AndyO Blog

Petco Zoo

2009-11-08T09:57:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, my boys and I went to Petco to get some flea medicine for our cats. But, as always, we ended up seeing a lot more.

We spent an hour perusing all the animals in the store, which really borders on being a small zoo. Some of the animals included:

Chinchillas (one was running around the cage, giving us a glimpse of how fast these rodents can run)
Ferrets (they were putting on a wrestling match)
Parakeets
Mice
Rats
Guinea Pigs
Hamsters
Turtles (red-eared sliders)
Tortoise
Lizards
Scorpion (hiding)
Tarantula (hiding)
Snakes
Frogs
Fish (beta, koi, and many others)

Cameron, my older boy, kept begging to bring home some of the animals.

As a bonus, they had a greyhound adoption event sponsored by Greyhound Pets of America - Greater Northwest, where we saw seven or eight greyhounds. Greyhounds seem like they're from alien planet, with their long narrow snouts, swept back ears, and aerodynamic muscular bodies. They also seem strangely unemotional (no tail wagging for me), but did get excited when new greyhounds showed up. Here are some pictures of the pack:

Swine Flu Saturday

2009-11-01T18:12:00.001-08:00

No, the family did not get Swine Flu (H1N1) on Saturday. Instead, we set off to Stevens Hospital in the Edmonds area to get the kids vaccinated against it. We got there a little before 9:00, and the line already snaked into the back parking lot.

Cameron asked me, "Why are all these people waiting in line?"

I explained that the Swine Flu vaccine was in short supply, and that this was one of the few places people could get it on Saturday.

The first estimate we had was that we'd be waiting 2-1/2 hours.

The line moved ahead, and everyone was happy.

Then a volunteer came by and told us we'd be waiting 6 hours. Some people left. We stayed.

I told myself that if I could wait for hours for rides at Disneyland, I could certainly wait for my kids to get vaccinated. Brenda and I talked about one of us taking the kids to a movie, but in the end we didn't exactly how long it was going to take.

The good people at Stevens Hospital (I found out later that most of them were volunteers) did everything they could to make our line experience as smooth and pleasant as possible. They passed out breakfast bars and cereal. Clowns came by and gave the kids stickers. Another clown performed a show for all the kids. (I thought several times that someone could have made a fortune selling good food, drinks, and coffee in line that day.)

After 1:00 p.m., it became clear that we were going to be in the line for a long time. Brenda and I took turns with the kids, using the car as a home base. Drew watched a movie or two. I read a book to Cam (Enders Game). I was surprised how well everyone did around us. There was no complaining. People saved places for other people in line. People shared food. And it didn't rain.

At 2:00 p.m., I was starving so I walked down to McDonald's on 99 to get some food for me and the family. When I got back, Brenda was already in the covered area, which you can see in this picture:

And then we reached the point in the line that was right next to the hospital. As you can see, Brenda's very happy.

Then it was time for the kids to get their "nasal mist" injections of the vaccine. They both took it like men.

Here's Cameron questioning why the delivery device looks like a shot:

Here's Drew -- I mean, The Skeleton -- getting his vaccine.

As we left the hospital, an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment came over me. We had persevered 6 hours to get this vaccine. And now we were going to get ready for Halloween (it was 3:00 p.m.). I thought to myself, this will be a Halloween that these thousands of people never forget.

Thanks again to Stevens Hospital staff, all the volunteers, the Fire Department, the Police Department, and many others for making this day as easy as it could be.

Star Wars in Concert

2009-10-24T11:01:00.001-07:00

A week ago, on October 13 , Cameron and I attended Star Wars in Concert at Key Arena in Seattle. If you haven't heard about this tour, it's a concert with a full symphony orchestra playing in front of a huge high-definition LED screen. For this event, Lucasfilm produced several montages from all six Star Wars films that play on the screen throughout the concert. Composer John Williams arranged new compositions for each montage. As an added bonus, there's a exhibition of movie props--from the original Darth Vader costume to Chewbacca to view outside the concert area before the show.

My connection to the Star Wars: A New Hope soundtrack goes way back. It was one of the first records I ever bought (in fifth grade), and I played it until I wore it out. But as much as I love the Star Wars films and music, I'd never heard any of the music played live. Star Wars in Concert was the perfect opportunity to finally hear it.

Cameron and I had excellent seats, right above the left side of the stage, seven rows up. As we waited for the show to start, we heard lightsaber sounds buzzing over the PA, and the orchestra tuning up behind a white curtain. Kids waved their lightsabers around like glow sticks at a rock concert. Suddenly, the lights went out, and the symphony started playing the Fox Fanfare, like you hear before every Star Wars film. The white curtain dropped to the ground, and the symphony blasted into the Main Title, with hi-def images playing behind them.

After each track, actor Anthony Daniels, who played C3PO in all six Star Wars film, came out and told the story of Star Wars, setting up each sequence -- like "Droids," "Narrow Escapes," "Princess Leia," etc. After he spoke, he'd either sit on a seat at the side of the stage or he'd go backstage.

The stage itself was designed to look like it belonged in the Star Wars universe. The massive orchestra filled the stage, and a choir stood in the back for the first half of the show. There were times that the hi-def screen just projected images of the orchestra, provided by two jib cameras swinging around on stage right and left and one stationary camera at the sound board.

The new arrangements of the music were good, but I think they could have gotten away with playing the soundtrack to certain sequences in the original movies. For example, they played the track for the TIE Fighter attack on the Millennium Falcon from Episode IV, but it was to a montage of all six movies. I'd even be willing to pay to go see a live orchestra play behind the entire original Star Wars film, like they did for E.T. - The Extraterrestrial.

Tracks that sounded especially good live were Anakin's Theme and Across the Stars (Love Theme from Star Wars: Episode II). These themes usually get overpowered by more exciting ones, like Dual of the Fates or the Main Theme; but in a live setting, sequenced at the right time, these themes take on a life of their own. I always like how Williams alluded to Darth Vader's theme in Anakin's Theme.

All in all, seeing this show was well worth it. I recommend this for anyone who's a fan of these movies or likes symphonic music.

