Summer Vacation Pictures
Current reading: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
Recent movies: The Perfect Storm, Planet of the Apes (2001), Pi: Faith in Chaos, Tom Raider
Current reading: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
Recent listening: k.d. lang, Chant, Play/Moby, Pink Floyd
Recent movies: The Sopranos: Second Season, Cast Away, Manhattan, Bringing Out the Dead, A Walk on the Moon, Once Upon a Time in China
Current reading: Naked by David Sedaris
Recent listening: Earth Sun Moon/Love and Rockets, Revenge of the Surf Instrumentals
Recent movies: My Life as A Dog, The Hurricane, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Current reading: The Same River Twice: A Memoir by Chris Offutt
Recent listening: The Mamas and the Papas, Public Enemy, Frank Sinatra, Shivaree
Recent movies: Lord of the Rings, Mighty Aphrodite, Mission: Impossible 2, She's So Lovely, Spy Kids, Anna and the King, Hollow Man
Things have begun to settle down a bit in my life. Work has been hectic, I had fallen greatly behind on my personal to-do list and then the events of September 11th really knocked me for a loop. However, our deadline at work came and went relatively uneventfully and I am celebrating by not working this weekend and catching up on that to-do list. This morning I will join some good friends for a round of golf before my 35th birthday party. I recently picked up a set of clubs at a pawn shop and I'm looking forward to getting them on the course for the first time.
The first batch of vacation CDs went in the mail on Friday. That to-do item languished on my list for over two weeks as did the stack of packages ready to mail on my desk at work. Hopefully, I'll finish up the supplemental set of CDs (cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) this weekend and send them next week.
Current reading: On The Firing Line: My 500 Days At Apple by Gil Amelio with William L. Simon
Recent listening: Earth Sun Moon/Love and Rockets, This Is How It Feels/Golden Palominos, Marilyn Manson
Recent movies: The Hobbit, Blow, The Green Mile, Memento, The NeverEnding Story
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I wanted to put into words all the many things that I have been feeling about recent events in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I can't. On Friday, I attended a gathering at Pioneer Courthouse Square to observe the world-wide moment of silence at 12:30. I took pictures. |
Current reading:Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
Recent listening: Pixies, Moby, Johnny Cash
Recent movies: Waking Ned Devine, Princess Mononoke, Time Code, Saving Grace, Proof of Life, Breakfast at Tiffany's
OK, so I didn't really send the CDs yet. Soon!
Current reading: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
Recent listening: Public Enemy, NWA
Recent movies: Sweet and Lowdown, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Legend of Bagger Vance, 10 Things I Hate About You
The other night I got off the Max to a haziness in the air. It looked like a fire somewhere so I stood and turned for a minute seeing if I could find the action nearby. Deciding it was not within sight, I headed home. During my 2 mile drive home I was perplexed and amazed to find the smokiness everywhere I looked - visible for miles it seemed on straight roads. Evidently, it was smoke from a nearby forest fire.
Last Thursday we caught the last zoo concert of the season when Pink Martini played their brand of 30's style swing for a packed house. The boys dug it and we enjoyed hanging out with friends. It's too bad we couldn't make it to any other zoo concerts this year.
The photo CDs are done and in the mail. If you don't get one in the next two weeks, email me to see if I sent it.
Current reading: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Recent listening: Patti Smith, Goat's Head Soup/The Rolling Stones
Recent movies: Akira, Hard Boiled, Cider House Rules, Where the Red Fern Grows, Charlotte's Web
The boys are really enjoying summer this year. It's been hot a few times during the last few weeks so Tina got the pool out for them, which they really dig. Thomas likes to run under/around/through the sprinkler when I water the grass at night but Graham hates it! Graham has been trying harder to say words lately but he's still a ways away from really talking. He loves hanging out with me after work though. Both boys come running with hugs and kisses when I get home at night - it's so cool.
I've added a few links to my links page including Vector Park and this Spanish link for slot car racing. Both are great fun.
I'm still working on the photo CDs from the trip, but I should have them done very soon. Be sure to email me if you want one.
Current reading: Up and Down with the Rolling Stones: Tony Sanchez with John Blake
Recent listening: The Singles: 1969-1973/The Carpenters, Reveal/R.E.M., Thank You/Duran Duran
Recent movies: The Virgin Suicides, Snatch, Chocolat, Chasing Amy, Flubber
I have moved our vacation travelogue to it's own section in order to shorten up the loading time for this page. I have placed the rest of the photos there so check it out. I had several requests from people for pictures so I am making CDs with all the pictures I took. If you would like one of those CDs, email me.
