Bunk Beds

Raquel has been telling me for a while that Lourdes has outgrown her bed. I was reluctant to believe it because I really didn't want to spend the money on a new one. I finally broke down and bought her bunk beds. We spent the evening getting them assembled. The instructions were reasonably straightforward, yet I still had to take a couple things apart a couple different times to get holes lined up in the right spots.

In addition to my mistakes, other things compounded to draw out the process. The space we had to assemble the beds was hardly adequate for one bed let alone two. But somehow we managed.

The kids were attempting to be helpful. Teddy would grab any tool, screw, or dowel that he could get his hands on and refuse to give them up. Lourdes insisted on turning a few bolts or moving pieces of wood around or simply tearing up the protecting wrapping. Both incessantly climbed over and under the works.

We finally got it all together and it seems quite sturdy. It's sturdy, yet it's made of pine which is a very soft wood. I think it will last a long time, but will get lots of nicks and scratches along the way.

Despite it being twin size, this is huge for Lourdes. I really, really didn't realize how small her old bed was.

Not another Rivermen update!!

Why yes it is!! In case you have been in suspense since Tuesday when I was posting from the Rivermen vs. Texas Stars game, the Rivermen went on to win 4-3.

Tonight the Rivermen took on the Chicago Wolves. The Chicago Wolves are great team, especially against the Rivermen. They are in first place and have been on great run to get them there. In fact, it seemed like they were going to continue their winning ways when they took a 2-0 lead. But our fearless Rivermen fought back and slowly scratched and clawed their way to a 3-2 victory tonight.

I sense something building! Well, I know I've been pessimistic in some of my Rivermen posts, but such are the highs and lows of being a fan!

Good night!

DSi Fun

Lourdes has the Nintendo DSi, which I think is a really cool device. She had a DS for a quite a while but it finally succumbed to injuries from her early days. The DSi has two built-in cameras, music software, and an SD card slot. It can hold tons of pictures on the SD card and I've put her favorite Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus music on it.

There is facial recognition software built in to the cameras and you can automatically distort faces like this:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Upside down is upside right

Our seats at Carver Arena are upper bowl, center ice, behind the bench. The Rivermen logo in the ice is upside down relative to our seats. So I turned the camera upside down so the logo comes out right. But it makes everything else seem weird.

From Sluggo is YoYo

By the way the Rivermen won last night! Let's hope it the beginning of a playoff run.

Live Blog from Carver Arena!

That's right, I'm blogging from the Crackberry watching the Rivermen take on the Texas Stars. It's the end of the second period and it's tied 2-2. The Rivermen are currently in last and need to start winning now. The Stars have fallen from first to fourth. The Rivermen aren't looking too bad at the moment but need to work on passing and might consider shooting where the goalie isn't. Well gotta go, it's game on!

Hockey!

In January I went to a St. Louis Blues game and I bought Teddy a Blues jersey. I have a Rivermen jersey. So when Teddy sees the Blues logo or the Rivermen logo he says "Hockey!".

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Losers and winners Part 2

My friend Adam was going to work on his truck this morning so I though I might go over and give him a hand. I stopped at the Circle K (there were no strange things afoot) to get me a foo-foo cappuccino and a coffee for Adam. I decided to get a $2 lottery scratcher as well.

So I made it to Adam's house and he was just finishing up (actually giving up). Damn my good bad timing! Oh well. I went in and played Super Mario Brothers on the Wii with his youngest daughter. Before we started I scratched my lottery ticket and won $25, woo hoo! We played Wii and finished the last three levels of one world and finished all but the very last of the next world.

On my way back home, I cashed in the lottery ticket. I pocketed $15 and spent $10 on a couple other scratchers (bingo style). At home, Raquel played the bingo and we won $20! This evening we went to a hockey game and on the way there I cashed in the winning lottery ticket. I pocketed $10 and bought a $10 scratcher. This time the ticket was a loser but I was still ahead $23 (remember the initial $2 investment for all you math wizards).