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There are a couple of historical notes about the Star Wars soundtrack that show how important the music was to the film

First, during the 1970s most films didn't include symphonic soundtracks. If you go back and listen to many of those movies, you'll hear bands or minimal compositions. George Lucas knew that Star Wars needed the majesty of a full symphony orchestra to help propel the film.

Second, I read a story that Lucas showed Star Wars to an audience of friends, including Francis Ford Coppola, without the soundtrack (it wasn't done yet). Evidently, everyone who watched the film thought that it was a disaster. But Lucas must have known that the soundtrack that John Williams was writing was his secret weapon.

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Here are some photos of the exhibit and the characters wandering around the exhibit:

An evening with astronaut Gregory C. Johnson

2009-10-01T00:21:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday, September 23, Cameron and I went to the Museum of Flight in Tukwila to see astronaut Gregory J. Johnson. Cameron's been talking about wanting to be a fighter pilot and an astronaut, so I thought it would be good for him to meet one.

Johnson gave a fascinating hour-long presentation about his road to becoming an astronaut as well as a detailed account of his Space Shuttle flight STS-125. Johnson was the pilot for this mission to upgrade and repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

Long before he was flying the Space Shuttle, Johnson learned to fly in Moses Lake, WA, in seaplanes. He used these skills to fly for Kenmore Air as he attended the University of Washington, where he earned a degree in Aerospace Engineering. After that, Johnson went on to be a naval aviator, with over 500 carrier landings under his belt, and retired with the rank of Captain. He then became a USAF test pilot at Edwards Air Force base.

There were a few things in the presentation and the QA I'd never heard:

Because the Hubble Space Telescope is in a high orbit, there's a bigger risk of space debris hitting the shuttle on the ascent. Johnson said that the only way NASA would do this mission was if there was another "rescue" shuttle standing by to rescue the crew, which there was.
When asked about how bad the problem was with space debris, Johnson said they track many pieces of debris -- the actual size they can track being classified. (When I told this to a friend at work, Dave Johnson [no relation], he said the reason it's classified is it would show how well we can scan other countries' satellites.)
Johnson said that during the ascent, you feel 3 Gs for "a long time." He said it's like someone sitting on your chest.
Johnson said that the entire re-entry flight is controlled by autopilot. They switch off the autopilot on final approach, as the computer isn't able to do this part of the flight.
Someone asked Johnson if during re-entry if he enjoyed it at all -- if he was able to look at the window. Johnson replied that during the entire descent he was looking at computer screens and helping the commander. (Evidently there were a few problems on the way down, although it wasn't clear from Johnson's answers what they were.)
Johnson said that they had some alarms on the ascent -- and he thought they were going to lose one of the engines.
Due to weather, the shuttle and crew had to stay in orbit a few extra days. On the first extra night, NASA sent up the new Star Trek movie in eight pieces. (He said this was before the film was in theaters.) They set up two laptops with the movie and watched it until they were supposed to go to bed. Johnson said they had to ask Commander Altman (AKA "Dad") if they "could please stay up and watch the rest of Star Trek?"
On the second extra night, the crew watched "Apollo 13," which made me wonder if this was a rite of passage for astronauts in orbit. He said it wasn't fun watching a movie about astronauts who were almost marooned.

After the presentation, Cameron and I waited to get an autograph from Astronaut Johnson. When it came our turn, Cameron got tongue-tied when Johnson asked his name so I had to speak for him. But he got his autograph, which he's very proud of.

To read more about Gregory C. Johnson, see this pre-flight interview with him on NASA's website.

IMAX 3-D digital films: Upsell illusion

2009-09-19T23:41:00.001-07:00

I just went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs with the kids today at the Regal Thornton Place theater in IMAX 3-D digital. The total cost for the matinee show (11:40 am) was $40.50! That's $15.50 for me (instead of the usual $8.50 matinee price) and $12.50 for each kid.

Stepping into the IMAX auditorium eased my buyer's remorse somewhat. The screen reaches from floor to ceiling and wall to wall -- not as big as the curved Boeing IMAX theater at Seattle Center, but certainly bigger than the average screen.

When the film started, the sound system thundered like a freight train, and the image quality was sharp and vibrant. But then I noticed something that I'd noticed in two other IMAX films, Up and Night at the Museum 2:

The image didn't fill the entire screen.

Much like watching a 16:9 widescreen movie on a TV, there were black "bars" across the bottom and the top of the screen:

So, how is this much different than a regular movie image? Why am I paying almost twice as much just because the screen is large?

After doing a little research, I found that a firestorm erupted in May 2009 by actor/comedian Aziz Ansari after he saw the new Star Trek movie on a screen that he didn't consider to be of proper IMAX size. (Turns out, most people think this is around 72 feet high.)

According to IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond in a Wired article, the screen size isn't the only thing that makes IMAX what it is:

IMAX means the most immersive film experience on the planet. 3-D is going to be more obvious to you in IMAX. And in 2-D, IMAX means a special sound system. It means special treatment of the film so that when Star Trek is shown in an IMAX theater, it goes through a digital process where we up-res the movie so there's more brightness and more contrast.
And with the screen part of it: In all of these multiplexes, IMAX is the biggest screen. But it's not only screen size. There's something called "perceived screen size," which involves the relationship of the viewer to the screen. If you're in the first row, that screen is going to look a hell of a lot bigger to you than if you're in the 30th row. We typically take out the first four rows of seats in a theater and move the screen forward so it's a lot farther forward in an IMAX theater. Also, the screen goes floor to ceiling, wall to wall. By bringing a floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall screen forward toward the audience, the viewer has the perception that the screen is larger than just the physical size.

I buy that there's a different process for converting a film for IMAX and that the sound system is better. But my beef is that the screen size is large but the movie isn't filling that screen. Well, then, I must be seeing a much better image resolution.

It turns out the image resolution might be only slightly better.

The IMAX digital film is created by using two Christie 2K resolution digital projectors. According to Wikipedia, "the two 2K images are projected over each other, producing an image that is potentially of a slightly higher resolution than common 2K digital cinema."

So, if the screen isn't larger, then you're not really getting much value for your expensive ticket -- just an image that is potentially of a slightly higher resolution. But I thought the reason for paying for an IMAX version of the film is so you can have the most immersive, amazing experience in a movie theater. Turns out it's not much different than going to the non-IMAX or 2D version of the film -- at least in some theaters.

