kevin and i just got out of his awesome hot tub. we were in there for about an hour. yvonne was busy working in the closet, and she cooked chili and planted some plants outside. the mcclards are good for nuthin'.

So, today is the first day this week that I actually have time to work on my new novel. Instead, I am rattling around, doing the dishes, cleaniing my email box (much needed), and generally just farting around. I have wrestled considerably with what I want to write next, and so, have settled on two different things that I will work on alternately, depending on my mood. One is a serious novel dealing with serious timely issues--a real downer, and the other is an upbeat romantic comedy. First, I decided not to work on the serious one at all, given the rainy season and my natural depressive tendencies. I figured I could work on it only if I let myself go the other way, to the completely superfluous and fluffy side of things. Ken maintains that one can be "serious" and write a romantic comedy. In my case that will remain to be seen.

Okay, so we had a little argument today about how much it really rains in Portland. The High Country Gardens catalog put our rainfall at 50-60 inches. I said it wasn't that high (and it isn't). The average is about 36, which isn't that horrible as a statistic. Then, Ken found this picture that really shows what our life is like:



This is the chance of rain from January to January. The threat of rain itself is oppressive by itself.

This is the same sort of thing as before, only for the states. I think I have been to Louisiana and Alabama as a kid, but since I can't remember it, I didn't count it.



create your own visited states

Ken sent me this link where you check off the countries/states you have visited. For what it is worth, here is my map.



create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

today is the 10th anniversary of my father's death. Hard to believe.

last night we tried to go listen to music at trinity. when we got there it was totally packed so we headed to block buster and rented some videos to wait out the new year. first, we watched the fantastic 4, which to my way of thinking was not a fantastic movie. the kids liked it though. after that we watched a christmas carol. it turned out to be a musical. it was bazaar, gilbert and sullivanesque. kind of a mockery of dickens, if you ask me, but enjoyable just the same. it ended right at midnight. martha, tim, and the kids came over to clink glasses and set off fireworks. after that we all went to bed.

We just got back from the aquatic center, where we went down the slide and hung out in the wave pool. The kids had a great time. Now, what to do tomorrow? Too many rainy days; it is difficult to find physical activities to do with the kids during this time of the year.

Now that the New Year is fast upon us I am thinking of my resolution. I plan to write a novel. I was hoping for the muses to inspire me with an uplifting romantic comedy that would become a big screen hit, but alas, I only see dark novels in the future. the one that i am currently considering involves what the future will look like under our new supreme court. needless to say, it looks bleak.

Today I am just goofing off trying to work on Judy's site. This is kind of fun.

Liz's birthday was a blast. We ate and danced the afternoon and night away. Check out the videos on the Liz's 50th tab (removed).

Today in History:
06/26 Brian Somers born in Dundrum, Dublin, Ireland, 1967
06/26 Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
06/26 St. Lawrence Seaway dedicated by Eisenhower & Queen Elizabeth II, 1959
06/26 Toothbrush invented, 1498

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So far, so good. The weather in Denver is spectacular, and it has been great to get an opportunity to relax.



Today in History:
06/23 Alan Mathison Turing born, 1912
06/23 IBM unbundles software, 1969
06/23 Turing's Birthday, 1912
06/23 Slavery abolished in England, 1772
06/23 Wedding of Ellesar & Arwen (LOTR)
06/23 National Holiday in Luxembourg

The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 38.9

The delayed stock quote for INT is: 23.85

zoe and soren say hello from the portland airport.

soren: i am going to say hi to dad in just a second.

zoe: happy father's day again.

anne: let's get on the the plane!



Today in History:
06/19 Charlie Root born in Portland, Oregon, United States, 1993
06/19 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed in Sing-Sing prison, 1953
06/19 Lizzie Bordon acquitted, 1893
06/19 Artigas Birthday in Uruguay
06/19 Emancipation Day in Texas
06/19 Labor Day in Trinidad and Tobago
06/19 Revolution Day in Algeria

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okay, so i think i finally got mys sofware working, and now i can update this more easily. the cable guy came, zoe is in the park playing with kim and her sister (adults), and soren is vegging in front of the tube.

Today in History:
06/17 Tilman Linneweh born in Weinheim, Baden-Wuertemberg, Germany, 1978
06/17 China explodes its first Hydrogen bomb, 1967
06/17 Watergate Democratic National Committee break-in, 1972
06/17 Bunker Hill Day in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
06/17 Independence Day in Iceland

The delayed stock quote for AAPL is: 38.31

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why is it that one must sit at the doctor's office for 1.5 hours to see the doctor for 3 minutes, and pay the doctor hundreds per hour? on the same day, why must one wait four hours for a 30 minutes visit from the cable company? just a few questions i find myself asking on this dreary portland day.