just looking for attention while at the same time distancing herself from the rest of humanity in a frail attempt to come to terms with her bitter loneliness.

the end.

Hi everyone. Here's me after running the half-marathon in Atlanta with my friend Nancy, who was my support team.

Janelle and the giant turkey.



Tom's new ride that took him to Brooklyn, New York for Thanksgiving.

(Images courtesy of Mark and his new digital camera!)

Stevie:
We are happy to hear your good news, although you probably think it would have been better news if they would have decided this before hooking you up. Being able to read the highly amusing account of your ordeal on the blog is an additional bonus. Don't wait for another near-death experience to write!

pain, suffering, death, etc.

yo whats up fam. hopefully you have already realized that this is not nancy. thats right, its yours truly, stevie. I am sure that you are all very eager to hear the latest news on my recent grapples with mortality so here goes.
after the lovely thanksgiving day festivities, which were so graciously hosted by matt and janelle, i returned home to check my email and watch conan. since I would not be allowed to eat or drink anything in the morning before my ct-guided needle biopsy, I ended up staying awake until 3:00 a.m. I ate every morsel of food that I could find and accidentally consumed a half pint of sterno(jp). my mother, nancy, awoke me from my rejuvenating slumber at approximately 9:07 a.m.

ok I am getting really tired of telling this story so thoroughly so basically I went to the doctor and they took some of my blood out and stuff and I had an iv in my arm. I even had to change into a gown and everything. then they were giving me a cat-scan and it was kind of weird because they had a sticker on my neck, some dewhickey clamped to my finger, an iv in my right arm and a blood pressure thingy on my left arm. I was in the cat-scan-o-matic for like 15-20 minutes and then they said, "we are really dumb so we arent going to give you the biopsy because your tumor got smaller and so we think that it would be best to wait and see what happens." then I had to get the iv out and all that jazz. the lady left me in a room by myself to change and so I stole some medical equipment. anybody need a flu-shot? so thats what happened today. I dont really know anything more about my tumor than I did before. peace.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks!

We had a wonderful time at Matt and Janelle's! Everything was terrific, and it was a fine time to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for! Thank you, M&J!!

The excellent turkey looked much like this one, but BIGGER and even better!:

Happy Birthday Joel

Happy Birthday, Joel - 7 x 7 candles for you!
Livvi's card is quite funny, but I happen to be one who thinks you are very young indeed! I hope you had a great day!
It's great to hear from you, Ingrid. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I'll be in St. Paul on the big day. Nancy

Happy Birthday Daddy!
I made my dad a card that had this pic on the front:

With the words: "Some things never get old..."
inside it said "You're not one of them. Happy birthday!"
I found it quite funny...
---Livvi'i

Hello from Bloomington

Hello Everyone,

Good work, Joel and Teresa! Thanks for keeping the blog interesting. Maria, is your cousin who is in Iraq from Indianapolis? I noticed that the article Peter posted a link to was from the Indy Star. That's pretty close to me, here in Bloomington. One of my friends' brother is in the 101st Airborne near Mozel, and it is quite amazing to hear about some of his experiences. How is everyone spending Thanksgiving next week? I'm planning on going home to Atlanta, and hopefully catch up with my parents before their big anniversary trip. I'm going to run the Atlanta Half-Marathon, and eat a big dinner and enjoy being home and taking a break from my plants! Hope everyone is doing well,
Ingrid

Hey! That is what I wrote!

Both Teresa and I were pleased (and surprised) to find things that we'd written get published online without signifigant editing.

Teresa's employer from the World Health Organization contacted her last week and asked her to do some more work (long distance). Although the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety decided not to link to other sites from their official website, they do want Teresa to evaluate other organizations' websites for possible inclusion on a separate WHO page. He mentioned that the website criteria she had developed for them in June had been put up on the GACVS's website. This was a total surprise to Teresa. You can find it on the GACVS web site here. (click on the link "New document: Good information practices," on the right hand side.)

My online publication is the "Klingon Language Version" of the World English Bible, that I mentioned before. It has been included in the online Bible Tool prepared for the American Bible Society. You can find it here. I was happy to see they used my short explanation/disclaimer, "Why a Klingon Bible," on their page (follow the Learn More.... .link under Just for Fun).

Check out Charlene's Angels, a movie starring Norris, Liv, myself and Janelle as well as Lisa and Emily Letourneau. Coming soon!

If any of you would like to write to my cousin in Iraq, here is his address:

SSG Vankleeck, Jason
194MP Co/716 MP Bn
(Babylon)
APO AE 09332

Any kind of letter would be greatly appreciated by him and by our family. Thanks!

We have told you about Maria's cousin in a couple of posts below. He was now written up in his local paper as well. click the link below to read.

Sally and Todd Van Kleeck are proud of their soldier son's bravery -- something that this month earned him a Bronze Star in the ongoing conflict in Iraq.

My cousin sent me this picture of him receiving some sort of medal for saving several of his fellow soldiers during battle in Iraq. He is the one in the middle. Just thought you guys might be interested to hear how he is doing. We are all so proud of him. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Does anybody know this guy? -- RHS grad wins Nobel Prize

Hey everybody,
Anybody know Peter Agre, RHS 67 and Augsburg 1970 who was just awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry? I guess he was a sophomore when I was a senior. I'll see ifI can find my yearbook...

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/2003/OCTOBER/031008A.HTM

First, the Governor, now this...

John

For all you Simpsons Fans out there, here's a story about another fan who has way too much time on their hands:

Simpsons Fan Creates Real Tomacco Plant

Our church, Evergreen Community Church, has been involved in a church movement called the "40 Days of Purpose". It is a movement designed to help people realize their purpose in life, and to show them that it lies beyond themselves, in a greater purpose that God has for their life. We are about 20 days into the track, and it has been very eye opening thus far.

Over the weekend the Star Tribune had a story discussing the Purpose Drive Life phenomenon. It is a good quick read.

Also, over the weekend, my parents, brothers, Maria and I went to the funeral of Charlotte Davis at Hennepin Ave. Methodist in Minneapolis. Charlotte was a wonderful kind-hearted woman who spread God's love to others for her entire 77 years. We have known Charlotte and her husband Harry (who once ran for mayor of Minneapolis) for many years now, through our involvement in the Minnesota Christian Ashram where they were very involved. She always had kinds words for you, and I remember her just taking Maria under her wing when she came to the Ashram for the first time. She died last week with her family around her, and we know that now she has gone on to a better place. Thanks Charlotte for your Godly influence in all of our lives. We will miss you.

