Merry Christmas friends and family

Must C Christmas music

You need to spend the 3:29 to watch this music video. If you do, I bet you watch it again and show at least 2 other people.

The Holiday season has officially started

Hope you have having a nice Thanksgiving break, we are. The annual turkey gouge fest was a success. I cooked my turkey upside down this year, it was a 20 pounder, the breast meat came out very juicy and the dark meat was cooked properly. The only problem was that it wouldn't win any beauty contests. You are supposed to turn it right side up about half way through cooking. I waited to about 3/4 of the way. It came out sorta pale and the skin wasn't real crispy. We used a rack in a pan and an unintended consequence was the rack marks left on the breast. The turkey looked like it had six pack abs, a regular Turkeynator.

But it tasted good. Two of my three girls braved the traffic and crowds on black Friday. I hid out at home and watched football. Did you see the Aggies defeat their instate rivals t.u. (Texas) who were ranked #13 at the time? That's 2 years in a row!

Congratulations Katie !

for the 3rd year in a row, Katie has made All-State Bass in Orchestra. Once again she is in the top orchestra (Symphony). Her family, friends and even school are extreamly proud of her.

Once again she will be traveling to San Antonio to partcipate in the Texas Music Educators Association convention with the best HS musicians in the state. At this convention the students get to practice and hang out with kids from all over the state. They congragate in small groups to discuss the theory of minor chord progressions combined with sticatto harmonic resonance. They joke about 3/4 to 5/4 syncapated transitions. Of course with the range of ages there is always the occasional hazing prank like bow-whipping the younger students while they are made to play major scales left handed or sometimes offering to sell them the highly coveted "Hungarian Rosin Cheese". But it's not all fun and games, and it's back to the music.

here are some of the previous All State posts;

Picked in 2005

A recap of the 2005 event

Picked again in 2006

Last years convention

What is a Lurker ?

Dictionary.com defines it as;

"to read or observe an ongoing discussion without participating in it, as in an Internet newsgroup"

There are far more Lurkers than we realize. You who are reading this are probably a lurker. I have to admit that I also do my share of lurking (except for this blog).

There are may reasons to lurk
wanting to remain anonymous
because it's too much trouble to put in your own 2 cents
you feel you don't have anything to contribute
you're sure if you post you will be inundated with spam offering to improve your sex life and the opportunity to help a poor Nigerian monarch with his too much cash problem . .

Perhaps I missed one? Let's here yours. (almost got ya didn't I?)

Those who are not Lurkers may wonder what one looks like. Well just the other day I found this one reading here, clicking there but not commenting anywhere.



He was lurking while he should have been studying. He was in class, all the way in the back lurking on this very site while IMing a footreader (he is from the southern hemisphere) in Auckland.

I see some of you lurkers are taken aback by my level of awareness of your presence. Because you have stayed with this post all the way to the end I will tell you one of us bloggers little secrets. See the little picture in the upper left corner of this page (the one of the dowdy family hosting this blog)? Well it's not a regular picture, it's like those windows that look like they are covered by an advertisement but if you go inside you don't see the advertisement - you can see out!

Your car is MASSIVE

This is from the BBC, one of my favorite programs they produce, it's called Top Gear. They "review" cars and other means of transportation. They get multi-million dollar cars to play with and use their dry British wit so well that even someone who doesn't know a crank shaft from Richard Roundtree on drugs will still find their program interesting.

By the way, they don't have many cars where Phyllis and Michelle went on their vacation . . .

Where in the world are Phillis and Michelle

A few months ago two of my sisters went off traveling the world (without me). I only know this because our mother told me and I got this picture in the mail. This post card was taken at their jumping off point for their final destination.

I had my mom to tell me where it was, could you tell from this picture? I will give you a hint, their destination is linked to dragons . . .

Name that Toon !

Who is this guy?

You have seen those motivational posters?

Here is another one - you might want to click on it to get a better look

This isn't one of them . . . .

but the picture is fantastic!

