Hi ya'll:
The house looks great, John and Lynda. Now if you just didn't have that broken lamp...
We spent the morning at the regional science fair awards ceremony, always a lengthy affair. Between Norris and Liv, this was our fifth time. We are pleased to announce that Liv is not only going to the state competition again this year, but is again the St. Paul district's alternate to the International Science and Engineering Fair in May! The two girls from St. Paul who were chosen to be the delegates are friends of Liv's and also were the delegates last year and they placed very high in the world (so they're not going to be edged out too easily). Liv also won one of the few monetary awards, $200 from Intel, which is the third year she's won this particular prize. Her project (predicting horse races) didn't exactly qualify for most of the "special awards," as they were for "improving human health," "advancing the field of aviation," etc. Liv said she might have won if the "Daily Racing Form" had sponsored a prize. A question on the judging form was "Was the project original or unique?" and one of Liv's judge's wrote, "Very!" Anyway, now she'll have to work hard in school to be able to take time off to go to Duluth (state) and Cleveland (ISEF), right, Liv?
Sorry about all the bragging!
Saturday, February 15, 2003
Just thought I would let all the bloggers know that although I don't often post I am up to date on reading all the blogs. Yesterday I dropped off the Voyager for an oil change and rode my bike to school for the first time this year. My last bike ride was on a snowless New Year's Eve. It is always good to get back in the saddle. Our lease on th mini-van is due to end in May so we are contemplating buying it, turning it in and leasing or buying a new vehicle or buying a used car. What should we do?
Friday, February 14, 2003
My new Sunset Photo Gallery! I just changed and updated it for those who have already look at this link..
Sunsets
Sunsets
in the interest of fairness - Joel brought this to my attention:
You might know Eagle Scout Ben Curtis . He's that "Dude, you're getting a
Dell" guy on the TV commercials. On Sept. 11, 2001, the 21-year-old from
Chattanooga, Tenn., found himself in the midst of a crisis.
He was sleeping in his Lower Manhattan apartment when an airliner hit the
first World Trade Center tower. His roommate, a photographer, ran to the
disaster scene a few blocks away, but Ben went back to sleep, thinking the
noise was a gas explosion. When the second tower was struck, he got up and
looked out the window. Seeing the fire, he decided his roommate might need
help.
When the first tower collapsed, Ben rushed into the subway entrance nearby
to escape the flying debris. Clouds of soot poured down into the
tunnel. He took his shirt off and tied it around his face to breathe.
A woman came down the stairs with a severe gash on her head. "At first I
was completely freaked out," he said, "but then my Scout training came
back to me." He used his shirt as a pressure bandage and helped the woman
to safety.
You might know Eagle Scout Ben Curtis . He's that "Dude, you're getting a
Dell" guy on the TV commercials. On Sept. 11, 2001, the 21-year-old from
Chattanooga, Tenn., found himself in the midst of a crisis.
He was sleeping in his Lower Manhattan apartment when an airliner hit the
first World Trade Center tower. His roommate, a photographer, ran to the
disaster scene a few blocks away, but Ben went back to sleep, thinking the
noise was a gas explosion. When the second tower was struck, he got up and
looked out the window. Seeing the fire, he decided his roommate might need
help.
When the first tower collapsed, Ben rushed into the subway entrance nearby
to escape the flying debris. Clouds of soot poured down into the
tunnel. He took his shirt off and tied it around his face to breathe.
A woman came down the stairs with a severe gash on her head. "At first I
was completely freaked out," he said, "but then my Scout training came
back to me." He used his shirt as a pressure bandage and helped the woman
to safety.
As Liv mentioned in her blog, the Dell Dude was busted for marijuana possession this week. Did we see that one coming? Along those lines, here is the best "Dell Dude" joke of the week:
I'm not sure what to think about the Dell Dude getting busted. I always thought marijuana was a Gateway drug.
groan.........
I'm not sure what to think about the Dell Dude getting busted. I always thought marijuana was a Gateway drug.
groan.........
