The Tangeman Family Blog

The iPhone 4SS - "We Just Got Samsunged!"

2012-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Pretty cool commercial - super bowl preview??

Blog Contest! Win an Authentic $2 Bill

2012-01-20T21:16:00.000-08:00

BLOG CONTEST! WIN Today!

Identify the geographic landmark featured on a recent issue of Life magazine. The first person to comment the correct answer will receive a $2 bill.

Please note: Offer only available to residents of the United States. Further, residents or former residents of the State where this landmark resides are not eligible to participate.

Roll Little Doggies Roll!

2012-01-17T22:36:00.000-08:00

Chicago Style Pizza

2012-01-15T17:12:00.001-08:00

I love Chicago Style Pizza. Today I became inspired to try and make one at home. I researched recipes on the web. One of the most helpful things I found for general technique was Mark Malnati ( of Lou Malnati's fame) describing the process of making a Chicago pie.

For the pan I decided to use our fancy springform pan which is a whopping 3 inches deep. Lou Malnati's pie is great, but it's not thick enough for my liking. I prefer Giordano's which is the thickest in Chicago. I went up nearly the entire depth of the pan with the crust.

Next comes the cheese. Shredded mozzarella might work fine, but the authentic Chicago pies use sliced mozzarella and plenty of it. The act of putting the cheese on the bottom makes your crisp crust taste more like cheesy bread on the edges.

Next comes the toppings. I used green pepper and onion. Then comes the sauce which is packed with diced tomatoes.

I topped the whole thing with a liberal sprinkling of parmesan cheese. I cooked it for 30 minutes at 415.

Finished!

The pizza turned out great! The crust really reminded me of what you get in Chicago. I score this as a major success for my first effort!

Windows 8 Teaser

2012-01-12T17:51:00.000-08:00

The first Windows 8 teaser has been released by Microsoft and it appears to have the tablet / smartphone features you would expect. The key challenge will be building in the simplicity and then coupling that with the capabilities required to manage all their legacy applications, interfaces, etc..

A Reason for Siblings!

2012-01-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

If my brother and I weren't proof that 2 are better than 1 then this video should offer ample evidence. Jack and Elle love to ride together in the cart at Costco... Jack then provides entertainment which Elle then dances and applauds for...

Too Many Bowl Games

2012-01-08T12:19:00.001-08:00

Dad has frequently commented that there are too many college football bowl games. Last night's Saturday Night Live made the same observation and promoted some of the lower end games.

Elle is Now a Toddler!

2012-01-07T17:57:00.000-08:00

Elle stood up on her own (balanced) for the first time today and even took her first few steps. We've got a toddler on our hands!

A-STATE GO DADDY BOWL RAP

2012-01-07T11:13:00.000-08:00

Chorus: "A-State. Red Wolves. Jonesboro."

Beer Pong... an emerging sport?

2012-01-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

Flat Returns for 2011? That would have been nice...

2012-01-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

The news is filled with how stocks ended the year flat.

If only that were the case for our 401k plans which ended the year down 4.6% :( Let's hope 2012 fares more favorably!

Elle Walks Her Baby

2011-12-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Elle got a new baby stroller from her Uncle Bill and Aunt Erin for Christmas and it turns out her Baby Huggums (a previous gift from Aunt Sandy and Uncle JC) fits perfectly!

iCade

2011-12-29T08:59:00.001-08:00

I've been somewhat interested in the iCade since it was released last year. It's an arcade cabinet with a real joystick and real buttons that works via Bluetooth with the iPad. But at $100.00, it was just too expensive to justify. That's until I got a chance to buy it for nearly 70% off. I jumped at the chance!

It's no wonder they went on sale, the boxes are huge. A real storage hassle for retail stores.

The iCade comes unassembled out of the box. The cabinet panels and joystick feel solid and well-made.

It took about 30 minutes to assemble.

