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Did you miss it?

Today was a "National Day of Action" for educators around the country to agitate for attention to the shamefully necrotic education system in the United States of America. Apparently the Lotto is not covering school costs as much as everyone though it would. Surprise.

Here in California, where 1 in 8 American school children are educated, we are running a race to the bottom, desperately competing with Mississippi and Guam for the title of most mediocre school system. At the rate we're going, we might just win it! If we can gut the schools enough, its homeschooling for everyone!!

The Golden State, with an economy larger than most countries, has decided that education is not such a priority after all. How the mighty have fallen. This is how.

Be afraid, be very afraid.

Well, Sysguy and I finally overcame our desire to lay around the house all day and took the Things to see some snow. We cheated a bit by visiting relatives in Northern CA, where snow is easier to get to. We spent a day roaming the Lake Tahoe area looking at views, finding little sledding places and generally trolling for untrammeled snow. Its hard to come by in these parts, which is frustrating when you've grown up with a yard full of virgin snow at your disposal every winter. Usually, snow is pretty well packed and icy by the time we get to it.

Since we live where it doesn't get cold, we're not particularly equipped for it. We did manage to score decent coats this year, but decided to forgo winter footwear. Here are the guys attempting to stay upright on a pretty well-used and icy sled hill we found, in their essentially treadless sneakers. Note the spiffy new "barf" colored sleds.

After lunch at a mom'n'pop place in the Donner Pass (yes, that one) we found a fabulous little pullout spot just during a little snowsquall. The snow was perfect, new, and falling like crazy—somehow, there wasn't anyone else there!! It was the perfectest snowman packing snow I've seen in ages. Also, excellent for snowball fights.

Thing 2 got tired of having snow down his back, and retired to the relative comfort of the beluga; you can see SysGuy and Thing 1 are still at it. Below is the road home.

Happy New Year!

Turkey Day for kmbrknit’s family was spent with SysGuy’s sister, Fleur, in Davis, CA. Its a 7 hour drive from chez kmbrknits (this state is too damn big). The Things are really good at entertaining themselves in the car, we’ve trained them to mostly read books and listen to audio plays that SysGuy has audiohijacked from the BBC Big Toe Radio Show (I told you he was awesome!). Here is Thing 1 rapidly draining the battery on my Touch while killing pygmies in PocketGod. Its digusting, but we treat them to it occasionally. You can see that Thing 2 amuses himself with suction darts. We’re a family of geniuses.

Davis is a nexus of animal husbandry and biology studies, what with the ginormous UC land grant school as the town anchor. Its also a ridiculously liberal and feel-goody town, so we like to visit. Fleur has provided the Things with 4 cousins (Fleurette, Biscuit, Myrtille and Bruyant) with her husband, DrÉnergie; a fluffy cat and a fluffy dog complete the family. They’re a lot to keep track of, I don’t know how she does it—just thinking about vacuuming after the fluffy pets exhausts me.

DrÉnergie has a veterinary pathology business, where your local veterinarian sends acky bits of sick pets for expert analysis under a microscope, and various research studies are conducted. He’s built his own lab, which is very, very cool. We managed to get a tour for the Things the day before Thanksgiving. Starting with the video microscope, where DrÉnergie has a collection of “kid friendly” slides of interesting things he’s found to look at (black widow egg sac, anyone?). This is a mosquito wing. It looks kind of like my legs in winter. Who knew they were so hairy? I reduced the size a little bit, and I’m sparing you their disgusting little feet.

Stop here and scroll directly to the bottom if you are squeamish, it gets grosser quickly.

Then was the really interesting part! First, DrÉnergie slapped some gloves on Thing 2, and before he knew it he was holding a diseased dog tail for all to see. You can see that Thing 2 is a bit happy but unsure about this. I have to admit, the tail was the grossest thing of all, be grateful it is blurry. And there was a lot more to come.

Next, there happened to be a recently amputated cat leg for analysis. Now, veterinarians don’t do this operation casually. While it is gross, the leg has a fast-growing cancer that was headed for the cat’s body, and cats can get by just fine on 3 legs. Anyway, out comes a ziplock bag with a cat leg in it, with which DrÉnergie shows the kids how muscles work and where the cancer is. Thing 1 gets to palpate the leg and feel the tumor (This is where Thing 2 bails.), then DrÉnergie shows us how he takes a sample and prepares a slide for later analysis. 