Thursday, February 13, 2003
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
I'm planning a trip to Cuba through my school which had been planned originally for spring break. The trip has been postponed however until May because we had some trouble getting all of the proper processed on time (visas and travel licenses) in on time. I am pretty excited to be going. I was there in April when I was living in Mexico for the semester. It's an amazing country with a very rich culture and very hard political situation.
I'm excited to be going back. We will be staying and working at a Church in Havana and have at contact with them through the Missions coordinator of our school. We will just be helping out with their ministry there in whatever way we can. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity.
I'm excited to be going back. We will be staying and working at a Church in Havana and have at contact with them through the Missions coordinator of our school. We will just be helping out with their ministry there in whatever way we can. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity.
For those of you in Minneapolis looking for a nice place to dine on Valentine's (or any other time), here's a link to Palomino in downtown Minneapolis. Sign up for their email "dining club" and get a $20 Gift Certificate via email for your next dining experience at their restaurant. The GC is good for 30 days and entrees are in the neighborhood of $15-25 per person.. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
I was reading my New York Times today and came across this little article. It made me think of home. I was going to include the link, but you need a password to get in. So I just copied and pasted despite the size...
A Long Wait for Winter
By KATHERINE LANPHER
ST. PAUL
Our first real snowfall of the season was a beaut — big, fat, lazy flakes that piled up through the day, nearly six inches in the cities, twice that up north. The only problem: It was just last week.
Usually, a February snowfall is part of the normal tedium of winter here. You've become used to snow by then, its grace and its burden. You love its unbesmirched whiteness covering the laziness of autumn, when you meant to rake the leaves, really. You endure the snow that has been driven on and trod upon, gray and slushy and joyless.
So that first snow found us all a bit loopy with the prize of it, the way prairie settlers must have greeted a long-sought-for rain in August. Children played in their yards in snow suits so new they practically squeaked, and strolling down any street you could catch the fine points of a discussion on how to build a snow fort. Men driving trucks with snow plows revved their engines and vroomed down city streets just to show they could; lesser mortals in sedans fishtailed at intersections.
It's all part of the endearing waltz of winter here, but this year we've been a beat or two off. In January, a string of warm days found us not only snowless but with temperatures in the 50's. People came undone; one day a young man passed me on his bicycle. He was wearing a linen jacket.
January used to mean stiff winds and snow drifts, sliding parties and toddlers in so many layers that you want to poke them to see if they hit the ground and bounce back up. Waiting until February for our first snow was not only unnatural but also unnerving. I'm a tender transplant to Minnesota, having been here only two decades, but I remember when I succumbed to the awful majesty of winter, when the tow truck required to move your car two feet to the garage seemed charming and shoveling was reclassified as aerobic exercise. I was sitting with friends in a six-holer shack on the great lake of Mille Lacs, waiting for the depth-finder to show us some fish. I excused myself to step outside.
I was caught by the night sky, a dark wrap on the horizon, and by the vision of a slumbering village of ice-fishing shacks as far as the eye could see. Occasionally the ice groaned, but you could stamp your feet on that temporary terra firma and feel grounded in the embrace of Old Man Winter. You breathed out and your breath stayed on the air like a small white cloud. I fell in love.
The affair continued. It got serious when I picked up a pair of cross-country skis and found myself moving parallel to the Mississippi River, the open parts of the water looking like polished pewter.
So I'm a woman in love and my suitor, Old Man Winter, is turning fickle, waving at me with a few flurries and then leaving and now showing up again at the last minute. I'd slam the door on him, but . . . maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he'll stick around this time, at least long enough for a turn by the river.
Katherine Lanpher is host of "Midmorning" on Minnesota Public Radio
A Long Wait for Winter
By KATHERINE LANPHER
ST. PAUL
Our first real snowfall of the season was a beaut — big, fat, lazy flakes that piled up through the day, nearly six inches in the cities, twice that up north. The only problem: It was just last week.
Usually, a February snowfall is part of the normal tedium of winter here. You've become used to snow by then, its grace and its burden. You love its unbesmirched whiteness covering the laziness of autumn, when you meant to rake the leaves, really. You endure the snow that has been driven on and trod upon, gray and slushy and joyless.
