Update... Movin' On Up
Earlier this week we moved Eliana into her big girl bed. The transition has gone well, she loves her bed. We have these long bed safety rails installed on each side of the bed. With the pillows stacked against the rails, it looks like a little fortress. Thoughout the day, Eliana will clamber up on top with a toy or a book and just sit there and jabber.

I remember when we moved Berkeley out of the nursery into his bed. He would wake up and wander around the house looking for us... very cute. Eliana has done the same thing the last couple of mornings. She'll wake up and pad around in her little feet jabbering away. Eventually, she'll find her way into our room and walk over the either side of our bed and grunt until we pick her up.

So... no more baby in the nursery. Eliana has moved on up for good.

Betrayed
This is one of the best editorials I've ever read, if only because it so closely mirrors my own political viewpoint and position. I've never met James Chaney ("a Eugene [Oregon] attorney who has been in private practice for more than 20 years, and who has been a registered Republican since 1980"), but clearly we are kindred political spirits:

<http://www.registerguard.com/news/2005/06/26/ed.col.chaney.0626.html>

June 26, 2005

Guest Viewpoint: The party's over for betrayed Republican

By James Chaney

As of today, after 25 years, I am no longer a Republican.

I take this step with deep regret, and with a deep sense of betrayal.

I still believe in the vast power of markets to inspire ideas, motivate solutions and eliminate waste. I still believe in international vigilance and a strong defense, because this world will always be home to people who will avidly seek to take or destroy what we have built as a nation. I still believe in the protection of individuals and businesses from the influence and expense of an over-involved government. I still believe in the hand-in-hand concepts of separation of church and state and absolute freedom to worship, in the rights of the states to govern themselves without undo federal interference, and in the host of other things that defined me as a Republican.

My problem is this: I believe in principles and ideals which my party has systematically discarded in the last 10 years.

[...]

My party has repeatedly ignored, discarded and even invented science to suit its needs, most spectacularly as to global warming. We have an opportunity and the responsibility to lead the world on this issue, but instead we've chosen greed, shortsightedness and deliberate ignorance.

We have mortgaged the country's fiscal future in a way that no Democratic Congress or administration ever did, and to justify the tax cuts that brought us here, we've simply changed the rules. I matured as a Republican believing that uncontrolled deficit spending is harmful and irresponsible; I still do. But the party has yet to explain to me why it's a good thing now, other than to say "... because we say so."

Our greatest failure, though, has been in our role as superpower. This world needs justice, democracy and compassion, and as the keystone of those things, it needs one thing above all else: truth.

Republican decisions made in 2002 and 2003 have killed almost 2,000 of the most capable patriots our country has to offer - volunteers, every one. Support for those decisions was gathered through what appeared at the time to be spin and marketing, but which now turns out to have been deliberate planning and falsehood. The Blair government's internal documentation only confirms what has been suspected for years: Americans are dying every day for Republican lies first crafted in 2002, expanded and embellished upon in 2003, and which continue to this day.

[...]

While it has compiled this record of failure and deception, the party which I'm leaving today has spent its time, energy and political capital trying to save Terri Schiavo, battling the threat of single-sex unions, fighting medical marijuana and physician-assisted suicide, manufacturing political crises over presidential nominees, and selling privatized Social Security to an America that isn't buying. We fiddle while Rome burns.

Enough is enough. I quit.

Of course, for those that know me and are acquainted with my political viewpoints, I quit the Republican Party a long time ago... namely, on the day the US unjustly invaded Iraq.

(Update Wed Dec 21 09:19:01 PST 2005 // moved to new category)

Spinning Yarn
Berkeley loves to procrastinate going to bed as long as possible. One of his favorite methods for doing this is by asking for "more stories". I heartily admit that I enjoy reading to him, it's fun. He'll nuzzle his head up into my shoulder in between my arms so that he can get the best view of the pictures. And he knows a lot (all?) of the stories pretty much word for word. I can stop during mid-sentence and he can generally finish it for me from memory. Sometimes I pause just before what I think would be a hard word to remember - something with four syllables or the like - but he can still spit something resembling the word out. It's kind of amazing... really.

Lately though, Kristy came up with this great idea of having Berkeley close his eyes and let his imagination create the pictures from stories we make up on-the-fly. We actually did this in Tahiti with Berkeley (out of necessity), because we forgot his bedtime story books... and it worked quite well. Tonight I put Berkeley to bed and so, I took a cue from Kristy, and told him to close his eyes while I told him a story.

Kristy tells a story of Thomas the Train coming to pick up Berkeley at "Berkeley's house" and taking him to the Island of Sodor for his birthday party. So, I borrowed it and told one like that tonight... Thomas coming to pick up Berkeley, taking him to get a birthday cake at the "birthday cake store", then going to see Sir Topham Hatt and James and Gordon and etc, lighting the candles, blowing them out, eating the cake, and so on. Then in the story I'm making up, Berkeley opens up his birthday gifts, and I figure, hey, why not just use some of the gifts he's going to get. So I say he opens up one gift and it is a baseball and a baseball bat, another gift is a bicycle, still another is some new Thomas train tracks. He's not going to remember these silly little details right? Besides, it looks like he is already zonked out, as he hasn't moved in the last five minutes.

So I finish up the story, Thomas drops Berkeley off back at his house. Berkeley is really tired after such a fun day so he goes up to his bedroom, brushes his teeth, and goes to bed. The End. But, just as soon as I finish, Berkeley opens his eyes wide and almost screams "Great story Daddy!"

Then he commences to tell me back the entire yarn that I had just spun, including many if not most of the details about the "birthday cake store" and the candles and the other trains that were there... but, funny thing, he specifically remembered the part about the gifts. How he is going to get a bike, new train tracks, and a baseball, and a baseball bat. Then he tells me how he is going to take the ball and hit it with the baseball bat and it will go <sound_effect>pbkkkkk!</sound_effect>. "And Daddy will get a baseball bat... and Mimi... and Ana... and Ebey... and..." (sounds like he will like the baseball bat tee-ball set I got him, eh?).

Reading Berkeley stories is fun, but spinning a yarn for him is even more fun.

Network printing from MS-DOS-based programs in Windows 2000
My wife uses several old psyhcological testing battery software packages that were written in the 1950s (or thereabouts)... they are MS-DOS based and print directly to the LPT1 port. This was fine until about a year ago, when we ditched our old parallel-port-based 3-color HP DeskJet for a fancy new 6-color HP OfficeJet All-in-One network printer. Without the printer connected directly to the parallel port (LPT1), these old (but essential) programs became essentially useless.

So, Kristy asked me if I couldn't get these programs to print to her new network printer (this was about a year ago). After some googling, I finally found a Microsoft-authored knowledge base article that provided the simple solution. Just run this on a command prompt:

net use lptx: \\printserver\sharename /persistent:yes

Or on Kristy's computer, use:

net use lpt1 \\kmsb\hp7310 /persistent:yes

This wouldn't merit a blog entry were it not that every 3 or 4 months Kristy finds that the "persistent" connection isn't quite so persistent. And so I have to repeat the google search to find the solution... now I should have it right at my fingertips.

Thanks blog... you're the greatest!

(Update Sat Dec 17 08:08:16 PST 2005 // fixed a formatting problem)

Biff's Arugula Asparagus Salad
This is a great salad. I made it up tonight for dinner.

a bunch of fresh (organic) arugula
4 or 5 freshly steamed asparagus spears, chopped (see recipe)
½ mango, cubed
3 or 4 strawberries, quartered
Brianna's Poppy Seed dressing (or equivalent)
crutons (optional)

Combine all ingredients and toss. Eat immediately. Yummy.