It was a family day event at the game meaning there were kid bouncy houses, face painting, balloon animals and $1 hot dogs, cokes, and chips. Lourdes got her face painted and was finished just in time to get to our seats before the puck dropped. Picture taken with my Blackberry - not the best camera ever.

From Sluggo is YoYo

The Rivermen went on to lose yet again. They actually won on the road last night, but managed to lose at home. I'm very frustrated with the whole hockey thing right now - the losing of games and raising of prices. I'm ready to give up on this season. Unless they immediately turn things around, they won't make the playoffs and that will make three out of five AHL seasons they've done that. The two times they made it into the playoffs they didn't make it out of the first round.

Okay enough whining. I'm still a devoted fan (mostly) and I'll get at least one season ticket for me and weekend game packages for the family.

As I was prepping the picture of Lourdes, I found one of her from a few years ago when she had her face painted at a game.

From Sluggo is YoYo

Of course I'm partial but I still think she's cute!

Not so strict child labor laws

We had bought materials and paid a guy to build a house on my in-laws' property in Paraguay in 2008. The guy had an assistant but they were both busy working on the house so they contracted out the digging of the septic tank:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Actually my brother-in-law and his son did most of the work on the septic tank but a couple other youngsters chipped in.

Tired and grumpy

I'm tired and grumpy. Most of this is because I have a slight cold which makes everything a shade of miserable. Then Lourdes misbehaves and makes me grumpier. That makes me grumpier because she is old enough to know not to misbehave, and then when I tell her to stop misbehaving, she continues misbehaving. So that's making me grumpier. Then I know I shouldn't be so grumpy about her misbehaving because it's not super bad behavior but bad enough that she shouldn't be doing it. So my grumpiness feeds on itself.

I took a couple of aspirin and we went to the hockey game. I was still tired and grumpy but the Rivermen were playing decent and the medicine started working so I started feeling better. Then they blew their lead with two minutes to play. Then they blew their tie with eight seconds left. They have dropped from second place to dead last and still falling.

And to top things off, the season ticket prices just jumped significantly enough that I'm considering not getting them for next season.

I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Too tired to write

He's not as fearless as his sister was when she was smaller:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Rare moment when everyone is being sweet:

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The oxcart

The humble oxcart is very important in rural Paraguay. It is used to haul anything and everything. My father-in-law explained to me that his oxcart was very expensive and very old when he bought it years ago from an aunt. He had to walk with his son and two cows for hours to bring it back to his house. He told me that the wood to make the axle and the wheels lasts forever.

When we visited in the fall of 2008, one of the wheels wasn't in very good shape. That meant he couldn't haul nearly the weight it was once capable of hauling. He had to use it sparingly and every trip taken was dangerous as the wheel could just collapse. When we bought a bunch of bricks, we had to find someone to haul them because the oxcart just wasn't capable anymore. When we needed sand for construction, only a little could be brought at a time.

The oxcart is the single most important item my father-in-law has. Everyday it gets hitched to the cows and out to the fields they go. They come back with wood for their fires, food for the table, and various produce from the crops. Without the oxcart, life would be extremely more difficult for my family. So it had to be fixed.

We made arrangements to have the wheel repaired/replaced. Looking back, I really would like to have seen the whole process. I can't imagine how difficult it was to remove the old wheel and build up the new one. There most certainly was a significant amount of skill involved. I don't know how the metal ring (iron?) was removed from the outer part of the wheel and how it was put on around the new wheel. Or was the new wheel made within the ring? All I know is that it got fixed and we were all very happy about it.

Here's a picture of the oxcart in the backyard (I think this was pre-repair):

From Sluggo is YoYo

My father-in-law and nephews heading out to the fields:

From Sluggo is YoYo

You can never have too many skulls around

Potrero Guazu, Caazapa, Paraguay, South America.

I took the following pictures in October 2008 during our last visit to Paraguay. I thought they added to the rustic setting.

