tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38678229383372729542024-03-13T10:03:32.199-07:00Deep Fried BaconMacroeconomics, cute kids, and an unhealthy obsession with sports and trivia.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger456125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-86909862967506978972009-10-02T10:05:00.001-07:002009-10-02T10:05:46.533-07:00HEADlinesThe strangest link I've probably ever seen on a website (courtesy of ESPN):<br />
<br />
"<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/boston/mlb/news/story?id=4524957">Report: Ted Williams' frozen head abused in lab</a>"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-20717141302465461962009-10-01T14:15:00.000-07:002009-10-01T14:23:50.118-07:00Your Civics LessonI'm teaching intermediate macro-economics this semester. One thing that keeps coming up in this class is the generally low level of knowledge regarding the role and relationship of various actors in the government. This is not some screed about how "kids are so dumb these days", I know plenty of adults who are similarly uninformed about how things work. So here is a quick primer for you:<br />
<a name='more'></a>- The Fed. The Federal Reserve Bank is just that, a bank. It is a very special bank, yes, but it is just a bank. Just like regular banks, it takes deposits. The deposits at the Fed are a) the "savings accounts" of regular banks (their reserves), b) the "checking account" of the U.S. Treasury, and c) all the currency in circulation. If you look at your cash, you'll notice that it is a "Federal Reserve Note". It's a claim on the assets of the Fed. Now, you'll never actually go in and redeem this, but it remains a liability of the Fed. The Fed uses its deposits (all liabilities) to buy assets. These assets include gold, Treasury bonds, and in the current situation, several other more exotic financial products (mortgage-backed securities, etc..). <br />
<br />
What can the Fed do? The Fed can buy and sell financial assets (and gold). If it buys Treasury bonds from private firms, it pays for these by giving that firm an additional deposit (more reserves). In this way, the Fed can create money out of thin air, because the additional deposits are nothing more than an entry on a computer. If reserves go up, then the firms holding these reserves have the capacity to make more loans to private individuals, and because of a greater supply of loanable money, the interest rate goes down. So the Fed can increase the supply of money and lower the rate of interest. If the Fed sells bonds, the process works in reverse.<br />
<br />
What can the Fed NOT do? The Fed cannot issue Treasury bonds. In other words, the Fed may NOT increase the indebtedness of the United States on its own authority. It cannot drive the U.S. into bankruptcy and it cannot determine the amount of government spending that occurs.<br />
<br />
- The U.S. Treasury. The Treasury manages the money of the U.S. government. The Treasury has a "checking account" with the Fed that it uses to process payments and income.<br />
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What can the Treasury do? If Congress and the President ask it to, the Treasury can issue new Treasury bonds. Private individuals (and sometimes the Fed) will buy the Treasury bonds, and will deposit money in the Treasury's checking account to pay for the bonds. The Treasury can then spend the money on tanks, highways, Social Security checks, shovel-ready projects, and $400 Pentagon toilet bowls. Government debt goes up because the government decides to spend more than it earns in taxes, and it issues Treasury bonds to make up the difference. The people responsible for government debt are your elected officials, no one else.<br />
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What can the Treasury NOT do? The Treasury may NOT increase the supply of money. In other words, when the Stimulus bill passed, this did not create $787 billion in new money. It created $787 billion in new *spending*. The supply of *money* in the economy is the same.<br />
<br />
(One confusion is that the U.S. Mint, who actually does physically print cash, is run by the U.S. Treasury. But the supply of U.S. dollars and coins in circulation is controlled by the Federal Reserve.)<br />