After the cat leg was safely put away, DrÉnergie fished a sheep’s heart out of a small bucket of other sheep bits that are part of a study at the lab. He showed the kids how it was insulated with fat, and ran water through it to show how it pumps. Then, in what was fascinating and gross, he dissected it for Thing 1 and Myrtille to see the different chambers. It was really neat. Meanwhile, in another room, Thing 2 was being entertained by a technician who was showing him slides of brain and kidney slices. (Its way less smelly outside the lab room, and slides are a less “immediate” reminder of where the tissue came from.)

Hmm. Can’t find my sheep picture. Will post later.

While the turkey was roasting on Thanksgiving day, DrÉnergie entertained us, and the neighborhood, with his collection of estes rockets. Many tiny parachute men were sent to the stratosphere about 200ft. It was really fun, the shooting off, and the watching the platoon of kids race to catch the spent rocket and parachute men.

Here is DrÉnergie getting a rocket ready with Thing 1, Fleurette and Myrtille.

This one is self-explanatory.

Fleurette and Myrtille readying the porta-potty rocket. : )

Happy, Lucky Things.

As if that weren’t enough excitement for one weekend, on Friday we took the Things to the Happiest Place on Earth: The Exploratorium in San Francisco. (I bet you’ve seen ads about another Happiest Place. Don’t believe everything you see on TV.) We spent basically the entire day doing the hands-on demonstrations of scads of scientific concepts. I don’t know about the Things, but I personally experienced sensory overload about 3 hours in. We’ll definitely be back!!

The things pedal-power a light bulb, among other choices of appliance.

SysGuy smoke ring generating with the Things and Myrtille.

Oh, yeah. On the way out of town we went across some old orange bridge.

And that, was that.

Well little bloggy, its been a while. Lets forget about summer and move on to recent bits. Most recently, my darling sister Cricket made me aware of impending They Might Be Giants concerts at venues in and near LA. TMBG recently released a cd/dvd combo of catchy songs about Science! that totally apply to our lives (and yours), and as a representative for both our families, I had to take the Things. It was, of course, awesome! Here are the dudes at their very first actual rock concert. Sadly, at grown-up rock concerts U2 and their ilk do not stay after and hand out sheets of stickers to the audience; I consider this a serious lack of customer service on their part.

This concert is important to the Things on several levels, not least of which is providing Thing 1 with a tune that explains the difference between a scientific theory and a stab-in-the-dark theory to sing to the crazy "christian" kid who forcibly evangelizes creationism on the playground. Good grief.
Science is Real.





Giving Props
I have to give a seriously respectful OMGUR AWESOME!!! to SysGuy for his amazing husbandy handyguy prowess during a particularly irksome 4 weeks of September/October. With the ominous high-pitched whine emitted by our hideously expensive 8-year-old dishwasher—the harbinger of incipient motor axle disintegration—SysGuy's odyssey of home repair began. My intrepid SysGuy disassembled the beast, found the offending problem and promptly hied us off to our local Pacific Sales Showroom of Newer Hideously Expensive Dishwashers. We were informed by our salesperson that one could expect a lifetime of roughly 8-10 years for a dishwasher, we think he was parroting Consumer Reports. Balking at the investment, and finding the lifetime expectancy objectionable, SysGuy found another motor that would work and installed it. Meanwhile, the Things got to learn all about getting to wash the dishes for reals.

While this was happening, the ice maker in our marital freezer was completing what had been a slow demise. Perhaps for normal people, this might not be a big deal. I, however, am an ice addict. I come from a line of ice addicts. The ice machine, it is an instrumental marital aid at our house, not merely an appliance. Without the ice machine, many many, many, words are spoken, bickering about who used the last ice. Much research is done on the optimization of ice tray release; we have a critical issue with mineral deposits. No, vinegar has not worked, thanks. It is not a good situation. SysGuy swiftly disassembled the beast, attempted a fix, and reinstalled. Sadly, we woke up to Lake Inferior the next morning, though mildly grateful that it had somehow not overflowed the ice bin to the bottom of the freezer overnight. Thus began the researching a new ice machine, post haste. Its cheaper than couples therapy.

That same weekend, our blighted main sewer line, ancient, porous, ceramic, directly beneath a hungry hungry elm tree, decided to act up. Fortunately, I can fix this myself. I call a man who comes and deals with it. While it was annoying to have this problem on a weekend, we are counting our lucky stars that it didn't happen the weekend the Grandparents were visiting.

During the wait for ice machine delivery, SysGuy happened to check on "stuff" out by the pool pump. In the process of checking on "stuff," the big, pressurized, pool filter tank decided now was a good time to twist off its (pre-us) precarious perch, thereby destroying ALL of the PVC piping in the general vicinity. Thus ensued the great Pool Pump Pipe Redesign and Build of 2009, wherin SysGuy had the opportunity to remove the 35 extraneous 90° bends that have been inserted into the system by inept hirelings over the years decades. This took 4 evenings. In the dark. With a big spotlight.

Just after the Pool Pump Pipe Redesign and Build of 2009, the computer SysGuy built for me for Xmas a few years ago, which houses our custom DVR, had a hard drive FAIL. Apocolypse. In addition to recording tv stuff, so we never have to see another commercial ever again, the drive housed many movies ripped from public library dvds (hey, its legal if you don't show them for profit). Ma and Pa Kettle. The Three Stooges. An Affair to Remember. Important things to have on hand. Frantic research of an appropriate replacement drive ensued. Desperate attempts to retrieve data were performed (mostly) successfully. Re-installation of the apparently ginormous pain the the ass DVR software happened. Several times.

Then the new ice machine arrived.

This is the Real Prince Charming. He does not arrive in a carriage with diamonds in hand; he comes with majah skillz, and a never-ending trough of the important kind of ice.

He's my hero.
 

Thing 2 turned 8 on Sunday. Hard to imagine, but there it is. We celebrated at the nexus of 8 year-old fabulousness: Legoland. The Things can hardly believe their luck to live where it is possible to go somewhere so incredible in just two hours!!

We arrived a bit early, after a quick breakfast and opening presents, treasure hunt included. We sprinted to the back of the park just as the motorway was opening up. The Things managed to get several ride turns in before a line formed and waiting was required. It was awesome.

Can you tell that the “people” and the (fully operational) stoplights are made of legos? Too cute. There was a ringmaster sort of fellow in the middle of “town” who tried to keep the drivers in line and explain the rules of the road on the fly, sort of like herding cats, where cats don’t all know right from left. At one point, during a crash, he announced a “sigalert,” which is an LA traffic radio-ism for somebody screwed up on the freeway and is now blocking traffic. We were amused.
Unlike the stinky lawn mower engines at Disneyland, these little cars were not on a rail to guide them, and they are all electric. Practically everything at Legoland is. I’m sure its one of the advantages of a newer park, but still, it was much more pleasant. And quieter!

Next, we moseyed through a couple of not terribly photogenic rides, to come upon the boat ride. The lego people are really crazy with the letting kids actually steer stuff. There were continuous clusterf**ks along the channel as the kids attempted to figure out the delayed reaction of the rudders and rammed into things and each other. It was hilarious, unless you were waiting in line for a boat.
Here is Thing 2 checking out a lego diver at one of the many interest points along the way:

We took a boat ride around a lagoon that had various famous buildings and skylines around it, averaging about 150,000 legos for each tableau. Jeepers.

This one is for Uncle Paco:

After lunch, we went on the Aquaraiders ride:

Had a photo with a bionicle:

Found out that Thing 1 was having an unpleasant reaction to his chicken pox booster:

Took pictures with some old friends on the way out:

Legoland closes at 6pm, which is kinda ridiculous, but at least we don’t have to eat dinner in there. We ate at a nearby restaurant, with Thing 2 repeatedly requesting we keep his birthday a secret in case the crazy waitstaff were to come over and humiliate him in that way that they do. His secret was safe with us.
We got home at 10pm, with exactly enough energy to spare for Cake! and singing. And collapse. This is what the end of the first day of 8 looked like:

Here is Thing 2 with some presents: Fluffy the dino and a really great puzzle.

And that, was that!

Well, after several years of negotiations, our new ceiling fans are in process! For Mother’s Day this year I got 3 ceiling fans, and one installation. Two to follow in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. Here it is, the first ceiling fan in our house. Its in the Things room, for various tactical reasons that shall remain secret. The light works up, down or both, as seen here. The fins generate hurricane-like breezes. The switch, it is near the door we actually use. It is good.

This weekend was the debut of Thing 2 showing an interest in making Sunday breakfast. If we play our cards right, in another year or so we won’t have to cook any breakfasts ever!! Thing 1 will occasionally rise early enough to make himself (and sometimes his brother) eggs and toast, wash the pan and empty the dishwasher. Its incredible, I know! He still forgets to wear socks, change his underwear, or do his homework though, so its not like our work here is done.

