February 29, 1980: Elizabeth was born
February 29, 1984: Had her 1st birthday
February 29, 1988: Had her 2nd birthday
February 29, 1992: Had her 3rd birthday
February 29, 1996: Had her 4th birthday
February 29, 2000: Had her 5th birthday
February 29, 2004: Had her 6th birthday
February 28–March 1, 2007: turned 6.75
Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!!
TagFest: Health
I need to take better care of myself. I've been up late a lot recently. Some of it is a result of working later at the office and then needing my few hours of downtime at home before sleeping. Some of it due to an addiction to a computer game called Ottomatic (I made it to Level 9!). Some of it is simple bullheadedness.
I've also not been taking breaks at work—sometimes working for hours on a spreadsheet without moving, especially when I'm there after hours with no one to interrupt me.
The result is bad health and I've been getting sore throats and headaches too often for my liking. I had a headache this afternoon and now I'm beginning to feel that post-nasal drip start to irritate my throat. I'm having a big mug of tea (and oatmeal) for supper.
TagFest: Food
I love tacos.
I love crunchy tacos. I love soft tacos. I love crispy wholewheat tacos. I love tacos with hamburger. I love tacos with beans. I love Rubios chicken tacos, just not too hot. I love tacos with a little cheese and a lot of lettuce and fresh tomatoes. I just love a taco.
I drive a Prius and I only go about 30 miles or so a week so I don't have to get gas very often. The last bar on the gas gauge was flashing at me so today was the day.
I was shocked how expensive it was. I paid $2.75/gallon. I put a $20 bill and a $5 bill in the machine and got back just over 9 gallons. I think the last time I got gas it was around $2.30. Maybe I'm just dreaming. Most likely I'm just not paying attention, as usual.
How much are you paying for gas?
TagFest: Music
I listen to my iPod Shuffle during my daily commute. I can't stand the little ear bud headphones though; they hurt my ears. I discovered some foldable ones that I've been using for a few years now. They fit nicely in my bag but I don't take very good care of them. The cushioning foam on the left earpiece had gotten pretty tatty so I picked up a new pair at Target last week.
I like listening to rock but not very loud which is a problem now because my new headphones are pretty squeaky where the wires attach to the earpieces. I think the wires are too stiff. It's distracting from the music.
I love my Shuffle but I prefer to listen to the songs on each album in consecutive order—no random selections for me, thanks. Here are the albums currently on my iPod:
Default
Elocation
One Thing Remains
The Fallout
Fuel
Natural Selection
Something Like Human
Sunburn
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace
One-X
Chevelle
Point #1
This Type of Thinking Could Do Us In
Wonder What's Next
What are you listening to?
TagFest: Tour
Today is the next-to-last stage in the second annual Tour of California. Last year they went right through my town and I didn't even know it! I was disappointed.
This year they again started in San Francisco and again American Levi Leipheimer won the Prologue. He's still in the Yellow Jersey (of tour leader) after winning the individual time trial in Solvang yesterday. Today they're down in Santa Barbara cycling through the hills and canyons. I'm listening to and watching the coverage online. The map shows a satellite image of the course and you can even track certain riders (little colored jerseys) on the map and on the course profile. It's awesome technology even if the audio does keep cutting out.
Right now there's a nine-man breakaway (the red car) ahead of the peloton (the blue car) by 3 minutes. Levi's yellow jersey is in danger so the Discovery team is working hard at the front of the peloton. They have to bring the breakaway back or (my favorite) Stuart O'Grady might be in yellow tonight. I'll update later.
ETA: The long run-in to the finish allowed the peloton to catch up and Levi and the rest of the Discovery boys finished with the pack. Stuey's teammate won the stage so his team, CSC, got some victory out of the day even though he didn't don the yellow. Tomorrow is a flat stage to the finish in Long Beach. We'll see if a breakaway can stay away and break Levi's heart.
TagFest: Books
The Last Kingdom
Bernard Cornwell, 2005
first in the Saxon series
Bernard's site
When Uhtred was ten (in 866 AD), the Danes came to Northumbria to stay. His father, a local lord, and brother were killed and he was captured in a battle at York by a Danish chieftain, Ragnar the Fearless. He found his adopted life with the hard-working, fun-loving, priest-free pagan warriors freeing and fitting for his boyish sensibilities, and soon became more a Dane than an Englishman.
But he always held dear his secret dream of re-taking his homeland and becoming lord of Bebbanburg. It was going to be a long road getting back there. After a tragedy left him homeless, he eventually left the Danes and came to the attention of Alfred, king of the West Saxons (or Wessex), the last English kingdom left free of Danish rule. Alfred, pious and sickly, seemed a far cry from Uhtred's previous rulers with the Danes but the Saxon king was tricky and smart, thinking ahead to when he might need a loyal lord in the North. Uhtred found himself an Englishman once again, but far from home.
