The Daily Biff

Product Review: Frog Tape

I've been doing a little bit of painting these past few days. We had to repaint the family room walls and decided to paint the ceiling a new color. Before painting the wall, I bought a new roll of blue tape to mask around the windows and the doors. The problem I have with blue tape is leaking at the edges and pulling up old paint, but it's certainly better than using ordinary old masking tape.

We used an entire roll of blue tape up while doing the walls, so I returned to the hardware store for more. But instead of blue tape, I saw this roll of green tape called Frog Tape. The packaging promises "Perfect Paint Lines" and it seems to have delivered. I've been pulling off the tape in a few places and there doesn't appear to have been any paint bleeding. But the green stuff still did pull up some old paint in a few places.

Summary: Worth an extra buck to upgrade from blue.

Movie Review: Baby Mama

Title:	Baby Mama (2008)
Rating:	4/10

On one of these laundry/movie nights that Kristy and I do, we'll stumble on a movie that is actually riveting enough that we won't be able to multi-task and will be forced to devote our time wholly to the task of watching the movie. The light and fluffy Baby Mama is not a movie that demands attention. Kate (Tina Fey, a former SNL regular) is an executive VP at her company and has been hard at work for a decade or more climbing the corporate ladder. However, she realizes that she is just a few cycles away from turning 40 and so she decides to put her personal life as first priority. She attempts to have a baby (via insemination and adoption) but it doesn't work out. So she decides to use a surrogate mother instead. After an exhaustive search of one candidate, the surrogate mother (Amy Pohler, another SNL alum) she chooses is *ahem* much less refined than she is. And the gags/movie falls from there; much of which includes Pohler and Fey sharing the screen with each other doing "expectant-mother" things. Oh, and Greg Kinear shows up with a smoothie store and romantic interests. Ho hum.

This is the third romantic comedy in a row we have watched in the last 10 days and this was probably the worst of the bunch. The movie is not typical SNL-awful (it could have been a whole lot worse), but it is still unimpressive - mediocre at best.

Primary Music at Conference

It is that time of year for LDS General Conference. We typically will tune-in via the internet video feed offered at BYU Television. The kids loved the Primary choir during the ~~morning~~ afternoon session today. They played while we watched, but during the songs (that were familiar) they stopped what they were doing and sang along to the hymn. I hope that including a Primary choir in the program is done more often in the future; it really seems to draw the kids in and settle them down.

(Update Mon Oct 6 07:32:50 PDT 2008 // morning -> afternoon)

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Playhouse Interior Paint (Revisited)

Kristy snapped some additional pictures of the job she did on the playhouse interior painting. The playhouse is "play central" up in the attic right now... it is where the kids congregate most often (especially the girls) and rightfully so given the ages of our children. What's funny is that the playhouse was not part of the original design of the attic; we just kind of came up with the idea on the spot while the framers were putting up the interior walls. In fact, it was almost a year ago to the day that the framers roughed in the playhouse... check it out:

That was taken on October 5th, 2007. Fast forward, one year later and here is what the playhouse interior looks like:

You'll notice that Kristy has included close-ups of the fireplace, potted, plant, and bookshelf she painted. Nicely done!

Home Renovation Project: Back Patio Deck: Family Room Opening Cased

The new framed-in opening that connects the kitchen and the family room has been cased. It looks great and adds a bit more of a formal separation between the two rooms.

Movie Review: 27 Dresses

Title:	27 Dresses (2008)
Rating:	5/10

Earlier this year, my wife saw 27 Dresses in the theater (with her sisters); she humored me and she watched it again (with me) tonight. The film is a romantic comedy based on the the expression "always a bridesmaid but never a bride". The main character, Jane, has been a bridesmaid 27 times but never a bride. She is a part-time wedding planning and a full-time executive assistant. She has a secret crush on her boss, and has done nothing about it for some time (like a decade I think). When Jane's sister arrives unexpectedly in town and successfully woos/seduces Jane's boss, becoming engaged in the process. Jane's staid and conservative take-one-for-the-team demeanor is pushed to the breaking point.

Meanwhile, Jane is being chased by a reporter on the local wedding circuit seeking a story documenting Jane's sad tale of bridesmaid-dom. Jane is repulsed at first, but then (of course) Jane and the reporter end up falling in love, split up over a misunderstanding, reunite, and then live happily ever after. The End.

