A Little Jazz Anyone?

Last evening Sean and I joined our friends Brian and Aimee and headed to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Cyrus Chestnut, a jazz pianist, performed with two other men. One played an upright bass and the other, a small drum kit. Tables were spread out for people to sit and enjoy the music. We chose to sit on the grand staircase that lead to the second floor. So with wine and drinks in hand we sat back and listened to a fantastic performance. Later, when we were walking through the museum and taking in some exhibits, Mr. Chestnut walked by. If it wasn't for Sean stopping him to shake his hand and compliment his performance, the other three of us would never have noticed such a great performer walking by. Here's a clip I found of him on YouTube.

Lately

We're still here. Just haven't blogged in a while. We've been busy like everyone else. Both Sean and I have been working hard. I have a student teacher this year and that adds a different element to the mix. Sean has been working on a big deal at work. We haven't done much to the house. I believe we've hit a stand still. That's okay, considering Sean kept saying we were bleeding money right after we moved in. Hey, it needed to be beautified.

This past weekend we attended my 10th year college reunion. It's hard to believe that ten years have flown by. Sean allowed me to drag him along and meet a bunch of people who he would forget about within 5 minutes. He was a trooper! It was great fun seeing old friends and catching up. I think I only called one person by the wrong name. I did pretty well remembering who most of them were. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures. Take my word for it, we all pretty much look the same as we did back then.

My Lawn Boy

A very important purchase was necessary when we moved into our new home. The lawnmower! We never had need of one in the past, but now we had our very own lawn. Sean made his decision within 2 weeks of living here and went out to visit Sears. He came home with a lovely, orange Husqvarna. I do believe mowing the lawn is now one of his favorite past times. Creating a manicured yard has become his passion. He puts on his grass-stained sneakers and a pair of old pants and off he goes. In between lawn mowing days, he brings out the sprinkler and waters the lawn. He researches ways to do away with the lawn rust fungus that has taken over the neighborhood. Then he implements his plan. After a few days, there he goes again. Time to mow the lawn. Now, I'm not complaining in the least. You see, I haven't even touched the precious Husqvarna. I sure do love my lawn boy!

Notice orange powder on Sean's pant leg . . . that's rust.

Priceless

Our new favorite TV commercial. Enjoy!

Update

So here is the latest update on our home.
The living room is coming to completion!!! Marci is yearning to finish at least 1 room, and we are almost there. Last week, we made the plunge and installed a flat screen TV. Wow, what a difference. I have decided that there are a few things in life that are worth it. A huge tv is one of them. Installing it on the wall however, is not the easiest task. This took a few tries with Marci helping me to fish wires and cables thru the wall. The end result is worth it. Other additions include a new console under the TV, and a kitchen table.

Our lawn is not doing to well, it is covered with an orange sort of fungi called "Lawn Rust" The good news is that our entire neighborhood also has it. I have discovered through some diligent searching on the web that it is common for new lawns to be susceptible to this after a long dry season. Oh well.

Last night I read an article in National Geographic about the effects of global warming, and then I went to sleep worried and depressed. It got me thinking, is there ever any good news anymore? All you hear in the media is sad, depressing, bad news. Global warming this, Iraq war that, Hillary vs Obama, climate change, oil prices up over $80, mortgage market in turmoil, democrats hate the president, republicans don't care, Iran building nuclear bombs, radical islamist want to kill us, terrorism, blah blah blah.

On and on.

So I typed in "good news" in google this morning, and I found this website: http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ All they report is, good, positive news, about things happening around the world. They have an article explaining how 3 million mosquito nets are being distributed around Zambia, to help save countless lives from the threat of Malaria. This is great news!!!!

I am convinced that there is more good left in humanity than bad. All I need to do to see this is look out of our front door every morning and see the gathering of moms and dads waiting with their kids for the bus. They chat, shake hands, protect their children and bring a sense of community. This is good news. I wake up in the morning, and I am healthy and live in a lovely home with a wonderful wife, this is good news.

I have a savior who has freed me from the clutches of misery, death and sin.

This is good news.

Sean.

Wildlife

Already we're attracting all manner of wildlife. Okay, not all manner, but your regular every day rodent, the mouse. Sean terminated the life of a little one the other day with the lawnmower. A complete mishap and total accident. He felt quite bad about it actually. And now we have a new inhabitant in the garage . . .

Baby bunny! He's very cute, but could pose a threat to future gardening endeavors. He took up residence behind the garbage tote on Friday. We left the door open for a few hours and now . . . no bunny. Our biggest concern was possibly running over him, but we seem to be in the clear. Sean plugged up their little burrow yesterday. Let's hope they'll be gone for good. Is that wishful thinking?

Interior

Here they are . . . photos of the interior of the new house. You've asked. We deliver.


Click the link to check them out . . . Interior

Math

Like Sean, I thought I'd do the You Tube video posting too. It's a cute one and right up my alley with the "take aways." I'm a little concerned that a 4-year-old has to do subtraction. Must be something from No Child Left Behind.

Business Time..

So have you heard of "Flight of the Conchords?"
A friend of mine introduced me to these guys last week. Basically it 2 funny guys from New Zealand that write their own funny songs, and play guitar. Hysterical.
They have come up with such hits as "albie the racist dragon" and "business time" 2 of my personal favorites.
Who knew that a dragon could also be a racist. Please click on the link and enjoy.



Our new home is coming along, it seems to be more "home" than "house" now. I have had to mow the grass at least 4 times since I bought the new mower. Not a bad thing, since I purchased the self propelled version. What a luxury! The mower basically pushes itself, all I do is walk behind and look like I am pushing it. Our new kitchen furniture will arrive tomorrow. I cant wait, as currently our breakfast nook looks like an arboretum. Marci has stashed all manner of plant life there, till she can find a place to put them.

A few days ago, a nice lady in the mall told me that I look like Donnie Osmond. I just looked at her and said "Yes I hear that all the time" In my mind I thought, isnt that nice? That's better than being told I look like Sam, (the eagle muppet who reads the news) - someone did tell me this before.

On a sad note, I lawn-mowered a mouse today.

Sean

Back to School

Reality is setting in as I type this. Tomorrow is the first day of school. My full class of 25 students will arrive in the morning. I'm ready for them physically, but mentally, I'm not so sure. With just moving into our house and all of the busy-ness that comes with that, I feel that I could use a bit more time off. We spent the entire Labor Day weekend either at Home Deport or painting. The word labor fits quite well this year. Welcome to home ownership! There is always something to be done. But I love it and am so thankful to have this home of ours. And yes, in spite of the lack of enthusiasm I feel about going back to school, I am very thankful for a rewarding and great career that I have. So, off to bed I go, for a good night's sleep to be ready for the first day of school.

p.s. We've had requests for some photos of the interior of the house. We'll get some of those up here soon.