I know it's unusual for visitors to Washington, D.C. to take pictures and then share them with friends and family, but you know me - I'm so unique and unpredictable.
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Washington, D.C.: Several Million Tourists Plus Us
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I know it's unusual for visitors to Washington, D.C. to take pictures and then share them with friends and family, but you know me - I'm so unique and unpredictable.
The boys outside the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. They're wearing their sweatshirts and jackets because it was pretty cold and windy that day.
They get really ticked off when you climb over the barrier and play this piano. I mean, it really gets them riled up. (Smithsonian American Art Museum, more information can be found here)
The new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial, near the FDR memorial. It's quite imposing, and can be seen across the Tidal Basin from the Jefferson Memorial.
The party-time tradition of a beautiful woman jumping out of a giant cake was begun by the unlikely suffragist trio of Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony, who emerged from an 800-pound loaf of whole-wheat bread at the 1851 birthday celebration for then-president Millard Fillmore.
The capitol, as seen from the front of the Rayburn House, an office building for U.S. Representatives. We met an intern for John Dingell in Rayburn House, who led us underground to the capitol for our tour.
After our tour, given by a different intern from Dingell's office, we were given the rare opportunity to ride this mini-subway train from the capitol back to Rayburn House. Had any of of our representatives been working that week, we probably would have had to walk.
You have to go? Get your own! These are mine.
The interior of the amazing Library of Congress.
This is the famous view of the Washington Monument, as seen from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. There's nothing more beautiful than the reflection of the Washington Monument in the reflecting pool when it's not under construction. If you want a picture of that beautiful reflection, you'll have to come back when the renovations are done. A good portion of the mall was dug up, with piles of dirt and construction equipment. It wasn't quite as majestic as we've seen it in the past. (Little known fact: The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall because George Washington himself was 555 feet tall. His portraits show him as normal size because showing him at actual size would have required more oil paint than was available at the time.)
Here are the boys outside the King Street Metro station, across the street from our hotel. We parked the car when we got to Virginia and didn't get into it again until after we had checked out - the subway got us everywhere.
On our way back, we stopped in Pittsburgh to visit J's grandmother, who just turned 98. She's still as sharp as ever and it was good to see her again. We celebrated with a small cake at dinner, courtesy of her retirement community's dining hall.
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I know it's unusual for visitors to Washington, D.C. to take pictures and then share them with friends and family, but you know me - I'm so unique and unpredictable.
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March Miscellany
Sweltering March
I don't know if I've ever turned up the ceiling fan on March 22, but this has been a very odd winter and spring. It's not too early to have the air conditioner checked.
My Pet Bird for Fifteen Minutes
On Monday morning, this bird was sitting on the light that hangs from the ceiling above my desk at work. I'm not sure if he was Angry or not, but he did make quite a mess on my chair while I was talking to one of our facilities management staff about getting a ladder to remove him. I'm not holding it against him - he obviously leads a full life and has plenty to eat. Plenty.
Restaurant Spelling Test
Whenever I'm in downtown Ann Arbor, I like to eat at Iztarg. Actually, it's Gratzi, but I read left to right, so I'm going to argue that whoever put up these banners put them up backwards.
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March Madness
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We asked the flag football coaches to put M in a position where he can best help his team.
M snaps the ball to the quarterback during the first game of the season, which his team won.
K is a reliable volunteer for the "National Read To A Cat" initiative.
What's New?
Seems like we're pretty busy but, at the same time, there's not much new going on. M is playing volleyball after school two days a week, as well as flag football on Saturdays. K is practicing and studying hard for Science Olympiad, the competition for which is next month.
I'm working (still!) on a few small boxes, one is poplar, and one is pine. I'm putting the finishing touches on them and hope to have some pictures out someday.
First World Problems
A recent meme on the internet is that of the "first-world problem". A first-world problem is something we complain about that would sound absolutely ludicrous to someone in a third-world country, or to someone who is struggling to get by.
Examples:
* "Oh darn! My iPhone is low on batteries and now I won't be able to play Angry Birds while I'm driving the school bus on the field trip."
* "Remember that microbrew beer I discovered at that tiny bar in the hills of Tibet? I can't believe Applebee's doesn't have that on tap!"
