Our Pretty Princess

She is so silly and it is hard to take good pictures of her. She always seems so much cuter in person. Here is a picture of her last Sunday in her new skirt and sweater.

We hope everyone had as much fun on Halloween as Hallie did. I know her crown is a little crazy, but all the ones we got at the dollar store lasted about as long as one from the dollar store should, so we opted for the homemade one.

Dragon coming

"Watch out! Dragon coming!" were pretty much the only words out of Henkka's mouth tonight. This morning I was finally able to talk Henkka into wearing his puppy costume only to find out it was too small. Luckily we tried it on today and not on Halloween morning. We hurried to Target to make a change for a bigger one, but of course they were all out of the puppy. Papu was a little disappointed until he saw the Dino costume. He thought it was a dragon (and honestly it does look more like a dragon than a dinosaur) so we had to get it. He wore it all afternoon today, and is so excited to wear it to Suomi-koulu (Finnish school) tomorrow. We also got all our candy today, and he has already been carrying his "scary pumpkin" around for a week now, so we are definitely ready for Halloween -- all I have to do now is to decide whether Salla should be a cow or a snowman.

I'm Out

CFA Exam is not going to happen for me this coming December. Too little time to prepare, and too many competing activities. I put in a lot of effort, and think that taking the exam next June will be a very easy prospect as a result, but I am in need of some stress-free living for a few weeks before the holidays.

The consequence of this is that I have a lot more vacation time available, so we'll have more time to play out East with family!

Christmas

Well, now that Halloween is almost here...shouldn't we be thinking about Christmas? UGH!!!!! No, but I am so terrible about shopping for presents for other people that I thought I would start the process. We (McMurdie) have the West Coast cousins/family, so if anyone knows a great gift for them...let us know. I also have several ideas for Mom if anyone needs one. With Henkka and Salla maybe(?) being allowed to associate with us East Coasters this December, maybe we should think about getting together out here. I hear the lights at the DC Temple are great over Christmas....that might be a fun spot. The Norfolk Botanical Gardens have a great light festival too. Anyway....ideas are welcome....and encouraged!

Looking Forward to Halloween

David Letterman remembers Paul Newman

For Scott and Beatta

After reading about what Scott and Beatta do every Saturday and trying to have some appreciation for all those who have served missions, and after reading Scott's blog about listening to the people that come to your door...I tried it. It was 2 kids trying to sell magazines for college money and to win a contest. I listened to them for about 10 minutes and was very polite. Then I said I wasn't interested, but thanks anyway. They were SO RUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!! One comment that I remember as I was shutting the door was....well, there is always board games for losers. So, I am not sure if I can listen to people anymore if they are going to be rude. Maybe I just shouldn't answer the door.
I did try though.

California cousins

We have our computer back and I feel like a normal person again, so here is my little two cents for the family blog.

Not again!

OK, so what's with the bears? Today Lisa and I are hiking back from Prairie Lakes. We hear rustling off to the side (30-40 yards). We look and see a bear cub running along the hillside. I think, "oh, what a cute little bear. Oh, no, where's the mother!" The mother is behind the cub about 10 yards looking at us. We head out. We did not take a picture. We did not look to see what the mother would do. We didn't run, but we moved as quickly as possible. It was close to 10 minutes before we slowed down. Enough of bears!

Paul Newman: He was even cooler than you thought

Paul Newman passed away yesterday. Everyone knows about his film career and work for charity, but did you know he finished 2nd in the the 1979 24 Hours of Le Mans? Yeah--and at the age of 70 he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning the GTS-1 class at the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona.

He was 19th on Nixon's enemies list and number 1 on the list of people way cooler than you.

Wikipedia here.

ESPN here.

Close Encounters of a BEAR kind

Not once, but twice (same full size, black bear, in the same place)! up to 50 yards away when we were on our way to Lightning Lake; 30-40 yards away a couple of hours later on our return trip. Both times he was right on the trail and moved off it when he became aware of us. We stared at each other as we walked past, talking loudly, like you're supposed to. We did not panic, but you better believe we kept checking behind us the rest of the trip!
Unfortunately we didn't get a good picture. He's in the middle. The area was burned a couple of years ago and he blended in very well.

Fun in Sun Valley

Hallie at the visitors center at the SNRA holding her new little otter baby.
Playing in the pool with Grandpa Boz
Stuffing her pockets full of rocks to throw in the stream!!!