Spanish Cheese

Do you like cheese? We do, and we eat all kinds. One of our most favorite is Manchego. Apparently it's the most popular Spanish cheese made. We did not know this until recently. It typically comes aged 3 months, 6 months or 1 year. All are good. The taste gets a little sharper as it gets older. Don't be one of the sad souls that only know the pleasure of cheddar and Monteray Jack. Get yourself some Manchego and some good crackers and indulge a little. Anyone else have a recommendation?

Killer Mums

It's that time again, when nerds and geeks join the baggy pants and Heathers to watch a football game - it's Homecoming.

As mentioned almost every year (I still can't get over it) Homecoming = killer mums. Katie is a senior this year meaning here mum must be extra fatal. As you can see from the picture, if you let it get away from you, it will take you down!

The dance is tonight and they will be trading in these behemoths for more traditional dress drooping corsages and the ever popular floral sleeve.

It's all a part of the deal, a right of passage, a mantelpiece memory . . .

Truth, Justis and . . . .

This week at Katie's school it was "ride the short bus to school" day. As you can see in the accompanying photo Katie let her alter ego get take over.

She was not alone, this affliction hit many of the senors.

Foiled by Google

I have probably lost ALL my readers (both of them) but Google had LOCKED ME OUT of posting to my site. What a Pain. I finally found someone who had the same problem and was resourceful enough to figure out a solution. So we may be back in business.

One last thing . . .

As you may already know, I am a big believer in location based information. For example it's one thing to tell you we bought some sourdough at Fisherman's Wharf, it's another to show you where at Fisherman's Wharf is down to the building the store was in. Too much information? Maybe, but I find it fascinating. Click on this link to see a simple map I created in Google Maps.

Vacation Map

You can zoom in and out and if you click "Hybrid" or "Satellite" you can see cars on the street . . . and the building where we bought bread. I also outlined (more or less) the exact routes we took and embedded a few pictures along the way right at the spot where they were taken. Click on the little icons. You can also click on the description on the left and it will jump to that place on the map. Check it out and see if you still think it's too much information.

Vacation - the rest of the story

Since I got such an overwhelming response to continue (thanks Patty) I will finish the vacation narrative with highlights from the rest of the trip.

From San Francisco we went to Sonoma and I tell you, we were glad we were not headed on the opposite direction. It was Sunday and there was almost a continuous line of cars heading from wine country down to SF. People returning from a weekend in the vineyards. Speaking of vineyards, they were everywhere sometimes they looked the size of a gas station on an acre of land and it would be St. Bob Winery. We drove over a narrow twisty mountain road (the sign said trucks not recommended) that separated Sonoma valley and Nappa valley. We stocked up on more bread and cheese and hit the wine trail. We stopped at Robert Mondavi and the Franciscan where we took a tour. After the tour we had a delicious picnic lunch on their grounds.

Then it was back through San Francisco and down the coast. One of the things that always amazes me on this drive is how FARMS go right up to the cliffs on the ocean. I would expect multimillion dollar homes not cabbage and cows. We Passed through miles and miles of uninhabited coastline then down to Santa Cruz. We continued on until we hit Monetrey. There was a lot of fog so it wasn't as stunning as it can be but still it was very beautiful. That night we had a fun dinner in an English Pub.

The next day we drove through Big Sur. Although that is the name of a town it's more of an area. It's pretty remote and there are a string of state parks. We stopped at one to see the redwoods and climb a trail to a waterfall. After such strenuous activities, more bread wine and cheese was required. We finally ended up in a little town on the coast called Cambria and checked into the Fog Catcher Inn for a few days.

The next highlight was Hearst Castle. It was just a few miles up the road in San Simeon. It was a fabulous place, I highly recommend a visit. They don't make em like that anymore at least in this country. The Neptune Pool is truly impressive, it uses some kind of mind control and forces you to take pictures of it. I think I got about 20 before the pushy tour guide forced me to rejoin the group.

Later we traveled south to Pismo Beach a little beach city that reminded me of Wildwood NJ. They have some kind of Sand Dunes State Park which we tried to visit but you really can't see the dunes without a 4wheel drive vehicle, our Kia mini van was not up to it. So we did the next best thing - we road Segways! Yep, Katie and I jumped on the gyro balanced 2 wheel transport and leaned, tilted and swerved our way around the rental building. We even went off road on in the weeds and ruts. Linda and Sarah were the film crew. There was only one accident when our Segways got to close to each other and tried to mate. No harm, no foul, we were back in the saddle in no time 2wheeling over giant 2x4s laying in the gravel (ok so maybe they were just 2 inches by 4 inces).

