Fall 2005 family pictures

I was up in Westborough, Massachusetts for Labor Day weekend and got some more pictures of my nieces. Why is it that taking pictures of kids is so much fun?!

Claire and Bridget are growing fast, and talking a lot. They even say grace at dinner quite often! Audrey has started kindergarten and rides a school bus every day for this first time. She got a new backpack and lunchbox for this year! Brenda and Richard settled the debate over whether to get rid of the twins' cribs when they discovered they could remove one side of each and turn them into a kind of day bed (for little people, of course).

Audrey is amazing with wanting to help with everything, even when dad wants to go shovel mud off the driveway! She also seems to enjoy gardening with grandpa and cooking with mom or grandma.

Grandma and Grandpa Lyle are doing very well. I didn't get any good pictures of them this trip, so I'll have to rectify that during my next one.

Me and Audrey	Richard and Claire hanging out
Hide-n-seek...counting to 10	Hide-n-seek...no peeking!
Hide-n-seek...Claire's hiding place	Audrey's first day of kindergarten!
Claire & Bridget seeing Audrey off to school
Claire, Bridget and Audrey	Audrey with butterfly hair pin
Brenda reading to her girls

Frazier, this is for you...

This is for you, Derrick

Philosophy of Charles Schulz

Charles Schulz penned the cartoon "Peanuts" from October 1950 to February 2000. He decided to retire the strip with the Sunday paper of February 13, 2000. Mr. Schulz died the evening of February 12th, as his final frames were being printed around the world.

These are some quotes that reflect his personal philosophy on life:

• Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.
• I love mankind; it's people I can't stand.
• My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right.
• Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia.
• Jogging is very beneficial. It's good for your legs and your feet. It's also very good for the ground. If makes it feel needed.
• Sometimes I lie awake at night and ask why me? Then a voice answers, "Nothing personal, your name just happened to come up."

The following is also attributed to Charles Shulz and can be found many places on the web as well as those e-mails that get circled around the Internet every few years. I could not find any official Charles Schulz / Peanuts sites that either verified or denied the authenticity of these words. Personally, it's nice, but I doubt that he really wrote it.

Try answering the following questions in your head:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

The point of this exercise is that few of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now consider these questions:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

The lesson? People who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials, money, or awards. They are the ones who care.

Hancock Shaker village in spring

Here are some of the best pictures from a trip to a Shaker village in Hancock, MA this past spring. Brenda may not appreciate the one with her and the twins just chilling out, but it's actually one of my favorites. Just check out the twins' expressions and how Claire (wasn't Bridget in red sox that day?) looks like she's about to take a plunge into the grass!! I should crop that down to just her and make sure it gets in her senior yearbook (evil Uncle Stephen).

Now that mom & dad live just out of earshot from Brenda & Richard's house, I should get more pictures than the twice a year or so I do now. Parents, I've observed, don't always have time for photos, but relatives (and particularly grandparents) always do.

Now, if I can just get mom to use her digital camera. (Mom, this is the perfect opportunity for you to try out commenting on a blog to defend yourself!)

Happy November, everyone.   I love this month!

Audrey in the spring	A precious moment
Getting ready to go	Candidly caught
Checking out the vines	I want my mommy!
Bridget/Claire(?)	This one took 12 shots to get

Disney pictures and the demise of my career at IBM

Not long ago, this blog was created by an IBM employee with foresight and ingenuity to prove to his colleagues that blogging could significantly improve the experience of the entire staff of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) who were being dragged (some screaming...little kicking) into using a new database system to keep track of their students.

The idea was that each group on the IBM team (training, field support, data conversion, technical support, project management, and communications) would create a blog that would be one link away from our home page (http://dcstars.k12.dc.us:50825--designed and created by said IBM employee).

These blogs could be kept up-to-date by their owners, rather than having said IBM employee manage the entire website for them. They could post short articles, longer "how to" documents, training materials, or anything else they wanted.

Alas, no one saw the light, and so this weary IBM visionary went and asked Plumtree Software (www.plumtree.com) if they needed someone with ideas who can occasionally fix computers by just entering the room. After my second interview on Thursday, October 28, I think they've decided they do need a person like that. I hope to hear this week their official offer.

All of this is just a prelude to why you are most likely here...pictures from the recent Lord-Lyle adventure travel to the Magical World of Disney. Yes, this whole Plumtree experience, although the most exciting thing to happen since this trip, mostly pales by comparison to the four days I spent in Orlando with Brenda, Richard, Audrey, Bridget and Claire, and the matriarchs and patriarchs of the Lord and Lyle family. Thanks to Paula and Dick Lord (half of the aforementioned matriarchs and patriarchs), we had a lovely place to stay with beds for everyone and pools of many sizes for swimming.

So, without further ado, click on the thumbnail pictures below to see larger versions of the best of my shots from the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM Studios, and the Epcot Center.

Pictures from Disney, September 2004