1/7/05


I love this light.

Baby handprints. I believe the extra blurring on the right hand is from her licking the glass. We've really got to break her of that habit.

Sunrise on a snowy cold morning

We had an open house on New Year's day, pictures record the fact we did manage to reach a higher state of organization.

Feeding time...the two girls in the pink are Craig's daughters, Ben in the highchair in the back.

Family showed up early on New Year's Day to visit. It was nice to be with people you love.

We were visited by our friends from Winnipeg, Mike, Michelle and Emma (in bucket). Emma is only 4 months old and is as big as my daughter. I had to remind myself not to toss her up in the air.

Felicity with Ben

Grandma with daughter

Chris hard at work. The key motivator, all the college bowl games on the television in front of him. He was quite happy to sit there and chop anything we put in front of him.

Front room

Dining room


We've been debating fabric swatches for various couches and like this one. The blue and the gold in it match some of the existing colors in our place. The other advantage, patterns hide spills inflicted by small children much better than a light microfibre.

1/3/05

You Know You've Had Too Much Coffee When (source unknown)
1.Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
2.You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
3.The only time you're standing still is during an earthquake.
4.You can take a picture of yourself from ten feet away without using the timer.
5.You lick your coffeepot clean.
6.You spend every vacation visiting "Maxwell House."
7.You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
8.Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
9.You're so jittery that people use your hands to blend their margaritas.
10.You can jump-start your car without cables.
11.All your kids are named "Joe."
12.Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
13.You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
14.You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
15.People get dizzy just watching you.
16.When you find a penny, you say, "Find a penny, pick it up. Sixty-three more, I'll have a cup."
17.The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
18.Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
19.You're so wired, you pick up FM radio.
20.Your life's goal is to "amount to a hill of beans."
21.Instant coffee takes too long.
22.When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
23.You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
24.You go to sleep just so you can wake up and smell the coffee.
25.You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
26.You name your cats "Cream" and "Sugar."
27.You get drunk just so you can sober up.
28.Your lips are permanently stuck in the sipping position.
29.You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
30.You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
31.You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
32.You don't tan, you roast.
33.You can't even remember your second cup.
34.You introduce your spouse as your "Coffeemate."
35.You think CPR stands for "Coffee Provides Resuscitation."
Wave of Change
How to build a global tsunami warning system in a month

That's a lot of people, 140,000 -- enough people that we ought to do something to make sure it doesn't happen again. So of course, there is lots of talk about tsunami warning systems and global cooperation, but I think that's just going about solving the problem the wrong way. We don't need governments and huge sensor arrays to warn people on the beach about the next huge wave approaching at 400 miles-per-hour. Thanks to the Internet, we can probably do it by ourselves.
Saving for a rainy quarter century

Try this on for size. You're seventy-five years old. You live in the comfy home you've always lived in. You play golf in good weather. In bad weather, you travel to where it's warm and sunny. When your grandchildren call, you take them out on the lake in your new boat. Your wife takes classes in the local college and paints. This is your life in retirement and it's everything you always hoped and dreamed it would be.

Or, try this scenario: you are seventy-five years old. You live in a tiny apartment with the smell of boiled cabbage and noisy neighbors all around. You live in a scary neighborhood and you dare not go out after dark. Eating at restaurants is just a dream. Your apartment is too small to have your kids or grand kids visit. If you get sick and you have to spend time in nursing care, you don't know how you'll afford it. Your life is pure fear.

1/2/05

A System for Sanity - Part I
By Chakwin

My theme is staying sane and grounded in the practice of law. I know it can be done. I also know it's not easy - at least it hasn't been for me or for the people I see around me.

Achieving this goal involves both conceptual and practical components. This piece is about the practical side, simple steps you can take to make the best use of your time and free your mind from becoming a nervous, nagging device. The information here can make a tremendous difference in the relative ease or difficulty of both the professional and personal sides of your life.

A System for Sanity - Part II
By Chakwin
Page 1 of 2

In my last column, I wrote about dealing with the demands upon our time and attention made by events and commitments. I showed how to build a system that makes intelligent and guilt-free choice among them possible. This column addresses another monster: the demon of paper.