The great thing about this book is that there are two others that follow and more in the works. I loved the story-telling device of Uhtred reflecting back on his life from the perspective of an old man—foreshadowing things to come but not giving too much away.
There are many, many characters in the book but most are rich and colorful and therefore memorable. At times I wished for a Cast of Characters. The list of placenames (combined with a map!) that Cornwell does provide is very helpful as he uses unfamiliar contemporary names for most towns and places in the story.
If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love this book and I highly recommend it. Cornwell is the author of the Napoleonic-era Sharpe books, some of which were televised starring Sean Bean. You may be familiar with those. I'm thinking about checking them out when I'm done with some of his other books. He's written a lot!
Favorite part: One thing I like about historical fiction is that the author can present a section of history differently than how we learn about it in school. There are more grey areas to be explored. The good guys (Alfred and the English) are not always that good and the bad guys (the Viking Danes) not always that bad. Cornwell succeeds in teaching us that the Danes are just people and by following Uhtred's journey we can feel a part of those people and their culture.
Least favorite part: The tragedy which caused Uhtred to have to leave the Danes. It was just very sad.
Next BART Book: Cursor's Fury, Jim Butcher
Previous BART Book: Break No Bones, Kathy Reichs
Books on the Shelf:
none
Books on Hold:
Lords of the North, Bernard Cornwell
The Pale Horseman, Bernard Cornwell
Wolf Brother, Michelle Paver
Congratulations to JJZZ on the arrival of their new addition: a baby girl!
I know you've been waiting sooo long so it must feel so very very good to finally hold her in your arms. She looks adorable. I love her eyes and the little tuft of hair on her head. I can't wait to see her in person.
TagFest: BART
The BART lines split just south of the station I go to every workday. One line comes my way and I actually live closer to a station on that line but I like not having to wait so long for a train (since twice as many trains flow through my station) so I drive the three miles over the hill.
After 7 or so in the evening, one of the lines stops running and the trains are spaced further apart (up to 20 minutes) so if I'm at work late I only have half the trains as usual and often have to wait longer for them. If I were smart, I'd check the schedule before leaving work.
Tonight I didn't check but it turns out I would've just caught a train had I not been stopped short just as I went through the fare gates. My friend Corrina was heading home from work in the Mission and we just happened to accidentally coordinate our schedules. We chatted for a couple minutes and when I got down to the platform the signs said I had 18 minutes to wait for my train. Ugh. I hate when that happens. At least I had a book.
TagFest: At Home
I can imagine you at one time or another have purchased hot dogs and hot dog buns and encountered the traditional mismatch of quantities in each package: 8 dogs, 6 buns. Oh, those two poor dogs, left without buns.
I run into this same conundrum whenever I do laundry. There are two washers and three dryers in my apartment complex's utility room. Now I could understand there being only two dryers. You'd have to wait for each set of two loads to dry before drying the next set—a nice 1:1 ratio.
But why—if you're going to have more dryers than washers—would you get three? Wouldn't it make much more sense to get four? Drying almost always takes twice as long as washing. Why does the fourth load have to sit around getting ever more lonely and wrinkled by the minute?
TagFest: Quakes
I guess I should be happy that I only have four posts tagged in this category. I haven't posted about an earthquake since August which does make me a bit nervous though. It might mean that we're about due for some seismic activity. I'm sure I'll be letting you know if I feel one.
It was pretty funny that two of the four posts are titled the same way: Not the Big One. Can you say sword of Damocles?
TagFest: Photos
As I was going through the posts tagged with "photos" I realized that I really didn't post many pics here on Breeze By of my trip to the UK. Here, in honor of TagFest, are few favorites. Click on the pic for a larger size.
I saw this our first day as we were walking from the York train station to our guesthouse. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep or the excitement of finally getting to our first destination but this sign just struck me as about the funniest thing I'd ever seen.
One of the unique experiences we enjoyed was walking on the city walls in both York and Chester. Here I'm following Sal on our guided tour of York. I like this photo because it makes me feel like I'm in motion.
Clifford's Tower is the last remaining structure of the Norman castle in York. I love how the clouds and the hill seem to be radiating out from the center, like a starburst.
As you can see I just barely captured this shot of the welcome sign but it does prove we did indeed go into Scotland. Since we had wheels for the wedding and the days in the Lakes, Sal had the super idea of visiting Hadrian's Wall. It wasn't that much further than what we had originally planned and it gave birth to another super idea of driving all the way up to Gretna Green. That day when we drove from Rawenstall to Gretna to Hadrian's Wall to Keswick was one of my favorite days. We might've gotten lost in Carlisle but even that couldn't diminish the experience.
