I know ... but this is too funny

Here's a picture of Anderson asleep in his crib, who at age 15 weeks old has more common sense than the bulk of the people in this story ...

Just a little religious spirit during the holidays. Clearly the hand of God influenced Eisenhower when he proposed the nation's interstate system. From CNN.com ...

By Gary Tuchman
CNN

Editor's note: In our Behind the Scenes series, CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events. Here, Gary Tuchman talks about covering people praying on what they call America's "holy highway."

DALLAS, Texas (CNN) -- If you turn to the Bible -- Isaiah Chapter 35, Verse 8 -- you will see a passage that in part says, "A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness."

Churchgoers in six states have held prayer sessions along the side of Interstate 35.

Now, is it possible that this "highway" mentioned in Chapter 35 is actually Interstate 35 that runs through six U.S. states, from southern Texas to northern Minnesota? Some Christians have faith that is indeed the case.

It was with that interesting belief in mind that we decided to head to Texas, the southernmost state in the I-35 corridor, to do a story about a prayer campaign called "Light the Highway."

Churchgoers in all six states recently finished 35 days of praying alongside Interstate 35, but the prayers are still continuing.

Some of the faithful believe that in order to fulfill the prophecy of I-35 being the "holy" highway, it needs some intensive prayer first. So we watched as about 25 fervent and enthusiastic Christians prayed on the the interstate's shoulder in Dallas.

They chanted loudly and vibrantly, making many people in the neighborhood wonder what was going on. They prayed that adult businesses along the corridor would "see the light" and perhaps close down.

They prayed for safety and freedom from crime for people who lived along the interstate. They prayed that all Americans would accept Jesus into their lives.

The woman who came up with the concept of "Light the Highway" is a Texas minister named Cindy Jacobs.

She says she can't be sure Interstate 35 really is what is mentioned in the Bible but says she received a revelation to start this campaign after "once again reading Isaiah, Chapter 35."

Jacobs also points out that perhaps there is a link between the area near this highway and tragedies that have happened in history, such as the bridge collapse on I-35 in Minneapolis last August and the assassination of JFK 44 years ago near I-35 in Dallas. That's why prayer certainly can't hurt, she adds.

Now, it's only fair to say most people, the religious and the non-religious alike, don't buy any of this, but none more than the owners of some of the adult businesses along I-35.

At an adult go-go club, the owner tells us he resents people trying to impose their will on others. And he says his club holds fundraisers, food drives and toy drives to help the community.

But on the side of the road, the prayerful aren't going to change their minds. Holy highways and nude clubs, they believe, are not a combination God has in mind.

An update about Grandma Spears!

But first, here's Anderson's passport picture, which we just received 2 days ago. I don't know ... he'll probably have to take his shoes off at security. Seems like a terrorist.

Here's an updated story about Grandma Spears and her new book. This seems to be the equivalent of asking Jeffrey Dahmer to write a cooking book ...

NEW YORK (AP) - Lynne Spears' book about parenting has been delayed indefinitely, her publisher said Wednesday. Lindsey Nobles, a spokeswoman for Christian book publisher Thomas Nelson Inc., said Wednesday that the memoir by the mother of Britney Spears was put on hold last week.

She declined to comment on whether the delay was connected to the revelation that Spears' 16-year-old daughter, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant.

"I can tell you that we are standing behind Lynne and supporting her decision to be with her family at this time," Nobles told The Associated Press.

"Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World" was initially scheduled for release May 11, Mother's Day. Spears, the mother of three children with ex-husband Jamie Spears, had been working with a Michigan-based freelancer since March on the memoir chronicling Spears' experiences raising a family in the public eye.

Jamie Lynn Spears, star of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine in its new issue that she's expecting her first child and the father is boyfriend Casey Aldridge.

Nobles and representatives for Britney Spears said they did not know how Lynne Spears could be reached for comment about the status of her book.

A New Life Plan for Anderson

The future Mr. Spears

Poor parenting. Clearly Natalie and I haven't done things right so far, but we're learning.
We initially wanted to help Anderson out by providing a good home and education. That, it seems, is the traditional approach to raising a child. This is the 21st century equivalent of driving a horse and buggy. Always trying to be on the cutting edge, we are taking a different, new approach.