Transportation Footnotes

Recently, I was also looking to upgrade my transportation to and from work. I found a good solution at Kohl's in Roseville - a nice new pair of shoes that look something like this: . These are very comfortable. I track my mileage using a "DigiWalker" purchased at Health Partners: (note: I don't walk ALL the way - I walk to the St. Paul campus and then take a bus .)

More Cars!

Maria had a 1995 Honda Civic LX (good choice on getting a Honda Tom- good cars!) that she has had for several years. She liked to call it her "baby car". Recently her mother decided that she wanted Maria to have something a little safer - something with side airbags and anti-lock brakes. So last week Maria got a 2002 Honda Civic EX (with a sunroof!). It is a beautiful beige color and is a great car.

So next time we all get together, we'll all have to show off our new cars!

Car troubles too

With three licensed drivers and one wanna be our transportation needs were being adequately served by two vehicles (99 Voyager& 86 Caprice) and my bike until one day several weeks ago when the Caprice started running too hot and leaking water. Not wanting to invest money in this longtime member of our family I parked it at the Roosevelt Auto shop with the intention of donating its remains to a worthy cause. This put us in a bad way since Tom must drive several miles to his work each day. Fortunately a woman from our church came to the rescue and loaned us her spare 89 Taurus for several days. Then some neighbors went to Africa for three weeks and gave us access to their Saturn, mini van and pickup truck. We started looking around for a permanent replacement. Tom found a Saturn station wagon that looked promising at a dealership. However when we took it for a test drive it quit a couple of miles from the dealership and we had to call for a ride back. Finally we found the suitable vehicle, a 95 Honda Accord with a five speed manual transmission. We bought it from a woman from our church who got it when it was new and has maintained it properly. To top it off the the auto shop guy at school thinks he can fix the Caprice cheaply so we may get few more miles out of it.

Misc. stuff...

Sorry to hear about your cousin, Maria.

Just wanted to let people know that the musical at Como Park this year is "South Pacific." Liv is one of the nurses. If anyone wants to come, the dates are Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00, Friday, Nov. 14 at 7:30, Saturday, Nov. 15 at 7:30, and Sunday, November 16 at 2:00. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students. As in previous years, there is also a 5:00 "dinner theater" option on Saturday night, in which you can get dinner in the lavishly decorated cafeteria, be greeted by the cast, dance to a jazz band, and get reserved seats for the show. The dinner theater is $20--if anyone wants to go to this they need to tell me so I can make the reservations. Otherwise, you don't need to buy tickets ahead of time. Hope some people can come!

Here is Koko in his Halloween costume.

Hi Everyone,
I have an urgent prayer request. My cousin Jason is in the army and he has been in Iraq fighting throughout this entire war. He hasnt been in the midst of most of it until now. His mom wrote to me and this is her e-mail:
We would like you all to know that Jason was involved in the firefight in Karbala, Iraq, but fortunately was not shot. He called us at 5 this morning to let us know that he is ok physically, but emotionally he is not doing well. His battalion commander was killed as were two squad leaders that he knew well. One of his best friends was shot in both legs and is now in the hospital (stable condition) in Germany until the end of this week when he will be flown to Walter Reed Hospital. There were 7 hurt by shrapnel fragments. He told us that a rocket propelled grenade exploded a foot above his head. They were in an intense firefight that lasted for about half an hour.
I guess he wont be home until April. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. We would all be so blessed to see him come home safely.

CAR TROUBLES - R.I.P. '96 Dodge Intrepid

A week ago from last friday I began having problems with my 1996 Dodge Intrepid. This was by no means the first time that I'd experienced problems with said car, but as I was to find out - it was the last.

After starting it up, the engine began making a loud knocking noise, something akin to knocking a frying pan against your kitchen counter. I took that to be a bad sign. I turned the car off and decided I would take it into the shop on Monday.

Monday came and I drove the car through Savage, towards the service station in Burnsville. After crossing 35W on hwy 13 the "little Intrepid that couldn't" decided it would go no further. After a couple of final death gasps, the engine sputtered and died.

After sitting on the side of the road in rush hour traffic for over an hour, I finally had the car towed to its final destination at the Burnsville Amoco. They looked at my car and announced with finality that my engine was dead on arrival. They then informed me (with much delight) that installing a new engine in the car would cost upwards of $3000. I could tell they had already begun counting the money in their heads. I decided I had had enough. It was time to get a new car.

And here it is, my new 2001 Chevrolet Lumina, courtesy of Ryan Chev Olds in Buffalo.

Koko's tale (tail?)...

Koko went to my parents' farm on Monday, as he gets groomed in Red Wing. My mother called yesterday and asked if I had time to listen for a while. She started out saying, "Koko is alive" (always an suspicious preamble). Turns out, after being brought home after his four-hour grooming appointment, Koko ate the mouse poison from under the refrigerator (my mother had told my dad to make sure he'd taken up the poison in anticipation of Koko's visit, but he left it there, assuming no dog could reach that far).

Anyway, my mom freaked out and called a vet after hours who turned out to be very nice. She told them to pour hydrogen peroxide down Koko's throat and wait 15 minutes for him to vomit (my parents first stripped so they wouldn't ruin their clothes!) He only retched a bit, so then they were instructed to get 2 tablespoons of salt down. He finally started throwing up all over the place, but my mother was still so upset that the vet opened her office and examined Koko, giving him four shots to absorb the poison. She reassured my parents and told them to get some sleep. All through this, poor Koko kept wagging his tail and looking around for something more to eat. They hadn't had time to clean up the vomit before they ran to the vet's, so when they came back, Koko went right to it and started eating again.

Swedes in Space (again!?) and China

Sven Grahn has been part of the Swedish space program since he was 16. He was project manager for the Lunar explorer I mentioned earlier. He's got lots of interesting stuff on his web pages - of current interest is here, his reports on the Chinese space program (Sweden has used Chinese rockets to put things in space - so Sven has been to their launch facilities).


Great pictures, Peter! Glad y'all had a good trip!

My latest post on photographica.com

Enger Tower

WEEKEND ON LAKE SUPERIOR







Thomsonite was wonderful, and we had a beautiful weekend in Lutsen, Grand Marais, and Duluth.

With apologies to Vincent

(click picture for full image)
I was reading an article about the Chinese space program online at www.astronautix.com and the sidebar had a quote from Vincent Van Gogh. I don't think there was a connection (they put a lot of different things on the side bar of their pages), but it inspired me to "edit" his Starry Night Over the Rhone. The rocket is a real one that Liv built and launched for some science fair projects.

