April 2006 Photos
The kids galleries for the month of April are now available for review. We snapped some pics during Easter, on several impromptu occasions, and last Friday when Ebey and Emily were over for the evening. Here are some sample pictures:

You can review the full galleries either by accessing the "April 2006" links on Berkeley's web site or Eliana's web site. Or you can simply access the galleries directly using the following links:

Berkeley's April 2006 Gallery ... (3 years, 9 months old)
Eliana's April 2006 Gallery ... (2 years, 1 month old)

Spring Cleaning
I worked out in the yard today and made a small dent in the yard spring cleaning. It started to rain heavily in the afternoon so I had to suspend my activities. Instead I drained, cleaned, and refilled the hot tub. I had let the chemical treatments on the water go for a few months so I feel really good about completing the task. Berkeley has asked several times about it; so next week we'll be able to just run out to the tub on a whim.

Adelaide Lucille
I've been trying to build a grassroots campaign around a new name selection for my yet-to-be-named unborn daughter. I say "yet-to-be-named" somewhat gingerly because Kristy is pretty much set on Olivia (despite its obscene popularity).

I was at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and ran into one my neighbors (who lives about 4 doors down). We stood around and chit-chatted for a little while about life and whatnot. I brought her up to speed on the pregnancy status (of course). Just out of curiosity I asked her if she had any girl names (they have one boy now with plans for more). She stated that if their first child was a girl, it would have been named "Lucille" after the child's paternal grandmother. Well, the name of my paternal Grandma is "Ada Lucille" - but she always went by Lucille - so I said, "You know what? My paternal grandmother is a Lucille!" And then I said, "Hey, what do you think about the name 'Adelaide Lucille'?"

She said, and I quote.... "I love it! That's a great name! You could call her 'Addy'."

Ever since then I've been asking anyone and everyone what they think of the name. Should my newborn daughter be named "Olivia Louise" or should she be named "Adelaide Lucille"? Cast your vote in the comments. Thanks in advance!

(Update Tue May 2 14:14:01 PDT 2006 // added clarification)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Hardwood Floor Final Coats
The hardwood floors got their final coats today. Everything now has two coats of "Swedish" urethane finish and two coats of a water-based urethane. The result is quite nice... in fact, it is really quite beautiful.

However.... don't look too close.

As I mentioned earlier (see "The War of the Floors"), I was pretty concerned about the scratching or "swirl markings" in the wood before the stain was applied (see here). At a results of my concerns, the wood-floor subcontractor had a "disinterested third party" come out and take a look. He was of the opinion that the scratches would become muted by a couple more coats of finish. And so, I acquiesced and consented that we would proceed instead of having the subcontractor redo the floors (I was highly doubtful at the time if he was even capable of doing a better job... bah!).

Well, two coats of finish later the floors look better... but the scratches are definitely still there. Are the scratches less visible? Yes. Would I like the job to be done over? Yes. Will I require the job be done over? Probably not. The floors aren't great... but they are good enough. The wife is getting project fatigue and just wants to move all of our furniture back into the rooms and be done with it. So the floors stay... they aren't great, but I guess they'll have to do. *sigh*

Here are a couple of pics of the dining room floors. In the foreground is one of my favorite models:

(Update Mon May 1 17:10:37 PDT 2006 // added pictures)
(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Cabinet Installation Schedule
We decided last weekend to go with the bid provided by Kenis Loven Construction for our cabinetry work (for more details on the bids provided by Kenis, see here and here). We dropped a deposit by on Monday. Today, we got a note in the mail today that included our estimated installation date... everything should be fabricated and installed during the last week in May and first week of June. That will be nice.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Annoyances: Drugstores
I went to three different drugstores (Bartell's, Walgreen's, and Rite-Aid) tonight trying to find a specific over-the-counter item. I guess I was under the mistaken impression that a drugstore would have a better selection of over-the-counter items than my local grocery store. But they don't... in fact, my local grocery store's over-the-counter selection puts the over-the-counter selection at each of those "drugstores" to shame. What a joke.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Black Trim Plates Installed
Over the weekend I came close to installing all of the black trim plates in the kitchen that I bought earlier this week. Today, my new x10 black rocker switch (that controls the back patio lights) and my black speaker controls arrived (via mail), so I quickly installed them. It looks a lot better now with the black trimplates instead of the white ones.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Google Da Vinci Game
I started playing this today. I got up to speed in no time at all; the puzzles are trivial to solve... at least right now they are. The grand prize looks nice, so I'm sure the puzzles will get harder.

(Update Sat Apr 29 14:29:29 PDT 2006 // changed categories)

Buttermilk Waffles
There are two tricks to making light crispy waffles. First, there needs to be some water in the recipe... straight buttermilk produces soggy waffles. It's true. Try it. The second trick is to either have a waffle maker that inverts 180°... or if you don't have one (like I don't), then you need to manually turn the waffle maker upside down right at the beginning of the cook cycle. Again, try it... you'll be surpised by how much it improves your waffles.

2 eggs, separated
1¼ cups buttermilk
¼ cup filtered water
2 tbs butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 tbs cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
¼ tsp cardamon (optional)

Preheat a waffle iron. Sift together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks and buttermilk. Combine with dry mixture. Stir and mix slightly, then add the melted butter and mix to incorporate butter thoroughly into the batter (leave some lumps behind). In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites gently into batter.

Brush waffle iron with some butter or non-stick spray. Ladle batter into iron and spread out to the edges with a spatula. Invert the waffle iron immediately and cook for about three minutes. Then restore the iron to original position and allow the waffle cycle to finish normally.