It was easy to pair with the iPad via Bluetooth. The first game I tried was Missle Command on the Atari's Greatest Hits app. It worked well. There are 100 other Atari games available.

There is a growing list of games that work with the iCade. The thing feels solid and it really does feel like playing at an old school arcade.

My favorite game for iCade so far is Super Mega Worm. It's like you're controlling the worm from the movie Tremors!

I highly recommend iCade if you like the feel of classic arcade games, and if you can find it for under $50.00.

Christmas 2011: A Retrospective

2011-12-27T21:24:00.000-08:00

We had a memorable holiday season this year filled with activities with friends and our extended family sprinkled with just enough "us" time to keep us sane. Capturing it all in a blog post would be impossible so here are a few collages along with some of the greatest hits...

Cookies, reading, sisters, a beautiful baby girl, the Polar Express in 3D...

Santa (Elle didn't mind Santa at all but being more than 3 feet from Mom was tough!), tree trimming, friends, our first bath together, elf jammies and an Angry Bird hat...

Another highlight of the season was Rick DeBruyn's first pedicure!

Santa obviously had a little extra time in our house - probably due to all the food Jack put out for the reindeer this year (Rudolph even got some extra)

Zoo Lights!

2011-12-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

We went to the Folsom zoo last night and Jack ran into both Santa Paws...

and Santa Claus!

Domino's Artisan Pizza

2011-12-21T23:03:00.001-08:00

Domino's Pizza has a new kind of pie out called the Artisan. It's a wood fired type pie that is more oval than round. There are several flavors. I tried the one with several kinds of peppers and sausage and picked most of the sausage off.

I made the above mostly as a joke since the Domino's manager failed to sign my box. In reality the pizza was very good and I would recommend it.

Merry Christmas from the Little Cowbell!

2011-12-21T10:08:00.000-08:00

Elle's Birthday and More

2011-12-18T07:28:00.000-08:00

Elle had a small birthday celebration as she turned one. The poor thing has been battling a nasty ear infection strain and is on her third antibiotic with the hopes that this will be the one to knock it out. She's a trooper.

We scaled down the size of her first birthday significantly compared with Jack. Why? Well - we are more seasoned as parents perhaps. Her birthday is in Winter as opposed to Summer??? It certainly isn't because we love her any less though!

In other news, Jack has learned to wolf down pasta based meals. He always starts out saying he doesn't like them... then, after a little Green Eggs and Ham talk he digs in!

Plaid Tidings from the Carnegie Mellon Pooch

2011-12-14T15:07:00.001-08:00

Bowling League!

2011-12-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Jack and his friends went bowling for the first time today. Here's a good group shot!

Happy Birthday to Elle!

2011-12-10T11:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to the perfect addition to our family.

Look Elle! There's Santa!!!!!

2011-12-09T23:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Polar Express night. Started and ended a bit rocky with Elle but there were some great moments too.

Jack loved his hot, hot, hot - hot chocolate!

Jack Invents a New Branch of Mathematics: Same Math

2011-12-09T11:25:00.000-08:00

Jack, on the easel in his bedroom, has developed a new branch of mathematics he refers to as "same math". Essentially Same Math consists of all equations which contain only 1 unique number. A generic example would be as follows:

Though there are other more straight-forward examples: 5 + 5, 3^3, etc...

Week-end Fun

2011-12-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

It was a busy week-end that began with both kids going to breakfast with Daddy in Old Folsom. They were doing face painting so Jack got "Spiderman" He inquired about having a garabage truck painted on but the lady didn't know how to do it...

We then went to a birthday party where Jack had a ball!

And we did Santa pictures and gave Elle her first real bath!

More on those things later.

Walking Baby

2011-12-03T14:20:00.001-08:00

Elle has begun to walk a bit more now!

Really? Almost time to Feed the Reindeer Again!

2011-12-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Here's Jack last year putting out the reindeer food to help make sure Santa stopped by our house. As I recall, it worked!