Then what's going on here? Like many things in life, it's about money.

Let's take a look at The Dark Knight. $55 million of the $1 billion the film earned worldwide (18%) was from IMAX theaters. Without those "premium" tickets, the film takes in less money, the studio execs get smaller bonuses, the theater chains can't add more IMAX theaters, etc.

But the real crime with the smaller IMAX screens or the reduced projection size on a large screen is that the average moviegoer isn't even aware (at least consciously). They're paying extra for the IMAX brand -- and not really getting their money's worth.

So, as I see it IMAX has three problems (and to their credit, they're looking into fixing the branding problem now):

Not all IMAX screens are equal in size.
Not all IMAX screens are equal in resolution (digital vs. 70mm).
The projection image size of the IMAX film doesn't always take up the entire screen size -- which brings us back to #1.

If you want to know which IMAX screens are the smaller size, here's a handy map:

View IMAX or LIEMAX? in a larger map

If you're interested in reading some other articles about this issue, see the following:

Roger Ebert's Q&A on IMAX (published before Aziz Ansari's blog)

LFexaminer: Is IMAX the next "New Coke"?

LFexaminer: Links to IMAX controversy articles

Variety: IMAX responds to screen size critics

Weekend with Drew

2009-08-10T21:03:00.001-07:00

Brenda and Cameron went to Cub Scout camp last weekend, so Drew and I got a chance to hang out one-on-one.

Friday

Picked Drew up early from school to try to go to the 4:20 showing of "G-Force" at Thornton Place theater. Traffic was bad, so I didn't get to Drew's school until 4:20. So we ended up going to the 7:10 show. This was the second time I saw "G-Force," and I have to say it held up pretty well. The 3-D effects were amazing.

Saturday

Woke up and watched a bunch of TV with Drew. He wanted eggs for breakfast. I decided to go the distance and made bacon, too. He ate one piece of bacon and took one bite of eggs and said, "I'm done," and excused himself from the table. I put his breakfast in the fridge.

1:00 p.m. - Took Drew to Target. As I looked through the Blu-ray movies for deals, he said, "When are we going to the toys?" On our way to the toys, we stopped at the candy and snack aisle. (I faked Drew out and got him some sugar-free Lifesavers!)

Once we reached the toy aisle, and Drew was faced with all those choices, I watched him go into information overload. He would choose one toy, then put it back. By the end, he was crying.

And we were gone.

I decided to go through McDonald's drive-thru to get another one of their Angus burgers. Drew screamed at me the whole time. "I don't want anything at McDonald's! I wanna go to Best Buy!" The poor lady at the window couldn't hear me.

I ordered a Happy Meal for him.

He cried all the way home. As I was eating my lunch, he cried more. I finally told him he'd need to go in his room if he was going to continue. After that, he snapped out of it.

Later, we watched "Monster House" together, a charming animated film about a possessed house.

Sunday

Woke up and watched a bunch more TV (I know, I know -- it rots your brain). By around 12, we headed out to Best Buy. Drew wanted to buy more candy. I wanted to get out of the house.

We looked at movies, went into the instrument section and we both played drums together. Then in the computer section I ended up showing off an HP tablet touch-screen computer to some people after the salesperson walked away. It's amazing touch screen tablets are below $1000! I want one.

3:00 - Brenda and Cam got home. But then Cameron went to his friend MacLean's house for a playdate. (They'd been together for four days but still wanted more time.)

Brenda took a bath for an hour or more, and Drew and I watched "Short Circuit," one of the new Blu-ray movies I bought. I know it's a corny movie, but the kids like it--and it was actually the first movie Brenda and I went to in college.

Tri-Cities - 7/31 - 8/2

2009-08-04T23:03:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend, we traveled to my parents' house in the Tri-Cities. We drove over on Friday night, leaving behind 100 degree temperatures in Seattle, and arrived to 90 degrees in Richland at 8:30 p.m. As soon as the kids got out of the car, they were in the pool. After I unloaded the car, I was in there, too.

The next day we needed the pool more than ever, as the temperature shot up to 110 degrees! I invited a friend from high school, Jennifer, and her two kids to swim, too. Jennifer and I hadn't seen each other since the last high-school reunion, many moons ago, so it was fun to catch up.

Her two kids, Sarah and Jack, put on an acrobatic display of diving as we baked in the shade.

Even Cameron, who wasn't even jumping off the board until about a month ago, got into the act:

After lunch, Jennifer and I also got in the pool to cool off. At one point I started giving scores to the dives. When I gave Sarah a 9.4, she asked, "What do I have to do to get a 10?"

Jennifer answered, "Lose the attitude!"

Rocko the barking dog

My parents' dog, Rocko, a Gordon Setter, always gets upset when anyone steps one toe on the diving board. My Mom says he does it because he's nervous and doesn't want anyone to get hurt. But after a while, it gets really old. My Mom ordered me to throw Rocko in the pool to get him to shut up.

I was only too happy to comply.

But then something really interesting happened after Rocko got out. I don't know if any of us would have caught it, but Sarah (The Dog Whisperer) noticed that Rocko wanted to get back in the pool. She gave him a few words of encouragement, and he jumped back in. Perhaps Rocko was just trying to tell us he wanted in the pool?

Anniversary dinner

After Jennifer and the kids left, my parents watched Cameron and Drew so Brenda and I could go out for our anniversary. When I asked Brenda where she wanted to go, she said "Target." Without our kids, we've found that shopping becomes almost peaceful. Pretty sad. While Brenda walked around the store, I stayed in the movie area, trying to decide on all the cheap Blu-rays they had.

After our peaceful shopping, we drove to Richland to Anthony's Home Port on the Columbia River. The wait time was 45 minutes, but we went into the bar and decided to stay there (again, something you really can't do with kids).

I ordered the steak and Brenda ordered a salad. The food was excellent. But it's interesting how after a long wait time, I get antsy near the end of dinner. We talked about going for a walk on the river, but it was still pretty warm outside -- and we'd done enough sweating for the day.

We decided to go home and try to get the kids to bed at a reasonable time (Drew had fallen asleep around midnight the night before).