Last night I took my mother to the airport after she stayed here a week with us. It was great to spend so much time with her (over three weeks!) and we were sad to see her go. The boys will really miss her, I think.
Current reading: Misfit: The Strange Life of Frederick Exley by Jonathan Yardley
Recent listening: Rock and Roll Animal/Lou Reed; One Fair Summer Evening/Nanci Griffith
Recent movies: Saving Private Ryan (excellent); Scary Movie (terrible); Requiem for a Dream (disturbing)
Sometimes I feel like my life is blur. I have so much to do but when I sit down to write a few paragraphs here, I can never remember what I've done lately.
Two weeks ago we got back from a week in Lexington, KY. I was there to train some software engineers for Lexmark but Tina and the boys tagged along for a week of history and horses. Some of the highlights included:
- Kentucky Horse Park (home of the final resting place for Man O' War)
- Fort Harrod
- Boonesborough
- Old Kentucky Chocolate Factory
- Newport Aquarium (outside Cincinatti)
The boys also enjoyed staying at the hotel and swimming in the pool. Unfortunately, Tina got sick at the end of the trip and has been nursing a case of bronchitis since.
Last weekend the boys and I witnessed our first Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Tina got a full day of rest and we had a blast watching the parade from my downtown office. Critical Path provided root beer floats for the kids and adults and everyone had a grand time. Graham waved madly at every single parade entry. That night I was flipping around the TV and caught a rerun of parade coverage. Graham watched it all over again with me including waving madly at every attraction. He's so funny!
As I mentioned here before, we've got a mammoth family vacation coming up, three weeks long, that promises to be the vacation to end all vacations. The turnaround point is in Iowa and Minnesota where all my brothers and sisters and their families will be joining us for a gigantic family reunion. It will be a blast and one I'm sure that Thomas will never forget. We are really looking forward to it.
One resource that I've found invaluable in planning our trip has been MapQuest. In addition to providing maps to anywhere you could want to go, they've also got a Road Trip feature which lets you plan out a multi-stop road trip, providing estimated travel times and directions. It's way, way cool.
Current reading: Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan & the World He Made by David Halberstam
Recent listening: Reveal/R.E.M.; Those Were the Days/Cream; All the Stuff (And More) Volume Two/The Ramones; The Ultimate Collection/Patsy Cline
Lexmark recently announced a spate of printers for which I helped develop the Macintosh software. I found articles about it here and here. Note that Critical Path was not responsible for the OS X drivers.
Tina and the boys just got back on Tuesday after a short trip to New Mexico to see Aunt Michelle (Tina's sister). Michelle and her husband are expecting their first child soon and Tina was there for her baby shower. She was glad to go and I was glad to get them back. I did, however, get time to golf with a couple of friends and witnessed a hole-in-one.
We're looking forward to quite a bit of travel for all of us in the near future. At the end of the month, we're all traveling to Lexington, KY. I'll be doing training at Lexmark and Tina and the boys will be checking out the local sites. A few short weeks after we get back from Lexington, we're off on a cross-country jaunt that will end in Minneapolis, MN. Along the way, we hope to see some of these sites:
- Mt. Rushmore
- Crazy Horse Monument
- Black Hills
- The Corn Palace
- Yellowstone
And whatever else we get time to see. We're open to suggestions so let us know about your favorite site between Portland and Iowa. It promises to be an exciting vacation and will certainly be the longest stretch of time I have taken off in a long time.
Tina and I have recently upgraded our cell phones. My brief research on eBay indicates that our old Samsung SCH-1000 phones are essentially worthless. However, they are still in perfect working order. If you want to sign up for Sprint PCS, I would be glad to donate one or both phones and the accessories that I have for them.
Current reading: The Girl with Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace
Recent listening: Play/Moby, 40 Ounces to Freedom/sublime
Graham is saying more and more words these days. And he's gotten to be quite a climber. He climbs on to Thomas' top bunk bed all by himself but can't get down by himself. Most recently, however, he began climbing out of his crib at night. Last Thursday he exited numerous times during the night and began wandering around the house. Needless to say we went bed shopping Friday night and Saturday we found one we like. I think this rite of passage means we can no longer call Graham a "baby" anymore. He's now a little boy.
The great punk visionary Joey Ramone died this last weekend. The Ramones gave rock and roll a shot of originality and vitality when it most needed it. Sadly they never achieved the commercial success that they deserved. The Globe and Mail has a really good article about his influence and recent passing.
I found this great online game that uses Macromedia's Shockwave plugin to run in your browser. It's a slot car racing game that you play against the parrot or against another person if you're willing to share your keyboard. Everybody in our office is nuts for the game - you only need to start a game between two people before you have 4 or 5 more gathered to watch. Most excellent idea and game.