To Our Eldest Brother

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Turtle Friend

Ryan went out early this morning to fill the Escape up with gas for me and he found a turtle crossing the road. So, our turtle friend came to visit us. It didn't take too long before Ian was telling the turtle that he loved it. We had hoped to keep it in the backyard for the day and then take it down to the pond, but it was nimbler than we expected and climbed out of our flooded-sandbox-cover pond and has taken itself to parts unknown.

Cindy McCain

Not what I was expecting.

Please insert joke about how easily McCain drifts to the left or right in the comments.

I miss Pepper

This cartoon from the New Yorker made me think of our late Pepper T. Cat.

Sadness in Ketchum

We woke up this morning to smoke and thought it may be the hills behind Sun Valley. As we drove through Ketchum we realized it was coming from right in town. If you look at the picture on the left you will notice that it is the Sawtooth Club. The 3 restaurants to the right burned to the ground and the Sawtooth Club has extensive damage and won't be open for several months. At about 5:00 this evening they opened up part of the down town and we were able to watch them still pouring water on it and pulling debris away from the Sawtooth side of the fire.

Happy Birthday Alison!

How old are you now, Muffy?

Memphis the lab rat: The Results

Memphis has finished the Keppra study at NCSU. The principal investigator spoke with me about the study when Memphis was "deblinded". We learned that she was on the placebo during the first 16 weeks and Keppra the second 16 weeks. She had 14 seizures during the placebo period and 7 during the Keppra period. Apparently, the study is not going so well for Keppra in general. Memphis is only the second dog to show significant improvement on Keppra. (0ut of 15-20 dogs)

That is good news for us, especially since some rich dude in California gave NCSU a bunch of money to provide Keppra to dogs when it is shown that it helps. Since they are having a hard time finding dogs it helps, they were happy to give us some. So we get free Keppra for 3 months at least. Woo-hoo! (Keppra for Memphis would cost about $200-$300/month if we paid for it. I like my dog, but no way...)

On the down side, bloodwork during the study showed that the phenobarbital she regularly takes is damaging her liver. We will need to investigate the possibility of cutting the dose or getting her off it completely.

Ian Autocross

Mistake in Recipe?

Tonight Beatta made Mom's recipe for breadsticks--she'd never made them before, so she was using the recipe closely, but accidentally replaced the 2 teaspoons of sugar with 2 tablespoons.

The result? A monumental improvement. Mmm-Hmm!

Whence the amphibian?

The tension between the frog and the slalamander has reached the boiling point, prompting NARB to demand and eviction/relocation of said frog. Where did the critter go to live?

I know it's North Carolina and all...

...but this is just ridiculous, Ryan. Parachuting game-ball deliverers landing at the wrong football stadium? Seriously.

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/unc/story/1200990.html

Does anyone have my copy of

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?

I have a friend who wants to borrow it, and I'm not sure where my copy is. If you have it, then no worries--I'll get another one. I just wanted to make sure it's not just somewhere lost in our apartment.

Attack of the Finns

I put this on my other blog, but in the event you missed it, well, this just should not be missed.

Summer fun

It is hard to believe that summer is nearly over! We had fun last week with Ryan, April, Ian, and Molly.
Space 23 at Willow Flat is perfect for small people. It has a stream running through it that can safely be played in.
The onion rings at Deer Cliff are still the best!
Later in the week, we went to Minnitonka Cave, the first time for Dennis. Rest assured that Miss Piggy, Kermit, the Seven Dwarves, and George Washington are all still there. However, we saw no bats. There are always bats there!

Get off your cell phone

We went to Arlington National Cemetery with Tobins' sister/husband. There are signs all over telling you to be quiet and respectful. At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there are signs to tell you to be silent...no talking...just sit and watch. Well, one man who obviously didn't pay attention came walking up to where we were watching the guard, he was yacking on his cell phone. This guard (and they don't usually speak...as per their own rules), yells in his very loud military voice to the man "OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER, GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE!" And he kept walking. The guy left and you could see everyone else pulling out their phones and turning them off. It really made us aware of what a rude people we can be with our phones glued to our ears all the time.

Two Kids

No one warned me that they might cry/poop/vomit at the same time.
Did I sign up for this?

Huh?

You are a famous and wealthy car designer. Your own name is synonymous with beautiful powerful cars.

How do you die? Hit by a Ford Focus while riding a Vespa.

I was Weak

I have a confession to make: I couldn't do it.