Sun Mountain - Day 2 (Friday)

2009-07-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

This was day 2 at Sun Mountain lodge in Winthrop, WA, 7/24/09. Read Day 1 here.

The boys and I got up early (early for us is before 9:00) and went to breakfast at the Sun Mountain Lodge. Cam and I ordered the Eggs Benedict (the hollandaise was a little too sour for us -- too much lemon?) and Drew got the pancakes.

After breakfast, we went to the game room, where we played ping pong, pool, and foosball. Cameron really got into learning how to play pool, but Drew kept interfering. So we left.

Smoke Jumper base

After playing in the game room, we drove to Winthrop -- about 10 miles from the Sun Mountain Lodge -- and then on to the North Cascades Smoke Jumper base. This is the actual base where smoke jumping was invented. In short, Smoke jumpers parachute out of airplanes and then create a fireline against a current blaze. As you can imagine, it's dangerous, difficult work.

On this particular day, there was a lot of activity around the base. Thunderstorms from the night before had started fires all over the Cascade Mountains, and smoke jumpers from Oregon and elsewhere were coming to help out. Helicopters were landing to pick up water to drop on fires, and other airplanes were landing.

One of the great things about going to the smoke jumper base is you get a tour from a smoke jumper. The smoke jumper paraloft, where they store their equipment and parachutes, always reminds me of the shellhouse at the University of Washington. Smoke jumpers and oarsmen also have similar personalities and physiques.

Chasing wildlife

When we got back to Sun Mountain Lodge, we found a bunch of Blue Grouse on the grounds. The boys kept trying to get close to them, which made it difficult for me to get good pictures. Here's what the females look like:

Later, when we came back from lunch we found a lone deer standing on the grounds. A bunch of people got pictures with the deer (as if she was a celebrity), but I told the kids to stay away from her.

Then, the deer did something totally unexpected: She lay down. This made me realize how comfortable they are at Sun Mountain -- even if tourist do like to take pictures of them.

BBQ and swimming

Due to more thunderstorms and rain, the barbeque that's usually held at the lake was moved to the lodge. This was the same place we'd eaten the night before.

We ate with the chair of the board, his wife, and their two grandchildren -- as we were going to watch the kids after the BBQ so Bud and Bonnie could hold a wine tasting in their room.

The kids went to the pool and swam until close to 10:00 p.m.! I went in with them, but the pool was surprisingly cold due to the cool weather we'd been having. I spent most of the time in the hot tub.

After that, the kids watched a movie and when the grandchildren left our room, Cam and Drew fell asleep in minutes.

North Cascades Highway to Winthrop (Thursday)

2009-07-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

This was day 1 at Sun Mountain lodge in Winthrop, WA, 7/23/09. Read Day 1 here.

On Thursday, we drove to Winthrop Washington for a conference for Brenda at Sun Mountain Lodge. Our route took us 200 miles on the winding North Cascades highway through lush forests -- and the occasional town or gas station -- ascending into some of the most beautiful alpine scenery in the United States.

When we stopped at a bathroom for Brenda and Drew, I saw a group of teenage hikers getting their gear together. I asked where they were going, and one of them told me "five days in the Cascades."

Unfortunately, Drew fell down as he ran back to the car, and Brenda and I had to bandage him up.

As we drove on, Drew was inconsolable, complaining about the bandage we'd put on his leg. He told us we were going to have to carry him everywhere -- and at one point demanded that we turn around and go back to Seattle. He finally stopped crying when Cameron let him draw on his Nintendo DSi.

Then came my favorite part of this journey: a 180-degree turn that signals the descent into the Methow Valley. The grade is so steep, we continued driving along at 75 mph without any gas for 10 miles. It's probably the closest I'll get to flying an airplane.

We finally made it to Winthrop by 5:00 p.m. It's always interesting to see Winthrop's wooden sidewalks and Old West architecture. We then drove along a winding, 10-mile mountain road to our final destination: Sun Mountain Lodge. The brochure says it's the only Triple-A rated Four Diamond hotel in Washington (for 15 years straight).

There are few hotels that match the spectacular views you get here.

Thoughts on the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

2009-07-20T23:55:00.001-07:00

It was 40 years ago today, when I was just 2 years old, that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon. This was, arguably, the greatest technical achievement of the human race. And every year since that historic event, we seem to grow farther away from what was accomplished in 1969. Instead of new manned missions beyond the moon -- or even a base -- we get conspiracy theorists telling us we never even went to moon.

I can only hope that with Project Orion we start to move forward again with manned deep space exploration. While I'd like to see us go to the Moon again, it seems like a bit of a step backward. If we said we were going to the Moon again to set up a base there, then it starts to make more sense. But everyone knows the next real objective is Mars. There's a scientific reason to go there.

They say after the Apollo missions, the people of Earth turned inward again (there wasn't an environmental movement until those pictures of Earth were taken by the astronauts). Perhaps what we really need is to turn outward again -- to explore. Perhaps this would change us as a species in ways we can't even imagine.

I hope so.

A summer day in Gilberton, WA

2009-07-19T19:44:00.001-07:00

We drove to Gilberton on Saturday with the kids to attend my wife's summer work party. We drove around (via Tacoma) instead of taking the Bremerton Ferry and arrived around 11:00 a.m. Brenda had made arrangements with her boss Randy to take us out on his speedboat, as the kids had a great time the year before.

We got the boat ready and then headed out onto Puget Sound. The weather was perfect, the water glassy. Captain Randy showed off the 180 hp engine -- and we cruised the water at 50 mph. I looked back to see Brenda's hair blowing wildly.

Randy took us up to Agate Bridge, which brought back some memories for me. My Aunt and Uncle used to own a house above the beach, and I'd spent many days on the beach below Agate Bridge.

On the way back to the marina, Randy pointed out the Keyport Naval Undersea Warfare Center, where the Navy repairs and maintains torpedoes and underwater targets. I remember that when I was growing up, my father used to talk about doing work at Keyport -- but I'd never seen it before.

When we got back to Randy's cabin, Brenda headed down to the beach with the boys before the tide came in. The cabin, I soon found out, was really two houses -- a main house and the tree house -- both with incredible views. Randy explained that the women's bathroom was in the main house, and the men's in the tree house (at least for the party).

