Man vs. Machine

Forget what I wrote a couple of days ago about the weather. It's bitterly cold again, with a wind chill already at -34. The wind is howling, windows are rattling, and the gutters on the roof are singing--sounds reminiscent from the 1998 tornado. At least we aren't getting the blizzard conditions that are raging east of here. The wind is miserable, but we don't have to shovel snow like certain people in the Owatonna area. But that's not what I intended to write about tonight. Instead, how about Larry's purchase of...

...a new HP Pavillion computer! Wonderful! Exciting! Current! State-of-the-art! Too new for any exisitng wireless card to meet the specs for this fantabulous collection of bytes, gigs, rams, and whoop-de-dos. Since this is a desk top, not a laptop, a wireless card is not standard equipment, so yesterday Dad/Paco took a couple of extra trips to Best Buy (aaaahhhhhhh! Just the name of the place gives me the willies!) to find a card that will work with this phenomenally high-tech gadget. Notice I said "a couple of trips". As some of you have experienced recently, nothing works out the first time in the retail business world. And in this case, not the second time, either.

So Dad/Paco talked to Stu "Computer Man" Hanson, and they concluded a cable connected from the household hub to the new computer in the basement would be the answer. Fortunately, Dad/Paco had an extra 500 foot length of cable lying around for just such a situation. To his credit, he strung the cable between the upstairs computer room and the basement bedroom-that-once-was-Charlie's before I got home from work today. You can see how neat and tidy it looks.

Be honest...are there any women you know who would deliberately invent something dependent on a spaghetti-bowl of wires to make it function? This is 2008, people! The wireLESS age! Not to mention there are four or more cables that came with the new computer that seem to have no use whatsoever. Despite the lack of logic on the part of Hewlett-Packard, it's a fine and dandy piece of electronic equipment, with a wide screen and enough pixels to show vivid, colorful, and cute details on uploaded grandbaby photographs. Here's Dad/Paco, showing off his hardware...er, His new computer.

Weekend update

The bitter temperatures have subsided (see Teresa’s blog for descriptive weather analyses), making it comfortable enough to read and do blog updates in the sunroom. The fireplace and an electric heater maintain a comfortable 68-70 degrees with very little effort. Quite a contrast to the single-digit numbers registering in here last week, nearly as frigid as it was outdoors. Which makes me marvel how species adaptation allows little squirrels and bunnies and birdies to survive out there while we need extra layers and blankets. But that will wait.

Now it’s time for my version of News from the St. Peter Area. We small town folk read this stuff every week in our local newspapers and marvel at the number of times the social and civic lives of Wenner, Pettis and Swenson family members (or Kappers, Czapiewski, and Jahn in southeastern MN) are mentioned. So here is the weekend version of News from 823 Chatham Street, including some members of the Potts, Grimmius, and/or Dellon families.

____________________________________________________
Charlie will be 29 on Monday (1/28).

As proof, he and Angie are posing with his birth certificate.
We celebrated on Saturday with a dinner of
Charlie's Chicken Casserole,
green beans,lettuce salad with pears and oranges,
and chocolate fudge-filled cake for dessert.
Happy Birthday, Charlie!

Angie played in an alumni basketball game at Gustavus on Saturday, and although Miles was eager to watch his aunt play, he slept through the entire game. The rest of us enjoyed seeing Angie in a Gustie uniform again. What was the score? You'll have to ask Angie!
This picture shows Auntie Aunchie listening to Miles excitedly describe his vivid dream about coming upon a cottage in the woods and being chased by a two-headed, three-tailed porcupine. Angie is an amazing baby-dream interpreter!

Uncle Charlie, wearing his thug hat, gives Miles instructions in the finer points of the Fist of Justice and various tools in the Tool Box (unrelated but similarly threatening games Miles needs to understand before too long).A cute picture of Miles in his pj's

Grandpa Dave stopped by for a visit to talk, and to snuggle
with Miles. Grandma Doreen was shopping in the Cities,
so Miles didn't get to see her. : o (

Grandpa Larry and Miles having fun togetherDaddy patiently calms Miles, quietly explaining
that snowbanks are a cold solution to a baby meltdown.

Another cute picture of Miles

Miles loves to hear his mommy read.
Annie styled her hair for the next Star Trek convention.

Grandma Jill hangs on every word Miles says.

Where were the Dellons this weekend? Too dang far away,
that's where.But, we're visiting NC soon, and
here's a preview of what we'll get to see!