* "My BMW M3 is due for an oil change, but I'm so busy this weekend with our trip to Aspen and little Ashley's debutante ball."
* "What a waste of my time! This blog is not funny, and he's not a very good photographer, either."
B-ball Game
A few weeks ago, J, K, and I went to the Saline vs. Pioneer basketball game. It was pretty exciting, with Pioneer winning at the last minute, although we were surprised at how few people were there to watch it. At halftime, players on the Pioneer team chose a teacher or counselor that made a difference in their lives, and each teacher was introduced and got a round of applause from the audience. It was nice to see teachers and education professionals be recognized like that.
Link
I haven't seen anything like this before - I want to see it float!
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What's New?
Seems like we're pretty busy but, at the same time, there's not much new going on. M is playing volleyball after school two days a week, as well as flag football on Saturdays. K is practicing and studying hard for Science Olympiad, the competition for which is next month.
I'm working (still!) on a few small boxes, one is poplar, and one is pine. I'm putting the finishing touches on them and hope to have some pictures out someday.
First World Problems
A recent meme on the internet is that of the "first-world problem". A first-world problem is something we complain about that would sound absolutely ludicrous to someone in a third-world country, or to someone who is struggling to get by.
Examples:
* "Oh darn! My iPhone is low on batteries and now I won't be able to play Angry Birds while I'm driving the school bus on the field trip."
* "Remember that microbrew beer I discovered at that tiny bar in the hills of Tibet? I can't believe Applebee's doesn't have that on tap!"
* "My BMW M3 is due for an oil change, but I'm so busy this weekend with our trip to Aspen and little Ashley's debutante ball."
* "What a waste of my time! This blog is not funny, and he's not a very good photographer, either."
B-ball Game
A few weeks ago, J, K, and I went to the Saline vs. Pioneer basketball game. It was pretty exciting, with Pioneer winning at the last minute, although we were surprised at how few people were there to watch it. At halftime, players on the Pioneer team chose a teacher or counselor that made a difference in their lives, and each teacher was introduced and got a round of applause from the audience. It was nice to see teachers and education professionals be recognized like that.
Link
I haven't seen anything like this before - I want to see it float!
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My Gravest Apologies
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It has come to my attention that some viewers of The DEB Log are offended by my recent link to this site, which allows the user to click on French instrumentalists. Some say, and this has been unconfirmed, that the players depicted are playing their jazz au natural, so to speak.
I'm not as sure as others are, but I guess you see what you want to see when you look at cartoon band members.
At any rate, I try to prevent The DEB Log postings from overlapping the vast world of internet ribaldry. My apologies to any readers who might have gotten the vapors or written their congressperson after finding themselves the victim of an inadvertent link to the ever-pervasive smut we've all sighed and accepted in the 21st century.
(And I'm not positive, but I think the tuba player is a Communist. Just a hunch.)
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It has come to my attention that some viewers of The DEB Log are offended by my recent link to this site, which allows the user to click on French instrumentalists. Some say, and this has been unconfirmed, that the players depicted are playing their jazz au natural, so to speak.
I'm not as sure as others are, but I guess you see what you want to see when you look at cartoon band members.
At any rate, I try to prevent The DEB Log postings from overlapping the vast world of internet ribaldry. My apologies to any readers who might have gotten the vapors or written their congressperson after finding themselves the victim of an inadvertent link to the ever-pervasive smut we've all sighed and accepted in the 21st century.
(And I'm not positive, but I think the tuba player is a Communist. Just a hunch.)
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The Fun is Over! Everyone Back to Work!
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The school mid-winter break ended today at about 4:00. I had Monday off for Presidents Day (let's call it Lincolnington Day), but Tuesday through Friday was work as usual. I even got some things done. J cleaned parts of the house within inches of their metaphorical lives, and the kids did something or other.
K's hamsters are having fun running on their little wheel and skittering aimlessly around their habitat. K tells me what he thinks the hamsters are thinking, and I tell him that he shouldn't anthropomorphize the hamsters because they really hate that. (It's a bad joke, I know, but I didn't make it up, so I can only take the blame for repeating it.)