Subway Biscuits & Gravy

2011-11-30T18:04:00.001-08:00

I tried biscuits and gravy at Subway. It's not too bad for fast food. I'm not sure if they bake the biscuits in the store or not. They were a bit cold, although the hot gravy warmed them up. The price was $1.99 for two biscuits which seemed like a fair value.

A Proud Baby!

2011-11-28T23:23:00.000-08:00

Tonight, without much prompting, Elle started walking so long as she had something to hold herself up on. She started with one of Jack's garbage trucks so Steph ran and grabbed our official baby walker. Elle loved it as the pictures clearly show.

Look at me!

This is fun!

Elle and Clifford

2011-11-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

Occasionally Elle begins her day at school with a ride on Clifford, the big red dog.

The Tupperware Cabinet - a rite of passage for all good babies...

2011-11-26T09:30:00.000-08:00

How Big is The Baby?

2011-11-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Sharing Donuts!

2011-11-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

Facebook Ads are Quick

2011-11-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Immediately after posting this bourbon reference I was presented with a bourbon ad...

Will be interesting to see how long the register and misrepresent me as a bourbon connoisseur!

Hail to The Sparties ?!?*?!

2011-11-23T04:52:00.000-08:00

Turkey Chase

2011-11-22T21:05:00.001-08:00

I saw a rafter of wild turkeys in a field and tried to get up close with my camera. The turkeys were afraid and ran away. Happy Thanksgiving!

Turkey Trot

2011-11-22T04:46:00.000-08:00

The turkeys are on the move...headed to Thanksgiving dinner presumably.

Picture actually from May 2011.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Arkansas State to the GoDaddy.com Bowl!

2011-11-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

Arkansas State has become one of the first teams to accept a bowl bid this year. Strangely enough, they've accepted a bid to the GoDaddy.com bowl when, in all likelihood, the will be the Sun Belt Champs and the champs tend to go to the New Orleans Bowl... GoDaddy is a late bowl - January 8th...

Garbage Trucks! What Jack does NOT need for Christmas!

2011-11-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Jack boasts one of the more impressive collection of garbage trucks in the country. With nine trucks in his collection, Jack creates and transports lots of garbage to his multiple dumps.

Because he likes them so much the trucks are always out and we've run out of space to store them in our living room.

The Jawbone UP

2011-11-16T20:32:00.001-08:00

For my birthday, I told Erin I really wanted a Jawbone UP. It's a high-tech health band that just launched. The UP tracks motion and exercise as well as sleep patterns using sensitive motion detection. It syncs to an app that runs on any iOS device like iPhone or iPad. You sync the UP by removing the cap and plugging it into the headphone jack. The app also allows you to track what you eat, make friends via a social aspect, and participate in health challenges. The band can also remind you to be active via a vibration if you've been passive for too long. The same vibration can be set to act as an alarm clock that wakes you up at the optimal time during your sleep cycle to leave you feeling less groggy in the morning. The thing has a rechargeable battery that lasts for 10 days and charges via an included USB cable. It's also water resistant. It costs $99.00.

I got the UP a few days ago and couldn't wait to try it out. I synced it up to my phone and started wearing it. I'd sync after walking the dog or exercising and it seemed to work pretty well. The sleep pattern tracking also seemed pretty cool, but I found that this data would not reliably sync. Some days I'd wake up and it recorded no data at all even though I had the thing in the right sleep mode. I figured this was a bug in the app and assumed they'd update it.

And then one day it wouldn't sync at all. I'd plug it in just as I had been doing, and it just gave me a sync error. I ran through the list of troubleshooting recommendations and nothing worked. I searched the Jawbone UP website forums and found many people were also having similar problems with their UP. One guy had gone through four of them and they had all failed. My UP had transformed itself into a hundred dollar rubber bracelet in just four days time.

I checked and luckily still had all my boxes and receipts. I took it back to the AT&T store where it was purchased and they gave me a full refund with no questions asked.