Please be seated

A chair it is! A chair for babies, assembled by Dad/Larry/Paco/Grandpa with narry a curse word uttered. The brand is Keekaroo, which was new to me, but of course I've been out of the World of Baby Brand Names for many years. Hannah and Miles, you'll be the first babies to use the high chair (followed by future siblings and cousins, we hope!). The seat (visible in the bottom picture) seems a bit slippery, so you may need to wear pants with butt-grippers. Wait...that doesn't sound right.

Here's the Salvador Dali Ledo chair Dad/L/P/G claims to have assembled (see comments re: yesterday's entry). It looks like someone mangled a French horn and added high heels. That nutty Salvador was full of whimsy. And probably psychedelic drugs, too.

A puzzle to solve

What is it? Who will use it? Why is it in pieces? Who will put it together? When will he put it together?
Then what will happen to it?

Okay, not an inspired blog, but something new, anyway!

T.O.O.O.--N.N.T.R.

This is for Uncle Charlie and Auntie Angie

CP and A2P2:

Your love of Caribou Coolers isn't shared (yet) by your nephew. Miles didn't actually try any of his mommy's drink, but he did express an immediate dislike for the concept. Give the little guy time; he'll convert. Maybe if it were made with Similac powder...

Oops! Here's Octo-Hannah...

Hannah, dressed in Miles' octopus costume, was accidentally dropped from the major upload of pics for yesterday's entry. Signe Jordet presented Miles with the splashy outfit, and Miles was kind enough to let his older cousin model it for the paparazzi. Leave it to Signe to choose an octopus costume as a baby gift!

Hannah appears to have mistaken Mr. R for Neptune's trident, which is upside-down, by the way. Her grimace must be for a reason, but I'll leave it to all of you to speculate on what she's got on her mind.

Phamily Photo Phavorites

From babes in tee-shirts to grimacing girl eating apricots, these are some of the most flattering shots of the 2007 holiday season. We've got Ninja Aunchie, Octo-Hannah, Botox Annie, Nose-Mining Miles, Evan-the-Baby-Encourager, and lots more. Ah, the memories of Hannah's and Miles' first St. Peter Christmas...such tolerant babies.

Well, excuuuuuuuuse me!

On the reading front, I am behind in what I want to read and in what I have to read. My own fault. However, thanks to Charlie and his HGE Gifter, I recently read Steve Martin’s autobiography Born Standing Up. It’s a slim volume; Charlie and I both wished for more pages between the covers.
I have a weakness for Steve Martin. His early standup routines made me laugh uncontrollably, until I nearly fainted. Dad/Larry and I bought his records (Yes, records. 33-1/3 rpm.) and listened to them over and over. His Egyptian routine, and his interpretation of Michael Jackson’s "Billy Jean", Two Wild and Crazy Guys…all hysterical. I had to wear Depends while watching The Jerk.

So, what about the autobiography? I half expected it to be akin to a comedy routine, which it wasn’t. I hoped it would be funny, which it was, but almost incidentally. Martin’s eclectic interests and talents--- from art to philosophy to challenging himself to perfection as a comedian, and more--- are intriguing pieces of his self-story. He starts connecting the pieces, but then he backs off rather than pushing on. I want to know more.

Oh wow, on a quick search I found this website—more Steve Martin to enjoy! http://www.compleatsteve.com

Visiting Miles

How did it get to be 4:30? I'm swimming in papers to read and grade, not to mention final grades to finish. It's all due on Monday by noon. I have no one to blame but myself, so after I write this blog entry, then empty the dishwasher and check my email, I'll get right to it. Wait--maybe I'll take out some garbage, too. Do you think intentional procrastination is more than a venial sin?

Yesterday I went to O-Town to see Miley while his mommy went to her six-week post partum check-up. Annie is doing great, and loves to share the story of her exam with anyone who will listen. I'll leave it up to you to ask her about it. I also played with Miles while Annie went to her office Christmas party in the evening. Tanner was officiating a bball game in Mankato, so he missed the party. Miles and I talked about any number of interesting things. Thanks for a fun day, Miles!

Larry/Dad/Paco/Grandpa is feeling better, but not 100% yet. He expressed concern about his protein deficiency over the past few days. How about a nice greasy pork chop? Or some Schmidts' beef tips?

Miles, staring intently at a large caterpillar that
got into the house during the night

Miles cries over the late arrival of Daddy's
perpetual golf calendar, a belated Christmas present

"I've got my firetruck suit on in case I'm needed.
Will somebody please teach me how to slide down the fire pole!"

Snuggle time

Bloggus interruptus

Sorry folks. I've been (pick one)
under the weather
not up to par
in bad shape
green around the gills
out of sorts
sick as a dog
feelin’ poorly
not myself
run-down

lately and haven't wanted to write about my symptoms for the world to read. It wasn't pretty. Let's just say both Larry and I used a lot of this recently:

I'll be back...