The final leg of our journey lead us to Anaheim Ca. home of Disneyland. We had been there many years before so we knew what to expect. We were FastPass professionals (FastPass is Disney's version of ride reservations). We road all the E-ticket rides several times, drank the $5 sodas and bought the mouse ear hat. A good time was had by all.

So that's our story. Thanks for reading and may the road always rise up to meet you.





For all the gory details play the slide show below

Summer Vacation part 6

While hurdling down the two lane car path I see my family pulled over behind a parked car. They were hoping I would show up. They wave me through knowing a stop and start could cause my temperamental chain to go AWOL. Also we are entering the town of Saucalito and no one knows where we are going. I am in charge, I pick . . . down.

The cars start going slower, there are people everywhere. Shops and cute little . . . buildings swhoosh by. We are looking for the bike rental place so we can ditch these Satan cycles. We are running out of down hill, it looks like the center of town. No bike rental place but there is a line about 200 yards long and about half of them are pushing bikes alone with them. Some people look like they are enjoying a relaxing Sunday. Others look like they were just released from a concentration camp. Heads are bowed, there are limps there is hair that looks like it was styled with a jet engine. These are the people pushing the bikes with the logo "BlazingSaddles" on their bikes. We recognize our fate and fall into line.

With feeble disbelief Linda calls the phone number on the map in our bike pouches and asks about the drop off location. The very friendly attendants tell her that we have to bring them back where we got them. We shuffle through the line. I am expecting a number to be written on my arm at any moment. We make it on the ferry but there are so many people with bikes we have to wedge our bikes between seats. Slumped in our seats some of us realize that our skin is on fire. In our haste to go on our Golden Gate Bridge adventure we neglected to apply sun screen. It's almost over.

As we get closer to San Francisco I have a horrifying realization. The ferry is not going to Fisherman's Wharf. I can not say anything to my disheveled group, they might through themselves overboard. The Ferry puts us off around the Bay Bridge down wind of our destination. This was almost a crippling blow, we had to ride into the wind (and traffic) to get back. Remember that bike stand we first stopped at? The one we thought was too far from the bridge? We came to that one first. They wouldn't take our bikes either.

When we finally got back to our own friendly attendants Katie and I arrived first. They asked how it was. If I could have lifted my hand above my shoulder I would have slapped him. I said "not that good" then our eyes met and he quickly took my Satan cycle and positioned it to ambush the next tourist. Just then Linda and Sarah came hobbling up. I told the friendly attendant not to talk to them but he couldn't help himself. We are basically from Texas so there was a limit to the vitriol but displeasure was expressed with the original expectations. After settling up it only cost us $187.56 for this odyssey. I think it was worth every penny.

Summer Vacation part 5

The traffic was bumper to bumper. Plenty of people were able to look into our eyes and were glad they could afford a car. But we made it! Sure it was uphill as we crossed but we had beaten the incline, the 1/2 mile vertical snake, "going to Europe with Ralf and Earl in a Buick", and the humiliation of walking our bikes while 6yr olds and their grandparents whizzed past us.

It was foggy but you could still see how far we had come and tiny boats skimming along beneath us. This was not our fist time out on "the bridge" the last time we vacationed in San Francisco, Katie was 5 and Sarah was 7. It was at the end of our stay and we had not been on the bridge yet so we headed over, it was about 8:30pm and foggy. We walked to the middle. Sarah was petty scared, she was always afraid of heights. It started to drizzle, by the time we got half way it was full on rain. Did I mention it was windy? It all left quite an impression on them for years. Now we were making new memories.