<br />
(Another confusion is that the dollar bills are signed by the U.S. Treasury secretary. This is because the Treasury secretary is guaranteeing that the Treasury will accept the bills as payment for taxes - that's the "legal tender for all debts public and private" part. One of the reasons that dollar bills have value in transactions is because we always know that the government will accept them for taxes.)<br />
<br />
- So who do I blame? And for what? If you are concerned about government debt, then you have an issue with Congress and the President(s) who signed off on higher spending and lower taxes. You want to lower government debt, raise taxes and/or lower spending. But shut up about the Fed "driving us into bankruptcy" or "forcing us into a debt spiral". Blaming the Fed for government debt is like blaming your credit card company for making it "too easy" for you to get into debt. It's not their fault you are impatient and an idiot.<br />
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If you are concerned about inflation, then you have an issue with the Fed, who has recently massively expanded the money supply. This *could* generate high inflation in the future if they do not reduce the money supply appropriately as the economy grows again. If you are worried about inflation, though, the last thing you want is Congress to get more control over the Fed. The only people with the stones to actually keep inflation under control are the guys running the Fed right now. Congress would basically print money at will to buy their districts new on-ramps, and then we'd really have inflation (ask Zimbabwe).<br />
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Last thing - for one moment consider your own financial situation and why your biggest worry is inflation. For me, I have a big mortgage, meaning I have a really big nominal debt to pay each month. If there is general inflation, then both prices and wages go up. My wage goes up, but my mortgage payment stays the same, I'm better off. EVEN if all the other prices in the economy go up too. So for someone like me, with a big debt, I kind of LIKE inflation. Too much, and the economy will fall apart, so I don't want 1,000% inflation, but a little inflation ain't so bad if you are heavily in debt.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-44923444268445348492009-10-01T13:40:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:40:59.083-07:00ConfirmationThis should have been really obvious before, but I wanted to make sure you all knew what a colossal geek I am. This summer Sig and I finally agreed to a split in the Lego cache that my mom has been holding onto for all these years. Not only did I spend a fair amount of time building a Lego town (for the kids, really), but I took pictures.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoMnv3iqrHGIAy6wsGR2dJkqKuLnfJ-1ILbWLBEJiiJgg4_xTXcbK6Xj-g9_mCw_RwkI2AWb09vRcyeniK3A41kmBTfKgotOnCdV3wfdzpyLPX4kvApGL5rnCFjoghDlz1xUNF9QuS75J/s1600-h/Legotown+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoMnv3iqrHGIAy6wsGR2dJkqKuLnfJ-1ILbWLBEJiiJgg4_xTXcbK6Xj-g9_mCw_RwkI2AWb09vRcyeniK3A41kmBTfKgotOnCdV3wfdzpyLPX4kvApGL5rnCFjoghDlz1xUNF9QuS75J/s400/Legotown+(1).jpg" /></a><br />
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</div>More importantly, I learned a few things about playing with Lego as an adult:<br />
1. I was a very dirty child. Soiled. Some of these pieces are disgusting. The white bricks aren't so much white as kind of a grayish-brown.<br />
2. You can *always* find a few more pieces to put together a new building.<br />
3. Abby and Madeline don't really share my personal aesthetic regarding Lego towns. (i.e. they play Lego *wrong*)<br />
4. I can totally see how people end up spending lots of money on this. I can think of about 500 things I wanted to add to the town.<br />