We're going to infiltrate the Spears family.

Hear me out. Let me go through the details.
1. Britney Spears is estimated to be worth over 100 million dollars.
2. Britney Spears had a relationship with one guy and had 2 children out of this.
3. Britney is now pregnant with #3.
4. Britney appears to be dumb as a rock.
5. Her ex-husband reportedly made 13 million dollars for marrying Britney and getting her pregnant.
6. Britney's 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, is now also pregnant.
7. Jamie Lynn Spears is also in show business, and would supposedly have a decent amount of money that her boyfriend/future husband can weasel his way into.
8. These children will inherit their parents money.

Now, Anderson could work hard his whole life and succeed in a slow, agonizing path to financial and personal success. Or we could just raise him to knock up a member of the Spears family and get a chunk of the estate. This requires no college investment ... heck, he could even drop out of grade school. Big picture ... we wouldn't have to continue putting money into his college fund. A lack of education would also ensure that he fits in in Britney's home state of Louisiana. And there should still be a decent amount of the Spears money that hasn't been snorted/smoked/drunk away for Anderson to get a hold of when these kids grow up. So he's going to marry one of the of the kids. And make a lot of money. And then take care of his parents.

Speaking of parents, here's a blurb of a new book by Britney/Jamie Lynn's mom ... this will be mandatory study material for Anderson. Sounds like a good person to learn from by reading their book ...

Associated Press

Britney Spears' Mom Will Chronicle Her Life In Book

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (October 26, 2007) – Lynne Spears, mother of pop star Britney and actress Jaime Lynn, is set to write a tell-all book.

Lynne Spears has signed a book deal with Thomas Nelson, Curt Harding reported to Access Hollywood.

The mother of Britney and Jamie Lynn’s book will be titled, “Pop Culture Mom: A Real Story Of Fame And Family In A Tabloid World.”

The book, scheduled for release in the spring of 2008, is “Lynne Spears’s personal story of raising high-profile children while coming from a low-profile Louisiana community,” according to Publishers Marketplace.

Unbelievable.

3 months old!

Above is a picture of Anderson and Aunt Diana reading that masterpiece "The Cat in the Hat". He was a little boy way back then ...


Time flies. It seems like just yesterday that Anderson was cooing and spitting up.


Uh ... actually it was just yesterday. And today as well. Things aren't measurably different, really, but it's always nice to have a reason to celebrate. So he's now 3 months old!


Good thing he's going to be growing up in Texas schools, where he'll be given a fine science education. And by fine science education, it appears Anderson will be learning that evolution is a theory that holds equal footing with "intelligent design". We can call it what it really is, which is creationism.

It seems that a former appointee of then Governor Bush still in works in some capacity for Texas science education. It seems that this former appointee believes in creationism herself and feels that evolution is unestablished and should be balanced by "intelligent design". In fact, the unwritten policy was to not really bring up evolution or intelligent design and debate it. Unfortunately, Chris Comer, the head of the science curriculum for the last 9 years, didn't heed this warning and posted an anti-intelligent design email to a forum.

She is now the former head of the science curriculum as she was summarily forced to resign for this. Here's the link for more on the story.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/06/1206science.html

I don't think the concept of evolution is debatable, although some people get upset when it gets applied to humans. But the idea that a science class is supposed to balance it with something that has no scientific support whatsoever?

Embarrassing.

Here's Anderson - future scientist who will learn that Earth is flat and is the center of the universe - on his 3 month birthday.

A Drinking Problem ...

'Nuff said.

No more Evel in the World

Evel Knievel is dead. For late baby bloomers and whatever the hell my generation is called, Evel was a legend of mythical status. Perhaps it's because we saw ABC shows with him jumping cars, or rocketing across the Snake River Canyon. Heck, the ultimate 70s idol (Fonzie, as if you had to ask) did stunts that were based off of Evel. All the other stuff (hitting the jukebox for a song, the girls, "ay ...") was all within Evel's powers, I'm certain.

What I remember most was a toy that I - and all other boys I knew - had when growing up. Basically it was Evel on a motorcycle with a handcrank, which allowed you to power him up to jump whatever you wanted. Hours of fun for a little kid, and there was no computer screen to look at.



