This past weekend we were hit with a heat wave. All of the days were hot and humid that made doing things outside pretty uncomfortable. So, we proceeded to have an amazingly busy weekend, doing lots of stuff outside!
Friday night involved a trip to the Liberty Science Center with our friends. It was a fun night, Naomi in particular enjoyed all of the exhibits. Donough works there and was able to get us in for free AND get us the staff discount for dinner, so not only was it a fun night but the price was great!
Saturday was supposed to be cricket. However, due to a calendar update error, Mindy had noticed that she was scheduled to do her henna at a local street fair...so this took precedence. Unfortunately the weather was too hot for people to enjoy walking around and so there were pretty much no potential customers. Considering this, we packed up early and left by mid-afternoon. Upon arriving home, our street was being setup for the annual street block party, which we had not planned to attend. Based on the other cancellations, we decided to go along for a while and spend some more time in the sun. It was fun and it made us regret that we have not done more with our neighbours over the years.
Sunday begain with a trip to a local diner for breakfast. It was pretty much a typical diner experience - 50-something waitresses with massive chips on their shoulders acting quite impatient and other assorted weirdos in attendance. The food was OK, even though the kids really didn't find much they wanted to eat. A late morning call from Gary involved an invitation for all of us to go to the movies to see Kung Fu Panda with the kids. However, the theatre was sold out! Plan B was enacted - grab some lunch and then go to the local pool where they are members to cool down. The kids really enjoyed this and it was nice to cool down. After this, back to their house for dinner and an end to a hot, tiring yet fun weekend.
Monday was the last day of work for a week. Vacation starts on Tuesday - always a good thing!
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Gardening Success
Last night we ate a salad made from a lettuce from our garden. Mindy has done a great job in getting this going and I guess the final proof was last night. There are several more lettuces there along with beans; carrots; squash and beets...and probably something else I cannot think of right now. Hopefully we have continued success over the summer.
Our new trees are also growing well and sprouting little leaves. They are still quite small but considering what we started with, there has certainly been some progress there.
This weekend is shaping up to be quite busy. Mindy has another street fair tomorrow, which actually meant I had to cancel cricket :-( . I guess it will be a lot of home/kid stuff for two days and figuring out how to beat the heat.
Our new trees are also growing well and sprouting little leaves. They are still quite small but considering what we started with, there has certainly been some progress there.
This weekend is shaping up to be quite busy. Mindy has another street fair tomorrow, which actually meant I had to cancel cricket :-( . I guess it will be a lot of home/kid stuff for two days and figuring out how to beat the heat.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Cricket/Rugby
The 2nd test ended in a draw. We were not far off winning the game and had the close MacGill stumping decision gone our way, we likely would have done it. However, we had some umpiring luck earlier in the game so I am not complaining. Glad to see they are listening to me and now using Stuart Clark with the new ball. I never understood why this was not done from day 1. You have a guy, who is a very similar bowler to McGrath and I seem to remember McGrath being pretty decent with the new ball on occasion...and you throw the ball to an erratic rookie because he is a lefty. Lee and Clark will put batsmen under a lot of pressure from ball 1 and I think we will see better results due to this. The spinning position is now very much a weakness of our team but it is hard to see anyone doing much worse than MacGill / Hogg did of late. We will never find another Warne but there has to be a young spinner in the country who can send down a few decent overs for use. Casson will get his crack in the 3rd test it seems.
I watched the Super 14 final. A good match but in the end, Canterbury were too strong for us. I am excited at the prospect of the Wallabies having a different look and feel this year. New coach, a number of new, young players and a few years to get things right after the last World Cup disaster. I think we can push the All Blacks in the Tri Nations, but it is hard to see them not winning the series. I will be interested to see where we stand up against NZ and SA. Based on the Super 14, I think we have the players to test both of them. Vickermann's loss is huge and without him, our tight 5, already with some questions, will be severely tested. On the bright side, Mumm was a huge find this season and I hope they let him have a crack for the Wallabies. Looking forward to the next couple of months!!!
