More Fun

I’m back in Washington DC again this week. I was here for a fast trip last week to check out the new theatre at the Newseum for a Wall-E screening. As with most new facilities there were a few issues but on the whole the systems checked out okay. I guess that should have been my warning for thing to come…

Everything was peachy at the start. Like a rocket to the moon, it was over much too soon. I had thought of taking an earlier flight but decided against it because I couldn’t do anything in DC until after 9pm. Good thing as the VP on this show was on that flight and it was delayed with mechanical problems. The 7am flight left L.A. at 5pm. We had a lovely tailwind and appeared to be arriving about 20 minutes early. Then I heard ATC call “United 966 report when ready to copy holding instructions”. Uh Oh. “Enter the CVG eastbound 135 radial and fly 15 mile legs. We’ll have further instructions at 21:30:00, time now 21:08:30. Here we go. Funny thing about Cincinnati; it doesn’t look much better from 36,000 feet covered with clouds than it does from the ground and I had an hour to study it as we flew the racetrack. But we made it into IAD about 70 minutes late.

We could not get access to the auditorium until 9:30-ish as another program was running that night so it wasn’t a huge problem. In fact we had time to grab dinner at the Capitol Grille before the other show ended anyway. That’s when things really went to Hell in a Handbasket. Once I started running Wall-E we noticed some very strange artifacting in the image. I tried a few tricks of the trade without any measurable success so I decided to switch over and use the museums Number One machine. I had originally decided to use the Number Two as it was closer to screen centerline. Because the content is encrypted switching to the other projector required considerably more work than moving a couple of video cables. That solved our problem with the picture but now we had a monster ground-loop in the sound. Oh, and all this has to be undone and restored to “normal” so the museums regular show would play during the day and then be reset again prior to our screening. All in all it was after 2am when we finished for the day.

On show day we again could not get in until 5pm for a 7pm show. Paul Capuano from Dolby Labs and I spent about four hours walking the Mall. I got a few pictures and a neat sunburn…

I even found my cousin on the Vietnam Memorial. That's a pretty sobering monument. There is just a different feeling there than at the WWII or Korea Memorials. Let us never forget those who gave us the freedom to blog and say whatever comes to mind....

Fathers Day in the Outhouse

I have had much to muse about today.

It started with reading a posting on another blog, something about her knowing that she could and would love a child that did not have a common biology. The big worry was if the child would bond to her.

Eight years ago today I was called "Dad" for the first time. When Yannette spoke in Sacrament meeting that day and said "Kent Peterson is not my Father, but he is my Dad", it was about the last thing I ever expected to hear. It was the last time any of the girls called me Kent. There have been moments when my own insecurities over the last eight years have caused me to wonder, needlessly, if the girls have bonded to me. Then days like today come along. A video posted in blog-space removed any thoughts that my girls are just that; My Girls. I guess that's why I have such a hard time letting go of them.....

So, thank you, Yannette, Erica, Jessica, Moraya and Miquela for letting me be "The Man I Always Wanted To Be".
Love, Dad

And a very special Thank You to Tami, for being the center of it all and making everthing possible.
I Love You and Thank You, Me

Production Mode!

Not that I am responding to any implied pressure but today saw great leaps in the crib business. All the parts for the sides are now dimensioned and mostly sanded. Funny thing about sanding, it's such a mindless task that you can work on all sorts of mental gymnastics while doing it. For instance, I figured it takes about three minutes to sand the four faces of each slat. There are thirty slats so that's ninty minutes. Each slat needs three passes, so that 4 1/2 hours just in sanding. Not to complain just explain. There is nothing I'd rather do than spend the day creating something that will, hopefully, be enjoyed and used long after I'm gone.

Would it have been easier to go buy one made in China at Costco? Absolutely. Would it have the the underlying expression of love as my way of welcoming Little Miss into this family? I don't think so....

Happy 80th

It was my Mother's 80th Birthday yesterday so all three of the kids got together for the party.

That might have been a mistake but what the hey.....

At least the were a few good laughs......

Tami made a quilt for Mom..

It was 10 years ago when I was in Salt Lake for her 70th that I ran into Scott and Tara that started the ball rolling which lead me to meeting Tami and the Girls... Maybe birthdays aren't all bad after all.