9/11

So, this is a bit of an odd post, but it is mostly for Ryan. We always stay right across the street from the Pentagon when we go to D.C. and I often think of going to see the memorial for 9/11. Last week Tobin and I took the girls over and found Brady's name and his bench. Brady worked at the Herald Journal (I am pretty sure) with Ryan and always stopped by work (in the mall) to say hi to me when he was making his rounds. He was one of the nicest people. Anyway, he was in the Pentagon working when the plane hit.
I just thought Ryan might like to see.

Best & Worst Breakfast Cereals

In my office the other day, we were all debating breakfast cereals during lunch. Here are mine:

Best Cereals: Sugary

1. Cap'n Crunch (any variety)
   
2. Corn Pops
3. Sugar Bear (Honey Smacks)
   
4. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
5. Honey Comb
   

Best Cereals: Mild/Non-Sugary

1. Frosted Mini-Wheats
2. Corn Flakes
   
3. Cinnamon Life
4. Grape Nuts
5. Kirkland (Costco) Raisin Bran
   

Worst Cereals

1. Crispix (I used to love these, now I can't even look at them because of that traumatic experience involving Ryan's moldy bowl of them at the dinner table.)
2. Kix
3. Wheetabix
   

Mt. Naomi

Guess where I was yesterday! Actually, the hike was easier than it was 10-15 years ago. Remember the BFG's stadium? I explained that to the group. They probably thought I was nuts.
There was still a lot of snow at the top and the wild flowers at the bottom were in full bloom and absolutely spectacular.

Virginia and North Carolina vacation

We had a wonderful time visiting Norfolk and Raleigh - in spite of 90 degree plus temperatures with high humidity. Here's a few pictures. The picture of Molly and Ian is at UNC Chapel Hill. Fort Huger was a confederate fort guarding the James River. We took a ferry across the James River near Jamestown. The white patch in the trees is a sail from one of the boats at Jamestown.
Alison, Hallie, Adelaide, and I went to the beach three times - it was great fun. After a very long, cold fall, winter, and spring, the heat felt so good!

Books I've read lately

I thought the family might be interested in some of these books I've read lately:

Flavia de Luce mysteries:
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.
• The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag.
Viva Flavia! She's more interesting than Mma Ramotswe and DCS Foyle combined!

• The Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. April also loved these. Can’t wait for the final book in the series.

I've been into the psychology of choice lately. In that category I've read and enjoyed:
• Blink. Recommended.
• Switch.
• Nudge. Recommended if you like Behavioral Economics and Law.
• Sway.

Books with a lot about autism/Asperger’s in them:
• Look Me in the Eye: My life with Asperger's. Highly recommended.
• Create Your Own Economy. Loved this book.
• See also Blink from above.

Other books.
• The Devil and Sherlock Holmes
• The Percy Jackson books. (H. Potter ripoffs, but still good)
• The Maze Runner.
• 1776
• Open. (Couldn’t put it down.)

Assorted links

1. Wikipedia article on Nazi that Poppa arrested. (Thanks to George for showing me the "T-patch" article!

2. Viva Vishy Anand!

3. Wait for it...

Crimson Trail

I went on my first hike with the Liken' Hikin' ladies from Logan. We did the Crimson Trail in Logan Canyon. It was fun and easy on one of the first nice days we've had. They hike every Friday and I'm excited to go with them again next week.

Mother's Day "Awkward Family Photos"

You're Welcome!

The Weekend in Boston: A Chronology

Thursday (4/15/10)

• Suzanne drops Helen off at Lexington High School at 4 AM for her band trip to Chicago
• Tom picks up Jim and Pascale at the airport (4 PM).
• Return home for a Chicken Marbella dinner.
• T, S, J, and P weigh various options – given the Friday work, airport pickup, and other constraints – for how to get the (very large) ham cooked for Friday night dinner

Friday

• T, J, and P drop off Nina at school
• T, J, and P go to the Concord Cheese Shop to buy a sampling of cheeses, including a stinky French cheese (that people liked, by the way). From Concord Center, walked to the Old North Bridge.
• T, J, and P leave for the airport to pick up George and Karen (noon). Tom thinks he is early so they stop at Harvard on the way and drive past J’s old lab. G calls from the airport –the flight is early. T rushes to the airport.
• Pick up G and K at the airport
• Drive to Hynes Convention Center to pick up G’s marathon bib.
• In the runner’s expo center, T tries a truly disgusting energy drink. Almost gets sick.
• Arrive home in time to put the ham in the oven.
• Nancy and Dennis arrive at Logan Airport. N successfully navigates the Boston interstate system to arrive at their hotel.
• N and D come to T and S’s house and are told to eat lots of ham.
• T, S, J, P, N, D, K, and G discuss various options for sightseeing on Saturday, given the forecast for lousy weather.

