Holidays....finally!

Posted by Kevin......

After a 2 hour delay Friday due to snow and fog in the Twin Cities, I was rewarded with this view from the flight deck as I broke free of the clouds into the early morning sun.

The rest of the day was spent on the ground in Pierre, SD, counting the minutes until I departed again for St. Paul.

Just before lunch, I saw a local pilot I know tinkering with a pair of cockpit earphones in our shop hangar. He told me about his new job as a co-pilot for another airline, and was trying to design a cord to plug his iPod into the aircraft's intercom system. I told him I could help him with that (after all, I did major in "Communications" in college).

After a few minutes, I was completely in charge of the complicated fabrication of this "intra-comm alternate source intergrated input adapter and modulator" thingy. In other words, it was a $1000 pair of BOSE headphones, a $200 iPod, a 99 cent part from Radio Shack, an old broken airplane micrphone, and lots of solder and electrical tape.

It worked when we tested it, but I warned him: I disavow ALL KNOWLEDGE of this device ever being built and, if asked in the future, have never heard of him or the airline for which he flys.

When I finally landed back in the Twin Cities, I hurried over to our friends Karin and Andrew's holiday party. Even though I arrived around 9:30 pm, Stace and the other guest were still chatting and laughing as I sat down at the chocolate fondue pot (which I had all to myself now).

After eating way to much GREAT food dipped in chocolate, it was on to the Nintendo Wii game console connected to Andrew's wall size projection TV.

This is a full body movement game, and you must move just like you want the little person on the TV to move. After I got pommeled by Andrew in the boxing game, Stace stepped up and finished my virtual boxing career, beating my little animated boxer unconscious for the second time in one night!

With Stace yelling, "BOOM! YAAAA! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" a desire to vomit chocolate fondue all over her almost got the best of me.

It was then I realized: the Holidays are FINNALY here!

All Things Holiday.

Posted by Kevin.....
Yesterday I put 4 packages in the mail, and I put about 30 cards in the mail today. It doesn't matter anymore if they get there on time. I figure if something arrives the day after Christmas, it's like I'm prolonging the Joy of the season!

We've been receiving packages too.

Like a 13 year old juvenile delinquent, the UPS driver keeps ringing our door bell and running away, leaving behind suspicious brown packages.

I then have to retrieve the abandoned brown packages off the porch before they are ravaged by packs of squirrels. (My folks send us gourmet peanuts every year!)

Earlier this week it was the hamfisted UPS workers, not squirrels, that damaged the contents a package from Stace's folks. It broke our hearts to have to open the present early after hearing the rattle of broken glass inside.

The beautiful, one of a kind, handmade platter was packaged to withstand a tornado: it was double bubble wrapped (with the large size bubble wrap no less), then placed in a box 3 times larger than it needed to be. Every inch of space was then packed with large Styrofoam peanuts. The plate was firmly suspended in the middle of the box by the packaging. It took us about a minute to get it out of there.

Later, UPS picked up the box. It seems they will be making amends to Stace's folks.

And finally, the Holiday fruit basket.

Stace came home last night with this 30 pound fruit basket- a gift from her employer. Everyone who works there got one. We both were blown away by the abundance of our bountiful harvest:

10 oranges
10 apples
12 bananas (that's a whole "bunch"!)
6 grapefruit
4 kiwis
3 lemons
3 limes
6 packs of hot chocolate
4 packs of cider
1 giant pineapple

Apparently there is a large concern that some of the employees may be suffering from scurvy.

To keep the fruit from going bad, Stace and I will have to have mixed tropical drinks every night (several per night) for the next week!

I'm not sure if that qualifies as "a problem" or not.

Northern Lights!

Okay, so due to cloudy skies, I missed the biggest Aurora of the year on Thursday night. However, it was seen as far south as Arizona!

This photo was taken in Iowa on Thursday. Another Aurora is expected tonight (due to the continued solar flare activity).

The aviation forecast for this area calls for clear sky by 20:00 local time. So Stace and I will be out in the farm highlands tonight with my camera and warm coats.

Happy Ambiguous Winter Season Religious Observance

Posted by Kevin.....
The older gentleman at the Target cash register just wished the customer in front of me a "Merry Christmas"! WOW!

Okay, you are sick of last years "War on Christmas" where every person who had any contact with someone other than a blood relative was required, in the name of tolerance, to wish them a Happy Holidays AND ONLY a Happy Holidays.

