avablog

I have enough trouble in my daily life without my favorite computer company hassling me. Yesterday, the battery on my MacBook died. It looked like this.

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Two days, three birthdays. That’s a lot of celebratin’. Let’s relive the weekend in cakes, shall we? First, Alex’s cake: Next up, Dawn’s cake: Last, and not in any way least, Mac’s cake from this afternoon: Sarah really went crazy on Mac’s cake, as you can see. Ava managed to wrangle herself a car with [...]

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Some guys just don’t know when they’ve got it good: SALEM, N.H.—Two former employees of an Apple Computer store in Salem, New Hampshire have been charged with stealing more than 300 trendy iPhones. Police say the two stole 332 phones, valued at more than $130,000, from the store at the Mall at Rockingham Park. Twenty-two-year-old [...]

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I’ve been going through Flickr and looking at old pictures of Ava today, trying to cleanse my mind. I’ve been gazing at her small, wrinkled baby feet, trying to forget about the woman I know from the gym whose husband murdered her yesterday. We waved “hello” and made small talk about the gym and our [...]

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I’ll admit it: I was a rotten teenager. I was the one your parents warned you about–the antisocial, punk-rock poseur. Actually, though I was pretty rebellious for small-town Iowa, I imagine my antics wouldn’t have caused much commotion in a bigger city. I shaved part of my hair and dyed it purple. I wore black [...]

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Just in case I ever forget: This world is as terrible and brutal and insane as it is wonderful and gentle and wise. There’s no understanding it, only living in it and hoping for the best. Ava’s latest “thing” is to tell me how unfair it is that we don’t let her do this or [...]

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I promised Georgie I was going to write this post, so, here it is. This is a picture of Ava taken in G.G.’s bedroom the morning we left Ava to come up to Minneapolis:

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In an effort to make winter last as long as possible, we’re heading north to Minneapolis this weekend to spend a couple days with Leah’s sister and brother-in-law. We’re dropping off Ava in Decorah at Grandma Georgie’s; that’s where we are now. This afternoon Ava participated in her first peace rally. She even got to [...]

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We walked downtown to grab coffee over the weekend and took the opportunity to stop in a park along the way to pretend like it’s spring. Ava likes to play Three Billy Goats Gruff with Leah these days. Ava plays the billy goat. Guess which role Leah gets? (Hint: It’s the troll.)

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I just finished reading Barack Obama’s most recent speech, and you know, I really miss having a president who can speak well. One who is eloquent. One with some presence. Some class. Clinton could do it. And Reagan had a flair for delivery, too. I understand that “he talks good” isn’t a great reason for [...]

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From “The Cedar Rapids Gazette:” BABY BOOMLET What’s happening: Births are surging in the U.S. Why: Peer pressure, immigration and shifting priorities play roles Trend is quite evident around the Corridor By Carly Weber If it seems like every woman you know is pregnant, trying to start a family or cooing over a newborn, they [...]

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I need to make sure I always have my camera no more than 15 feet away. Last evening, Ava was sitting on the sofa, watching a video (AGAIN!), and the evening light through the west windows was just delicious. So I grabbed the Canon and started clicking away: For those of you who care: Exposure: [...]

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Or at least you’d think so by the way pregnancy is spreading at my office. I just had a visit from one of my female colleagues from the department to inform me — officially — that she’s pregnant. Just into her second trimester. The other woman of breeding age amongst the researchers here is also [...]

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This summer I’ll celebrate my 10th year at my current place of employ. As a show of (their) thanks, I get to choose a gift from a list of things like watches, toaster ovens, and multitools. I’ve narrowed down my group of potential selections to the following: Calphalon Stainless Steel Specialty Multi Pots. Includes 8-qt [...]

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My friend Dennis sent along this story from the CoE today: U. of Iowa Writing Students Revolt Against a Plan They Say Would Give Away Their Work on the Web … “At the center of the conflict is a routine form that students and their faculty advisers sign for depositing students’ theses with the Graduate [...]

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Leah’s decided it’s time to start a dress up basket for Ava. It’s a win/win for both of them. Ava gets to wear funny dress up clothes, and Leah gets to shop for funny dress up clothes. Here’s hoping Ava doesn’t become “that kid” who goes around everywhere wearing her dress up princess gown: Leah [...]

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Leah and I took Ava to breakfast yesterday at the Hamburg Inn (Kim, I never see you there anymore!). It was yummy, as always. As I was paying la cuenta on the way out the door, I eavesdropped on a young man at a nearby table who was trying to explain to a non-native English [...]

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We scrambled to get out the door this morning, and in the rush, I left my iPod behind. Not good. And I’d just added about 75 new tunes last night that I was looking forward to hearing. I’ll have to remember to grab it when I’m home at noon today.

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Ava and Leah are off to a birthday party today, and Ava was excited about getting all dressed up. Leah’s convinced that this dress is too short for Ava, but I think it’s cute: Sure, she may not be in it by the end of the summer, but we can still get some cuteness out [...]

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I know, I know. Practically every picture I have of Ava recently is from her sitting on our sofa. Sorry! It’s the only time she’s standing still! I guess I could start using my flash. I think it’s been fired maybe 12 times over the last 5,000 pictures I’ve taken. Maybe fewer. I sure do [...]

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