I still have the bathroom and kitchen to do. I see no reason why I can't finish the installation phase on the main level before my Grandma and Michelle arrive for Christmas.
10 December 2010
Living Room
It took about 5 hours to get this up on Thursday...but now we have it. It was too cozy with the Christmas tree not do it as soon as possible. In addition, we knew that the red wall and all the exterior corners would make this the best looking room on the main level.
I still have the bathroom and kitchen to do. I see no reason why I can't finish the installation phase on the main level before my Grandma and Michelle arrive for Christmas.
I still have the bathroom and kitchen to do. I see no reason why I can't finish the installation phase on the main level before my Grandma and Michelle arrive for Christmas.
09 December 2010
UCL Group A Winners
A Terrific Tottenham Tuesday. On Julia's 3rd birthday Spurs played their final group match. All they had to do was match the Inter result and they would win their group - a huge surprise in this tournament.
The Inter v Werder game was shown live on FSC+ with the Tottenham v Twente game immediately following it. Inter is admittedly playing very poor football, so it wasn't a surprise that they were beat 0-3 by Werder. Since this game was on before the Spurs match, I knew Spurs had already won their group before I even watched one minute of the game. You can't do worse then lose, so with an Inter loss we were through as Group A Winners. This is a huge advantage for us since we will avoid the other group winners. Hopefully, we will get a weaker side at next Friday's draw. We can only get Lyon, Valencia, Copenhagen, Roma, Marseille, or AC Milan. Not too many of those sides scare me even though any will be difficult. Valencia would probably be the most difficult opponent followed by the French sides and AC Milan. I'd be ecstatic if we get Copenhagen or Roma.
The performance so far has defied expectations in so many ways. Everyone wrote Spurs off when the draw was first announced. In fact, many people thought we might finish last in the group. We were facing the defending Italian and UCL Winners, the reigning Dutch Champions, and a very strong German outfit. After all the games were played we had beaten every team at White Heart Lane, drew both of our away matches in Holland and Germany, and only lost once away in Italy. We set a record for the only team EVER to score at least 2 goals in every group match. In fact, we scored 3 or more goals in 5 of 6 matches played. We tied Arsenal for the most goals scored in the group stage of this year's tournament - 18. That's an average of 3 goals a game. I do believe that this is only the second time (Chelsea in 1999/2000) that an English club has advanced out of the group stage in their first try. Previously, the other English sides had failed in their first attempt.
We could easily lose in this next round. However, like I said in a previous post and like Kenny from World Football Daily said this week, Spurs could get all the way to the semi-finals if (and a BIG IF, at that) everything goes their way. Considering how some of these tables ended up, there could be a surprise team in the final four this season. It is possible to avoid the major powerhouses until that round if everything falls into place. Additionally, the draw should be extra sweet because Arsenal has a 50% chance of getting either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
It's a very exciting time for the club and their fans.
The Inter v Werder game was shown live on FSC+ with the Tottenham v Twente game immediately following it. Inter is admittedly playing very poor football, so it wasn't a surprise that they were beat 0-3 by Werder. Since this game was on before the Spurs match, I knew Spurs had already won their group before I even watched one minute of the game. You can't do worse then lose, so with an Inter loss we were through as Group A Winners. This is a huge advantage for us since we will avoid the other group winners. Hopefully, we will get a weaker side at next Friday's draw. We can only get Lyon, Valencia, Copenhagen, Roma, Marseille, or AC Milan. Not too many of those sides scare me even though any will be difficult. Valencia would probably be the most difficult opponent followed by the French sides and AC Milan. I'd be ecstatic if we get Copenhagen or Roma.
