Friday, November 27, 2009
The Art of Giving Thanks
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
One of my favorite things...
... is to cradle a small frog in my hand and sing songs to it and listen closely as it harmonizes with me. If you collect several you can create a little frog choir. I do it all the time. it's soothing to me and to them. I am known among frog circles as 'The Frog Whisperer'.
So you see I'm totally not scared to pick them up and hold them. I just pretend to be for the attention that it garners.
And, also, I didn't hold a frog today because my Mum is here to protect me if anything were to go wrong. Any such rumors are malicious and blatantly inaccurate.
That she was stood just outside camera shot ready to help if anything were to go wrong, while accurate, is entirely coincidental.
So you see I'm totally not scared to pick them up and hold them. I just pretend to be for the attention that it garners.
And, also, I didn't hold a frog today because my Mum is here to protect me if anything were to go wrong. Any such rumors are malicious and blatantly inaccurate.
That she was stood just outside camera shot ready to help if anything were to go wrong, while accurate, is entirely coincidental.
Happy Birthday Ava
Hope you have a great day - make sure Mum and Dad (and any visiting relatives) spoil you.
Love,
C&M
Love,
C&M
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Hey Meleena!
Guess what?One of the benefits of being in the UK for a few days is that I can access the BBC iPlayer and download some of the recent tv shows that have been shown over here but haven't yet been shown on BBC America.
Yup. That's right. I currently have sitting on my laptop the latest Dr Who episode - The Waters of Mars.
Who's the best Nino now, huh? :)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
JLO! Polo!
By all accounts our nephew and the team did themselves proud with their performance. And I'm proud to be able report that right here for the global UlloaSullivan audience to read about.
More details on the match can be found here. If I find some pictures of the actual match I'll post them also...
Turducken - A ClariBlogPostification
Lest this turn into a full blown international incident I figured I should spend a few moments to clarify my position on the Turducken incident from this past weekend.
Of course I knew that Meleena didn't really mean that she thought my Mother was like a Turkey stuffed with a Duck that is stuffed with a Chicken. That would just be plain ridiculous. She is, of course, much more like a Swan stuffed with an Eagle stuffed with a dozen Lovebirds. A Sweaglelove, if you will. Or perhaps a Swaglebird.
In any case, please be assured that no one took offence. It was all just some harmless fun. And it is reassuring to know that Meleena was so anxious to ensure that no harm had been done by her spontaneous comments that she contacted my Mum directly via email and IM, blogged about it on her site and even went to great lengths to turn her friends Kayla and Ronni against me.
So Meleena - you're certainly not in the doghouse as far as I'm concerned. And please just let K & R know that if they want to meet my Mum and Dad (and hear them talk in their fancy British accents) over Thanksgiving they'll have to be friends with me again. :)
Love you!
Of course I knew that Meleena didn't really mean that she thought my Mother was like a Turkey stuffed with a Duck that is stuffed with a Chicken. That would just be plain ridiculous. She is, of course, much more like a Swan stuffed with an Eagle stuffed with a dozen Lovebirds. A Sweaglelove, if you will. Or perhaps a Swaglebird.
In any case, please be assured that no one took offence. It was all just some harmless fun. And it is reassuring to know that Meleena was so anxious to ensure that no harm had been done by her spontaneous comments that she contacted my Mum directly via email and IM, blogged about it on her site and even went to great lengths to turn her friends Kayla and Ronni against me.
So Meleena - you're certainly not in the doghouse as far as I'm concerned. And please just let K & R know that if they want to meet my Mum and Dad (and hear them talk in their fancy British accents) over Thanksgiving they'll have to be friends with me again. :)
Love you!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
When to say "No" to a Goodbye Kiss
No, I'm not being a baby about it. I'm powering through. I'm taking Airborne. I'm wearing a warm jacket. I'm fueling my body with Pret-a-Manger and Capuccinos. I'm getting on with my life.
I just wanted to let you all know that that is what I'm doing.
Happy Birthday Neil
Hope you have a great day tomorrow!
Much love,
C & M
P.S. Remember - Cambridge Azur 540D Version 2. Sorry I couldn't navigate through Oxford to pick it up for you myself!