Now one of my childhood idols is dead. Weren't John Denver and Mr. Rogers enough? Next thing you know they'll be telling me Dan Fogelberg is dead. Or all of the people from "The Electric Company".

Why couldn't it be Joanie and Chachi instead?



It'll be interesting to see how much media attention Evel's death gets. I suspect it will be more than you'd think.

The Power of a Smile

He's not yet 3 months old, but Anderson has now become the King of Manipulation. All because of a smile ...

So I'm now back to updating the blog. I reread Natalie's entry and it was just so ... cheerful. Not always my style, you know. That's why we balance each other so well. My lack of cheer comes not from a disdain for the Christmas season, which started on July 17th this year, if I recall. Rather I'm still smarting over being smacked in the head with a bag of quarters with my nephrology board exam.

To get over this, I've signed up for my second "Ironman" race, Ironman Arizona. This will occur on November 23rd next year, if anyone wants to come watch. 2.4 miles of swimming, followed by 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running through what hopefully isn't a torturously hot Arizona day.

But back to Anderson, or "Don Juan". He has his daycare workers wrapped around his finger. First, Anderson isn't a mutant like some of the other kids in the class. Well .. he does still have the reddish discoloration on his forehead that makes him look like a Star Trek character, but he behaves well, which is key. Except that he farts all of the time. That's not why he's Don Juan, or at least I don't think it is. It's his smile. Much like Jessica Simpson, he's learned that smiling gets him attention. And the daycare workers ("Miss" Maci, "Miss" Laci ... I kid you not. You gotta love daycare workers with porn star names ...) eat it up. Every time that I come to visit one of them has him in their arms, playing with him. And they claim it's not because he's been crying. He does this at home now, too. And we fall for it because we're suckers for his smile.

That's all for now. I'll get back to my normal sarcastic self soon ...

Laziness ...

Okay. I'm feeling lazy and uninspired. Thankfully Natalie has not, and this is why I'm flat out stealing her last blog, which she just posted today. On a personal note, I took my nephrology board exam on Tuesday and still am wondering if it was written in english. Ugh.

Here's my (Natalie's) latest post ...

So the funny thing the other day was that Munchie fell asleep in his mini-Papasan (really a Poop-a-san after an unfortunate day care incident...)....with his arms straight out in front of him. I thought for sure the arms would slowly fall to the sides as he fell into a deeper sleep. Nope, he kept this pose for 45 minutes (until he woke up again).




We received some adorable/cute clothes from my godmother in Alabama...(did you guys know I was officially born there??)

Last weekend, Carol, Sharon, Munchie and I went the Christmas Affair - a mega-bazaar at which to buy Christmas gifts which was put on by the Junior League. Unfortunately Munch had a meltdown soon after we got there...this improved a few hours later :)

As I officially had to work Thursday (Thanksgiving) morning, we kept it easy/simple that day. Jason(!) made dinner - turkey, stuffing, fresh cranberry sauce...I supplied the mashed potatoes and gravy...and we gave thanks for all the amazing things that have happened in the last 5 months (baby, move, 2 new jobs, new car, sale of old house, etc.)

Our trusty scavenger Newton was nearby to catch any scraps :)

As we ate, Munchie slept...

We've been having some unseasonably cold weather for Austin (30s/40s w/ rain). Reminds us of our old stomping ground (Vermont). We actually had to turn on the heat!!

(There's precious little more fun than cuddling with a baby in a fuzzy warm blanket...)

We got a wonderful set of gifts from our friends (Matt/June & Mike/Sharon). Munchie was diggin the Rainforest Jumper.

Even though his feet didn't quite touch the ground...

Jason tried to help him out by using my Pilates mat...but Munch didn't appreciate it...

So we let him continue to play and dangle in midair :)

Just some more pictures for Grandparents Fought & Burger - enjoy :)

My Strong Points? Mainly Spitting Up.

Hello again. Sorry I haven't posted for a while, but this is a reasonably busy week at work and I'm trying to study (albeit unsuccessfully) for my nephrology board examination in 4 days. Not much time, especially since I've spent the last hour changing Anderson 3 different times. Not the typical atomic bomb from below, which happens about every 3 days (daycare got the last one, thank God.) No ... today is "spit up on your new outfit" day.

I blame this mostly on my feeding him. I should stop.

