Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Suzy Snow Plow
Since we can't seem to get enough snow around here to make a single measly snow meatball, I decided to escape to the mountains on Tuesday. I thought I was being clever because it seemed like everyone in the world was heading Downtown for the Inauguration. I figured we'd have the whole mountain to ourselves.
Several hundred other people thought the same thing.
Bill and I are still hobbled by our soccer injuries so we stuck to snow tubing and wildly gesturing "thumbs up" while the girls embarked on their first skiing lessons. Lauren absolutely loved it and was disappointed to learn that ski school doesn't "meet again" next week -- same time, same place. Kristen had a great time but was slightly disappointed because her group did not advance as quickly as Lauren's group. She felt that she was ready to tackle "the big mountain", a.k.a. the bunny slope.
But...the happiest man on the bunny slope had to be Ski Instructor "Joe". He was teaching a motley crew of 4 -- "Justin", "I Need Help" (I.N.H), "Ryan", and "Girl in Pink Jacket". I know this because I.N.H. whined "I need help" about 400 times during a one hour lesson. She believed that she needed help for just about any task that might increase her heart rate a beat. Justin was more interested in knocking over the obstacles and tumbling into a heap then learning how to ski. It would not be a stretch to think he was deaf because he did not even acknowledge Ski Instructor Joe's repeated requests. "Girl in Pink Jacket" was the golden child of the group and that is why I don't know her name. She performed all the tasks flawlessly and didn't give Joe a moment's pause. Ryan was trying hard but couldn't quite get it. Eventually he slid down the hill and face planted in the snow and remained there motionless for about 3 minutes. Of course, this would be the time Ryan's mom decided to check in on him at the lesson. I could hear the slight panic in her voice at arriving on the scene with her young son face-down, motionless in the snow and Ski Instructor Joe in the distance trying to persuade Justin to stop pulling down the "limbo" bar.
This Bud's for you, Ski Instructor Joe.
Several hundred other people thought the same thing.
  |  |
Bill and I are still hobbled by our soccer injuries so we stuck to snow tubing and wildly gesturing "thumbs up" while the girls embarked on their first skiing lessons. Lauren absolutely loved it and was disappointed to learn that ski school doesn't "meet again" next week -- same time, same place. Kristen had a great time but was slightly disappointed because her group did not advance as quickly as Lauren's group. She felt that she was ready to tackle "the big mountain", a.k.a. the bunny slope.
But...the happiest man on the bunny slope had to be Ski Instructor "Joe". He was teaching a motley crew of 4 -- "Justin", "I Need Help" (I.N.H), "Ryan", and "Girl in Pink Jacket". I know this because I.N.H. whined "I need help" about 400 times during a one hour lesson. She believed that she needed help for just about any task that might increase her heart rate a beat. Justin was more interested in knocking over the obstacles and tumbling into a heap then learning how to ski. It would not be a stretch to think he was deaf because he did not even acknowledge Ski Instructor Joe's repeated requests. "Girl in Pink Jacket" was the golden child of the group and that is why I don't know her name. She performed all the tasks flawlessly and didn't give Joe a moment's pause. Ryan was trying hard but couldn't quite get it. Eventually he slid down the hill and face planted in the snow and remained there motionless for about 3 minutes. Of course, this would be the time Ryan's mom decided to check in on him at the lesson. I could hear the slight panic in her voice at arriving on the scene with her young son face-down, motionless in the snow and Ski Instructor Joe in the distance trying to persuade Justin to stop pulling down the "limbo" bar.
This Bud's for you, Ski Instructor Joe.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Lauren's Swim Meet
At her most recent swim meet, Lauren achieved 2 major milestones in her quest for U8 swimming domination. For the first time EVER, she started her races atop the starting block AND she was not disqualified for her breast or butterfly strokes.
Monday, January 5, 2009
An explosive start to the New Year...
I am thanking my lucky stars that the circuit breaker tripped at the exact right moment. I have a new appreciation for the power of electricity and it's potential for damage.