I have since decided that I'll just track my steps via my $12 state issued pedometer and call it good.

Fiber One Chocolate Brownie - Reviewed!

2011-11-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

They've got a neat ad. The one where the pretty lady pushes her way passed the brownie bouncer to join the brownie party with her Fiber One Brownie.

Well, they showed up at work and I had to give them a try. All in all, it was a bad experience. This thing isn't a brownie. It is dry, crusty and even a little card boardy tasting. The chocolate "flavored" chips enhance all these things making you thankful to be done with the brownie. If it is fiber you are after eat some fruit and some wheat toast. If it is a brownie you are after then make a pan from scratch or even a $2 box mix twice a year.

Elle and Elton

2011-11-11T17:58:00.001-08:00

Tired!

2011-11-05T17:12:00.000-07:00

Yuki's Squirrel Suit

2011-11-04T21:26:00.001-07:00

We may as well keep the Halloween posts coming! This year Yuki surprised trick-or-treaters as his favorite animal, the noble squirrel. Normally he is quick to tear out of the silly things we dress him in. For some reason, the squirrel suit was different. He left it on all night.

2011 Halloween Haul

2011-11-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here is Jack's candy haul from Halloween.

It is interesting to compare the haul from the same shot, featuring Kodak, two years ago. Reese's continues to dominate the landscape with Hershey's falling off somewhat.

The Making of the Horse Arms

2011-11-01T21:41:00.001-07:00

A few months back, I saw a nifty horse head mask on the web for about 25 bucks and decided to buy it. Here it is.

The mask by itself was great, but for Halloween I wanted to add something else to the disguise. Namely, horse arms with hooves. After thinking about it for awhile, I came up with a plan.

For the structure of the arms, I found a big tree branch on the ground while walking Yuki. Here it is in the garage after I carried it home.

For the hooves, I used two Ben & Jerry's containers which I painted black.
I also bought a cheap brown fleece blanket, some craft glue, and some fuzzy brown yarn.

I sawed off stick arms from the branch. Here they are by the painted Ben & Jerry's hooves.

Next I attached the hooves to the arms.

I secured them with black with black electrical tape.

Next I cut the fleece to cover the arms.

I coated it all with a lot of glue and rolled it up like a burrito. It stuck surprisingly well.

Next, I glued a few strips of the furry yarn down one side of the arm to give it the true barnyard look .

Here are the completed arms. I let them dry overnight.

Here's the completed costume. I held the arms with my hands and pulled the sleeves down over them. It was a big hit. Many people thought the arms were store-bought, which I took as a compliment.

"Trick or Treat - Candy Pete"

2011-11-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Halloween was a success with Jack and several of his friends gathering at our house to begin the annual stomp through the neighborhood. For some reason the kids started chanting "Trick or Treat - Candy Pete" through the streets and that's also what they said when people opened their doors to give them candy.

My theory as to why? Several of them had been corrected when saying, "Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet, Give Me Something Good to Eat" so they morphed it to Trick or Treat - Candy Pete...

Surprisingly, Elle seemed to really enjoy the trick or treating. She was strolled for most of it and carried for some.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

From your resident Fireman!

Yet Another Tech T-shirt Available

2011-10-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

Tech has issued its second t-shirt for the year after their win over Clemson... This one is at least more legit than their Kansas victory t-shirt....

Meow!

2011-10-27T15:21:00.000-07:00

Elle is going to be a kitten for her first Halloween! Jack, recall, was a pea in a pod...but much younger for his first.

Do You Know The Way To Monterey? - Volume 3 / 3 - Cowpot Edition

2011-10-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

While Del Monte Beach and the Monterey Aquarium were the highlights the real highlights for us was watching our kids interact in a much less structured environment than they are used to...

Jack in a hotel bed by himself. He did great. We should write a book on transitioning a kid from his crib to his bed!