I watched the Super 14 final. A good match but in the end, Canterbury were too strong for us. I am excited at the prospect of the Wallabies having a different look and feel this year. New coach, a number of new, young players and a few years to get things right after the last World Cup disaster. I think we can push the All Blacks in the Tri Nations, but it is hard to see them not winning the series. I will be interested to see where we stand up against NZ and SA. Based on the Super 14, I think we have the players to test both of them. Vickermann's loss is huge and without him, our tight 5, already with some questions, will be severely tested. On the bright side, Mumm was a huge find this season and I hope they let him have a crack for the Wallabies. Looking forward to the next couple of months!!!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Mad Dog Blues
Played cricket on Saturday and it was another tough loss for the Mad Dogs. My bowling is terrible at the moment and I am not sure if/when/how I will fix it. I batted OK but got out to one that kept a little low on the pitch, just as I should have been ready to kick on with the innings. A few of us got out that way and so it was a disappointing loss. We now have our work cut out for us to reach our league final, especially when we are throwing in an understrength team for our game on Saturday.
Saturday night was more successful. Played in our neighbourhood poker game, hosted by Kevin and his new, hand made, oak poker table. No hands that were too crazy, my patience was rewarded with a $40 profit on the night. Many laughs were had and everyone had a good time. Got back home at 3:30, to get 3 hours of sleep before a day with the kids.
On Sunday, Mindy was doing her henna art and face painting at a local street fair, so I was on kid duty. After helping Mindy set up, we spent some time at the house, hit Taco Bell for lunch and then to the bookstore where the kids enjoyed the train table; stuffed animals and books in the kids department. I enjoyed reading a poker book and drinking coffee trying to stay awake. With the coffee not doing a thing, we went back home and I took a 40 minute nap while the kids watched some TV, then off to get Mindy. She had a good day but was quite tired by the end of the day. She went out with a friend for dinner, so I got the kids to bed and watched some TV before enjoying crashing in bed and getting ready for Colgate on Monday.
Saturday night was more successful. Played in our neighbourhood poker game, hosted by Kevin and his new, hand made, oak poker table. No hands that were too crazy, my patience was rewarded with a $40 profit on the night. Many laughs were had and everyone had a good time. Got back home at 3:30, to get 3 hours of sleep before a day with the kids.
On Sunday, Mindy was doing her henna art and face painting at a local street fair, so I was on kid duty. After helping Mindy set up, we spent some time at the house, hit Taco Bell for lunch and then to the bookstore where the kids enjoyed the train table; stuffed animals and books in the kids department. I enjoyed reading a poker book and drinking coffee trying to stay awake. With the coffee not doing a thing, we went back home and I took a 40 minute nap while the kids watched some TV, then off to get Mindy. She had a good day but was quite tired by the end of the day. She went out with a friend for dinner, so I got the kids to bed and watched some TV before enjoying crashing in bed and getting ready for Colgate on Monday.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Long Weekends are Too Short
Coming off the Memorial Day long weekend, it was tough to get back into the swing of things at work. I managed to drink beer and eat with friends on 4 occasions over the weekend, beginning on Friday night. We did not achieve much more than this but really enjoyed relaxing and hanging out with friends. Helped the American beer economy by drinking as much local brew as I could manage - Yuengling, Sam Adams and Magic Hat were all sampled on many occasions. Yuengling is a drinking staple in my house but I have to say the the Sam Adams Summer Ale is another good reason for enjoying this time of the year.
Thoroughly enjoyed watching the Waratahs smash the Sharks on the weekend and go through to the Super 14 final. It will be tough against the Crusaders but if they play like they did last weekend, we have a chance. Also, followed the cricket on the internet as the Directv website said nothing about the Australia v West Indies test. I found out today that I could have been watching it if I had bothered to turn on my TV :-( . I will make sure I am lined up to watch the next match for sure. Only comments on the side are that it is about time Lee and Clark took the new ball and also, we miss Hayden at the top of the order. Like the way we are playing though and should do well for the rest of the series.