Last night as I was starting to make dinner, I preheated the oven and pulled out the under-stove drawer to grab a cookie sheet for the tater tots. (not the healthiest side dish but get past it) As I riffled through the stack of cookie sheets, one must have slipped out the back of the drawer. I picked the one I wanted and closed the drawer.
Loud BANG!!! Sparks flying out from under the oven followed by black, stinky smoke. I quickly stomped on the sparks covering the floor in front of the oven and whisked Kristen out of the kitchen. I returned to assess the damage. I opened a window for the smoke then calmly responded to Kristen's inquiries about smoke and firetrucks and eating out and are we going to die. I noticed the stove panel had gone dark. I admit I started worrying that I had broken the stove but I pushed that out of my mind to focus on the bigger picture.
There were no more sparks and the smoke seemed to be subsiding so I decided not to call the fire department. I pulled the drawer out completely and was horrified to find the quantity of dust and debris I had let accumulate under the stove. Once again...focus on the big picture, Nance.
I saw that a cookie sheet had fallen behind the drawer and hypothesized that when I had closed the drawer I must have jammed the sheet into the electrical socket located against the wall. Ok, here's where I get really stupid. I worried that I should not touch the offending cookie sheet because even though it was no longer in contact with the electrical outlet(that was no longer capable of powering the oven lights) it might still be "charged". I reasoned (and I use that word liberally) that I could scoot it out with a wooden salad tong.
Shockingly (ha ha), I removed the tray without electrocuting myself and thoroughly cleaned out the area under the stove. The tray sustained fatal injuries from the incident. In addition to being charred, the metal along the spot that made contact with the socket was mangled.
I calmed myself a bit. I had not blown up the house. I was ready to address the oven situation. I headed downstairs for the moment of truth. The circuit breaker had been tripped and I was able to "un-trip" it and power up the stove. Dinner was saved.
The moral of the story...don't overfill your under-oven drawer, make sure you keep the area under the stove free of dust/spark tinder, and verify the circuit breaker has been tripped BEFORE investigating the cause of the "explosion".
Last night as I was starting to make dinner, I preheated the oven and pulled out the under-stove drawer to grab a cookie sheet for the tater tots. (not the healthiest side dish but get past it) As I riffled through the stack of cookie sheets, one must have slipped out the back of the drawer. I picked the one I wanted and closed the drawer.
Loud BANG!!! Sparks flying out from under the oven followed by black, stinky smoke. I quickly stomped on the sparks covering the floor in front of the oven and whisked Kristen out of the kitchen. I returned to assess the damage. I opened a window for the smoke then calmly responded to Kristen's inquiries about smoke and firetrucks and eating out and are we going to die. I noticed the stove panel had gone dark. I admit I started worrying that I had broken the stove but I pushed that out of my mind to focus on the bigger picture.
There were no more sparks and the smoke seemed to be subsiding so I decided not to call the fire department. I pulled the drawer out completely and was horrified to find the quantity of dust and debris I had let accumulate under the stove. Once again...focus on the big picture, Nance.
I saw that a cookie sheet had fallen behind the drawer and hypothesized that when I had closed the drawer I must have jammed the sheet into the electrical socket located against the wall. Ok, here's where I get really stupid. I worried that I should not touch the offending cookie sheet because even though it was no longer in contact with the electrical outlet(that was no longer capable of powering the oven lights) it might still be "charged". I reasoned (and I use that word liberally) that I could scoot it out with a wooden salad tong.
Shockingly (ha ha), I removed the tray without electrocuting myself and thoroughly cleaned out the area under the stove. The tray sustained fatal injuries from the incident. In addition to being charred, the metal along the spot that made contact with the socket was mangled.
I calmed myself a bit. I had not blown up the house. I was ready to address the oven situation. I headed downstairs for the moment of truth. The circuit breaker had been tripped and I was able to "un-trip" it and power up the stove. Dinner was saved.
The moral of the story...don't overfill your under-oven drawer, make sure you keep the area under the stove free of dust/spark tinder, and verify the circuit breaker has been tripped BEFORE investigating the cause of the "explosion".
Thursday, January 1, 2009
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