subscribe

	Wednesday 12 November 2003 The older class of Isaac's pre-school went en masse to see a stage production of Aladdin. The kids dealt with it pretty well. (That's Juggie walking down the row, checking on her charges.) Here's Isaac with Jonah and Fiona. The high-resolution version of this photo came back from the photofinishers today: it was absolutely stunning. As good as my optical cameras (Olympus 1, 2, and 10s). Lila on the sidewalk in front of our house wearing my favorite sweatshirt of hers (one which Isaac wore when he was just a wee tyke).
Tuesday 11 November 2003
	Here's the inside of U-Lee! I finally had a good excuse to get everyone there: the kids have just recovered from what seems to be a 24-hour flu and we're feasting on the most excellent won ton soup. Isaac is on the streetcorner checking out the passers-by, Rose is to my left with Lila on her lap, Sofia is in the doorway speaking to Isaac, Dziadziu is wondering what I'm doing, and store's owners are having lunch in the middle of the picture (and hand-wrapping the won tons). The kids absolutely loved looking into their tiny kitchen and watching how our food was cooked. What a kid-friendly place to eat.
Monday 10 November 2003
	It was a cold morning. I was wearing a baggy thermal shirt, into which Isaac thought he'd climb. Not quite as terrifying as Kerberos...
Sunday 9 November 2003
	Oh, man, Lila just loves it when Dziadziu hoists her up on his shoulder. She doesn't stop talking about it. She's quite the quasseltute (German: chatterbox). Goodness knows about what she was holding court. Long, long very emphatic sentences.
Saturday 8 November 2003
	One morning Isaac woke up too early and dragged me out of the house (so that the girls club could sleep in). We found our way over to Fisherman's Wharf, where we eat at The Fiddler's Green (great Irish breakfast) and have a crab dessert on the wharf. Isaac likes the hub-bub of the crowds, the birds, the musicians, and the food. Driving back on Hyde Street we passed U-Lee, where I think some of the best Chinese food is to be had. I have to bring the family by here soon. I'd almost forgotten about U-Lee; it's quite off my beaten paths. Being a Saturday we did find the time to visit the Josephine Randall Junior Museum, just above our house. The model trains in the basement and the live animals on the main floor hold the kids attention, despite the weekly visits. Nancy and Quinn are also favorite stops :-)
Friday 7 November 2003
	The kids in the back of the car. When I first got the convertible the kids (especially Lila) didn't like the wind. Now they both scream for me to drop the roof in all sorts of weather. So we keep warm jackets and a wool blanket in the car at all times. It's a lot more fun to drive. Tom and Ray (Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers) said "convertibles are for happy people who want to be happier." Well said.
Thursday 6 November 2003
	A half-naked Isaac playing with his huge collection of wheeled vehicles. He's in the back room, our summertime bedroom, which has been vacated in favor of the front room (where the main heater was built). This picture was taken without a fill flash, and so is not as sharp as could be. A close-up of playing boy. The camera has true macro capability, but I haven't played much with it (yet). Rose and Lila (wearing the favorite hat of mine) running from the pre-school. Dziadziu and Sofia, having dinner with us at Chevy's Mexican restaurant at the Stonestown Mall.
Wednesday 5 November 2003
	Having a new camera gives me an excuse to present the rest of the month in pictures. Please bear with me. It'll be both glorious and terrifying (perhaps for both of us). I can't recall why Rose is so excited; she's in our kitchen after all. One thing I've noticed about the new camera is that sometimes it decides to focus on something other than what's in the exact center of the frame. In this case the hanging pots and pans were preferred over my wife. Sigh. Here are my happy keiki, Isaac and Lila, in the eating nook. Lila's smile reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. That's one happy girl. She really does like to brush her teeth. The sour face is a bit confusing. Perhaps it was just the moment captured.
Tuesday 4 November 2003
	Today I acquired a 4 megapixel Casio Exilim EX-Z4U digital camera. I've been playing with it non-stop since, and taken lots of photos, and I'm not sure it's anywhere as clear as my Nikon CoolPix 950 (the first picture snapped with the new camera appears here). We'll have to take a bunch of photos, send some to a professional photofinisher, and then see for ourselves. I have high hopes.
Monday 3 November 2003
	I like The Matrix as much as the next geek, and I was pretty pleased with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Yuen Woo-ping, the choreographer of the martial arts in those films, directed in 1993 a low-budget Hong Kong film which in surprisingly many ways surpasses both of those big-money flicks: Iron Monkey. Wow. The movie recounts some of the adventures of Cantonese patriot Wong Fei-hung, 1847-1924, who has evolved into an icon of Chinese pop culture, a sort of Middle Kingdom Davy Crockett. Sean Axmaker says: In Yuen Woo-ping's dazzling take on Robin Hood, set in a 19th-century Canton township, Yu Rong-guang stars as the humble healer Dr. Yang, who dons black tights and a bandit mask for nightly excursions as the Iron Monkey to rob from the thieving governor of Canton and give to the poor. When wandering herbalist and martial artist Wong Kei-ying (Donnie Yen) enters town with his son in tow, the governor blackmails Wong into capturing the outlaw. Needless to say, Wong and Yang become fast friends and team up to take on the new villain in town, the Monk, and his mob of street-fighting thugs. The story is pure pulp, a turn-of-the-century superhero picture with a comic book sensibility, and master choreographer Yuen (Wing Chun) provides plenty of splashy, stylish battles with an emphasis on elaborate wire work and complicated stunts--notably the spectacular finale in a fiery inferno as the heroes leap above the flames, balanced on burning poles.
Saturday 1 November 2003
	My Handspring Treo 180 has yet again failed in its most basic requirement: giving me the ability to communicate. The replacement door is loose, and the phone is telling me there's something wrong with my SIM card. Now I'm faced with trying to wangle a couple dozen replacements from either Handspring/Palm or T-Mobile. Oh, that's something to which I'm looking forward. Sigh.