We’re safe and sound in Scottsdale, AZ, after two and a half wonderful days of visiting family. We left Friday afternoon to get a jump on the trip and drove to Medford, OR, where we stayed at Motel 6 for the night. The next day we drove to Lafayette, CA, to visit Uncle Ralph, Aunt Carol and cousins Danielle and David. Yesterday we drove from the East Bay through the California Central Valley to my sister’s house in Moreno Valley, CA. After a very restful night in their RV, we had a shorter drive to Scottsdale where Tina’s sister and her family live. The smell of Mexican food is pervading the house and Thomas and Graham are excited to play with their cousins, Xander and Wil. We are glad to be at the end of the long drive but we really enjoyed seeing everyone along the way. Thanks to everyone for the wonderful food and company along the way. Feliz navidad!
Put This On My XMas List
Christmas Vacation 2007
For anybody interested in our Christmas itinerary, I’m keeping track of it on 30Boxes, my favorite online calendar. You can see our full calendar here or a simple list of events here. All but the first few dates are tentative and I’ll modify them as our vacation progresses.
Mid-morning nap time
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Fighting Five Year Olds
Vital Statistics
Bike odometer: 2352
Weight lost (in pounds): 35
Hours of sleep last night: 7
Hours billed last week: 37
Aches & pains: sciatic (when I stand too long), right shoulder (when I extend my arm away from my body), left achilles tendon, joints in my right hand (likely RSI from Guitar Hero)
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, Space Cadet by Robert A. Heinlein
Recent listening: In Rainbows by Radiohead, The Shepherd’s Dog by Iron & Wine
Recent viewing: Countdown, The 300 Spartans, Rank, Numb3rs, Eagles vs. Cowboys
Recent playing: foosball, Guitar Hero III (Wii)
Recently accomplished: cleaned cat boxes, recycling, old email, Christmas shopping
Imperative To Do: Sift through inbox, post office (Sunleafs, Seagate, Kent, Sue), sunglasses, InstantCake, phone calls, vacation planning, packing list
Charlie Brown Christmas
Bureau of Communication
Are you ever at a loss for words when communication is of the utmost importance? The Bureau of Communication may have what you need. The Observance of Holiday notice is handy right now, but I think I could use the Formal Apology almost every day!
Places To Go, People To See
As I mentioned earlier, we are going on a big road trip over Christmas break. Our main destination is Phoenix, Arizona, where Tina’s sister, Michelle, lives. We’ll be traveling through California to get there and come back, so we’re seeking advice on places to visit and sites to see along the way. We may not see all of them, but we’re compiling a long list so we have many choices. Please leave your suggestions in the comments.
The Writer’s Strike
Thomas wanted to know what the writers’ strike was about: what it meant to “strike” and why the writers were doing it. I haven’t been following the strike that closely, but I did find a few things on YouTube about it including this excellent summary:
Fred Armisen impersonates Roger Trevanti to explain the latest proposal from the AMPTP. YouTube also has some hilarious videos from the striking writers: