Sunday Brunch for May 28, 2005

Todays Sunday Brunch

"The murals in restaurants are on par with the food in museums." -Peter DeVries

1) Do you enjoy eating out and why? OH YEAH! I like eating a meal I don't have to prepare myself. I like people bringing it to me. I like spending time with just Rubi over a nice meal away from home.

2) Where is your favorite restaurant? Hmmm... Too many to name. I like Turoni's for the best pizza in town. I like Olive Garden for italian. I like LoneStar for steak, Los Bravos for mexican.

3) What are your standards for tipping? If the service is at least adequate, I try to tip about 20 percent. If the service is sub-standard or just plain bad, I leave a few coins. I try to tip well because Rubi used to wait tables, so I know wait-staff don't get paid well and depend on tips.

4) Do you have one entree, appetizer or dessert that you specifically go out to get at a restaurant from time to time? Definitely. I'm boring when it comes to that... I like specific things at each place we go to. Sometimes I'll try something different, but usually go back to the same ol' same ol'. Turoni's I get a pepperoni and chicken pizza. Olive Garden I get lasagna (and a gazillion breadsticks). Los Bravos I get the #4 combination dinner. Ritter's Frozen Custard I get vanilla. Baskin Robbins I get a scoop of french vanilla and a scoop of daquiri ice together in a cup.

5) Describe a horrific experience that you had while dining out. The Hacienda wait staff singing to me on my birthday! Just kidding - That was unexpected, but kinda fun. Hmmm... I can't really think of anything horrific that's happened while dining out - Lucky me, I guess.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Sunday Brunch for May 28, 2005

Bee stings and skinned knees and splinters, oh my.

I put out the Slip N Slide Elizabeth got for her birthday for the first time today. Got it set up, got the kiddos going on it, and slipped inside to do some more laundry. Within fifteen minutes, Alexander had stepped on a bee. He was howling his head off. I got the stinger out, put a cold cloth on it, and gave him some children's ibuprofin. I settled him on the sofa, where he lay there moaning for a whole five minutes. Then he was up and back outside with the girls. He's a tough little guy.

I figured they were doing okay, so I snuck back in for more housework. Five minutes later, Elizabeth was hollering at me from the back door. Catherine had tripped and skinned her knee.

Just a little while ago, Elizabeth came to me. Her foot was hurting. So I checked it out, and extracted a splinter from the bottom of her foot with relatively little fuss. Looks like I'll be investing in three pairs of those slip on pool shoe thingies.

Bee stings and skinned knees and splinters, oh my.

Rubi is a blogging mommy!

Since Rubi has been blogging on here more lately, I signed us up for a couple of "mom's that blog" webrings.

=>Bloggin'Moms<=

and

< ? Blogging Mommies # >

I found them both through Mommy Brain, which is my blogroll.
The above links are also in the right-hand column now, under the other link buttons.

Rubi is a blogging mommy!

Tales from the mom side.

We're so busy around here in all the best ways.

My veggie garden is flourishing. It's my first really good one in...well, ever. I'm struggling to keep ahead of the weeds, and slowly succeeding. Can't wait until things are ready to eat.
My decorative plants? Not so much. I planted Lamb's Ear, Yarrow, and Black Eyed Susan. Yesterday, I gave in and uprooted the Lamb's Ear. I'm fairly sure they're not supposed to be practically white, and crunchy. They were deader than a couple of doornails. (What does that mean, anyway?)
The Yarrow and B.E.S. are struggling along. I'm babying them like crazy, hoping they take hold.
Oh yeah, we re-seeded the yard for a second time. The first round of seeding did beautifully, except for some places that were previously completely bare. Those patches still looked pretty sparse, so Kev gave them a second round, and it's starting to come in. Yay!

Kev is working 12 hours today, and had to leave at a little after 6AM. The kids all planted themselves in front of the TV when they got up, and I wound up sleeping until 8. Bliss.

Right now I'm taking a short break from laundry, dishes, ironing, etc. But I'm getting quite a bit of housework caught up, and feel SO accomplished. Later this morning, I'm heading to Rural King for a few gardening things to do some outside work. I'm loving this.