Once on the other side of the bridge you are dumped into a parking lot. There we all posed for triumphant pictures with he bridge in the background. There are 3 ways out of the parking lot, back the way we came, a path that wend down under the bridge (which looked like no one could ever return) or up to the end of the parking lot and up the street beyond that. There were no signs but the little bags attached to our handlebars emblazoned with the "Blazing Saddles" logo marked us as clueless tourists. A fellow cycler (without the badge of shame) saw our bewildered sun burned faces and said "Sausalito is that way" pointing up the hill. So much for the "downhill all the way to Sausalito"!

The bike path was a distant memory what we had now was a foot and a half of macadam then weeds, rocks and precipitous drop offs. And those people who were bumper to bumper on the bridge? They will really anxious to get moving, they flew by us. There was no taking in the sites, we were in survival mode. Just as our decent picked up serious speed and errant shift caused my chain to come off. Disabled on the side of the road I waved the rest of our coterie on without me - "save yourself"

After wrestling mightily with the greasy serpent a good Samaritan stopped to give me a hand. The same thing had happened to his wife a mile back. After trying to clean my hands with dirt (how ridiculous is that?) and weeds I hop on and continue the plummet down to the quaint berg.

Summer Vacation part 4

This little park (they actually call it a warming station) is full of weary cyclists and Mexican family reunions but no Linda and Sarah. Could they have passed us while our heads were down? Not likely. I send Katie to backtrack because someone needs to stand here and wait.

7 minutes later Katie returns with missing family in tow. They had stopped back a ways on the trail thinking it was the cut off point to head up to the bridge and didn't want to cover any unnecessary ground or double back once we realized our mistake. There was no mistake, before me coiled like half mile snake was the road to the bridge and I'm not sure but I think I saw a mountain goat dead on the side of the road. We had a family pow-wow, I explained that we didn't have to actually cross the bridge, we saw the bridge and that was good enough. But it was no use, I could see it in their eyes . . . must cross bridge.

Like Pickett's last charge we mounted up and prepared to take the summit. Linda and I got about 200ft before our handlebars (not to mention our legs) shook uncontrollably and we had to dismount and start walking. Sarah and Katie disappeared around one of the 57 bends. It wasn't long before we spotted them ahead walking their bikes along the side of the road while being rudely passed by BMWs and Tour de France wannabes.

Once the terrain leveled out to just uphill, we swung a leg over and started peddling again. We assumed the position - heads down thighs burning and pressed on. Katie and Sarah once again passed us by but this time we kept riding. Finally I saw Katie stopped ahead on a "landing" waiting for us. When I reached her I looked around and, you guessed it, no Linda and Sarah. One should have been ahead of me one behind but no sign of either. Just as I was about to take my post waiting and sending Katie to look for them, we spotted them walking their bikes up the hill.

Apparently Sarah turned off at a parking lot. Linda suspected as much and turned off looking for her. Sarah just needed a little privacy for a technicolor yodel. Perhaps clam chowder wasn't the best choice.

We were almost there! We could smell the exhaust. Finally we roll onto the bridge, cyclists whizzing by us in both directions, we take in the view, we are high but apparently not high enough - it's all uphill to the other side. Did I mention it was windy? Well, we made it, it's all downhill from here . . . . right?

Summer Vacation part 3

Did I mention the wind? I kept thinking if we just come back the same way I will hardly have to peddle, just sit up and use my girth as a sail and make back all that effort I am now expending.

We get to the 100 yard incline. The bike people call it a 100 yard incline because it sounds much better than "big ass hill" but perhaps it's all a matter of perspective. For us Texans if you see your buddy standing in the road about a mile in front of you and you don't see eye to eye one of you is on a hill. Most of the way up the "incline" we paused to take in the view and some much needed oxygen.

OK so we are getting a little tired but everyone is hanging in there and we can see most of the bridge now. Perhaps we will just ride to it's base look up and marvel then ride the wind home.

At some point while riding along the water the bike path turned to sandy gravel, still navigable but the peddles get a little stiffer and the occasional mini sand storms are a bonus. Oh well, except for the incline it's still fairly flat and we need to make it to the bridge. With heads down and thighs burning we push on.

We finally make it to the little park beneath the bridge. At least 2 of us do. Katie and I look at each other. We lost Linda and Sarah.