Summary: As one reviewer appropriately noted... "If there's a romantic comedy cliché missed in 27 Dresses, I'm not sure what it is." Indeed.

Portrait Photos of Eliana and Olivia

Last week while Berkeley and I attended a Mariners game, Kristy took the girls over to Bellevue Square for a portraiture sitting by Triskele Portrait Photography. We got the resulting photos back today:

Mimi's Office

Kristy works one day a week; every Wednesday, at her private practice. The kids love to visit "Mimi's office" because she has a bunch of toys in her office for the purpose of play therapy. Those office toys have not lost their charm yet (I guess) so they are always begging for a visit. Kristy is switching out her old storage furniture for new stuff, so we used it as an excuse and all went over there this evening and had some dinner in her office. Then the kids played while Kristy and I put the new furniture together.

As I was driving home with the kids in the back seat (quietly dozing off after the long night), I thought of how fortunate they are to have Kristy as their mother. I'm quite proud of Kristy and her accomplishments; she is a great mother and caregiver, she served an LDS mission with honor, has three college degrees hanging on the wall (BS/MS/PhD), and (from what I understand) is an excellent therapist (she is regularly booked out several months in advance). I don't think the kids quite appreciate how respected Kristy is in all spheres of her life: professionally, ecclesiastically, and personally... she is just "Mom" to them for now and that is good enough. But in 10, 15, or perhaps 20 years they'll likely figure it out. Berkeley will probably gauge his expectations for the women he dates and the woman he will eventually marry using the high standard that his mother has set (and he'll be all the better for it), and Eliana and Olivia have an excellent example to emulate. I couldn't ask for much more.

September 2008 Photos

The September 2008 photo galleries are now closed. We were fairly busy last month with activities and took quite a few pictures. The end result is that the galleries are abundant with beautiful pictures of the kids. I love looking back at the latest chapters in their lives and think about the fun we had. The galleries can be reviewed at Berkeley's web site, Eliana's web site, and Olivia's web site. Or just access the galleries directly using the following links:

Berkeley's September 2008 Gallery

Eliana's September 2008 Gallery

Olivia's September 2008 Gallery

Home Renovation Project: Back Patio Deck: Project Update

The drywall subcontractor finished up the repair of the family room walls today. This evening Kristy and I spent some time taping and painting the walls. It took a couple of coats to cover the drywall primer, but it looks great now that it is complete. It was great to have Kristy help with the taping, we were able to knock it out in just a couple of hours. The family room is almost back to a pre-steel-beam-installatation state. We need to wrap the beam yet of course, but that process won't start until the 13th. Between now and then we hope to have the millwork installed and painted (not by us) and the ceiling repainted (something we will do).

The light at the end of the tunnel of our ongoing home renovation is getting brighter. Today our new patio doors were tied into the home security system and the carpet in our master bedroom was re-installed (it had been rolled back for the benefit of installing the new door). There are only a few things left to do!

2008 Home Preschool Class Pictures

Kristy, Kathy, and Ang have started up preschool for the younger cousins around here. The class this year includes four outstanding pupils: Emily, Olivia, Nathan, and Isabella.

And here are the four of them together for a class picture:

Class pictures for "cousin preschool" is a yearly tradition, albeit one that was partially interrupted last year because of our attic renovation project. Check out the previous years of "cousin preschool" class pictures here.

Home Renovation Project: Exterior Painting: Final Touch-Ups

The painters showed up today to help me finish up the final touch-ups around the house. I worked side-by-side with Yuri and his son Oleg and we were able to paint all of the new material with the exception of the new trim Baxton installed around the three rear dormers. Yuri and Oleg will be back tomorrow for the last little bit and then the project will be done. The rain is due to start on Wednesday or Thursday. So I'm really happy that everything will be done before then.

Home Renovation Project: Exterior Painting: New Window Trim

We decided to have Baxton install cedar trim around all of the windows on the house. The trim matches what was done around the doors in the back and what has always been present on the front of the house. Yes we should have done this before the house was painted, but we didn't really realize how much the trim was needed until after the paint was done.