This year, it seems that folks are wishing people a Merry Christmas again. And I think that's fine.

I don't believe there is any deep offense in wishing someone who doesn't celebrate a religious holiday, happiness and joy on that day.

Hanukkah started yesterday. I told Stace we needed a card for our Jewish neighbors, "It should be blue and white with a six pointed snow flake." I said. Is that ambiguous enough?

I will wish my next door neighbors a Happy Hanukkah. I'm not Jewish, but during this Hanukkah I will maintain a high level of happiness just the same.

Anyway, when I got up to the register at Target, I waited in excited anticipation for my turn to hear the "Merry Christmas". I felt like a little kid at, um ......Christmas!

The older gentleman rang up my stuff and I signed my name on the little computer screen. He handed me the bag and we made eye contact. "Have a Merry Christmas." He said with a big smile. "Thank you. Merry Christmas." I said.

Today, we must all remember the true meaning of the Holiday Season.

(Shop at Target.)

The Week in Review

Posted by Kevin......

Stace works hard, there is no doubt about that. She is the most dedicated person I know. This week she worked her normal schedule at the counseling center (including 11 hours Monday and Tuesday each!) and saw a client at her private downtown practice.

So last night we agreed that I should make dinner during the week from now on.

I see this as a good thing, but I fear there is only so much "Chicken with an unknown combination of Asian sauces" Stace will put up with.

Much to Stace's chagrin, I was on "stand-by" all week. (I didn't fly but I still got paid.)

I called my buddy Brenden (like so many of us in the aviation industry, he can be found sitting at home on a weekday afternoon too) and I borrowed him and his pick-up truck to grab the last few panels of drywall for our basement remodeling. "I love going to the home store." He said.

Brenden is also finishing up a basement project, although much more massive. He had to re-route plumbing and electrical, built walls to make rooms, and installed a whole bathroom.

While walking to the checkout, he suddenly grabbed an armload of constuction lumber. "I should get these. There a good price, ya know?" he said with an Irish accent.

The next day, I installed the drywall and began filling and taping the seems.

Stace is in charge of painting, since I am unlikely to paint a wall properly. There is ample evidence of that in our home.

So the painting will wait until Stace isn't so busy, and until I learn to make something other than "Sesame Mandarin Teriyaki Sweet-and-Sour Chicken".

Good Reception

Posted by Kevin......

On Saturday, we had a reception here in our home for all the folks that couldn't travel to Ohio back in October.

Everything was fantastic. With tons of help from our friend Karin, Stace made Mushroom Sherry Chicken and Tomato Basil Pasta, while I ran all over the house like a mad man cleaning up and putting away everything.

At one point, Stace said to me, "Don't hide all evidence that we live here."

Despite the fact that we never hung our art on our walls after painting the living room, or the fact that the bathroom was stripped down to the drywall, everyone said our home was beautiful......especially our KITCHEN!


It's a good thing, since almost all of our 30 guest WERE IN THE KITCHEN MOST OF THE NIGHT!

Between the pilots, the social workers, and the cyclists there was lots to talk about. The party was loud, and kids ran up and down the hall playing.





At some point, my buddy Brenden (a former pro bicycle racer from Ireland) mentioned to the other bikers something about an old European tradition for newlywed cyclists.


Moments later, without warning, Bill emerged from my dark garage where he had helped himself to a pair of my old racing wheels. (How on Earth he got over to the bike racks, got the wheels down in total darkness, and didn't trip over boxes all over the place is beyond me.)


Brenden and Sue then held the wheels over us like an arch and we had our official portrait taken.

He started walking.

Posted by Kevin......

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Always keep an emergency kit in you car:

Flashlight and extra batteries
Blanket
Tow strap
Fire extinguisher (5 lb., A-B-C type)
First aid kit and manual
Bottled water and non-perishable high energy foods, such as granola bars.
Shovel and cat litter for winter
Flares
Booster cables

plus: outdoor clothing including wind jacket and pants, boots, hat, and gloves!

Always tell someone where you are going, and check in from time to time.

Wrong Numbers....Everyday!

Posted by Kevin.......

Kevin: "Hello?"
Caller: "Hi, this is Jane Anderson, I will not be coming to my appointment today because I have the flu."
Kevin: "I'm sorry, who are you calling for?"
Caller: "Umm, the Rehabilitation Center?"
Kevin: "You have the wrong number...."
*click*

Next to our kitchen phone, I have the number to two local businesses whose phone numbers share the same last four digits as our number. One is a rehab center, and one is a skilled care facility.