February 2005 Photos
Another month of photos is now compiled... just a few more months and I'll be caught up. I've posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in February 2005. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "February 2005" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's February 2005 Gallery ... (2 years, 7 months old)
Eliana's February 2005 Gallery ... (11½ months old)

Biff's Steamed Asparagus
Both Kristy and I love steamed asparagus. Steamed green vegetables (asparagus in particular) are a perfect compliment to a good ol' American meat and potatoes main dish. Tonight I steamed some asparagus for Kristy to snack on and for me to use in a salad I improvised. Steamed asparagus is quite simple to prepare.

handful of fresh asparagus spears
some olive oil
salt
pepper

Chop of the dry ends of the asparagus spears and place in a small bowl. Add some olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste and toss. Place asparagus in a steamer insert over boiling water. Steam for 4 minutes. Serve immediately plain or with some Jarlsberg cheese sauce.

Variations. Try broccolini (sometimes referred to as baby broccoli) instead.

January 2005 Photos
I'm making good progress on my goal to catch up on our family's photo albums, I've posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in January 2005. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "January 2005" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's January 2005 Gallery ... (2½ years old)
Eliana's January 2005 Gallery ... (10½ months old)

Hot Fudge Sauce
I've had this recipe stuffed in my kitchen cupboard for the past couple of years (at least). I found in on the internet somewhere, the source is long forgotten. Berkeley and I made this the other day. It's great hot fudge for banana splits or on the top of a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream (tip: get the 5-quart 1-gallon sized Kirkland Premium Vanilla Ice Cream from Costco).

1 ½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup cocoa
¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 cup milk
2 tbs butter
2 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, cocoa, flour, and salt in 4-quart saucepan. Add milk, evaporated milk, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Cook 5 minutes longer. Remove from heat, cool (note: I rarely can wait for the sauce to completely cool... warm is good enough), then stir in vanilla.

This makes a lot of hot fudge sauce. Sometimes I just make half of a batch (and use the 1 can of evaporated milk and eliminate the fresh milk). Sometimes I make the whole batch, freeze half and keep the other half in the refrigerator.

To reheat, put about 2 or 3 tbs of the hot fudge sauce in a bowl and microwave for about 10-15 seconds or until fudge is warm to the touch.

(Update Thu Jun 30 13:05:46 PDT 2005 // changed 5-quart to 1-gallon)

Christmas Eve 2004 Photos
We had a party on Christmas Eve last year. The Sorensons, Corays, and Thurmonds all attended. We had a fine meal and a good time together; the kids exchanged gifts.

We attempted to organize a nativity scene in which the kids posed for the key roles. Jenna and Eliana were angels, Isabella was a shepherd, Berkeley was Joseph, and Elizabeth was to be Mary (and Jesus was to be played by Elizabeth's baby doll). However, Elizabeth was reluctant to participate... maybe in 2005.

Here are some sample images from our Christmas Eve gala:

You can review the full gallery here:

Chistmas Eve 2004

Movie Review: Spanglish

Title:	Spanglish (2004)
Rating:	7/10

Kristy and I were actually quite busy watching movies last weekend (Phantom on Friday, Spanglish on Saturday). I can't remember the last time we watched movies on both Friday and Saturday night. Considering we only watch one or two movies per month, I guess we had to squeeze them in during the last weekend in June.

So anyway... I rented Spanglish last Saturday. I wasn't aware that Kristy had already seen it (during Sister's Weekend), but she humored me and watched it again.

The film is about the relationship between a single spanish-speaking US-immigrant mother (Flor) and her only daughter. The main issue that the film addresses is that of the anxieties parents feel trying to raise their kids into well-grounded young adults. To the extent that the movie stays on this message, it works very well.

Some of the ancillary plot lines, such as the success of Adam Sandler's character (John Clasky) as a chef, or the attraction between Flor and Clasky just seemed out of place and detracted from the main message of the movie rather than reinforce it. For example, the film spends too much energy building "sexual tension" between Flor and Clasky. Supposedly this is done to provide the impetus for Flor to finally quit her job. But in reality, the lack of boundaries maintained by Clasky's wife could have been more than enough reason for Flor to quit. Instead, why not spend more time showing how Adam Sandler's character relates to and reassures his own insecure daughter?

The final moments of the film (after Flor quits) prove to be the most poignant, specifically when Flor asks her daughter:

Is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?

Of course, Flor is not asking her daughter if she doesn't want to become a housekeeper, but instead if her daughter is rejecting the values that she is hoping to instill in her... and thus rejecting her as a parent.

It's a poignant moment (for me at least, ymmv) because the question resonated in my head and caused me to empathize with this distressed parent. Am I doing a good job as a parent for my children? Do I maintain consistent and fair judgements or do I send mixed messages? All good questions... but the answers won't be coming for a few years yet I'm afraid.

December 2004 Photos
I'm making more progress catching up our on-line photo albums. To wit, I have just now posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using the pictures taken in December 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "December 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's December 2004 Gallery ... (2 years, 5 months old)
Eliana's December 2004 Gallery ... (9½ months old)

Movie Review: Phantom of the Opera

Title:	Phantom of the Opera (2004)
Rating:	8/10

Kristy and I rented Phantom of the Opera over this past weekend. We rarely see movies at the box office anymore. Not that we don't get out (we make time for the symphony and the occasional concert), but we don't really see many movies in wide release because rare is the movie that seems compelling enough to merit the effort to go and see it on the big screen.

However, after watching Phantom of the Opera, I wish now that we had gone to see it on the big screen. We have seen the theatrical show. We own the Phantom Broadway audio CD and can do a pretty good karaoke rendition of most of the Phantom songs. Yet, the movie provided much more context to the story and fleshed out a lot of the details and transitions that must have been impossible on stage.

It can certainly be said that Andrew Lloyd Weber had a grand vision for the Phantom story on film. Indeed, even though we lose the experience of the main characters belting out the famous Phantom melodies live on stage, we gain a broader and deeper vision of the story and its characters. And really, that is what makes the movie so riveting, the charismatic story of the Phantom is more vibrant and rich than the stage version.

For example, I observed that I had much more empathy for the Phantom character and his suffering on the one hand, but almost at the same time I felt particularly disgusted by his psychotic behavior. Of course, to that end I must give credit to fine acting turned in by Gerard Butler (the other two principals performed admirably as well). Considering that Butler has had no professional singing training (from what I have read), his performance is all the more impressive.

I gave the film a fairly high rating (8/10), and justly deserved imho. My one small quibble is a few instances where the the audio during some of the singing speech was distinctly out of sync. I suppose that it couldn't be helped and only was a minor distraction.

Thanksgiving 2004 Photos
We travelled to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with my family last year. Unfortunately, I didn't take a lot of pictures. But what I did take (and what turned out good) I have now posted. Here are some sample images from the Thanksgiving get-together (which technically happened a few days before Thanksgiving iirc):

You can review the full gallery here:

Thanksgiving 2004

Movin' On Up
We put Eliana down to sleep in her big-girl four-poster bed tonight. She nodded off pretty much without incident. It is our second attempt at a permanent transition. The previous one failed because she was afraid to get down off the bed. It is a high bed; the top of the mattress is about 3 feet 34 inches off the ground (Eliana is now 33 inches tall). At the time, she was a bit shorter and could just barely get up and down (the step covers approximately 8 inches of the bed height).