Campout Training Wheels
I took the 11-yr-old scouts on a "campout" last night. We met at the church with our backpacks and hiked to the home of one of the boys and set up the tents and campsite in the backyard of the boys home (many thanks to the Johnsons for their hospitality!). The kids had a good time, but they still are pretty wet behind the ears and have a lot to learn. One boy showed up with a school backpack with a flimsy sleeping bag loosely tethered to it. This despite several weeks of preparation, instruction, and many e-mail to parents. Another boy showed up with "skater" tennis shoes instead of hiking boots... you know the kind, with flat soles and big fat laces that don't seem capable of being tightly laced.

There were other "tenderfoot" moments such as when one boy said:

"I'll be right back, I need to get my jammies on."

Needless to say, I did not put "jammies" on the pack inventory list. But all in all, it was a decent campout. The boys had a lot of fun staying up late, playing steal the flag, and telling ghost stories in the troop tent. Fortunately, I slept in a separate tent - the boys may have got 4 hours of sleep... if that.

I was able to use much of the new gear I bought for this "camping trip" (see here, here, here, and here for reviews). I borrowed a bag, pad, and pack from my brother-in-law. I need to buy my own bag, pad, and pack if I do a lot more of this. The church Father/Son campout is coming up next month, so that might be a good enough excuse.

Camping Gear Review: MSR Kitchen Accessory Set
In preparation for a recent campout, I picked up some super-deluxe MSR cookware. To supplement the cookware, I also bought the MSR Kitchen Set that fits right inside the smallest pot in the cookware set. The kitchen set includes some very handy items. The folding utensils are especially nice to have. I also used the portable cutting board, the salt/pepper shaker, one of the squeeze bottles for dishwashing soap, and the organizer bowl as a wash basin. Though the set includes just ordinary items you could cobble together yourself, I don't regret buying the set in the least.

Summary: Very handy.

Camping Gear Review: MSR BlackLite Aluminum Non-Stick Cookware
In preparation for a recent campout, I picked up some MSR Non-stick Aluminum Cookware to use with my new stove. The pots and pans and sturdy, light, and compact (they pots all stack tightly inside of each other). They perform well and are easy to clean. The set includes a couple of these clever towels that fit between each of the stacked pots and pans. The towels appear to made out of some kind of chamois leather material as they are spongy and ultra-absorbent. Nice option.

Summary: Highly recommended. Get the MSR kitchen accessories too.

Camping Gear Review: Brunton Camping Stove/Lantern Combo Kit
In preparation for a recent campout, I bought a Brunton stove/lantern combo kit for $80 from my local sporting goods store. The set includes the "Raptor" stove, the "Lucy" lantern, a stand, and a titanium spork. The stove is quite nice; it folds up and stores in a nice compact 1"x1"x2" case. It also includes push-button spark ignition. The lantern is also quite compact and includes the same push-button spark ignition system. The stand keeps everything stable. The titanium spork is a nice bonus and is a pretty cool piece of gear. The spork must weigh no more than a paper clip.

Summary: Great gear, well worth the money.

Camping Gear Review: Petzl Tikka XP Compact Headlamp
In preparation for a recent campout, I bought a compact headlamp based on my brother Brent's recommendation, the Petzl Tikka XP. If I recall correctly, Brent said that this was a "must have" for camping; heretofore, I'd just used a normal flashlight for my illumination needs while camping.

Well, Brent was right. I'm not sure how I got along without one of these compact headlamps and the Tikka XP is especially cool. It features three lighting levels, a wide angle light diffuser lens, a battery indicator, and a "boost" mode. The "boost" mode coupled together with the spotlight can cast a strong beam of light for some distance. And the LED lamp produces crisp, bright, white light; much brighter than the normal incandescent bulbs found on most flashlights. But the biggest advantage is the convenience of being able to have "hands-free" light. Thanks brother!

Summary: A "must have" for camping. Go buy one!

(Update Sun Apr 30 22:58:35 PDT 2006 // fix for grammer)

Catching Up
A couple of weeks ago, on a whim, I decided to google a couple of my old missionary companions by name (I served in Taiwan) and see if I couldn't find his business telephone number or e-mail address. Well it worked (he is a teacher at a local community college in Pennsylvania) and I was able to get in touch with him. His last name is Baird. We were in this district where this kind sister insisted on addressing us using our English names (Elder Baird and Elder Berrett). She could never fully enunciate either name and, in fact, her pronunciation for our names was indistinguishable from the other (Elder Bair-duh and Elder Bear-duh). We talked at length for the better part of a couple of hours.

On the same day, I tried another one of my former compatriots (McLeod). I couldn't get in contact with him so I left a message on his voicemail. Today he finally called back (the punk) and we 聯絡'd for a spell. It was good to catch up. He has family up here in Seattle and said he was up in these parts last summer. So I used the commitment pattern on him to get him to visit us the next time he is in the area.

Peanuts... Get your Peanuts Here!
A colleague from work called me this afternoon and asked me if I wanted a couple of tickets to the Mariners game tonight. I accepted and decided to take Berkeley. The seats that I can get through work (when I can get them... which is only about 3 or 4 times a season) are great - positioned 15 rows behind the 1st base dugout.

After we arrived, Berkeley and I had some fish and chips while we watched the first couple of innings. He then played in the kid's centerfield playground for the next two innings, and we then wound our way back to our seats where we stayed for the rest of the night. Berkeley was very interested in the game when he was watching it, but the interest did not last much more than one inning of play. However, he did decided that while watching the game that he wants to be a catcher.

When he wasn't watching the game, it seemed that he was uniquely interested in the vendors walking up and down the aisles selling goods. We eventually bought a bag of peanuts. He was fascinated by the prospect of dropping the empty shells on the floor as opposed to putting them in the garbage and he had quite a time smashing the shells beneath his feet. He ate quite a few them as well.