So that first snow found us all a bit loopy with the prize of it, the way prairie settlers must have greeted a long-sought-for rain in August. Children played in their yards in snow suits so new they practically squeaked, and strolling down any street you could catch the fine points of a discussion on how to build a snow fort. Men driving trucks with snow plows revved their engines and vroomed down city streets just to show they could; lesser mortals in sedans fishtailed at intersections.
It's all part of the endearing waltz of winter here, but this year we've been a beat or two off. In January, a string of warm days found us not only snowless but with temperatures in the 50's. People came undone; one day a young man passed me on his bicycle. He was wearing a linen jacket.
January used to mean stiff winds and snow drifts, sliding parties and toddlers in so many layers that you want to poke them to see if they hit the ground and bounce back up. Waiting until February for our first snow was not only unnatural but also unnerving. I'm a tender transplant to Minnesota, having been here only two decades, but I remember when I succumbed to the awful majesty of winter, when the tow truck required to move your car two feet to the garage seemed charming and shoveling was reclassified as aerobic exercise. I was sitting with friends in a six-holer shack on the great lake of Mille Lacs, waiting for the depth-finder to show us some fish. I excused myself to step outside.
I was caught by the night sky, a dark wrap on the horizon, and by the vision of a slumbering village of ice-fishing shacks as far as the eye could see. Occasionally the ice groaned, but you could stamp your feet on that temporary terra firma and feel grounded in the embrace of Old Man Winter. You breathed out and your breath stayed on the air like a small white cloud. I fell in love.
The affair continued. It got serious when I picked up a pair of cross-country skis and found myself moving parallel to the Mississippi River, the open parts of the water looking like polished pewter.
So I'm a woman in love and my suitor, Old Man Winter, is turning fickle, waving at me with a few flurries and then leaving and now showing up again at the last minute. I'd slam the door on him, but . . . maybe he didn't mean it. Maybe he'll stick around this time, at least long enough for a turn by the river.
Katherine Lanpher is host of "Midmorning" on Minnesota Public Radio
Wow, the first time I have come to this site more than once in a day and hardly anyone has written. I am at work right now and bored out of my mind. They are re-carpeting the entire building, so there isnt much to do. Plus, last week our closer went on vacation so I got caught up while she was gone and now I have nothing to do. Everyone here at work thinks it's kinda weird that they are putting new carpet in because we are going to be moving to a new building in a year or two anyway. It seems kind of a waste. Oh well. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.
Sunday, February 09, 2003
Home and Garden Show
Maria and I, along with both sets of our parents went to the Home and Garden Show this weekend at the Convention Center in Minneapolis. Maria's brother david had a display for his landscaping company "Pine to Prairie" in the center of the auditorium. He was on the morning shows for several local TV channels this week, and after seeing his beautiful displays I can see why. They built this beautiful little set of an old european garden grotto, with a beautiful waterfall. Here are a couple of pictures of their set:
Pine to Prairie Landscaping
Maria and I, along with both sets of our parents went to the Home and Garden Show this weekend at the Convention Center in Minneapolis. Maria's brother david had a display for his landscaping company "Pine to Prairie" in the center of the auditorium. He was on the morning shows for several local TV channels this week, and after seeing his beautiful displays I can see why. They built this beautiful little set of an old european garden grotto, with a beautiful waterfall. Here are a couple of pictures of their set:
Pine to Prairie Landscaping
Ooh-Rah!
Liv's MCJROTC team participated in the annual Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge at Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday - and took first place, breaking St. Thomas's 10 year record. St. Thomas didn't even place. When their name was announced, Cretin (an otherwise arch-rival) gave a standing ovation, which was possibly the best part of it all. Not bad for an inner city public school to beat a private military academy. Liv adds that a cadet from Arlington said, "When we go to a competion we look out for the home team and the Marines."
Liv's MCJROTC team participated in the annual Upper Midwest JROTC Challenge at Cretin-Derham Hall on Friday - and took first place, breaking St. Thomas's 10 year record. St. Thomas didn't even place. When their name was announced, Cretin (an otherwise arch-rival) gave a standing ovation, which was possibly the best part of it all. Not bad for an inner city public school to beat a private military academy. Liv adds that a cadet from Arlington said, "When we go to a competion we look out for the home team and the Marines."
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