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Right now the town is back down (playgroup, etc. were not kind to it), but this weekend we're supposed to build a big castle (surprise, surprise). I will keep my Lego-starved public informed of the progress.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-8958853573831073962009-10-01T13:33:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:33:15.162-07:00Aunt Siggy CuteShe has cats! Yeah! (Unless you're Kirstin, then Boo!)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1BcA0Zpmslqte0aV4dJiHLw4wsR62uAXtoyQSGioFGWTko_GTiW2WWO6oCzAjRLBpjl7n6EaJgKJe7OUTYsm-vX-TXZDdoZYqgX-NT6kQCFKHp6rI8Wp_tn_jloGxBmsj6QvBwWIhNUY/s1600-h/Wisconsin+(28).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1BcA0Zpmslqte0aV4dJiHLw4wsR62uAXtoyQSGioFGWTko_GTiW2WWO6oCzAjRLBpjl7n6EaJgKJe7OUTYsm-vX-TXZDdoZYqgX-NT6kQCFKHp6rI8Wp_tn_jloGxBmsj6QvBwWIhNUY/s400/Wisconsin+(28).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-67820879856972109872009-10-01T13:32:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:32:00.605-07:00Sleepy in Pittsburgh CuteWith Greta, Wyatt, and Max (I think Gavin was still at work):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx32RAiVvB-PaiogqVLrGIDQ4_ianqIUmB7QO9O1etdQ7er2mh6TDZ28w5XryzVz2VtRD2bYH6fszhuwfyf_XhtKpuJZNdNs2RAJimEVKCm7nwOWKZ20hVZ_dvN1J1MrKHHIapUQzx1jtX/s1600-h/Pittsburgh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx32RAiVvB-PaiogqVLrGIDQ4_ianqIUmB7QO9O1etdQ7er2mh6TDZ28w5XryzVz2VtRD2bYH6fszhuwfyf_XhtKpuJZNdNs2RAJimEVKCm7nwOWKZ20hVZ_dvN1J1MrKHHIapUQzx1jtX/s400/Pittsburgh.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-59066797199595307172009-10-01T13:30:00.001-07:002009-10-01T13:30:19.004-07:00Anchorwoman CuteFrom the children's museum in St. Louis<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR6uGJLyi-7j4HuKP4QKLtUdggw51wdzmLNv-KYMk9bfybidCDdGjwzVJjBnTyys8x-nqhMnqUyVDXOuWjzM72YBmjVzeQSPGEx3Bx202evKiSZfNwWvY55egENh98_pj9w22HdgJ28Kv/s1600-h/Magic+House+(24).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZR6uGJLyi-7j4HuKP4QKLtUdggw51wdzmLNv-KYMk9bfybidCDdGjwzVJjBnTyys8x-nqhMnqUyVDXOuWjzM72YBmjVzeQSPGEx3Bx202evKiSZfNwWvY55egENh98_pj9w22HdgJ28Kv/s400/Magic+House+(24).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-7392245350986590272009-10-01T13:29:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:29:10.173-07:00Please Don't Throw Up CuteApparently they both have good stomachs:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRwBz-YKbXOJqSBK0eivK7ZWyxex4dHtv4goZjUKonNsY7oCdchia357mkG2-dJV5sj_lvT1fXDMMQf8DSp53Nx2y2oK8yhjCGNMPEr9zIa6WLEkqfMKvNfd9hH7QgbK7jd0TO16zBbvD/s1600-h/LBI+(88).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghRwBz-YKbXOJqSBK0eivK7ZWyxex4dHtv4goZjUKonNsY7oCdchia357mkG2-dJV5sj_lvT1fXDMMQf8DSp53Nx2y2oK8yhjCGNMPEr9zIa6WLEkqfMKvNfd9hH7QgbK7jd0TO16zBbvD/s400/LBI+(88).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-42812450895720971572009-10-01T13:27:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:27:43.724-07:00Beach CuteFrom the Jersey Shore:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2r5cxCFcxhDX-gsAKsSXk_usW2os-tblGaDxqw6ukVtHQ7QydZMdzdm6nx-QjOh75__4iGGJ8apa6SVV9v0irQc654_TMZdqGYwRyEf7SI6DXBvjB6Z7o3LXGzJ0BVL3kJ7ryj_agSXF/s1600-h/LBI+(25).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2r5cxCFcxhDX-gsAKsSXk_usW2os-tblGaDxqw6ukVtHQ7QydZMdzdm6nx-QjOh75__4iGGJ8apa6SVV9v0irQc654_TMZdqGYwRyEf7SI6DXBvjB6Z7o3LXGzJ0BVL3kJ7ryj_agSXF/s320/LBI+(25).jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgit38mm130pvyuNKR7D115RLpKQMkl8ZU7ni6n_ZWt-Vpg5d9ejboZy6QE3RslMLRO0djdiiT4oZAcbaJt9lB5Q7lGwzgBCx1yAK73BhTkLtrMzhcn6pV94ZP-rPuAxKld9tcnE2AoDBlk/s1600-h/LBI+(44).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgit38mm130pvyuNKR7D115RLpKQMkl8ZU7ni6n_ZWt-Vpg5d9ejboZy6QE3RslMLRO0djdiiT4oZAcbaJt9lB5Q7lGwzgBCx1yAK73BhTkLtrMzhcn6pV94ZP-rPuAxKld9tcnE2AoDBlk/s320/LBI+(44).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-78134339667055195422009-10-01T13:25:00.001-07:002009-10-01T13:25:41.765-07:00Visiting Cape Cod Cute<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfA8Qq-LVUlo5FeO239Jh45n9HUDoXm1SyKEP-QxlXNZ7Ngc1UT5PC7HldbtBSWkCv2TbymUWKmdjRTqYcGWtUSmYXyzoOhvfM0GGed7nxQwpA6Sc7jduyq9T1DXmUN4So86vvtJFuuGh/s1600-h/Cape+Cod+(19).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfA8Qq-LVUlo5FeO239Jh45n9HUDoXm1SyKEP-QxlXNZ7Ngc1UT5PC7HldbtBSWkCv2TbymUWKmdjRTqYcGWtUSmYXyzoOhvfM0GGed7nxQwpA6Sc7jduyq9T1DXmUN4So86vvtJFuuGh/s400/Cape+Cod+(19).