Much love,
C & M
P.S. Remember - Cambridge Azur 540D Version 2. Sorry I couldn't navigate through Oxford to pick it up for you myself!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Turducken or not Turducken? That is the question
We visited with Meleena last night and heard the usual updates about the happenings of David Tennant and how, at the beginning of the preview for Hamlet his hair looks particularly awesome. Somehow we then ended up in a conversation about Turducken.
Meleena insisted that it was a Turkey stuffed inside a Turkey stuffed inside a Turkey. I informed her that in fact it was actually Chicken stuffed inside a Duck stuffed inside a Turkey - hence the name Tur (Turkey) Duck (er, Duck) En (Chicken). Of course, as is the wont of many a teenager, she wasn't convinced by what an adult was telling her and so here's a link to the official definition as maintained by that bastion of all human knowledge, Wikipedia. And in case there were still some errant confusion, here is a simple pictogram that should clarify things nicely.
Meleena insisted that it was a Turkey stuffed inside a Turkey stuffed inside a Turkey. I informed her that in fact it was actually Chicken stuffed inside a Duck stuffed inside a Turkey - hence the name Tur (Turkey) Duck (er, Duck) En (Chicken). Of course, as is the wont of many a teenager, she wasn't convinced by what an adult was telling her and so here's a link to the official definition as maintained by that bastion of all human knowledge, Wikipedia. And in case there were still some errant confusion, here is a simple pictogram that should clarify things nicely.
Meleena - Contrary to your further comments last night, you will note that nowhere in the official definition does it mention my mother as either resembling or being a Turducken.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Another Milestone Is Looming
Previously, you've been witness to the will-he-or-won't-he drama associated with besting my record of the most posts in a given month. It's always a tough time for me because, as a risk-taker by nature, I always want to raise the stakes and challenge myself to bigger and better things. At the same time, I am also super conscious of my responsibility to entertain you with high-quality, insightful and informative musings on life. As those of you in the business software development industry will know, quantity is the enemy of quality. And the two of them together with the third factor - resources - make an immutable triangle that represent the dynamics the wrestle with on a daily basis.Anyway, I digress...
So, I noticed this evening that I am 10 posts shy of beating the all time record of 165 posts in a single calendar year. And I still have 7 or so weeks before the end of 2009 and all manner of exciting activities will be happening between now and New Years Eve that should make it a cinch to both extend the quantity line, maintain the quality line and, according the rules of the aforementioned triangle, come into a large sum of money. Maybe.
Also, I've just realized that I must have entered a typo when searching for an image to use in this post.
Warning: Ikea Furniture May Be Harmful
We're now getting around to furnishing the Guesthouse in preparation for the Holidays and M's 40th Birthday Party. Kim and Ev were given the reigns to plan the layout and select furniture from Ikea and I was tasked with figuring out how to get it from Palo Alto to Kingsburg - a task that saw me renting a van, driving it up to the Bay Area while visiting the office in San Mateo last week and returning with a full load of boxed, put-it-together yourself furniture that evokes the essence of Scandinavia.
Oh, and a mattress. The mattress was fun. It was slightly too big to go in horizontally or vertically and proved a bit too challenging for me to lift and twist and push it into the van all on my own. Fortunately, a friendly fellow Ikea shopper offered his assistance and between the two of us we managed to cajole it in and get the door shut. Thank you, Sir. I wish I had asked you your name so I could make this shout out more personal, but your help was invaluable and your girlfriend/fiance/wife/mistress was cute so there's a double whammy for you. :)
It should be noted that shopping at Ikea for large furniture items on your own is really not that easy. The picking up of items off the shelves is fine, it's transferring them to your waiting vehicle that causes the problems and ends up with sore backs, stiff arms and legs and a general sense of 'I wish Michelle had come with me' so she could help get the items that we needed, prevent any spontaneous purchases of things that weren't on the list - a bookshelf, night lights - and double-check that I'm getting all of the right stuff and that I'm not going to drive 200 miles to find that I've got the wrong doors for the tv unit (relieving the mental stress involved in such a shopping trip is just as important as dealing with the physical aspects).
But more importantly than all of that - it is important that you follow the guidance and instructions those good people from Northern Europe have provide lest personal injury should result. I draw your attention to this particularly nugget of wisdom that is imparted pictorially at the very beginning of the instruction manual:
No, not the man taking a confident stance and exclaiming that 'all you need is a screwdriver', but the second diagram that says you should always collaborate with someone who has a pencil behind their ear and no discernible male or female body features.