Braves vs. Twins World Series

Sorry about the Twins...I would have enjoyed rooting for them after the Brave's usual October swoon. There were almost as many Cub fans at the Atlanta stadium last night as Braves fans, and they hung around afterwards to celebrate...well, it's football season, and at least you all have a good team...Have fun...

J.

Thanks for the recommendation - we're going to stay at Thomsonite this weekend for 1 night. We'll let you know how it is!

Highly recommended: http://www.thomsonite.com/

It's right on the lake within Cascade State Park and about 10 miles south of Grand Marais. Very nice and reasonable too (some of the places within Grand Marais itself are very expensive). Every unit is different.

Quick question for those of you who went up to the north shore recently. Where did you stay, and would you recommend staying there? How much was it?

Maria and I are planning on going to the North Shore/Lutsen next weekend, and would like some ideas of where to stay that aren't too expensive.

Braves VS. Twins?

I hope so! I'd love to see another 7 game victory by the twins.. :) And I bet we won't even need help from some off-balance Brave base-runners this time..

Cheating? If certain Braves are too weak to stay on a base, maybe they should develop some muscle.

Joel and I are driving back and forth to St. Francis for the "Sound of Music" pit orchestra six nights this week. We both have colds and would rather not be staying up 'til midnight, but we should have thought of that before we joined up.

Swedes...May he live 100 years, or maybe it just seems like it...

How is everyone doing? Are any of you all stoked about the Major League playoffs, and the possibility of a repeat of 91? No cheating this time!...

J.

Ja, må han leva

Here are the English words for the Swedish Birthday song:


Yes, may he (she) live, Yes, may he live,
Yes, may he (she) live till he's a hundred years old.
Yes, may he (she) live, Yes, may he live,
Yes, may he (she) live till he's a hundred years old.


[click on the words to see lyrics in English and Swedish AND hear the tune. Thanks, Paul!]

Eight thumbs up for "Urinetown"

Last night we saw the touring production of "Urinetown" and all thought it was very good, although hard to describe. Paul asks if it's the same thing as "Georgetown" (think about it).

Thanks for hosting the communal birthday party, Matt and Janelle. Peter forgot to mention that Paul taught us how to sing the Swedish 'happy birthday' song--much livelier than the English-language one.

Rocket Swedes

Livvi'i:Aren't the Swedes a little slow on the uptake with the whole lunar mission thing?

Hardly! They're displaying elegance, cleverly building an efficient rocket. They piggybacked off of a rocket launching a bunch of satellites (thrifty Swedes!). Ion engines like this (also used by NASA in Deep Space One) are very cool (if you like this kind of thing). Getting to Mars with one would be slower, for example, but it would only need .8 kilograms of fuel for every kilogram going to Mars (instead of 3.5 Kilos for ever Kilo being sent with a chemical rocket).

Cool pic (pics) Peter!

Happy September Birthdays!

We all had a great time over at Matt and Janelle's house for the September Birthdays. We had pizza, cake and played Trivial Pursuit till late. The game ended up with two teams tied..

Happy birthday Paul, Janelle and Tom!

Liv's Update

Aren't the Swedes a little slow on the uptake with the whole lunar mission thing?
Just got back from a retreat today where I was a teen mentor for the confirmation students. It was a lot of fun. Sorry I couldn't be at the b-day party, I heard it was off the heezy.
----Livvi'i

Swedes in Space!


The first European Lunar mission - built in SWEDEN - is under way!

Of course it's a smart one! that is, the ship name is SMART-1.

Happy Birthday, Paul!

 _   _ 

| | | | __ _ _ __  _ __  _   _ 

| |_| |/ _` | '_ \| '_ \| | | | 

|  _  | (_| | |_) | |_) | |_| | 

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            |_|   |_|    |___/ 

 

                      ____  _      _   _         _ 

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                '--'-'    |_|   \__,_|\__,_|_(_)

(No, I don't know why I used squirrels - I guess because the Ascii Art dictionary only had a map of Sweden.)

(and Peter - scroll down a little to find a report about anyone ... heading to the north shore this year.)

So Tom, when can we expect the next chapter in your book/blog?

Fall is upon us! Trees are turning colors, and the weather is getting cooler. Look at the beautiful splash of color on the trees outside my work!



Is anyone planning on heading to the north shore this year to see the leaves? I think the entire family should go to Lutsen or somewhere on the north shore some year for a family getaway.. what do you think?

Happy Birthday

to Lynda... I hope you had a wonderful day.
to Tom... How well I remember 23 years ago today! A very happy day, indeed.
to Janelle... 11 days late... best wishes to you too!
I went to my first Twins game of the year tonight. Two home runs, a triple and a great catch in right field.
Looking forward to Saturday. Our cross country team is hosting a big event in Powderhorn park earlier in the day... teams from 5 states coming.
This really is Nancy... you can tell by my style of speech.

the day when the clowns came in from their long years of crying

hello all of you buckeroos out there. how are you all doing. this is nancy of course, if you hadnt already guessed by my style of speech. just kidding gang. this is stevie. so liv and norris I guess this is where you yell things like "raise da roof" and dance around all ghetto. peace out cousins. happy birthday to all my peeps in radioland. peace

Happy Birthday, Lynda and Tom!

        _____ 

       q o o p          | 

       q o!o p     |   _|    |                          --\\ 

       d o!o b    _|  (@)   _|   |                    --    X 

        \!!!/    (@)       (@)  _|                   /    // 

        |===|                  (@)                   /  // 

        |!!!|        Happy Birthday....           \\/ // 

        |!!!|              To....  You|           --\X 

        |!!!|                        _|       \\--   /\ 

        |!!!|               |       (_)        /\\  / 

        |!!!|              _|                //   XX 

       _|!!!|__           (@)               / O //  \ 

     .+=|!!!|--.`.                        //   / 

   .'   |!!!|   `.\                      / O  / 

  /     !===!     \\                   //   // 

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   \   \!!!!!/   //                 /    // 

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 \     =======     //  \   /  // 

  `.    ooooo    .;'    \\/  / 

    `-._______.-'         \\/ 

                            \ 

(yes, I know the Recorder and Guitar aren't quite the right scale)

Don't like your job, and wish you had something better? Remember to count your blessings, it could be worse!

Happy birthday, Tom and Lynda!

Joel and I had a nice time on the North Shore and saw Matt and Janelle in passing (they were in Grand Marais on a church retreat). I kept thinking of how nice it would be to have an Anderson get-together up there, but don't know if we'll ever manage such a thing again. Maybe without the "kids"...

