8 hours ago
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
More Pictures...
We added a new gadget to our blog (see left). It links to a page where we have a bunch of digital photos shared. Can someone try this link out and make sure you can see the pictures? As an added incentive, there are lots of cute Christmas photos. :) This is Han, by the way. I am just on Brian's computer.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
The ferrets and a gator
The ferrets have been having a relaxing January. Ever since we returned home, things have been pretty routine in their lives. They relax for most of the day and play for several hours in the evening. Sometimes they get to come out for a whort while around lunchtime, but not regularly. Here they are snoozing (Sunday morning, just waking up).
Brian bought them a new gator toy to play in. It is like the octopus we have, but this one has a bell suspended inside. Of course, you don't have to play with the bell. You can always take a little nap. Mom, they really like the corn bags because of the sound they make when you move them. Here is Chewbacca:
Brian bought them a new gator toy to play in. It is like the octopus we have, but this one has a bell suspended inside. Of course, you don't have to play with the bell. You can always take a little nap. Mom, they really like the corn bags because of the sound they make when you move them. Here is Chewbacca:
Brussels is inside the gator here, defending his turf against a feisty Chewbacca:
And here is one last picture of Brussels. He is especially in our minds these days, because his surgery is on Wednesday. It is hard to know what to expect from it--they just have to go in and investigate.
And here is one last picture of Brussels. He is especially in our minds these days, because his surgery is on Wednesday. It is hard to know what to expect from it--they just have to go in and investigate.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Triathlon, calories, and moot court
I don't know where January has gone but apparently it's just about gone! It's hard to believe that I'm taking down our Christmas lights this weekend (we stopped turning them on last weekend) since it seems like not that long ago we were in Ohio and Michigan for Christmas.
We've been up to a few new things lately. First, triathlon training. Han is actively fundraising but I haven't had time to yet and aside from fundraising from family and friends I probably won't do a whole lot of it. Han and I have been running or biking or swimming (or some combination of them) several times a week. The cold weather lately (by cold I mean below freezing) has made me more reluctant to train, but I'm getting over that. We've particularly enjoyed long bike rides on Saturdays.
Another new thing is Han and I have been counting calories. We both want to lose a bit of weight so we've cut back to 1500 or less calories a day. Just counting the calories alone has made a mental difference-we must have been eating way more than 2000 a day previously. The act of counting alone has made me more aware of what I eat and when.
The third new thing is I'm busy with Moot Court coaching several nights a week now. That will continue until the first week of February. The problem this year involves the firing of a homosexual pastor in violation of his contract with the church and how that firing is treated under the First Amendment. It keeps me busy but the legal question is very interesting. It's a tough question: when a church promises by contract to play by certain rules and then breaks that promise, how does a secular court tell that religious entity what it must do given the First Amdendment? You also face questions like how does an anti-discrimination law apply to churches that don't want to, as some religious groups don't, hire women as ministers?
Lastly, I also ordered Wired for War today (using the gift certificate from Peter and Anne - thank you). It's a book about the way technology is changing the legal and moral landscape of war, which is of course a legal question right in (one of) my areas of interest. I heard about it on NPR today during an interview with the author and it sounds pretty fascinating. The reviews and online content I saw were similarly intriguing. I hope I can find time to read it sooner than later.
I hope you're all doing well. Brussels will have his second surgery for adrenal cancer next week. We hope it will go well and will keep you posted on his hopefully quick recovery.
We've been up to a few new things lately. First, triathlon training. Han is actively fundraising but I haven't had time to yet and aside from fundraising from family and friends I probably won't do a whole lot of it. Han and I have been running or biking or swimming (or some combination of them) several times a week. The cold weather lately (by cold I mean below freezing) has made me more reluctant to train, but I'm getting over that. We've particularly enjoyed long bike rides on Saturdays.
Another new thing is Han and I have been counting calories. We both want to lose a bit of weight so we've cut back to 1500 or less calories a day. Just counting the calories alone has made a mental difference-we must have been eating way more than 2000 a day previously. The act of counting alone has made me more aware of what I eat and when.
The third new thing is I'm busy with Moot Court coaching several nights a week now. That will continue until the first week of February. The problem this year involves the firing of a homosexual pastor in violation of his contract with the church and how that firing is treated under the First Amendment. It keeps me busy but the legal question is very interesting. It's a tough question: when a church promises by contract to play by certain rules and then breaks that promise, how does a secular court tell that religious entity what it must do given the First Amdendment? You also face questions like how does an anti-discrimination law apply to churches that don't want to, as some religious groups don't, hire women as ministers?
Lastly, I also ordered Wired for War today (using the gift certificate from Peter and Anne - thank you). It's a book about the way technology is changing the legal and moral landscape of war, which is of course a legal question right in (one of) my areas of interest. I heard about it on NPR today during an interview with the author and it sounds pretty fascinating. The reviews and online content I saw were similarly intriguing. I hope I can find time to read it sooner than later.
I hope you're all doing well. Brussels will have his second surgery for adrenal cancer next week. We hope it will go well and will keep you posted on his hopefully quick recovery.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Long time no see
Well, it has been quite a while since our last post. I think after Christmas break, we (or at least I) need a secondary break, especially from picture-taking. After pulling the picture books together, it is nice to step back from it all for a while. Just a couple days ago, I put our Christmas pictures on the computer. Many of them can be seen on David and Rachel's blog. Since January 1, we haven't taken any new pictures at all.
So what have we been up to? Brian has jumped back into work with both feet. I have been putting the house back into order after our absence and preparing for the semester. I teach my first class today (well, tonight). We have both been training for the triathlon. Last weekend, we took a 12 mile bike ride out to the St. Marks bike trail. It is really hilly here--so much more than Holland! To get to the bike trail, we have to ride along some busy traffic roads, which makes me nervous. But the trail itself is very nice. I am considering a bike rack for the car (otherwise I have no idea how we will get to the race site), but that is still in beginning stages.
That's all for now. I have to get back to planning my lecture. My class this evening is 3 hours long, so it will be a struggle to keep the students engaged. Luckily, I am pretty high energy at that time. I am planning a small activity for them, so I hope they come ready to work.
So what have we been up to? Brian has jumped back into work with both feet. I have been putting the house back into order after our absence and preparing for the semester. I teach my first class today (well, tonight). We have both been training for the triathlon. Last weekend, we took a 12 mile bike ride out to the St. Marks bike trail. It is really hilly here--so much more than Holland! To get to the bike trail, we have to ride along some busy traffic roads, which makes me nervous. But the trail itself is very nice. I am considering a bike rack for the car (otherwise I have no idea how we will get to the race site), but that is still in beginning stages.
That's all for now. I have to get back to planning my lecture. My class this evening is 3 hours long, so it will be a struggle to keep the students engaged. Luckily, I am pretty high energy at that time. I am planning a small activity for them, so I hope they come ready to work.
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