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>From Tick Point, one of Kirstin's favorite spots on the planet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-21103291226536587132009-10-01T13:24:00.000-07:002009-10-01T13:24:20.334-07:00Visting Boston CuteHere are the girls (yes, that's Abby in the back) with Kira and Owen, some old friends from Houston who've moved up to NH.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53uyS4-pSdXfMNsbXKU0j0KkPjwLQs1S9Y0fKuCz4e0yM0BTVL-viwb6aJE460m_5hyphenhyphen6jOdRnwX4bqovoD4IjD4Nx5YeapBKU2k_z4iILlZCzwYgJcAlqBa89IwQ1kwFpUbdOvRE97WAx/s1600-h/Boston+(15).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53uyS4-pSdXfMNsbXKU0j0KkPjwLQs1S9Y0fKuCz4e0yM0BTVL-viwb6aJE460m_5hyphenhyphen6jOdRnwX4bqovoD4IjD4Nx5YeapBKU2k_z4iILlZCzwYgJcAlqBa89IwQ1kwFpUbdOvRE97WAx/s400/Boston+(15).jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-70623048755794289382009-10-01T13:21:00.001-07:002009-10-01T13:21:57.539-07:00Are you still there?Alright, I have been really bad about updating the blog since just before our big summer trip. (Sorry mom). I'm going to try and get a better routine down for this starting this month. So this is just to warn that a quick on-rush of material is about to be regurgitated onto your screen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-81664693629213217922009-08-14T09:12:00.000-07:002009-08-14T09:12:40.427-07:00Summer GeographySome of you will be intrigued by where we drove, what states we visited, what highways we took (I'm looking at you, Andy).<br />
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We went a total of 6050 miles (roughly). We rolled through TX, OK, MO, IL, WI, IN, OH, PA, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, MD, WV, VA, TN, and AK. 19 total states. We spent significant time on interstates 45, 44, 55, 39, 90, 80, 76, 78, 95, 93, 81, 40, and 30.<br />
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We actually stayed the night in 11 different places. Muskogee, St. Louis, Madison, Northbrook, Pittsburgh, Plainfield, Boston, Beach Haven, Lodi, Abingdon, Memphis.<br />
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Here's a little map of the adventure:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg=ptm&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108461574181981225091.0004711c27c96ddc17cac&ll=35.101934,-86.484375&spn=24.667136,46.538086&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<small>View <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg=ptm&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108461574181981225091.0004711c27c96ddc17cac&ll=35.101934,-86.484375&spn=24.667136,46.538086&source=embed" style="color: blue; text-align: left;">Summer Trip 2009</a> in a larger map</small></span><br />
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</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-64147373435037116862009-08-14T08:47:00.000-07:002009-08-14T08:47:15.177-07:00What I did on summer vacation...Despite appearances, I haven't completely forgotten about this blog. There was a bunch of stuff going on this spring and summer so I wasn't posting as much. Then the great Vollrath family trek occurred, starting July 1st and ending August 9th.<br />
<br />
So to catch the world up on our lives, let's get a rundown of our 40 day trip all over the U.S.<br />
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On our trip:<br />
- We ate the best BBQ baked beans ever in Muskogee, OK<br />
- We visited the Magic House children's museum in St. Louis<br />
- We got to play with 4 cats at Aunt Siggy's house<br />
- Kirstin got to take lots of Claritin (see above)<br />
- Grandma made lots of hot chocolate with little marshmallows<br />
- Abby went down her first solo water-slide (which was a pitch black tube, no less)<br />
- Maddie got to decorate Great-grandma's birthday cake<br />
- We had to replace our car battery<br />
- We got to play with Dryden's massive Lego collection<br />
- We went to a Brewers game with Andy and his son Scott<br />
- I found out that Derek Gau - a guy I went to HS with - lives almost next door to Andy and Heather outside Chicago<br />
- We got to play with Greta, Wyatt, Max, and Gavin at the McVerry's house in Pittsburgh<br />