He lasted until the end of the sixth inning (at about 9pm) whereupon he asked to go home. He fell asleep on the drive back. It was a good time.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Occupancy Permit Issued
We passed our final inspection today and received our occupancy permit for the new bathroom, office, and bedroom. We are now free to do whatever non-code-like activity we wish to the new space... like installing closet-like cabinets in Kristy's office.

Baxton also installed all of the stained baseshoe around the trim in the kitchen today. The final coats for the hardwoods go on sometime next week.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Bathroom Glass Delivered
The bathroom glass was delivered and installed today. This includes the mirror for the bathroom vanity, the 3/8" think shower glass enclosure panels, and a small mirror for a medicine cabinet that we had made for our master bathroom potty closet (yes, more project creep!). After the mirror was up on the wall, I installed the vanity fixture we purchase some weeks ago. It provides plenty of light for the entire area... which is always a good thing for a bathroom.

After the installers hung the shower door, they noticed that there was a ¼" discrepancy between the top of the door and the bottom of the door over the 78" length. It was barely noticeable to even someone as finicky as myself, but nonetheless the installer decided that it wasn't good enough and said he would order a new door - one that fit absolutely perfectly. Bravo!

Here are some pics I snapped today:

The first two pictures are of the shower glass enclosure. The third picture is of the bathroom vanity.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Nice Daddy
I took Berkeley with me while I ran an errand this evening to the local home improvement store (to buy the vast array of black switches, receptacles, and wall plates for the kitchen that I mentioned yesterday). It has been bright and sunny lately, but especially today. Not a cloud in the sky. Because of this, I had brought along my sunglasses. Berkeley was struggling against the sun without protection and he asked me if I had his sunglasses.

Now, we were in the blue car and he normally rides in the gray car, but for whatever reason, his sunglasses were in the back seat of the blue car. So I fished around for them and produced them in my hand. Berkeley grinned broadly and as he put them on.

"Thank you Daddy," he said and then he looked into the sun.

After a small pause he stated, "You are a nice Daddy."

It's the little things that count.

Alternatives to Economic Sanctions
Ron Paul (R-TX) published a great article yesterday arguing that we should be economincally engaged with Iran rather than attempting to isolate Iran, as this is the best way to indirectly influence the Irananian people. I highly recommend it for your review:

Sanctions Against Iran

As the drumbeat for military action against Iran grows louder, some members of Congress are calling to expand the longstanding U.S. trade ban that bars American companies from investing in that nation. In fact, many war hawks in Washington are pushing for a comprehensive international embargo against Iran. The international response has been lukewarm, however, because the world needs Iranian oil. But we cannot underestimate the irrational, almost manic desire of some neoconservatives to attack Iran one way or another, even if it means crippling a major source of oil and destabilizing the worldwide economy.

Make no mistake about it: Economic sanctions are acts of aggression. Sanctions increase poverty and misery among the very poorest inhabitants of targeted nations, and they breed tremendous resentment against those imposing them. But they rarely hurt the political and economic elites responsible for angering American leaders in the first place.

In fact, few government policies are as destructive to our economy as the embargo.

While embargoes sound like strong, punitive action, in reality they represent a failed policy that four decades of experience prove doesn't work. Conversely, economic engagement is perhaps the single most effective tool in tearing down dictatorships and spreading the message of liberty.

It is important to note that economic engagement is not the same thing as foreign aid. Foreign aid, which should be abolished immediately, involves the US government spending American tax dollars to prop up other nations.

Embargoes only hurt the innocent of a targeted country. While it may be difficult for the leader of an embargoed nation to get a box of American-grown rice, he will get it one way or another. For the poor peasant in the remote section of his country, however, the food will be unavailable.

It is difficult to understand how denying access to food, medicine, and other products benefits anyone. Embargo advocates claim that denying people access to our products somehow creates opposition to the despised leader. The reality, though, is that hostilities are more firmly directed at America.

Father Robert Sirico, a Paulist priest, wrote in the Wall Street Journal that trade relations "strengthen people's loyalties to each other and weaken government power." To imagine that we somehow can spread the message of liberty to an oppressed nation by denying them access to our people and the bounty of our prosperity is contorted at best.

For more than thirty years we have embargoed Cuba in an attempt to drive Fidel Castro from power. Yet he remains in power. By contrast look at the Soviet Union, a nation we allowed our producers to engage economically. Of course the Soviet Union has collapsed.

Great points.

Home Renovation Project: Vault Removal: Dimmers, Switches, and Trim Plates
I replaced all of the upstairs switches with illuminated decora switches this evening (6 in all) and installed fan timer switches in each of the other bathrooms (the electrician recommended that I do so as he has seen "too many house fires started by bathroom fans left perpetually running"). I also installed a couple of Lutron dimmers on the living room corner and spot lights.

While I was over at Lowe's buying supplies, I noticed that they carry a real nice looking variety of black receptacles, switches, and trim plates. I didn't buy any today, but I've made an inventory of the kitchen and decided to replace all of our white switches, receptacles, and trim black with black equivalents. It might be tricky finding the speaker controls and internet/phone modular jacks in black, but I'll hop on this new-fangled intarweb and see what I can find.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Paint It Black
We will be installing new cabinets in the mud room where the washer and dryer once were. Like the kitchen cabinets, the new mud room cabinets will be black. After I painted the kitchen cabinets black, it always bothered me that the rest of the kitchen trim (including the doors) were white. Now that we will be extending black into the mud room, I have decided to paint all of the white doors (and trim) black.