(I won't name them and I am using fake numbers of course)

The numbers are like: 123-4500 for us and 321-4500 and 132-4500 for the other places. I get between 2 and 5 calls a week, sometimes 3 in one day.

Sometimes the caller is rude, like this elderly woman this morning:

Kevin: "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number. Who where you trying to reach?"
Caller: (to some one else on the other end) "They say it's a wrong num....." *click*

Sometimes the caller is polite, like this guy:

Kevin: "I'm sorry you have the wrong number."
Caller: "Oh, jeez, I hope I didn't wake you up."
Kevin: "No it's okay, who were you trying to reach?"
Caller: "The care facility"
Kevin: "Yep, that's 132-4500, the first three digits are 1,3,2. See?
Caller: "Ya, thanks. Sorry again."

Sometimes, they don't get it. Like this young woman:

Caller: "I need to cancel my appointment."
Kevin: "I'm sorry, you have........
Caller: "I don't have anyway of getting over there today."
Kevin: "Excuse me. I'm sorry, but you have the wrong number."
Caller: "This is the number in they gave me!"
Kevin: "Um,...the Rehab Center is 321-4500."
Caller: "YES! That's what I dialed!"
Kevin: "This is 123-4500."
Caller: "Oh. Wow, they gave me the wrong number. Okay."
Kevin: "No. The center is 321-4500"
*long pause*
*click*

I guess Caller I.D. would help (we have new phones, so we are getting C.I.D. soon), but I still wouldn't know if it were some important call for Stace.

So I called the Rehab Center one morning:

Center: "Center for Rehabilitation."
Kevin: " Hi, this is kinda strange but I keep getting calls for your center at my home number, and it's always at 7:00AM.
Center: "Yeah, we just got a new phone number. When people call the old number, they get the recording that says the new number.
Kevin: "Okay, well can you remind your patients that the first three digits are not the same as a normal residential number?
Center: "Sure. The new number is on our appointment cards too. So we'll point that out.
Kevin: "Thank you!"

While typing this post, I had one more wrong number.

It's cold, so where's the snow!

On Wednesday, at 11:39 PM, winter arrived in MN:





Sunday 26th.................Hi 48°F......Lo 21°F
Monday 27th................Hi 53°F......Lo 36°F
Tuesday 28th...............Hi 55°F......Lo 30°F Rain
Wednesday29th...........Hi 30°F......Lo 9°F
Thursday 30th.............Hi 17°F.......Lo 7°F
Friday Dec 1st..............Hi 22°F......Lo 7°F
Saturday Dec 2nd........Hi 12°F......Lo 7°F Flurries


And this giant blizzard hits the Mid-west last week, but the whole thing misses Minnesota!

I'm glad that we didn't get a ton of snow or have our power go out. However, it would be nice to have the ground white again in time for our party this weekend.
Anyway, on Friday it was clear skies and and a bitter 8 degrees when I departed St. Paul for Cedar Rapids, or "The Jewel of Central Iowa" as I call it. (Sorry, Des Moines.)

As it turned out, I did have to fly into the blizzard, but I was on the extreme northern edge of it. In fact, I could see this amazingly straight edge of very dark clouds covering Illinois while I was flying in clear skies across Iowa. ( I later told Stace about flying into "the heart of darkness".)

As I approached Davenport, IA, (my second stop of the day) the weather there was 1/2 mile visibility and blowing snow. I mumbled something to the effect, "Please God, make the weather improve suddenly". I guess I was slightly closer to Heaven at that moment and shortly before landing the weather improved to 7 miles visibility and a few scattered clouds in only 10 minutes!

Later that night, Stace and I met up with some folks from the Northfield Bike Club down at the Contented Cow for some pints.

Now, most of the guys on the Northfield Bike Club are also avid cross country skiers. So every one is dying to have a good, lasting snowfall.

Except me. I'm not like most Minnesotans who own Snowmobiles that run on Nitrous Oxide, or the ones who just purchased a snow blower with a 6.5L Turbo Diesel engine capable of plowing every drivway on the block in 9 minutes while towing a dump truck full of salt.

All I want is a few inches of white stuff on the ground, and then for it to be about 20 degrees all winter.

Oh, and the lakes to freeze over soon so I can go ice fishing!

Yeah, nothing beats the taste of freshly caught ice.