Saturday

• Weather is the pits. Decide to stay local (Lexington and Concord), rather than go into Boston.
• Look around the Lexington Battle Green. Some of us admired the back side of Captain Parker, who uttered those famous words at the battle. We see evidence of the smallpox epidemics in 18th century Lexington at the Old Burying Ground.
• Went to the Minute Man National Historical Park Visitors Center. Saw a compelling video on the events of April 19, 1775.
• In the cold rain, we watched a reenactment of the British retreat from Concord.
• Back to T and S’s house for ham sandwiches.
• Drive to Concord to see the Old North Bridge, Old Manse, and Walden Pond. N is surprised at the size, expecting it to be a “pond”, prompting a lengthy discussion on the difference between a pond and a lake.
• Have dinner in Arlington at Tom Yum Koong #2 Restaurant.

Sunday

• Weather is slightly better than on Saturday. Proceed into Boston, via the Red Line from Alewife to Park St. station.
• Walked past the State House, took a peek at Beacon Hill, and then proceeded on the Freedom Trail. Walked past old burying grounds, the super ugly Boston City Hall, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, and then across the Rose Kennedy Greenway and into the North End. Pondered the vast array of lunch options, before settling on a restaurant.
• Toured the Old North Church (one if by land …).
• Split up: S, D, G, K, and Nina returned to Lexington; N, J, P, and T continuing to the USS Constitution, getting soaked on the way across a bridge over Boston Harbor. Unfortunately, the ship was undergoing substantial renovations.
• Walked to Bunker Hill (actually, Breed’s Hill). J and P walk up to the top of the monument; T and N wisely decide not to.
• Walk back across the bridge into Boston, stopping at the Holocaust Memorial, with its powerful words at the entrance.
• Took the Red Line to Harvard Square. Walked around Harvard Yard.
• Returned to T and S’s house.
• S prepared an amazing linguini and mussels dish (with a shallot, garlic, and leek sauce). This also met G’s need to have a pasta dinner the night before the marathon.
• Decide we’ve seen enough Regulars and Minuteman and so will skip the 6 AM Battle of Lexington reenactment the next morning.
• T picks up Helen at Logan Airport, back from her trip to Chicago (10 PM)

Monday (Patriot’s Day)

• T drops off Helen at the High School (6:30 AM), so she can march with the band in the Lexington sunrise Patriot’s Day parade.
• T picks up G, K, and N (6:35 AM) to drive to Hopkinton State Park. Wish G good luck, as he boards the shuttle bus for the starting line.
• T, K, and N drive to the 10-mile mark in Natick. Find excellent parking space. Have breakfast at a diner and then search for the 10-mile mark.
• Got a front row space just past the town center.
• Watched the wheelchair men and women, local favorite Dick Hoyt and his son, the elite women, and then the elite men pass by us. Ryan Hall runs past us, 3 feet away.
• Holly, tracking G on the Internet, keeps in phone contact with K, to let us know when G will pass us. K successfully gives G a water bottle.
• T, K, and N leave Natick, trying to get to mile 25 or 26 in time to see G.
• S, D, J, P, and Nina drive to the 16 mile mark in Wellesley. With help from Holly and K, they successfully give G a water bottle. S, D, J, P, and Nina return home to catch the afternoon Patriot’s Day parade, with Helen marching with the Parade Band.
• Before reaching S, D, J, P, and Nina, G passes Wellesley College. He claims to have by-passed all the shenanigans.
• T, K, and N, after stopping at the house for a pit stop and a ham sandwich, drive to Alewife Station, where they get one of the last 6 spots in the 2,733 car parking lot (lucky break #1).
• On the Red Line, a man tells T, K, and N that the place to watch near the finish line is at Boylston and Hereford (lucky break # 2). We manage to get on a Green Line train in the super-packed Park St. Station (lucky break # 3). We confirm with a rider that Boylston and Hereford is the place to watch. A gentleman, overhearing our conversation, offers to direct us there (lucky break # 4). Once there, it’s a total carnival atmosphere – cowbells, yelling, cheering. K connects with Holly, who gives us G’s updated position. We manage to get in place (only 2 rows of people in front of us – lucky break # 5), and see G five minutes later (lucky break # 6). With the help of a half dozen young women in front of us (lucky break # 7), G hears our screams and turns to see us. Success!
• T, K, and N move thru the mass of people in the area to finally meet G in the Family Reunification area, under the letter R. Walk around a bit, and then take a cab back to Alewife, and then drive home.
• All of us, including Helen, go to Bugaboo Creek steakhouse, with its silly talking buffalo.

