Year: 2005

Lazy Afternoon

Lori and Sean were just hanging out today, and took some cute pictures. You can't see it in these pictures, but Sean is getting his third tooth! I can feel the point of it coming through his gums.



Scenes from Space #7

This image of the Cat's Eye Nebula was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. It's a classic planetary nebula, and shows the final phase of a Sun-like star. Astronomers think that this is what could happen to our Sun... in about 5 billion years.

Scenes from Space #6

I've never personally seen the Northern Lights, but I'd love to someday. The Northern Lights - also called the Aurora Borealis - are caused by the interaction of solar flares from the the Sun with the Earth's magnetic field. They look like they are really close, but they actually occur 100 kilometers or more above the Earth's surface. September has been a great month for Northern Lights, because the Sun has been particularly active lately.

Dad is Great….

He gives me the chocolate cake!

It's a week of firsts! Sean got his first piece of cake today. When I gave him his first taste of chocolate frosting, he gave me the funniest look. Like a future alchoholic must look after their first taste of booze. He made a big mess, but he had a great time. If he wasn't in love with me already, he sure is now!

by the way, did anyone catch the Bill Cosby reference?


First Ice Cream Cone!

Sean got his first ice cream cone today! John, Michelle and Christian came over for lunch, and brought an ice cream cake for dessert. On top of the cake were miniature ice cream cones, complete with ice cream inside. We gave one to Sean - it was the perfect scale for him! He loved it!


Scenes from Space #5

Of the four major moons of Jupiter, Io is the innermost. The most interesting thing about Io is that it is the most volcanically active body in the solar system. But these aren't Earth-type lava-spewing volcanoes. Volcanoes on Io emit sulfur dioxide and molten sulfur, which is what gives Io it's amazing coloration.

Kerplunk Radio – Episode 2

I give you episode 2 of Kerplunk Radio! This episode is all ska, so bust out your zoot suit and dance like a fool! The bands featured in this episode are all indies. Right-click the "download mp3" button and choose "save-as" to save the show to your computer before listening. Here are the artists on this show (all of these artists can be found on garageband.com);

1. Starpool - It's Alright
 5. No Torso - Fatal Fraud
2. The Clintons - Fan of the Bean 6. Endive - Unoriginal
3. Uptown Creepers - Sometimes
 7. The Naked Citizens - Da Lingo
4. Elbowdrop - 4 Hour Cold Shower
 8. The Ninjas - Robot Pirates

Kite #5 – Genki

My newest kite is a half-size Genki. Genkis are a high-aspect ratio kite, and fly really well in light winds. I built this one as a test, because I've got an idea for a kite of my own design that would use the Genki design as a leaping-off point. I tried it both with and without a drogue tail. I think I may have built the tail a little undersized for this kite though, as it didn't really change the flight angle at all. This kite is about 6 feet wide and 2 feet tall. The kite I am planning will probably be at least twice as big!