27 August 2009
I'm gonna take a nap
Sorry to have been off the radar for the last week. I was at my last NBTA conference as VP of that association. It was a whirlind, a blur, and it consumed all I was doing. Had no time to post - and there's plenty to talk about (hanging with Captain Sullenberger, Dara Torres, Jay Leno, and former President Clinton). That being said, I need a long, long nap. I'm tired. I'll get caught up over the weekend.
21 August 2009
A new addition to the garage
Having a child in university is an interesting experience. As Our Lady of BYU prepares to make her triumphal return to Provo after a long summer at home, we've been getting her ready for said return.
One of those things include getting a car that will be the family college car. I won't go into all the drama that's gone down in finding the right car, but let's just say that the internet has been both a curse and a blessing in our quest. Not to mention the chaos that the government's handout, I mean, stimulus program for cars created for us and we weren't even trading in a clunker.
Suffice to say, I made a detour to lovely Orem, Utah this morning and added this to our garage:
I won't elaborate either on what it was like being held hostage at the dealer either. I think they were trying to create a "Stockholm Syndrome" thing waiting for the finance manager - which was completely lame since I was not financing said car. Anyway, way glad that's over with.
I did have some time to catch up with some old, wonderful friends while I was here and that was great. I also learned that In-n-Out is coming to Provo! They're getting closer to Chicagoland. Yes! They can't get here fast enough.
One of those things include getting a car that will be the family college car. I won't go into all the drama that's gone down in finding the right car, but let's just say that the internet has been both a curse and a blessing in our quest. Not to mention the chaos that the government's handout, I mean, stimulus program for cars created for us and we weren't even trading in a clunker.
Suffice to say, I made a detour to lovely Orem, Utah this morning and added this to our garage:
I won't elaborate either on what it was like being held hostage at the dealer either. I think they were trying to create a "Stockholm Syndrome" thing waiting for the finance manager - which was completely lame since I was not financing said car. Anyway, way glad that's over with.
I did have some time to catch up with some old, wonderful friends while I was here and that was great. I also learned that In-n-Out is coming to Provo! They're getting closer to Chicagoland. Yes! They can't get here fast enough.
19 August 2009
1st Day of School
According to the calendar and the heat and humidity that we are enjoying (really?) here in Chicagoland, it's still summer. Yet, the school buses got rolling this morning and the carpools churned along as school is back in session. Today was the first day of school for CAL and the Boy. Everyone was up on time with no drama and wearing their new clothes. We've had to keep the Boy's new shoes in lockdown so he could at least get through the first day of school without looking like he was wearing shoes from the "Homeless R'Us" catalogue. He's really, really hard on shoes.
The stunningly patient SML once again made her apple cookies for the kids to eat when they got home from school. This is a tradition that's been going since Our Lady of BYU's first day of kindergarten - 14 years of cookies on the 1st day of school. It's never been missed. We all look forward to it. Here's a shot of what she made today:
I like the first day of school!
So it seemed like CAL, now in her third year of high school, and the Boy, now in the 8th grade, had a good first day. Here's what CAL had to say when I asked her how her day went:
My math teacher is insane. I'm gonna hate it.
My chemistry teacher is really really good.
So she gave us a study in opposites. And here's what the Boy said when poised the same question:
Boring. Boring. Bland.
One of my teachers is insane.
So there's a theme emerging here. It's going to be quite a year.
The stunningly patient SML once again made her apple cookies for the kids to eat when they got home from school. This is a tradition that's been going since Our Lady of BYU's first day of kindergarten - 14 years of cookies on the 1st day of school. It's never been missed. We all look forward to it. Here's a shot of what she made today:
I like the first day of school!
So it seemed like CAL, now in her third year of high school, and the Boy, now in the 8th grade, had a good first day. Here's what CAL had to say when I asked her how her day went:
My math teacher is insane. I'm gonna hate it.
My chemistry teacher is really really good.
So she gave us a study in opposites. And here's what the Boy said when poised the same question:
Boring. Boring. Bland.