Elizabeth has two new missions in life. The first is to lick her elbow. She saw yesterday on Zoom that it's not possible, and is bound and determined to prove them wrong. If anyone can do it, it'll be little Miss Bound-And-Determined.

The second one is to be baptized. She recently declared herself ready, so I discussed it with her quite a bit. She certainly sounds ready. I've been praying about it, and hopefully Kev is as well. Tomorrow at church I'm going to talk to the youth pastor about it.

Tales from the mom side.

The littlest geek.

I was ironing yesterday morning, using the steam feature. Alexander watched for a few moments, and announced: that sounds just like Darth Vader.

Well, he kinda had a point.

The littlest geek.

Darth Letterman

Letterman's Top Ten Contest on-line is featuring submissions for the "Top Ten Surprises in SW:RotS"

Two of the better ones are:

"6. Closing credits feature George Lucas waving to crowd from room filled with cash
submitted by Brian Y., Peabody, MA"

and   "2. Kirstie Alley cameo as young Jabba the Hut
submitted by Terry A., San Francisco, CA" 

There's also one about Pop Rocks, and one about Regis Philbin!

Funny stuff if you like Dave's sense of humor.

Darth Letterman

New Google Prize thingy

There's a new search engine powered by Google called Blingo!
You can win prizes just by searching. If you sign up with my link and win a prize, I'll supposedly win that prize too.
If I win a prize by searching, the guy who referred me gets the same prize.

At least you don't have to sign up for four different monthly membership plans like that free iPod website...

New Google Prize thingy

Download Darth

You can now download the blog of Lord Vader.
Apparently, you get "bonus" content not included in the online version.
And apparently, the blogging has ended.

Too bad too. That was some great "fanfic", the original trilogy told in journal form from Darth Vader's view point. Quite humorous - and very entertaining.

Download Darth

Tales from the (working) mom side.

I'm loving my new job. I started doing temp work, and my first assignment was for the area realtor's association board office. I'm filling in for someone who recently had surgery, so I'll only be there until mid June. Which is nice, because I'll be done with the job about the time it gets boring. Right now it's still a challenge, interesting, and fun.
Plus, I work no weekends, and am off every day by 1PM. No babysitters to pay, thank you very much.

Flip side? I'm all tired and stuff. The most energetic part of my day is spent at my job, leaving me all worn out and completely unwilling to do any housework when I arrive home. Eh. I'm sure I'll settle in soon.

Tales from the (working) mom side.

Some Great Christian Fiction I've Read

Here are some Christian Fiction novels I've read and recommend. The links take you to the book on Christianbook.com to support this blog.
My "reviews" are in red.

--
Ice
By Shane Johnson

February 1975 was a cold month---especially for the Apollo 19 crew as they explored the lunar south pole
where the temperature plummets to 334 degrees below zero! Commander Gary Lucas and pilot Charlie Shepherd are searching for crystalline bedrock when tragedy strikes. Can Gary recover from the strange events and return home to share what he discovers about creation? 416 pages, softcover from Waterbrook.

This was a surpisingly excellent book! Deals with pre-flood stuff.

--
Firebird: The Trilogy
By Kathy Tyers / Bethany House Publishers

Born the "expendable" child of a royal family and caught in a galactic war she doesn't believe in, Lady Firebird Angelo realizes her destiny rests in the hands of her enemy. Will she forsake her heritage for love, or defy mortal danger to wear the crown? A 3-part harmony of spiritually rich science fiction, Tyers's stunning epic burns bright with action, intrigue, and romance! 800 pages, softcover from Bethany.

Pretty good Christian Sci-fi. Set in a universe of the authors creation, where instead of Earth, God created, I think, three worlds where he placed Man. The author wrote several Star Wars novels too!

--
Nightbringer
By James Byron Huggins / Whitaker House Publishers

An ancient adversary prowls the once peaceful halls of Saint Gregory's Abbey in the Italian Alps. Cut off by a sinister snowstorm, the resident monks and visiting tourists fight a raging battle with an unstoppable force. When an ageless holy warrior who's able to stem the bloody evil appears in their midst, they're saved---or are they? 320 pages, hardcover from Whitaker.