IAC's Executive Director, Deborah Wexler, just found out that "Dear Abby" will be publishing her letter about influenza vaccination during the second week of October. "Dear Abby" reaches 110 million readers and the letter is supposed to include a link to "my" website for the public, www.vaccineinformation.org. So, look for it in your local paper! Janelle had a hand in editing it.

Happy Birthday Tom!

Happy Birthday Tom! You're gettin old!

Share the Insanity!!

Share the Insanity!!
I'm having fun with slide rules, and you can too! (sorry, these only work with Internet Explorer. note: AOL uses IE, so it will work with AOL).

Click

or Click HERE


If you want to make your own: SlideRule.MrKlingon.org. (I didn't make this program up, I've just set up a copy on my web pages).

Hey from Bloomington

Hey y'all.
Well, it's great to be done riding, but the bike ride went really well. Really great weather and a pretty strenuous tour. If you like fields of corn, soybeans, tobacco, old barns and lots of hills, try southern Indiana. The town of Madison, an old riverboat town on the Ohio river was nice -- kind of like Redwing. I'm at Ingrid's apartment and the pizza just arrived. L8r,

John

Well shiver me timbers!! that be true to life pirate speak! Ahoy Mae "Peg Leg" - your matey,

Peter "Salty Dog" Anderson

Thanks, Ingrid. Matt and I will have to visit Indiana some day. Sounds nice. How's your research going?

Janelle

Indiana Andersons

Hello from Indiana,

I went to visit Dad last night at Spring Mill State Park, which is about 45 minutes south (by car) of Bloomington. He was on his fourth day of riding his recumbent bicycle through miles and miles of rural Indiana, with two more days to go. It was good that I got to visit him, as 'hills' and 'miles' seemed to be the main subjects of conversation with the other bicyclists, a surprising number of whom also rode recumbent bicycles. We went to visit an historic mill, built in 1817, that is a main attraction of the state park and had dinner at the 'Windmill Buffet'. We've had beautiful weather the past fews days here in Indiana--I wouldn't mind being outside all day myself. More from Dad on the ride when he finishes on Friday!

Nice photos, Teresa! Hope you had a happy birthday, Janelle.
Ingrid

When you find a good photo op...

I realized that I have used the same dinosaur in the Rapid City park as a prop for three pictures taken over a period of almost 40 years. The first is of my parents, cousin Ann, and dog, Sam, circa 1966. The second photo is of Norris in 1986. The third was taken this summer on our way to the Rez.

Arrr.... anyone want to talk like a pirate?


September 19th, mateys!

Thanks, everybody. :)

Have a safe trip, John!

Janelle

Happy Birthday Janelle!

       _..--=--..._

     .-' Happy      '-.  .-.

    /.' Birthday     '.\/  /       --

   |=-  Janelle       -=| (     ___

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Happy Birthday, Janelle!

Hey everybody, John here.

Hope everything is doing well.
I'll be heading north tomorrow to Indiana. I'll visit Ingrid briefly Sat. evening, then on to Triri, a 6 day ride with a couple hundred other people. Check it out here: http://www.triri.org/september.html.

Well, I wanted to see if I could ride my recumbent bike for several days without my feet falling off. I wish the ride had been this week -- the weather has been ideal, at least here in GA. I should be back with Ingrid in Bloomington by Fri. and head south the following Sun. If I get near a public library or cyber cafe (in rural Indiana?), I'll send you a report.

Have fun.

J.

a tribute to the victims of 9/11

Can't Cry Hard Enough

WE WILL NEVER FORGET



9-11-01

Qapla'

N: Qapla': success

possibly derived from Qap:

V: Qap: [win|operate|be in operation]

V: Qap: succeed, win

V: Qap: work, function

it is an all purpose "good bye" "farewell" kind of thing. But also a shout of triumph....

U of M
So I just got back from my first class. It's going to be pretty cool. The professor is really cool and so are all the students, one is even a senior at Central. :)
----Livvi'i

Some times the only word is Qapla'!

Today we got a new letter from the state after they talked to Como:

....According to M.S. 124D.09, Liv may take five courses this semester at the high school and one course at college in the PSEO program and all will be covered with state funds. ...It is to the district's advantage by over $400 to allow her to take five courses instead of four at the high school. ....

We have been having quite a stressful time the last few weeks, dealing with Liv's school and the school district about their interpretation of the PSEO law (for you non-Minnesotans, that's how Peter, Tom, and Norris got to take college classes for free when in high school). We had made no headway by the start of school so I contacted school board members, one of whom, Anne Carroll, really came through for us. On Tuesday, she called me for at least six long telephone conversations, including one at 9:30 pm. She set up a meeting for us with Como's principal and head counselor and several district people, including the Area Superintendent. We ended up giving in some just to make it through the school year, but we did get a schedule we can live with and the A.S. did promise to actually contact the people at the MN Dept. of Education and modify their policy if indicated.

Anyway, yesterday was a crazy day as Liv had also temporaily enrolled in more classes at the 'U' in case things didn't work out at Como, so Joel went to her first class for her in the morning and I picked him up from there to race to the meeting. Now he is sad because he has to drop out! And he was the teacher's pet, in his tie and all! Then in the evening, Joel, Norris, and I drove to St. Francis for our first rehearsal of "The Sound of Music," which lasted from 7:00-9:30. Florian was urging people to have a more upbeat tempo... I think we three were half asleep.

Anyway, all's well that ends well (I think).

The fair isn't too bad as long as you don't let the bad parts get you down. Like what do you do when a dozen bees invade your booth? (And I'm not exaggerating I actually counted.) Just keep working and smiling and just pray they won't sting you. And they didn't. I also tried to kill the maximum number possible. I felt like I was in some weird horror flick because although I had killed over twenty of them, there were always the same number buzzing around. They were definately defying a few laws of nature.
----Livvi'i

That's too bad Maria! It must be especially bad coming as such a surprise (when I was laid off from NCR I had known it was coming for a long time). We'll all be praying this turns into a good opportunity for you!


I've been logging way too many phone hours this week trying to resolve Liv's class schedule. Her school is insisting she drop 2 (out of 6) classes because she is taking one class at the U. The State is pretty clear that this is not the way it should be done, but her Principal and counselor don't see it that way. Who knows what her schedule will be come Tuesday evening? Nancy and Mark - we may be calling on you for home schooling advice.

My colleagues and I were happy to see someone get arrested for the Blaster worm - though it didn't happen soon enough. We've been pulling a lot of long hours fighting to clean up the Univerity's network, and now those students are coming back, probably bringing thousands of infected computers to bring new waves of infections!