The performance so far has defied expectations in so many ways. Everyone wrote Spurs off when the draw was first announced. In fact, many people thought we might finish last in the group. We were facing the defending Italian and UCL Winners, the reigning Dutch Champions, and a very strong German outfit. After all the games were played we had beaten every team at White Heart Lane, drew both of our away matches in Holland and Germany, and only lost once away in Italy. We set a record for the only team EVER to score at least 2 goals in every group match. In fact, we scored 3 or more goals in 5 of 6 matches played. We tied Arsenal for the most goals scored in the group stage of this year's tournament - 18. That's an average of 3 goals a game. I do believe that this is only the second time (Chelsea in 1999/2000) that an English club has advanced out of the group stage in their first try. Previously, the other English sides had failed in their first attempt.
We could easily lose in this next round. However, like I said in a previous post and like Kenny from World Football Daily said this week, Spurs could get all the way to the semi-finals if (and a BIG IF, at that) everything goes their way. Considering how some of these tables ended up, there could be a surprise team in the final four this season. It is possible to avoid the major powerhouses until that round if everything falls into place. Additionally, the draw should be extra sweet because Arsenal has a 50% chance of getting either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
It's a very exciting time for the club and their fans.
08 December 2010
07 December 2010
3 Years Old
I can't believe Julia is already 3 years old. This afternoon Umpa and Oma came over to celebrate her birthday with us. Considering her age and that I'm taking time off from work, we celebrated with a small family gathering. Julia knew just what to do after we sang Happy Birthday.
Shortly after eating cake she wanted to open her presents. I've decided that eating cake before opening the gifts is the best order to do them in. That way, the sugar rush hits in the middle of opening the presents. The reactions are a lot more animated and funny that way. The two main toys that Julia got were a Home Depot Deluxe Tool set and an Easy Bake Oven. She loves them both.
You might think that a tool set for a girl isn't a good fit. For Jules it is. She sees my tools all the time and wants to play with them in addition to the set being good for her development. Every morning on the Disney Channel's she sees Handy Manny and Mouse-ke-tools. Naturally, Julia has been playing with pretend tools for awhile now anyway - so now she finally has her own set.
The Easy Bake Oven says it's for children 8 and older. We ignored that fact because Julia can handle it. She was so excited to get this gift. After we opened the box we realized that we didn't have a 100-watt bulb, so Umpa, I, and Julia ran to the grocery store to get one. Luckily, this added to the adventure for her and made her even more excited. She is so patient for a 3 year old. In addition to the store run, she had to wait 15 minutes for the oven to heat up and then another 12 minutes per batch of sugar cookies. She seemed so content to wait. I love how in the first row of pictures below you can tell she loves it by her romantic stare.
Later on that night Julia got very sad. We couldn't figure out why she was sad. Each time we asked her she kept saying, "I need to have my birthday". I couldn't figure out if she just wanted to stay up so she could enjoy her birthday longer or if she didn't fully understand yet what a birthday really means. Stacey tucked her into bed and I went in afterward to give her a kiss and a hug. She was still sad. After talking to her for a few minutes I finally realized that she was sad because we had only made the sugar cookies and not the yellow cake mix that came with her oven. I guess she didn't feel like her birthday was complete until she had made all of her baked goods. Since it was her birthday I pulled her out of bed and just the two of us made her cake. It was a good father-daughter moment.
After we had finished eating she told me that I could "put her back to bed now". When she woke up the next morning the first thing she told Stacey was, "I was sad because I didn't have my birthday...but Dadda woke me up." That extra hour of time with her was completely worth it.
Shortly after eating cake she wanted to open her presents. I've decided that eating cake before opening the gifts is the best order to do them in. That way, the sugar rush hits in the middle of opening the presents. The reactions are a lot more animated and funny that way. The two main toys that Julia got were a Home Depot Deluxe Tool set and an Easy Bake Oven. She loves them both.
You might think that a tool set for a girl isn't a good fit. For Jules it is. She sees my tools all the time and wants to play with them in addition to the set being good for her development. Every morning on the Disney Channel's she sees Handy Manny and Mouse-ke-tools. Naturally, Julia has been playing with pretend tools for awhile now anyway - so now she finally has her own set.