I took a look around inside the cabin and found a collection of military decorations, all belonging to Randy's father, George Henry Revelle, Jr. In all, there were 13 decorations, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit. I asked Randy where his father had served.

"He worked for Patton in World War II," he said.

"General Patton?"

"Yes."

"Was he the son-of-a-bitch that everyone said he was?" I asked, jokingly referring to the Patton film starring George C. Scott that emphasized this fact.

While Randy didn't confirm my question, he said his father told him the only thing the movie Patton got wrong was the way the General swore. Evidently, when expletives escaped his mouth, Patton's voice went up in pitch -- in stark contrast to George C. Scott's gravely baritone.

After this, I headed down to the beach with the boys and Brenda. The tide was coming in, and the boys were in search of treasure.

Later, back at the cabin, I played whiffleball and basketball with Cameron, and we were treated to the Tropical Rock-style singer Dave Calhoun. Dave played a lot of Jimmy Buffet songs, but he also played some that had been written by local songwriter friends of his that were really good (in particular, I liked the one about traffic).

When Dave took a break, I talked "musician" shop with him a little. I was curious how he set up the backing tracks. He told me that the built the tracks on a keyboard and then converted them to an .mp3 file for his iPod. Pretty amazing that someone can bring an entire band in their pocket these days.

However, I feel it's important to point out that this technical revolution does come at a price: anything that's pre-recorded will ultimately sound sterile because it can't breathe. The feel of music is produced by the character of the musician -- including imperfections. While I thought Dave sounded great with the polished backing tracks, I would have preferred to hear him sing with only a guitar.

After 5:00, we left the party and decided to take the Bremerton Ferry back to Seattle. The family stayed in the car, but I went above and enjoyed the 60-minute ride.

Summer vacation - Day 2 - 6/22 - Monday

2009-06-22T00:40:00.000-07:00

This entry is about my second day at Lake Chelan. You can read the first entry here.

Like many mornings I've spent at Campbell's, this one started with breakfast in the Bistro restaurant. Cameron was excited about eating their biscuits and gravy (he's turned into a connoisseur of sorts). I ordered Drew the Apple Oat Cakes (just about the best pancakes I've ever tasted), and I ordered the meat lover's omelet. Brenda also joined us for breakfast, which was nice. But then Drew decided he didn't want anyone to cut his pancakes (after we'd cut them up) -- and all hell broke loose. Oh well.

Hot tub politics

The weather had turned cloudy and cold, so when the boys and I got back to the room we went in the hot tub instead of the pool. When I got out, I ended up talking to an older woman who told me her life story.

She survived World War II by moving around Austria with her parents, and in the Fifties emigrated to the U.S. She talked about how hard her parents had worked and contrasted that to today, where she saw a lot of lazy Americans who didn't want to work. She also said she didn't like President Obama apologizing on foreign soil, as she thought America had made many sacrifices and didn't need to apologize.

I told her I agreed that America had made a lot of sacrifices (especially during the early 20th Century). But I thought America's policies after World War II with regard to Communism and globalization were not always helpful to our global neighbors -- and often interfered. Case in point: Iran.

(I guess I should point out that I don't always find myself talking about history and politics at the hot tub.)

Shopping

Another vacation pastime that the boys and I share is shopping on the Chelan strip. Typically we go out and buy all kinds of useless stuff, but this time we had several clear objectives:

Drew wanted flip-flops (because his brother had them), which we picked up from a clothing store.

Cameron wanted a small radio, which we picked up from Radio Shack. (Usually we ended up buying some cheap remote control car or airplane which breaks in about 5 minutes; but there was a moratorium on all remote controlled toys for the summer.)

Then we walked to Riverwalk Books, and we bought a bunch of fun toys and items, including one called Ball of Whacks. The Ball of Whacks has 30 magnetic pyramid pieces that can be assembled into a rhombic triacontahedron -- or split into many other shapes, like stars. I watched Drew, my four-year-old, play with it for hours. He'd take it apart and then put it back together, over and over.

I also bought Common Errors in English Usage, a fascinating book by WSU professor Paul Brians about words that cause problems in the English language. For example, when should you use farther vs. further -- or immigrate vs. emigrate? For some reason I find this stuff interesting. If you do too, check out Paul Brians' website.

Seeing old friends and meeting new ones

When we got back to the room, we saw some kids who are always at Campbell's when we are, Camille (9) and Taylor (15). Camille and Cam have been playing since they were 3 or 4 years old, and there are some pictures I've taken of them where they look they could be cousins (weird).

A motley bunch: Cameron, Camille, and Drew

Also that afternoon, Cameron ran around with another boy he'd met earlier when we were in the hot tub. They went kayaking and swimming together -- the first time Cameron has gone off by himself at Lake Chelan.

One of the best burgers of all time

Later, when Brenda was back from her conference and Drew was having a meltdown, I took Cameron up to the Veranda restaurant for a late dinner.

Cameron wasn't hungry, but I ordered the Hawaiian Kai Burger and Clam Chowder. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but the teriyaki and roasted pineapple hot sauce on that burger made my taste buds very happy.

When I returned to the room, I told Brenda the burger was one of the best I'd ever had. I knew I'd have a hard time resisting ordering that burger again.

Summer vacation - Day 1 (Sunday)

2009-06-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today, we drove to Lake Chelan for a work conference for Brenda. We've been taking this trip now for 9 years. While she's busy with the conference from Sunday through Wednesday, the boys and I sit around, go swimming, eat, and watch movies. The temperature at Lake Chelan is usually somewhere in the 90s.

Once we arrived at Campbells, where we were staying (and the temperature was hovering in the 60s!), Brenda ran out to her conference. We had a room on the ground floor, which faces the lake. As I was putting clothes away, Cameron and Drew ran around like two kids who had been cooped up in the car for three hours.

Cameron started talking about going swimming over and over until I told him to stop. Drew wanted to go out to the lake. Eventually, I told them to go out to the beach. Instead of playing in the sand and dipping their feet in the water, they decided to wade into the water in their clothes.

