Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, August 29, 2011
Cool Birthday Party
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.
Jack has that "hockey player" look... and appropriately enough - a Michigan State jersey.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Fish Taco Shop To Open
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
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...
...
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...
...
Friday, August 26, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Dispatch from Jonesboro
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!
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!!!!
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!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Number 1... Times 2!
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:
Here's a scan of the page:
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Boston...The Wheaten Terrier
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.
Monday, August 15, 2011
The Rules of Fast Food Employment
While waiting recently to pick up take-out at BJ's Restaurant I noticed an employee check-in sheet forgotten on the counter. It appears each employee needs to be "checked-in" via visual inspection but presumably a manager...
Here's what the sheet said:
___Promise Card
___Perfect Uniform Standards
___Hair restraint, Shaved
___No Cell Phone
___No Gum
___Knowledge of Duties
___Knowledge of Meal Period Rotation
___Service Execution Focus: Delivering Perfect Food & Beverages
___Hopsitality Focus: Commitment
___Safety Topic: Burn Prevention
___Sanitation Focus
___Server check in with host
Clearly something like this isn't in place at McDonalds. We had breakfast there recently at the El Dorado Hills location and encountered an employee sleeping on the table shortly before her shift began!
Here's what the sheet said:
___Promise Card
___Perfect Uniform Standards
___Hair restraint, Shaved
___No Cell Phone
___No Gum
___Knowledge of Duties
___Knowledge of Meal Period Rotation
___Service Execution Focus: Delivering Perfect Food & Beverages
___Hopsitality Focus: Commitment
___Safety Topic: Burn Prevention
___Sanitation Focus
___Server check in with host
Clearly something like this isn't in place at McDonalds. We had breakfast there recently at the El Dorado Hills location and encountered an employee sleeping on the table shortly before her shift began!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Tigger the Tiger!
Jack went to a friend's house today and came home dressed as Tigger!
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| Er, jump? Tiggers don't jump, they bounce. |
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Jack's Trip to the Zoo
We celebrated "Jack Day" as part of his birthday and both too the day off to spend time doing things he'd enjoy. That meant the zoo and Funderland. Jack wasn't exactly 100% but managed to finesse his was through the day just fine. We all had fun!
If you look closely you'll be able to spot Snoopy and the Red Baron flying by!
a few more snaps of the animals to follow.
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| From thee customary do it yourself booth at the entrance. |
If you look closely you'll be able to spot Snoopy and the Red Baron flying by!
a few more snaps of the animals to follow.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Football Season Nearly Here...
And Georgia Tech has an awesome home slate this year. Home games include:
Kansas
Viriginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia
along with North Carolina and Maryland and Western Carolina...
Pretty awesome slate. They are likely to need all the help they can get as the team is still quite young and will include a new quarterback.
Kansas
Viriginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia
along with North Carolina and Maryland and Western Carolina...
Pretty awesome slate. They are likely to need all the help they can get as the team is still quite young and will include a new quarterback.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
The Birthday Report: Part 2
We ended up doing a fair amount of decorating for the "shark" party.
Guests were greated with a danger sign at the door coupled with a hidden music box playing the Jaws theme over and over.
Stepping through the front door led to more serious things. Two mean looking blow-up sharks looked down on all who entered.
And of course there was a shark cake!
And some fancy balloons - including a dolphin, the nose of which is just visible in the picture.
All in all, it was great fun.
Guests were greated with a danger sign at the door coupled with a hidden music box playing the Jaws theme over and over.
Stepping through the front door led to more serious things. Two mean looking blow-up sharks looked down on all who entered.
And of course there was a shark cake!
And some fancy balloons - including a dolphin, the nose of which is just visible in the picture.
All in all, it was great fun.
Monday, August 08, 2011
The Birthday Report: Part 1
Jack and Grandpa prepare for the big day by spelling "CAKE" on his word puzzle. Jack doesn't really need much help, as a four year old, with such trivial puzzles any more.
More pre-birthday festivities...reading the Seuss Birthday story... which, like all Dr. Seuss books, is surprisingly long.
Elle got in on the Grandpa action too.
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| "Let's do the birthday cake one!" |
More pre-birthday festivities...reading the Seuss Birthday story... which, like all Dr. Seuss books, is surprisingly long.
Elle got in on the Grandpa action too.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Preparing for a Birthday... Shark Style!
Last time we did a a pinata at Jack's birthday it was a #FAIL. I hung it with twine and it broke after the first hit. That won't be the case this year. I spent more on the attachment hardware than I did on the Pinata and will include some hardware close-ups later. This should give you and idea though.
Birthday preparations are well underway!
Birthday preparations are well underway!
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| The Shark Pinata! |
Monday, August 01, 2011
The Cutest Baby on The Block? No Question!
Elle is the cutest baby on the block by a long shot! It's fun to watch her interact with more and more things every day. Her favorite, of course, is still her brother. She immediately starts beaming as soon as he comes over and plays with her.
They are great together and Steph and I love watching the interaction.
They are great together and Steph and I love watching the interaction.