One of my teachers is insane.
So there's a theme emerging here. It's going to be quite a year.
16 August 2009
When is her head going to explode?
It's been a fun Sunday. And by fun, I mean getting to church and learning that the A/C was out, again. It was about 90 degrees in the chapel. It was humid outside and it was worse inside. So it made for a sticky, dank afternoon.
And speaking of sticky and dank, I can't help think that's a fine way to describe the testy attitude of our nation's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. So let's look at what we know...she get's taken to the woodshed by Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic campaign for President. Her husband's comments about Obama during said spanking cause a bigger furor than her very campaign. She gets nominated to the Secretary of State position and again, her husband's activities (the public ones, at least) had to be scaled back in order for her to be confirmed. And then this pesky tussle with the North Koreans erupts. Hillary lets the North Koreans know that holding those two reporters was not kosher and they needed to let them go. The Dear Leader (and I don't mean her husband) ignores her and just as those two reporters are staring down the barrel of a dozen years of hard labor, North Korean-style, her husband sweeps into Pyongyang (supposedly at the behest of a fellow alleged philanderer, the Dear Leader) and the two reporters are soon back in LA, free to make documentary that their boss, Al Gore, will no doubt narrate in quiet (sleep-inducing) tones. You know this had to have gotten under Hillary's skin. Indeed it did. And out it came while she was in Africa. The poor student that asked this question...Clinton's reaction was fantastic, in an icy, 'how dare you' sort of way:
Nice job handling the tough questions, Madame Secretary!
And now, a former colleague from the US Senate trots over to Myanmar and manages to get that whack job who decided to swim on over to Aung Sun Siu Kyi's place for a chat released from his impending sentence of hard labor. Something Hillary had not been able to do. So I can't help but wonder when her head is going to explode. And I really, really wish SNL was in season and Amy Poehler could re-enact the smackdown in the Congo shown above. Talk about the cruelty of timimg.
Cruelty of timing is a good way to describe the coming week. Can't believe all that has to get done in less than 72 hours. I don't even want to think about it. So I think I'll go read my book about the political strife in the Middle East - that seems more palatable than pondering all that has to get done this week.
And speaking of sticky and dank, I can't help think that's a fine way to describe the testy attitude of our nation's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. So let's look at what we know...she get's taken to the woodshed by Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic campaign for President. Her husband's comments about Obama during said spanking cause a bigger furor than her very campaign. She gets nominated to the Secretary of State position and again, her husband's activities (the public ones, at least) had to be scaled back in order for her to be confirmed. And then this pesky tussle with the North Koreans erupts. Hillary lets the North Koreans know that holding those two reporters was not kosher and they needed to let them go. The Dear Leader (and I don't mean her husband) ignores her and just as those two reporters are staring down the barrel of a dozen years of hard labor, North Korean-style, her husband sweeps into Pyongyang (supposedly at the behest of a fellow alleged philanderer, the Dear Leader) and the two reporters are soon back in LA, free to make documentary that their boss, Al Gore, will no doubt narrate in quiet (sleep-inducing) tones. You know this had to have gotten under Hillary's skin. Indeed it did. And out it came while she was in Africa. The poor student that asked this question...Clinton's reaction was fantastic, in an icy, 'how dare you' sort of way:
Nice job handling the tough questions, Madame Secretary!
And now, a former colleague from the US Senate trots over to Myanmar and manages to get that whack job who decided to swim on over to Aung Sun Siu Kyi's place for a chat released from his impending sentence of hard labor. Something Hillary had not been able to do. So I can't help but wonder when her head is going to explode. And I really, really wish SNL was in season and Amy Poehler could re-enact the smackdown in the Congo shown above. Talk about the cruelty of timimg.
Cruelty of timing is a good way to describe the coming week. Can't believe all that has to get done in less than 72 hours. I don't even want to think about it. So I think I'll go read my book about the political strife in the Middle East - that seems more palatable than pondering all that has to get done this week.
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