I put a primer coat on the trim last night and was up late this morning (until about 5am) painting the trim black. Here are some pics:

I'll paint the doors using my airless spray gun after we get our garage back (all of our dining room furniture and nursery furniture is stored in the garage).

(Fri Apr 28 07:12:06 PDT 2006 // updated for clarity)

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Easter
We had a pretty good Easter. We were able to spend the day with family. Both on our own - the four of us - and with Kristy's extended family. In the morning the kids opened up the presents in their Easter baskets. Both the kids love opening presents... we could wrap up empty boxes and Eliana would be thrilled just tearing off the wrapping paper.

We have early Church service (9am-12noon) so we couldn't lounge about eating boiled eggs. We went straight to church after opening presents. The kids had new Easter clothes. Here is a pic:

Yes, they are pretty darn cute. I agree.

After church, we loaded up the kids and drove down to Laura's house for Easter dinner (ham, potatoes, Bertha's orange rolls, and a host of other good food). The kids had a small Easter egg hunt while we were there and we did our best to line up all of the cousins for a group picture... here is the best one of the bunch that we took:

We had fun. But I am exhausted. I stayed up too late this morning painting.

Be Green; Go Nuclear
One of the co-founders of Greenpeace has an editorial today arguing for nuclear energy. I've long thought that we need to start building more nuclear power plants here in the US, but the stigma of nuclear energy has been hard to overcome (no thanks to Hollywood of course). But this is a positive development. Perhaps soon more people will be less dismissive of nuclear energy. Have a read:

Going Nuclear
A Green Makes the Case
By Patrick Moore

[...] More than 600 coal-fired electric plants in the United States produce 36 percent of U.S. emissions -- or nearly 10 percent of global emissions -- of CO2, the primary greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. Nuclear energy is the only large-scale, cost-effective energy source that can reduce these emissions while continuing to satisfy a growing demand for power. And these days it can do so safely.

[...]

In 1979, Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon produced a frisson of fear with their starring roles in "The China Syndrome," a fictional evocation of nuclear disaster in which a reactor meltdown threatens a city's survival. Less than two weeks after the blockbuster film opened, a reactor core meltdown at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear power plant sent shivers of very real anguish throughout the country.

What nobody noticed at the time, though, was that Three Mile Island was in fact a success story: The concrete containment structure did just what it was designed to do -- prevent radiation from escaping into the environment. And although the reactor itself was crippled, there was no injury or death among nuclear workers or nearby residents. Three Mile Island was the only serious accident in the history of nuclear energy generation in the United States, but it was enough to scare us away from further developing the technology: There hasn't been a nuclear plant ordered up since then.

Today, there are 103 nuclear reactors quietly delivering just 20 percent of America's electricity. Eighty percent of the people living within 10 miles of these plants approve of them (that's not including the nuclear workers). Although I don't live near a nuclear plant, I am now squarely in their camp.

And I am not alone among seasoned environmental activists in changing my mind on this subject. British atmospheric scientist James Lovelock, father of the Gaia theory, believes that nuclear energy is the only way to avoid catastrophic climate change.

[...]

Wind and solar power have their place, but because they are intermittent and unpredictable they simply can't replace big baseload plants such as coal, nuclear and hydroelectric. Natural gas, a fossil fuel, is too expensive already, and its price is too volatile to risk building big baseload plants. Given that hydroelectric resources are built pretty much to capacity, nuclear is, by elimination, the only viable substitute for coal. It's that simple.

The article goes on from there and debunks many popular myths about nuclear power. It's a great read.

Restaurant Review: Rover's

Kristy and I received a gift certificate from our good friends, Dave and Lisa Sharp, to Rover's restaurant (see a scan of our menu at right). It was a very generous gift, since according to Zagat, Rover's is one of the highest rated restaurants in the Seattle area. Along with 6 others, Rover's received an overall Zagat rating of 28 out of 30 - the second highest score awarded among all Seattle restaurants (the highest ranking was 29). As an aside, Zagat awarded my favorite steakhouse restaurant, JaK's Grill, with a rating of 27.

Sure, I take those Zagat ratings with a grain of salt - the mediocre Campagne was given a rating equal to JaK's at 27. But with Rover's, Zagat has the rating dead on: "an unforgettable dining experience" ... "perfectly executed cuisine" ... "breathtakingly expensive" ... "worth every penny". In fact, I will go so far to say that our meal tonight at Rover's was the best meal I've ever had in my entire life - bar none.

In fact, I can't even think of a meal that could be considered an appropriate comparable to the one I had at Rover's tonight. Sometimes I wax nostalgic for the meal Kristy and I shared with Dave and Heather Barnes at Anton & Michel in Carmel (back in what was it? 1996?). But as memorable as that meal was (I still remember it 10 years later), it is still a distant second.

As you can imagine from looking at the menu, the meal takes some time to consume. We started our 8-course dinner at 5:30pm and rolled out of there ($300 lighter) almost 3½ hours later. Rover's does also offer smaller 5-course-vegetarian and 6-course menus (for $85/person and $95/person respectively), but after looking them over tonight (the menus change daily) neither of the smaller offerings looked as tempting as the grand 8-course menu.

We started the meal with an "Amuse-Bouche" which was three little bite-size morsels of food to get our gastrointestinal juices flowing. They were each delightful. If this was only what was getting us started, I could tell that we were in for a treat. Kristy probably should not have consumed our first course, the Tartare of Sea Bass (as consuming raw fish is frowned on during pregnancy), but the delightful salad was just too good not to eat. Not only were the flavors of the sea bass, cucumber, brioche, and caviar complementary, but the mouth-feel of each of the foods - the raw sea bass, the crunchy cucumber, the crispy brioche, and the caviar - all went together very nicely.

