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M catches a pass last week at his flag football game. He's number 11.
Soccer, Flag Football, Grandparents, and Really Big Ferris Wheels
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M and K were lucky enough to see all the grandparents last weekend. Grandma and Grandpa S visited Saturday and watched both of the boys’ soccer games in the wind and cold. Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa B came to watch M’s flag football game and stayed for a yummy dinner of Chicken Ceasar Salad, bread, pears, and lemon pound cake. With whipped topping from a can.
M and K had good starts to their soccer seasons. K’s team won, 5-3, which matches the number of wins they had all of last year. They look like they’re a little more mature this spring than last year, and we saw some good passes and good runs to the goal by a number of players. K had his usual determined look as he went after the ball.
M's soccer team lost their game, 1-0, but it was a moral victory against a team that plays together all year. The other team had a lot of raw talent and it was clear they had a number of set plays they practiced, but M’s team ran them hard. Some of us parents got the impression the other team was a bit surprised that they didn’t walk all over us.
M’s flag football team also lost, 12-6, with the opposing team’s final touchdown being scored on an interception late in the game. M's team played very well, and he had several great plays as usual. He caught a pass and ran downfield a ways when he was on offense, and on defense, he tipped one pass up in the air and it landed in the arms of a teammate for an interception. He also had a couple tackles. Their last game of the season is Saturday, when they’ll play in the Consolation playoff game.
Links
When dad was here, he said I didn’t post nearly enough fun links to other websites. Because I hate to disappoint him, here a few I’ve been saving up.
You will never get me on the London Eye. I’ll fly on a plane 6 miles in the air, but I will not get on this. I’m still kicking myself for going on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago that one time.
More “observation wheels”: The Singapore Flyer and The Star of Nanchang
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The favorite books of 50 famous authors.
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Robots! More Robots!
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Um - what?
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Should you eat it if it falls on the floor? Check this guide for the answer.
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Some interesting old calculators and slide rules.
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M and K were lucky enough to see all the grandparents last weekend. Grandma and Grandpa S visited Saturday and watched both of the boys’ soccer games in the wind and cold. Sunday, Grandma and Grandpa B came to watch M’s flag football game and stayed for a yummy dinner of Chicken Ceasar Salad, bread, pears, and lemon pound cake. With whipped topping from a can.
M and K had good starts to their soccer seasons. K’s team won, 5-3, which matches the number of wins they had all of last year. They look like they’re a little more mature this spring than last year, and we saw some good passes and good runs to the goal by a number of players. K had his usual determined look as he went after the ball.
M's soccer team lost their game, 1-0, but it was a moral victory against a team that plays together all year. The other team had a lot of raw talent and it was clear they had a number of set plays they practiced, but M’s team ran them hard. Some of us parents got the impression the other team was a bit surprised that they didn’t walk all over us.
M’s flag football team also lost, 12-6, with the opposing team’s final touchdown being scored on an interception late in the game. M's team played very well, and he had several great plays as usual. He caught a pass and ran downfield a ways when he was on offense, and on defense, he tipped one pass up in the air and it landed in the arms of a teammate for an interception. He also had a couple tackles. Their last game of the season is Saturday, when they’ll play in the Consolation playoff game.
Links
When dad was here, he said I didn’t post nearly enough fun links to other websites. Because I hate to disappoint him, here a few I’ve been saving up.
You will never get me on the London Eye. I’ll fly on a plane 6 miles in the air, but I will not get on this. I’m still kicking myself for going on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier in Chicago that one time.
More “observation wheels”: The Singapore Flyer and The Star of Nanchang
--
The favorite books of 50 famous authors.
--
Robots! More Robots!
--
Um - what?
--
Should you eat it if it falls on the floor? Check this guide for the answer.
--
Some interesting old calculators and slide rules.
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Festifools and Prickly Pear: Better Together
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The family unit did some uniquely Ann Arbor things yesterday. It's no fun living in a city with all kinds of neat things to do if you don't do them.
We went to Festifools in downtown Ann Arbor yesterday. It's a parade of large puppets and other characters made by whoever wants to make one. Here is the group's website.
Here is an example of the puppets.
Maybe you recognize Bender (the robot) from "Futurama" in this picture?
One more picture - the man on the left is the Mayor of Ann Arbor, and the man on the right is also the Mayor of Ann Arbor. Or maybe it's the opposite, I'm not sure.
After the parade, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Prickly Pear Southwest Cafe. I had the Vegetarian Sweet Potato Enchiladas. According to the menu, they have chihuahua cheese in them. In retrospect, I should have asked, just to make sure it wasn't cheese from a dog. Dog cheese = not good.
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The family unit did some uniquely Ann Arbor things yesterday. It's no fun living in a city with all kinds of neat things to do if you don't do them.
We went to Festifools in downtown Ann Arbor yesterday. It's a parade of large puppets and other characters made by whoever wants to make one. Here is the group's website.
Here is an example of the puppets.
Maybe you recognize Bender (the robot) from "Futurama" in this picture?
One more picture - the man on the left is the Mayor of Ann Arbor, and the man on the right is also the Mayor of Ann Arbor. Or maybe it's the opposite, I'm not sure.
After the parade, we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Prickly Pear Southwest Cafe. I had the Vegetarian Sweet Potato Enchiladas. According to the menu, they have chihuahua cheese in them. In retrospect, I should have asked, just to make sure it wasn't cheese from a dog. Dog cheese = not good.
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USS Arizona
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Back in February, I mentioned I was almost done building a model of the USS Arizona. I finished it shortly after that, and I haven't put up any pictures of it until now.
