Kisses....

When is a kiss with your wife a little too long? When your daughter tries to kiss her brother that way!!!

DaMom and I don't smooch and drool over each other in front of DaKids. Usually it's a mmmwaaa type kiss. Longer than peck but not much more. There may be two or three of these stacked in when I'm leaving for work which I will give all three of them.

During tonight's bath I made the mistake of singing Barney's "I love you..." song.

Bad move.

DaGirl enjoys the song especially the hugging and kissing parts. Well, her reenactment of the song got her going on a kissing streak. Next thing I know I'm trying to pry her off DaBoy as she's hugging and smooching him like he needs mouth to mouth resuscitation. Fortunately DaBoy wasn't traumatized and was laughing his fool head off the whole time.

Remember to moderate your smootches in front of the little ones!

WDID? 2

What do I do? Part 2

On any given day I could be designing, assembling, loading a box truck, driving to Boston, and installing the "heavy stuff" of a project.

This was case last Thursday and Friday:



What?
SHDR - Ship Height Detection Radar

Why?
To measure the heights of ships, DUH?!
The illustrious airport in Boston has a runway that overlooks a harbor inlet and since the runway protection zone crosses said inlet, provisions need to be made for seeing ships that cross those invisible lines. The system they are presently using which only tracks ships is going away soon and our solution is one radar to track the ships and the other measures the height. The height radar will sit under the overhang inside of a plastic barrier and all of the computers needed to run it are in the shelter.

It's an interesting system, just don't ask me to explain how it works, I'm only the ME.

g

What Do I Do?

A couple of weekends ago, while visiting my father in the hospital (yes he's still there, since Nov 7th), I realized no one really understands the stuff I design and build at work. So I think it's high time to start a little mini-series on some of the projects I do there.

First up: SRA

Take 10 pounds of stuff and cram it into a 1 pound bag.

If it's metal, it needed to be told where to go, and I did the telling.

It started life as a different system that had two receiving channels. When it was reincarnated into SRA those parts were pulled out so now there is some "extra" space.

This system required me to go down to Florida and climb into the belly of one of NOAA's P3 Hurricane Hunters to verify the pressure vessel this rats nest fits into would fit into the plane.

This is the busy side of the antenna. I had to make a frame that would bolt up to an existing faring that bolted to the airplane.

What does it do?
At present, it is a one of a kind device. It looks downward from the belly of an aircraft and measures wave heights flying through hurricanes.

Why?
The data received helps forecasters predict the intensity of the storm when it hits land.

g

Patience is....

...required!!!

Last night was DaMom's night to go to her quilting class. On these nights it's up to me and only me to get DaKids to bed.

I had it all worked out in my head; bathe them simultaneously, dry and dress DaBoy first (since he's younger), dry and dress DaGirl, head upstairs with a snack for her, play with them and read stories until Daboy get's cranky, usher him off to sleep while she continues playing, then read her a couple of stories in bed and lights out.

Some varience of this usually works, honest.

Everything was going to plan until the "Leave DaGirl to play" business. UGH.

I was in the rocker in his room while DaBoy drifted off to sleep in my arms as he normally does. Then there was a thud. It wasn't the kind of thud that would make you jump up like something just came through the roof or someone falling. It was more like a potato hitting on the floor. This is an old house, 109 this year, and there are plenty of strange noises that occur but it was the silence from DaGirl that had me worried.

I tried putting DaBoy in his crib, but he stirred and whined as I tried to free myself, so back into my arms he went and off to see what mischief she was into.

In her room is a three drawer dresser that we used as a changing table. We stored the diapers and other necessities in the top drawer. Since DaBoy was exiled from our room and banished to his room for overnight sleeping, we've been keeping the cloth diapers on the stair rail. They use the same size now and it is just easier then having to creep into her room while he's screaming for a diaper at 1,2,3,4.....am, whenever really. However we never emptied the "other" items from the top drawer of the dresser.