The Sea Scallop with Shaved Fennel was just outstanding. My wife isn't a big sea scallop fan (I am), but she thoroughly enjoyed the perfectly prepared tender scallop. The fennel was served in a light creamy lemon grass sauce (I have no idea what "Nage" is). The sauce was fantastic... we both decided not a drop could be missed. Fortunately, a flat french sauce spoon was provided with the course which allowed us to get at every last drop.

Our next course, the Quail Consommé, was also very good. It was not as delicious as the Tartare, but it was good enough to consume slowly and enjoy each mouthful. The fourth course, the Maine Lobster, was incredible. The truffle sauce was not overpowering (as some can be), but instead was another sauce in which every drop had to be consumed (a new set of silverware, including the extremely useful flat french sauce spoon was served with each course).

Now, I was a little apprehensive about the Foie Gras, not because I have any distaste for how the animals are treated (Kristy is more empathetic to animals and their plight just before they are killed for consumption) but rather because, well... it's goose liver! But, my oh my, foie gras must be the food of the gods. Each bite of the delightful foie gras (and the sauce that accompanied it) gave me goosebumps that began from the inside of my cheeks and spread out to my toes. It was sublime. And wow was it rich! I had to stop halfway through the course to let my blood pressure simmer down a bit. That has never happened to me before... unlike Kristy, who is a bit more susceptible to blood pressure variations, I can usually plow through the richest of food and desserts without missing a beat. But this foie gras was so packed with flavor (and fat I presume), that I had to take a significant pause. But I still managed to consume it all (along with every last portion of the delectable sauce that accompanied it.) It turned out that the one course on the menu that I had doubts about ended up being my favorite. Funny that.

The King Salmon was superb. It was served with ramps (wild leeks) and morels (a type of mushroom) with a red wine sauce - another sauce that just could not be wasted. It was during the following pause (while eating the sparkling-fresh and full-flavored grapefruit sorbet) that I began to come to the realization that this would be the best meal I would have consumed in my life. I just couldn't believe how different - and how perfect - each course had been so far. And it wasn't just that the flavors of each course were so different, but that they were each so different and so complex. It made any other meal (that I can remember off the top of my head) seem so simple by comparison. I mean, I can put together a pretty good meal for a Sunday get together. And in general, when I'm eating at a restaurant, I think to myself... "this is how they put this together" using this ingredient and that. But it would literally be impossible for me to replicate any of what I was eating at Rover's. This was cuisine art.

Our seventh course was the Lamb. It was just as great as everything else (especially the sauce) but was probably the most "basic" of the courses... meat, potatoes, veggies. Our chef joined our table briefly during this course and I complimented his efforts profusely. I guaranteed him that we will return. The dinner was just too good to enjoy once.

I think I have exhausted my supply of superlatives to describe our last course, the dessert medley (er... "symphony"). It included the "Rum Baba" and the Lemon Orange Panna Cotta described on the menu as well as a small cube of a hazelnut chocolate layer cake. Of the three, the panna cotta was my favorite. It was nice and light and had a delightful blend of sour and sweet at play. The rum baba was extremely moist and very rich. The cake looked dry from the outside, and even while cutting it, but it surprised me as to how much *ahem* rum was hidden in the spongy cake. It was very rich. The hazelnut coconut cake was ok. I'm not a big chocolate fan, so it was my least favorite of the three. But I still managed to choke the thing down - every last bite.

Summary: The best meal I have ever had in my entire life.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Carpet Installed
The carpet subcontractor showed up today and installed carpet in Eliana's room and the hallway. He just used the carpet that we took out from the old nursery and living room. There is one noticeable seam in the hallway where the "new" carpet meets up with the "old" carpet. The existing carpet upstairs is pretty well worn and trodden down, whereas the living room carpet installed right next to it looks brand new by comparison.

The carpet installer informed us that we will always be able to see the seam, but that it will become less stark over time as the "newer" hallway carpet gets matted down. He also suggested we get the carpets professionally cleaned - the "older" carpet (the carpet that has been down throughout the course of the construction project) is also a bit dirtier, probably due to the fact that construction dust has settled into the fibers over the course of the project.

After the installer left, Berkeley moved some toys into Eliana's room and began playing on the carpet. I preserved the moment in picture:

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Restaurant Review: Seastar

Kristy and I went to Seastar this evening. It may seem somewhat odd to go out on a Thursday night for dinner, but we wanted to do something with some friends (Rich and Zinni). We are both busy this coming weekend, so I came up with the idea to just head over to Bellevue and grab a bite at Seastar.

I've been to Seastar several times before (on at least three or four occasions), but before tonight we hadn't been there since late 2004. However, don't let that somehow indicate any lack of enthusiasm I have for the restaurant, it is just that with so many excellent restaurant choices in Seattle, it takes awhile for infrequent diners such as Kristy and myself to make the rounds.

Seastar, as one could guess by the restaurant's name, specializes in seafood. As much as I would not recommend you order a fish entrée at JaK's, I would not recommend you go to Seastar if you want to eat a steak. I've not had the steak at Seastar, but then... I've not had the fish at JaK's. My dining opportunities are rare enough that I'd rather stick with sure winners.

I've had a few items on the Seastar menu, but none has been as memorable as the Cedar Plank Roasted Salmon - it's fantastic (go when the Copper River salmon are making their run in early May). Tonight I decided to go with the Cedar Plank Roasted Mushrooms as my appetizer and forego the Cedar Roasted Salmon as my main entrée. Because my wife holds mushrooms in about as much disdain as Satan himself, I decided that I better have the mushrooms while the getting is good. Oh boy, they were splendiferous - hearty, flavorful, and abundant. More than enough to share with Kristy; but she wasn't having any.

