Monday, November 12, 2007

I'm back

Motorcycle Justice


I have finally gotten back to the blog thing. I feel somewhat ashamed as the "bloggabilities" of many of my friends far surpass mine and no matter how hard I try I feel I may never become the blogexpert that these people are. This of course is reflected in todays post. I don't have a lot to put on here at the moment because i just realized that even though I am ready, my laptop is not! I need to download a bunch of pictures togive this blog the update is deserves. In the meantime I am including a couple of pictures of Justice on his motorcycle (not really his).

Winter is setting in and he will not be able to ride much longer so we got a few last pics of him in good weather really pushing the limits of man (5 year-old) and machine. More updates soon with more serious (yah right) posts and attention to important current events--like national elections and the universal health care.

Monday, September 24, 2007

RAIDERS FINALLY WIN


This is Ohio so I better not say it too loud, but RAIDERS WON. Who cares how they did it or what could have happened. The fact is, the Raiders have finally broken an 11 game losing streak. Now...who's next!

Columbus Zoo

Flavor Flav and the Columbus Zoo


I was going to get some work done on Saturday, but Justice suggested from the couch that it seemed like a good idea to head to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. So off we went. Turns out, the aquarium is pretty small, though I suppose once you have visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium enough times there isn't much that will compare to it, however, in the end it turned out to be a nice zoo. Overall, I think it is comparable to the San Francisco Zoo, though I think the Gorilla exhibit at San Francisco is much nicer. Even more exciting is that they ae building a giant water park next to the zoo for next Spring. I'm sure Justice will love that.

They did have an animal at the zoo that I have always wanted to see, (but forgot to get photos somewhow). The manatee! What a hideous looking animal! I have a feeling they may be pretty stupid too. They seem to just float around eating and getting their tails whacked off by motor boats. Much bigger and maybe a little more graceful than I initially thought they would be, but ugly nonetheless.

Anyways, Justice had fun at the zoo even though he didnt buy anything. And believe me, it is hard to avoid opportunities to buy CRAP at places like the zoo. Everything is placed at the eye level of a five-year-old so the second they see it they want it. Luckily, at the Columbus Zoo they had a booth setup where kids could make crafts. FOR FREE! Justice colored some slice of wood about the size of a pancake and hung it around his neck on a string. IT'S THE FLAVOR! Flav that is. And that was it for the zoo. I will be back to posting more now that I have begun to settle in here in Columbus. (As I look at all the unpacked boxes in the house I realize that is bit of a lie).

Mi Familia!

CSRE Farewell


It was hard to say good-bye to all the folks at CCSRE. I have been at Stanford for 7 years and never really felt like I had a home until I became a part of the CCSRE community which made this the hardest good-bye of the Summer. Indeed, it was so hard I stayed in town long after I moved out of my old house. Nevertheless, all good things must come to an end. The pictures here are from a lunch we had the last few days I was in town, and each and everyone of the people in these photos are the "heart" of CSRE. They give it life and make it the truly special place it is.

For 5 years I never cared much for Stanford, and there is still a part of me that doesn't quite "get it." I always felt a little out of place. However, my last two years in CSRE have given me something I will never feel out of place in--friendship and a group of people I sincerely feel I can call family. So in many ways I guess this isn't good-bye. I know that no matter where I end up I will always have my family at CSRE and they will always have my greatest respect. Three cheers for all the staff, faculty, and students of CSRE!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

School buses and Ninjas


It is only a few weeks into Justice's first year of kindergarten and he has decided that riding a bus is a great way to get to Clinton Elementary. To me, it sounds like suicide for a 5-year-old with a pocket full of milk money (about 50 cents) to get on a bus, and I thought for certain he would change his mind once on board with all the strange, older kids. However, much to my surprise he ascended the small flight of stairs and plopped himself down in a seat, heeding his Mommy's advice to stay at the front and let the bus driver know if there were any problems. He has taken the bus ever since and loves it. I don't know how long he will continue riding the bus, and I am not sure what he does on it, but who cares. I suspect he probably just looks out the window reveling in his newfound freedom while watching the world go by his own little private window, absorbing the bumps along the way. Enjoy the ride Justice!

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Our house and community

We have a new house in Columbus.It is a rental but it is very cute and there are a lot of windows. It is a 3-bedroom, two story house (as the picture shows) with a basement. Unfortunately, there is no garage so I will have to stop collecting junk since every time I go in to the basement I hit my head on the ceiling. It is only a short walk to campus and there are a lot of cool things to do really close. There is a co-op grocery called Clintonville Community Market a few blocks up the street and some really good ice-cream nearby, Denise's Homemade Ice Cream which apparently originated in Boston. I have yet to try it, but I hear it is good. Justice's school is nearby and he likes to take the bus which stops right in front of our house.

Lots of movies!

I was trying to find some way to watch TV from around the world (as I am very bored at Larry's house) and came across this cool website with a long list of movies available to watch online. The quality varies depending on the movie, and I am skeptical about how legal this page is, but it is there and I just wanted to report on it. Here's the link: http://www.tv-links.co.uk/listings/4. What you do with it is up to you.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

August Birthdays (posted in September)

August Birthdays


Obviously a little late, but I have been in Columbus moving into my new house (post to come shortly) and traveling (no post on that except to say traveling sucks!). Here's some pictures from a few of our August birthday people. There are quite a few of us too--Rachel, me, Rachel's Dad, brother, a few cousins and nieces and probably a pet or two so August is of course busy. I missed most of the activities since I am in California, presumably doing work, but Rachel sent photos. I did get to use skype to visit the party. If any of you have not heard of skype yet, I highly recommend it. It is the best way to be away from someone yet feel like you are actually there. It almost felt as if I was at the birthday party. The only problem is that you need to have cameras on both laptops to get the full skype experience.

Anyways, enjoy the photos. More to come soon on trip to Columbus.

Friday, August 31, 2007

First Day of School

Justice's first day at Clinton Elementary



For those of you who don’t know, Justice started school on Wednesday. Here’s some photos from his first day. He was very unhappy when his Mommy left him and tried to run away with her, but when Mommy came back at lunch to spy on him he was already running around with his classmates. The teacher told him when he comes back he can be “line leader” for the whole day!

On Friday, his second day (he got Thursday off for some reason), he left Mommy at the door for his friend. I guess he is growing up now. He was very excited about day of being “line leader” which essentially meant him and his friend were at the front of the line all day. I am not sure where they were going in these lines, but Justice was definitely proud.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Justice having way too much fun!

Damn This Blog!

How the Hell do you change things on this blog. There are some typos in my first blog and I can't figure out how to correct them. Even the title of my blog is messed up. Maybe this is it. Maybe you can't fix your mistakes. Is this what a blog is? A complete record of all my screwups? Argghhh!

Okay, I'll be back later with some pictures. Bye (to whoever I am writing to). This is very confusing...


okay, disregard the whole mistakes thing. I figured it out. I hope I didn't overreact. Did I?

First Entry

I have decided to start a blog. A fellow graduate student, Yan, assures me the best thing that ever happened to her was her blog. So, in honor of Yan, her dog Samedi and every graduate student working diligently to complete their dissertation, I take this first step toward what I hope will be a truly rewarding relationship between me and my blog. Look forward to more entries as I embark on this tRek toward blogo-bliss.