After this, and some additional bad behavior, I realized I needed a new plan: I devised a point system on paper. I told them if each of them reached 20 points -- or 30 points combined -- we were going home.

Then I told them we needed to go to dinner.

"I don't want to go to dinner!" Cameron said.

"One point!" I said.

Once they dressed in dry clothes, we started walking to the restaurant upstairs. Cameron and Drew ran in the hallway.

"One point each!" I said, and they stopped running.

By the time we got to the Veranda Restaurant at Campbell's, they both had 5 points. I knew at this rate, we'd be leaving in an hour. Fortunately, their behavior improved.

The menu at Campbell's is always great. I told myself I'd order something different every time I ate at the restaurant. For this meal, it was the fish and chips by George! I also ordered the Hawaiian Steak Bites appetizer, which Cameron also enjoyed.

We went back to the room at 8:00 p.m., and Cameron wanted to rent Hotel for Dogs, which I was happy to pay for. Unfortunately, I had to work during this time to finish some things I didn't have time to do before I left.

I turned out my light at midnight.

World's Largest Model Rocket Launch

2009-05-28T10:47:00.001-07:00

If you've ever built model rockets, this launch is going to blow your mind.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090427-worlds-largest-model-rocket.html

An amazing video

2009-05-11T20:06:00.001-07:00

This is some serious "video" art:

Nine words women use

2009-05-11T11:25:00.001-07:00

This was sent to me by my loving wife. I thought it was so good, I wanted to put it here for everyone to see!

NINE WORDS WOMEN USE

(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing.. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That's Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That's okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you're welcome. (I want to add in a clause here - This is true, unless she says 'Thanks a lot' - that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say 'you're welcome' . that will bring on a 'whatever')..

(8) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F-- YOU!

(9) Don't worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking 'What's wrong?' For the woman's response refer to # 3.

When equipment fails the drummer

2009-05-01T21:13:00.001-07:00

As Chris Mess blasted through the four-song opener at the High Dive, I thought things were going pretty well. My playing felt good. The large crowd was responding positively. Time, which usually runs by quickly on stage, seemed to slow down.

When we reached the part of the set when we play a cover -- Bowie's Suffragette City on this night -- Chris invited his girlfriend Mary on stage to sing ("Hey, Man!").

The crowd responded enthusiastically.

Then we moved to the quiet part of the set, starting with a song called Oleada by Julieta Venegas (lyrics in Spanish). When I stepped on my right bass drum pedal, it went down to the floor and didn't bounce back. I tried a few more times. No dice. So I played the entire song using my left bass drum pedal (it's a double-bass pedal).

Once the song was over, I told Chris I needed to fix my pedal. He tried to entertain the crowd. After a few seconds I realized I couldn't fix the pedal. The chain that connected to the foot plate was broken.

Normally, this would be a drummer's worst nightmare. But I came prepared.

I ran offstage and grabbed my single chain-drive Camco pedal from my gear bag. As I tried to attach the pedal to the bass drum, I realized it was missing the wing nut that would make this possible. I slid the pedal under the bass drum, hoping it would stay there. Then, when I tried to play the pedal, there was hardly any response.

Now this was becoming a drummer's worst nightmare.

We started playing Bossa Nova, and the first few measures were punctuated with mistakes caused by me trying to adjust to the poor feel of the replacement pedal. (It was at this point I realized I would have been better off leaving the double pedal on and trying to play with my left foot.)

I struggled through the song and realized that there was no way I could play No Joke, an up-tempo punk song, with this pedal. When I got Chris's attention to tell him this, he said we couldn't play it anyway due to time constraints. So we launch into our final song -- a Cheap Trick cover, Southern Girls.

We finished our set. I was angry.

I guess I thought I was prepared, and I was angry that it hadn't been good enough. I mean, at every gig I bring two snare drums, two bass drum pedals, extra drum heads in the car -- even a small drill with a drum key bit to help me fix a broken head more quickly.

But now, as they say, it became very clear: When it comes down to it, you really only need a few drums and hardware to play a show:

One drum throne
One bass drum (with pedal)
One snare
One ride or ride/crash cymbal
One optional crash cymbal

Everything else is non-essential. It's nice to be able to play drum fills on two or three tom-toms, and use an open or closed hi-hat or different crash cymbals to color the song. But it's not essential.

As an example of this principle, William Cremin, the drummer in the headlining band, Tim & the Time Machines, had only a hi-hat, snare drum, bass drum, and floor tom. I was impressed with the sounds he got out of his kit -- though it's worth noting that this band had six members (as opposed to Chris Mess's three), including acoustic guitar, bass, glockenspiel, keyboard, and cello (yes, cello at a rock show).

This meditation on being prepared doesn't mean I'll bring fewer drums or cymbals to gigs; it just means I'm going to be better prepared and not worry about the non-essential drums breaking anymore.

------------------------

Show details:

High Dive, Wed., April 29
9 p.m. Chris Mess http://www.myspace.com/chrismessrocks
10 p.m. Mighty Shiny http://www.myspace.com/mightyshiny
11 p.m. Doctor Doctor http://www.myspace.com/doctordoctorlovesface
12 a.m. Tim & the Time Machines http://www.myspace.com/theuniverse

Airplane pictures you probably don't want to see

2009-04-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

I received these pictures in e-mail and thought they were pretty amazing.

The AndyO excavation project (or how old plumbing ruined my week)

2009-03-28T14:44:00.001-07:00

A few weekends ago, I noticed that when we washed clothes that water was coming up through the floor drain in the basement. I did what I always did and called my neighbor John, who's a great plumber.

He came over on Monday, I went to work, and when I came home he said he'd spent 3 hours working on the floor drain. He thought he'd fixed it.

The weekend after that, when we used the washer, the water came up through the floor drain again. But it also happened when we drained the bathtub, flushed the toilet, or ran the dishwasher. I knew this meant that the drain was plugged farther down. I called John again.

Black Tuesday

John the plumber came over again, on a Tuesday this time, and started working on the problem. This time, I got a call from him during the day.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Not very well. I just spent six hours working on your drain, and now I've got a the snake caught."

He told me a tale of trying to get the snake out of the drain hundreds of times, sometimes risking life and limb due to the tension on the snake uncoiling.