Another surprisingly good novel. I'd like to see some of the supporting characters in stories of their own.

--
The Assignment
By Mark Andrew Olsen / Bethany House Publishers

He's assumed countless identities since the time of Christ. Divinely commissioned to restrain evil, he moves unaging through the ages; a tool of the Spirit who "holds back the lawless man." Immortal, fallible, and overwhelmed with his mission, he has one final chance to oppose the Enemy as humanity teeters on
the brink of WWIII. 400 pages, softcover from Bethany.

Seems like "surprisingly good" is the review of the day!

--
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings - 4 Volume Boxed Set, Softcovers
By J.R.R. Tolkien

Meet everybody's favorite hobbit, Bilbo Baggins! You'll be captivated by the adventures of Bilbo, the wizard Gandalf, and a band of brave friends who risk their lives to combat evil ring-wraiths threatening Middle-earth! This deluxe set includes The Hobbit and the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings. 1409 pages total, four slipcased softcovers from Houghton Mifflin.

Classics. I would suggest everyone read these. Oh, yeah... I think they made some movies or something of the trilogy... Seems like they weren't that bad either.

--
Wil's Bones
By Kevin Bowen

Convinced he's discovered the bones of Jesus, atheistic archaeologist Wil Wilson sets out to destroy Christianity. Fearing ties to the excavation could undermine his re-election, the President masterminds an international cover-up. Now Wil's running for his life with the FBI in pursuit, spin doctors in overdrive, and
congressional hearings underway in this fast-paced political thriller with a theological twist. 244 pages, softcover from Engage.

I think this one was just average, but better than most Christian fiction.

--

Some Great Christian Fiction I've Read

Sunday Brunch for May 22, 2005

Todays Sunday Brunch:

"Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me." -Anne Morrow Lindbergh

1) Do you live in a place where it snows often? Describe your typical winter and how often it snows/ices/sleets. It snows here in winter. Sometimes. Recent winters, we've had one BIG snowfall and then flurries or an inch or two here and there.

2) Have you ever been snow skiing? Where have you gone? I went snowboarding at Paoli Peaks in Paoli Indiana once when I was in high-school. I'd love to do it again.

3) What is your favorite part of winter? The calm quiet nights when the snow on the ground and in the air dampens the ambient sounds and makes the world QUIET.

4) If you had the choice, would you move somewhere where there was a hard winter? Hmm... I don't like it hot, but I don't like fighting the mess of slush on the streets and dealing with snow-covered roads and such... Is there someplace that's always 70 degrees year round?

5) What is your favorite winter activity or sport? Snuggling up with my wife and kids to stay warm. Sledding is fun too.

Sunday Brunch for May 22, 2005

I knew it!

I knew there was a reason R2-D2 is my favorite character from the Star Wars saga!
(Other than the fact that he's like a oversized swiss-army knife).

I knew it!

Public School Dress Code

Wow!

Our local Public School System just adopted a new dress code for their middle schools (I think that's grades 5-8, or maybe 6-8).

From the news article in our local paper:
"Banned items include pajamas and house slippers, chains, Mardi Gras beads, short-shorts, torn clothing, see-through or sheer garments, anything with lewd, crude or suggestive language, drug or alcohol advertising, clothing that shows underwear or shoulders, chests, underarms or midriffs, outer jackets inside schools and head coverings inside school such as sunglasses, hats, bandanas, headbands and do-rags.
Skirts and shorts must be at least long enough so students can touch the hems with their fingertips when standing straight."

That's great!

I wonder what they do to enforce it?

Now if we can just get our kids school to adopt school uniforms...

Public School Dress Code

Ooh Creative!

Well that's what I expected from my answers...
I was expecting something more along the lines of "You're a boring loser and not evil at all. Try harder next time man!"

Ooh Creative!

Heh

I just took one of those ISTJ personality tests online...

Says I'm an "inspector" and some examples of these are

Presidents George Washington and George H.W. Bush, and from fiction: Joe Friday and Eeyore!

