Here’s a video version of how the Ypsi July 4 parade went this year. A good time was had by one and all, though this wasn’t actually the best of Ypsi parades, as Annette’s “eh, it was all right” reaction at the end might suggest. Anyway, enjoy the movie, shot entirely with my Flip Video camera, edited with iMovie on the Mac and with a march from an album I copied from the Ypsi public library called “Hail, Sousa!”
Strange Fruit in Ann Arbor
Somewhat on a whim, we all went to the Ann Arbor “Top of the Park” festival tonight, mostly to see the top-bill of the night, a performance group called “Strange Fruit.” Not to be even remotely confused with the Billie Holiday song.
Anyway, here’s my little video:
If you’re seeking other movies and info, be sure to check out this nice and recent YouTube video of the group. The next time we go to the Top of the Park though, we’ll pack a picnic and chairs and such.
Even more reasons to get a Wii
Rejected Wii Games – Watch more free videos
I’ve been fascinated by the Wii for a while now. The original plan was that Will and I were going to go and buy one while Annette was at this conference she was at last week. Well, besides the fact that I was simply too busy to do this sort of thing, you just can’t buy these things right now. Go ahead. Try. I dare you. I stopped by a couple of different game stores around town to ask, and the people who work at them told me that people literally are waiting at the door in the morning to find out if the delivery truck came in. These things stay in stock for hours at best.
Well, maybe Will and I will try again this morning on our way to his day camp today. Regardless, we still won’t be getting these games….
Sophie the stupid dog on my Flip video camera
Annette was out of town most of last week, and because of that (and both of us are just swamped with school and work stuff, really), she overlooked an organized Father’s Day gift for me. So I bought my own: a Flip video camera.
Basically, it’s a small (like the size of a digital camera or a big cell phone) and cheap video camera that can store up to 30 minutes of digital video, which can then be watched on the camera itself, on a TV, or downloaded to a computer. It took some finagling with the format and converters and stuff, but I did ultimately get it to work on my iMac, so I can use it with things like iMovie, too.
Here’s a sample of Sophie the stupid dog chasing a ball. Actually, it’s not so much that Sophie is dumb; she just didn’t say no to me filming her for my blog(s):
No, it’s not professional quality. But basically, these people are looking for the YouTube et al crowd. As far as “family fun” and “movies” goes around here: I can easily see pairing this with my other digital camera for a cool vacation movie in the near future. I can also see this as a pretty handy teaching tool too– but that’s going to be on the official blog later.
Possible drive-in field trips?
Whatever happened to drive-ins? I recall them as a source of grand fun and “partying” as a high school young person in Iowa, and I’m pretty sure that my generation was among the last to experience this on a regular basis. They’re not around anymore, certainly not in my town where those big screens and lots were paved and/or built over a long time ago.
Or so I thought….
There was a blurb in the Ann Arbor paper today about a summer only drive-in theater thing at the Compuware Sports Arena, which is just down/up the road in Plymouth. Basically, this is a hockey rink, and they’re using the parking lot in the summer for drive-ins. No movies have been announced yet, but it could be a fun deal.
And then I did a google search and came across Drive-Ins.com, which has a database of drive-ins. And from there, I discovered that right in our own backyard (well, Dearborn), we’ve got the Ford-Wyoming Drive-In, which boasts itself as the largest in the world! Who knew?!
So, maybe a family-friendly movie show?
Fountain (and other home improvement activities)
I have been meaning to post this for a while now, but things have been busy busy busy. In any event, here’s a picture of the fountain that I build for Annette for Mother’s Day. Big flowerpot, hole in the bottom with weird sealant stuff, a pump kit, some rocks, some water plants, some water. That’s about it.
Other home improvement things I performed last week that you might not have guessed I was capable of include the following:
- Replaced a spark plug in my lawn mower, and now it runs like a champ. (I’m considering going “all the way” at this point by also changing the oil and sharpening the blade).
- Replaced a broken fluorescent light fixture in our bedroom closet without instructions. Okay, with instructions I had to download from the web, but still.
- Cleaned garage to the point where my father and father in-law would be proud or at least reasonably happy. This involved, among other things, taking back about $30 worth of cans and bottles.
- Managed (finally!) to get rid of the back seat from the van that was stolen from the street in front of our house a few years back. How? I put it out on the curb and a couple days later, a couple dudes in a pick-up came and got it. Indeed, I am considering an experiment in which we keep putting junk out on the curb and see how long it takes for it to be claimed by some wondering junk man/collector.
- Much gardening, which may or may not be “manly,” depending on your POV.
So far though, I have not managed to finish the home improvements around this site, as you can see. But this will happen sooner than later, I hope.
Will Krause, Science Olympian
I think it’s fair to say that Annette, Will, and I are just now recovering from our grand experience at the Washtenaw (county, that is) Elementary Science Olympiad on Saturday.