Current reading: Working by Studs Terkel
Recent listening: 40 Watt Silver Lining/Mark Eitzel, One Fair Summer Evening/Nanci Griffith, Chant/The Monks of Santa Dominico
On Wednesday I got back from a weeklong sojourn to Lexington, Kentucky where our client, Lexmark International, is headquarted. A co-worker and I were there to help out with their annual international language workshop where they review translated versions of our software for mistakes and bugs. It was a long, hard week but it went much smoother than last year, when Critical Path didn't have anyone on-site to respond to problems. I took my camera and got a few good pictures. Highlights of the trip had to be the hot brown, Krispy Kreme and getting kicked out of Shoney's for not wearing shoes.
Current reading: Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and David Dalton
Recent listening: The Marshall Mathers EP/Eminem, various/R.E.M., demos/John January Band
In case you missed it, yesterday at 10:58 PST there was an earthquake epicentered south of Seattle between Tacoma and Olympia. It measured 7.0 on the Richter scale and was severe enough to be felt in Salt Lake City. Needless to say most everybody in Portland felt it but Tina was not one of them. I was at work on the third floor when it happened and things started shaking. I mentioned to a co-worker "Hey, we're having an earthquake." I thought it was over after only a few seconds but then stood up and could still feel the "rolling" beneath my feet. Interesting observations afterwards: all the people in the shops below us stepped outside at the same time to have a look around, one of the radio stations played "I Feel The Earth Move" by Carole King immediately afterwards.
There's an extremely accurate report of the disaster here.
In other news I picked up my first cold of the season and have been trying to rest so it passes quickly. No such luck and I'm traveling to Kentucky for a week starting next week.
Current reading: Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and David Dalton
Recent listening: The Mick Taylor Period/The Rolling Stones
A guy I work with has written an excellent web development tool called WebPics. It provides an easy way to create web pages with lots of pictures. I used to spend hours doing this but now it takes minutes. Here are a few I've added recently:
- Scenes from the Max
- Graham: Late January 2001
- Thomas: Fifth Birthday
- Thomas: Couch Acrobat
- Thomas takes pictures on Saturday night
All appropriate places on the web site (Pictures, Thomas, Graham) have been updated.
Current reading: Faithfull by Marianne Faithfull and David Dalton
Recent listening: Exile on Main Street/The Rolling Stones, UP/R.E.M., The Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Collection/Various Artists
We have been tremendously enjoying the DVD player that we got for Christmas. After suffering the sticker shock for local DVD rentals ($4 and up), I checked out the Net alternatives and found NetFlix. The service costs as little as $15 a month and lets you watch as many movies as you like with a limitation on the number that you can have out at one time. The biggest drawback is that the DVDs are delivered via US Mail, but I figure if I can beat the local rental price each month, it will continue to be worth it.
I also updated my Pictures page with some pictures I took on the Max recently.
Current reading: The Stones by Philip Norman
Recent listening: Switched on Bach 2000/Wendy Carlos, The Essential Johnny Cash, The Who: 30 Years of Maximum R & B, whitechocolatespaceegg/Liz Phair
I finally finished processing all the holiday pictures including:
- Graham's first haircut
- Graham on Mt. Hood and at Christmas
- Snow and Christmas
- Thomas' Christmas Program
- Thomas on Mt. Hood
- Thomas Captures the Spirit of the Season
Current reading: On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Recent listening: The Compact King Crimson, Yellow Submarine Songtrack/The Beatles, Little Plastic Castles/Ani DiFranco
I uploaded a bunch of pictures that I took while I was at MacWorld Expo as well as some from the election last November. I've also added those links to my Pictures page. I'm still processing our holiday pictures.
Current reading: On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Recent listening: Little Plastic Castles/Ani DiFranco, Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet
Last week I attended MacWorld Expo in San Francisco for two days. Apple announced new hardware (the sexy PowerBook G4 and the new G4 towers) and new, free software (iTunes and iDVD). They also set March 24 as the ship date for Mac OS X, which looked very impressive on the numerous demo machines upon which it was running. Altogether a very impressive week for Apple. Products that Critical Path has worked on were evident throughout the show including all of my work in the Kodak and Lexmark booths.
My mother visited us over the Christmas holiday. The boys greatly enjoyed having her here and Tina really appreciated the help. We mostly just hung around the house but we did venture up to Mt. Hood for a couple of days of sledding. Thomas really misses her since she's been gone and even woke up crying the other morning after dreaming about her.
Current reading: On The Road by Jack Kerouac
Recent listening: kid a/radiohead, Little Plastic Castles/Ani DiFranco