N.I.C.

For almost a week I have been unable to post on my blog here. Technical difficulties kept me off the internet and got me to thinking what life was like before the "Internet". At first, I didn't know what to do with myself. I couldn't check my email. I felt out of touch with the world and the news services etc. that I usually check. I actually got alot more reading done for my classes and fun reading too. Checked out Ken Jenning's new book "Brainiac". I'm enjoying it.

I called Verizon, our FIOS provider and finally got a Tech Support Person. We did many different checks and he finally determined that my "Ethernet Card" had probably failed! I didn't know I had such a thing in my computer. Sounded rather mysterious. Maybe, over all these years I had been lulled to sleep by what was eminating from that mysterious card. The last time I had been given ether was when I had my tonsils out. I think I was four. The last thing I remember then was waiting my turn with my dad and him showing me how to make "a mouse" out of his handkerchief. I've used it many times ever since for fun at the dinner table since we don't carry handkerchiefs anymore.

I called my son who knows all about computers and told him the problem I was having. He had me check a few things also and then said he had better come out and do alittle "hands-on" exploratory surgery. He had orginally given me the computer, actually built it, maybe five years ago and knew it inside and and out. He hinted that it might be time to change it out and was I prepared to spend upwards to $1500. for a new one? Shock! Is that how much they cost nowadays? Aren't they getting cheaper? We also entertained the idea that I, again, in my "internet wanderings" had down-loaded a virus or some terrible thing that had not been killed by my Norton Spy Ware. My computer was acting sluggish and was having trouble turning itself off. He checked his calendar and found that he could come out yesterday, Saturday after his soccer game. Yes, he is his son's coach. I would love to see him coach basketball or chess, but soccer? No, just kidding. He is such a good dad. We were hoping he would bring the grandkids out but they were too busy with other soccer games, tai kwan do, piano lessons, you name it. They are so involved and happy little guys. He got here and "a hush" fell over our office. You could tell that he was a "professional". In less than a half hour, he had the problem diagnosed and remedied. Fortunately he had thought to bring his "little black bag" with his spare "test kit" (emergency laptop). He also had the forethought to bring an extra "N.I.C." I had no idea what that might be. He explained that it was another name for an ethernet card ie.
"Network Interfacing Chip"(or Networking Interface Card). With his handy swiss army knife, he just popped that chip in my CPU...there was alot of extra space in there, and voila! The router immediately started to "sense" it and connected to the internet. Wow! Were we relieved. We offered to pay for the part and for his time but no...Just being the great son that he is...oh, and he also brought some "gift catelogs" that our grandchildren were "selling from" for their elementary school. No problem...I know that routine...fund raising is now one of the skills taught at all public schools. (through the parent's/grandparent's connections) We also offered to take him to dinner at our local casino's buffet. He accepted. We, of course, had to "drop a few coins" with the no-armed bandits.

You can't tell me our family doesn't "network". Here is the proof. We have a chip to prove it, an "interfacing chip". If it were only this easy. We can connect to the "world/internet" and yet sometimes we can't communicate with our own loved ones. We are all so busy with our own lives and agendas. We seems to have all kinds of "reasons" not to keep in touch. We look back on when we raised our family and realize how "isolated" we were at times. We had friends but they came and went (were transferred). People came in and out of our lives so quickly we barely had time or reason to "interface" or "network" and help each other. How sad. Life is so short and our "N.I.C.'s" just mysteriously "die" maybe from lack of proper care and maintenance. Bob!

The House that Jack...and Jill Built!

1. This is the house that Jack built.

2. This is the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

3. This is the rat that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

4. This is the cat that chased the rat, that ate the cheese, that lay in the house that Jack built.

5. This is the dog that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

6. This is the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

7. This is the maiden all forlorn, who milked the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

8. This is the farmer who planted his corn and loved the maiden all forlorn, who milked the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack built.

9. This is the priest all shaven and shorn who married the couple early next morn, who owned the cow with the crumpled horn, that tossed the dog, that worried the cat, that chased the rat, that ate the cheese that lay in the house that Jack and Jill built!

10. So this is our story, we've counted to ten, Can you name them before we must end?

House, Cheese, Rat, Cat, Dog, Cow, Jill, Jack, Priest, Family.

I have taught/tutored this many times to primary/elementary students as a Choral Verse. It has rhythm. It has rhyme. Wasn't "life" simpler back then? Bob!

Little Miss Sunshine vs. The American Girls Revue

We recently had the opportunities to see the above presentations and thoroughly enjoyed both for some of the same reasons. Having had no daughters to raise, these were both quite new and "foreign" to us. We are only now properly trying to "spoil" our only granddaughter. She is such a beautiful and smart child who is being brought up with such love and understanding that it is going to be very hard to "spoil" her too much.

When we heard that our grand daughter was celebrating her 8th Birthday at the American Girl Place in L.A. we just had to "invite" ourselves. It was an experience we didn't want to miss in her growing up. My wife had gotten "into" giving her doll clothes and the dolls over the past year or so. Having four sons, she had missed all that. The fact that there are only 3 Am. Girl Stores in the country and this one was only about 2+ hours away at our "old stomping grounds" (The Farmer's Market) in West L.A. at The Grove was also an attraction. We arrived early and checked it all out. Much of the Farmer's Market is gone but my wife was pleased to see some of the old booths were still there. The old metal tables were too. We sat and had a cup of iced coffee.(we usually, over the years, had a "hottle" of coffee) Then we just sat and "people watched" for an hour or so.

The Am. Girl Place is actually quite a large 2-story building with every, and I mean every accoutrimont (sp?) one could think of for a doll. This is the essense of "marketing" and "packaging" for a "niche" client. We had reservations with the family at the restaurant with special "chairs" for the dolls. In this case it was "Molly" and "Kirsten". The menu was perfect for a luncheon with such patrons who might attend. Our grandson somewhat reluctantly got into it. He bit the cut out cheese hearts into "underpants" and pretended that his flower on his dessert was poison. We got some good pictures. We then went to the "Musical Revue" which was just excellent. In it, girls of all ages acted, sang and danced original numbers depicting the "thematic dolls" through our American History. Of course, it was all about what they had overcome, heroines for all ages. It was well done, well rehearsed, performed and kept our wee charges wrapped in attention. We all got to sing the "Anthem" standing at the end..."brave, true, best we can do, dare, dream, care, reach out, belong, friend, helping hand, own voice, strong, be the best that we can be..." Then, of course, there was shopping to do for the dolls, with "twin outfits for their owners". Furniture and every accessory was there for the right price. Lastly, Kirsten just had to have her hair "done" with helpful hints on how to braid it properly. It was such a nice day we didn't even mind the 3 hr. traffic (pre-Labor Day getaway) we fought going home.

Yesterday we had a two hour window to see a movie which had been highly recommended. It was such fun. We laughed out loud through most of it. "Little Miss Sunshine" is the story of a very disfunctional family that has this wonderful daughter who wants to enter a contest called "Little Miss Sunshine". It is not in wide distribution so we couldn't go to our usual theater. We think that they may have kept it rather low-key since it came out just about the time of the resurfacing of the tragic Jon-Benet Ramsey case. It is very dark humor and not for kids. In a way though it has some of the same messages as the "Am. Girls Revue"...just taken to the "extreme". It reminded me of that old Chevy Chase movie "Vacation" with grandma strapped to the top of the car...this time it's grandpa. Enough said. Allen Arkin and Greg Kinear were at their best. "Olive" the title role was so innocently played by an unknown with glasses.(didn't catch her name) Needless to say we saw all kinds of connections to our own family...not really. Humor helps. Bob!