January 23rd is a wonderful day!

Edouard Manet
John Hancock
Marilyn Yvonne
Princess Caroline of Monaco
Sergei Eisenstein
Stendhal
Ernie Kovacs


What do all of these people have in common?
All true artists... of paint, signature, hair, royalty, film, literature, and comedy.
And all were born on January 23rd.
Happy Birthday Grandma!

wintry winter

that temperature gauge, that sits at the top right hand corner of my screen... the one you probably have too, now that you made the switch to mozilla... well, it reads 2 degrees in madison right now.
but i am lucky, because i put three blankets in the wash today... and they just came out of the dryer...

2007's HOTTEST BATHROOM MAKEOVER

Tired of the hardware on your bathroom shower?

Ready for a chic yet cheap update?

Got a toolbox?

If you answered yes, then you're ready for 2007's hottest bathroom update all for the price of a replacement pipe wrench!

packing

i'm not even getting paid for this plug!

i've heard from some folks that pictures on here are not showing up. i think it occurs only when using internet explorer. and in fact it does not occur when using mozilla firefox.
now, i know missing out on pictures from this blog isn't going to convince anyone to switch over their browsers, so i must convince you another way. therefore, i will quote some of the leading experts.

1st: wikipedia:

"...The fact that Firefox has fewer and less severe publicly known unpatched security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer (see Comparison of web browsers) is often cited as a reason to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox for improved security.^{[20][21][22][23]} The Washington Post reports that exploit code for critical unpatched security vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer was available for 284 days out of the 365 days in 2006. In comparison, exploit code for critical security vulnerabilities in Firefox was available for only 9 days before Mozilla shipped a patch to remedy the problem.<sup>[24]..."

and now, because i know none of you read that, i will reiterate some of the important terms in red scare tactic font:

"...Firefox has fewer and less severe publicly known unpatched security vulnerabilities than Internet Explorer..."

"... reason to switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox for improved security..."

"The Washington Post..."

"exploit code for critical unpatched security vulnerabilities" EEEEEEEEEEEEK!

And from a leading nuclear physicist: "It's got a little orange fox!" -- G. W. Severhauffle

You must switch over now! I admit, I was hesitant at first. After all, Internet Explorer was my first browser after Netscape (is that still around?), and Mozilla seems snooty and stuffy, but trust me, it isn't! You can even have the weather right there in the top right hand corner of your toolbar! See that, up there, top right corner? No, you don't see it, because you have Internet Explorer. There could be a blizzard out there and you wouldn't even know it! You must get Mozilla! Mozilla. Mozilla! You won't regret it!

Here's a link! CLICK ME!</sup>

birthday ponderings...

well son, it's your momo's birthday. why don't you get her this delectable ipa?
hmm... i don't know... why don't we drink this beer and go search for a better gift?
good idea.


what about this lovely bicycle? we could wrap it up for her.
but this is her bike! she already owns it!


what about this bench instead? it's got my middle name inscribed on it!
you're crazy.



this is hopeless...
yah, we need help. let's ask nic mutch.

...

...

well that was no use.

what about christie?

why don't you give her your michael feldman bobblehead?

hmm... i'll consider that.


why don't you ask your cat dracula?


dracula?

why don't you give her some nice little mice? i will be happy to fetch them for you.

clearly i have a LOT of options to consider.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

january 5

Happy Birthday Mom!

You're growing up...

while searching through the pictures i found this down-and-out puppy shot and had to post it.

happy birthday sheila... won't you brush my scraggly hair?

az part iii-- naps, camels' backs breaking straws, and friz bees

it was pretty clear that these two became best friends during greg's stay at buddy's house.

remember this ? and this ?

but really, can you blame greg? who could resist this snoozy trolloper?

and what dog could resist greg?

certainly naps on this vacation were only normal reactions to strenuous hikes... the hike up to the top of camelback mountain, for example, though extremely popular amongst everyone from ages 7 to 70, and dogs of all sizes (though i spotted one hand-held dog being carried down) is actually quite trying at times for a person like me and left my quadriceps hurting for nearly three days post-ascent.

view from below where i needed to get to...

up, up, up

phoenix from above. smog at eye-level.

there seems to be a helicopter perpetually circling this mountain. at the very least it was hanging around up there both times i was on it.

the day greg caught the 'red-eye' back to wisconsin, he and ben of benleigh

played in an ultimate tournament in tempe. it was a "hat tournament" meaning the teams are drawn randomely, though maybe not literally from a hat. greg and ben were put on different teams and no amount of bargaining could convince anyone to trade, so they remained opponents.
this is a pre-game practice...
ben is in the striped shorts in this photo. does he end up catching the disc? ... i can't remember.

the tournament consisted of three games. the final game pitted greg's team against ben's. both teams were undefeated. here are some of the exciting shots: team b against team c. who will win it?

fatigue sets in...

final result: greg's team won 13-11 (if i'm remembering correctly)

meanwhile, on the sidelines...

final result: mom threw more completed passes than tom. but tom caught more passes than mom. tie. how's that for teamwork?

az part 2-- christmas

late... these are pictures from christmas '06... but still... determined to get them posted...

so, without further delay, here is christmas in arizona...

christmas eve:

my camera didn't get to the food in time... a meal traditionally made up entirely of appetizers... this is what's left of them.

where did the food go?

after food, before gifts, everyone pauses (except greg... i think he's still eating) to say hello and merry christmas to the camera, and consequently, veralouie...

merry christmas

merry christmas (during presents)

sean's gift to his dad included a poem of sorts... had it not been written, tom would have created one to recite, as if it had been written... a gift-opening ritual.

here it is...

sweaters are something to smile about!

next morning... christmas... and if you can believe it... santa still makes his presence known...

see those weights on the chair?

how many guys do you think it takes to get those weights out of their holder?

not one...

not two...

but three.

double that number... and then multiply that number by 2 and you have the amount of time it took.

christmas afternoon, we hiked halfway up a mountain to what is variously known as "the quartz" and "the crystal"...

a small feat, even for an energetic dog.

the view...

the crystal/quartz...

half of the group...

benleigh...

last but not least, delicious christmas dinner...

one side of the table...

the chef and her son...

a corner of the table...

and somehow, sean's friend rob... not an uncommon sight at the family events. he was, apparently, at thanksgiving dinner... even though sean was out of the country at the time...

and lest you think this is all a very normal holiday affair, i will leave you with tom in the pirate garb which mysteriously appeared in his stocking this christmas...

merry christmas!