We got to this year’s Maker Faire fairly early, and saw the many cool things people have built. (It was our first Maker Faire, and we underestimated the event’s popularity.)
Benjamin, who’s recently become an enthusiastic chess player, got to face off against the chess playing robot:
Ben attempted a Scholar’s Mate, was stymied, and then [...]
Dina and I were, despite all polls, anticipating election nights like the preceding two, where any hope of resolution was delayed, and tension distributed to all election watchers. This year, I was determined to enjoy the evening, and poured something light for the both of us to sip while listening to analyses. Historians [...]
For the Thanksgiving holiday this year, we decided to explore San Mateo County’s section of the Pacific Coast. Dina settled on Butano State Park as our base, which is mostly made of a redwoods-forested canyon, south of Pescadero and on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains. We arrived in the late afternoon, having taken CA-84 [...]
(I’ve realized I need to deal with a much-too-high interrupt rate at work, in part by ensuring I take out a bit of time for leisure. Here’s an entry I started in April.)
Over the past few years, my reading rate has climbed; perhaps I’ve unwittingly dropped a periodical, or maybe I’m getting back to splitting my reading time [...]
Big news for our household: the New York Times has an article on the announcement of the discovery of Mapusaurus roseae, which is larger than Giganotosaurus (which is in turn felt to be larger than Tyrannosaurus rex). Both Mapusaurus and Giganotosaurus were discovered in Argentina, and perhaps hunted Argentinosaurus, a huge plant-eating sauropod.
Ben’s [...]
Most Saturdays, Dina and Benjamin head off to swimming lessons. Nathaniel and I are left to our own devices, which means we go for one of two kinds of walk: a walking walk, where Nathaniel walks, and a seeing walk, where Nathaniel gets pushed. This week, Nathaniel expressed that he wanted to see trains on the walk, [...]
The Wall Street Journal has an article, “Clever Gags Score High On Super Bowl Ads”, with best and worst polls to accompany the online edition. We, for a change, actually watched the SuperBowl this year—with appropriate TiVo gymnastics to cover the grossly underestimated duration given in the television listings—and so can comment on the advertisements. [...]
A while back, I was speculating about getting a new camera. I finally gave up using the S30 with the broken screen and decided to act. Although I showed some recent system-administration-confererence-action shots, indoor snapshots are never as much fun.
So when we decided to go see the visiting reindeers—from central Oregon apparently—at the San Francisco Zoo, [...]
By the way, Dina went to Fairbanks a few weeks ago, enjoyed the chilly contrast with Bay Area weather, and had a productive and fun visit. And, to keep karmic scales in balance, I caught a nasty cold for reminding her of the low low temperatures she could expect.
It’s a balmy 9°F (-13°C) tonight in Fairbanks, although with windchill it feels like -6°F (-21°C). Why one would be naked and outdoors to verify that measurement is beyond me.
The current temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska is again -6°F, or -21°C.
The current temperature in Fairbanks, Alaska is -6°F, or -21°C.
Ben and I biked to GeoKids and then I carried on to the Menlo Park campus yesterday, perhaps in honour of Canada Day. Ben was pretty happy for the first few miles, but I suspect was bored by the time we made it to downtown Menlo. (Google Maps has the distance at about 5 [...]
Nathaniel and Benjamin have been trading an ear infection back and forth for the past few weeks, and Nathaniel also looks like he caught the stomach bug that had been prowling through his class at daycare. (But Ben never developed chicken pox, so that’s one positive.)
I finally decided that the colds and allergies were [...]
Well, the rash hasn’t progressed, and none of the constituent bumps have become vesicles, so Ben can’t have chicken pox. I suppose it’s just a viral rash—it already looks like it might be fully subsided by tomorrow.
So, another quiet day at home reading (and watching Thomas) together.
Benjamin has chicken pox. The pox just started to show up this morning, so I expect we’ll be at home for most of the week.
The book from my father’s Festschrift, From Orthography to Pedagogy, Essays in honor of Richard L. Venezky has been published and the essays are wonderful. Prepaid copies can be ordered from the above link for $39.95.
Our trip to Chicago was wonderful and on Tuesday we rushed to the airport trying not to blame each other in front of the kids for why we were late. It turned out that we were able to meet the 45 minute baggage deadline for our flight, although we both promised to do things differently [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Muskoka is a vacation region two or three hours’ drive north of Toronto in Canada. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a week or two each summer there, growing up in the late Seventies, at my maternal grandfather’s cottage on Lake Rosseau. My parents now share in a small [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Stephen and Benjamin left on Thursday for Stephen’s family’s cottage in Northern Ontario. They drove to Oakland, flew Jet Blue to JFK and then Buffalo, spent the night in a hotel, and then drove across the border and towards the Artic Circle. Stephen sent a brief email using the Jet Blue hot zone at JFK. [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
(I suppose I glossed over this in the flat tire story.) Here’s a shot of Benjamin inspecting his new younger brother the afternoon of his birth:
We’re sleeping occassionally, in case you’re wondering.
Comments Off » Read the rest
It is with great sadness and honor that I announce the death of my father, Richard Lawrence Venezky, on June 11th, 2004. My father was an amazing man who excelled in so many ways and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to not only write updates on his condition but also to receive many [...]
Comments Off » Read the rest
Dina’s father has been sick the past year or so, and Dina’s been relaying information to friends and family via email. I’ve archived them all.
Comments Off » Read the rest
With Dina travelling, Ben nearly had to fend for himself under his father’s care. Here’s Ben preparing for an expedition to increase his available store of supplies at a nearby grocery store:
Comments Off » Read the rest
@schahn