Summer Vacation part 2

While walking along the Wharf we stopped at a very cool arcade. It had machines from days gone by, some from the early 1900s. There were mechanical fortune tellers, player pianos, giant diorama like displays the size of a king size bed where all the little people and animals would move and spin for only 25 cents and the predecessor to Foosball.

We began to see signs for bike rentals and stands with lines of high tech bikes and people being launched by very helpful looking attendants. Everyone looked happy. Right there under one of the billboards next to a bike stand were brochures touting the pleasures of a leisurely ride over the Golden Gate Bridge. Linda was intrigued, Katie was pumped, Sarah was apprehensive, I was torn. We talked Sarah into it, she was being a good sport and willing to take one for the team. The 4 year old across the street has spent more time on a two wheeler than Sarah and Katie have combined. Linda's and my cycling routine consists of once around the neighborhood once a month. But it was a nice day, we were all feeling good and just slurped down a little fresh clam chowder in one of those cute bread bowls for good measure. We were on a roll (get it? a roll, . . . bread bowl, cycling - it's a pun).

We decided to rent from one of the locations at the other end of the Wharf so it would be closer to the bridge and there would be less people and traffic to deal with. Remember that free parking space? It is close to part of the Wharf, but not the part where we are now. We make our way up the 30 degree incline. Without the use of oxygen or a Sherpa we make it to the car. Equipment is gathered, organized and distributed. Linda decides to pull a quick change in the back of the van, almost passes out from heat prostration. Back down the hill to start that leisurely ride.

We are greeted by some of those happy attendants, they are from Ireland. they give us a briefing, something about all bike paths, only 100 yards uphill, cross the bridge, downhill all the way to Sausalito, bike rental location in Sausalito and ferry boat back home. Sounds pretty good. they cheerfully outfit us with our trusty steeds, supply maps and launch us on our way. Within no time we are peddling along the sea wall taking in the sights.

Gee that bridge looks far away, and you know, there is a lot of wind here by the water. Oh well, at least it's flat and we are on bike paths. We can turn around at any time.

What we did on our Summer vacation

The week of July 21st we went west, all the way to the edge of the continent. We flew into San Francisco, arrived around midnight our time but we decided to seek out a western delicacy called "In n Out Burger". Their specialty . . . . burgers. They have about 8 items on their menu which comprise of burgers, frys, sodas and shakes. Simple fresh and delicious - two thumbs up from us. Of course, lost amongst the industrial parks and seedy neighborhoods around the SFO airport gets no thumbs up. With bellies full and dog tired we GPS our way to our hotel and crash (fall asleep quickly).

Sunday we set out to explore the city. We were there for vacation about 8 years ago and did many of the tourist mainstays like Alcatraz and Coit tower. This time we covered some familiar ground like Lombard St (the crookedest street in the country) and Fisherman's Wharf and thought we might try something different. We had got an early start, traffic wasn't bad, it was cool yet bright and sunny, we found a free parking place close to Fisherman's Wharf. At this point the hairs on the back of my neck should have been standing up like porcupine quills.

This idyllic scene was about to spiral into the depths of Hyades.

Wedding on the beach

As you may know, this past 4th of JulyPatty got married! On the beach! His name is Jay and he has two boys. We just got a bunch of photos on a CD so I though we would share them with our readership. Like always you can click on the picture to get a bigger version

Ghostly plastic bathtoy flotilla nears UK coast

Residents of the western UK and Irish coasts have been warned to expect an invasion by a vast flotilla of ghostly, immortal albino plastic ducks, according to reports.

The tale of the floating, whitened bird-simulacra migration is a strange one, dating back many years. It seems that the plastic bathtime companions were originally made in China. They were on their way to America in 1992 when a terrible storm struck their vessel in mid-Pacific, and shipping containers holding 30,000 of the hapless playthings were washed overboard.
A majority of the ducks - at that stage still tinted a healthy yellow - headed south, many of them reportedly finishing up in Australia, where they were doubtless accorded the traditional hostile reception.

Ten thousand of the plastic anatidaens, however, went north, embarking on an endless odyssey across the world's oceans. Like the legendary Captain Vanderdecken in his ill-omened ghost ship the Flying Dutchman, the flocks of plastic kiddy-pals seemed doomed to roam the oceans for eternity.

