Mata Hari bracelet

Trophies

Chase and Ian at T.A.L.L.

Baseball

Years ago, my father and I went to an exhibit at the Albright Knox Art Museum called 'Diamonds are Forever'. It was all about baseball. Writers, sculptors, painters, artists of all kinds, all expounding on the wonderfulness of the game.  One of the writing exhibits showed quotes of famous people and what they said.  One said, "You know it doesn't have to mean anything, it's just very beautiful to watch."  I think that was said by Woody Allen? Can't remember for sure. I do know, however, he definitely had it right.

Two Generations of Nephews

Lucas, Tristan and Ian at Niagara Falls, New York

Generations

Sir Tristan, his father Jeff, his maternal great-grandmother Doris, his maternal grandmother Linda, and his paternal great-great-aunt, Marlene.

I had a wonderful time Friday night, such a good time, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture. {heavy sigh} That is one of the main reasons why I'm never going to spend a small fortune on a camera. I always seem to forget I have one!

Camille's friend, Erin, came over for dinner, we killed at least three bottles of wine (but who's counting?) and we drove Mike crazy. We were all talking. Sometimes at the same time. I told Mike, that's what women do. :D

I wish we lived closer to each other. I'd love to spend more time with them. Mike is so lucky to have found Camille, and Camille is so lucky to have such a wonderful friend in Erin. I'm fortunate to have all three in my life.

I know I won't be able to afford a trip out there next year, but I'm definitely going to shoot for the year after. In the meantime, there is always Skype.

The Science Experiment

Here are Ian and Uncle Michael looking (safely) at the sun:

Sun spots:


Michael said...
I use a pair of binoculars, aligned so the sun comes through them and is projected onto a piece of paper. You actually have to focus the binoculars in order to get a sharp image.

I'm holding the binoculars against the windowsill to steady them, and by my foot is a clipboard with a piece of white paper, onto which the sun is projected.

If there are sunspots, you can see them clearly.

Views from the top of the Space Needle

All photos taken by Ian Tabor

Flowers in Seattle Center Park

All photos taken by Ian

Tyska Traveling Fish

Here they are, in front of the Space Needle, Seattle, Washington.

Seattle Science Center

Here we are in front of the whispering dishes, a hands-on exhibit that teaches about sound waves. It was so cool. You can actually whisper into the little eye at the top of the pole, and across the sidewalk about 25 feet away, another person can hear you.

Here is Ian standing in front of the anti-gravity mirror. I absolutely loved the Science Center. Everything was hands-on for kids, but I have a great time and learned a lot, too. Most of the time I was so busy checking things out, I forgot to take pictures!

Pretty Flowers

This is a flower in Jeff's front yard. It's beautiful, and I want one. I just have no idea what it is. :D

Playing with T

Me, T, and G'ampa

Coloring with G'ampa

Playing with T

Playing in the Sand

Sir Tristan of Snohomish

Blinded by the Light

So here is my brother, trying to look at the sun.

No, really. He's a very smart guy.

LOL!

Actually, this was in preparation for a little science experiment he did with Ian later in the day.

Michael said...
I was gonna say... what the hell! The sun is behind me!

I never did figure out how to get that damned diffraction grating to work, but I did manage to show Ian the spectral lines from a fluorescent lamp. It's part of the foundation information he needs to understand how we know what stars are made of, and how we know which direction they are traveling.

Serena said...

I couldn't help myself. Actually, if someone looks at the shadows, it's obvious you're not trying to blind yourself. :D

Ian had a great time. I've answered all kinds of questions about the sun, the earth's rotation, gravity, sound and light travel, and all of the questions came from out of the blue. I love it when he thinks. :)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1908)

Vacation Update

Sunday, July 31:

After finally getting up around 10 in the morning and eating some amazing blueberry pancakes Camille made fresh (yumm!), we spent the day with Jeff. Ian, of course, is living-breathing-sleeping baseball, so we went to some batting cages, went to a park to play some baseball, had dinner at the local Red Robin, and then went to a neighborhood school that has a diamond to play more baseball. Jeff said he slept like the dead that night. :D

Monday, August 1:

My legs are a little sore today...not used to all that running around. :) The pain is around my shins. Hope it goes away. I'm pretty much Ian's only baseball playmate out here. Jeff, who we love to exhaust, has to work.