Hi Everyone,
Well, I have some bad news. I think Tom gave me the unemployed virus. After being sick and missing work on Tuesday, I reluctantly went back to the grind on Wednesday, eventhough I was still feeling crummy. I was asked to go the Eden Prairie location sometime that afternoon for a meeting. I was a little nervous, but was absolutely sure that I wasnt going to get fired. To make a long story short, I got laid off. The company was losing business fast and couldnt afford all of their employees, so they had to lay off five people and I was one of them. I was so taken by surprise and I am still in denial about the whole thing. I have never been fired or laid off before. I am not really looking for another job yet because I have jury duty coming up, plus I am so burned out. So, keep my job search in your prayers. I am not even sure if I am going to look for a similar job in the title business. Maybe I will do something different. I guess I cant be too picky. It's been kinda nice, however, being home during the day. I have gotten a lot of errands done that I have been meaning to do for months, but I know sooner or later I am going to get pretty bored not working.

This weekend Pete and I are going up to my parents cabin, so that will be a nice getaway for both of us. Hope you all have a wonderful labor day weekend!

I was just reading on Tom's address, so this will say it was posted by him... but it's not (It's Nancy)
We have had a student with us for a week from Switzerland (Simon). He was at our Free church Camp Shamineau for 5 weeks and needed a place to stay until his flight home (this morning). He's going to be a teacher and is starting his school year on Monday at U of Zurich. Because of the time change he won't get home til 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
I have been back and forth to Illinois this summer 3 times. My sister, Jan, has sold her condo and is just about ready to move into her new house. My parents are doing pretty good being on their own for 10 days while Jan is in Connecticut visiting our cousin Tom & Betsy Hammerberg. A very kind woman is coming in every day for a couple hours to help my parents with cleaning, exercises and companionship.
Tom is outside visiting with some Mormon friends and I have been applying for jobs... I have an interview next week, but I won't tell you where, as I don't think I'm qualified for it, so... I'll let you know when (if) I get hired anywhere! Mark is back to Roosevelt. Stevie was giving tours the other night at South High to incoming freshmen... He wasn't assigned the task, but he and his friend John Robert just started doing it and folks followed along. They had found a sign somewhere that said "Tours." Well, I gotta run. I want to see if the U will still let me use the Med. Library. It's really fun reading all of your posts. Nancy

Congratulations, Tom!

And Peter and Maria, no, we won't try to top your fat-eating frenzy.

Hey everyone- Today I was hired at a charter school in Brooklyn Park as a teacher aid. My job is to be with a special ed student all the time, helping him to understand the assignments and process the information. I guess he is "cognitively delayed" and I will be doing some outside of class teaching of reading and maybe math. I'm happy to have a job and got the connection through a friend.

I was at the fair today, but didn't see liv (but in all honesty didn't really look)
bye all,
Tom.

Joel, all we can say is Qapla'!

Crazy Uncle Joel...
Apropos of nothing....





I've been contacted by the American Bible Society regarding a CD of Bible software they are putting together for the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) annual conference in Atlanta this November.

I'm sharing my UTA software and "Bible translator," and this prompted me to go nuts with my relexification methods, and now I have a complete Klingon Language Version of the World English Bible:


http://klv.mrklingon.org
Click http://klv.mrklingon.org/klv.html for screen shots of this
integrated in the Crosswire Bible Society's "Sword Project"which you can find at www.crosswire.org.

Liv, sorry we missed you on Sunday at the Fair, we didn't get there until 5pm.. We stopped by your barrel in case you were still there, but of course you weren't.

We had a great time at the fair, on the hottest day of the year! We ate the following fatty foods: Mini Donuts, Cheese curds, french fries, corn dogs, pork chop on a stick, milk shakes, all you can drink milk for 50 cents, deep fried candy bars and ice cream. See if you can beat that!

Here we are getting out caricature done. We've always wanted to do it, and we finally broke down and got one..

Thanks Pete for the compliments, as far as the novel goes, I'm working on it.

chapters to come: Cuban Adventures starring Marco and the Cuban cigar black market, drunk dentistry students wanting to fight me and then inviting me to go drinking, gustavo the drunk car wash owner and my Mexican little brother ashing cigarettes and spilling tequila onto my bedroom floor, street preacher, orphanage, and the events leading up to the Mexican wedding in uruapan.

peace ya'll.
Tom.

Yesterday we drove past a car wash that advertised "Touchless Tunnel!" Joel said, "Is that the Tunnel of Love for Swedes?"

We love to read your posts, Tom--don't apologize! I will go to read your epic work soon.

Peter and Maria--Liv is at the fair EVERY day, never fear!

My trip to Omaha went well and Liv helped drive (7 hours each way). Unfortunately, the presentation went so well that I have been invited to return to Nebraska... not exactly my dream come true! Maybe I can write an epic novel about traveling to and from Omaha...

Tom,

I've linked your blog on the right hand side of the family blog. I remember you telling me all about those experiences before (I think at my bachelor party camping trip) but reading them here made them very real. Your writing has made those experiences come alive, I feel almost like I was there with you! I especially liked the part near the end where you waxed philosophical:

"There's this thing about waiting- it's like you stop living and wait for life to begin again, and when it begins, when you pull out on to the open road, you breathe again because you have life to live- it's not just survival, it's life.
Life is divided into two categories, waiting and living, not only in literal ways like stop lights and grocery store check out lines, but in spiritual or abstract ways- emotionally and intellectually."

Awesome writing, keep up the good work! I'd like to see you write an entire novel about those experiences sometime.

p.s.

liv, we'll see you at the fair on sunday if you're there!

I know I've been a little "posting crazy" the last couple of days, but just one thing. I have my own blog where I'm going to post some writing I've been doing- I just put a chapter from my up coming epic true life adventure tale "Stories from Mexico"- It is an early draft mind you and I welcome suggestions or harsh discouraging insults, as long as they're true. I will also accept adulation and praise, and money as well. (for what I'm not sure)

Tom.
brokendownheroes.blogspot.com

So, today, the hip-hop band I play guitar in (a fairly new development, yes, but well in line with my life goals) will be playing at a block party in North Minneapolis. It's the first time I've played with them so we'll just have to see how it goes. Maybe I'll bring a camera and take pictures. alright, peace. Tom

A Fair Day

Thanks for the congrats - it was fun to see our efforts be rewarded. And not just the boys - Teresa got a 2nd place for her bird - apolitical as it was!

I went early for breakfast at the Salem Lutheran building (near the fine arts) - only place (I think) with Swedish egg coffee! I had biked in, and wandered around a bit, then ran home (after seeing Teresa, Norris, Jerry and Russ checking out the Seed Art) to collect our instruments. Our spin around the fair was good, though I could barely blow my trumpet by the end. A nice touch was Joe, our director's son, playing crash cymbals while riding a unicycle - that got a lot of attention.