I ordered the Kona Kampachi dish that was served with a tropical fruit medley. I'd not heard of Kampachi before, so I decided to give it a try. The Kampachi is a white fish, so I was expecting something mild like halibut, but the taste is more similar to freshwater trout... albeit not as wild in flavor as trout, but it was surprising nonetheless. I will order Kampachi again, it was quite good. Kristy ordered the Applewood grilled wild salmon. I sampled a bite, it was delicious. Northwest wild salmon... I take it for granted sometimes because it is so prevalent, but it was a solid choice.

For dessert, we ordered the White Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie for Two. After a little nudging, I convinced Kristy to share it with me (it didn't take too much convincing... since she had discovered that the Orange in the Molten Chocolate Orange Cake could not be decoupled from the Molten Chocolate). I warned the waitress when I ordered it that I would be comparing the Seastar Coconut Cream Pie with the Triple Coconut Cream Pie from Dahlia's Lounge... which, apart from the Coconut Cream Pie prepared by my mother's own loving hands (God bless her), is the best Coconut Cream Pie I have sampled to date in my short lifetime.

The Seastar Cocount Cream Pie is good. The macadamia nut crust is a very good addition over the plain 'ol pasty crust at Dahlia's. But Dahlia's has more coconut flavor (the Dahlia's pie is densely packed with shredded coconut). Perhaps Seastar did not want the coconut to overwhelm the subtle flavor of white chocolate, so I can see that there is a balance that needs to be found when combining the coconut with the white chocolate. And I think the pie delivers... it is delicious. Yet, as good as the Seastar White Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie was, I still prefer the Triple Coconut Cream Pie at Dahlia's. But, I want to stress, both are good pies - very good pies. Ok then.

Summary: Go for the fish, save room for pie. Recommended.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Plumbing Trim Complete
All of the plumbing work in the remodel is now complete. The plumbing crew stopped by today and installed the sinks, sink fixtures, toilet, shower drain, and shower fixture. It's starting to come together. Once we have the shower glass, the vanity mirror, and the toilet paper roller mounted, the new bathroom will be completely operational (at least from a purely functional viewpoint... the privacy shutters on the bathroom window have not yet been rehung).

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Electrical Trim Complete
All of the electrical work in the house is now complete. The electrician stopped by today and installed all of the switches, receptacles, wall plates, and the bathroom fan. He didn't put in the illuminated decora switches upstairs as I requested, so I'll have to swap those out sometime this weekend (or whenever I find some time). Though the switches are somewhat expensive (about $7/switch) the kids like them because they are easy to find in the dark. The electrician also put in a smoke alarm (in Eliana's room) that doesn't match those in the rest of the house, despite the fact that I know you can buy them down at Home Depot for just $15. Sigh.

Other than those minor annoyances, the electrician (Ken) has done a great job throughout the different phases of the project. I have been very pleased with his work. I'll keep his business card on file if I ever require electrical services in the future.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Eliana Swimming
I took the kids over to the club for a swim in the pool. I decided to leave Eliana's life vest behind in favor of a flotation belt... with the intent to see if she could doggy paddle hard enough to keep her head above water. While we were vacationing in Park City last year I put Eliana in the pool with a couple of the belts; one on her back and one on her front. She did quite well... but she's six months older now, so I wanted to test her strength.

Her performance was very good. I thought she would struggle with just the one belt on (Berkeley only uses one belt for flotation as well), but she doggie paddled quite vigorously and can move from Point A to Point B in the pool with surprising speed. We shall definitely have to sign her up this summer for lessons. She's ready.

Mall Boats
I took the kids out tonight... Kristy is bogged down with some work so she needed some peace and quiet to sort out some evals she is supposed to complete by Wednesday. We decided to drive over to the mall for no other reason than to play with these oversized foam boats they have. The kids love climbing all over on them and running around them in circles. They get a bit crazy and have a great time.

In the parking lot at the mall, Berkeley was getting a little giddy in anticipation. He was running around the car while I was getting the stroller ready. Berkeley is a bit of klutz (like his Dad) and while he was horsing around he managed to stumble on something and skinned up his knee pretty badly. He's had some minor scrapes before, but this was was a pretty good gouge and was bleeding badly. I got it all patched up (first-aid kits in a car are a must btw) and he limped on it a bit before the pain subsided. The first of many such injuries I'm sure.

(Wed Apr 26 17:51:45 PDT 2006 // fixed some grammar mistakes)

Three More Cousins (Three More Grandkids for my Folks)
While we were expecting Eliana (our 2nd child), two of my brothers (Mark/Jen and Bryan/Jess) were also expecting (their 4th and 1st child respectively). Eliana, Heather (Mark's kid), and Rees (Bryan's kid) were all born within 4 weeks of each other in 2002 (Eliana is the youngest of the three and Heather is the oldest of the three). Needless to say, the fact that 3 out of 4 of my folks' daughters-in-law were pregnant at the same time did not go unnoticed... Heather, Rees, and Eliana were the 8th, 9th, and 10th grandchildren for my ecstatic parents.

We are now expecting our 3rd child - a girl - due August 2nd. Last week Mark informed us that he and Jen are expecting their 5th (due December 5th)... and just today, Bryan chimed in that #2 is on the way (due October 7th). This time around, instead of three cousins spaced four weeks apart, it will be three cousins spaced four months apart. These three will be the 11th, 12th, and 13th grandchildren for my parents. Should be fun.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Sewer Expansion
Today was the day I was dreading since the initial plumbing inspection determined that a correction was needed. We need to replace all of our 3" sewer pipe after the junction that joins the 4th toilet drain with larger 4" pipe. This has to be done for about 6 feet inside our crawlspace, out through the foundation strip footing, and for whatever length exists from the footing to the sewer main. Before today, it was anyone's guess as to how far the sewer main was from the foundation edge.