I got up at 7 and read a bit over a quiet cup of coffee before Ian got up, the quiet only broken by the sounds of text messages/phone calls from my boss. It's nice to know he has trouble getting along without me, but ... really? I'M ON VACATION!!! :D

While Mike took one of his mid-terms and worked on his communications course assignment, I took Ian for a long walk. We went to Starbucks, of course, and then continued walking to Wal-Mart. We only brought two baseballs with us, and it was getting ridiculous shagging them down constantly, so we bought a small bucket of baseballs for $9, and a cheap set of badminton rackets for $5.

We then headed back to the neighborhood diamond, and having that bucket of balls turned out to be a great idea. He was able to hit 10 times before we had to chase them all down. It actually worked out much better in another way, too. Every time we collected the balls, we took a water break. Kept us both hydrated in the 80 degree heat.

The days here so far have been absolutely beautiful. Much less humidity that we were dealing with back east, and the temperature is far less extreme. It's hanging around the hi-70s, low 80s, with about 50% humidity, which feels wonderful. I'm getting some sun, but I can also breathe. I love it like this.

After dinner, I took a walk with Camille. She is giving me other ideas for a career choice after I finish my studies that don't include teaching Math. As she so eloquently puts it, "Those kids you'll be teaching are not as nice as your son." She is absolutely right. Teenagers today are much different than teenagers of my day. Respect for your elders is a thing of the past.

So I am going to open my mind to other choices: auditor, financial adviser, actuary. Research to begin when I get home.

Tuesday, August 2:

I slept in until 9 this morning! Do I feel guilty? Nope. I'm on vacation. :)

I took Ian back to the neighborhood diamond for more baseball. He never tires of it. Who am I kidding? I don't, either. My legs are still sore, though. Definitely not used to this much physical activity. I'm the only person I know that goes on vacation and loses weight. Just wish my legs didn't hurt quite so much.

Tonight we are seeing a Mariners game. The feel of the stadium is so much different from Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo. For one, it is much bigger, seating up to 47,878 fans to Buffalo's maximum of 18,025. People are different out here, too. In Buffalo, we sit in the stands and talk with everyone around us, total strangers, about the game, the latest baseball trades, etc., but out here, people don't seem to talk to each other like that. Actually, they don't seem to talk to each other at all, unless they came together. Interesting feeling.

The Mariners won. Jeff and I had a bunch of laughs at Ian's expense. When the game was beginning, and the announcer said, "Now batting....Ichiro Suzuki!" Ian's head whipped around SO fast! Good thing it's attached. :D He was so still, concentrating on that game so hard, it seemed he was barely breathing. I think I only see him that still when he is sleeping.

Wednesday, August 3:

5:55 a.m.: The melodious tones of my cell phone receiving another text...from my boss. {heavy sigh}

Today is laundry day. To save on the amount of luggage we cart across the country, we packed enough for four days, planning to do laundry half-way through our week. It works out well.

A nice, calm, easy day for relaxing in the sun.

I told Mike about the pain in my legs, and he said, "Ugh. Shin splints." I think he's right. Stretching and no more running around on a concrete baseball diamond are in order.

This evening, we will go to Jeff's and visit with my grand-nephew, Tristan. That would be Sir Tristan of Seattle to all of us minions. Jeff and Tristan will be flying back with us on Saturday.

Thursday, August 4:

We will see the Space Needle and the Seattle Science Center on Thursday. More photo opportunities for the Tyska Traveling Fish!

Tyska Traveling Fish

Here he is at Safeco Field after the Mariners game in his brand new Ichiro shirt:



And here he is in China Town in downtown Seattle:

New posts....

....back to May 5th. Finally had time to catch up. I love vacations!

Take Me Out to the Baaalllll Gaaame...

We started out around 5:00 p.m. or so for Safeco Field...


...but alas, the trip took longer than we expected:



Ian wanted to get Ichiro Suzuki's autograph on his baseball, but it was not to be. Due to the incredible traffic in this area, which gets worse every year, we were unable to arrive at Safeco Field much before game time.

Apparently, more and more people move here, but nothing is done about the infrastructure. A shame, because it is such a beautiful area. It shouldn't be so inconvenient to get around.

Jeff said...
This reminds me... I have a "cleaning fee" for the drool on my car door. LMAO

The Cascades

Everywhere you look, there are mountains in the distance:

The Cascades

Vacation

We boarded our first plane, from Buffalo to Las Vegas, at 3:00 p.m. EST on the 30th. It was a long trip. We landed in Vegas at roughly 5;00 p.m. PST after some rough skies over the Rockies. (Breath in, two, three, four, out, two, three, four...) :D

We then boarded in Vegas at 7:00 p.m. PST and landed in Seattle at 10:00 p.m. PST, 9 hours and 55 minutes of travel time total. Exhausting.