Apparently we should have.

DaBoy and I came around the corner to see the top drawer open, DaGirl sitting in the middle of the floor, the mini crate of wipes and......petroleum jelly sitting in front of her.

The cover of the jelly was courteously placed in the crate, as if not to get any on the floor. However DaGirl looked like she was on an easter egg hunt and the best egg was at the bottom of this vat (did I mention it was one of the BIG containers?) of petroleum jelly.

I almost flipped right there but I held my cool, calmly told her to "get your hands out of that" and got DaBoy back to his crib. And all hell broke loose. DaBoy went balistic and DaGirl started crying when I chastized her and started cleaning her up.

That gunk was all over her. What a nightmare, hands, sleeves, belly, hair and a screaming sound track to boot. Anyhow, I got her cleaned up, into new PJs and issued the order that she lost storytime privleges for the night and to get in bed.

I then went to calm DaBoy. He was so worked up he had the hicuups and even in the dim glow of a green nightlight I could see his red face. It took nearly a half hour for me to calm him down (OK, more like him to pass out). I got him into his crib without incident.

Now back to DaGirl. I could hear her chatting away and banging on her bed. As I rounded the corner I see her head drop down (remember the prairie dog analogy?). I walked over to her bed to see her head buried into the pillow and her butt up like an ostrich.

She starts snoring.
Stoicly, I stand there.
She snores louder.
I lean over her.
She snores louder still.
I chuckle.
She chuckles.

We both bust a gut Laughing.

She makes it impossible to stay mad at her. I love her for that.

Patience gets you to the good stuff.

g

How's this....

...For a view of Boston most people never see.

Why do I have this?
More to come...

Malicious Destruction of Property

When I was growing up girls were held to a higher standard. I don't remember any girl intentionally setting out to mess up, damage, or otherwise harm someone's property. That was left to the adolescent boys. Sure, the girls were conniving, scheming, defaming and probably planning the destruction, but they didn't actively participate. They would tell their boy slave to carry out the misdeed and it would be done. Almost godfatherlike. Only a lot younger, with a training bra.

I never went out and vandalized something for the hell of it. Sure, I enjoyed breaking up construction debris or other junk discarded in the woods and maybe i moved something just freak someone out, but I never damaged someones usable stuff. I didn't see the joy in it and didn't understand why other people did.

Last night was our weekly Water Babies class at our local YMCA. Our kids are close enough in age that both are in the same class. Really it's an excuse to splash around in a pool for a half hour. My kids are fish. They love the place.

Our YMCA has two pools, one is large and used for swim team practices and the other is smaller and heated. The small pool is still very big, two classes can be held in it at one time and there is still plenty of open space in the middle. There are youth and adult changing rooms conveniently located and outside of the pool area there are two "Family Changing Rooms". I emphasize this because for the last two weeks we've had to wait in the cold hallway while girls from the swim team use these changing rooms. Cold and wet 7 and 28 month old kids are not fun to be around.

Last night was stupidity at it's finest.

All of our street clothes were in the lockers in the bigger of the two rooms and a gaggle of girls were holding the room hostage while they were showering and slowly changing into their clothes. When the other room finally cleared I took the kids to into it and started getting them changed since all of their diapers and sleep stuff was in the bag we took into the pool area. My wife proceeded to beat down the door until they let her into get our stuff when she was greeted by water all over the floor and on our stuff in the lockers! They had also shot some spray soap through the grates of the locker and into my socks and underwear.

WTF!!!!

I have no idea who these children are and they don't know me. Why mess with any of our stuff? We did grab one of the swim coaches and complained at the front desk so hopefully these little $4!t$ get booted out.

Last night was far to cold and snowy to be outside, commando, in damp jeans with no socks on.

How's that for imagery?

SNOW!!!

I want to ride!!!

I'm tired of snow and cold weather.

Outside today.

Bring on the dog days of summer!!!