- We got to swim in Eck's pool and eat pizza<br />
- We got to attend a pig roast in Pittsburgh (140 pounds of pork!)<br />
- We stayed in the hotel in Boston and ate dinner in bed<br />
- Kir, Abby, and Maddie got to hand out with Karen, Kira, and Owen in Boston<br />
- Kir, Abby, and Maddie got to visit great-grandma on the Cape<br />
- I got to nod off repeatedly during conference sessions<br />
- We drove up to Manchester and saw Eric, Wendy, Nolan, and Carly (with guest appearance by some of the Pease family)<br />
- We spent a week with GG in New Jersey<br />
- We got to visit Flax (uh, Mamlet) in NYC<br />
- We went in a castle, played on a playground, and rode the carousel in Central Park<br />
- Abby and Maddie got to see where Eloise lives in the Plaza<br />
- Abby and Maddie rode their first roller coaster at Sesame Place along with Matt<br />
- Maddie got her picture with Zoe<br />
- Abby went down like a million water slides<br />
- We ate lobster for Kirstin's birthday (and Abby took down most of a claw)<br />
- Maddie fell out of bed and may have mildly concussed herself<br />
- Abby started going off by herself to read books (where'd she pick up that habit?)<br />
- Maddie played about 8000 games of Candy Land<br />
- We got to go to the beach every day we were on the shore<br />
- We found a giant sand crab, thousands of little clams, and a jellyfish<br />
- Kirstin got tan and I took a couple waves to the face trying to body surf in rough water<br />
- Kir and I went up to the Seneca Lake wine region in NY for our anniversary<br />
- We ended up with over a case of wine in the car (how'd that happen?)<br />
- We saw a hot-air balloon festival in Virginia<br />
- I ate BBQ spaghetti in Memphis (and seriously, why has no one told me about this before?)<br />
- We got a flat tire north of Longview, TX and got to hang out at Wal-mart on the last day of our trip<br />
- We found out our upstairs AC was broken when we got home<br />
- We were incredibly happy to have our own stuff and all of our toys around us again.<br />
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It was a great trip (but the kind that almost requires another vacation to recover from). If you let us breeze through your house on the trip, thanks. If you didn't, beware. We will be planning next year's trip before long.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-35808913840933759012009-05-29T18:09:00.000-07:002009-05-29T18:09:27.191-07:00Camel CuteNot from New Orleans, here they are at the end of year picnic at pre-school. I wish I could impress on you all how nasty a camel smells.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5G00SESc3LSZse76iBM4BUEZN5u0lNNtrhGOd1B_skKA3MDpNa1YYbUlWnPpf13QcVtjoyOTIUcVKk6GHQaoES_bg3wAQgrdabyzU7EOtRLNNKBwUyIpSF0LWizcDK6LsIxzM_l3L_doN/s1600-h/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5G00SESc3LSZse76iBM4BUEZN5u0lNNtrhGOd1B_skKA3MDpNa1YYbUlWnPpf13QcVtjoyOTIUcVKk6GHQaoES_bg3wAQgrdabyzU7EOtRLNNKBwUyIpSF0LWizcDK6LsIxzM_l3L_doN/s400/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+007.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-78574987830776061082009-05-29T18:08:00.000-07:002009-05-29T18:08:11.450-07:00Mom Cute<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">All the ladies in the house say "whoop whoop"!</span></span><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunlFFOGdQF0b_jFO63fBpI90p-5AP1h97_7XAkNTd74bQrTksQECfU52yx-H5Z480ZFXiCCEYX7z-6Kn4saF3ZyMcoqqjyTidIDLnlUTBpilSyialwlIDTAMnzhqLPffL2Wy6pJsqsRSC/s1600-h/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhunlFFOGdQF0b_jFO63fBpI90p-5AP1h97_7XAkNTd74bQrTksQECfU52yx-H5Z480ZFXiCCEYX7z-6Kn4saF3ZyMcoqqjyTidIDLnlUTBpilSyialwlIDTAMnzhqLPffL2Wy6pJsqsRSC/s400/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+052.jpg" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-31301181407133368022009-05-29T18:06:00.001-07:002009-05-29T18:06:34.815-07:00Wedding CuteFrom the actual ceremony:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5B0X7Gd_H0cOP5twwXW8SiqdF0kIysTz9BzP0dGu4bK8s3Crqe2uHI63H4_N7vCAlEE_5TDC5t9RH19l0X1D-1v7kV-xJNaNBkqTtnAkNe_gb-6BONMAviyRM5pNnVkNFHJATjFvMPzW/s1600-h/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5B0X7Gd_H0cOP5twwXW8SiqdF0kIysTz9BzP0dGu4bK8s3Crqe2uHI63H4_N7vCAlEE_5TDC5t9RH19l0X1D-1v7kV-xJNaNBkqTtnAkNe_gb-6BONMAviyRM5pNnVkNFHJATjFvMPzW/s400/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+026.