Liv was surprised to have one root beer customer ask "are you Paul Anderson's niece?" Not because of the resemblance - he was a neighbor that Paul had told about her gig at the fair.

Congratulations to Joel and Matt for winning prizes at the Fair! :)

JTA

Barrel #3 by Andy's Grille and Adventure Park. Same location as last year. 9-4.
Livvi'i

Hey everybody, this is Tom- here's the update:

No job,
No girlfriend,
No money,

But I'm happy. So I've been working on a paper about Assyrian History and while I think it's pretty interesting, I'll only post my thesis paragraph just so you don't all think I'm just lazy and good for nothing. Also, if you know any cookie factories that are hiring, let me know and i'll send in my resume.

Assyria from Restoration to Fall: Military Might and the Atrophy of Culture

In the history of Assyria we perceive the emergence of this pattern: the values of dominance and power trump the values of culture and faith. The system required for the expansion and the maintenance of an empire by its very nature pushes a nation or people group away from the cultural values that may previously have given them identity and significance. Faith, religion and worship are likewise subjugated to the self-exultant system of empire and its expansion. As the system strengthens, the culture atrophies; and as the grip of power tightens, so stiffen the forces of resistance and division that lead to the destabilization of the empire.


Peace to all, Tom.

This weekend Maria and I participated in our friends', Nate and Tiffany's wedding. Maria was a beautiful bridesmaid, and I was an usher. It was an outdoor wedding at the Earl Browne Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center (if you've never been there you should check it out, its a very interesting place). The weather was unbearably hot, so all the groomsman/ushers didn't wear their suit coats. The guests were all using their bulletins for fans. The ceremony, luckily, was very short, and we were enjoying refreshments within 35-40 minutes. The newlyweds are heading to Banff for their honeymoon. Have fun guys!

Liv,

once you know where you're going to be, let us know. Maria and I may be coming out this weekend.. Have fun with the bees!

Unfortunately I don't have a photo to enter for the virtual MNSF, but then again, who wants to look at a picture of me covered in pop and bees with a disgruntled look on my face?
----Livvi'i
p.s. If you do visit the MNSF, be sure to drop by my root beer barrel, I'm not sure which location I'll be at, but once I know, I'll be sure to let ya'll know!

I thank everybody for the news. As part of our virtual Minnesota State Fair (a service for out-of-staters), here is my crop art entry:





There is a "novice" category for anyone who has not entered before. Look for "Bird Seed" in the horticulture building.

Norris and I have walked through the fairgrounds a couple times recently, even though it is off-limits to cars now. Last night, we went to church because it was a holy day, and then had Joel drop us off on Snelling so we could walk through the grounds before it got totally dark. It was very interesting, as a lot was being set up, but I don't really think we were supposed to be there. Patrol cars examined us closely and we had to walk by several police officers. They just said, "Hi," but I guess we'll stay away until Thursday.

BTW, we will not be doing anything for Liv's birthday as she is gone at a retreat this weekend, will be going to Omaha with me on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then starts 12 days in the root beer barrel on Thursday. Say "Happy Birthday" to her there!

We have been having a difficult time with Kokomo this week as he has been in pain and hiding under the dresser for several days. We brought him to the vet yesterday and he has a ruptured disc in his back, with partial paralysis of his back legs (Liv said, "He's just like Uncle Paul"). He is now on steroids and a muscle relaxant and is feeling much better. However, he is supposed to be on complete "bed rest" for 3-4 weeks, which is impossible, especially as he is cage-shy. We are supposed to carry him up and down stairs and keep him from jumping on furniture, etc. Not easy! The worst part is, although he has a 90% chance of recovering from this episode without further treatment, he will be prone to further injury in the future and may have permanent damage.

Here is the picture that I submitted in the State Fair competition.


My friend George tried to submit a picture today, but he was too late.
I guess Joel will have some competition this year.

I am so sorry to hear about the death of Roberta. It's very interesting to hear all about your previous wife, Mark. I had no idea that's how the two of you met. I wish I knew how to play an instrument. I feel like the ugly duckling in this family of musicians. :)

Well, just this last week I was transferred to a different position at work. I am still at the same company and doing the same closing assistant job. However, I am now dealing with closings in Iowa rather than Minnesota. It's very different being here in Minnesota and preparing all of the documents for another state. There is a lot more work to do for Iowa, which is something that I was looking for. My other position was very slow and my previous job at Edina Realty Title was way too much. I can never find a job that is in between busy and slow. Why is that?

Mae in NY (as reported in email by John):

Mae spent the night with a friend from work who lives near the office --
when last heard from they were eating peanutbutter sandwiches for dinner.
Maybe she can be persuaded to recount her experiences in the Blog. She kept
calling home last night to find out what was happening in NY.

I'm sorry to hear about your mother-in-law, Mark. My deepest sympathies.

Has anyone heard from Mae in New York? My brother called me on his cell phone, and said he was stranded on a bus. Poor New York City.

Janelle

Roberta Worrell my mother-in-law from my first wife Jan passed away in Colorado Springs on August 1 at the age of 89. She had outlived her husband Joe, daughter Jan and son David. During the last ten days of her life she was being given hospice care in her own apartment. In addition several women from her church took turns staying with her. I was notified a week before she died and was able to speak with her and played cello music for her over the phone several times. String music was what initially brought us together. Jan (cello) and I (violin/viola) played together in the Roosevelt high and University of Minnesota orchestras. Over the years chamber music was frequently a part of family gatherings when they lived in Minneapolis, when they would come back for visits and when we went to Colorado Springs . In addition to Jan and I, musicians included (not all at the same time) Roberta (violin/viola), Joe (flute), David Worrell( violin), Roberta’s sister Betty(cello) , Betty’s daughter Karen (viola) ,Nancy (voice) and eventually Peter, Tom and Stephen on their instruments. Joe and Roberta enjoyed many years of retirement in their adopted home of Colorado Springs where they had many friends through their church. Peace be to their memory.

Emissary from the Future

I just dropped off my entry in the State Fair (remember-columbia.mrklingon.org). THIS year I may have more competition as Matt threatens to enter something... (but has he? Time is running out!)

Whenever I bring in my "computer art" to the fair, it seems the volunteers are 90 years old, and baffled by the notion that they have such a category as "computer-generated art." I feel like some spandex clad Jetsonian who has come bearing greetings from the world of tomorrow.

