I took the kids to the park where they insisted that I spin them around and around and around on the merry-go-round. What I had not anticipated was that Ora 5 could get motion sick. On our way back to the house, Ora threw up a couple of times. This doesn't bode well for introducing him to roller coasters.

We were in Salina visiting Enid's parents and her dad recommended that we head out toward Ellsworth, KS, and see the new windmills that are along I-70. Since we visited Enid's grandma first, we took the long way to get back to Salina and came in on the windmills from the north and then took I-70 back into Salina. We drove thru the middle of all the windmills. They are so big that you can see them for 20 or 30 miles; so while you may think that you'll reach them at any moment, it takes a lot ...

Enid and I don't buy Christmas gifts for each other, but instead we take the money we would have spent and spend it on something we want for ourselves. Soooo much less stress!We were shooting around some ideas, including pooling our money and buying a Wii, until one morning as I was borrowing her iPod again, she said, "You need to buy yourself a new iPod." So, I did. I found a good deal on Craigslist and Ora 5 and I went up today to pick up my new iPod Touch.

Ora 5 and I were on our way to pick up my new iPod touch when he saw a power plant. "Dad, we need to shut down that plant.""But, Ora, if we shut down the plant, then we won't have electricity for our house." He thought about that momentarily."Okay, then I'll make it run on water.""That's not a bad idea, but the rivers have been getting lower and lower so I'm not sure how long that will work.""Then I'll make it run on the sun.""That's a good idea, but they ...

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooksrating: 4 of 5 starsThe zombie genre gets a new look with this book. I listened to the abridged audio book (couldn't find unabridged at my library). It's done in an interview style 10 years after the zombie war so it feels like you're listening to a History Channel documentary.Max Brooks (son of movie comedian Mel Brooks) has done such a wonderful job thinking through all ...

Washington Burning: How a Frenchman's Vision of Our Nation's Capital Survived Congress, the Founding Fathers, and the Invading British Armyby Les Standifordrating: 1 of 5 starsThis book sounded promising but was boring until the last few chapters when it gets to the war of 1812 and the renewed interest of the cities architect 70 years after his death.The author does a nice job at the beginning of tying the ...

For anyone who is out of the KC area (or those without TVs), here's the video:Will Companies Keep Flexible Schedules?