Category Archives: See, I do have a life!

On Friday we headed north to Vancouver. To those who say that the Canadian border is a sieve, I can tell you that if you try to enter or exit Canada via I-5, you’ll need to show proof of citizenship … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Looks like there’s been some spirited discussion in my absence. I’m back now, so I’ll try to get into some new and improved trouble. Look for a final trip report and some thoughts on airport security tomorrow. Continue reading →

Travel update, volume IV Today Tiffany and I went off on an adventure to Orcas Island to meet up with Jenny, a college friend of hers. We had stayed at Jenny’s house on Bellevue on Sunday, but as Jenny and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today after a hearty breakfast of hash browns and eggs, we packed up the minivan and headed off to the historic town of Langley, on the other end of Whidbey Island. Langley is another small older village on the coast … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We took the ferry to Port Townsend for a little shopping and sightseeing this morning. The road signs refer to it as the “Pt. Townsend Ferry”, so naturally when I first saw one of them as we were driving in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We’re here at my brother and sister-in-law’s house on Whidbey Island. We landed in Seattle yesterday, hung out there and stayed overnight with a friend in Bellevue, then drove out here this morning. Our rent car has a Magellan “Never … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tiffany and I are leaving this morning for a week in the Pacific Northwest to visit family and attend a wedding. I will have some access to a computer during this time, but expect posting to be light for the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

On May 31, 1966, my grandfather, for whom I am named, died at the age of 55. I was born three months before his death, so while I never got to know him, he at least got to meet me. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

My 53-year-old cousin Patrick Kuffner just celebrated his first Mass as a newly-ordained priest. The Staten Island Advance has a short story here about how at the age of 50, after a 20-year career as a teacher and principal, he … Continue reading → Continue reading →

On a busy ass-kicker of a day, when you’re still exhausted but euphoric from a trip to the Schlitterbahn, there are no words which are sweeter or more uplifting than the following: “The staff meeting this afternoon has been cancelled.” … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We’re off to the Schlitterbahn, the world’s greatest water park, for the weekend, so I probably won’t have anything more to say until Sunday night or Monday. I’ve got a few things brewing, such as a followup on Joe Katzman’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today when I checked my mailbox, I found a note from a high school classmate who had stumbled across this piece I’d written about an encounter with Frank McCourt last year. She had also taken Creative Writing with Mr. McCourt … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When your wife calls you on the phone and the first words out of her mouth are “The good news is that I won’t be going to Algeria in May”, it’s not really clear if you want to hear what … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I recently pointed to an article in our old hometown paper about my parents’ exploits as bagel testers for the Portland Columbian. Yesterday the article ran in the paper, featuring a couple of quotes from my mom. Not too surprisingly, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Read about my dad the bagel tester, as reported to our old hometown newspaper. Continue reading →

The domino chain of closings fell in its prescribed order, and so without an excess of hubbub we are the proud owners of our new home. We managed to move everything yesterday without breaking anything (that we know of), and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, tomorrow is moving day. The house is almost completely packed now – boxes as far as the eye can see. You really don’t appreciate how much crap you actually have until you remove all of it from its normal … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We’re eight days away from closing. We expect to take possession two days early, on Saturday the 13th, so we can move in. Our buyer is selling his house to someone who’s selling theirs, so there’s a four-link daisy chain … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, we managed to spend a whole week in Switzerland without causing them to rethink this whole entry-into-the-UN thing, so on that score alone I’d have to call the vacation a success. Seriously, we had a wonderfully relaxing time, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tiffany and I depart today for a week in Switzerland, so there won’t be anything new here until next Tuesday. I recommend all the fine links on the left to hold you off until then. See you next week! Continue reading →

There are many things I hate about moving. Near the top of this long list is dealing with phone and utility companies. Today I spoke to my local telco about switching service. I had no trouble getting through to an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, much has happened since the last update. We have agreed to terms with the sellers of the house we want, and we have a buyer in place for our house. Both houses have been inspected and appriased, so all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, the Spring 2002 NABCs are history. I took the week off from work and spent most of it playing in various events. Sadly, of the three nationally-rated open events I played in (the Mixed Pairs, the Open Pairs, and … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, as expected, we were eliminated from the Vanderbilt last night. I thought we played well, but the other team was better. The way this works is that each team is made up of two partnerships. Each partnership plays a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I’ll be spending this week at the 2002 NABC bridge tournament right here in Houston, so I may be a little light on the posts. Today I’m playing with some friends in the Vanderbilt Knockout Teams event. It’s probably the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We got an offer on our house today, a mere five days after the For Sale sign went up. It’s in the ballpark pricewise, and the prospective buyer already has a contract on his house and wants to close on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, things are really moving along. We have a signed contingency agreement on the house we want, which means we’ve put up earnest money. On Wednesday we did an inspection of the new house. It’s in pretty good shape, but … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Had a minor dog emergency this afternoon while taking Harry for his afternoon walk. He usually walks on my left, and sometimes when the leash goes slack his right foreleg will step over it, making it necessary to untangle him. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Earlier this week Tiffany attended the ninth annual Houston Heritage Society Attic Sale. It’s basically a big garage sale thrown by Ladies Who Lunch as a fundraiser for the Heritage Museum. While at said sale, Tiffany found and bought an … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The owners of the house we want have come back with a counteroffer. We’re still apart on price but I think we’ll be able to meet in the middle. We’ve given a new offer to our real estate agent to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s my birthday, too, yeah. I’m exactly the same age as Justine Bateman, and exactly one day older than Cindy Crawford. Here’s what else has happened on my birthday. Nice of the Senate to celebrate my 20th by outlawing genocide, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I finally got a Blackberry wireless email device. With my pager and cellphone, this means I am now officially a triple-threat geek. Tremble in my presence, mortals! Continue reading →

I work for a large multinational corporation, the kind of place that the anti-globo folks hate. It’s actually a rather progressive place to work, and has a fairly strong record of emphasizing diversity. Today we had a diversity activity in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We have tickets for two shows at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo this week. Monday is Lyle Lovett, and Wednesday is Bob Dylan. (What, you thought it’s only country/western music at the HLSR?) Friday I’m meeting some friends at … Continue reading → Continue reading →