Baxton started digging a hole this morning on the outside of the house at the approximately location of our sewer pipe exit point. Fortunately, the 4" sewer main was only a couple of feet from the foundation wall. So landscaping disruption only involved two bushes next to the house exterior wall.

The plumbing crew showed up in the afternoon and jackhammered a larger hole in the foundation footing for the larger pipe. It was at a location immediately underneath my office, so it got pretty loud. But it didn't take too long. They had the whole business wrapped up in just under a couple of hours. Whew!

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Getting Close
I decided to snap some pics of where the project is at right now. We are getting close. Here are some pics:

The first picture shows the new bathroom wall color and treatment. The second and third pictures are of Eliana's new bedroom. The fourth picture shows the painted trim in the entry area. The fifth picture show the living room fully painted. And the sixth picture shows the suede treament on Kristy's office wall.

This coming week the electrician is coming out to install the lights and trim out the receptacles and switches. The plumber will be out to install the sinks, shower, and toilet. Baxton will install all of the pre-finished trim. And we will have our office and bedroom windows measured for shutters.

(Update Thu Apr 27 08:30:57 PDT 2006 // updated link to pics)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Painting
The painting subcontractors finished yesterday. Not long after the paint dried, Kristy and I set to the task of repainting everything.

Last night we tried to apply a light blue Ralph Lauren Natural Linen finish over the top of the creamy-white bathroom walls. We failed miserably. So today, Kristy and I repainted over the walls that had just a few days earlier been freshly painted by the paint subcontractors [/me shakes head]. We repainted the room with a light blue paint, and bought a white glaze (from a different company) that Kristy had used previously (on our dining room walls). Then Kristy applied the glaze to several of the bathroom walls using the same "linen" technique. She achieved much better results.

While she was repainting the bathroom walls, I was repainting the office walls using a Ralph Lauren Suede technique. The suede paint has a bit of sand or something in it that adds a little bit of texture to the walls. It looks pretty good. Neither one of us completed all of the walls in our room, so we'll have to finish up later. I'll snap some pictures then.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Parenting Philosophy
I had a conversation yesterday with my brother-in-law Scott about parenting philosophy. His style is oriented around a structured routine and schedule (set times for eating, sleeping, etc), my style is much more fluid. We both have two children - one of each gender - however, his eldest is a girl.

We spoke at length about the advantages and disadvantages of both our philosphies. The main detriment I see with his philosophy is it seems too restrictive, and he sees the main disadvantage of my philosophy as being that it lacks predictability. My perception is that his children have poor coping skills when deviations from "the schedule" occur; he thinks my kids are wild and unruly because they have no structure. I should note that this was a pleasant conversation, as we were both seeking mutual improvement (or at least that was my impression of our conversation anyway).

Here is a short list of some of the positives I see in my parenting philosophy:

1. Adaptability. Life presents a complex set of stresses and demands each and every day. New challenges pop up while previous challenges are still being dealt with. Providing my kids with opportunities to adapt to new situations and challenges (i.e. being put to bed by a babysitter instead of a parent) that may not be part of "the routine" allows our children to develop coping skills.

2. Flexibility. If I'm confident that my child can adapt to a situation, this allows me to be much more flexible with our schedule. For example, if I think my kids can handle going to bed an hour later than normal, we can take in a pleasant evening as a family at the bowling alley, or a late night run to the local ice cream store.

3. Spontaneity. Fun things happen, they generally aren't planned. Being more adaptable and more flexible invites more spontaneity.

Comments are welcomed.

(Update Wed Apr 26 15:20:32 PDT 2006 // or -> our)

Narcissism and Paternalism as Foreign Policy
Go read this.

The stage is now set for a still greater and much worse catastrophe: a military attack on Iran. And there is not one national political leader of any significance who will oppose it. Most of them will support it, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Some of them will say they "regret" it, but they will view it as a "tragic necessity."

We are in love with death, and every day we bring death closer -- and on a scale that we dare not even imagine.

If you want security, stop meddling in other people's affairs.

Speaking Up, Speaking Out on Alternative to War
I think America is a great country. But I have my doubts about whether or not it can survive the current stranglehold the two-party system has on our government. Both parties cling more tightly to power than to principles. And the citizenry (at large, and in my very humble opinion) seems to care very little about the momentous import of the poor decisions our leaders (of both parties) are making.

Case in point... currently both parties are trying to "out-hawk" each other about Iran. I was talking a bit about politics to my brother-in-law while driving home from Priesthood the other day. The context of the discussion was my disagreement with President Hinckley's personal opinion about Iraq (at least his pre-war opinion about Iraq, I have no idea how President Hinckley feels now... more on that here). Then the subject turned to Iran. He blurted out that we should just "bomb Iran" and be done with it. Well, if he wanted to get a rise out of me, that was the perfect thing to say, and I started going through all of the reasons why that was a bad idea and what we should be doing instead. I wasn't upset, but I wasn't calm as the summer's morn either.

My brother-in-law was unimpressed and said something to effect that "[I'm] getting too worked up about it." Now that may be true, but there is certainly cause for grave concern in my humble opinion. This conversation came back into my mind, because of something I read today:

What the War Party is counting on, in the end, is its ironclad control over the two-party system and its all-pervasive grip on Congress: this, they hope, will suppress the effects of widespread discontent and prevent popular antiwar sentiment from upsetting their future plans. They are counting on their well-organized and lavishly financed efforts to counter the rising tide of public opinion, and are hoping, at the very least, to keep the governing elites on their side. If no major party candidate offers the people a clear choice between war and peace, if the Democrats as well as the Republicans push a foreign policy of "preemptive" aggression and global intervention, then - they hope - the antiwar majority can be rendered impotent. No wonder they want to "export democracy" to the rest of the world - it's the system that keeps them in power, while masking their anti-majoritarian, anti-populist rule in the shiny raiment of democratic idealism. A more self-consciously cynical doctrine would be hard to invent.