The luckless fleet of cursed, wandering sea-going toys - Flying Duckmen, perhaps - circled the northern Pacific for some years before a fresh horror befell them as they drifted into the Arctic. Here they became frozen into the pack ice, suffering untold torment in their icy prison as they slowly transited past Greenland into the Atlantic.

Bleached pale by their hellish polar ordeal, the doomed ducks drifted onward. Thawed-out plastic voyagers have landed since the turn of the century in New England, Iceland and Canada, and one may have been found in the western Hebrides in 2003. A retired American oceanographer named Curtis Ebbesmeyer has monitored the ducks' progress for the past 15 years, and it's his prediction that the plastic playthings' perpetual peregrination may now be headed this way. Ebbesmeyer briefed the Evening Standard yesterday, saying that "We're getting reports of ducks being washed up on America's eastern seaboard.

It is now inevitable that they will get caught up in the Atlantic currents and will turn up on English beaches. Cornwall and the South-West will probably get the first wave of them.

The Times claims that the globe-trotting bath toys have become collectors' items, and sell for $1000. If true, this could mean another greed-crazed beachcomber salvage flotsam bonanza frenzy, with hordes of opportunists descending on Cornish beaches hoping to get rich on the sea's pale, plastic bounty. We say: bad luck will surely come to those who seek to profit from the Flying Duckmen. Interfere with their eternal voyage at your peril.

I usually write my own copy but I don't think I could have topped this (copied above) blurb from the blog http://www.theregister.co.uk/

A new toy

As you may know, I enjoy photography. As you also may know, I am not that good at it. And judging from the comments on my last picture expose (posted below) perhaps I should quit trying. Not so fast! I thought perhaps a less complicated subject might allow photographic skills to blossom so I cornered a neighbors dog and began snapping away. This was the best one.

A lesser blogger would have given up at this point, but not I. I did what any other red blooded American would do . . . I tried to buy some success. Yes, that's right, (Julie are you listening?) I bought a digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera. The Canon Rebel XTi to be exact. Here is a picture someone else took of one.

Now (or at least by the end of the week) I will march right down the street, pull the traumatized canine from under the porch and take that masterpiece shot that shows his inner sparky. I have something like this in mind.

Our old (and I mean, really getting up in years) friend Stu has been honing his pixel picture prestidigitations for some time now which can be seen at http://thechangsonline.blogspot.com/ although it is heavily guarded by a secret password. He reluctantly lent me his superior digital SLR hardware (a Canon 30D) for Katie's last concert of the year. That pushed me over the edge. I had to have one of my own.

So prepare yourself! You will probably be forced to look at numerous examples of my death defying depth of field as well as my creamy bokeh.

True

Summer is almost upon us. One way to tell is by all the kids going to summer school. Speaking of Summer School, Sarah is one of the many collegians flocking to the local junior collage to catch up on some classes. She is in a math class this semester. I saw her working on her homework and thought "I'm a smart guy, I went to college . . . I think I will share some wisdom"

She showed me one of the practice problems (geometry no less!). I didn't have to think twice. Although it's been 47 years since I had a math class, it all came back to me.

click on the little picture to see the problem (and the answer!)




Sarah wasn't impressed. I guess they are doing the new math these days. Go figure.

Great Program!

Leme tell you about a really really good photo application/site - it's by Google and it's called Picasa. I tried it some time ago and thought it was OK but now (version 2) I think it's great. It does a fabulous job retouching your photos, makes it super easy to upload them to their site, then you can so slide shows, web albums, order prints and so on. All these things have been done before but not this easy and effectively. Check it out HERE

Here is a slide show I just did to make my point. These are pictures from the Houston Art Car parade. We have it once a year in the spring and it's the largest in the country. There are 126 pictures in this album. I went through each on in Picasa made little adjustments in color and exposure if they needed it and uploaded them to the web site. Then I copied the URL into this post and what you see below is the result and this whole activity (including uploading 126 pictures) took less than 15 minutes. I have a couple of orchestra web albums out there as will if you are interested.

If it goes to fast, just click on it and you can pause, go back or manually step through the pictures.