Sheep were everywhere, of course. The top one is at Housesteads Roman Fort which was built right on Hadrian's Wall and the other is at Castlerigg stone circle in Keswick. I expected that the sheep would be all white and fluffy but many were decorated with bright slashes of color. It wasn't until we got to Keswick that we discovered (by asking at the Tourist Information Centre) that the markings were for distinguishing ownership.
I don't think any of the photos I took of the lakes in the Lake District is not absolutely beautiful. It doesn't speak to my skill as a photographer; the scenery just that gorgeous.
Another sign that caught my fancy and provides excellent advice. This one is found on the side of an inn in Chester.
Before the trip I thought a henge was a circle of stones. I learned while at Avebury that a henge is usually made up of a dirt embankment, a ditch and perhaps a stone circle. This photo shows the dramatic henge in all its three-part glory.
You all know what Stonehenge looks like so I won't bore you with my own photo of it. Here Sal is listening to the oft entertaining audio commentary. I snapped this pic without her knowledge and if it embarrasses you, Sal, I'm not sorry.
I took this shot at the Roman Baths in Bath then realized it was blurry so I took another. As I was flipping through the day's photos that night, culling the worst shots to make room on the card, I accidentally deleted the good one. Or did I? You make the call.
I've said many times that Salisbury Cathedral was my favorite. This reflecting font was one of the many reasons.
My plan was to ride the London Eye near the end of our time there, after I had become more familiar with the layout of the city. It was a good plan. The Eye gets a lot of hype. Believe it. I loved it thoroughly.
I'd read about the Tower of London's St. John's chapel in a guidebook. It's one of the best examples of Norman architecture left in Britain. Isn't it beautiful? I lucked into a personal tour of the chapel since I was the only one who showed up. My guide even took me into the cordoned-off area and I got to see some really old graffiti. Sorry I didn't take a photo of it and I can't remember what it said.
It was our next to last day and I realized I'd taken no photos of the Underground. I surreptitiously snapped this one while we were riding back to our hotel after one of the many evensong services we attended. I like it because it makes me feel like I'm there, jerking side to side along with all the other anonymous passengers.
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If you enjoyed those photos and haven't yet taken the time to peruse the others, you're invited to do so at my photos website.
TagFest: Hockey
The trade deadline is coming up on Feb. 27 and already things have been heating up. Yesterday the Western Conference-leading Nashville Predators (it still feels weird saying that) acquired the right-foot-ailing Peter Forsberg from the Eastern Conference bottom dwelling Philadelphia Flyers. His contract is up and the Flyers need bodies so they had to move him. We'll see how much he actually contributes to the Preds' cup run.
Both my teams are well-situated for the home stretch. New Jersey is second in the East and leads the Atlantic by 5 points over a hot Pittsburgh squad who beat them tonight. The Pens have gotten at least one point in each of their last 15 games. Now that's impressive.
The Sharks are in 5th place in the West and are still chasing Anaheim for tops in the Pacific Division, only 3 points out now. However, they're only 6 points ahead of the 8th place team so they can't slow down. Losing tonight to Columbus (14th in the conference) is simply not acceptable. I'm wondering if they'll make any moves before the deadline. They need to score some goals (two consecutive shut-outs!) and having Marleau out with an injury is not helping things.
TagFest: Words
When I discovered the Dictionary program on my computer, I started looking up interesting words I happened upon while reading. Some were words I didn't know; some were ones I was just curious to see how they were defined. Here are some of my favorites:
assiduity: constant or close attention to what one is doing
bugbear: a cause of obsessive fear, irritation, or loathing
effusion: an instance of giving off something such as a liquid, light, or smell (medicine: an escape of fluid into a body cavity)
effulgent: shining brightly; radiant; (of a person or their expression) emanating joy or goodness
encomium: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly
shambolic: chaotic, disorganized, or mismanaged
and of course
rant: to speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way
Tagfest: TV
February means good TV. Three of my favorite reality shows have started up again: Survivor, American Idol and, beginning again on Sunday with an All-Star edition, The Amazing Race.
We're only a couple episodes into the new Survivor: Fiji and I don't have any clear favorites yet. Maybe Lisi. Her laugh cracks me up. I like the severe inequity of the haves and have-nots when it comes to resources. Can Ragu Ravu pull through with such limits? Did you see them sucking on leaves to get water? I can't imagine they will last very long. At least they have the resourceful and sneaky Yau-man.
Idol has passed through the most painful time for me (all the really bad singers) and should be getting good next week with the start of the studio show which showcases the last 12 guys and last 12 girls on consecutive nights. I definitely have a clear favorite in the guys group (Vote for Chris!) but I'm having trouble mustering any interest in the girls. Where is this season's Katherine McPhee?