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I know I said before that the greatest watch ever has been invented, and there's no need to even try anymore. I have to eat my words after seeing this watch. I'll wash down my words with a milkshake.
I love this car. I would only touch it if I were wearing white cotton gloves. It's way too nice to play with.
Sharpen your saw.
Go to this site and click on the instruments you want to hear. I especially enjoy the smoking percussionists.
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The school mid-winter break ended today at about 4:00. I had Monday off for Presidents Day (let's call it Lincolnington Day), but Tuesday through Friday was work as usual. I even got some things done. J cleaned parts of the house within inches of their metaphorical lives, and the kids did something or other.
K's hamsters are having fun running on their little wheel and skittering aimlessly around their habitat. K tells me what he thinks the hamsters are thinking, and I tell him that he shouldn't anthropomorphize the hamsters because they really hate that. (It's a bad joke, I know, but I didn't make it up, so I can only take the blame for repeating it.)
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I know I said before that the greatest watch ever has been invented, and there's no need to even try anymore. I have to eat my words after seeing this watch. I'll wash down my words with a milkshake.
I love this car. I would only touch it if I were wearing white cotton gloves. It's way too nice to play with.
Sharpen your saw.
Go to this site and click on the instruments you want to hear. I especially enjoy the smoking percussionists.
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Belated Happy Valentines Day
J and I celebrated Valentines Day Indian-style by going to Indian restaurant Raja Rani and ordering food whose names ended with the word "Korma". K had a party at school, because isn't that what they do in elementary school? And M's school had an ice skating party, which I don't think was related to Valentine's Day, but since it occurred in the same week, we'll just say it was.
A few weeks ago, the family unit went to the UM/MSU men's swim meet on campus. Their facility was very impressive. We sat near the end where the diving boards and platforms were, and watched the divers. UM trounced MSU, as they have done in swimming for roughly the past 900 years. UM has one of the best swimming programs in the nation.
We lost a cat and a fish in the last few months, and in an attempt to bring our pet totals back up, K acquired two hamsters named Widget and Gizmo. They are dwarf hamsters, so they're smaller than normal. So far it's been fun to watch them in the little exercise ball and in their cage, getting on and off the exercise wheel. I'm not sure why they're so obsessed with exercise, I don't think their doctors are taking their blood pressure and telling them to get out more. They are especially funny when they both run on the wheel at the same time. K has been keeping a close eye on them, but I do think the "How to Care for your Hamster" website K found might not be legitimate - it suggests giving them a lot more tequila than I think would be OK for an animal their size. And I wasn’t aware that Doritos were considered a comparable substitute for the more traditional Hamster Pellets. Things have sure changed since we had hamsters as kids.
This medium-sized university, er, I mean, extremely large house, is for sale. I sent them a lowball offer through their realtor, I hope I get lucky.
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Pins and Chamfers
The pins are cut - here they are next to the tails
Here is one corner - the pins are a little looser than I wanted.
Getting ready to glue it up. I practiced putting it together a few times before adding the glue.
Glued and clamped. I used other pieces of wood to prevent the clamps from making marks on the box's sides.
While the glue was drying, I started the base of the box, which is 1/2" thick. I wanted to put a chamfer on the base so it would be more interesting than just a rectangle of wood. I drew lines 3/16" over and down from what will be the top edge. I used these lines to determine the slope and size of the chamfer.
Here is part of the base after removing the corner of the wood with a very sharp chisel. I practiced doing this on a smaller scrap piece of wood, and found that I didn't have a sharp enough chisel. When I cut the final piece, the one I want to use with the box, I actually stropped the chisel after I completed each edge. That probably wasn't necessary, but I didn't want to have the tear-out I had with my practice piece.
A few years back, I read that the ancient woodworkers of Japan used to take such pride in their work that they were known to hone their planes and chisels every three or four strokes. I'm not quite that nutty, but I would rather be sharp than dull.
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Miscellaneous Facts and Link Section
I heard today that Apple is trading at about $490 per share. That makes Apple worth about $450 billion. More than Microsoft, Google, and my 401(k) combined.
Dad sent me a link to these cool little "crate" boxes. So many ideas for things to build, so little time.
Drink beer like Homer Simpson, who once raised a glass and said "To alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems."
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