Where in the World?

People keep congratulating us on our move, which is very nice, but a little premature. Up to today I've been hanging out in C-ville, wrapping up some work while Aaron and Battle enjoy the luxury of furniture in our new Alexandria apartment. (We rented a truck and moved all the big stuff about two weeks ago.)

Back at the ranch, I have been sleeping in our gutted apartment, on an air mattress that stays inflated about 5 hours if you don't touch it and around 1-3 hours if you attempt physical contact. I've developed a pretty good routine of waking up every few hours to pump in some more air. There's nothing like a little mid-night exercise to keep the forearms strong. It's almost like camping, it makes you really appreciate the arrival of morning. All that's missing is gorgeous natural surroundings. Good thing I have a good imagination.

Anyway, all that will soon come to an end as TODAY I plan to fold up my sad little plastic bed and join the masses in NOVA.

Happy Birthday Katy!!

Happy Birthday Katy!!! Katy is traveling to S.C. for her birthday today because her brother is returning home from his mission to Brazil tomorrow. Since we've been together, we've been apart for almost half of Katy's birthdays which is kind of sad, especially because birthdays are a big deal in Katy's family. I am happy though to use this occasion to mark another wonderful year with Katy. Things seem to keep getting better, year after year. Katy is one of the most beautiful, interesting, intelligent, and remarkable people I know. Her passion for life and learning constantly inspire me. It is a thrill to be around her. She has so many wonderful gifts and talents. I particularly love how giving and caring she is toward others. She is thoughtful and kind and wonderful. So, even though we're apart today, Happy Birthday Katy! I can't wait until you move up to Alexandria next week.

Love,

Aaron

Stimulated Greed

Aaron and I just received our stimulus check in the mail. Yeah, I know, like a month after everyone else. Which means all our prudent plans on using it for our move or apartment deposit didn't really work out.
So now we're left with this temptingly large sum of seemingly available cash. I want to buy this toliet I saw on the wonderful blog Aquarium Lore. SO cool. I will do my best to make sure it is American made.
There are a few more things that I can am coveting:
Some really nice watercolor brushes and paper
A fish tank of neon tetras
A constellation night light
Audubon stuffed birds that make the accurate song when squeezed
Schleich dinosaur and animal figures. (The prehistoric mammals are pretty cool too)
Some nice prints from the National gallery
An Art class from the torpedo factory
A bike for Aaron so he can come ride with me
A bike upgrade for me
A flip
Some Ikea rugs to protect our dangerously white carpet in our new apartment
A pair of shoes (okay I really do need those)
A few good books including one of local DC day hikes.
And the taxidermied squirrel business card holder being sold at the local antique store
So there's my current American capitalist dream.
Any other suggestions?

Diamonds in the Rough

At my work while looking through the vast storage banks of long forgotten and under appreciated images, I come upon some real diamonds in the rough. Here are some I have recently enjoyed.

"Traveller Attacked by Dragon in the Swiss Alps" - Steve says the dragon looks remarkably similar to Battle

"Beaver Hunting"

"John Smith Taking a Prisoner" - Looks like it's not going so well for John

Donkey by Samuel Palmer

Boys Are Twice As Nice As Sugar and Spice

I remember distinctly the last time I was in a family of more boys than girls. I was four years old, riding in the back of our brown Datsun hatchback with my parents, my sister Marie and my brother Dan, then a newborn. I proudly proclaimed that our family was great because we had more boys than girls. Little did I realize the tragedy of Grecian proportions that was about to befall me. We're talking hubris, catharsis, and poetic justice. In the fall of 84, Jenny was born. In summer of 86, Celeste came along. And then, in rapid sucession, Michelle, Melinda, and Heather. Five straight sisters!! My dream of a male-dominated domicile faded forever. My brother Joel then came along in 1995 and provided a brief hope--only eight girls to five boys--but that was short lived. Sarah and Trina were born in 1997 and 2000. Eight sisters all together. I was completely outnumbered.

Since then I've learned the joy and some of the pain of a female dominated family. It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be at four years old. I love my sisters. And I would have been thrilled to have a girl. I still want to have some girls in our family, mainly because I think Katy is so remarkable I think that there should be more women like her. So, yeah, lessons learned. Still, I think a little balance between the numbers of boys and girls is nice if you can get it. To that end, you won't catch me tempting fate by by saying that a family with more boys than girls is better, or vice versa. But when it comes time to vote on the Netflix queue, I hope that the little guy is on my side. I have seen a lot of nature films lately.

~Aaron

Surprise!

Aaron and I found out Friday that we are expecting a healthy baby boy. So I can look forward to the new experience of living in a family with more boys than girls. Should be interesting.

War and Peace Promo

The verrrrry loooonnnnggg trailer for the 2007 miniseries.