I like Potato Chips

I'm eating Kettle brand Salt and Pepper chips. I couldn't be more satisfied.
First, some pictures of the boys:

Hi Max!

Henry can fit into very small spaces. I should have him start training with David Blaine, or a ring of jewel thieves. I think I could mail him anywhere in a Priority Mail flat rate box.

Notice how white teeth are when you are young, and how dingy they are when you are old and decrepit.

Henry deploys his hair.


So, as I said I am eating Kettle brand Salt and Pepper chips. While I would have more black pepper taste, they are possibly the best chip flavour ever.

I almost had to serve jury on what promised to be a three day medical malpractice trial last tuesday but I was again cut from the team. I am beginning to think I am not the ideal juror in either the state's or the public's eye. I met a machinist (who is a friend of my friend Kent) who also was not selected and I went back to his shop to look at the work he is engaged in. He is lapping 2mm ruby spheres, after grinding 75% of them away, into little lenses. Fascinating, and taking place only a few miles from my house.

The previous saturday (Felice's birthday!) we went to a housewarming party, and that sunday we had an unbelieveably perfect and gut busting meal of Injera at our friend Yodit's house. The boys played with her boys and we ate, if I recall, at least 6 different dishes.

Last weekend was the annual used book sale given by the "Friends of the Library". I didn't buy that many books, probably only about 30 or so. I did buy a 2 volume mechanical engineering text, in swedish, that looks interesting. I say "looks" because I don't understand swedish. Other picks were a book on Piano tuning and repair, a Lao-english dictionary, and a book on electric furnaces.
Henry also bought a lot of books, guaranteeing that he will catch the dread disease of book acquisition.

Some links for you...
Some excellent mechanical crackpottery
How to forge (blacksmith) locks
Quality Gaging Tips articles from Modern Machine Shop

Delayed by cuteness

Yes, the kids are too cute, so I haven't been posting as I'm dazzled by them continously.

Well, I did photoshop out the coxsackie blisters on his hand and the nasal sheen...

This shows the great cooperation between Henry and Max as they work together to control us.

Yes, Max had some virus, probably coxsackie, which resulted in disgusting blisters on his hands. It must be fun to live in a town that has a virus named after it. I am getting skilled at removing disfigurements and mucus using a combination of clone stamp and blur tools in photoshop.

I showed up for Jury duty and was selected to serve on a jury, but they only needed 6 out of the 12 selected so I was sent home. I have to call in every friday night for the next two months in case they need me. We got to watch a film called "The Jury, Cornerstone of Democracy" or some combination of those words - it was so boring that I was unable to avert my eyes from the potential juror next to me, and her Sudoku puzzle.

Our neighbor sold our old van, which is kind of sad. He traded it in on a pickup, and then went to the auction to see if he could buy it back for less than the trade in value, but it went for a whopping $750.00. I had told him I'd buy it back for $200. I'll have to scan an old picture of the econoline sometime. Felice and I lived in it for 2-1/2 years...

My cousin Allan, who I often refer to as my genetic half-brother (by virtue of our mothers being twins), has started a blog. I hope it is lamer than mine.

Watched "The Aristocrats" last night (after the kids were asleep). Felice and I were unable to think of anyone we could recommend it to. I loved it, but I love the anthropology of comedy and I am hard to offend. It was a profoundly offensive movie if you have any sort of moral compass.

Yup, still alive...

So I have Jury duty for the next two months (or rather I am available for jury duty for the next 2 months). I checked the website for my orientation date and time and have to report next monday at 7:30AM.... 7:30AM! The only upside is that I'll drag myself in, haggard and ashen, gasping like a lungfish and they'll get the actual jury assignment out of the way. Why 7:30? I know that justice never sleeps, but given that the only people who can do jury duty are those with flexible schedules, why not a more civilized hour?
Do lungfish gasp?

We haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately. Henry was being creative and stuck an alkaline battery in our charger, which is a bad thing, so the camera was uncharged for a while.
I would have taken a picture of the charger, but...

I bought an abacus last week. It is a Tomoe brand soroban (japanese abacus), i figured for $3.00 I couldn't go wrong and now I have a backup for my slide rule, which itself is a backup for my calculator.

Our friend Lori's son was featured in the local paper in a story about his podcasting. I find it humourous because they are somewhat luddite orientated, yet their son is on the bleeding edge of electronic self-publishing.

One of my milling machine customers, sent us a personalized piece of his jewelry, which was thoughtful. I wish more customers would shower gifts upon us.

These clock kits look fun, although I wish they sold the plans in electronic form so I could just mill my own parts on the CNC...I guess I should email them and ask.

Finally, here is a bibliography of Korean History, in case you need some reading material...