 

Heh

Just saw it

Rubi and I just saw Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith.
It was good.
Definitely better than Episodes 1 and 2. But Hayden Christiansen and Natalie Portman still have absolutely no on-screen chemistry. But that didn't detract from the enjoyment factor.
Some of the "cool" Force flips by characters was a little too obviously digital, and Grievous was better in the Clone Wars cartoon... but I still enjoyed it.
Some of the fun dialog from the book were missing... but I expected that.
The "transformation" of Anakin to Darth Vadar was really well done (oops... didn't really mean that as a pun until I typed it :-). I also liked watching the Vulture fighters jump off The Invisible Hand and "transform" into starfighters, that was kinda cool.

The final shot of Owen and Beru holding infant Luke outside their Tatooine moisture farm watching the double sun set was poignant, and very foreshadowing.
Good flick.

Now I have to take Rubi to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as payback for her geeking out with me :-)
I'm sure I'll be sitting in the movie saying things like "Use the Pants Luke" or "You don't know the power of the dark Pants!"

Heh.

Blog Sponsored by Overstock.com

Just saw it

Ow

Almost a week between posts.

Let's see:

-Last Thursday: took my oldest daughter Elizabeth to a ZoeGirl/Jump5 concert in anticipation of her 8th birthday. After the opening act (4 or 5 songs) and 2 songs into the first of the 2 main headliners - she sat down and rested her head on my lap. It was past her bedtime and she was getting tired. We almost left, but she really wanted to see Jump5. We got home about 10:30pm.

-Friday: her actual birthday. Rubi and I spent all day running errands and getting stuff - decorations, etc - for her party Saturday. Then we picked her up from school and took her home. Then my parents came over to give her their gift. They visited for about a half hour then left. Then Rubi's sister (Aunt Sara) showed up to take Elizabeth shopping for her birthday gift and a dinner at TGIFridays (I'm jealous - I like Friday's!). While she was out, I ran to Rubi's best friend's house (Susan) and helped her husband (Russ) move an Air Hockey table from their garage across the county to Rubi's parents garage. Russ and Susan gave their Air Hockey table to Elizabeth as part of her birthday, because Russ is getting a new model from his work (a sporting goods company).

-Saturday: Elizabeth's 8th birthday party, scheduled for 11am at Rubi's parent's house. I leave the house at 7am to get Elizabeth's gift my parents house because I forgot to the day before - we bought her a new bicycle and stored it at my parents house so Elizabeth wouldn't see it. It was pouring down rain. I woke up my parents knocking on their door at 7:30 in the morning, and then got soaked by the rain trying to squeeze the bike into my trunk. I ended up putting it in the back seat. I'm back about 8, and Rubi heads out at 9 am to grab some last minute stuff and go decorate and re-plan the party, because she had planned for an outside party - and it's been raining since midnight. I leave a little after 10 to head out to the party with Elizabeth and my other kiddos.

The party is a success. Great fun was had by all, yada yada.
Oh. Did I mention Saturday was also my 11th anniversary with Rubi? We get home about 2pm, get the kids cleaned up, get us cleaned up, REST for a bit and then take the kids to my parents house. My parents are babysitting them so Rubi and I can go out for dinner and a movie. Except: no movies showing we want to see (saw HGTTG last week). So we have a wonderful dinner at a local establishment. Then, like the old boring people we are, we return some of the decorations and party supplies that we didn't use to the stores we purchased them from. Then Rubi and I went out for ice cream at Cold Stone Creamery. Had a nice leisurely dessert. We picked up the kids and called it a night.

-Sunday: Elizabeth has her all-school picnic at a local lake-park-camp thingy from 1pm-4pm. I was supposed to be at work at 3pm (really 2:45ish). We get there and have a good time for a bit, but then I have to leave for work. I get to work and, since there is another supervisor working with me on 2nd shift that I wasn't aware was working today, I take a sick day and go back to the picnic. I take Alexander on a paddle-boat ride - but he can't reach pedals, so I get to do all the pedaling. Hence the title of this post: "Ow." I think I pulled something in my lower back.

-Monday: My back still hurts. It hurt all afternoon and evening Sunday, kept me from getting a good nights rest last night, and still hurts now. OTC pain killers dull the pain, but it still aches even after taking 3 Aleve. I've been wearing a Thermacare heating pad on my back for 6 hours now, and it hasn't helped. I soaked in the tub in hot water and epsom salt earlier this afternoon - felt good, but didn't help my back.