Google is a great thing. (this blog is part of google)

Last concert of the year

Another HS orchestra season draws to a close with the traditional Centrum concert. This was KF's largest orchestra yet - 206 students.

I borrowed a friend's (Stu) Canon D30 digital SLR camera. It was great! I got some pictures I would have never gotten with my little camera like the one to the left. It reminds me of the "Where's Waldo" pictures.

Michelle Christy is named director of MIT Office of Sponsored Programs

What do you do when Princeton University just isn't that challenging anymore? Why, you move to MIT !

Michelle was always the smart one in our family, she's been a big shot for some time now but she just kicked it up a notch - BAM ! - she is running the department that handles the research grants for all the eggheads and academic types at perhaps the most prestigious institute for higher learning in the country.

Her and Margret will be livin large in Cambridge (just across the Charles River from Bahston) while they sell their house in Princeton, after that, who knows? Maybe they will buy a place close to Havad Yad.

Here is the MIT press release where they brag about getting my little sister to join them. http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2007/osp-christy.html

By the way, yesterday (May 10th) was her birthday! She turned 29. OK, maybe not, but she did get the job, that's a real MIT site listed above. Way to go Shelby.

She was just 17 - you know what I mean

That's right, our little KatieBird turns the big one seven today. As illustrated by the photo to the right, Katie wasn't always the quiet sophisticated Bass player she is today. No - she was a high steppin, leg kickin, sequin wearing Polka Dot!

But those halcyon days of youth are behind her now. Next year she is one of the ancient ones - a HS senior.

Her greatest ambitions in life are to play the perfect Bass concerto, world peace and to see the next Will Ferrel movie.

Here's to you kid.

The Prez

Violins were frightened, Violas persuaded , Cellos coerced and Basses buffaloed, but when it was all said and done, Katie Christy emerged senior officer, PRESIDENT of the Klein Forest HS Orchestra. The crowd went wild. Shown here with the outgoing president (Anthony) just after the torch passing ceremony.

Following in her mothers footsteps who was President of the Orchestra Parents Association this year, Katie has stepped up to the plate so to speak. She will be taking on much work and responsibility in her new position.

Congratulations KatieBird!

Happy Birthday SARAH !

19 years ago Linda spent 12 hours trying to get Sarah to come out of her . . . . shell. That would be the last time any effort would be spent on that task. From day 1 Sarah was a sparkler anyone could see it. Walking at 8 months, stealing the show at dance recitals and advising guidance councilors. A sparkler, if someone were to miss that fact by accident either Linda or Sarah would set them straight.

Through the years she excelled at most things. Today she is excelling at being a first year college student, acing Sorority 101 and 102, blowing up the social undergraduate requirements and getting straight As in leaving home.

Happy birthday Sarah you sparkler you. We are proud of you and wish you the best.

Making a name for herself . . .

Determined to make a name for herself in the "city of big shoulders" one of our own is peddling her buns - local residents shocked.

While attending the whirlwind Klein Forest Orchestra (staring Katie Christy) Concert Tour as it blew into the windy city our very own Miss Patty erected a small building and put out her shingle in hopes of raising enough cash to see Katie perform at the Chicago Symphony Concert Hall (and maybe catch the Blueman Group and have a martini while she was at it).

Sources say it was a complete success! The mayor was not present but the entire orchestra were given keys to their hotel rooms. Weather cooperated, chaperons chaped and the Klein sisters dominated the "magnificent mile". Actually it was more like a really nice couple of blocks. A good time was had by all.

Spring Break - Boston

Whilst traveling the Freedom Trail in Boston who do we run into? Why, it's little Ben. Most of the people dressed up in the Faneuil (pronounced fanel like panel) Hall area were park rangers giving free tours. This colonial wanna be charged us 2 George Washingtons for the privilege of taking this snap, then he tried to get us to invite him to our school to be paid once again. It made me recall one of Poor Richard's quotes "a dollar scammed is a dollar tax free"

Oh, and while we were there, we saw Boston University along the Charles river. Pretty nice University, they have quite the Communications School - everyone is talking about it. They have a Music school too but we had to pry it out of them.

