Morning all:

If this is (and I don’t believe it is) global warming then I am all for it. Our critters have trained me well so that by 5:30 they are all “helping” me gather up the morning paper. This morning, and it’s still January mind you, I was comfortably out on the sidewalk in my shirt sleeves. Back inside and after pouring my White Castle mug full of coffee I then spent the time drinking it, in the dark on the back deck, trying to round them all up. Oh well, it really is a good and quiet way to start off on my weekend.

Our town had one of the very best NPR radio stations in the nation—now no more. The nearby Xavier University station had a wonderfully eclectic programming mix. Now it’s been assimilated into another group. Gone is my weekend Jazz programming and Echoes, the nation’s premier New Age listening program. All replaced by news with a lot of it being BBC programming ported over from England. This BBC stuff is done to lend gravitas to news coverage. There is something that creates immediate legitimacy if news is reported in a style that makes it appear that the announcer, while reporting, is simultaneously dealing with a very hot potato in his/her mouth.

This morning I put into place my own solution to my listening vacuum. Last week, as part of my weekend emceeing duties, I had created a special 5-hour listening mix on my I-pod for background music. Since I created it, it reflected my musical tastes which included a hefty dose of Jazz and New Age. So now, while posting, in the background using one of these mini FM transmitters on the I-pod, I am listening to some excellent sounds—see there is always a solution.

Air New Zealand picked up a new passenger this week. Scheduled for mid-March travel Marcia will board and head for Apia, West Samoa, do a quick transfer and shoot across to Tongatapu, Tonga. Adrianne whooped it up when she heard the news (we called her). I think that I can handle peanut butter sandwiches for 3 weeks without any difficulty. We’ll see how many nights Marcia can manage to live as Adrianne does in her little fale before they have to cart her off to the nearest resort—wagers anyone?

Last night there was babysitter illness and since plans were in place Marcia and I had a fine time with little Marin. We started the evening with a couple of scenes of Kipper on the DVD. The weather being as nice as it was I retrieved the 3-wheeled EZ Strider Instep stroller from the basement and Shang, Marin, and I had a great walk. Back at the house it was snack time, and a little play. Way too soon the parents were back at the door and Marin was whisked out and home to bed. Twenty-five or so years ago, had you suggested that this would be a great way to spend a Friday evening I would have declared you loco.

Next my project is to write a reply to a note I received earlier from a dear family friend in the Netherlands. Close to ninety he still lives on his own. Anyway, I have to do this in my halting Dutch, so it will take a bit more time and is a bit more of a challenge. Then, it will be some work on the little upstairs office. Wait, that will be my Saturday won’t it?

Happy birthday this past week to Cathy and Kirstin.

Make it a great week.
Cheers,
Dirk