avablog

I was sitting in the TV room this morning about 9:30 or so when I heard a power transformer fry up somewhere nearby. A second later, we were without power. We were about to head downtown for coffee anyway, so we mounted up and rode down the street on our bikes.

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Leah, Ava, and I were joined by my dad yesterday for a trip down to Mt. Pleasant to visit the Old Threshers Reunion. It was a perfect day for it. Ava was like Templeton the rat from Charlotte’s Web, running around from food stand to food stand, eating everything she could get her hands on. [...]

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VPILF See also. Leah can explain this post to you, Georgie.

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Michael Jackson just turned 50. Why is it so difficult for me to wrap my mind around that fact? I wonder if he can still do the moonwalk….

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That is all.

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If only Aunt Rachel had been born a quarter century later.

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I watched Hillary’s speech at the DNC last night on NBC. She looked pretty good in HD. I hope her words were enough to convince her supporters that this election is not about Hillary or Barack but about the country. We’ll see in November, I guess.

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Leah’s made arrangements to have Ava’s four-year portrait taken. We go around and around about this. I say that we could save a bundle of money by letting me take the photographs, but apparently G.G. likes to have an “official” portrait taken every year, and she’s willing to pay for it. Come on, Georgie, do [...]

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Trust me on this.

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The new wall decals that Leah purchased for Ava’s room:

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I took this shot downtown in front of the Java House sometime last week. I just like the way it looks, is all. Dunno why she was standing like that, but, then, why does she do any of the things she does?

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Something tells me I’d be sleeping in the guest room this evening even if I were home. Dinner was a small, deep dish, anchovy, fresh garlic, and spinach pizza at Giordano’s. Whew. Oh, and the garlic bread appetizer. Why not? I never get to indulge in garlic at home, and Chicago is not a town [...]

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I can’t tell who works here at SPSS in the Sears Tower and who’s just here delivering sandwiches. Must be nice to show up to work every day in sandals, shorts, and a short-sleeved shirt. Surely lots and lots of work must be getting done in spite of this relaxed attire? I wonder if the [...]

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I love my per diem. After class today, I hustled a couple blocks and sat down to a really nice dinner at The Parthenon, “in the heart of Greektown.” Man, was it good. I had a fried zucchini appetizer (insanely good), then braised lamb with spinach rice (accompanied be a nice glass of the dry [...]

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And I don’t tell him that nearly often enough. Since Mark and I live and work in the same place, we have a LOT of together time, and it’s easy to get on each other’s nerves and take one another for granted. When he leaves, though, I realize just how much he does for our [...]

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I did a fair amount of driving yesterday. We left the State Fair around 12:30 or so and got back just in time to get cleaned up a little before heading over to a block party at my dad’s house. It was a nice way to relax a bit before getting back on the road [...]

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We’re heading out here in a couple minutes for the Iowa State Fair near Des Moines, IA, in case ya didn’t know. Ava’s already told me this morning that she wants a corndog. I told her I want a lemonade shakeup. I’m told there’s something there this year called a roast beef sundae, and I’m [...]

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Little froggy escaped from the shower and ran outside. This shot was obviously taken AFTER we got the towel around here. The front porch was full of nudity there for a couple minutes. Also featured: Leah’s knee.

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Watching the Olympics here. Women’s beach volleyball. I don’t follow the sport, but I do like watching and playing volleyball, so when the pros are playing in the Olympics, well, I’m there.

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My little sister’s a real bitch–at least according to Ava. Before anyone gets the wrong idea about my feelings toward my delightful and brilliant sister (who is also my dearest friend), I will explain that Ava’s latest imaginary obsession has been to pretend that she is a puppy dog, surrounded by other naughty and rambunctious [...]

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