I reminisced with Ian about the first time we took this trip. He was three years old and had absolutely no concept of the time involved in getting from one side of the country to the other. When we arrived home, he would ask me, "When can we go back to visit Unko Myko again?" as though it was just like a trip across town. He laughed, and said he didn't remember the trip taking THIS LONG. About an hour out, he looked at me with weary eyes and finally asked that question all children ask....

Mom, Are we almost THERE yet?!?

This was the view out the airplane window at 12:20 a.m. EST, or 9:20 PST. It looked a whole lot prettier than this when I first started digging for my camera. I have to remind myself to keep it handy while we're traveling.

Installing the Dreaded Braces

Ian got his braces on today. He was very nervous and hoping it wouldn't hurt. The installation of the spacers a couple weeks ago, on the same day he had his impressions taken, ensured the transition from spacers to bands would be as painless as possible. Technology has come SO far since I had braces...let's see....100 years ago.

The entire time Dr. Tyska worked on him, he had his fingers crossed. I wonder if that helped. :)


Here he is, in the chair, with a grown man's hands in his mouth. So when he says, "I do NOT have a big mouth!" I can say, "Oh, yes you do. I have photographic PROOF!"
They used this apparatus to keep his teeth dry for the glue. I think this should be his new Facebook profile pic:
[drum roll, please] TA DA!!!


Two years and counting.

Tyska Traveling Fish

The Tyska Traveling Fish went to Gravel Ponds Campgrounds in Scottsville, NY for Christmas in July. What a blast!

Baseball Update

It's been a busy summer thus far! Ian is in two baseball leagues, and I am desperately trying to finish up a course on analyzing financial statements before vacation. Here is a baseball update:

Ian's playoffs for the 2011 Babe Ruth league, where he plays for the Cubs, is:

Monday, July 18, 6:15 pm, Lincoln #2
Thursday, July 21, 6:15 pm, Lincoln 3

Semi Finals: Monday, July 25, 6:15, Lincoln 2, the 1st place plays the 4th place teams, and on Lincoln 3, the 2nd place plays the 3rd place teams.

Finals: Thursday, July 28, 6:15 pm, Lincoln 4, the winner of each of the last two games play each other.

The intersection of Parker and Sheridan Drive has a big NOCO gas station and a Walgreens Pharmacy on opposite diagonal corners. The Lincoln Park diamonds are located at the corner of Parker and Decatur, across the street from the pool.

We do not yet have his playoff schedule for the Tonawanda American Little League, where Ian plays for the A's. As soon as I have it, I will let you know.

Red Cooper

Every single time I have received oranges from Red Cooper, at least one has looked like this:
Hopefully my experience with their company is the exception rather than the rule, but in the meantime, I'm done with them. I can't see repeatedly paying shipping for bad merchandise.

Impressions

I took Ian in to Dr. Tyska's office today to get his pictures taken, impressions made, and spacers installed. Here he is with an adult's fingers in his mouth. Next time he says, "I do Not have a big mouth," I can say, "Oh, yes you do! I've got photographic PROOF!" :D

Tyska Traveling Fish

Ian's orthodontist has a contest going. Have your picture taken with their traveling fish for all your summer adventures, bring the photos in, and they will choose 8 winners. Here is Ian with his Tonawanda American Little League Triple-A A's.

Baseball Ready

Takin' Out the Trash

Our Summer Visitor

I think it's amazing that it is no longer afraid of us.

Moonflowers

These flowers only bloom at night, and by morning, the blooms are dead.

Happy Father's Day

Identity Theft

Unfortunately, some things are learned the hard way. My life has been a nightmare the past week. I'll spare you the details, but if you suspect your identity has been stolen, there are steps you should take IMMEDIATELY.

Put fraud alerts on your credit files. The numbers for TransUnion, Experian and Equifax are all readily available online.

Request your credit reports and review them for accuracy. Look for accounts you don't recognize. Look at the inquiries section for the names of creditors from whom you haven't requested credit.

Report the fraud to the Police. As a victim of a crime, you are entitled to a free copy.

If it's your credit card that has been hit, cancel it.

If it's your debit card that has been hit, cancel it and close your account.

Call your bank, creditors, utility companies, and the DMV if necessary, to alert them to the theft. Follow up in writing with the police report.