The last of the window trim was installed just yesterday. I've notified the painters that we are ready to go with the new stuff, but I decided to take matters into my own hands today and get a jump on priming the new material. The seasonal rain is forecast to roll in late next week and once it is here, it will rain 6 days out of 7 until April or May. I was able to get all of the material primed today except for the stuff on the 3rd floor that my ladder won't reach.

Movie Review: What Happens in Vegas

Title:	What Happens in Vegas (2008)
Rating:	4/10

It's laundry night... time for another movie. This time it was What Happens in Vegas, a movie about a couple of polar opposite personalities (Ashton Kutchner and Cameron Diaz), that mistakenly get married (in Vegas), win a $3 millon jackpot, are are then forced to live with each other (rather than get divorced) using one of the lamest plot devices I've seen in a long time. Instead of making the best of a bad situation, the two relentlessly antagonize each other, finally split apart, and then (of course) figure out they are soulmates. The fact that Diaz is starring in this movie made me think that the movie is very similar (in plot) to Shrek I guess, in that they are both movies about two primary characters that despise each other but eventually end up living happily ever after. However, Shrek is infinitely more clever.

The movie is not completely stupid (and does have a few laughs), but this isn't material that doesn't rise above TV sitcom type of stuff... e.g. it is forgettable. I'm sure I'll not be able to remember most of the movie by this time next week.

Olivia's New Light

For the past six or seven months (or maybe even longer?), the light fixture in Olivia's bedroom has been a $2 porcelain single-bulb incandescent lamp holder. Think the classic pull-chain type of fixtures you'd find in an unfinished basement (minus the pull chain). During these past months we have looked at and hemmed and hawed over probably tens of dozens of light fixtures. We have bought a couple fixtures (one on-line and one at a store) but then returned them after opening the box and discovered either how cheap the fixture looked, or how cheap the fixture was made. Indeed, a quality light fixture is truly hard to find... or least one that I approve of (and yes, I'm the picky one out of the two of us).

About 6 weeks ago (while browsing the inventory at Seattle Lighting in Bellevue) we finally found a light for Olivia's room that we both really liked. It is an authentic colored mini crystal chandelier manufactured by Schonbek - a lighting company owned by Swarovski. The fixture is just about perfect; small, compact, sturdy, and completely configurable. We were able to pick out the finish of the chandelier body that closely matched Livy's furniture, and we were also able to select the color of the crystals to match Livy's wall paint color. Nice options.

The downside: we were told it would take approximately six weeks to fulfill our custom order and, uh, then there was the little thing called the price tag... $550! The dainty 18" chandelier is easily the most expensive fixture in the house. Only the massive (by comparison) 52" ceiling fans that I have installed in Berkeley's bedroom, my office, and out on the patio even come close... and those are fixtures which, you know, include substantial parts like reversible electric motors, RF electronic fan controls, etc. So, anyway, my feeling is that we couldn't win for trying on this one. We looked at so much junk that was half as much in price (but not nearly half as nice) that the decision to indulge in such an expensive light really was a no-brainer.

The light finally arrived... yesterday via UPS.

So, this morning I set to the task of installing and assembling the light for Olivia. I had no shortage of willing assistants eager to hang the crystals on the frame of the fixture... two to be exact:

Eliana helped quite a bit actually. If I recall correctly, she installed pretty much all of the crystal on the chandelier except the crystals hanging from the ceiling medallion. Here are a couple of pictures of the light after installation was complete... with both the lights on and off.

Last Week of Baseball

This is the last week of MLB for the Mariners. Berkeley and I attended the game tonight - our first of the season - with Berkeley's friends Fox and Tucker (and their Dads). The Mariners lost their 100th game of the season tonight and now have the ignominious distinction of being the only team in the history of Major League Baseball to spend $100+ million in payroll and lose 100 games in a season. Ah well.

We carpooled down to stadium with Travis and Tucker and Fox. We met them at the Bellevue Park-n-Ride. While we were there waiting, I snapped a few pictures of my son:

And here are a couple of pictures taken at the game.

