Woodchuck Mania!

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You can't see him very well, but there's a woodchuck under my car.

Woodchuck Hide-and-Seek
K and I got closer to knowing "how much wood would a woodchuck chuck" today. We were walking back to the car in a parking lot, and he noticed there was an animal under the car. We tried to shoo it away and make noise, but it just kept moving towards the middle. I told K he should crawl under the car and grab it by the feet, but he didn't want to.

Nothing we did could get him to move, including honking the horn and starting the car. Finally, I backed the car out extremely slowly, with K watching to make sure I didn't squash the little guy. Eventually, he came out and we were able to leave without a major wildlife incident.

Is that the most exciting thing happening at the moment? Yeah, pretty much.

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This is what it looks like under a shower.

New Shower
You may have read about some of the problems we had with the shower remodel we did several years ago. We've never been happy with it, and it's leaked on and off the entire time. As much as it pained us to do it, we had all the work torn out and replaced with new tile and glass.

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Links
I love these furnishings and clocks made from aircraft parts and panels.

This is a great workbench.

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A Few Musical Videos (and a Bonus Woodworking Link)

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What a clever idea.

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I'm not sure what some of these vegetables are, but the squeaky ones are kind of fun.


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On a non-musical note (get it?), I always enjoy watching Jimmy DiResta make things in his shop. Some I would have no use for, like a giant mirror, but these storage bins look pretty handy.

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New Eyeballs!

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Isn't it amazing and wonderful that we live in an age where doctors can slice your eyes open and fix 'em up?

Don's New Drill

Can you tell which is the big, heavy, old drill, and which is the new, lighter, and more powerful drill?

My old drill, which I've had for 19 years, has finally called it quits. So, after way too long comparing features and prices, I bought a new drill and impact driver set by DeWalt. They're small and fast, and I'm looking forward to doing something with them. Does anyone have any holes they need drilled? Let me know.

Links
The person who makes this book has a very clear and creative mind.

This Free Key system is pretty nice. I keep hurting my fingernails on the old kind of key ring.

I love these plaster architectural models.

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Happy Birthday, Dad!

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I hope you all know what day it is. It's dad's birthday!

I'll keep to myself how many years young he is, but you might be surprised.

Happy Birthday!


Out and About


Tyson is right - Pluto was a planet, but it's not any more.

J and I saw Neil deGrasse Tyson at Hill Auditorium last week. He talked about all things planetary, answered questions from the audience, and put on an entertaining, three-hour show. He noted that scientific discoveries are mostly made in countries where the government and public support for science is high.

Hee Haw
Growing up, I remember watching Hee Haw. My favorite parts of the show were the recurring songs about loneliness and heartbreak.
Where, oh where, are you tonight?

Gloom, despair, and agony on me!

Links
Using solder as an inlay material. A little lowbrow, but it works.

The tiniest Rube Goldberg machine you've ever seen.

Stone formations as art.

Cats and Volleyball and Music

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K serves at his recent volleyball game.

Volleyball

While my Spartan basketball team was losing to Middle Tennessee State (Motto: "Right Smack Dab in the Middle"), K's volleyball team was notching a win against a cross-town middle school. He and other boys flopped all over, ran, jump, dove, and sometimes threw caution and good judgment to the wind.

Cats
For those of you who like cat pictures, here are some to print out and put on your office wall at work.

Rigby enjoys the afternoon sun while lounging in the guest room.


Mesko likes to sleep at the top of the stairs. It's hard to tell where her head is in this picture. It's um, well, actually, I can't tell either. All that black fur just blends together.

Family Music
Both grandmas and grandpas were in town to see Bands In Review at Pioneer last night. It was a fun-filled evening, and the icing on the cake was M's soprano sax solo in "Xerxes". The composer of that piece was on hand to greet the crowd and had been at the high school for several days prior, working with them while they perfected it.

Earlier in the day, M went to Chelsea to play at State Solo and Ensemble. His trio got a 1, and so did his solo and proficiency performance. Way to go, M!

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Fun Links

There isn't much going on here, so I thought I'd post some links I've been saving.

Forget the other submarines on the market. This is definitely the one I want. But I'm going to have to move closer to a lake or an ocean first.

Pencil carvings: for those sculptors who want the extra challenge of using a microscope while they work.

Notebook art.

Apollo 11 "graffiti" from the astronauts themselves.

This is an interesting website. Use your mouse to draw a line on the screen, and the ball will bounce off it. Depending on the line, it will also play a musical note.

Musical Extravaganza

A Whole Lotta Music

M and K played their instruments for their recent Solo and Ensemble days, and did pretty well for themselves. This year, S&E was hosted by Pioneer High School, which means it was all hands on deck for parent and student volunteers. Between J, M, and me, we put in over 40 hours of volunteering over the two weekends, and that doesn't count the time we spent in preparation. I won't miss getting up at 4:45 am two Saturdays in a row.


K got Ones for his piano solo and violin solo.


M got Ones for his sax solo and sax/sax/clarinet trio.


M and his trio mates received flowers from the parents of one of the other players.

Mathcounts

K competed in the local Mathcounts competition last week. Not only did he get to miss a day of school, but his school's team did well and won fourth place.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Orchestra Night

This is K at Hill Auditorium after his school's orchestra played as part of Orchestra Night. All the orchestras did an outstanding job.


It's hard to get a good picture at Hill Auditorium, especially when everyone on stage is wearing a white shirt to reflect the light. K is sitting in third chair position near the front of the stage.