Perfectly stated. You can read the rest here.

It's time to speak up, and speak out.

The Logic Of Deterrence and Diplomacy
I got my latest issue of The American Conservative in the mail today and have just finished reading most of the articles contained therein. Fantastic political magazine... I highly recommend a subscription. The cover article, "Iran: The Logic of Deterrence" is a very good read. Here are a couple of good quotes (but please go read the whole thing):

Given the overwhelming U.S. advantage in both nuclear and conventional military capabilities, Iran is not going to risk national suicide by challenging America's security commitments in the region. In this sense, dealing with the Iranian "nuclear threat" is actually one of the easier strategic challenges the United States faces. It is a threat that can be handled by an offshore balancing strategy that relies on missile, air, and naval power well away from the volatile Persian Gulf, thus reducing the American poltico-military footprint in the region. In short, while a nuclear-armed Iran is hardly desirable, neither is it "intolerable," because it could be contained and deterred successfully by the United States.

[...]

although a nuclear-armed Iran is not a pleasant prospect, neither is it an intolerable one. Tehran won't be the first distasteful regime to acquire nuclear weapons. The United States has adjusted to similar situations in the past and can do so this time. Rather than preventive war and regime change, the best policies for the U.S. with respect to Iran are the tried and true ones: containment, deterrence, and diplomatic engagement.

There are realistic and much more reasonable alternatives to pre-emption. Remember this when the War Party begins, in earnest, to trump up the Iranian Bogeyman in the coming months.

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Cabinet Bids (Followup)
Kenis sent us over some updates we requested after thinking about what the kitchen island should look like. We will need the island to house our microwave on one side (just as the old island did), but the other end of the island is a completely new design. The goal is to have kids be be able to sit around the island on swivel-out chairs and eat.

Our original thinking was to put legs at the corners. But after thinking about it, we asked Kenis to draw up another option where the support for the island would be in the center of island and the island edges (and corners) would be cantilevered out from the center support. Here are the designs he built from our conceptual models:

Kitchen Island with Corner Legs (perspective)


Kitchen Island without Corner Legs (floor plan, perspective)

Not sure yet which one we will go with. The freedom of the movement around the corners is a plus with the design that eliminates the corner supports. But, will the aesthetics of the open end on one side of the island clash with the closed end of the side that houses the microwave? It seems like it would.

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Home Removation Project: Vault Removal: Cabinet Bids
The week before last we invited a couple of cabinet companies to bid on the extensive cabinetry that we want added to Kristy's office, the laundry room, and the mud room. The companies also were to bid on a new kitchen island. Today, a representative for one of the companies, Kenis Loven of Kenis Loven Construction, LLC, dropped by the house with their proposal. Here are the electronic copies:

Laundry Room (floor plan, perspective)
Mud Room (floor plan, perspective)
Kristy's Office (floor plan, perspective, rendering)

We don't know anything about Kenis Loven or his company, I just picked him random only because our other cabinet contractor has been so slow to respond to our queries. But we were pretty impressed with thoroughness of the bid, the attention to detail, and the quality of the work in Kenis' portfolio. I have no idea what the other contractor's bid will come in at, but for all of the cabinets we would like done (including the very customized requirements in Kristy's office; murphy bed, etc) Kenis is asking $44k (yes, you read that right, $44,000)... which is about what a nicely equipped brand new BMW 330xi would run (i.e. the car every Acura TL owner covets).

(Update Mon May 22 22:26:27 PDT 2006 // title formatting)

Maybe in Another Month
It was such a nice day today that I took the kids over to Pine Lake Park this evening. The air temperature was still a bit brisk (mid 60s), but the sun was out, so it felt a little warmer. While I was there I took a temperature reading of the lake water - 53° - yow, I'll check again in another month.

Robert Wood
This talk by Robert Wood is easily the best talk I've heard at Conference for many, many years (here's the transcript).

(Update Mon Apr 10 00:37:24 PDT 2006 // added the link to the transcript)

Be Kind
I listened to much of conference today. During the morning and the afternoon sessions I had to work, so I listened to conference in the background and didn't get much out of it. But the evening (Priesthood) session I was able to attend at my local church and concentrate on the messages. The session was good but more or less forgettable... even now I can only really remember much about the two anchor talks; the one by President Monson ("Our Sacred Priesthood Trust"), and the other by President Hinckley ("The Need for Greater Kindness").

President Monson's talk was a bit more serious than his typical a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-my-old-dear-friend's-funeral talk. And it was a welcome change from his standard fare (though he did still manage to squeeze in one gratuitous funeral reference). I think he probably senses that Gordon-B may be taking in his last breaths. He seemed much more serious than usual; or at the very least, less jocular than usual.

President Hinckley's talk was interesting. He started off by lamenting that there seems to be so much hate in the world; hate fomented by wars and racial strife. Given President Hinckley's lack of an anti-war stance (see here) when other major religious leaders (such as The Pope) were steadfastly against initiating war with Iraq, I didn't find President Hinckley's lamentation to be that sincere. But that being said, the message - Be Kind - is certainly a good one. I know that I could be much kinder, and more considerate, to others. Something I should work on.

(Sun Apr 9 15:00:03 PDT 2006 // added links to transcript of talks)