The hotel room also featured plenty of "crawling races". And when Jack had too much pent up energy we had him do laps (supervised of course) around floor 9 of the Embass Suites - that may have had something to do the the prank calls we received one night... There were plenty of hugs to go around as well...

Jack fit right in at the Dennis the Menace park and enjoyed drinking water out of the lion's open mouth.

Jack and Dennis...

Finally, we threw them a curve ball by stopping unexpectedly at the Jelly Belly factory on the way home. It Jack a bit to figure it out...but once he did he was in candy factory heaven.

I'm Going on a "TP" Mission

2011-10-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Heading to my teacher's house tonight to roll her yard! My Mom taught me.

Do You Know The Way To Monterey? - Volume 2 / 3 - Aquarium Edition

2011-10-23T11:25:00.000-07:00

The night before the aquarium we braved eating out on the old Monterey wharf. Food wasn't great. Atmosphere was.

Towards the end of dinner Jack and I had several thump wrestling matches while we waited for the waiter. Jack is a natural.

We finallly arrived at the aquarium. Jack was mesmerized by the fish a few times including the below (there was a huge tank of fish right above sea quote. Mostly, however, Jack was enthralled with the escalator.

The open sea exhibit contained tons of different fish including a great white shark, several hammer head sharks, lots of tuna and this school of fish numbering 20,000! We got to see the feeding of all the aforementioned fish!

The jelly fish exhibits were pretty amazing.

Almost to the Aquarium!

Today Jack and I went Swimming...Latest We've Ever Swam in our Pool. Temp was 77

2011-10-22T21:50:00.001-07:00

Pumpkin Fever

2011-10-22T10:56:00.001-07:00

I love October because of the pumpkin flavored products that show up in stores. Here are a few of the one we've tried this year.

This KBC Pumpkin Ale from Trader Joe's is one of the best I've tried because of the intense pumpkin spice flavor.

This one is ok too, but the pumpkin flavor is too weak.

These almonds are very good. Could use more pumpkin flavor. I treat 'em like candy because they're so sweet.

Another Trader Joe's item, this mix makes a great pancake that tastes like pumpkin bread.

I'll say it. Buying these was a mistake. The same can be said about all pop tarts.

This cheesecake was excellent.

Do You Know The Way to Monterey? Volume 1 / 3 - Beach Edition

2011-10-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Our first family vacation was a grand success that began on a high note as the weather was great for beaching.

First we had a long drive there which included lunch in a rest stop and Jack receiving the advice from a stranger in the rest stop bathroom that "you don't want to be caught shooting upstream" while he was patiently waiting for the short urinal.

Here we are after settling in and claiming our spot on Del Monte beach. Jack was enthralled by the big waves and Elle enjoyed the sand.

This picture was taken after we convinced Steph to remove her sweater and Ugg boats!

Running from the waves!

These waves are fast!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

from our favorite little boy!

Jack's First "Great" on a Homework

2011-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Jack scored his first great on a school homework project. His does much better on the coloring projects with pencils vs. crayons. Math is likely to be his calling though!

Don't Fear The Reaper!

2011-10-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Our "reaper" made his debut in our doorway last year and is back up! He still startles us sometimes when we see him out the window above the door. When the wind blows he twirls a bit and his hand rap at the door... nevermore...

Family Football Results

2011-10-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

While the Leuenberger Family League has not been kind to me for the first month of the season I've secured my only victory when it counted. Against Brother Bubb and his Yuki and The Cats team.

The Best Little Pumpkin There Is!

2011-10-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

We'll take the little pink one marked down to $5!

Fall is here: Wigs, Cakes and Swings

2011-10-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

It was wig day last week at school and Jack was excited about his clown wig we picked up. Elle elected not to play along.

Because Jack was such a good sport we went into one of our favorite cupcake places and snapped up the seasonal caramel corn cupcake and a cookies 'n cream cupcake. Jack sported his wig in there as well...

Elle wasn't much into the cupcakes either (though she did have her first cupcake bites!) but she enjoyed swinging outside!