Home Renovation Project: Attic Conversion: Playhouse Interior Wall Painting

Kristy had been busy for the last couple of months painting the interior of the playhouse. First she painted a fire, a bookshelf, and a potted plant on the back wall. Then (more recently) she has painted the other three walls. Last weekend I installed some trim (that Kristy picked out) and then spent the last couple of days priming and painting the installed trim. Finally... it is done! Here are the pictures:

(Update Sun Oct 5 22:48:30 PDT 2008 // renamed entry)

Home Renovation Project: Back Patio Deck: Progress Report

Now that the steel beam is installed, Baxton came out today and installed the master bedroom patio door.

Baxton is pretty much done now... we are only lacking the spiral stair and the handrail around the deck. That is scheduled to be installed on October 8th.

Meanwhile, Reid's helper re-affixed the drywall that they had carefully removed and put up new stuff where required.

The drywall tape and mud is scheduled to begin tomorrow. That should probably take two or three days to complete. After the drywall is done, then we can paint and start working on wrapping the steel beam in ash (similar to what was done up in the attic). I've already got the same carpenters lined up to do the beam wrap. They start on the 13th.

Eliana's Soccer Class

We enrolled Eliana in a 4-yr-olds-only soccer class down at Issaquah City Recreation. Her first class (of eight) was today. Kristy snapped a few pictures:

This is her first organized sports activity... looks like she had fun.

Stealing Lollipop Licks

I take Eliana and Olivia for a stroller ride to Eliana's preschool 4 days a week (Mon-Thu). On the way home, I typically give Olivia a Dum-Dum lollipop. Yesterday I forgot to pack a lollipop for the ride home. Today Olivia made sure we had enough:

She had licked each one and made a little lollipop bouquet.

Grandpa Sorenson Birthday

Okay, so technically it isn't my father-in-law's birthday until Wednesday the 24th, but since Grandpa Sorenson is in town we decided to have a small party over at our place tonight. We had a nice simple dinner and then had some of that Costco chocolate cake and homemade Oreo ice cream for dessert.

Here are some pictures of Grandpa Sorenson with the kids:

And here are a couple more (without kids):

There are few more pictures that I took of various members of the Sorenson clan during the party... take a look if interested.

At the Seattle Aquarium with Grandma/Grandpa Sorenson

Kristy took the two girls down to the Seattle Aquarium today and met her Mom, Dad, and Kathy there. Here are a few pics:

Hinckley's Blessing

With Kristy's parents in town, the Sorenson weekend of activities continued today with Hinckley's baby blessing. We all congregated at the Thurmond home for the purpose of the blessing and had a nice dinner too. With an equal number of Thurmonds and Sorensons present, it was quite a group.

	Here are just a few of the Sorenson clan present hanging out in the Thurmond living room. Kristy and her brother (Scott) are in the background, Kristy's mother (Bertha) is sitting on the right, and several of the kids are also present.
	The kids kept busying playing with legos. Or as Olivia calls them... "yegos".

(Update Tue Sep 30 07:32:41 PDT 2008 // left -> right)

Jenna's Baptism

Of the cousins that live around here (my kid's cousins), Jenna is the oldest. Jenna turned 8 last week and is thus eligible to be baptized; her baptism was held today. For the event, Grandma and Grandpa Sorenson flew into town. We congregated down in Gig Harbor for the ceremony and then had some dinner at the Coray's afterward. Here are a few pictures:

Not long after those were taken, power in the battery of the camera ran out. Oops.

Movie Review: 21

Title:	21 (2008)
Rating:	5/10

Unfolded laundry is stacking up... time for another movie. Tonight we watched 21; a movie inspired by the real-life events of a group of MIT students that used a card counting system to beat Las Vegas casinos by playing the card game blackjack. For me the best part of the movie was the exploration of the system from a purely mathematical point of view. The rest of the movie is just formulaic layers of plot, acting, romantic interest, and your typical revenge "twist" laid on top of an interesting premise. One such example of mathematics included in the movie is the discussion of a mathematical paradox which is used in a key sequence to test a prospective member of the gaming team before an invitation is made to join:

Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, which has a goat. He then says to you, "Do you want to pick door No. 2?"
Is it to your advantage to switch your choice? Why?

The right answer is that it is advantageous to switch because you double your probability of winning from one-third to two-thirds. This is known as the Monty Hall problem (or Monty Hall paradox). From the wiki article: "... no other statistical puzzle comes so close to fooling all the people all the time". I didn't understand the solution either, so I had to look it up just now.

Summary: A decent run-of-the-mill movie.