"Yea, verily, long have I labored with punch card and my Multivac computron to
create this wonder. You denizens of yesterday, BEHOLD !

EasyJet and RyanAir are giving some stiff competition to European rail:

Article

Maria, that's just what I wondered. However, it seems as if a lot of people in Europe use them and they are advertised heavily over there. The same company also owned the huge Internet cafe we used in London. We'll have to get Norris to write more about his friend's experience... whether EasyJet cuts back on food and drinks or mechanics.

Liv that sounds like a great idea, but how safe are these "cheap" planes??

Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Well, I know that trains & busses (fun!) have already been recommened for your European voyage, but I would like to make a unique and new suggestion---a plane. EasyJet is an awesome company that has planefares from about $40 dollars. (From London to Barcelona, for example is about $51.99). EasyJet is, according to a friend of Norris's, very cheap and low budget, so don't expect anything too plush.
----Livvi'i

Very interesting, Peter. We often drive by that complex on our way to my parent's farm. My parents went on a garden tour there once. Did you know that when they rebuilt the church brick-by-brick they had some left over, which they used to build the little shrine on the lawn outside?

As far as Europe, my advice would be to avoid the trap of visiting only large, famous cities (London, Paris, etc.) Of course, they all have some sights you shouldn't miss, but every big city is quite a bit like another big city! I have enjoyed my time in small towns much more, as one gets much more of the regional flavor.

You can buy rail passes tailored for your travel plans: http://www.railpass.com/EURAIL/PASSES/

Rail passes are not always the cheapest option, though, unless you're doing a lot of traveling. They also are not as convenient as I originally pictured, as one still has to check in to ensure seats are available. People in Europe also take buses a lot, especially between smaller towns. Even if there is rail service, it is sometimes faster and more direct to take a bus. Liv and I did that to get to Annecy, France from Geneva: we would have had to transfer two times to take the train, so I followed some stranger's advice on the Internet and we took a coach bus instead. It was direct, comfortable, inexpensive, and had about five runs each way every day.

I forgot to mention one thing.. Maria had a good time.. this picture attests to that:

Over the weekend Maria and I, along with her parents, went on a "Date Night". It was for a men's church group that Maria's father and I are a part of. We are going through the book and video series for "Wild At Heart" by John Eldredge. The book talks about how men long for adventure, and how they can take their "beauty" or wife along for that adventure. Our date night on Saturday was to be one of those adventures.

We met at the little log house show grounds near hastings. It is an old restored village with an old saloon, post office, blacksmith, general store, church and house of ill repute. It was a very interesting place, and I'd recommend checking it out sometime if you get a chance. They had a bunch of people from the "old west society" there to do re-enactment of a gunfight, complete with real guns (shooting blanks of course). Some of those guys were pretty scary looking!

The grounds had several areas, one of them was a garden with all sorts of beautiful flowers.



There was a little log house (thus the name of the place) next to the garden that was the original building on the grounds. (see picture below)


There was an old church on the grounds that had been moved from another city in Minnesota. Inside they had a bunch of life size statues of Jesus and Mary. They were very life like. I can imagine that it would be a bit spooky in there if you were all alone at night with these statues...




All in all we had a good time!

Hi all!

It was great to read all the posts that occurred in our absence. It's been a long time since I've been in a place where there's no Internet access, cell phone coverage (at least for T-Mobile), or even a public phone!

Our trip was organized by YouthWorks, an interdenominational Christian group that has summer work camps in many poor areas of the U.S. We left on Friday and spent the first night in Wall, visiting Wall Drug and hiking in the Badlands a bit. The next day we drove through the Black Hills, saw Mount Rushmore, hiked around Sylvan Lake, and spent the night in two cabins at Legion Lake in Custer State Park. The next morning we had to get up early as the only Catholic church within driving distance (in Custer, SD) had one service at 8:00 a.m. We made it in time and had a memorable experience. They were getting ready for their big fund raiser... serving a spaghetti dinner to some of the half million bikers attending the Sturgis Rally the next weekend.

Sunday afternoon we arrived at our mission site in Wanblee, SD, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. There were about 10 adults, 56 kids, and 4 staff members. Our group slept on the floor of a big classroom with the women and girls from a Lutheran church from a small town near Rochester, MN. The other groups were from Duluth, and three churches from Elkheart, IN who traveled together.

As Liv said, each day we either worked with kids or on houses. The kids have no supervision and wander around day and night. For "Kids Club" one drives a van through the housing project yelling, "Kids Club," and picking up kids off the street! The little kids are starved for attention and hang on anybody, but the teens and adults weren't always too friendly... giving people the finger was an art form! (for them, not us) We weren't allowed to walk anywhere off the school grounds. A tribal lawyer who spoke one evening claimed that there were only six people on the entire reservation (three counties) who weren't addicted to drugs and/or alcohol.

We had some interesting evening activities, including a walk in the Badlands and a softball game/weiner roast in the community. After five days of hard work, uncomfortable sleep, and inspiring worship we drove home in 10 hours.




Click here to see more pictures from our trip

Hi, Peter and Maria,

I just wanted to give you tips on Europe. I went to Spain and France in 1989, and went to London, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland in 1992.

Make sure you wear a money belt that you can hide in your shirt! Get the Let's Go Europe book, it's great and it tell you things to do for low prices. Bring good walking shoes, cause you'll be walking and getting lost a lot! Bring a backpack and pack lightly. Stay in hostels, you'll find that they are inexpensive, and you'll meet interesting people. Travel by train, it's so easy. When you stay in some hostels, however, some only have one bathroom down the hallway! And some bathrooms don't have showers, just bathtubs. People smoke a lot in Europe, too, beware.

But you'll have a great time! They sell lots of chocolate at almost every street corner. Go see Juliet's balcony in Verona, Italy! Go to the Eiffel Tower. Go see cheap theatre in London and go see the Tower of London, with the jewels, and Lady Jane's room. And take the Sound of Music tour in Austria.

