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No More Photos

Google's new Picassa web storage limits me to one GB, and I've hit the wall without paying to store photos.  I think this is fairly new.  Does anyone know how to do it otherwise?  I'd rather not get into a place where I have to pay to do this blog.

Who Says We Mormons Can't Laugh At Ourselves?

When I'm procrastinating writing psych evals or doing my billing (in my office at the computer) I like to keep up with the Bloggernacle, which is the loosely connected system of blogs and websites of Mormons, for Mormons, and about Mormons.  You can find and follow a site in any point along the intersecting orthodoxy, political, and gender spectra.  My favorites are feminist Mormon housewives, by Common Consent, and Times and Seasons, with occasional forays into Exponent, Segullah, and Zelophehad's Daughters.

Even though I often don't agree with posters' specific politics or religious ideas, the fact that we share a common ideological background as Mormons makes what they say innately more interesting to me than your random New York Times opinion column or Daily Kos post and comments.  Every once in a while there will be a thread that makes me laugh out loud.  Here are the most recent giggle-and-snort-until-I-wake-up-John-in-the-next-room posts.

From by Common Consent--another Daily Universe Police Beat post.  Previous posts are linked--if you have a couple of hours and want to end up a giggly endorphin-flooded puddle on the floor, read them all.

From Zelophehad's Daughters, a list of the Bloggernacle's funniest comments from 2010.  The poster also links previous offerings, so you can enjoy them as well.  These items may be more funny if you're familiar with the ongoing discussion topics on the Bloggernacle.

And last, Matsby's Religious Blog, which is just Mormon-themed silliness, but a lot of fun (sort of in the Deep Thoughts vein).  Here are some of my favorite visuals:

and here's my favorite Matsby quote [sigh]:

Some people think the best meeting block is from 9:00 – 12:00 because they like to take a nap after church.

Other people think the best meeting block is from 11:00 – 2:00 because they like to sleep in on Sunday morning.

But I think the ideal meeting time would be 11:30 – 12:00 because seriously… 

Earthquake and Aftershocks

From the Guardian news blog: this is an amazing interactive map of the original quake and all the aftershocks, created by a man from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand (site of the previous deadly earthquake).  Let it run and just watch--the time of each quake is at upper right.  The 9.0 quake is the 4th one.

When the earth moves...

Happy Birthday to Me

Another Prime birthday (geek joke).  I had two parties, one at home today, with taco salad--a pedestrian name for something exquisite, especially John's fresh salsa and Amy's homemade lime cilantro salad dressing.  And triple chocolate cake, which always makes me look this way:

Amy and I went to a party yesterday in SLC, which included a visit to Colette's school art fair.  Johnathan and Colette showed off their mad playground skillz, as a prologue to the festivities.

We saw Colette's class' projects, played games, ate treats, and watched performances at Ensign Elementary.  We had pasta, pizza, and chocolate brownies at home when the fair became just too exciting to bear.  Rob gave me a set of four vampire movies, and Nicolle gave me a succulent planting which she had put together.  When I brought it home, John found a tiny plastic snake to add to the collection.

Today Betsy, Ellie,

and Ethan came to lunch, along with Amy, Jamison, and Dex.

We sat out in the sun and the rain with the kitties.

I might need to rename Claudio "Cheshire" (he sort of looks like it, except for the lack of a smile), because

my Alice statue finally arrived.  As you can see, I need to decide on siting, what sort of base to use, how to do the garden around her, etc.

Lots more fun presents, including music from John, a Mary Poppins bag of fun stuff from Grandma Gene, and a date in with Amy.  Betsy's going to help me find a base or plinth for the Alice statue.

But best present and last of all, we caught Ellie's first real smile on camera!  She was talking to Amy:

and had a lot to say:

although some of it wasn't that interesting:

Still, what a cutie.  Three weeks old.

Betsy promised she was going to post pix on her blog, so check it out.

Japan

The news is horrendous, and keeps on coming.  I remember our visit to Rob and Nicolle when they lived in Japan (not in the North) a few years ago.  They've heard from a friend now living in Tokyo; Brett's cousin sent Facebook updates every 15 minutes from a stalled commuter train until cell phone service was disrupted. 