I suggested to Kristy that we try again because I noticed today she was climbing up on and down from the bed during the day. One time she managed to take a book up there with her and "read" it. So I think she has the skills... we'll see how it goes in the morning (and throughout the week if it lasts that long).

(Note: I just measured all of the bed heights in our house. Eliana's is the highest at 34 inches. Our bed and Berkeley's bed measure 32 inches high and 30 inches high respectively.)

November 2004 Photos
As per previous posts, I continue to make progress on bringing our online photo albums up-to-date. You won't fail to notice that November of 2004 was when Berkeley started to take a serious interest in bowling. At the time, he would bowl at least once per day.

I have just now posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using the pictures taken in November 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "November 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's November 2004 Gallery ... (2 years, 4 months old)
Eliana's November 2004 Gallery ... (8½ months old)

Biff's Basic Pasta Salad
I made this yesterday in case we decided to go to the park or on a hike and have a picnic. But we didn't do either. The pasta salad turned out really good though. Here is, to the best of my recollection, the recipe for what I will call my "basic" pasta salad.

2 c fusilli
a dozen (or so) asparagus spears
1 small red bell pepper
1 small can sliced black olives
1 small can mandarin orange slices
1 small bottle marinated artichoke hearts (quartered)
1 shallot
olive oil
sugar
juice of ½ lemon
apple cider vinegar
oregano
pepper

Cook pasta al dente, drain, and run under cold water to cool. Blanch asparagus for 3 minutes using steamer insert for a double boiler (do not overcook), immediately plunge into ice water; then chop and add to pasta. Drain olive slices and mandarin slices, add to pasta mix. Add marinated artichoke hearts (I add the liquid as well); chop larger artichoke heart quarters if desired.

Dice shallot. Sauté in about 1 tbs olive oil until shallot is translucent but not soggy (again... do not overcook!), remove from heat and place in a small bowl. Whisk in 2 or 3 more tbs olive oil, 1 tsp sugar, lemon juice, and about 1 tbs apple cider vinegar (maybe a little more depending on your taste). Blend in about 1 tbs dried oregano and a bunch of fresh ground pepper (I like a lot, you may like a little).

Combine vinaigrette with pasta and refrigerate. Serve cold.

Variations. Use whatever pasta you like, but use something that has a lot of tight nooks and crannies so that the vinaigrette will cling to it more readily (radiatoni, rotini, etc). Marinated mushrooms would be a fine addition to the salad imho, but I rarely have any on hand as Kristy is not a fan (she doesn't like olives either, but I still manage to keep some sliced olives in the cupboard). I've also added crumbled or cubed feta cheese to the salad with very good results.

(Update Tue Jul 19 00:28:38 PDT 2005 // added feta cheese)

Finding Train Tracks
Today I walked along train tracks with my son. From the downtown Issaquah Station to Gilman Village we walked, and he held my hand the whole way. We stopped by a toy store and I let him play with the table of trains there for about half an hour. Then we bought a couple of ice cream cones; he wanted "green" ice cream (mint chocolate chip). We walked back the way we had came. We stopped to look at some ants.

Berkeley wanted to find train tracks today... and so, I bubbled it right up to top of the long list of things I have "to do". I'm glad I did. My kids are getting too big, too fast.

A Variation on the Theme of Toll House
On the back of every package of Nestlé Toll House semi-sweet morsels, there is the famous Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. The recipe, in my humble opinion, makes cookies that are too "cakey" and dry... edible, but not enjoyable.

And so, after some trial and error, I have struck upon a very delicious variation of the classic Toll House recipe. I am quite sure it will not disappoint:

2 ¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
14 T butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

The original Toll House recipe calls for ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, and 2 sticks of butter. The original Toll House recipe also infers that margarine (shudder) is an adequate substitute for butter... it most decidedly is not.

Place rack in center position and preheat oven to 335° (use convection bake if possible). Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in bowl. Beat butter and sugar in mixer until creamy (but don't overbeat). Add egg and vanilla and combine. On the lowest speed possible, slowly beat in flour mixture until the dough just sticks together (use very light hands with the dough from this point forward). Stir in chocolate chips by hand. Gently form tablespoon-sized balls of dough and drop directly onto hollow center heavy-gauge dull aluminum baking sheet. The baking sheet should be at room temperature. (I rotate batches of cookies using two baking sheets.) Refrigerate dough between batches. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown on edges (do not overbake!). Allow to cool on sheet for one minute, then transfer to a wire rack.

Variations. Instead of 1½ cups chocolate chips, try any of the following:

• ½ c milk chocolate chips, ½ c macadamia nut pieces, ½ toasted coconut
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips; ½ c butterscotch chips
• 1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips; ½ c peanut butter chips

(Update Thu Jul 7 22:44:48 PDT 2005 // added variation with peanut butter chips)
(Update Sun Jun 24 19:14:24 PDT 2007 // clarified dough handling procedures)
(Update Sat Jan 5 22:25:09 PST 2008 // added preferred baking sheet instructions)

Feats of Strength
Both Kristy and I have noticed that Eliana packs a lot of muscle into her little package. She is pretty tough. Now, I know parents are prone to exaggeration about their kids... but listen to this.

This evening after dinner with Kristy, Kathy, and five cousins (Berkeley, Eliana, Elizabeth, Emily, and Isabella... Matt was working late recruiting; Scott and Ang went to the temple), I was outside with Berkeley, Elizabeth, and Eliana by the playset. While I was pushing Berkeley and Elizabeth on the swings, Eliana was climbing up the ladder.

Now, let me set the scene a little bit, Berkeley and Elizabeth had been playing up on the second level of the playset and had moved the little captains chair (un-noticed by me) over to the area near the top of the ladder. Typically, there is no need for me to be close by Eliana while she is at play on the playset, she can climb up the ladder (and coast down the slide) without any manual intervention. She is actually quite adept at it.

Well, I guess as Eliana got to the top of the ladder, and placed her right hand on the blue metal handle that is mounted vertically on the slat that frames the ladder opening, she was forced to make some kind of adjustment rightward to get by the chair. This was happening in my peripheral vision, so I wasn't paying close attention. What I did distinctly notice was her sudden movement as she lost her footing on the top step of the ladder and fell off the side.

However, her little right hand held on to that blue metal handle and she didn't fall to the ground. Instead, for a couple of seconds (before I rescued her), she was dangling about 5 feet above the ground, holding the entire weight of her body by the grip of her hand.

Now that is tough... double-tough.

Halloween 2004 Photos
We hosted a small party last Halloween and invited the Thurmonds, Corays, and the Sorensons. We asked everyone to come in costume. Here are some sample images from the get together:

You can review the full gallery here:

Halloween 2004

Concert Review: Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Ok, yes, I admit it. When Kristy heard about the Mormon Tabernacle Choir tickets going on sale and suggested that we go see them perform, I was less than enthusiastic. By the time I got around to buying the tickets, (much to by surprise, albeit not much to my disappointment) the concert was already sold out. "Maybe next year," I thought to myself at the time. Kristy was disappointed. Bad husband.

And so, a couple of weeks ago, when an acquaintance was offering his two tickets for sale, I quickly volunteered to buy them... even at the full face value of $65 per seat. Sheesh.