Here is Thing 2 in action Sunday (dig the bedhead):

In other news, I did get some knitting done recently, and start new bits. I finally finished the last of the spec scarves, which I won’t show because I am sick to death of them. Currently I have just finished a frothy scarf in some leftover blue kidsilk haze I had lying around. It was a diversion from the other.

On the needles I’ve got a quick White Lies design freebie, the Shapely Tee, in Plymouth royal bamboo (smaller swatch). Its lovely to knit, I’m hoping it will breathe well when I visit humidity this summer—its my first bamboo object. I picked it up at a steal at the crack shack Wondermom uses for quilting bits in IL. The brown/blue swatch is for a cover on a couple of kitchen chairs. Its Patons poodle, which I bought because I lost my mind for the colors in spite of the fact that it has the texture of a 70‘s toilet seat cover. It’s kitschy, but it will still keep my butt from sticking to the chair this summer, which is all I require of it. The Pooch felts a bit, with trace quantities of wool in the blend, so its nice and cushy.

I’m finally starting on the giant bird of paradise trim. I had to start the cuts with a hand saw, which was slow going. Once I had an in though, I used the electric sword trimmer, and that made relatively quick work of giving the thing a haircut. I assigned the Things to putting the fronds into the greenwaste bin. You may not know this, but that is exactly like being asked to dig a quarry. Just ask them.

While they were (nominally) picking things up, I took a pick axe to the root skirt. Yow, that is some serious work, that I am going to be doing in tiny baby steps. Jeepers that stuff is tough!! Sysguy thinks I can forgo that part, but I know that if I don’t dig up the corms on the outside, in about three weeks there will be new fronds shooting up from them, mostly beheaded ones, too, because they were in transit when I did the cutting. So the thing will come back faster, and look like merde while its doing it. This way, the bush will stay trim and narrow for at least a year or so. I like to think doing this myself is cheaper than the gym.

This is me doing some hand trimming:

Here is Sysguy trying to cajole the Things along. Notice it is much later in the day. There was a lot of goldbricking going on:

More California gardener. Here are updates to what I did last month. So far, I’ve only lost 1 helichrysum, because I let it dry out too many times before I stuck it in a temporary spot. Ergh.

Back semicircle outside the door: You can see the tomatoes have taken right off. I think this area is doing so well because I amended it with some old miracle grow potting soil I had in the backyard. It looked like crap, but apparently it still had oomph.

Dirt lozenge on the back patio: The santa barbara daisies are doing their thing. The BoP is entering its dormant phase here pretty soon, so it won’t change much for a while. Palm tree. Is what it is.

Under the lemon tree, back yard: three of the lavender are coming right back, two appear to have kicked it. I think I’ll put in kangaroo paws. I put in 4 lambs ears under the tree. I know they like sun, but there are limits. The rose bushes on either side of the door seem pretty happy, they have even had a couple of blooms already. The aloe at the base of one is blooming its underwhelming flower. Sysguy likes them, else I would just cut them off.

Front sittin‘ parlor: Coleus are growing slowly. I’m thinking of putting some miracle grow on them. I need to keep on the snail situation. Snails in the desert. Its just wrong. The spring hill geranium things are nonexistent on one side, and still miniscule on the other. The fern(s) are thrilled to be in a pot though. I got some of those glass ball things to fill in with watering on days I forget. That seems to be saving my ass.

Front triangle by the driveway: Everything is doing well! I had to spray the scabiosa with some systemic bug killer, aphids were sucking the life out of every millimeter of stem, it was sad. They have recovered brilliantly though! I’m thinking perhaps too much purple in this area. Eh, something will die, or I'll find a fill-in. I like the way the groundcover is going great guns!

Desert spot near the fireplace: Haven’t got to this yet, despite my good intentions. I did plant some things in the front there as a temporary measure to keep them alive till they go to their real homes.

Orange tree mess: Yuk. This is for during the big BoP. I’m going to move the bush with the pink flowers (rock rose) over in front of the fireplace and totally delete the artemesia/dusty miller. I’m dusty millered out. If you don’t stay on them here, they get ugly yellow flowers that need constant trimming. Clearly, I haven’t, mine are all tall and woody.
My intention is to surround the clementine orange tree with a semicircle of statice, and to clear out everything else that is competing with the tree. There are a lot of really annoying bulbs in there that need to go.