Pumpkin Pete's Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-08T09:48:00.001-07:00

My buddy Ed recorded an audio spot for a local pumpkin patch. I went ahead ahead and added video and background audio to help round it out.

Palindromes for Specific Occasions

2011-10-08T07:31:00.001-07:00

These come from a book by Demetrius Martin. The book is called, "This is a Book." I thought Dad might like them since he's such a palindrome junky.

GENTLY INFORMING A DJ THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM:
No music is, um, on.

A FATHER TRYING TO CONNECT WITH HIS ESTRANGED SON BY OFFERING HIM SOME PIZZA:
Son, I'm odd. Domino's?

THE HEAD BAKER AT A BAKERY INSTRUCTING A NEW EMPLOYEE ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH CUSTOMERS AND THEN SUDDENLY NOTICING WHAT THE NEW BAKER HAS MADE.
Snub no man. Nice cinnamon buns!

AN AMERICAN TOURIST ANGRILY CORRECTING HIS CAB DRIVER AFTER LANDING IN ITALY AND DISCOVERING THAT THE DRIVER IS TAKING HIM TO THE WRONG CITY.
No. Rome, moron.

A COMMENT SAID TO A FRIEND ABOUT THE SIZE OF HIS OLD JEANS, AFTER HE'S LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT.
Massive Levis, Sam.

A GUY EXPLAINING TO HIS FRIEND HOW HE FEELS ABOUT OPERAS AS HE ACCIDENTALLY RUNS INTO A BEEHIVE.
See, bro, operas are poor - Bees!

Barbie Girl - Worst Song of the 90's?

2011-10-07T07:40:00.000-07:00

I always liked Aqua and this song...the broader music world is not so accepting!

Steve Jobs...a modern day Thomas Edison

2011-10-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Rick Springfield Played Jonesboro!

2011-10-04T22:12:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the biggest concert there since the Pointer Sisters rocked the old Indian Fieldhouse!

Bad Restaurant Names

2011-10-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

Ran across this place the other day. Burgerocity! Can't say I'm dying to try it...

Mysterious Cats

2011-10-01T19:41:00.001-07:00

Recently I've started noticing some graffiti cats appearing around Lincoln. They're usually sitting in out of the way places, and I've seen them in several different parts of town. Here are two that have appeared on the bike trail near our house.

Corn Maze Season is Upon Us!

2011-09-28T21:42:00.001-07:00

School Pictures 2011!

2011-09-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

The kiddies school pictures are in! This, of course, includes Elle's first school picture and their first sibling school picture. Elle wasn't the most chipper as she was fighting her first ear infection but she went along.
Here they are together:

And Jack...

And Jack's Sea Turtle class!

And the little jewel Elle!

Georgia Tech Passing Attack Featured as Yahoo Lead Story!

2011-09-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Georgia Tech is largely a running team. Kind of a 12 yards and a cloud of dust thing - just ask Kansas. But in their close win against North Carolina yesterday their leading receiver made a great catch. The country caught on to it throughout the day and it was a lead Yahoo story last night.

Here's the catch!

and the headline...

Walnut Ridge, Arkansas - Bill and The Beatles!

2011-09-23T21:53:00.000-07:00

Walnut Ridge, it turns out is more than a 1-trick pony town. Who knew? Among our family, Walnut Ridge is famous only as the town were Bill was born. I think we also once caught a train to Chicago from there as kids.

Now it turns out, after a front page article in the Wall Street Journal, Walnut Ridge was proudly celebrating the fact that the Beatles changed planes there over a ~15 minute duration back in '64.

This is Totally Uncalled For!

2011-09-20T17:05:00.001-07:00

http://www.ramblinwreckstore.com/COLLEGE_GA_Tech_Yellow_Jackets/GA_Tech_Yellow_Jackets_History_T-Shirt_-_Navy_Blue

Notre Dame to ACC?

