Birthday bounty

Sunil is wearing his new fishing hat and sorting through his tackle.

Birthday boy

On baseball photo day

Welcome baby Kiera

Congratulations to Brenda and family on the arrival of baby Kiera!  She was born last night and is beautiful as expected.  I was hoping to get by the hospital at lunch today for a quick visit but I’m still at my desk so I guess I’m not going to make it today.

So close and yet.... Not

We managed to get bumped up two flights out of Gainesville but a weather delay combined with a mechanical delay still have us on the ground.  Our connection through Atlanta is now in jeopardy.  I'm really ready to be home and the estimated arrival ranges from 7:30PM to tomorrow mid-morning.

Sunil's leatherwork

Sunil drills with the guns

Sheela with the army

Civil War Reenactment

We are riding our bikes down to the Allen Heritage Village (via the donut shop) for the Civil War Reenactment.  Hopefully we'll get the chance (for a small fee) to shoot the muskets.  I think I'm the one most excited about going but Sheela's AIM class spent all year studying the war not to mention the 5th grade social studies class covered it too. 

The other Big-D

Nancy and I flew to Denver for the day to meet one of our tissue suppliers.  We got the full tour including the processing rooms.  It was just about what I expected.  I did get the feeling that the current company liason expected us to either turn green or pass out.

The four-opter picture

My camera battery was almost completely dead so this was the best I could do in the low light.

Skyblue frames

Check 'em out!

Confederate Jazmine

I wish you could smell how fabulous this is.  Of the five plants we planted last summer four are thriving and one recovering.  The whole backyard smells like heaven.

The Four-Opter

Sunil will be getting his new sky-blue glasses on Monday.  He had a great time checking out the different instruments (pictures to follow).  When first reading the chart he got the big "E" right and then couldn't do the second line.  Really his eyes weren't as bad as that made it seem.  But he ended up with 20/80, great motility, no astigmatism, and full color range.  Not bad.

Big City Lights

Tonight was the school talent show.  Sunil sang "The Eye of the Tiger".  I was very proud.  We stayed for the first 20 acts or so (an hour and a half) and then brought the in-laws home. We didn't even make the intermission.

As long as were out and it was still early I walked the kids up for ice cream and to play in the park in the dark.  Seema and Nita are here for a visit.

The Adventures of Lewis and Clark

Tonight is the 5th Grade play.  Sheela and two of her friends will sing the first featured song, The Ballad of Lewis and Clark, before retiring to the chorus.

Twilight Camp Shirts

The Cubmaster passed out our t-shirts for twilight camp.  Sunil will go for four hours every evening for a week.  Sid and I will each volunteer to work at least one night.  The shirts are pretty cool (at least they aren't grey) but we have to keep track of them for six weeks before we can even wear them.

Spine Surgery

Well I survived three days of mock surgeries -- as the surgeon not as a patient.  I enjoy the erector-set design of the fixation systems.  We covered at least 12 different systems with countless variations most of which I won't remember until Monday.  But I do understand the finer points of the different approaches and the families of systems so I'm counting it a success.

Spine surgery is slightly less brutal than orthopedic surgery but can still be pretty aggressive.  It did give me a clearer picture of what Mrs. Alonzo just went through and I'm glad she held out for the minimally invasive approach.

Family Campout

We spent the weekend tent camping by the lake in what turned out to be perfect weather at the Clements Scout Ranch outside of Athens, TX.  Mostly the kids spent their time fishing (catch and release) for perch and large mouth bass.  Both kids (and Sid) had really good luck.  I didn’t fish but spent some time with the other families just chatting.

The Trip

I really missed being at home this time which is not to say that I didn’t have a great trip.  Outside of the office we didn’t get to see or do much of anything but that was made up by a very productive training session.  The big software package that I’ve been begging for for the last four years is still not mine but this one if filling my days nicely.  It is very complicated to set up correctly so that the maintenance will be minimized but I’m enjoying the challenge.  I have two other team members that are both awesome and we work really well together.  The three of us would be my ideal crew for most of the projects that I’d like to tackle over the next two years.  Now that I’m back in the office I need to clear away some of the inevitable paperwork so that I can get back to playing with my new toy. 

 

But in true May (read as “Hell Month” fashion) we go straight from work to a baseball game, then on to a two night cub scout camp out, back in time to do laundry and celebrate Mother’s Day with the In-laws and back to work. 

Glasses again

It looks like Sunil's turn to join the ranks of the bespectacled.  His appointment is a few weeks away but I did make him an eye appointment after he failed a vision screening at school.

the pandemic

I’m sick of hearing about the Swine Flu.  I must have missed the early reports about it being deadly, etc because all I’m seeing is articles about it not being as bad as feared, one fatality in the US, and less severe than the miscellaneous other strains of influenza that we’ve endured this year.  In one day I received advisory warnings from the school, the office and the cub scouts.  I’m receiving emails from friends scattered near and far checking on our health and well being.  We’ve had large gatherings like the Scout Show and MayFest cancel but are still having the elementary school dance and baseball games (if the fields dry out).