The colors that were outlined in the model instructions are roughly what I used to paint it. But the model is an old one that they haven't updated in a long time - experts now believe the colors were much different from what most people think. Most, if not all, the pictures of the Arizona that anyone kept track of were black and white, which makes determining the true colors more difficult.
Here is an article about a model that is at Pearl Harbor today, and the colors it uses.
Some details on the USS Arizona itself are here.
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Back in February, I mentioned I was almost done building a model of the USS Arizona. I finished it shortly after that, and I haven't put up any pictures of it until now.
The colors that were outlined in the model instructions are roughly what I used to paint it. But the model is an old one that they haven't updated in a long time - experts now believe the colors were much different from what most people think. Most, if not all, the pictures of the Arizona that anyone kept track of were black and white, which makes determining the true colors more difficult.
Here is an article about a model that is at Pearl Harbor today, and the colors it uses.
Some details on the USS Arizona itself are here.
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A Few Links
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I love these radio telescopes from Russia. Someone took some great pictures.
Robots! (and a few ray guns)
A graphic showing the best jobs. I wasn't able to resize the image in my browser, so you might have to scroll back and forth to see it all. Is anyone surprised to see Security Trader with the highest salary?
I love these radio telescopes from Russia. Someone took some great pictures.
Robots! (and a few ray guns)
A graphic showing the best jobs. I wasn't able to resize the image in my browser, so you might have to scroll back and forth to see it all. Is anyone surprised to see Security Trader with the highest salary?
Trip Report: Washington, D.C.
The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. We didn't go in, though - this picture was taken on Easter Sunday.
We just returned from our trip to Washington, D.C. We had great weather, saw a lot of great monuments and memorials, and went to some outstanding museums. The first day we were there, we trudged the mall, then down by the water for the FDR and Thomas Jefferson memorials. That was a long day, and we were all ready for dinner and swimming at the hotel, but the person who called in a bomb threat to the Pentagon City subway station caused us to encounter a 2-hour delay in getting home. In short, the Metro authorities shut down the station, and we were stuck waiting for a shuttle bus to take us to the station after Pentagon City. We were lucky that we even got a shuttle – there were hundreds still waiting when we scrambled onto ours. I’ve never been so happy to stand up in the back of a cramped bus.
I saw some new monuments that I hadn’t seen before, or hadn't seen up close: World War II, Korean War, FDR, and Thomas Jefferson. There were thousands of people out on the mall the first day we were there, scattered all over the grass, and almost completely covering the stairs and interior of the Lincoln Memorial. J pointed out that it is much more impressive and stately when it is not completely filled with people, and I agree. Over the following few days, we saw the mall from various viewpoints, and some of the monuments from a distance, but they were not nearly as busy as they had been that first day.
A few things struck me about Washington, D.C. that I hadn’t noticed before. One was the presence of the Washington Monument. Everywhere we went, it drew attention. When we were at the Lincoln Memorial, people took a picture of Abe, then they’d turn around and take a picture of the Washington Monument in the reflecting pool. When we were at the FDR Memorial, people were taking pictures of the Washington Monument through the cherry trees (yes, with their blossoms – the Cherry Blossom Festival is currently in progress.) The same story when we were at Thomas Jefferson and Arlington Cemetary, or walking to the Capitol building. Some of the other monuments may be more impressive, or evoke stronger feelings, but the Washington Monument was a magnet that drew attention no matter where we were.
The Korean War Memorial - very subtle and quiet
Another thing that struck me during our visit was the incredible politeness of everyone we ran across (with the exception of some of the people who were stuck waiting for the shuttle bus when the subway stop was closed.) The people in the hotel were polite to a fault, including kids that I happened to run into in an elevator or who were holding a door for me. The park rangers we talked to at the White House were very nice while they explained that there was little chance we’d be able to get a good look at the White House due to the Egg Roll and the space it required. (We did get a tiny glimpse, but not much.) We also saw President Obama himself in a motorcade, returning from throwing out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals’ season opener. It was a very pleasant trip as far as the people we encountered.
We drove there, and by the time we had reached Maryland, we were pretty tired of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. So we avoided it as much as possible on the way home, and were rewarded with a more serene ride. We went through Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia on this trip, to add three states (and one District of Columbia) to the boys’ total. I had never been in West Virginia, and it didn’t look much different from Maryland. I think they should call it West Maryland.
Before we left for the trip, we bought the boys an inexpensive digital camera to share. In the past, we’ve bought them disposable film cameras (you take the pictures, then drop off the whole camera, and the film is extracted and the pictures developed.) They combined their efforts to take more than 400 pictures. Fortunately, they had a large memory card to hold it all. And the batteries lasted through all 400 pictures. I’ve seen some real improvements in battery life ever since the Energizer Bunny took over as CEO.
A satellite at the Air and Space Museum.
Washington, D.C. Visitor Tips
1. Walk, or stop to rest, on the right of the walkway.
2. If you are moving, move with purpose.
3. Motorists are supposed to stop for pedestrians, but pedestrians should not count on it.
4. If you’re prone to motion sickness, being seated in a subway car is a lot better than standing up.
5. If you can’t figure out the fare card machines on the Metro, stand in front of the machines looking puzzled (head-scratching is optional), and pretty soon someone will come and push all the buttons for you. We are smart people, and we would have eventually figured it out, but the lady who worked there was a lot faster.
6. The Embassy Suites in Alexandria doesn’t have free high-speed internet. You’ve been warned. Also, there isn’t much in the way of restaurants in the area surrounding the hotel. However, the pizza at nearby Quattro Fromaggi is very good, so be sure to go there.
Unrelated News
There was a recent news item I wanted to pass along - in December, there was a shooting a few blocks from our house. Prosecutors say the homeowner who did the shooting was acting in self-defense. Here is the AnnArbor.com article with the latest.
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