2011-09-20T10:28:00.000-07:00

Realistically, Notre Dame would probably be welcomed into any conference they choose. I've always assumed it would eventually be the Big 10 though I guess I'm not opposed to seeing them in the ACC. My preference would be they remain an increasingly less relevant independent team.

Coastal Carolina Coach

2011-09-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

seems a bit loony in advance of playing Georgia...

Elle Reads a Book

2011-09-16T04:05:00.000-07:00

Granny's Birthday Video! Love Jack & Elle

2011-09-14T12:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Granny!

2011-09-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

Jack took a quick break from his meal to bring you this important message...

The Clouds of the Dog Days

2011-09-12T23:20:00.000-07:00

While the dog days of summer rarely bring rain to us here in NorCal we do get a few more clouds. These were particularly cool.

Remembering one of the worst days ever....

2011-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

isn't easy but the online museum by the National Museum of American History is done well.

Concerts I've Been To...

2011-09-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

Lots of updates from summer concerts :)

ROBERT'S LIST
____________________
Eels
Smoosh - they opened for the Eels, lots of critical acclaim. We were not impressed - 1/10
The Cure (x2)
The Eagles
Depeche Mode
New Found Glory
The Go-Gos
The B-52s
Blink 182
Magnapop
Ingram Hill
Rick Sprinfield
Simple Minds
The Beach Boys (multiple times)
Jesus and Mary Chain
R.E.M.
Fleetwood Mac
U2
Gwen Stefani
James Taylor x 2
Howard Jones
Culture Club
Human League
Don Henley
Gin Blossoms
Cheap Trick
John Mayer
Counting Crows x 2
Third Eye Blind
Rob Thomas
Anna Nalick
The Goo Goo Dolls
Eric Bibb
Etta James
Buck 65
Gomez
Sammy Hagar
REO Speedwagon
Train
The Rolling Stones
Dave Matthews Band
Bad Company
Daughtry
Madonna

BILL'S LIST
_________________
Don Henley
The Oak Ridge Boys
The Beach Boys
The Cure
The Indigo Girls
Bruce Hornsby and the Range
Vince Neil (of Motley Crue)
Van Halen (Sammy Hagar Days)
Cheap Trick
Def Leapord
James Taylor
Tracy Chapman
The Cranberrys
Pinback
Garth Brooks
Marty Stewart
The Gin Blossoms
Urge Overkill
Pearl Jam
Bonnie Raite
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Huey Lewis and The News
Matchbox 20
Fountains of Wayne
Britney Spears
Kelis (opened for Britney...sung that awful "Milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" song)
Jim Brickman
Willie Nelson
Eric Bibb
Etta James
Buck 65
Gomez
Sammy Hagar
Stone Temple Pilots

DAD'S LIST
__________
Don Henley
Linda Rhonstadt
Cheap Trick
Rod Stewart
Bob Dylan
Philadelphia Orchestra (w/Ormandy)
Femme Fatale (Cheap Trick warmup)
Hank Snow
Donovan

GT's Western Carolina Video

2011-09-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

Similar to Husker's Tunnel Vision

Go Jackets!

Football Season is Here! Who Picked LSU over Oregon?

2011-09-10T02:43:00.000-07:00

That was definitely my best pick during opening week-end. In total, I won two and lost two.

Clifford and Michigan State???

2011-09-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

Today was football day at school to celebrate the new season upon us. Steph and I were a little appalled to see that Jack has outgrown everything but his Michigan State gear (of which there is a constant stream coming in courtesy of Aunt Jasper and Grandpa DeBruyn). So Michigan State it was! Go Sparties!

Elle, who owns no football gear, decided to celebrate by hopping on Clifford (the big red dog - implying she's rooting for Nebraska undoubtedly)

Steph and I will be placing some orders for Georgia Tech and Michigan clothing later today!