After a fantastic meal at the Union Square Grill, we arrived at The Paramount ready for an evening of boring LDS church hymns being performed by a button-down choir of Mormons. I'm exaggerating my mood for effect, nonetheless my expectations were somewhat low.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love listening to MoTab... on Sunday, but I would be lying if I said that I have more than zero MoTab CDs in my music library. And it's not that I don't like choir music either, in fact, I recall some excellent choir concerts I attended while at the BYU, concerts that I thoroughly enjoyed and whose performance provided a lasting impression (even for a memory-challenged person such as myself). Also, I can safely state that if you don't like my all-time favorite choir performance, that of "A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns" by BYU Choirs & Orchestra (1994), then it is safe to say that you will not like any choir music... ever.

This was the first concert Kristy and I attended at The Paramount. The building is somewhat plain on the outside, but the interior is quite beautiful. I would like to go back, if not just to stare at the wall and ceiling treatments there. (Dead Can Dance is playing at The Paramount in September, but the Saturday performance is already sold out... drat!)

We arrived in plenty of time to find our seats (fourth row from the front on the right) and watch as the 360 members of the choir slowly filled up to the grandstand set up on the stage. It probably took about 10 or 15 minutes... I can't imagine what the logistics must involve transporting that amount of people around the country for performances. Once the choir was situated and the orchestra finished their final tuning, they began to sing the national anthem, prompting the entire audience to stand at attention. After that was complete, the formal program began.

The first song, "Alleluia Fanfare and Praise to the Lord, The Almighty," instantly grabbed our attention. It is a riveting piece and I've heard MoTab peform this particular arrangement on the television, but its power is truly only appreciated when heard live. The five pieces following the opening piece are already lost to my memory. But that may be only because the next two sections of the program, "Music Of The World" and "Two American Folk Hymns", were without question the climax of the night's performance.

I think that I can safely say that you will never mistake three of the four selections from their "Music Of The World" for Sunday choir music, as they were quite lively, jovial, and I might add... irreverent (not that there is anything wrong with that!). The Sephardic wedding song, "¡Ah, el novio no quere dinero!", the American folk song, "Cindy", and the Nigerian Carol, "Betelehemu", were so thoroughly enjoyable and fun to listen too, it all but dashed my hopelessly naïve assumption that this was going to be a boring button-down Mormon church choir performance (as an aside... "Cindy" is also featured in "A Thanksgiving of American Folk Hymns" by BYU Choirs & Orchestra which I mentioned previously). The playfulness of the music suffused the crowd with an unmistakable energy and I, personally, felt full of bubbleheaded giddiness, tapping my toes and strumming my fingers at each of these performances. The Nigerian carol, "Betelehemu", was especially enjoyable and included several members of the orchestra (and a couple of the organists) accompanying the choir with what looked like native African instruments. In a word, it was an extraordinary.

Two american folk hymns followed the world music, "How Can I Keep From Singing?" and "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Both were performed beautifully. The tranquility and reverence of the folk hymns were wonderful complements to the music that had preceded. After the two folk hymns were performed, I had scarcely noticed, but the first half of the program was over and intermission ensued. Wow.

Given how much I enjoyed the first half of the program, the second half was somewhat anticlimactic for me. The performance was solid, but the material ("America the Beautiful", "God Bless America", "Come, Come, Ye, Saints", "Shenandoah", etc) was much more sedate. The best moments were clearly in the first half of the program.

Throughout the second half of the program, Lloyd Newell related different pieces of trivia and information to the audience. One piece of trivia that caught my attention immediately was that of the last time MoTab performed in Seattle... the year? 1986, or 20 years ago. I guess my earlier "Maybe next year" dismissal would be adequately classified as completely misinformed. Be that as it may, I look forward to seeing MoTab perform again in Seattle... about the same time Berkeley and Eliana will be 23 and 21 respectively.

Restaurant Review: Union Square Grill

Restaurant:	Union Square Grill
Cuisine:	American, Steakhouse
Rating:	Outstanding
Price:	$100-$125 for starters, main course, and dessert for two (tip not included).
Location:	Seventh and Union, Downtown Seattle
Website:	www.unionsquaregrill.com

Kristy and I were fortunate enough to secure tickets to see the sold-out one-night-only Mormon Tabernacle Choir performance tonight. MoTab performed at The Paramount which is located is close proximity (well, a couple of blocks anyway) to one of our favorite downtown Seattle restaurants, the Union Square Grill.

Tonight was at least the fifth (but probably the sixth time) we have eaten at the Union Square Grill since we moved to the Seattle area in the year 2000. This would not be notable but for the fact that Kristy and I explicity try to eat at a different restaurant each time we dine out (Seattle has such a wide selection of fine dining establishments, it seems a shame to not attempt to patronize as many as possible). Perhaps now that I consider the many times that we have eaten at the Union Square Grill, maybe I should state that it is, by default, our number one favorite downtown Seattle restaurant.

Well, in any case, we go back to the Union Square Grill time and again because the food there is outstanding; the service prompt, personal, but not overbearing; and the atmosphere is rich and stately. If you want to eat and feel like a King or a Queen, then you should place the Union Square Grill on your list of destinations of interest.

The Union Square Grill menu features grilled steaks; but, if you are interested in seafood, poultry, or a vegetarian dish, that is offered as well. Personally, I've not tried anything but the steaks at USG. Kristy has had the lamb chops, and has always been highly satisfied; if she isn't having the lamb, she's ordering the petite filet.

But, oh, the steaks... mmmm mmmm... so goooooood! I usually get the Prime New York or the Filet. However (if I recall correctly), we did get the Châteaubriand on one occasion (serves two). All of it is excellent, but the Prime New York with the green peppercorn demi-glace is incomparable. Maybe only because it is fresh in my mind (I had it tonight), but the Prime New York at USG has to be my top choice for best steak entrée in the Seattle area (and I'm no slouch when it comes to sampling steaks... I've eaten at The Met, Daniel's, El Goucho, JaK's, DC's, Ruth's Chris, Chez Shea, and others). Kristy may disagree, as she is very fond of the filet mignon she had at Chez Shea.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the salad that I had tonight at USG. If was a sliced beefsteak tomato salad which included two hefty slices of tomato, two slices of grilled sweet onion, and a medium sized medallion of goat cheese. It was garnished with pine nuts and served with balsamic vinegar reduction and finely ground fresh basil in olive oil. It was exceptional. And even though this blog entry is probably already dripping with hyperbole, it must be the best salad I've ever had (displacing my former favorite... the warmed seasonal green salad at Chez Shea). The combination of the juicy tomato, the charred sweet onions, the goat cheese and the pine nuts dipped in the vinegar reduction and the basil olive oil provided a delightful ambrosia of flavor. Unfortunately, the salad was a seasonal special, so I may just have to cling to its memory, or crudely try to imitate it at home.

Meals like the one I had at USG tonight, are well worth the premium paid. I have no doubt we will continue to frequent the Union Square Grill many times in the future.

(Update Tue Nov 22 01:25:31 PST 2005 // fixed a spelling mistake)

October 2004 Photos
I have been making great headway in my efforts to get our on-line photo albums caught up. I've just now posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in October 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "October 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's October 2004 Gallery ... (2 years, 3 months old)
Eliana's October 2004 Gallery ... (7½ months old)

Product Review: Li'l Yami Yogurt
I know they are only available in the great Northwest, but these Li'l Yami yogurts are extremely popular with the kids. Berkeley will in no way be confused with a hearty breakfast eater (like say, Eliana!), but he absolutely loves the "green yogurt" (key lime flavor) and asks for it every day. He will scrape at the side of the little 4oz cup until he's satisfied that he can't get anymore out without resorting to his favorite utensil (his tongue).

