Web Robin

Merry Christmas 2009!

 

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and time with family and friends.

The Wheel of Time -- King Arthur Connection

Okay, maybe the rest of you that are or have been reading the Wheel of Time series are more clever than I and picked up on this ages ago, but I just figured this out the other day.

As one of Heather's Christmas presents this year, I got her the first book in the Mists of Avalon series.  Those books are a telling of the King Arthur legend, written in the '80s, which my mom had in the house, but which I'd never read.  Upon checking into the book's description on its Wikipedia entry, I found the list of character names, and only then realized just how many names from the Wheel of Time series came STRAIGHT FROM the Arthurian tales:

Merry Christmas Eve

 

For the kids

Here's a little video from our trip to SeaWorld in June. 

Considering it took me an hour to prepare this video, which lasts less than 3 minutes, it's going to take me Weeks to catch up! 

Maybe that's just as well, so you're not overwhelmed with too many to view at one sitting.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

 

Snowflakes

Look at the collections of snowflake patterns below and choose which group is more accurate.

 

If you chose the purple group, you're correct!

It's very common for snowflakes to be illustrated as having 8 points, but they actually have 6.

Check out the beautiful photos of snowflakes in an old issue of LiveScience.

Then, if you want to learn even more about the physics of snowflakes, read this little news item on msnbc.

Avatar = A+ for fantasy fans

I LOVED the Avatar movie and was very sad when it was over. I wouldn't say that the story line is surprising, but the richness of the new world [Pandora] is compelling. I want to go there and explore.

Molly and I saw the 2-D version. That means we can see it twice more and it will still be "new:" once in 3-D and then again at the IMAX theater.

Some of the music reminded me of Braveheart or Willow... I can't quite place it, but it's wonderful.

Who else has seen it? and which version?

Rhythm Is Multigenerational, Apparently

In October, we captured Sarah on video dancing to techno music. Not to be outdone, here is Matthew shaking his stuff and showing us that rhythm and music appreciation has been passed on to yet another generation.

December photos (so far)

I've fallen behind a bit in posting photos I've been taking, so have collected a few into a gallery. 

Click here to see: 

• lots of baby and twin pics
• a few family photos from our trip to Monterey for Ken's graduation from the Naval Post Graduate school (MBA program)
• several Monterey Aquarium critter photos
• a handful of Mom + daughter photos we took yesterday
• one of me in the outfit I wore to church today to direct the choir in the Christmas program.

By the way, it's our 35th wedding anniversary. Our gifts to each other were given with similar intentions: he gave me a GPS for the car so I won't get lost and will "always find my way back to him." I gave him an underwater light to put on his suit when we dive at night--so he's easy to find in the dark--and a rattle so he can catch my attention underwater. Guess we intend to stay together, no matter what!

The photo above is one I took at the nearby marsh on one of my walks with the twins. I really like that even though we live in a nice town, there are nature areas in walking distance.

Also, I have LOTS of videos to process, and will post links to those ASAP.

Truth Stranger than Fiction

This post is of the type my mom is usually more likely to post than I am, but I found these pictures intriguing. 

The First, I found @ whatsthatbug.com while looking at bug pics with the boys.  It's an immature specimin of a French Mantis, and looks about as alien as I figure anything can look...  it's straight out of a Star Wars movie, but better, I think.

 

The next is supposed to be the partially decomposed carcass of a "Hellish Hairy Sea Monster" that washed ashore on a beach in Guinea.  Sea monster?  I don't know.  Some people are saying it's a baby whale on its back, but still, it looks pretty weird.

 

And this last one is a creature whose pic I found on english.pravda.ru that show some oddities found in an abandoned foundation pit outside Chelyabinsk in Russia.  --Weird.  They remind me of Horseshoe Crabs, but they have flexible tails, instead of the hardened spines that we're used to.

 

Can You Type 100+ WPM? This 5th Grader Can.

No pressure, but this 5th grade girl can run circles around you on a keyboard.

Want to find your own speed? Try: http://www.typingtest.com/

Honoring Cancer Survivors

I heard a story on NPR when I was driving home last night that I just had to share with you all.

Linda Hill has endured several bouts of cancer and instead of becoming bitter, has fought back with humor.

She's developed a line of T-shirts carrying funny fight-back sayings to raise money for charity (and to cover her own medical bills).

It's hard not to admire someone who's able to turn a challenge into something positive.

Read/hear the story here, and check out the T-shirts on this page.

My favorite T-shirt says, "Of course they're fake -- the real ones tried to kill me!"

Have you said "I love you" today?

 

Happy Birthday, Genie!

At Thanksgiving you joked that Louis, Jeremy, Chela, Cameron, Malinda, Rob, and Beth made you "Grand," but that Xander, Bastian, Matthew, Sarah, Sophia, and Jacob made you "Great."

We all think you've been GREAT for a long time!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday and a good year.

Love from the whole clan.

Matthew and Sarah (And a Llama) In My Lap

More Late Night Fun at the Grays' House...