No ... it's not that I don't believe in feeding babies. Any benefit in reduced bowel movements and spit up is counterbalanced by relentless, ear-piercing crying. At least for the first 2 days until they get too dehydrated to cry. (I'm kidding!) Our apartment neighbors are already plotting our deaths. I'm sure they love the 3 AM crying episodes. We don't need to hurry the process along.

I blame my feeding because I let him chow down as much as possible and forget to burp him. Well, I don't really forget. He seems so happy when he feeds from the bottle that I have problems pulling him away. Why take away his joy? Why have him cry like Tammy Faye Baker when there's a strike at Mary Kay? So he eats too much and then urps all over his (and my) clothes. I've got to get better about this.

Here's some new pictures. He smiles without passing gas now! (Mainly because he likes to watch me change his clothes.)

I want late night Cinemax!

Some people don't let their kids watch television, thinking that it stunts their academic growth. Anderson, on the other hand, is not going to be lost for words at the water cooler. Rather than growing up on "Elmo" or "Sponge Bob", Anderson knows his Sportscenter anchors already and is a fan of late night television. I figure that there are studies that show "Baby Einstein" leads to dumber kids, but there are no studies about late night Cinemax. So it can't hurt, right? Anyway, this is good bonding time for Dad and Anderson. Just don't tell Natalie.

This weekend we took a road trip to Houston. More precisely, we went to Pearland, Texas, which is home to Matt, June and Rivers Kolesar. Rivers is named such because Matt is deep down a hippie, even though he assists in slowly killing off the earth by working for Exxon. He insists that there is a big misconception that Exxon is evil, and that it's really an ethical company. Right ...

Never heard of Pearland, Texas? Here's a little more about Pearland from Wikipedia ...

The area that is now Pearland had its humble beginnings near a siding switch on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway in 1882. When a post office was established in 1893, the community was originally named Mark Belt. The name was changed to Pearland in November of that year because of the abundance of pear trees in the community. Pearland was promoted by some developers as an "agricultural Eden." The Galveston hurricane of 1900 destroyed most of the fruit trees and slowed growth for a considerable period of time, as well as desertificated the area. In 1914, with agriculture rebounding and the end of desertification, Pearland had a population of 400, but a devastating freeze in 1918 was another setback to the local farming enterprises. Oil was discovered nearby in 1934, though this did not spur a large amount of growth, as the population fluctuated from 150 and 350. From the 1960's the town has grown steadily to today's population. Today even though officially a suburb, the town is culturally rural.

Hmm ... one paragraph and "destroyed" and "devastated" both come up. And it's rural culturally, which explains why visiting The Kolesars is like going to see Jed and Granny Clampett. Anyway, here's their home in lovely Pearland/"Mark Belt" ...



It was a great visit. A wonderful example of what it was like in America 200 years ago, or what a visit to West Virginia is like today. June cooked a great dinner and the next day we went out for Mexican food for lunch. And Matt actually ran a few miles with me. Of course, Anderson was a terror all night and neither Natalie or I really slept, but that's okay ...

Here's a few pictures ...

Anderson smiling, even though we've rotated him and the rest of the world 90 degrees ...


Rivers and The Evil Corporate PigDog

Halloween: 2 generations of The Flash

Words don't add much. I'm especially fond of how much Anderson likes his mask in the last picture ...

Still awaiting the scientists and ... Echo and The Bunnymen?

Anderson is still with us. Clearly evil scientists aren't as responsible now as they were in the past (don't know what I'm talking about? Read the previous post.)

Today is Halloween and unfortunately I'll be unable to trick-or-treat with Anderson as I'm working. Natalie will, however, and we should have some pictures for the blog tomorrow.

From an entertainment standpoint, I was bored at work the other day and was browsing the archives of Rolling Stone magazine online. Here's a brief part of a 1981 review ...

I Will Follow," the kickoff cut from the debut album by Irish whiz kids U2, is a beguiling, challenging, perfect single. With its racing-pulse beat, tinkling percussion and mantra-simple chorus of dogged affection ("If you walkaway, walkaway/I walkaway, walkaway–I will follow"), it's already a dance-floor favorite.