No comment seems adequate.  By Common Consent (a Mormon blog) quotes A Shinto Prayer (apparently a part of the national anthem.).  The people in Japan are our neighbors and brothers and sisters now, even though they live so far away.

Rachel Maddow Explains

I think she and Elizabeth Warren are my heroes.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I remember watching this lecture by Elizabeth Warren several years ago. Prescient, no?

Turkeys in the Garden*

*with a little cat action

Notice the kitty at the bottom left...

...fast, furious, and brief.

Insomnia Art

I couldn't sleep--incidental to age, I suppose.  So I was reading a back issue of Horticulture magazine and I saw this article where a person uses a scanner to make pictures of flowers and veggies.  I decided to try it with the only flowers extant--the potted geraniums from the sunny south dining room windows.

I think I'll try it again--it's pretty.

Costumes

 I've been scanning family photos instead of writing psych evals.  Here's Chris, age 5, whose outfit of knight's armor, snorkel gear, cape, mittens, basketball shorts, and snow boots really says it all.

Sometimes all you need are a pair of cool sunglasses to set off your outfit (Betsy, age 2).

Sometimes facial hair is what makes the difference.

The nomad look is great for travel, especially if you can take your blankie along as a part of your outfit:
 

Paper bags are very useful in accessorizing (Rob, age 6):

Sometimes a simple sunsuit and cowboy boots along with your doll are not enough--you really need The Look (Amy, almost age 2): 

I wanted to post a great photo of Rob wielding a couple of six shooters while wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, a kerchief over his face, a pair of boots, and his whitey-tighties, but it may be a bit too risque for a family blog.

Oh What Shall We Do About the Deficit?

Here is an article that I think puts the issue in very clear terms.

Talking about the deficit is a way of cutting morality out of the discussion. Waste! Mismanagement! Incompetence! Unaccountable earmarks! These things are noise. The actual questions are: is money to be spent on people who do not have money? And where is that money going to come from?

It seems clear that what we have decided is that the money should go to the top.  Maybe you've seen these graphics (via Hullabaloo):

If this seems OK, all right then, I guess there's nothing to talk about.

Danceable LOTR

I'm spending way too much time online. But this is fun.

More Pix from 4th Ave

I had so much fun staying for the week at B&B's place.  Thank you for having me over!  Below is the whole family: Alice (on the arm of the sofa), Cordelia on the stairs, Betsy, Brett, Rayen Ellie, and Ethan. 

  Below is Ellie's first bath at home.  Wow, everything is new.

 Worried face (and fuzz-head).

Ethan is quite careful of his little sister.  Below, he rests with Ellie and his Snoopy toy from Uncle Jamison.

On the last day I was there, we made it out to the neighborhood park.

Ethan likes the swing and the slide.

 Oooh, cold hands.  We forgot to bring gloves.

 And I can't resist one last photo of baby Ellie doing a silly face.  She is her own little person.  Definitely blond, but she looks a lot like Betsy to me.

Again, thanks to B&B for asking me to come for the birth and a few days afterward.  It's hard to go back to my regular life now.  I'm glad you live only a 50-minute drive away.

Ethan and Ellie

I get to stay with Ethan and Ellie, and it's been fun to play with them and get to know them better.  Ethan likes me to sing songs to him before he goes to sleep, and although we watched "Cars" two times in two days, he also likes to play and talk.  A lot.  Below, with his daddy, doing their camera faces: 

 I had to include this picture of Ethan on the drums because he looks so much like Dave just before he turned two:

 Rooster-tail Ethan:

Camera face!

John brought dinner yesterday (which we just finished for today's lunch).  Here he sits with Ellie, while we all watch Ethan.

Ellie sleeps, which is very good.  But I know she's up plenty of times in the night.  She and Betsy are working on the timing and amount of feeding--a process involving ice packs, hot compresses, and pumping.

She woke up!

A very pretty little girl.  She reminds me of Betsy when she was tiny.