Tuesday

• Mill around the house. N and D leave for the airport. N once again successfully navigates the Boston interstates.
• Do some low-key sightseeing. S, T, J, P, G, K, and Nina visit a nearby outdoor sculpture park, with its funky exhibits.
• Have lunch in lovely Concord center, at Helen’s Restaurant.
• Visit a Gropius house, next to Nina’s school in Lincoln.
• T and P drive K and G to the airport.
• S makes split pea soup (with ham) for dinner.
• J, P, T, and Nina go to Lexington’s famous ice cream spot for dessert.

Wednesday

• J and P take a cab to the airport at 4:45 AM, on their way to Salt Lake. Return to Boston on May 7th.

Still more Boston

We spent a day in Boston walking the Freedom Trail. The first picture, with Jim in the corner, is Paul Revere's house.
Next is a view of the Old North Church.
We were surprised to see Bosworth Street.
The last picture is of Jim, Pascale, and me in front of the U.S.S. Constitution.

More Boston

The first day we spent at Lexington and Concord. The group picture is at the Minuteman statue in Lexington. The other two pictures were taken during the re-enactment of a part of the battle near Concord.
Later, we went to Walden Pond, the Concord North Bridge battle site, and the Old Manse, a home owned by Ralph Waldo Emerson and rented by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
It was very cold with rain the entire day.

Mom

Boston

We had a wonderful time in Boston. Here are a couple of pictures. The four of us are in Tom's living room. The other picture is of the crowd near the end of the marathon.

Mom

Happy Birthday NARB!

Mom is how old again?

GAO

Here is a little clip of the GAO in action. I have told Mom some of the crazy things they do, but this one is pretty funny. Tobin and I both got a little chuckle.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/energy-star-fraud-10215533

House

So it seems we have sold the house. There are still inspections, etc. to deal with, but we are happy things have gone smoothly so far. It is sort of sad to get the house looking really good, only to sell it. We will miss it.

Asphalt Ventures

For those who are interested, here's some video of me (and friend/instructor Ashraf sometimes in the passenger seat). I was "signed off" to drive without an instructor, meaning I have progressed from novice to intermediate to advanced to solo in only 6 track days. The new nicest thing anyone has said about me is: "for someone with your experience level, you're pretty damn fast."

Out of gas as GT-R screams by. (Yes, it is embarrassing to run out of gas on track, but in my defense, the gauge doesn't work with the fuel sloshing around violently. Also, you get about 6 mpg and it kinda sneaks up on you.)

I think I like the camera on my helmet better.

Check mirrors!

Segment from last session.

Department of hmm...

The mystery of sudden acceleration.

Update: More here.

Chili Champ

I thought everyone might like to know that Tobin is the new Norfolk 2nd Ward Chili Cook Off Champion. He won with a huge pot of Boz's Baked Beans, not Chili. However it was judged by 4 missionaries from Utah, so they probably thought it was some kind of Southern Chili.
And the fabulous prize? A new ladel. Sweet.

You're Welcome

California-Arizona trip

Now that we have been back from California and Arizona for a week, it's time to show you a couple of pictures! We had a good, but cold and wet time. It was geezerville everywhere! No kids or young families once we left Scott. In Tucson we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. One of the best parts there was the hummingbird house. Many of the birds just sat and let you take pictures of them.
The black line in the picture is the border fence with Mexico, about a mile away, near the Coronado Historical Monument.
We spent a morning at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson and took two very interesting tours, including a bus tour of a "boneyard" where over 4000 old planes and helicopters that have been retired are stored. They are now used for parts. All windows and electronic parts are covered to protect them from ultra violet rays.
Dennis is looking out at a very wet street in Tombstone.
Salla, Scott, Henkka, and Dennis are looking at fish in a pond at San Juan Capistrano. The water was right to the top of the pond and the fish would come right up and look at us. Henkka and Salla loved it.