He ended the call with, "Sorry, but you can't use your plumbing right now."

That last sentence made me pause, but I didn't have much time to reflect. I happen to be having one of those crazy busy weeks at work -- and Brenda was out of town, which made me a single parent for a few days.

I called Jim Dandy, a recommended and well-established plumbing company in Seattle, and set up an appointment for 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

When I got home that night, I looked at the problem in the basement. Indeed there was a plumber's snake stuck in the drain stack -- and it wasn't one of those small ones. I knew this was serious.

The boys and I went to a hotel for the night, which was in itself stressful (imagine a 4 and 8 year old jumping across beds from the moment we walked in the door -- but that's another story).

Wednesday: Jim Dandy to the rescue

At noon the next day, two plumbers showed up from Jim Dandy. Their first job was to pull the plumber's snake out of the drain stack.

I worked upstairs on my laptop to the sounds of grinding machinery and occasional curses.

When all was said and done, they couldn't get the snake out. But they did find where the blockage was -- right under the last section of my deck. They said they were going to have to dig.

"We'll get the estimator out here to give you a bid."

Dollar signs seemed to hang in the air with the word bid, like a comic book text bubble. I'd heard horror stories: $10,000, $20,000, or more, once they start to dig.

The estimator came out, a nice guy named Chris. He took a look around, and then went out to his pickup to write up my bid on his wireless computer.

"It'll be in your inbox in 10 minutes."

When the bid came in for around $3000, I breathed a sigh. The really good news was they could start the next day on the project. And I would be able to use my toilet by Thursday.

I went to pick up the kids, and then we went to stay with my brother and his fiance for the night (but that's also another story).

Thursday: The Big Dogs Arrive

When I got to the house, a huge truck was parked outside. In the truck were Maui and Vai, two brothers who were going to save my plumbing. They assured me I'd be able to use the toilet that night. (I knew my wife would be thrilled, since she was flying in from Spokane and was feeling terrible from a lingering cold.)

After talking with Maui and Vai, I learned they were from American Samoa. Of course I didn't know where that was (it's close to Hawaii). When they worked together, they spoke Samoan. Even though they were stocky, muscular guys, they both had a calm nature. Maui, the supervisor, in particular spoke with a gentle tone that seemed to erode all the stress I'd been feeling (a Jedi Mind Trick?)

When I got home that night, I found a huge hole behind my house and my toilet was working.

Bad News

On Thursday night, I got another call from Chris about what they had found. Evidently, the pipe that ran under my deck had eroded away. If I didn't replace it, I would have Jim Dandy out digging again -- maybe next week, maybe in years.

"The bid will be in your inbox tonight," Chris told me.

Now the word bid seemed to bring with it a whole new level of dollar signs.

Friday: The truck arrives with a digger

When Maui and Vai arrived on Friday, their truck was towing a digger. I knew we were in for some serious work. When I came home, this is what I saw:

I'd finally joined some kind of club of home owners who had had large machinery on his property. My joke to my neighbors and other friends was, "Like my new digger?"

The work continues

Maui and Vai are coming back on Monday and probably Tuesday. So, hopefully this project will be done this week.

Concert commercial

2009-02-17T19:50:00.001-08:00

I saw this commercial the other night and thought it was hilarious. (I ended up telling my son about it on the way to, uh, his piano lesson.)

I was a little suspicious of an organization called "Foundation for a Better Life," but it turns out, according to Wikipedia, that this doesn't appear to be a shadow foundation for something else:

The Foundation is officially funded by a single donor family, and neither solicits nor accepts monetary donations from the public. It is not affiliated with any religion, rather hoping that "the values we share transcend any particular religion or nationality". The donor is Philip Anschutz, a billionaire American businessman whose fortune derives from oil, land, railroads, telecommunications, and entertainment businesses. Anschutz is a conservative Christian.

Obama becomes president

2009-01-21T01:20:00.001-08:00

What an incredible day.

After eight years of George W. Bush and his failed policies, we finally have a new leader in the White House. And while this new leader has a huge task in front of him with the economic crisis, at least he recognizes the challenge. In his inaugural speech he said that things are bad. It's such a relief to have someone in the White House who's actually working on problems instead of trying to cover them up.

As I turned on my TV this morning to watch the celebration at the Capitol, I was awed by the sight of over a million people waiting for Obama. I knew it was going to be an historic day, but this was beyond words. As a nation, we had transcended something -- even beyond the first black man to be President of the United States; we'd come together to celebrate optimism and hope.

If that wasn't enough, Obama gave a stirring, deeply-felt inaugural address. I think this is a speech people will be talking about a hundred years from now.

So, let it begin. The first hundred days are the most important. Let's dig out of this hole.

Obama's top-secret phone

2009-01-18T00:41:00.001-08:00

Update -- 2/2/09: According to Computerworld, President Obama has not divulged whether he's still using a BlackBerry. BlackBerry-gate continues.

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According to CNET, President-elect Obama is switching from his beloved Blackberry to a General Dynamics-built, super-secure Sectera Edge. Oh, and it's running Windows Mobile (uh-oh -- here comes Blackberry-gate, just like Zunegate). Check this thing out.

Like what you see? Pick one up for only $3,350.

Gifts you should have given - 2008

2008-12-25T13:07:00.001-08:00

Even though I'm late (as usual), here are a few gifts to consider for that special someone (who could be you!).

Xbox 360 - I've had my Xbox 360 Elite for a year (this version includes an HDMI connector for HD TVs), and it still surprises me every day. The thing you need to realize about this system is it's much, much more than a game system. With an Xbox 360 you can:

Play Netflix "instant" movies from the Xbox interface with a "Gold membership" (about $50 per year) - Now the Xbox hooks up automatically to your Netflix "instant" queue. The quality is good, including HD versions of many movies and TV shows.
Rent movies right from your Xbox -- including HD versions.
Buy and play TV shows.
Turn the Xbox into a Windows Media Center, where you can access your videos and pictures from your PC.
Use Xbox Live to play against other Xbox players across the web (requires an Xbox Gold membership).
Future feature: Play Blu-ray movies. While rumors of an Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive have been rampant since the demise of HD-DVD, it appears this will soon be a reality. If this report is true, you should be able to buy an external Blu-ray drive for around $150, which is much less than most of the Blu-ray players out there.