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-23463908958750067012009-05-29T18:05:00.000-07:002009-05-29T18:05:42.612-07:00Cafe du Monde CuteWe were in New Orleans last weekend for Jason Lee's wedding. Let's just say that some people enjoyed dressing up, riding in a carriage, eating donuts for breakfast, and swimming in the hotel pool. Here's a few shots of the girls first beignets:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoughqrLoGUbHz4jBieewt1S5joZ4JIJ2soV_jqgMQEZCQzRN00ZqXD4_1ujdad29H_9CFzDnPiF80sJfO6ZvSJem56Fequgd86jNKhMlC-77nAJIrEMZZv08ufSsJ8H17meBSrDNsz4_/s1600-h/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoughqrLoGUbHz4jBieewt1S5joZ4JIJ2soV_jqgMQEZCQzRN00ZqXD4_1ujdad29H_9CFzDnPiF80sJfO6ZvSJem56Fequgd86jNKhMlC-77nAJIrEMZZv08ufSsJ8H17meBSrDNsz4_/s320/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+148.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlAIbD7sUqfua1-HO7LAsRR1mcFaglfDIwqi8F7Z_CeWcoqe3ZR__7eTuKY9_GC7uu-qqkpeipDu4BOUVCwGSrS_tRnhdYdrNJsD_JKdASlq5KPkC6pzX5wbAnDxPNCvA8S_rfNk008Fu/s1600-h/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlAIbD7sUqfua1-HO7LAsRR1mcFaglfDIwqi8F7Z_CeWcoqe3ZR__7eTuKY9_GC7uu-qqkpeipDu4BOUVCwGSrS_tRnhdYdrNJsD_JKdASlq5KPkC6pzX5wbAnDxPNCvA8S_rfNk008Fu/s320/End+of+Year+Picnic+and+NOLA+149.jpg" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-71105594872567428452009-05-29T17:57:00.000-07:002009-05-29T17:57:28.515-07:00Crash and burnSo speaking of 80's movies, Top Gun was on the other day. And I reached one inescapable conclusion while viewing it: Top Gun is the gayest movie of all time. Not "gayest" as is shitty, but "gayest" as in I'm expecting a gay porno to bust out at any minute.<br />
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We all know the volleyball scene was just an excuse to get Cruise and Kilmer shirtless, and for a long time I thought this was just for the ladies. Then I think I realized that it had this really homo-erotic jive going with the slow-motion hugs and sweaty pectorals. But the whole movie now watches like it's a big inside joke.<br />
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Kelly McGillis? One of the all-time worst action movie girlfriends in one of the least-believable on-screen couples ever. But Maverick and Iceman? That, my friends, is some sexual tension. Why do you think Iceman is always sniffing when Mav is around? Pheremones, baby. He's horny. Watch some time and see how closely all the men stand to each other in every scene. They're essentially doing the samba.<br />
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I think some day we'll look back at the progress in gay rights and point to two important cultural touchstones that turned public opinion in its favor. One, Top Gun will be seen as making people comfortable with male lust. Two, Bert and Ernie will be seen as making people comfortable with two dudes getting married. Trust me on this. It's no different than Scooby-doo getting people to accept marijuana usage as no big deal.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-77136260487060256832009-05-29T17:45:00.002-07:002009-05-29T17:45:59.536-07:00Bouncy SunJust play it -<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RdTduSstXVM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RdTduSstXVM&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-52605747455850507782009-05-29T17:45:00.000-07:002009-05-29T17:45:13.344-07:00DesireLike there aren't already enough Lego sets I want. Now they're planning on setting up a <a href="http://www.lego.com/en-US/architecture/default.aspx?domainredir=lego.com">line</a> of "Lego Architecture" sets. Apparently they're going to start with sets of the Guggenheim and Wright's Fallingwater house. I think Lego has officially moved over to producing for the over 30 crowd.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-84615329874091477822009-05-29T17:43:00.000-07:002009-05-29T17:43:45.756-07:00The all think he's a righteous dudeFor some reason I've been seeing a lot of really great (read: crappy) 80's movies on TV lately. Which makes this real estate <a href="http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/370-Beech-Street_Highland-Park_IL_60035_1109385563">listing</a> tug at whatever remaining strings are still attached to my heart.