Unfortunately, much of the rest of Boy doesn't quite equal that first vital piece of precocity. U2 plays smart, bass-heavy trance-pop, urged on by the earnest vocal emoting of Bono Vox and enlivened by the ringing accents of the versatile guitarist who calls himself the Edge. But their songs–mostly chronicles of psychic growing pains–are a diffuse and uneven lot. "Out of Control" boasts the same heady rumble as "I Will Follow," while "Stories for Boys" is carried by its B-movie guitar line and soaring youthful harmonies. Other tunes, however, are less successful. "An Cat Dubh" and the seemingly interminable "Shadows and Tall Trees" ramble without resolution, neither coalescing into identifiable hooks nor attaining the seductive atmospherics of, say, Echo and the Bunnymen.

Hopefully, U2 may yet justify Island's hyped-up optimism. With the help of creative producer Steve Lillywhite, they've already blended echoes of several of Britain's more adventurous bands into a sound that's rich, lively and comparatively commercial. And, unlike the real innovators, they'll have the tour support to back it up. U2 is talented, charming and potentially (they're all still under twenty-one) exceptional. But as a new Next Big Thing, they're only the next best thing to something really new. (RS 341)

DEBRA RAE COHEN
(Posted: Apr 16, 1981)


Wow. Good to hear that they didn't quite live up to "the seductive atmospherics of ... Echo and The Bunnymen."

So I next wondered ... what happened to Brenda Rae Cohen, the person who reviewed the album in 1981? Remarkably, she's 1) still alive, and 2) still employed. And teaching at The University of South Carolina. Here's some stuff from her profile.

Current Research Project(s)
I spent many years as a journalist and critic before returning to academe, and much of my current work is concerned with the conversations and intersections between Modernist literature and the mass media of the period. I just finished co-editing a collection entitled Broadcasting Modernism, about the centrality of radio to Modernist literary culture, and am now at work on a book tentatively entitled Rebecca West and the Mapping of Modernity, which examines West as a limit case for Modernist historiography. Another long-term project is an exploration of the cultural discourses of the cover song. I'm also pondering differences in musical taste, since clearly mine is off-kilter.

Okay. So that last sentence is mine. But you've gotta love someone who can make a career out of "exploration of the cultural discourses of the cover song." Only in America. And what the heck is "modernist historiography"?

Finally, Echo and The Bunnymen still perform. According to wikipedia, they await a record deal to release a new album. They also can be seen at concerts where U2 performs. Provided they buy a ticket like everyone else. Here's a picture of them ...



Happy Halloween. I'm dressing as a Bunnyman.

Anderson: Sold Off for Scientific Experiments

Hi. Big event in our life, as you can see from the title of the post. We've sold Anderson off to be used for scientific experimentation.

"What?"

I understand. It seems so sudden. And so heartless. But if we were heartless we would have sold him into the child slave market instead. And we're not bad people. With scientific experimentation, we know he'll get 3 square meals in his cage and all of the Mary Kay products (squirted in his eyes, of course) that he'd ever want.

Why our change of heart? Well, you'd think it would be changing poopy diapers or lack of sleep, but Anderson miraculously has decreased the frequency of his bowel movements to about 2 a day and is now sleeping 6-7 hours straight at night. Natalie and I are very happy with his progression. It's a shame it didn't happen before the scientists were scheduled to come.

The real reason? To be honest, we looked at the fact that we're sending Anderson to daycare. I know, you're thinking, "Jason and Natalie ... you *both* have careers and have worked long and hard to do what you do. You have responsiblities to your patients. And you'll still be able to spend a lot of time with him when he's not in daycare! *Lots* of kids are in daycare and do great! Why scientific experimentation? He'll be fine."

Well, you'd be wrong, I guess. We thought about it long and hard. Finally, we asked ourselves, "If we're sending Anderson to daycare at 7 weeks, why did we even have kids?" As much as we love him, we realized we must really not love him. So he'll be working for MaryKay now. Or Chanel. The highest bidder, really.

Anderson, it was nice knowing you.

Troubles in Kyrgystan!

These are troubled times in Kyrgystan. Not only do there happen to be numerous challenges to the recent referendum and political turmoil, but it takes *8 letters* in the country's name until a real vowel occurs. (They're not alone ... the word for "neck" in Slovak is "krk".)