The Li'l Yami yogurt (5g fat per 4oz container) is much creamier than the normal Yami varieties (3.5g fat per 8oz container). I'm not sure why Yami doesn't make the creamer Li'l Yami in a larger container, as the "normal-sized" Yami yogurt is quite unimpressive. Though Berkeley prefers the "green one", all four Li'l Yami flavors (peach, orange, strawberry, and lime) are exceptional.

Summary: Best yogurt around (for kids or adults)
Downside: Only available in a 4oz size

September 2004 Oregon Weekend Photos
My Mom, my Aunt Anadeane, and my Grandma Kiser rented a beach house in Oregon last September. They were kind enough to extend to us an invitation to go down and spend some time with them. It rained quite a bit while we were down there so we didn't get out to the beach but once (after dusk). But we did have loads of fun doing some shopping, playing games indoors, and letting the kids spend some time with their grandmother, great grandmother, and great aunt. Here are some sample images from the trip:

You can review the full gallery here:

September 2004 Oregon Weekend

September 2004 Photos
More photos! I'm only what, about 9 months behind now? I've just now posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in September 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "September 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's September 2004 Gallery ... (2 years, 2 months old)
Eliana's September 2004 Gallery ... (6½ months old)

Eliana rennt
Though I can't pinpoint the precise date that Eliana transitioned from walking everywhere to running everywhere, the date has definitely come and gone. Tonight, Berkeley, Eliana, and I were running circles around the kitchen island. This simple activity is actually quite popular and typically is accompanied by near continual laughter. If, however, the giggling dies down, I need only drop to my knees hide around the next island corner, and then jump out at the "unsuspecting" child that happens to come by (I say "unsuspecting" because they will typically know what is coming and when). I can repeat this pattern for a good 15 minutes and get them pretty well wound down (or wound up... it all depends on where they are in the fuel cycle, near empty or near full).

I seem to recollect that the last time the three of us played this game, that Berkeley and I would lap Eliana every second or third time around the island. But today, Eliana kept up, and in fact, held her own quite handily. However, she doesn't take the corners while running with much grace. Instead of leaning into the turn slightly to move her center of gravity into the turn (as we all do naturally), she pretty much stays straight up and down and contorts her upper body, her arms (and fingers) stretched outward as far as she can muster without tipping over. It was quite a sight... very cute.

Why Blog?
About a month ago on a technical (i.e. geeky) mailing list to which I subscribe, a member of the list asked everyone who was blogging. Only two responses (including one by the person who made the original query) from the group of a couple hundred participants trickled in. I had long thought that I should start my own blog, but I guess it wasn't until someone posed an informal "reckoning" that I actually felt pressed into taking action on my long procrastinated wish.

My initial exposure to blogging came a couple of years ago while searching the internet looking for rational political voices (this was during the run up to President Bush's Iraq misadventure). I found numerous anti-war liberal blogs to be sure, but I also found several anti-war libertarian blogs which were more my cup-of-tea. Taken together (courtesy of the wonders of RSS), I soon had a vast array of material to read, ponder, and incorporate into my own personal political point of view. I'm just starting to discover the same kind of network (albeit much smaller) exists among my fellow LDS members, for group discussion about the finer points of LDS doctrine.

So... why do I blog? Well, there are a continuum of reasons that have flowed in and out of my feeble brain over the past few months that finally pushed me to the tipping point of starting my own blog, I'll discretize a few here and reserve the right to add more later. ;)

1. I enjoy writing. I don't pretend to be a good writer, but I like to write. When I write my thoughts down about a subject, it requires that I formulate the random musings in my mind into (at least) a somewhat coherent manner. And like physical exercise, writing is hard work... but the accomplishment I feel after I am done is extremely rewarding. And if I can handle critical review of my writing (and the thoughts behind that writing), hopefully I can get a little smarter too.

2. I enjoy cooking. I love to cook, something my mother encouraged in me since I was a wee lad. When I cook however, I rarely follow a published recipe word for word. Typically, I'll use several recipes as a general guide, but then improvise quite heavily. Unfortunately, many of these improvisations are long forgotten (see below... "My memory is very poor"). A blog is perfectly suited as a repository for my favorite recipes. I can eliminate my reliance on my poor memory, quickly search my recipe archive, and eliminate all the on-paper recipe transcriptions stuffed throughout the kitchen cabinents and recipe books.

3. To provide context. I am currently engaged in the activity of updating our family's on-line photo journals. Unfortunately, photos (and even videos) provide very little by way of the context of events in which they were taken. What events led up to the specific moment that was captured? How did I feel when the photo (or video) was taken? Without some kind of written record, I'm afraid that the context is lost to the ether. Perhaps this reason for blogging is indistinguishable from the next one...

4. My memory is very poor. When I was in high school, I was a member of the swim team. One day while I was running along the side of the pool, my feet slipped out from underneath me and I fell, landing on the back of my head first (lesson learned: just like the lifeguards often warn, don't run on a wet swim deck). The resulting gash in the back of my head required some 10 or so stitches (iirc) and a drain to reduce the swelling. My wife theorizes that this event did some permanent damage to my brain that prevents me from making lasting memories. Well, regardless of whether or not Kristy's theory is true, my memory is undeniably bad. If I don't write something down, specifically something like my own thoughts and feelings to which only myself is privy, then there won't be any other cues to trigger that memory at a future date.

5. To bridge geographic isolation. We do not live close to either set of Berkeley's and Eliana's grandparents nor do we live close to 18 of their 24 aunts/uncles. Hopefully, the pictures I share and the experiences I document will help bridge our relative geographic isolation from (the majority of) our extended families.

6. I speak. You listen. Where else could I get my own personal soapbox if not for my on-line blog?

7. To solicit advice and recommendations. If I encounter a problem or some difficulty and am at a loss as to how to proceed, I can document my quandry and seek out advice and recommendations from the small community of friends and family that read my blog. That is the genius of this here internet thing-a-ma-jig, it is a powerful communication and collaboration medium where information is easily and freely exchanged.

8. To share advice and recommendations. Doesn't everyone want to know how I do things? What I like and prefer? Doesn't everyone want to be just like me?! He he. But seriously, just as I receive helpful responses posted to my blog from others, hopefully I can share something that will be useful to someone else.

9. For my kids. Kristy has said her greatest fear is that of losing me (i.e. unexpected death). She is very supportive of my efforts at blogging, because as she says - "If something every happens to [me], the kids have a record about how much their Dad loved them."

10. To heed the counsel of modern-day LDS prophets. Possibly the most often ignored exhortations by modern LDS Church leadership are also the seemingly most mundane: doing your home teaching, keeping a year's food storage, or journal writing. If you are LDS (like me), and you need one last reason (or just one reason) to start your own blog (and you are averse to pen and paper), then perhaps the repeated suggestion by LDS Church leadership to keep your own personal journal is just such a reason. I like what President Kimball says (from link above):

    Your private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you. Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity. Experiences of work, relations with people, and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant. Your journal, like most others, will tell of problems as old as the world and how you dealt with them.

    Your journal should contain your true self rather than a picture of you when you are "made up" for a public performance. There is a temptation to paint one's virtues in rich color and whitewash the vices, but there is also the opposite pitfall of accentuating the negative. Personally I have little respect for anyone who delves into the ugly phases of the life he is portraying, whether it be his own or another's. The truth should be told, but we should not emphasize the negative. Even a long life full of inspiring experiences can be brought to the dust by one ugly story. Why dwell on that one ugly truth about someone whose life has been largely circumspect?

    Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life.

    What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved? Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.

(Update Wed Jun 22 22:04:26 PDT 2005 // added soapbox)
(Update Sun Jun 26 11:49:16 PDT 2005 // added geographic isolation)
(Update Tue Sep 20 10:10:29 PDT 2005 // added advice and recommendations)
(Update Sun Sep 25 08:52:29 PDT 2005 // added for my kids

My First Proclamation is Forthcoming
Instead of a daily journal entry today, I've been working on a "Why I Blog?" proclamation. I'll probably have it finished and ready to post by tomorrow (I was going to make it a "manifesto", but given the LDS Church's affinity for "proclamations" and the unavoidable political undertones of "manifesto", I thought that a "proclamation" was more apt).

August 2004 San Diego Trip Photos
We visited San Diego in August of 2004. We snapped some pics while lounging around the Sorenson house, playing at the beach, and visiting the San Diego Zoo. Here are some sample images from the trip:

You can review the full gallery here:

August 2004 San Diego Trip

August 2004 Photos
I continue to make progress on updating our on-line photo albums. I've recently posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in August 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "August 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's August 2004 Gallery ... (2 years, 1 month old)
Eliana's August 2004 Gallery ... (5½ months old)

July 2004 Photos
I'm still publishing old photo albums; slowly but surely I'll get current. I've recently posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in July 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "July 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's July 2004 Gallery ... (2 years old)
Eliana's July 2004 Gallery ... (4½ months old)

Product Review: All-Natural White Cheddar Cheetos Cheese Puffs
The kids love them... less salty than the orange cheese puffs, and the flavor is better in my humble opinion. I'm not sure you can use the word "natural" and "cheese puffs" in the same sentence, but I guess the absence of "artificial flavors" and "artificial colors" from the nutritional info are its "natural" qualifications.

Summary: Highly Recommend for Snacking

Buy Me Stuff
This is probably not a unique confession... but I'm not particularly good at figuring out what some of my most beloved ones want for their upcoming birthday (anniversary, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, etc). To be specific, it's hard shopping for the wife. I've had my fair share of home run gifts, but I've also swung and missed on plenty of occasions.

I've heard the same complaint from the wife about shopping for me, i.e. it's hard to find that special something. Of course, she always manages to give me the most perfect and wonderful gifts. ;)

Actually, when I think about it, shopping for the wife is a cakewalk compared to say shopping for my mother-in-law, or even my own mother! And what about grandmothers? (Notice the theme here... I struggle to find good gifts for any of the significant females in my life... how very pathetic I am). Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had a publicly available wish list that you could just consult at one's own convenience? Well, I think it would.

And so, in order to make your experience shopping for me more stress free and enjoyable, please find below my current wish list. Consider this my gift to you... I only have your best interests at heart. Honest.

1. A late model E46 BMW M3 (1997-1999). Ok, this might be a little extravagant, but it absolutely must inhabit the #1 spot on my wish list. Should you choose to indulge me with this gift, I only have one stipulation... I would absolutely demand that it be equipped with a manual transmission, everything else (color, options, convertible) is just gravy. If you happen to find a Dinan S3 supercharged M3 (350 HP), hey, all the better. Check ebay motors for recent listings. Oh, and... thanks in advance! Cost: $5,000-$7,500 (or more depending on options).

2. Board Games. Cost: $25-$40.
   • Ark of the Covenant. Haven't played this one personally, but it is based on Carcassonne which we really like. Cost: $25.
   • Caylus. I haven't played this, but it is one of the latest published game from Rio Grande Games, the makers of Puerto Rico and Carcassone. Should be a good one. Cost: $40.
   • Ticket to Ride: Europe. We have the original version of this very fun game, the Europe version looks very interesting. Cost: $40.
   • Any other highly ranked board game. For example, see here.

3. Camera Gear. Cost: from less than $100 to over $1000.
   • Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Standard Zoom Lens
   • Canon EF 50mm f1.8 II Camera Lens
   • Canon 430EX Speedlite Flash

4. Books. Surprise me.

5. Clothes. I'll always welcome a new pair of running shoes.

6. Outdoor Movie Theater Equipment. I was so impressed with the experience at the Barnes home watching Sky High on the wall that I'd like to do the same kid of thing here at home. All I need is a projector and a movie screen.
   • An Airblown Movie Screen by Gemmy. Available at Home Depot and Wal-Mart. Cost: $200.
   • A movie projector. This BenQ W500 looks adequate. Cost: $800.

7. CDs. Now, before you go out and buy me "The Collected Works of Bette Midler", perhaps I can suggest these alternatives. Cost: $10-$25.
   • Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas. One of my favorites, but I only have it on cassette tape.
   • Sigur Rós - ().
   • Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun.
   • Sigur Rós - Takk.
   • Sigur Rós - Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.
   • Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The 1979 Original Broadway Cast double-CD is preferred.
   • The Killers - Hot Fuss. Good stuff.

8. BluRay DVDs. When standard defintion just won't do.
   • Enchanted. For the musical numbers alone this BluRay disc is a must have.
   • Phantom of the Opera. Since the main female character is named Christine, I can use the songs to serenade my wife (we already own the broadway soundtrack).

9. Standard Def DVDs. Isn't it a shame that I don't own some of my very favorite movies (and TV shows) on DVD? Yes, it's a terrible shame. Cost: $20-$55.
   • Accidental Tourist. Cluck cluck cluck.
   • Big Fish. Great father/son tale.
   • Empire of the Sun. One of my all-time favorites.
   • Excess Baggage. I know this got bad reviews, but Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken, and Harry Connick are all hilarious in this movie.
   • Freaks and Geeks - The Complete Series. The complete series is actually only one season, it still makes me mad that NBC canceled Freaks and Geeks. It is one of the best shows ever to air on network television.
   • Run Lola Run. "What's in the bag?"
   • Seinfeld - Seasons 1 & 2. Incomparable.
   • Seinfeld - Season 3. Unrivaled.
   • Seinfeld - Season 4. Superlative.
   • The Matrix. Ring ring Neo.
   • The Sound of Music. The hills are alive.

10. Playstation 3 Video Games. Cost: $40-$60.
    • Assassin's Creed.
    • Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

11. Camping Gear. Cost: moderately expensive.
    • An "outdoor" watch. Any of the Casio Pathfinder products or something in the Suunto Outdoor product line would probably suffice. (Hint: The high end Suunto GPS-capable X9i sells for $500.)

12. Electronics. Cost: more expensive.
    • An Apple Macbook. The black one.
    • iPod shuffle. I currently have an adequate MP3 player (a Rio500), but it is a little cumbersome to use while jogging... it flops around in my pocket and sometimes my hand will hit it or I'll just look at it funny and it will stop playing music. In a word, it's fragile. My sister-in-law just recently became an owner of an iPod shuffle and she gave it a very positive review. Cost: $99.
    • A Digital SLR. We bought our Canon Powershot G2 in December 2002. It still takes decent pictures of a fairly static scene. The problem is that our kids very rarely stay static. The G2's AutoFocus mechanism is just too slow to capture a lot of the kid's activities, therefore we need to upgrade to a DSLR. I'm very interested in the Canon 30D; I haven't asked my sister-in-law Jess her opinion, but the 30D seems like an adequate first venture into the SLR world.

