avablog

Every now and then Leah gets on this “you’re on the computer too much” kick and does something rash like suggest a ban on all home computing. The claim is that my trusty MacBook is taking me away from the family. To which I say, “Pish posh!”
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I had a dream last night that I was typing an e-mail on an iPhone. I don’t recall the recipient or the subject, but my fingers were flying across the touchscreen with almost no thought to the mechanics of the process, like I was born to it. I rarely remember my dreams; why this one? I’m sure Ben will tell me.
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Leah thinks I’m crazy. For the past couple weeks, I’ve been trapping chipmunks at our house and relocating them to a park about a half mile (and across a creek) away. I caught five yesterday and one this morning before we even left for work. I’ve probably trapped about 20 total (not including the sparrow that wandered into the trap the other day). They just keep coming.
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Who doesn’t have a minute for Cameo? The little dancer is just a bonus.

Maybe we’re the ones who’re out of touch? From an Entertainment Weekly interview with everyone’s favorite MILF:

On Brad’s most recent gift to her (a gun-charm necklace she wore to her EW photo shoot): “Mad, our 6-year-old, draws lots of war scenarios. He’s all into war and guns. So for Mother’s Day he drew a machine gun, and Brad had it made into a necklace, which is really sweet. It’s really cute. I think it’s really good!”

And here we are trying to discourage Ava from pointing her fingers at people like a gun and saying, “You’re dead!” You’d think a woman who’s seen so many places in the world where machine gun violence has destroyed entire communities would be more sensitive to this kind of thing. Then again, maybe not. I guess I know what to get Leah for our anniversary this year. The only question is: Uzi or AK?

It poured here again this morning. It’s pretty demoralizing, and I say that as someone whose morning commute went from 10 minutes to 35 this morning. It’s impossible to complain, though, when so many others are losing their homes as I type. Our friends Greg and Linda, who catered our wedding rehearsal dinner and are great friends of my mother’s, live on Normandy Dr. in Iowa City. Their neighborhood was closed tight this morning at 1:30; their son Monty worked with his friends to get every last item out of the house before it’s inundated. They’ve already decided they won’t be returning to their home when the water recedes. And all this just as Greg is recovering from open heart surgery. So if you’re thinking you have it bad in all this…some perspective.
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Leah and I are viewers of Top Chef, a show on the Bravo network that pits chefs against each other to see which is the best. I’m sure I’m not exhibiting any great prescience when I say I picked Richard as a finalist from the first episode. He seemed more polished, imaginative, and skilled than almost every other chef in the group, and he was easygoing. Other chefs rose and fell over the course of the program, But Richard did indeed end up on the final episode.
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…that CNN is trying to run The Onion out of business.

Kimberlee Norbury wore a “saloon girl” dress for her cousin’s theme wedding

On the way to Madison, we were playing some classic 80s hits–from a “Best of the 80s British Gold” album that Mark has on his iPod. When Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” came on, Ava sat very still, listening–eyes wide, mouth parted. It was as though she’d had a revelation. And after that, the kid was hooked.
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Pet peeve time!

From some site whose authority I’ve no way to confirm:

What is a Domestic Beer?
Answer:
In the world of beer, there are basically two trains of thought– domestic and imported. Any beer brewed within the borders of the United States would be considered a domestic beer, from the major commercial labels such as Budweiser and Coors to the smallest batch of microbrewed beer created in an amateur brewer’s basement.

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It’s this kind of crap that keeps me away. I don’t think Steve and I are kindred spirits, or anything, but I have to believe he’s chafing against the business practices of the cellular phone industry. Best case scenario is that all of these whiz bang features (GPS, video chat, Skype calls) are served over the wireless Web, no package or subscription required. It’s a fascinating thing, this monetizing of the network. Its main goal seems to be to offer products that are this close to being the ideal gadget but always possessing some significant flaw (in the iPhone’s case, an onerous contract with a cellular service provider). It’s a wonder someone can’t figure out a way to make money providing customers with the best-case-scenario product. Is that the Google/Android path?

549 am CDT Tue Jun 10 2008

… Flood Warning remains in effect until further notice…

The Flood Warning continues for the Iowa river at Iowa City.
* Until further notice.
* At 5:00 am Tuesday the stage was 25.5 feet… and rising.
* Major flooding is occurring and record flooding is forecast.
* Flood stage is 22 feet.
* Forecast… rise to 26.4 feet this evening… then continue to rise to 29.2 feet next Monday… June 16th.
* Impact… at 29 feet… serious flood damage occurs at the University of Iowa Campus.

Also, the flood now has its own blog: http://uiflood.blogspot.com/

What’ll they think of next?

Leah’s busy creating her own master race of shoe saleswoman:

Not sure where the feather boa fits in all this; only Ava knows.

My sister and I share many things in common–our looks, our taste in clothes, our size, etc.–but one thing we do not share is a propensity for shopping. I love it. Rachel hates it. That means that Rachel is the virtuous and frugal sister, while I am the superficial spendthrift (I’d also like to point out that my Biblical namesake, from the Old Testament story of Rachel and Leah, is the ugly, nearsighted one, while Rachel is the comely woman whom Jacob desires.)
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1156 am CDT Mon Jun 09 2008

… Flood Warning remains in effect until further notice…

The Flood Warning continues for the Iowa river at Iowa City.
* Until further notice.
* At 11:00 am Monday the stage was 25.0 feet… and steady.
* Moderate flooding is occurring and record flooding is forecast.
* Flood stage is 22 feet.
* Forecast… crest to 29.1 feet early Tuesday morning. This is a serious situation with unprecedented river levels expected.
* Impact… at 29 feet… serious flood damage occurs at the University of Iowa Campus.
* Flood history… this forecast crest exceeds the present record crest of 28.5 feet… set on August 10 1993.

Iowa City Press-Citizen

June 9, 2008
Apple Store coming to UI
University to be part of campus store program

Brian Morelli
Iowa City Press-Citizen

Some of the coolest electronic gadgets out there will be a little more accessible for people connected with the University of Iowa next week when a new Apple store opens on campus.
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5:27 am CDT Mon Jun 09 2008

… Flood Warning remains in effect until further notice…

The Flood Warning continues for the Iowa river at Iowa City.
* Until further notice.
* At 5:00 am Monday the stage was 24.9 feet… and rising.
* Moderate flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast.
* Flood stage is 22 feet.
* Forecast… rise to 27.2 feet early Monday morning.
* Impact… at 27 feet… flood protection becomes necessary at the University of Iowa. Water affects several Industrial businesses and warehouses along commercial drive.

We braved gale-force winds to drive up to Madison today for a visit with Unc and Eesh. Those are the names Ava used for Uncle Kevin and Aunt Rachel when she was just starting to talk.

We never got any rain, but whew, was it windy. It’s calmed down now, and we had a really nice picnic in the park. Ava played frisbee and badminton with Kevin. What’s that? You don’t believe me? Viddy well, my droogies:

Oh, and…

Tomorrow, the zoo. This could be the weekend I hit 10,000 images on Flickr. I’ll keep you posted.

No apologies to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.