Spring Break - the Family part deux

Our travels took us to New York city on Thursday where we visited the Juilliard School which we liked very much. That evening we stayed in Princeton NJ with my sister Michelle who we also like very much.

That was the day the weather changed. We went from 60s and 70s to 30s and 40s with rain turning to snow. The girl above saw it coming.

Spring Break - the Family

We are just back from our whirlwind tour of the Northeast, colleges, Universitys and relatives. It was a little dodgy getting home, a lot of flights were canceled the day before but we were one of the lucky ones and after sitting on the plane for 6 hours we made it back to Houston safe and sound.

I am going to work backwards in recounting out trip. Our last night was spent with the NJ Police and Sprinkler mafia. We all had to brave blowing snow, unploughed streets and constant threat of the greater tri-state auto drivers and kamikaze squads

Having all wise guys and gals in one place, I couldn't help but ask, as I was snapping this picture, "who here knew anything about where I could find Jimmy Hoffa?" As you can see, this is one well connected bunch, all except the two gentlemen on the left (Keith and Zack) who answered with the number "2". Frannie (the ringleader of this particular event) muttered something about a list and flashed a sign with Patty and Stu's name on it.

Giddy Up

There is a lot going on. The Houston Livestock and Rodeo is in town, and remember when I told you that my car makes me smile? Well now I am downright giddy.

Linda and I were walking down past the old saloon when all of the sudden there was dust everywhere and a lone guitar twanged in the distance signifying something significant was about to happen. The guttural sound turned into a roar like the noise a 300hp V8 would make if it were to be let loose rounding a corner. I had to think fast, convertible - check, GT - check, automatic - check, heated seats (hey, it can get nippy out here on the plains) - check! I made my move and lassoed that Mustang. Can I keep it Linda? Can I? Can I?

So now when I pass by the same trees and small imports, my smile is a little wider, my foot a little heavier and life is even better.

Hello there !

I know it's been a long time between posts. No, we were not involved in a nuclear accident and all of our fingers are sill attached to our hands . . . . in fact . . . . . Katie is using hers this weekend to perform at the Texas Music Education Association state convention this week. Remember several months back we announced that she was among the best HS bass players in the state? Well, this week they (all the best musicians) gathered in San Antonio to me, practice, play and buy merchandise. She went west on Wednesday with the other kids in her region (including, band and chorus) on a charter bus.

We will be joining her this weekend to hear concerts, gush over our offspring and buy merchandise. I would post a picture of the tearful departure but it's on the camera Katie took with her so you will have to wait until she gets back for the visual proof.

. . . As promised, here is a picture of us after the concert. Katie had a great time, met some new friends and hung out with some old ones. She is getting to be an old pro.

Gadget du Jour

Bless me Cingular for I have slacked, it's been 3 years since my last phone upgrade.  I know I should have kept up with the times, purchased the latest handheld communication marvel at least once a year, but I have failed you.

No longer!  This week we are the proud owners of 2 of the hottest telecommunications handsets ever to be found at the local mall kiosks.  Behold the Samsung Sync (aka A707).  These beauties will play all the coolest mp3s, snap hot pics at our neato parties, even video Stu's lampshade lambata then beam (at superduper speeds) all these priceless memories to an email address or other uber-phone near you.  I can also call my mom with it.

Why, you ask, do we have 2?  . . . to maintain balance in the force.  That and the fact that Linda and I have been accused (by our kids) of being the same person, so of course we would need the same phone.

So there you have it, no longer are we cellular Neanderthals, our ringbones shout "the sheep don't like it, lock the catbox, lock the catbox" with a hipness that is hard to describe

On with the new year

The plastic tree has been put away, gifts have been returned, kids have been shipped back to school. We can now get down to the business of making a new year. What will be different this year? Well for one, if you are old enough to read this blog, 2007 will pass faster than 2006. As far as how good 2007 will be? that is 50% luck, 25% planning and 75% what you make it.

I hope to have something more interesting to say in upcoming posts. We are formulating spring break plans. We should also investigate the potential for a family and friends gathering.

And because all posts are better with pictures, here is a random picture from 1999.