Monday, January 26, 2009

Another Scary Economic Story

Iceland's economy collapses
I heard this story on NPR this morning and then read a little more about this and I want to understand what this means on a global level.

I don't understand what this really means, other than it seems to result in bad things.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/26/icelands-government-colla_n_160885.html

Is it possible that there's another shoe to drop?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

This American Life - Giant Pool of Money

A great commentary on the financial crisis.

Obama in Office - Day 6

Obama's been in office six days and I am outraged that Obama hasn't cured cancer, stamped out poverty, or ushered in world peace. It looks like I will have to lower my expectations.

Okay, so he's got another few hours on a Sunday, but I am still hopeful.

In other news, the Beavers Basketball team won two games in a row, on the road in the Pac-10, so now we know anything is possible.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Annija's Birthday Party at the Circuit Bouldering Gym

Abby was amazed at how much climbing she could do at the Bouldering Gym. I was amazed at the pictures and that she was trying to walk on a tight rope! Soccer showed us she isn't the most athletic child in her class, but it could partly be lack of exposure and she really loved this.
She came home and proclaimed that she wants her birthday party there, so it looks like a return visit is in the works. We're going to have to start developing the guest list now.
From Left to Right: Maggie, Maddie, Annija, Katie, Vivian, and Brynna. Abby is right underneat the camera. Today is a day full of birthday parties, and now we're off to go to a Kishpaugh party out in Gresham!
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Llewellyn Family Fun Night

We had an exciting night at the Llewellyn Elementary School Family Fun night. The PTA hosted a juggler from OMSI that taught kids about physics. He was very creative in how he was got the kids involved, getting them to repeat words like inertia, mass, gyroscopic rotation, friction, and several others to him. It is great that the PTA puts on such varied material.
After the juggling act, we toured the exhibits that OMSI had in the gymnasium. The one that was a big hit was the animals on display and they had a white bearded dragon that both girls got to touch. The bearded dragon was very calm and that was good on a night where there were a hundred or so elementary school students running around.
I was observing last night that I hadn't posted much about bikes on the family blog, so I thought it might be fun to get a picture of the girls on the way back from the big event in the bakfiet. It was a cold night, but at least the wind we had been having has subsided and so it wasn't as bitter as it had been when biking. 2009 is getting off to a pretty good start.
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Monday, January 19, 2009

The Obama Inauguration

 
I returned from the Transportation Research Board meeting a hero in my household by bring back Obama t-shirts for the kids. They were a big hit and Abby has taken to chanting O-bam-a around the house. They are going to watch it on TV at school tomorrow, which further makes this a most memorable event for Abby.
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Monday, January 5, 2009

Nana and Papa's 40th Anniversary Party

We headed out to Estacada to celebrate Nana and Papa's 40th Anniversary! It was a special occasion because all of the Kishpaugh Kids were helping out with the party. While we were dealing with passing of Parker, Marcy was an amazing help organizing all of the food and most of the logistics that had to happen to get everything ready. She even took the kids with her as Susan was at the vet.

The visit to Estacada wasn't all about the party, the kids got a chance to play in the snow with Grace, Matthew, Scott, and Todd. The sledding on the back hill was pretty good becuase there was about six inches of snow and it was really nice weather during the day. The party was at 5 PM, so there was a lot of time to play with all of the cousins and enjoy the day. Susan and Marcy were busy cooking soup and stew for the 50 people that had sent an RSVP. A total of 70 showed up and it was a good thing that Susan planned for that many.
We spent a log of time getting the Dodge Community Church ready for the guests and borrowed a lot of things from friends and family to have the party all come together.
It was also nice to have Robert and Grandma Baker in attendance from Alaska.
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Sunday, January 4, 2009

090104 Parker R.I.P.

 

After a battle with age, arthritic conditions, and what seemed like a slipped disc that was causing him significant pain, we put Parker to rest at Dove Lewis. It seems hard to believe how a dog could fit our life with such a wonderful temperament and way with kids. He was the most gentle dog and we're sure to miss the old guy. I'd like to write a few rememberances of him, time permitting, but this is one of the busiest times of year with the Transportation Research Board meeting coming up.
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More photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/red.tree.frogs/ParkerRIP#

Thursday, January 1, 2009

New Year, A Reflection on Life

Ladies and Gentlemen (of the class of ’99)
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…I will dispense his advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.

But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked….You’re not as fat as you imagine. Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday. Do one thing everyday that scares you Sing Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.


Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don’t. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s. Enjoy your body, use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room. Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them. Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out. Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

http://www.lyricscrawler.com/song/3953.html