I made it well over a month without reading anything but the bare necessities: scriptures and the like.

But over the weekend, I crept quietly into bedroom while everyone else was napping and began re-reading Harry Potter 7. I couldn't help it, and I can't stop. That was three days ago, and I'm almost through it again.

Help.

For Hallie...

...and her sinful ways.

In Residence at the Bosworths' House

A second species of amphibian has shown up in the Bosworth's window well. A small green frog appeared on the window ledge today. We took his picture along with an obviously frightened salamander. How will this relationship turn out?

The Gags

Yes, folks. The Gags are back in the Bottom 10. While the #3 slot is impressive, I admit that I'm a little disappointed that they are behind Idaho, despite both the coaches and media from the WAC predicting otherwise.

Holidays

I know it's early, but I was just curious about the upcoming holidays.

1) Where is everyone going to be (and when)?
2) How did last year's trial run of the gift exchange thing go for everyone? Any updates or suggestions?

Too Funny

We were sitting in sacrament meeting today, and as it is fast Sunday, everyone was getting up and expressing their feelings. All of a sudden Hallie comes over to me and says her eyes are crying. I asked her why and she whispered something, I asked her to repeat it and when I heard it I had to have her repeat it several more times to make sure I got it correct. Then Tobin and I laughed...a little to loud for the meeting. She said her eyes were crying because of all the sins she had done. Then she asked for more candy corns.

Salla

Pictures here. More to come when B gets a few minutes to add some.

Course map

I'm pretending you are interested. Caption added. My misfortune was not part of the official documentation of the event.

Also of note, we had a car at the autocross that was "tuning" for the greatest American motorsports event of them all: the 24 Hours of LeMons.

"In all motorsport, no event captures the universal human need to whale on old crapcans and hoover down greasy barbecue like the 24 Hours of LeMons"

cousin fun

Here are some pics of the kids from the weekend.

Earthquake

We're all still alive. B wants earthquake insurance. Mom had trouble with the car rental agency. It's pandemonium, folks. Pandemonium.

Do you know where your poop goes?

Ian does. He was a little disappointed that it wasn't all stored in the toilet water tank, but luckily he was duly impressed with the talking fish who narrates a video about how the Raleigh waste treatment facility works. I think he's watched it something like 10 times today.

Pork and Seed

Ryan, April, Ian, and Molly (and Memphis) are visiting Tobin, Alison, and Hallie (and fetus) this weekend.

We ate pork and seed. yum.

When was the last time you had pork and seed?

Link to alternate recipe. My recipe is: cook pork roast. cut up. toast sesame seeds. dip pork in mustard and seeds. yum.

This Just In.

From The Herald Journal Sports Section - July 24, 2008:

Headline: NOT A CLEAR-CUT FAVORITE

Sub-Headline: AGS PICKED TO FINISH LAST

Still Pregnant

That is what I am...until Jan. 31, 2009. And still puking. Thanks.

Still Pregnant

That's what Beatta is. Hopefully not for much longer.

Miscellaneous

Here are a couple of pictures - our roses were absolutely spectacular this year.
The old guys are two of the group I hiked with - there were 13 geezers and geezerettes. Seriously, I was one of the younger ones! The hike was led and sponsored by the Idaho Conservation League and I hope to be able to go another time with them this summer. You can see Baldy, with the ski runs, in the background of the third picture.

OK, so I beat a few people...

I finished 5th out of 24 novices. I am pleased, especially considering that the course was wet for me in the afternoon and I spun off the course into the grass on my third run. Most people got 4 runs on a dry track, I only got 2. Call the waahhmbulence. I wuz robbed.

I can't link to the results directly, but if you go here and then scroll down to the Sat July 16 event "Points Autocross # 5 Old Sanford Airport Sanford, NC" you can click on "Class results", "Indexed Results", and "Raw Results" and see how I did.

Class results are organized by class (C Stock, Ladies, Novice, etc.) Scroll down to the very bottom for Novice results. (Notice that the first class listed is "old farts" class--a highly entertaining group.) My best time of 77.517+2 means I ran the course in 77.517 seconds and hit 2 cones. Each cone is a 2 second penalty. D'oh!

Indexed results are times adjusted for "PAX". Not sure what PAX stands for, but it is an adjustment factor based on how fast your car is. Sort of like a handicap system, except it adjusts for equipment, not ability. I didn't do so well here--I have a pretty fast car and no actual skill. I'm that guy with Mizuno blades, a Scotty Cameron putter and a 28 handicap. I finished 77th out of 110 in PAX.