Alexander had his all-school pre-school end-of-the-school-year picnic today from 9-noon. I thought it was from 8:30-11am. Rubi's new job started at 8, so after dropping Elizabeth at school, we took Rubi to work and then made our way to the picnic.

It was fun: Alexander and Catherine got to play at a really cool playground for awhile. We had a hot dog and chips and stuff. Alexander got lots of loving attention from his teachers and then, when I realized it was almost 11:30, we left to go get Rubi from her job. Then we went home and the above soak took place.

Now I'm at work, barely working (can you say "burnout"? -I knew you could!), and mentally whimpering at the pain in the back.



Ow.




Ooh! Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith comes out Thursday!
I'll probably go to a midnight showing Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and then Rubi and I will go Thursday afternoon.

Ow

Love my job

I love my job. I really do.

I'm a shift supervisor at a Public Safety Answering Point - We answer 9-1-1 and dispatch law enforcement and fire services, among a gazillion other responsibilities.

But sometimes being a supervisor has it's down-side.

Like dealing with complaints about something my dispatchers did, or didn't do.

I've had two complaints come across my desk in the past week. *

And I procrastinate on dealing with them.  I don't want to listen to the tapes of the calls and find out one of my crew messed up. To me, they are infallible.

Well, that's not true.  I hear them mess up or make little harmless mistakes almost everyday - and sometimes I try to point them out to them.  But if someone else - the public or one of our user agencies - complains about my crew, I instantly go on the defensive and try to vindicate them. 

I'm almost finished dealing with the first complaint. I spoke to the dispatcher in question and reviewed the call. My dispatcher did everything right - yay!

Now I have call the person back who made the complaint and try to explain that.

I just got the second complaint today - haven't given it much consideration yet, but I spoke to one of the dispatchers involved and glanced at the event cards that our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system makes for each run.  It looks like the two dispatchers involved might have been in the wrong on this one.

Tomorrow is my Friday this week (my last day of work this rotation), then I'm on a three-day weekend to celebrate my oldest daughter's eighth birthday and my 11th anniversary to my wife. 

Maybe when I come back next week, I'll be ready to deal with the complaints.

Not related to the complaints, one of my other tasks at work is designing a new Intranet for my department - actually, I'm mostly just advising on the project doing some tweaking here and there to it; another supervisor is handling the actual design (he's better at it than I am, but I've been pushing for the project for a few years, so I get to help).  This project is interesting, fun, challenging, and useful.

Not at all like dealing with complaints.

* (I don't really have a desk - complaints show up in my mail tray, which is on top of a community file cabinet in the computer server room. Instead of a desk, I have a "console" that has 4 computer monitors, 2 keyboards, 3 mice, and a bunch of other techie-radio/telephone thingies - looks kind of like a station on the bridge of Kirk's Enterprise).

Love my job

Locusts! They're locusts, I tell you!

I treated the kids to waffles for dinner. Between the three of them, they had 16 waffles. Geez.

Locusts! They're locusts, I tell you!

Tales from the (yard workin') mom side

Whew. Kev and I got our yard work on today. RL has been so frantic that there's just never been time. But it was nice and cool this morning, with promises of rain by noon, so off we went. While Kev mowed and weedwhacked the front and back yard, I broke out the shovel and wheelbarrow. Last month we had someone take down the huge Bradford Pear tree in our front yard, and grind the stump. The resulting mountain of mulch has just been festering in our front yard since then. It's now mulching my garden, and a long strip between our driveway and the privacy fence.
Sooo...Seven or eight wheelbarrow loads later, the front yard is clear of mulch and my hands are all ouchy. I then got my garden out. Finally. Well, all the things that are currently plants. The seeds: sugar snap peas, zucchini, and green beans, will be planted in containers tonight. I'll transplant them to the garden once they're a couple of inches tall.

While I was doing that, Kev seeded the front lawn. I gave it a nice meal of Weed & Feed about an hour ago, and a good watering. Since the promised rain never did arrive.