Have fun and good luck! :)
Janelle

Outrageous
I got back this evening from my week long mission trip to Wanblee. It was amazing and lifechanging. I felt like we actually made a difference with at least the children there. I spent my first two mission days working in Kid's Club, a fun atmosphere for the kids of Wanblee to hang out in for two or three hours, and my last two days painting trim on a house there. It was amazing. I will continue to write more about this experience but as I was going home, I listened to Audio Adrenaline and the lyrics to "Dirty" really struck me.
Tired of being clean, sick of being proper
I wanna live among the beggars and dig out in the dirt
Step outside the walls we built to protect us
Don’t be afraid to get some mud on your face.
Come on, come on everybody.
Come on, come on and serve someone

Let's get dirty, let's get used
No matter where you come from
If you're beaten up or bruised
Let's get foolish, let's get free
Free to be the one thing
We were meant to be – let’s get dirty

You might get a bruise or some blisters on your fingers
You might start a question, and wonder what it's worth
You may slip and fall from the burdens that you carry
But you can't have this treasure, till you dig it from the dirt

Let's get dirty, let's get used
No matter where you come from
If you're beaten up or bruised
Let's get foolish, let's get free
Free to be the one thing
We were meant to be - Get dirty

Come on, come on everybody
Come on, come on, serve someone

Let's get dirty, let's get used
No matter where you come from
If you're beaten up or bruised
Let's get foolish, let's get free
Free to be the one thing
We were meant to be - Get dirty
Peace!
---Livvi'i

I'm VERY tired after 7 days of driving and work but will just report quickly that we had a great mission trip to Pine Ridge Reservation and are back safely. Lots of sad sights, but very rewarding. We'll post more and some pictures tomorrow. Teresa

Stevie and I treated ourselves to another one day human powered vacation today. From our house we went due east, crossed the Lake St. bridge, continued a few miles up Marshall , switched to University and eventually ended up at the trailhead of the Gateway Trail which is at Cuyoga and 35E a few blocks north of th MN State Capitol. This is ten miles from our home. We went on the trail which goes through suburban and countryside Ramsey and Washington counties and ended up at Pine Point Park which is the original site of the Washington County Poor Farm. We had are lunch there then went into Stillwater where we stopped for ice cream before starting for home. We considered going to downtown by the
St. Croix but realized that it would add four miles (half of it up hill) and we were running out of gas. We made it home without incident traveling 64 miles on a beautiful summer day. We had the cell phone, a couple of spare tubes and enough tools to make most repairs but fortunately we didn't need them.

Travelers

Nancy - I think the John & Lynda, Mae & Ingrid exhibit isn't on display anymore in England. The dollhouse (and clothes and furnishings and cars) ARE at Windsor. And Hampton is very interesting [note: they have the same kind of Audio guides as Norris used to sell at the MIA).

Very sparse news from Pine Ridge (Communications with France, Switzerland and England are much easier). Teresa called Friday from Wall Drug, and I missed a call yesterday (Monday) from Teresa (all I got was voice mail :( ).

Today I got a call at work, just an "all is well" call from the Church secretary -
they're doing fine and coming back on Friday was the extent of it.

However I got to experience a moment of panic when she called:

    "This is so-and-so from Corpus Christi,

        I'm the secretary, and I

             just talked to Alisa and

                 she

               wanted me

            to

             let you

                   know

            that

                              everything is fine, and they'll

                        be home on Friday."

I don't know if that gives you the idea, and there wasn't anything wrong
with her message or manners - but my imagination was leaping ahead to
anticipate WHY they were calling ME!?!!

And Koko is in Red Wing - but HE doesn't call when he's down there!

Hi Everybody!
I'm not the expert in the family on world travel, but I really enjoyed the Windsor Castle... I think that is where the doll house is. (?) It was fun riding on the trains to Salisbury, Eastbourne and into London and staying in a bed & breakfast.
(I especially enjoyed seeing John & Lynda, Mae & Ingrid!) I thought the Kew Gardens were very lovely... and Hampton Court was interesting. That's the extent of my experience.
Tom and Stevie went to Illinois for 2 1/2 days to help their Aunt Jan clean, pack and move; She's doing it gradually. They're probably on the road even as I'm writing this, heading back to Minnesota. We haven't had a chance to hear from Tom about Colorado. I hope he'll put info. on the blog. I've really enjoyed the pictures and descriptions of places all over the world.

Maria and I have been talking about taking a 2 week trip to Europe this fall. We're planning on going in September or October and hope to see several countries including Italy, France and England. i know many of you have been to Europe in past years, or in recent months, so any advice you can give us on travel, accomodations, tips, etc would be very helpful.

We're thinking about possibly flying on Iceland Air through Iceland to either London or Paris since they have some rather attractive round trip fares ($400-500). From there we're not quite sure how we want to get around.. most likely by train.. And we haven't planned out an itinerary, so any suggestions on what to see would be great too..

Wish us luck!

...more coherent nightmares....

Years ago (hm - 21, actually), Paul described the sermon at Norris's baptism by saying "I've had more coherent nightmares."

I can only steal those words in order to describe the show that Norris, Jerry, Russ and I saw last night: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express.

This is a show that combined roller skating, 3D movies, music and special effects to tell the story of... uh, a boy playing with his trains - racing them to see which is fastest. It's the love story between a steam engine and a railway car. It's the competition between Diesel, Electric and Steam... It's all that and more. The only stage show where I've been instructed to put on (and take off) 3D glasses.

Very talented skaters, good singing, and extremely athletic dance/skate-ing. I can't imagine how Andrew Lloyd ever sold anyone on this bizarre show. I don't expect to ever see anything like this again.

The power of the written word

no, I didn't do this one.....

Great story and illustrations, Peter and Maria! I have been famous for my flat tires in bad weather and bad locations, but now I see there are worse things than flat tires.

One in the hubcap is worth two in the bush....

Today Maria put a slightly different twist on this old saying....

Maria was driving back to work after going home for lunch. While driving she heard a THUMP THUMP THUMP sound coming from her tire. Thinking that her tire was going flat, she was concerned, but decided to drive the rest of the way to work since the tire didn't seem to be completely flat. She got to work and discovered the source of the thumping sound. It appeared to be a rope of some sort dangling out of a hole in the hubcap on her tire. She went to pull the rope out of the hubcap when she realized, horror stricken, what the "rope" actually was. It was a SNAKE!

Maria was too horrified to actually remove the snake herself (understandably), and so she drove all the way home with that sickening THUMP THUMP THUMP noise in the background. When I got home I jacked up the car, took the wheel off, and surgically extracted the snake.. Wow, that sure gave me the willies.. ewww.

pictures of our slithering friend to follow - >

Letter from Bloomington

Hi Andersons,
It's great reading what everyone is up to! I've been having a fun summer in Bloomington, doing my research and taking some time off for fun activities:



(Minnesota isn't the only state with lakes)

I'm also moving to a new apartment at the end of July and will have a new address:

809 S. Henderson, Apartment #2
Bloomington, IN 47401

I'm having fun with my new Apple iBook and its wireless connection that I bought off the remnants of my grant. The future is now!
Happy rest of the summer! It's great hearing about everyone's trips--
Ingrid