Stuffed Animals x 50

2011-09-05T22:27:00.000-07:00

The Eight Dollar Burger

2011-09-04T23:23:00.001-07:00

There is a new burger place near our house in Lincoln. It's called Crave, and the Journal Star review says it's the best burger in town. Crave is operated by the owners of Hollenbeck Farms out of Elmwood, Nebraska. They raise their own cattle in a hormone-free kind of way for the meat. We tried a burger and found it to be very flavorful. Unfortunately, it also cost $8.00 before tax and that price didn't include fries! And I used to think the six dollar burger was steep!

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2011 HUSKER TUNNEL WALK VIDEO

2011-09-03T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here it is for their inaugural B1G 10 season.

The pushy caller said "Buy OVTI"

2011-09-02T04:27:00.000-07:00

The other night I answered the phone and it was a cold call from a broker. Their firm's analysts were convinced OmniVision Technologies stock was price was going to vault through the roof the next day after they released their earnings. Wanted to sell me as many share as I wanted immediately with only a $100 commission. I listened to his pitch, jotted down the ticker symbol (OVTI) and then told him no thanks when he wanted to FedEx all the paperwork to me.

I ran across the ticker today and here is what happened after their earnings:

These are the Dog Days...

2011-08-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

Cellbook.info Still Kicking?

2011-08-29T20:28:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting development. Check out this link: CELLBOOK.INFO

Cool Birthday Party

2011-08-29T03:24:00.000-07:00

Jack was invited to a super cool ice skating birthday party this week-end. It was his first experience on ice and he got to be relatively proficient at ice skating with "buckets"

Jack has that "hockey player" look... and appropriately enough - a Michigan State jersey.

Fish Taco Shop To Open

2011-08-27T23:20:00.001-07:00

Some have come to think of Lincoln, NE as a fish taco town. That reputation will get an enhancement in October when Wahoo's Fish Taco opens downtown. Wahoo's Fish Taco is a chain that currently has stores in California, Texas, Colorado, Hawaii, and Australia.

The Mind of a 4-year Old

2011-08-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Jack: Daddy, when sister and I grow up how many garage doors will we have?

Daddy: We'll still probably have 2

Jack: No, we'll need four then

I then explained that when he grew up he'd want to move away to go to school. He didn't think so because he didn't know who he'd play with if he moved away. He thought about it a bit more and then asked if he could bring his toys.

Four is an awesome age and it is fun watching Jack grow and think through new things...

...

Get a $99 HP Touchpad? Don't worry - This guy didn't either...

2011-08-27T15:20:00.001-07:00

Surprising Sleepy Yuki

2011-08-26T13:44:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

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These ads don't get much play in Arkansas....

2011-08-26T11:38:00.000-07:00

Dispatch from Jonesboro

2011-08-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

On my recent trip to Jonesboro I made a few observations.
First, the Pizza Inn buffet is still kicking and I believe it's still the best pie in Northeast Arkansas.

Second, some bad news. The Country Kitchen, known by some as the land of the yellow pancakes, is dead. I do not hold out much hope of ever eating breakfast in this shack again.

Thirdly, there's this. University Drive has a ton of houses for sale. Some are vacant and beginning to suffer from neglect. Let's hope the old neighborhood doesn't slip too far downhill.

Of course, it isn't all bad. For a mere $229,000 you could be the proud owner of Russ Ball's old house. If you do buy it, please don't flip the bird at cars driving by. Thanks in advance!

Almost there!!!!

2011-08-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

Elle is going to be crawling any day! Jack says he's ready to play hide and seek with her...we'll see about that!

Number 1... Times 2!

2011-08-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

I enjoy perusing the various college/university rankings and was recently enamored with a set of rankings in the current issue of Smart Money. It was a best value oriented article that landed Georgia Tech at the top of the public university list and Carnegie Mellon at the top of the private university list!

Here's a scan of the page:

Boston...The Wheaten Terrier

2011-08-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

This sign was posted at the exit to our neighborhood. Boston looks like a good animal... though we aren't currently in the market for a dog.