More fun tomorrow. Kev needs to cover the freshly seeded yard with hay, and I need to make a run to my friend's house. She's sharing some of her baby yarrow plants with me to put along the privacy fence.

I'm tired and feel all grungy, even AFTER a shower, but it feels awfully good to get all of that stuff done. Whew.

Tales from the (yard workin') mom side

Hi there

Random Thoughts:

I've been fighting off a cold for about a week.
Rubi and I have been passing it back and forth for about three weeks now.
I think Catherine may be fighting off a mild version of it too.
I"m at work now and I think I've OD'd on cold medicine. My symptoms had me feeling horrible, so I took cold and cough medicine until they went away.
I just want to sleep. My eyes won't focus unless I try really hard. And I'm spacey - kind of off in la-la land. At least today is my Friday - I have the next two days off from work. I did have a nice nap this afternoon before work. That helped.

Tomorrow will be busy though - I have to take the van in to get the brakes checked. While that is happening, I'll be mowing my parents lawn. Then Saturday Rubi and her mom and sisters are supposed to participate in a Mother/Daughter look-alike contest. They should win, because they all look alike. And then Sunday is Mother's Day. I haven't bought anything for my mom, Rubi's mom, or Rubi. I'll be doing that tomorrow or Saturday. And I have to work Sunday. We'll run by my mom's house and give her her gift, eat cake, tell her we love her and leave. Then we'll go to Rubi's mom's house and have a cook-out which I will rush through and then go to work.

I can't believe the school year is almost over. Seems like it should only be about time for Spring Break. Catherine will be starting preschool in the fall two days a week, Alexander will be in preschool three days a week, and Elizabeth will be in third gradeohmygoshshe'sgrowingupfast!

Speaking of Elizabeth: her birthday is next weekend. Party at my in-laws house. `Cause they have the room and we don't. I'm taking her to a ZoeGirl and Jump5 concert a couple of days before her birthday. We still need to go shopping for her birthday - gift and party supplies.

The anniversary of my marriage with Rubi is also next weekend: eleven years! Oh yeah... I need to go shopping for that too.

On a totally unrelated note: I think I'll sign up this blog to be an affiliate of christianbook.com and I'll recommend some Christian Fiction I've enjoyed.

Rubi is still job hunting. Two of the places she applied told her they today they had filled the position. The one place she kinda really wanted to work told her they weren't hiring right now.

Rubi is selling some scrapbooking stuff on eBay; her user name is scrapmom - look her up. She's pretty talented when it comes to scrapbooking.

Dinner time.
I'll go eat now and get some drink a coke to get some caffeine into me.

Hi there

Tales from the mom side.

Busy, busy, busy, and loving it. My darling is sick with what I'm calling the plague - he feels like death, but rallied for a bit today so we could go do some birthday shopping for Elizabeth.

I did more mom stuff today, thoroughly enjoying myself. Dropped by Elizabeth's school field trip for a bit, went to the Y to work out, and am now killing time before we head off to a family event at her school.

Ooh, special for scrapbookers: Check out my eBay auctions. Or direct your scrapping friends that way:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZscrapmom

I'll be listing more goodies tonight. Go. Shoo! Bid!

Tales from the mom side.

Soccer tourney is over. Elizabeth's team took second place both for the season and for tournament day, so WHOO HOO! So, so proud of our girl. We were all super exhausted after tourney day, which was from 8AM until nearly 4PM. The kids all had a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and Kev and I enjoyed a date. Hitchhiker's Guide, and Logan's Roadhouse. Salad, small steak, grilled shrimp, salad, and baked potato for me, larger steak, fries, and onion petals for Kev. And peanuts with the shells thrown to the floor... Yum on all counts.

HGTTG was pretty good. Won't spoil it for those who haven't seen it yet, but I enjoyed it. Some things were different, which made sense when you take into account movie budgets, etc. Ford and Arthurs first arrival upon the Heart Of Gold. I was expecting penguins, funky seashores, etc., and was fairly let down. Ah well, it was good anyway. I think it's time to revisit the book - I'll be curled up on the sofa with it today in between bouts of housecleaning.

In other news, Constantine Maroulis was robbed. I'm still angry about that, and want to throw rotten tomatoes at Scott Savol. Grr.