"Raw Results" are just that--results unadjusted for anything. Overall, I finished 75th out of 110 entries.

So...how bad did the old lady in the Mini beat me? By about 6.5 seconds. That's about 6 and 5 in match play terms. (See the 36th place finisher in Raw times)

Family Autocross Day

So here are some pictures of Ryan at the autocross. He got to drive the course four times. We saw run one and two of his second chance.
It wasn't too far away—a little less than an hour drive. So I took the kids down and we looked at all the cars (it's really just a big car party) and had a picnic lunch. When it was time for Ryan to line up for his run, it started to rain. His group got the raining and wet track, by the time they were finished it had all cleared up. But the kids and I had headed out too. The rain is only so fun until you're wet.

And just because she's too cute for words:

This time, its for real...

That's right folks, this time there will be no instructor in the car, times will be recorded, and (gasp!) published on the internet. Yep, everyone will be able to see how the old lady in the Mini Cooper wiped the pavement with me. My goal: beat someone. Anyone.

That beep you hear means: "Warning. You are having fun."

For Mom and Dad

This is a video of Hallie running up the Mt. Trashmore hills. She even ran up backwards once, I should have recorded that.

Dizzy Hallizy

This is one of Hallie's favorite things to do at the park.

But, that's not like Scott at all...

I'm so confused. Who has been making all these blog posts?

Huh?

In the garden

I am somewhat proud of not killing these, so I thought, I'd share some photos.

Is Anyone Else Excited...

...about The Dark Knight? (I am! I am!)

As an aside, I read a review of the movie on Rotten Tomatoes which incorporated the word "Bromance" (like Man-love or Man-crush--to which Tobin still has yet to confess) into the text. I don't know when I last fell in love with a word so quickly.

Norfolk

Causing a Splash

We've upset a few people and received a few phone calls over this.

Sorry Scott...

but MSNBC's list makes more sense to me. Of course, we know from standard economic theory that if one community really is unambiguously more desirable than another that people will move there until prices are driven up enough to exactly offset the improved amenities. Even more to the point, every city is the best for each inhabitant. If it wasn't, they would move. Assuming costless moves and full information, of course.

Maybe Irvine has great amenities (especially the weather) and high prices, while Raleigh is affordable and still pretty nice.

Interesting that Ft. Collins made both lists.

Boise at #2?

Go Irvine!

Read it and weep.

talks

Tobin and I have to talk in church tomorrow. We have the topic of "How does the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints promote successful marriages." We have lots of ideas, and I think I know what I will say. However, I am curious to know some of your input on this. Tobin and I have given it alot of thought, and tried to come up with some different ideas than what you would read in a General Conference talk. Any ideas from your families?

Scott Adams entertains:

Here and Here.

Best sentence: "As you know, fairness is a concept that was invented so that children and idiots could participate in arguments."

Uhhh - wait a minute

Mom & I were traveling a hitherto unexplored piece of Idaho (by us, anyway) somewhere in the vicinity of Challis toward May, Patterson and the Pahsimeroi Valley when we encountered the following sign:

NO TRESPASSING WITHOUT PERMISSION.

I though if you had permission, oh, never mind.

My Favorite Sentence Today

"I felt duped into buying these things."

Many economists have long held that lotteries are simply a tax on stupid people. I always thought this statement was based on the Cost-to-Expected-Payoff relationship. Apparently it's also based on lottery players' knowledge of lottery rules.

Moratorium on Reading

In connection with my recent decision to pursue the CFA designation, I have hereby declared a moratorium on all reading* outside of the CFA curriculum. Please be advised that any attempts to suggest books to me will be met with a quick Heisman to the face. The duration of this moratorium has yet to be determined, but will likely extend into the Christmas season. Your cooperation is appreciated.


*exceptions shall be made for scriptures and any as-yet-unknown Harry Potter installments.

Henkka's Birthday

Here is a picture of Henkka on the 4th on his new tricycle that Grandma and Papa contributed to. Thank you! There's some video and pictures of his birthday on our blog.

I apologize...

If you have already seen this.

Crossword Puzzle Clue

Greetings, offspring and recently acquired relatives.

Mom & I are in SV and wouldn't you know it, we are doing crosswords and other puzzles.

Here's a clue that had us going:

"Second person in the Bible."