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQobJauoTPe7bpRc1UAJnbk6lwX71Dp-VHfsL1JJUDKFIJzLnWIuvTand1pa02pRF0PSN4pX-BmY_Ja6vWyw-4BGJZrCYfga0WIfQHiMP7jOBIqupx1kl6m_hPJA0Ahtxq9xo37YynxCA8/s1600-h/bueller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQobJauoTPe7bpRc1UAJnbk6lwX71Dp-VHfsL1JJUDKFIJzLnWIuvTand1pa02pRF0PSN4pX-BmY_Ja6vWyw-4BGJZrCYfga0WIfQHiMP7jOBIqupx1kl6m_hPJA0Ahtxq9xo37YynxCA8/s400/bueller.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can actually own Cameron's house. Do you think the corvette is still down there in the ravine? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-90814605779065470852009-05-29T17:41:00.000-07:002009-05-29T17:41:08.992-07:00Something for next time I'm really drunk....... a really bad unicorn tattoo! Because what says "tough guy with a heart of gold" quite like some of <a href="http://www.holytaco.com/30-awesomely-bad-unicorn-tattoos-gallery">these</a> fantastic bits of cheese-a-riffic skin art.<br />
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It's hard to have a favorite, but here goes:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRTzLNAjr681SOG9vTZA6YP08_LVKHIKtASIuRDqW_YfJ7lDD_dp3vUOWSv_SUHBSEOI_zIhpH-1d5Ld9E6i7szoB-idimmLfDuOxnOSJjL5cYu_LtmzVSbudAnm2lAH9q7UvlB4D8DgC/s1600-h/unicorn_tattoos_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRTzLNAjr681SOG9vTZA6YP08_LVKHIKtASIuRDqW_YfJ7lDD_dp3vUOWSv_SUHBSEOI_zIhpH-1d5Ld9E6i7szoB-idimmLfDuOxnOSJjL5cYu_LtmzVSbudAnm2lAH9q7UvlB4D8DgC/s400/unicorn_tattoos_6.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Someone walked into a tattoo parlor and said the following: "I'd like a picture of a unicorn fucking a dolphin on my arm. Oh, I also want a rainbow in the background. You know, so it'll look classy."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-73995742696935579342009-05-12T13:45:00.001-07:002009-05-12T13:45:28.656-07:00Disturbing HeadlinesShould I be <a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/100/story/67975.html">scared</a>?<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<h1 class="headline" style="color: black; font: normal normal bold 36px/normal 'arial narrow', arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 40px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Zombie fire ants are studied in Texas</h1><div><br />
</div><div>Seriously - WTF?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-44101008947847908682009-05-12T08:57:00.000-07:002009-05-12T08:57:27.740-07:00A pricing problem...<a href="http://www.nypost.com/seven/05082009/sports/moresports/kay_shills_as_fans_get_oaked_168207.htm?page=0">Here</a>'s an interesting comparison:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">Reader <strong>Gary Cicio</strong>, NYC podiatrist, did the research, and asks us to choose one of the two options to see a Mariners-Yankees game this season, and from the very best seats:</div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">Option 1: Two tickets to Tuesday night, June 30, Mariners at Yanks, cost for just the tickets, $5,000.</div><div style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 0px;">Option 2: Two round-trip airline tickets to Seattle, Friday, Aug. 14, return Sunday the 16th, rental car for three days, two-night double occupancy stay in four-star hotel, two top tickets to both the Saturday and Sunday Yanks-Mariners games, two best-restaurant-in-town dinners for two. Total cost, $2,800. Plus-frequent flyer miles.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3867822938337272954.post-68916463597239981362009-05-08T17:25:00.000-07:002009-05-08T17:25:40.752-07:00OmarA top 5 moment from a top 5 all-time great TV character. Omar on the stand. Shockingly - not a single curse-word.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10px; white-space: pre;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oYj7q_by_2E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oYj7q_by_2E&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0