Really, these guys know what they're talking about as having ignored that crucial second piece of advice, I managed to inflict the following life-threatening injuries upon myself during the construction process:
On the left you will see the results of a nasty pinch, with a blood blister developing on the index finger of my left hand. Notice the redness of the surrounding area - it's like it's shouting to let me know that it hurts. It needed to be lanced (technical term for "pricked with a needle") to relieve the pressure.
And on the right, an excruciating skin slice just below the knuckle on the index finger of my right hand. I may not be able to wash dishes for a few days lest it sting and get infected.
Anyway, I share this information with you now as a public service to help the people that I care about avoid serious injury at the hands of Ikea. Had I been aware of the dangers I would have most certainly sought the help of a second person - one that didn't grin at me inanely and take a stance of superiority and know-it-all-ness as depicted by the strangely sexless individual in the picture in the instructions.
Or, on second thoughts, perhaps I wouldn't. Sometimes it's nice to be able to point at something and say that you did that through hard work and your own blood, sweat and tears. Except, of course, while there was blood and sweat there were certainly no tears. At least, none that I'm admitting to.
Oh, and a mattress. The mattress was fun. It was slightly too big to go in horizontally or vertically and proved a bit too challenging for me to lift and twist and push it into the van all on my own. Fortunately, a friendly fellow Ikea shopper offered his assistance and between the two of us we managed to cajole it in and get the door shut. Thank you, Sir. I wish I had asked you your name so I could make this shout out more personal, but your help was invaluable and your girlfriend/fiance/wife/mistress was cute so there's a double whammy for you. :)
It should be noted that shopping at Ikea for large furniture items on your own is really not that easy. The picking up of items off the shelves is fine, it's transferring them to your waiting vehicle that causes the problems and ends up with sore backs, stiff arms and legs and a general sense of 'I wish Michelle had come with me' so she could help get the items that we needed, prevent any spontaneous purchases of things that weren't on the list - a bookshelf, night lights - and double-check that I'm getting all of the right stuff and that I'm not going to drive 200 miles to find that I've got the wrong doors for the tv unit (relieving the mental stress involved in such a shopping trip is just as important as dealing with the physical aspects).
But more importantly than all of that - it is important that you follow the guidance and instructions those good people from Northern Europe have provide lest personal injury should result. I draw your attention to this particularly nugget of wisdom that is imparted pictorially at the very beginning of the instruction manual:
No, not the man taking a confident stance and exclaiming that 'all you need is a screwdriver', but the second diagram that says you should always collaborate with someone who has a pencil behind their ear and no discernible male or female body features.
Really, these guys know what they're talking about as having ignored that crucial second piece of advice, I managed to inflict the following life-threatening injuries upon myself during the construction process:
Anyway, I share this information with you now as a public service to help the people that I care about avoid serious injury at the hands of Ikea. Had I been aware of the dangers I would have most certainly sought the help of a second person - one that didn't grin at me inanely and take a stance of superiority and know-it-all-ness as depicted by the strangely sexless individual in the picture in the instructions.
Or, on second thoughts, perhaps I wouldn't. Sometimes it's nice to be able to point at something and say that you did that through hard work and your own blood, sweat and tears. Except, of course, while there was blood and sweat there were certainly no tears. At least, none that I'm admitting to.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Happy Birthday Rita
Hope you have a great day!
Looking forward to partying with you in Pismo tonight. :)
Love,
C&M
P.S. I chose this photo for its seasonality - not just because I was in it too.
Looking forward to partying with you in Pismo tonight. :)
Love,
C&M
P.S. I chose this photo for its seasonality - not just because I was in it too.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hallowe(EK)en(D)
It was a pretty busy weekend.
On Friday evening I picked M up from work and headed to Fresno for some shopping and the first visit in a while to our - and America's, apparently - favourite gourmet burger restaurant, Red Robin. The burgers were good and we managed to stay mostly on task and get the stuff we needed for our annual Halloween party on Saturday.
Saturday morning saw us getting up, taking Sunny for a nice long walk and getting organized before heading to breakfast in Selma and to watch the Band Review that Meleena and the Washington School Thunderbirds Band were performing in.