The Easy Bake Oven says it's for children 8 and older. We ignored that fact because Julia can handle it. She was so excited to get this gift. After we opened the box we realized that we didn't have a 100-watt bulb, so Umpa, I, and Julia ran to the grocery store to get one. Luckily, this added to the adventure for her and made her even more excited. She is so patient for a 3 year old. In addition to the store run, she had to wait 15 minutes for the oven to heat up and then another 12 minutes per batch of sugar cookies. She seemed so content to wait. I love how in the first row of pictures below you can tell she loves it by her romantic stare.
Later on that night Julia got very sad. We couldn't figure out why she was sad. Each time we asked her she kept saying, "I need to have my birthday". I couldn't figure out if she just wanted to stay up so she could enjoy her birthday longer or if she didn't fully understand yet what a birthday really means. Stacey tucked her into bed and I went in afterward to give her a kiss and a hug. She was still sad. After talking to her for a few minutes I finally realized that she was sad because we had only made the sugar cookies and not the yellow cake mix that came with her oven. I guess she didn't feel like her birthday was complete until she had made all of her baked goods. Since it was her birthday I pulled her out of bed and just the two of us made her cake. It was a good father-daughter moment.
After we had finished eating she told me that I could "put her back to bed now". When she woke up the next morning the first thing she told Stacey was, "I was sad because I didn't have my birthday...but Dadda woke me up." That extra hour of time with her was completely worth it.
06 December 2010
05 December 2010
Mr Apple Friend
Julia likes to play with her stuffed animals and toys like puppets. She has her toys pretend to carry on a conversation with her through us. Usually she feeds us the lines she wants her toy to say to her. Basically, she has a conversation with herself and whatever toy we are "animating".
At lunch she met a new friend, Mr Apple. Mr Apple was actually a large apple slice that hailed from the region known as my lunch plate. We played for a few minutes at the table until I looked at the clock and realized that it was time for her nap. She seemed tired anyway, so I ate her friend. Looking back, I probably shouldn't have pretended to eat her friend so violently. Of course, the tiredness didn't help the situation, and when she had to watch her friend being eaten alive she broke into tears. She was heartbroken...and is probably now scarred for life.
I'm still not sure if she really "felt" for her friend or if she was just tired and crying because I cut her playtime short. I guess we'll never know. I talked her through the grieving process and after a minute or two, she seemed to bounce back. One thing is for sure: next time I eat her friend, I'll try to be more discrete about it.
04 December 2010
I Like Nap Time
It was a little cold this afternoon, so I decided to start on the main level. When Julia came downstairs after her nap and saw it she said, "Oh, you made a shape!"
03 December 2010
Sit Ubu Sit (Good Dog)
It's official - three days before turning 6 months old. Sit Jonathan, sit! Good boy.
02 December 2010
World Cup 2018 and 2022 Bids
Today FIFA awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively.
Obviously, I'm a bit disappointed that the USA wasn't awarded the 2022 World Cup. Earlier this year we had bids in for both years, but as the selection drew nearer we pulled out of the 2018 race. I was hoping, albeit with tempered expectations, that we would win and Denver would be a host city. In the end, I just think it came down to the fact that we didn't fit into FIFA's current philosophy of taking the tournament to every corner of the Earth. And, we offered nothing more then a big and successful tournament just like when we hosted it in 1994. Vanilla.
Qatar won in my opinion because it offered things that the USA bid couldn't, namely ridiculously lavish venues (sheik dinero). Technology will be pushed to the limits in building Qatar 2022. For example, they are going to build an island and place a stadium on it. They are going to build a stadium with exterior walls completely constructed (to the eye) of television screens that will dwarf what we have at Cowboy stadium. They are going to reportedly build stadiums that can be taken apart after the tournament and donated/shipped to developing countries for reuse/reconstruction. If you know anything about this region of the world, they can and will build anything - no matter how extravagant it is. If they have to, they'll air condition the entire country. Really, our bid was boring in comparison.