I didn’t get any good pictures frankly, but the Ann Arbor News did:
This is a water propelled bottle rocket contest; cute, huh? And here’s the article in yesterday’s Ann Arbor News— you have to go through the registration rig-a-ma-roll with the site if you want to see the piece, but it is probably worth it.
The article said there were 300 students competing, but I swear it felt more like 1,000. We got there (it was held over at an elementary school and middle school complex on the other side of Ann Arbor) at about 9 am or so and we were there until about 5:30, and it just seemed like one sea of parents and kids and teachers in chaos pretty much the whole time. Thus the long recovery period.
Will competed in two events– well, technically, three. He was on the science pentathlon team, which was this event where the kids had to answer a science trivia question and then complete some kind of minor athletic task– bouncing a ball, throwing something through a hoop, etc. Will’s team didn’t do so hot, in part because they were short a player.
He was a “second stringer” on the “Wright stuff” team, which is a competition where they build these ridiculously precise airplanes from balsa and tissue and then fly them with rubber band props. Will and his partner’s airplane was the “B team,” so they didn’t get to compete. But the “A team” for his grade level won, so I think of that as Will winning too. Hey, the bench warmers are still on the team, right?
And then he was also on the science jeopardy team, which was a team-oriented jeopardy contest. They lost their first round quite badly, but they rallied and actually ended up in fourth place, which was an unexpected triumph.
Actually, Estabrook did quite well in this thing overall, I’d say in the top third of schools that competed. I don’t often have “Ypsi pride,” but I have to say I was very proud that our scruffy little band of kids competed well with the ones from the “good schools” in Ann Arbor. Will’s looking forward to it for next year, and I might even volunteer to coach something. We’ll see….
Cool VW Bug Mods/Memories
Here’s a link to a whole bunch of cool looking pictures of some of the weird modifications of Volkswagen Beatles.
This actually brought back memories of my own connection to the VW Bug. My first driving experiences were with a VW Bug, I believe a 1974 “super beetle,” but I can’t remember for sure. This particular beetle had an automatic clutch, which meant that while you had to shift gears, the clutch was built into the stick itself. So, to shift, you just let up on the gas, moved the gear shift, and then put your foot back on the gas.
Imagine my surprise a few years later when I learned how to drive a real stick shift.
This car never worked great. I recall taking a roadtrip when I was in high school to Kansas in this car and, in the course of the trip, something happened and it was no longer possible to get into reverse. We spent the rest of the trip carefully planning where we parked– well, and pushing once in a while.
Anyway, there came a point, I think shortly after this reverse failure, where this automatic clutch mechanism stopped working entirely. So my father, the ever resourceful engineer, rigged up a little toggle switch on the dashboard. This meant to shift any gear, I had to a) take my foot off the gas, b) flip the toggle switch, c) shift, d) flip the toggle switch again, e) put my foot back on the gas.
This got old quickly. Though since the next car was a Chevy Chevette, maybe we should have stuck with this VW mod….
On NyQuil
I’ve had a cold for the last couple of days– not one of those “agh, pass me the puke bucket” kind if sicknesses (I think I’ve managed to dodge that bullet this year, and that’s saying something since this was going around at work big-time in December), but just one of those “I feel just miserable enough to complain about it, but not quite miserable enough to just stay away from work” colds.
In the words of Lewis Black, this is just the sort of event that allows me to indulge in my favorite drug, NyQuil. Or at least it was my favorite drug– see below. Every time I’ve gone to the doctor with something like what I have right now, they either seem to suggest NyQuil or to at least say that there’s nothing wrong with it.
I went out and bought me a double-pack of NyQuil and settled down to have my dose before bed. Of course, I chose the original flavor, but this did beg the question last night as I was pouring out my shot: what flavor is the original flavor?
I asked Annette. Her response was “What’s wrong with you?!”
So, naturally, I turned to the Internets for an answer. Oddly, even with this fine wikipedia entry, I could not find a satisfying answer to my question. Apparently, Denis Leary once described the flavor as “Green Death,” but to me, that would be more ashy-flavored.
Anyway, last night, I think I actually had a bit of a reaction to the NyQuil. I ended waking up at about 1 am with a dry hack and a hard time breathing. I ended getting up and drinking about six glasses of water, and then this morning, I went out and bought a humidifier. Hopefully, that will help.
Oh, and I think I know what the flavor of NyQuil “original” is: Jägermeister. Which makes a certain amount of sense because because Jäger is kind of a medicinal liquor. And it’ll mess you up bad.
Maybe I’ll try to use the left of my NyQuil to make a flaming moe or something….
Blog post for the road: Steve and Will as Superheroes
It turns out the Fort Meyers airport actually has free wireless internet access. Sweet! So what to do with this unexpected free access? Take a superhero quiz, of course!
Here are my results:
Your results:
You are Spider-Man
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You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.  |
Click here to take the “Which Superhero am I?” quiz…
Here are Will’s:
Your results:
You are Superman
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You are mild-mannered, good, strong and you love to help others.  |
Click here to take the “Which Superhero am I?” quiz…
Pretty impressive, if you ask me…