They deserve whatever they get.

First Day at Daycare

Continuing the theme of dumping the baby onto other people, Anderson just spent his first day at daycare. Well ... not actually a day. More like 3 hours. But he was in someone else's hands instead of ours. In the case, it was "Miss Maci" and "Miss Something else that I forget". These people are all of 20 years old, but we are to refer to them as "Miss" Whatever, which is pretty entertaining. I guess this is all to train us to think of their schoolteachers as Miss Whatever. We'll get used to it.

Still, it was a pretty emotional thing for Natalie. Even though others have watched over Anderson, entrusting Munchie to some women who just recently graduated from high school (I hope) seemed to overwhelm her. Tears flowed. Me? Internal tears of joy. The tears that come when you realize someone else's eardrum will be pierced by a shrill shriek and the tears that come when you know someone else is responsible for keeping Anderson's bottom clean. Was I emotional? Hell, yes I was.

As for me, this gives me an opportunity to sleep after work (I'm now doing some hospitalist work and will start some nephrology work once my Medicare number has come in) and to study for my nephrology board exam on November 20th. I'm looking forward to taking this test as much as I'm looking forward to driving a rusty nail into my elbow. But it's the last one ever, assuming I pass.

Otherwise Natalie and I are doing well. Here are some pictures of the first day at daycare.





And here's a picture of Lindsay Lohan, just because I think she needs more publicity.

Pushing The Crying Baby Onto The Grandparents

Sorry i haven't updated this for a while, but you'll see we've been busy. And truth be told, I was getting kind of lazy. Here goes ...

Nothing quite like having grandparents spoil your kid.

We decided that my father and Natalie's parents needed a visit from their grandchild last week so we decided to torture the employees of Northwest and Delta Airlines as well as all of the people who flew with us. After scrambling to the airport, we drew a collective deep breath and took Anderson through airport security. Those of you who know me know that I *despise* airport security. There's no real protection - a recent report shows that more than 60% of fake bombs make it through - but they insist you remove your shoes, even if you're wearing flip flops. Nail clippers? Clearly a threat. It would be nice to have substance over style at some point, and anyone with half of a brain knows that these procedures don't make us safe, they just slow us down. Don't believe me on the fake bombs? Here's the link ...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15445779

Back to the story. I never knew that you are classified as "special needs" when you have a kid. I associate that with people in wheelchairs and people who drool a lot. We took it, however, because we got to bypass the poor schleps in the line and join other tortured parents in a short, "special" line. So after waking up Anderson to carry him through security (as our car seat carrier was clearly a security threat) we made our way to the gate and awaited Anderson's meltdown.

Never happened. The kid heard the drone of the airplane engine and went to sleep. On all 4 segments. A friggin' angel baby, and every flight attendant compliments us on how sweet of a child Anderson is. Unbelievable. I now plan on flying every night if possible.

So we arrived in Tampa and drove to see my father in Bradenton. I quickly tossed Munchie into my dad's arms and said "Hold him for a little", giving him no choice in the matter. He did this reluctantly at first, perhaps aware of all of the damage he did by repeatedly dropping me. Still, he seemed to grow accustomed to this and actually seemed to enjoy it with time. With the other time we had, we relaxed near the gulf and mentally prepared for the next part of our trip - a visit to the Burger household.

Natalie's mom *loves* Anderson. I'm convinced she didn't notice we were there, which Natalie and I quickly took advantage of by dumping Anderson off on Olga, Amadeus (yes, my father-in-law is named "Amadeus ... pretty cool.) and Natalie's younger sister Diana. The cuddled with him, bounced him on their laps and repeatedly wiped his butt, which they somehow seemed to enjoy. I guess when your city is about to run out of water you appreciate just about anything. Pretty soon the citizens of Atlanta will be begging for you to spit in their face.

We went to a movie and tried to find Natalie some professional clothes, because the thing I like to do most while on vacation is shop for my wife's professional clothes. Uh huh. We did manage to see a movie, "Across The Universe", which was a semi-lame psychedelic trip to the music of The Beatles. Good idea, mediocre follow-through. And the days went by until we had to resume parental responsibilities again. We're now back in Austin ... and my mom (Hurricane Jane) has arrived ...

More info next blog ...

Some pictures follow ...