13. Kitchen Items. Cost: $25 and up.
    • A digital scale. Something in black, chrome, or maybe even in warm red.
    • Fry Daddy (or a more expensive equivalent... like this one). Very handy for preparing fried foods like fish-n-chips.
    • OXO Salad Spinner. I think one of these for my salads would be nice, it doesn't have to be OXO... I just saw the OXO spinner on a cooking show and it looked to be pretty handy. Cost: $25.
    • Digital Thermometer Fork. My wife got me a digital thermometer fork a few years ago (I presume from Williams-Sonoma). It is an absolute must have if you are grilling anything other than hamburgers and hot dogs. Unfortunately, my digital fork stopped working a couple of summers ago and I've been missing it ever since. Cost: $25.
    • A set of Beer Mugs. To properly sample the variety of gourmet root beers I keep chilled, I require a good quality, sturdy, and heavy set of glass root beer mugs to keep in the freezer. Something like this looks very nice. Capacity per mug must exceed 16 oz, so something in the 17 oz range would be ideal. Cost: $25.

14. A kite. Wouldn't it be fun to go fly a kite with the kids? Yes, it certainly would. A nice, simple, one-handed kite that the kids could hold on to would be ideal. Cost: $30.

15. An outdoor firepit. I'd love to build a firepit in the backyard with pavers, but we don't have much room. A portable firepit (something like this) would allow us to have a nice warm fire right on our patio.

Father's Day
I had a good Father's Day. I took my breakfast in bed wearing the crown my kids made for me (click on photo at right to view pictures). The kids got me a kite (thanks Kristy) and Kristy gave me some exercise clothes (again, thanks Kristy).

Even though there wasn't much wind today, Berkeley insisted we fly the kite. After getting dressed and being accompanied by Berkeley singing his best rendition of "let's go fly a kite" from Mary Poppins, we took to the cul-de-sac with kite in hand. There were a couple of sustained wind gusts which we were able to use to get the kite up for a few minutes. Each time we did so, Berkeley was giddy with excitement. It's too bad there wasn't more wind.

We'll have to try again another day.

Symphony Review: Thus Spake Zarathustra
Kristy and I attended the symphony tonight. We have been making dates for the Seattle Symphony since last year when the Thurmonds gave us some tickets to attend the symphony perform music from the movie "The Lord of the Rings" (conducted by the composer himself iirc).

I am a classical music fan, not an afficiando in any sense, just a fan with about a couple dozen CDs to show for it. While driving in the car, I generally prefer listening to classical King FM (98.1). Yet, before the Thurmonds graciously gave us their tickets for the LOTR concert, I had not attended a live classical musical concert since my days at the BYU, which is a period of about, oh, 10 years or so. Well, perhaps my experience that night just speaks to the quality of the symphony we have here in Seattle (and the quality of the venue that they play in... Benaroya Hall), but I was flat-out surprised at how deep and vibrant the sound was and how much I enjoyed it. That was about a year ago.

Tonight, the headline performance was Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra ("Thus Spake Zarathustra") which is more widely renown for its appearance in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey", but more on that in a moment.

Kristy and I have only attended, oh, I dunno, about 6 or 7 symphony events... not many. However, we have found that the headline performances, while always good, are sometimes paired with rather pedestrian, and in some cases, downright boring auxiliary (or "warm-up") pieces. For example, the beautiful Beethoven's Fifth Symphony was paired with the noticably plain Schumann's Manfred (and Manfred was the concluding piece that night... ugh).

So, with that being said, I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed each of the three pieces at tonight's symphony performance. The first piece performed was all four movements of Paul Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (samples via amazon.com). The music is a bit uneven and eclectic but playful, Kristy noted that you could certainly make the case that Danny Elfman was inspired by some of the Hindemith's melodies. In particular, it seemed that a couple of Elfman's tunes from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" could be heard intermittently here and there. However, this made the piece more enjoyable, not less, as both Kristy and I are big Danny Elfman fans (who isn't?).

The second performance, that of Arlo Pärt's Lamentate for piano and orchestra, was listed as the US Premiere (I couldn't find samples of it on amazon.com.... sorry). I had not heard of English-born Estonian-born composer Pärt before this evening, but as the program noted, his closest comparable in America, is Philip Glass (of "Koyaanisqatsi" fame). The performance was quite engaging and kept me, seriously, on the edge of my seat. The overall mood of the piece, which includes a piano piece and a healthy use of the percussion section, struck me as haunting, as if it were written for the soundtrack of a Hitchcock suspense film. Some of the rich and unique sounds in the piece were difficult for me (again, I'm not formally trained in music) to pinpoint, i.e. I couldn't exactly figure out what piece in the orchestra was making a sound, or what pieces were being combined to make a sound. It was captivating from beginning to end.

So finally, we come to the headline piece, Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra. The opening measures are unquestionably famous and are permanently connected to Stanley Kubrick's film "2001: A Space Odyssey"; as these measures play during the film's introductory sequence. I must say that those opening measures really must be heard live, in person, to be fully appreciated. From the deep opening note on the organ that penetrates to the very core of your bones until the triumphant horn fanfare, you can't help but feel the imposing power of music. The rest of the piece is your typical flowing and flowery Strauss (enjoyable, but not magnificent), but those first measures are absolutely majestic and left me with a wide smile on my face that could scarcely be contained (Kristy can confirm). In a word... wow!

(Update Wed Jun 22 17:22:18 PDT 2005 // Dan Brian helpfully noted that Pärt is not English-born, but Estonian-born.)

June 2004 Photos
Still working on getting our on-line photo albums current. I've recently posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in June 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "June 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's June 2004 Gallery ... (23 months old)
Eliana's June 2004 Gallery ... (3½ months old)

May 2004 Visit to Utah Photos
We visited Utah during Mother's Day Weekend in 2004 and were able to preserve a few moments in picture. Here are some sample images from the trip:

You can review the full gallery here:

May 2004 Visit to Utah

"It's like we have a dog in the house."
Today, instead of napping, Berkeley was quietly in his room using poo as an artistic medium again. Innocent bystanders included the carpet, his train tracks, his bed sheets... it was quite lovely. (Quotation per Kristy).

May 2004 Photos
Continuing my catch up activities, I've posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in May 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "May 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's May 2004 Gallery ... (22 months old)
Eliana's May 2004 Gallery ... (2½ months old)

April 2004 Photos
I've posted two photo galleries (one for Berkeley and one for Eliana) using pictures taken in April 2004. Here are some sample images:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "April 2004" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site or you can access the galleries directly:

Berkeley's April 2004 Gallery ... (21 months old)
Eliana's April 2004 Gallery ... (1½ months old)

Catching up
I feel extremely guilty that I've let more than a year go by without updating our on-line photo journals. The last pictures that I posted date back to Eliana's birth (March 2004). And so, I'm going to be spending time in the late evenings for the next couple of weeks catching up on publishing photos on-line. In fact, I've already begun and have finished April and May of 2004. A notice will be posted shortly.

Restaurant Review: Su Casa

Restaurant:	Su Casa
Cuisine:	Mexican
Rating:	Recommended
Price:	$20-$25 for 2 large-portioned dinners and non-alcoholic drinks. Add another $10 for 2 kids. Tip extra.
Location:	Wacky looking building situated in the parking lot on the northwest quadrant of the intersection of Maple and 12th Ave NW in Issaquah (12th Ave NW is the road that runs south from Gilman Blvd, past GI Joes, on up to Tibbets Park).