If the fraudulent transactions were made over the internet, file a report with the FTC.

If you suspect the thief obtained your information from your mail, report it to the postal inspector. It is also wise to divert your mail to another location or perhaps open a post office box.

Keep track of your phone calls, letters, and all the steps you've taken. You will need to have report numbers ready for vendors and authorities.

I've made 9 pages of notes (so far) of phone calls I've made, reports I've filed, information I've requested... what a mess.

If it's happened to you, good luck.

In the meantime, wish me luck. Ugh.

My Son, the Airhead

One of the other baseball moms, Cindy, was picking up Ian after school, running him by my house for his baseball paraphenalia, and then bringing him to practice with his teammate, Scott. Apparently, Ian has a lot on his mind. He called me as soon as he was picked up:

Mom?

Yeesssss?

I got the house key. I didn’t lose it all day.

Good. I’ll let you live.

Um, I just need my uniform, right?

Yeesssss….and your cup and your spikes.

My cup, too?

Yes. If you don’t have your cup, Coach won’t let you play, and since Grandpa is coming to the game tonight, you don’t want that to happen.

Grandpa or Popa?

Didn’t I just say ‘Grandpa’?

Oh. Yeah.

Don’t forget your uniform, your cup, and your spikes.

I won’t.

Okay. (pause) What are you picking up?

My uniform.

And what else?

Um. (loooooong pause)

Your cup and your spikes.

Oh, yeah. Okay.

You better let me talk to Cindy.

After all that, he still forgot his baseball CAP!

Mary Poppins

My little chimney sweep.

Little League Update

The weather has not cooperated so very much with our baseball schedule. Ian has had so many rain-outs it isn't funny. The first league he is in, Tonawanda American Little League, was supposed to end in mid-June, so there would have been only two weeks overlap with his second league, the KenTon Kiwanis. Unfortunately, because of all the rain, the first league now ends in mid-July.

Looks like I'll be spending all summer at the baseball diamonds in the Greater Tonawanda area. :D

Bumper Sticker

"It has become appallingly clear that our technology has surpassed our humanity."

Baseball

The Bisons are calling me. I am definitely suffering from baseball withdrawal. I think I will take Ian to the game on Friday, May 27th. Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

I was looking online for tonight's game to be streamed live, but I couldn't find it. Everybody streams live now! It's got to be somewhere. Otherwise, I am going to have to invest in an indoor AM radio. I can't be out sitting in the car all evening. :D

In the meantime, Ian has his last practice tomorrow evening with the Tonawanda little league. His opening day is Saturday. Should be a good time!

My Favorite Tweet of the Day:

The past is no longer in a position to hold you back.

-Ralph Marston

Studio Profile: Guerrilla Games

My friend Ali is a games journalist. Here is his latest article:

Guerrilla Games

Even though I do not know that much about video games or the gaming industry, I enjoy reading his work. (I love the fact that his grammar is better than what you find in the Buffalo News. And his native language isn't even English!)

My brother and I had a conversation a few months ago about how difficult writing can be. Finding just the right word to convey exactly what you mean can be extremely challenging.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sure sign of spring...

My favorite quote of the day...

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)

Flowers

Does anyone know what these are? I'd like to plant some in my own garden. :)

Baseball Update

I would like to take the opportunity to let everyone know how I'll be coaching this summer. First of all, I want the kids to have fun. There will be no arguing with umpire calls by players or myself. I will run a pretty tight ship on the bench so don't expect your child to be visiting you in the stands. I WILL NOT jeopardize anyone's health to try and win a Little League game and this is done by keeping pitchers' pitch counts low. So, if you ever wonder why I remove a pitcher who is doing well, you've been forewarned. We will win as a team and lose as a team. I will shuffle players in and out of positions because let's face it, there aren't a lot of plays in the outfield at this level. If we are winning a game comfortably, I will put a halt to stealing bases. I have a knowledgeable staff helping me so don't ever be afraid to ask questions. My hope is the kids have fun and make noticeable improvements this year. Hey, let's fill up the T.A.L.L. All Star teams with AAA A's! See everyone at 9:00am Saturday.

Phones are down

The phones are down at the office today. Going to be a quiet morning until they are fixed!

Voting Flowchart

compliments of www.holytaco.com.

Little League Location/Schedule

All of Ian's games are played here:

Ives Park

Here is the schedule. He plays for the A's.

Tonawanda LL/A's

Hope to see you there!

Planetarium

Planetarium