The Amazing Race is one of the best shows ever. I'm hoping the all-star edition will be just as fun. The big name couple of Boston Rob and Amber are back as well as the evil Joe and Bill from the first season. Those two teams must be the most conniving ever seen on this show. I'm not sure how I feel about having one of the winning teams back. They've already won the million bucks. Shouldn't another team get a chance?
TagFest: Tech
This tag category is kind of my catch-all for various topics, mostly internet-related. Here are some highlights:
Pandora Rocks: where I start up my own radio station, WKBJ
Say What?: where I get all excited about my brand-new Mac Mini
When Your DVR Lies to You: where I attempt to watch what I want when I want
Gmail Chat Away: where I persuade a recalcitrant friend to try a chat program
Going Off the Map: where we peruse cool places on earth from satellites
Gmail-Jackin': where I started getting some dude's Amazon emails
To see other tech posts, click on the word "tech" in the Tags section in the sidebar on the right.
I'm really enjoying the new Blogger. It takes a blink to publish a post when before I'd be sitting around for a few seconds. Of course, you know I'm loving the tags. The customization of text and elements on the page is much easier (e.g. "7 comments" can be "7 POVs" or even "7 wishes for you"). Comments can be dated now which makes it easier to know when your fellow readers have been visiting (and leaving their own POV). However, you still can't edit your comments. (Why can't they fix that?)
But my favorite thing so far is the navigational tools. If you're at the bottom of a page, you aren't forced to scroll up to the top to keep reading—there are links to newer or older posts right there waiting for you. If you click on the posting-time link ("posted by bjwill at 9:09 AM") and you get to a page with a single post, you can even maneuver from post to post easily with the "Newer Post" and "Older Post" links below the comments.
If you're a Blogger user and have not yet updated. I would highly recommend it.
TagFest: Family
I got an intriguing email recently from my mom with a too-short description of a party my dad is going to be hosting at their home in Michigan. It sounded like fun so I thought I would ask him a few questions about it.
What is the name of your event?
Cabin Fever Reliever Party
With all the snow and ice, lots of people don't get out of their 'cabins' very often, thus we get cabin fever, which leads to depression which leads to you know what. Part of our thinking was having a Mardi Gras-type of party.
February 20, 2007 from 11:00 to 1:30. Since most of our guests are older than we are, it's at lunchtime.
We have invited around 20 folks who either live alone, are widowed, or have some reason they don't get out much, plus a few to help with transportation and with our party.
The decorations will be the food. We don't have anything else planned.
We will give them the spoon they use for dessert.
No. If there is need for some activity, we are prepared for 'scissor craft' to make snowflakes, or some simple paper folding [origami]. And we have air hockey in the basement though only a few might risk the stairs.
The menu will contain items that we have liked and enjoyed through the years. Since our six children are no longer nearby to honor with parties, we thought it was time to honor some others. The menu is mostly fix-your-own because it's easy to prepare.
We'll start out with Treasure Chests—stuffing cheese into a slit in half a hot dog, wrapping them with prepared biscuit dough, and topping with ketchup. While they are baking in the oven, we'll make our own appetizers by stacking meat, cheeses, pickles, olives, etc. on toothpicks or on crackers. By the time we finish eating those, the Chests will be out of the oven.
For dessert, we will have Brown Cows—root beer poured over vanilla ice cream in a tall cup. Tapioca pudding with whipped cream topping and 'poor folks apple pie' [applesauce on saltines] will also be available.
It's probably obvious that the menu was chosen by the man of the house. Having everyone in on the preparation will make us feel more like we're all part of the family.
I'm sure everyone will have fun and enjoy each other. We are all from the same church and already know each other to some degree. Maybe we'll learn something new! If it turns out well, we might hold it again.
TagFest: Sports
I'm not a huge golf fan but I will occasionally check out the majors and other interesting tournaments. This weekend is the Pebble Beach Pro-Am which takes place just south of where I live. When I have visitors, I often take them along the 17-Mile-Drive which winds through a couple of the golf courses at Pebble Beach. The scenery is simply spectacular along the ocean.
This particular tournament has suffered from notoriously bad weather since it's scheduled during the rainy season here. It's kinda sad (and a tad ironic) that we were having dry weather until just a few days ago—just in time for the Pro-Am. Everything is gorgeous today though and I was overjoyed to see they're broadcasting it in HD. It really shows off the beauty of the area, and you can actually see the golf ball!
TagFest: DMV
Department of Motor Vehicles Webcam!
Delicious Meat and Vegetables Yummy!
Dancing Men on Vacation Note: not in San Francisco
Dirty Mean Vagabond I'm surprised I got any results with this one.
Drinks Mai-Tais on the Veranda See 2:19 Local Time
Democrat? Might Vote. Obama/Clinton 2008!
Daylight Makes Vitamin The photo cracked me up.