Perhaps our bid was doomed from the very start just because of our location. Qatar 2022 will be the first time a World Cup has been played in the Middle East. Following the FIFA trend/philosophy, Qatar may have been the front runner from the start as long as they were able to convince FIFA they could successfully host the tournament. Here are the recent tournaments/awards: Japan/Korea (Asia - 1st time) in 2002, South Africa (Africa - 1st time) in 2010, Brazil (South America - 1st time since 1978) in 2014, Russia (Eastern Europe/Russia - 1st time) in 2018, and Qatar (Middle East - 1st time) in 2022. I know that they have a policy of rotating the venues, but the trend under Sepp Blatter has been to take the tournament to every region on Earth, even if it isn't the most logical or best choice. Why else did they decide for the first time to award 2 World Cups at the same time? It was about pushing through a vision, philosophy, or agenda (call it whatever you want) before the changing of the guard. It happens all the time in politics.
Speaking of politics, that's what this process is all about. Anyone who thinks this is a fair and objective process is naive. Just as all of our own politicians are crooked, so too are the head honchos at FIFA. I'm not saying that I like it or agree with it. I am saying that it always has been and always will be, political. Trading votes and trying to sell them, among other things in the news, is not surprising in the least. What governing body or government doesn't engage in practices like this? That's just what politics are about and why I don't like them. Perhaps the main point I want to make about it all is that as a fan I really don't care how the hosts are selected. To be clear, it bothers me on a moral level but not on an entertainment level. As long as the tournament is successful and there is integrity with what happens on the field (i.e. results are legitimate), I really wouldn't care if the World Cup is played on a floating iceberg or on the surface of the moon. Naturally, that means how a site is selected isn't much of a talking point for me.
Using this summer's successful tournament in problem-ridden South Africa, I'm sure FIFA and others involved have enough horsepower and resources to stage a good tournament almost anywhere in the world.
01 December 2010
We Made It Home
1,160 miles in exactly 16.5 hours. Including stops, that's an average of 70.3 miles per hour. With two little kids, that's got to be some kind of record.
We got up very early Tuesday morning (Stacey 2 a.m., Aaron 3 a.m.) and left the house at 4:45 a.m. Spokane time. The roads were clear the entire way across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, which is why we decided to drive home when we did. There had been a lot of snow at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and another storm was rolling in. In short, a break in the weather. While we drove home on Tuesday Spokane got another 9 inches of snow. Money.
The roads had been cleared by the holiday travelers, both of snow and of cars. There were hardly any cars on the road. In fact, from Spokane to the Denver metro area I wasn't passed by another car. I set the cruise control to "5 over" and away we went. I did all the passing. Technically, 1 car did pass me but shortly afterward I passed him while he was pulled over at a rest stop. Does that count since I saw it? The jury is out on that one.
Julia and Jonathan did pretty well, all things considered. Oddly enough, I passed a pickup truck on the interstate in Wyoming that had a cat sitting on the seat. I did the exact same thing with Kitty on that stretch of road when I moved from Spokane to California (via Colorado and Texas). The cat seemed pretty content to be free and able to watch the world pass by.
We got up very early Tuesday morning (Stacey 2 a.m., Aaron 3 a.m.) and left the house at 4:45 a.m. Spokane time. The roads were clear the entire way across Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, which is why we decided to drive home when we did. There had been a lot of snow at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend and another storm was rolling in. In short, a break in the weather. While we drove home on Tuesday Spokane got another 9 inches of snow. Money.
The roads had been cleared by the holiday travelers, both of snow and of cars. There were hardly any cars on the road. In fact, from Spokane to the Denver metro area I wasn't passed by another car. I set the cruise control to "5 over" and away we went. I did all the passing. Technically, 1 car did pass me but shortly afterward I passed him while he was pulled over at a rest stop. Does that count since I saw it? The jury is out on that one.
Julia and Jonathan did pretty well, all things considered. Oddly enough, I passed a pickup truck on the interstate in Wyoming that had a cat sitting on the seat. I did the exact same thing with Kitty on that stretch of road when I moved from Spokane to California (via Colorado and Texas). The cat seemed pretty content to be free and able to watch the world pass by.
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