Netflix - Rent movies from the Netflix website, and they arrive by envelope in your mailbox in about 2-3 days. But the real selling point with this service is the ability to stream movies on your computer on demand. In addition, as mentioned in my Xbox 360 recommendation, Netflix instant movies also play in the Xbox interface (requires an Xbox "Gold" membership) as well as many other Netflix enabled players.

Zune - While Apple iPod lovers will diss the Zune, there are many reasons why you should consider buying one of these devices:

The Zune Pass subscription music service allows you to download all the music you want. Why buy CDs when you can download and listen to everything you want for around $15.00 per month? Plus, you can use one Zune Pass with three Zune devices and three computers. Finally, you get to keep 10 songs per month with this subscription. What a deal.
Wireless sync - Set up your Zune to sync with a host computer, and all you need to do is turn on your Zune and it syncs automatically. This is especially great for Podcast subscriptions.
Audiobook support - Fire up that Audible account and start listening to books on your commute.
Video store - Buy and download TV shows and other available videos. These will also play through a Windows Media Center.
Podcasts - This has become one of my favorite features, as it's like a TiVo for radio. The NPR shows are especially great.
Games - While the games are a little difficult to play on the Zune, this is a nice feature to have for those times you're stuck in traffic or if the kids need something to do on a long drive.
Much improved Zune 3.0 software and solid Zune device hardware.

Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote - I've had several Logitech universal remotes, and this one seems to be the best so far. The touch screen is easy to use, and the design is much more ergonomic than any of the others I've used.

R2-D2 Fish Tank - I saw this at the local Petco with my kids, and they wanted one right away.

Star Trek Phaser II - I just bought one of these, and while it's no Master Replicas Lightsaber, it's a nice replica of my favorite Star Trek prop. Plus, the Phaser I (also known as a "hand phaser") detaches from the Phaser II body. I just noticed that this is "out of stock," and it probably will be for a while. If you see one of these available to buy, don't hesitate.

Bose Companion 2 multimedia speaker system - Want some great stereo speakers for your home computer? These sound great, and there's no subwoofer needed to produce an amazing range of sound.

Bubble Calendar - Know someone who likes to pop bubble wrap? Get them one of these.

Bacon Salt - Over Thanksgiving this year, my brother-in-law Brian and I were talking obsessively about how great this product sounded. If I don't get some for Christmas, I'm ordering a package myself!

PowerSquid Surge 3000 Surge Protector, Black - This looks a little weird, but the idea is simple: Flexible outlets can handle more transformers than the usual powerstrips.

The quiet of winter

2008-12-18T22:56:00.000-08:00

Right now, as I write this, there's an eerie stillness outside. The snowstorm that had been predicted for Seattle came in today, dumping 6 inches of snow at my house. Usually I can hear the freeway breathing, but tonight... nothing. The snow must absorb all that sound before it can get here.

As I've mentioned before, when it snows in Seattle, everyone panics. People forget how to drive. Stores shut down. The news channels drop reporters near busy intersections or bad hills to watch drivers struggling with the elements.

As usual, Seattle schools were closed today. I managed to work about a half-day, but I also did a lot of other stuff with Brenda and the boys. Here's a list of our snow day fun:

Cameron, Drew, and I went out to a few pet stores to get flea medicine for the cats. On the way to Petco we stopped at the St. Catherine's church parking lot where I demonstrated the proper way to do doughnuts in the snow.
A visit to Petco is not unlike a zoo. We saw hamsters, ferrets, scorpions, parakeets, cockatiels, turtles, and a bunch of fish. We must have been in there for an hour. And it only cost $80.
The entire family made a trek to Red Robin for lunch. I had such a big lunch I didn't even eat dinner.
I gave my cats their first bath (in 10 years). Cameron seemed to enjoy seeing the cats get dunked and washed with flea shampoo ("Dad, are we torturing the cats?"). Rocky was yowling the entire time in the tub, while his sister Jasmine almost seemed to enjoy it. Now both of the cats are mad at me.
Tonight Brenda and the boys built a fire for the first time in probably 7 years. While I was relaxing downstairs (uh, I mean working), Cameron and Drew asked their mother about 100 questions about fire.
My gig at MotoCity was cancelled by 1:30. Bummer, as we've been preparing for the past month -- but no one would have shown up for it.

In case you're wondering, I already got a call from Seattle Public Schools letting us know that they're cancelling school for tomorrow, too. Big surprise.

Tune in tomorrow for More Snow Day Fun! (tm)

Chicken little says "The storm is coming!"

2008-12-18T01:06:00.001-08:00

This has been a helluva week so far (and it's only Wednesday). Here's what's happened:

Saturday night: It snows in Seattle (rare, but it does happen). The kids go outside instead of going to bed.

Sunday - The temperature drops in to the 20s. Snow doesn't melt. Drivers are confused.

Monday - The phone rings at 6:30 a.m. In my bedroom. I don't move, hoping Brenda will get it. She does. School is two hours late. I take Drew to pre-school, which opens at 9:30. Brenda and Cameron wait for a school bus that never arrives. (Why did they send out that snow schedule?)

Tuesday - Brenda has moved the phone out of the bedroom. It doesn't matter; when it rings at 7:30 a.m., she jumps up to get it. It's a friend calling to tell us that school is, yet again, two hours late. This time, it's my turn to wait around with the kids. We go to McDonald's for breakfast. I hear about a HUGE storm coming in after midnight. Meetings are cancelled at work.

Wednesday - Even though it's not snowing, Seattle Schools are ALL CLOSED in preparation for THE STORM. Brenda and I stay home with the kids, taking turns working remotely. The storm never arrives. But we hear it's snowing everywhere else (Olympia, Tacoma, Port Townsend, etc).

Recommendations:

Fire the meteorologists who came up with this forecast for Seattle.
The Seattle School district should stop cancelling school based on any forecast. (My guess is there were millions of dollars of lost productivity today based on this one mistake.)
Seattle needs to get tough about snow. It's just rain that's a little frozen.

Thursday - 1:02 a.m. I just looked out the window. Still no snow.