In spite not placing in the main marching competition - we don't know why as we thought they did a great job, as you can see here:
they redeemed themselves by winning first place in the percussion competition:
Note: Unfortunately the video is about a minute too long to play from Flickr - to see the full effect you'll just have to visit our house. :)
As a bonus, I also managed to make it onto the local TV broadcast making my across the street to get the video footage.
From there it was a quick trip back to the house to do a bit more party preparation (including the cooking of my special 'Blood and Guts' shot) before heading off to see Michael Jackson's This Is It at the movies in Fresno.
After having seen it - including footage that was shot on the very last day before he died - I am of the opinion that he was very likely going to pull off something spectacular with this show. The production and effects they were putting together were immense. And, while definitely rusty towards the beginning of the rehearsal process, you can see him getting his act (quite literally) together as time went on. Whether he would have had the stamina to do all 50 shows is another matter, though. I also get the sense that they are holding back some of the more elaborate and complete footage; the scene in the picture above doesn't actually appear in the movie, for example. Perhaps the movie should have been called 'This Is Nearly It' or 'This Is Almost It'.
Anyway, the UlloaSullivan team give it a thumbs up and suggest you go see it.
And then, after all the other excitement of the day, it was time for the Halloween Party. Meleena, Kayla, Ronni, James and Mark Anthony made it over in their requisite costumes and enjoyed such traditional Halloween games as 'Navigate the remote controlled Spider around the course marked out by masking tape' and 'Catch some fish, Blow up a balloon, Eat the Blood and Guts, Take two bites out of an apple hanging from a string and hit the ball three times' against the clock in order to win a prize. I guess the Blood and Guts were a bit too gross for the kids as it was left up to Michelle and I to try them - seriously, where's the trust?
There was also cup cake decorating but the biggest hit of the party seems to have been the feature length Scooby Doo animated movie about a scary witch and her Grandson with a weird British accent. Or perhaps everyone needed some time to sit down and let the copious amounts of party food settle?
And with that, and the prospect of getting an extra hour in bed with the time change, we wrapped up our Saturday evening.
What did we do on Sunday? Oh, pretty much nothing. It was great. :)
On Friday evening I picked M up from work and headed to Fresno for some shopping and the first visit in a while to our - and America's, apparently - favourite gourmet burger restaurant, Red Robin. The burgers were good and we managed to stay mostly on task and get the stuff we needed for our annual Halloween party on Saturday.
In spite not placing in the main marching competition - we don't know why as we thought they did a great job, as you can see here:
they redeemed themselves by winning first place in the percussion competition:
Note: Unfortunately the video is about a minute too long to play from Flickr - to see the full effect you'll just have to visit our house. :)
As a bonus, I also managed to make it onto the local TV broadcast making my across the street to get the video footage.
From there it was a quick trip back to the house to do a bit more party preparation (including the cooking of my special 'Blood and Guts' shot) before heading off to see Michael Jackson's This Is It at the movies in Fresno.
After having seen it - including footage that was shot on the very last day before he died - I am of the opinion that he was very likely going to pull off something spectacular with this show. The production and effects they were putting together were immense. And, while definitely rusty towards the beginning of the rehearsal process, you can see him getting his act (quite literally) together as time went on. Whether he would have had the stamina to do all 50 shows is another matter, though. I also get the sense that they are holding back some of the more elaborate and complete footage; the scene in the picture above doesn't actually appear in the movie, for example. Perhaps the movie should have been called 'This Is Nearly It' or 'This Is Almost It'.
Anyway, the UlloaSullivan team give it a thumbs up and suggest you go see it.
And then, after all the other excitement of the day, it was time for the Halloween Party. Meleena, Kayla, Ronni, James and Mark Anthony made it over in their requisite costumes and enjoyed such traditional Halloween games as 'Navigate the remote controlled Spider around the course marked out by masking tape' and 'Catch some fish, Blow up a balloon, Eat the Blood and Guts, Take two bites out of an apple hanging from a string and hit the ball three times' against the clock in order to win a prize. I guess the Blood and Guts were a bit too gross for the kids as it was left up to Michelle and I to try them - seriously, where's the trust?And with that, and the prospect of getting an extra hour in bed with the time change, we wrapped up our Saturday evening.
What did we do on Sunday? Oh, pretty much nothing. It was great. :)