Have at it. First correct answer wins slightly undercooked pancakes with real syrup at the earliest opportunity. We wanted to make it worth the effort.

Happy Birthday

Happy second birthday to Henkka tomorrow and 30th birthday to Tobin on the 9th.

Our Family

Can I just pause for a moment and tell the whole family how much I truly love you? Reading these past few posts and the corresponding comments reminded me just how fabulously funny we are. Other people don't seem to get this.

A few pictures

We've been out of commission for a while. So, here are some pictures from us.

Haiku Contest?

I think we should have a Bosworth-family Haiku contest through which we can express our feelings about Mormon ward pancake breakfasts. Any takers?

Holiday Plans

After talking with April last night and neither of us coming up with a good excuse to travel to either Raleigh or Norfolk for the 4th, I was curious to see what everyone else was doing. On the 3rd, however, we are going to the Norfolk Tides game and fireworks. Anyone else have firework plans? Does Clifton still do fireworks? Or was that for the 24th? Did we go up to Albert Moser for this holiday? I can't remember. But I do remember the BUMPY BUTT TRAIL!!!! Bubster on the bumpy butt trail......hummmmmm

Good Tuna Salad

First, a Disclaimer:

I am NOT a Martha Stewart fan, even though one of her color schemes graces our basement (yeah, the yellow room). This is allegedly her recipe, and it's pretty good.

2 6-oz. cans good quality white albacore tuna, drained.
2 stalks celery, split lengthwise and sliced thin.
1 crisp apple, such as a Gala or Fuji, cored, peel left on diced 1/4".
3 T. mayonnaise
2 T chopped fresh basil (dried's no good here).
1 T lemon juice.
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Mix well. I like it on toast or a crusty roll, Mom ate it on lettuce leaves.

Enjoy

Conversation; for Ryan

with my friend who drives this.

Me: My brother drives a Mazda RX8...but I don't really know much about them.
My Friend: Oh, yeah! The RX8 is a pretty slick machine. Generates a ton of torque.
Me: So, it's a good sports car, then?
My Friend: Well, it's not like mine.

Conversation

after Henkka ran out into the street against the vigorous hollering and protesting of his parents who rushed to stop him:

Me: (Sternly) You are NOT to run out into the street!
Henkka: ...
Me: (Sternly) When Mommy or Dad says, "Stop!", you stop!
Henkka: Nemo?
Me: (Sternly) Do you understand?
Henkka: Nemo?
Me: (Sternly, but trying not to laugh) You need to obey Mommy and Dad, OK?
Henkka: Nemo?

With regards to the last two posts...

youtube, fancy cars, etc:

Dad: you have been around Miller Motorsports Park. Check out VIR Grand from inside the car perspective. Funny captions along the way...

Video on YouTube

One Semester of Spanish Love Song.

Stellar.

Uh-Oh...

Maybe that personalized plate wasn't such a good idea.

Worth Reading

Summary of recent research by James Heckman, one of my economic heroes.

funny

I have the funniest brother ever. Compared to how bad you stink....think Dad's leather recliner with Scott sitting in it, and then sneaking away to leave a waft of stink so bad everyone in the room has to leave....I smell like a basket of fresh peaches.

Best Headline of the Week

"Food and Fuel Prices Are Hurting Meals on Wheels"

Seriously. Am I the only one who finds humor in such statements of the obvious?

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Trip Activities

As you may have heard, Henkka and I went to visit Mom & Dad over the weekend. Above are a few photos of Henkka. Observe them carefully. Pictures such as these would make you believe that he was very active and engaging during our trip. However, pictures such as these would mislead you. Mostly he just wanted to sit in my lap, watch videos of steam engines on YouTube, refuse to eat, and cower in terror before his grandparents. Fun trip.

From the second photo from the left, you can see Henkka observing the wildlife, as Mom mentioned.

You already knew this...

The problem is not that economists are unreasonable people, it’s that they’re evil people.

Why? See here.

Grandchildren

We have had a great time visiting all grandchildren in the last two weeks. They are all so cute and smart, and we love them all! We rode the train at Pullen Park in Raleigh. Tobin, Alison, Hallie, and I are sitting near the top of Old Rag. Henkka had fun playing in the water in our back yard. He also was excited to see Bambi in Gunnell's front yard. (Scott has also now shown me how to do a link, which I knew was easy, but still didn't know how to do it.)

Three little words...

from the Stake President:

"Elder's Quorum President"

Gulp.