Thoroughly enjoyed watching the Waratahs smash the Sharks on the weekend and go through to the Super 14 final. It will be tough against the Crusaders but if they play like they did last weekend, we have a chance. Also, followed the cricket on the internet as the Directv website said nothing about the Australia v West Indies test. I found out today that I could have been watching it if I had bothered to turn on my TV :-( . I will make sure I am lined up to watch the next match for sure. Only comments on the side are that it is about time Lee and Clark took the new ball and also, we miss Hayden at the top of the order. Like the way we are playing though and should do well for the rest of the series.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Babel
I had heard good things about the movie Babel and it had been sitting on our DVR for a while so I suggested that we watch it last night. Mindy was not sure, she felt like something uplifting. I did not know anything about it so we decided to give it a go.
"Not uplifting" is an understatement. It follows 4 stories - the adventures of an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in Morocco; a goat hearding family in Morocco; two kids and their Mexican nanny in San Diego/Mexico; and a deaf-mute Japanese girl. As the movie progresses, the relationship between the 4 stores gets clearer. The movie was full of tension and drama, perhaps too much for what Mindy wanted last night. The acting was excellent, I enjoyed the flow of the movie and felt that it was well written and edited together. Certainly a good movie worth looking at but perhaps not on an evening when you want to watch a "feel good" movie.
Looking forward to getting out of here soon and enjoying the long weekend at the house. The weather is finally getting better so it will be a fun few days.
"Not uplifting" is an understatement. It follows 4 stories - the adventures of an American couple (Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in Morocco; a goat hearding family in Morocco; two kids and their Mexican nanny in San Diego/Mexico; and a deaf-mute Japanese girl. As the movie progresses, the relationship between the 4 stores gets clearer. The movie was full of tension and drama, perhaps too much for what Mindy wanted last night. The acting was excellent, I enjoyed the flow of the movie and felt that it was well written and edited together. Certainly a good movie worth looking at but perhaps not on an evening when you want to watch a "feel good" movie.
Looking forward to getting out of here soon and enjoying the long weekend at the house. The weather is finally getting better so it will be a fun few days.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
A Party, Bee Movie
This past weekend was busy as usual. Saturday was Naomi's belated 6th birthday party. Friends from her school and in the local neighbourhood descended on our backyard for a "messy party". This was something that Mindy and Naomi had dreamt up and the name pretty much speaks for itself. There were various stations around the yard – a mud pit; whipped cream; spaghetti noodles; shredded paper; body paint and sprinklers. It all finished with a water balloon fight – I clocked Mindy a beauty right in the face…but wore a handful of mud as a result. All of the kids seemed to have fun – not so sure about the parents having to clean them up! Naomi spent literally the last hour of the party wallowing in the mud pit and getting completely covered in the stuff.
Sunday was the return of our “Young Humanist” group. We had some new families show interest so we will see if we get enough interest to allow it to continue. It was fun and the kids enjoyed playing with the other children that were there, despite Naomi’s initial hesitation.
In the evening we watched the animated “Bee Movie” and pretty much hated it. It was trying to be too cute, some gags aimed at adults that were not appropriate for young kids and it was not really that interesting. The kids sat through it but did not really think it was that anything special, shown by the complete lack of talk/play surrounding the bee theme after the movie. I think that the Pixar folks are the best at getting the balance just right in their animation – kids movies that adults can enjoy. If I was looking to grade the film, “Dee Movie” would have been a more appropriate title.
Sunday was the return of our “Young Humanist” group. We had some new families show interest so we will see if we get enough interest to allow it to continue. It was fun and the kids enjoyed playing with the other children that were there, despite Naomi’s initial hesitation.
In the evening we watched the animated “Bee Movie” and pretty much hated it. It was trying to be too cute, some gags aimed at adults that were not appropriate for young kids and it was not really that interesting. The kids sat through it but did not really think it was that anything special, shown by the complete lack of talk/play surrounding the bee theme after the movie. I think that the Pixar folks are the best at getting the balance just right in their animation – kids movies that adults can enjoy. If I was looking to grade the film, “Dee Movie” would have been a more appropriate title.
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