Kristy and I went out to eat at Su Casa Restaurant about one month ago. Tonight we went back with the kids.

Su Casa is housed in kind of an odd looking christmas star shaped building (whose long lost cousin must be the Iceberg restaurant located on 39th and 9th in SLC, UT). The building is strangely situated in the middle of an otherwise paved and vacant lot. The only other vertical point of significance is that of two blue US Postal Mail receptacles.

The first thing we noticed was their posted business hours. They are open every day for lunch and dinner with the notable exception of Sunday. I almost did a double-take since it is so rare nowadays to see a place of business closed on Sundays, especially restaurants. The posted business hours also indicate that Mi Casa is open for "Mexican Breakfast" (not sure what that is) on Saturday mornings beginning at 8am.

The interior is sparsely decorated and the 15 or so tables are non-descript. The large windows provide ample light to an open kitchen and counter area. The amount of light would clearly show any neglect in the attention to cleanliness, but no such neglect was observed. The bathrooms were also similarly tidy.

The serving atmosphere is informal but attentive, we were promptly served some delicious chips and homemade salsa. The menu is somewhat short, but still provides coverage for the basics (tostada, burrito, tacos, chimichanga, etc) which can be ordered either a la carte or as part of a dinner plate.

The non-alcoholic drink selection is quite extensive. Speciality drinks such as horchata and lime water are available as well as a wide variety of bottled soda imported from Mexico. Fountain drinks are served in a plastic mug which measures about 10" high (it may not be 10", but it's plenty big enough to render the fact that it is "bottomless" somewhat moot).

The food portions on the dinner plates are quite hearty. Kristy has not been able to finish her dinner servings there, though somehow I have managed (both times). I have now had both the chile relleno and pork tamale dinner plates. The chile rellenos were outstanding, whereas the tamales were a little dry and appeared to be a tad overcooked. Kristy enjoyed both the tostada and chimichanga she has ordered (I had some of her chimichanga, it was quite good).

On the whole, we are quite impressed with Su Casa. The food is very good, the price is right, the atmosphere is very relaxed, and the location isn't too far from home.

Eliana's Canines
Eliana's four canines (the pointed ones) are starting to break through; this will give her 16 teeth. A couple of them look really swollen... poor little girl.

"What a very pretty hat."
This hilarious line is spoken by Mr. Banks (addressed to Katie Nanna as he helps her into a carriage) very near to the beginning of the movie Mary Poppins. I watched this movie again today with Berkeley and Eliana.

When Kristy purchased this film recently, I must say, she received nothing short of inspiration (and I highly recommend you add it to your DVD library). If I had walked past it on the shelf, I would have kept on walking. But, the kids are absolutely riveted to the movie almost from beginning to end. Furthermore, Berkeley has extemporaneously performed "Supercalifragilistic" and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" several times now. Performances that have definitely made the price paid for the DVD seem like a paltry sum indeed.

I must admit that, in general, when the kids are watching a video, I can tune it right out. I made an observation out-loud about one of the kids videos some months ago, something like "I never noticed that in this video before." If I recall correctly, the wife immediately quipped, "You haven't? How many times has Berkeley watched this [inane] video?"

In fact, the first half-dozen or so times the kids watched Mary Poppins after it was purchased, I did this very thing - tune it out. I've seen the movie before after all (when I was much younger). And it almost goes without saying that when the kids are seemingly sedate watching a video, it is a window of opportunity to perform various essential household maintenance tasks and/or other personal items of interest (like blogging for example). And so, until the last couple of times that we queued up Mary Poppins for the kids, I had not paid much, if any, attention to it.

If you recall, there is a certain level of silliness to the movie; the carpet bag, the measuring tape, cleaning up the nursery, jumping into paintings, riding merry-go-round horses through the countryside, talking to dogs, having tea on the ceiling, the chimney sweeps, etc. The silliness certainly does have the effect of keeping the kids engaged. The songs are also numerous and lyrical, which also contributes to the magnetic quality of the film for the kids.

What I didn't recall in my youthful viewings, is the sublime transformation of the father figure in the film, Mr. Banks, from the mechanical banker (who at 6:03 perfunctorily pats his children on the head and sends them off to bed) to the human being that realizes he must become more actively engaged in his childrens' lives. Of course, now that I am a father myself, this important subtext of the film really hits home.

While Mr. Banks is contemplating the implications of particular events (the run on the bank, etc), Bert is packing up his chimney sweeping equipment. Mr. Banks complains to Bert about Mary Poppins, "My world was calm, well ordered, exemplary. Then came this person with chaos in her wake." Mr. Banks asserts that Mary Poppins tricked him into taking his kids to the bank.

Bert replies:

Outrageous! A man with all the important things you have to do.
Shameful! You're a man of high position.
Esteemed by your peers.

And when your little tykes are crying
You haven't time to dry their tears
And see them grateful little faces
Smiling up at you
Because their Dad he always knows just
What to do

You've got to grind, grind, grind, at that grindstone
Though childhood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they've up and grown
And then they've flown
And it's too late for you to give.

It is at this moment that all of the silliness and "chaos" frowned upon by the fictional father figure is seen in its proper context, and the revelation of the film's true message is made to the audience; namely, spend time with your kids, be silly with your kids, let your schedule be disrupted by your kids. Kids create chaos, it's ok... enjoy it. The revelation is particularly poignant, especially if you were a member of the audience that was dismissing the silliness of the first part of the film as meandering and pointless, i.e. tuning it out.

And so, it is at that point in the movie that it becomes hard for me to blink back my tears.

Bertha's Savory Barbeque Ribs
I got this recipe from Bertha (my mother-in-law) which I used for our Memorial Day barbeque party and as recently as last weekend. Previously I had this prejudice against barbequeing ribs as I was under the presumption that they are difficult and messy to prepare. In truth, barbeque ribs are pretty easy to whip up, you just need to plan ahead.

Tenderizing the Ribs. Go to Costco and buy a package of their baby back ribs. The package includes three strips of about 16 ribs which is enough to serve 7 or 8 adults. Depending on the size of the package, it should cost between $25-$30. Place the ribs in an 8-quart stock pot and cover with water. Add a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Place over high heat and bring to boil. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer on a low boil for about 2 hours.

Preparing the Barbeque Sauce. Mix the following ingredients in a medium-sized sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil.

¾ cup ketchup
¼ cup molasses
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tbs vinagar
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 tbs teriyaki sauce
2 dashes Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbs cornstarch
smoky hickory flavor to taste (not too much!)

Tip: Whisk the mustard and constarch into the pineapple juice to avoid clumping (promoted from comments... good idea Mark!).

Bertha's original recipe calls for 1 cup ketchup and no molasses; ½ cup Kearns Coconut/Pineapple juice (which apparently isn't available in my market); and no cornstarch. The ingredient list above respresents my modifications to her original.

Grilling the Ribs. Remove the ribs from the stock pot. Place rib strips with the meat side facing down on a cutting board and carefully cut into individual ribs (you can grill the rib strips as a whole if you like, but I like to maximize my sauce to rib ratio). Dredge each rib in sauce and place on grill. The ribs are already cooked, the goal is to carmelize the sauce... making them lip-smacking good. Turn ribs occasionally and rebaste as desired.

(Note: Reserve liquid from stock pot by pouring into two 2-quart plastic juice containers. After the liquid cools, remove the solidified fat, then freeze in freezer safe ziploc bags. The liquid makes a great base for vegetable barley soup.)