From Sluggo is YoYo

I'm not sure if these skulls come from the same type of cow or ox.

From Sluggo is YoYo

I could take similar pictures at my mom's house in Central Illinois!

The kids

In touch with my inner redneck

Today was a lazy day. We kicked off the day exchanging Valentines. I read Horizon's Unlimited's latest e-zine and then we played a little Wii New Super Mario Brothers. We have gotten through all the worlds (eight of them) and are now in Bonus World Nine. In World Nine, there are eight more levels that correspond to the first eight worlds. The only way to enter a level is to have earned all the Star Coins in that world.

I also watched 90% of NASCAR's Daytona 500. I enjoy stock car races but I'm not a fanatic. I rarely watch a race these days, but I like to catch the highlights. I occasionally keep an eye on the standings but I don't get worked up over who's winning.

I watched the race on the new small high def TV we have in the bedroom. I really love HD!! When the kids get a little better, I want to get a large HDTV for the living room. I don't think we watch an alarming amount of TV, but watching things in HD is amazing! I'm afraid to get one right now because I fear the kids will break it. Teddy especially loves throwing things. He threw something the other day and broke a picture frame.

After the race we played a little more Wii. We were able to make it through World 9-1 and then headed back to World 2 to try to get all the Star Coins. I think this will take a while to get through.

Losers and winners

Rivermen were losers tonight and have lost four in a row. They are now in last place.

On the plus side, Adam won the 50/50 drawing and used the winnings towards the purchase of a special edition Rivermen jersey. The money earned on the sale of the jerseys goes to Children's Hospital.

Neumagen, Germany -- Last of the Germany pictures

We've reached the end of the Germany pictures. After the weinfest in Minheim, we drove over to Neumagen to see the replica Roman wineship Stella Noviomagi. We then walked around a couple of blocks as it was getting dark. Not only was it getting dark, but my camera was on the verge of complete battery drain.

The Stella Noviomagi:

From Sluggo is YoYo

A stone carving of a Roman wineship:

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Outside a church:

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A marker in the road:

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We were in Germany for a couple more days. We went back to Nanstein Castle in Landstuhl to eat supper one night. Another night we ate at a hotel about 45 minutes from the base. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the town or the hotel, but it was absolutely wonderful. We had eaten there the week before on our first outing and decided it was worth a second visit. It surely was!!

Piesport, Germany

After walking around Detzem, we drove to a scenic overlook of Piesport on the Moselle River:

From Sluggo is YoYo

You can see the winding road we took through the vineyards:

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Just some proof I was there:

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Another view of the vineyards:

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I think we could have stayed there all day and watch the water flow by. We ended up going for schwenkbraten at a weinfest in nearby Minheim.

Detzem, Germany

One of the guys on our trip to Germany was actually born in Germany to an American GI and his German wife. He still has relatives in Germany and they agreed to be our tour guides for a day. We went for lunch near Trier at an uncle's house and on to Detzem to meet up with a cousin. Detzem is on the Moselle River and in wine country.


This was the sign on a winery storefront:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Another replica of a Roman mile marker:

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A sculpture of a still:

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A church in Detzem:

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I liked how the vines grew on this old building:

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Still more Germany pics...

This is a view of a vineyard from the tower of Klopp Castle, Bingem-am-Rhein:

From Sluggo is YoYo

The Coat of Arms of Klopp Castle. Stadtverwaltung has something to do with city government:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Replicas of Roman mile markers found in the area:

From Sluggo is YoYo

This is the vehicle entrance to Klopp castle:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Trying out the new camera...

I've been wanting to buy one of those little HD video cameras like the Flip. The cameras on our phones don't do very good video and neither does our digital camera. So while we were doing our grocery shopping, I went over to the camera section and looked at the limited selection. There were only about four different styles of these video cameras and not a lot of information about each one. I tried to Google the different models on my Crackberry but for some reason it wouldn't connect to the internet.

I ended up going with a Samsung HMX-U10 because there was a lack of information on a JVC model, the Flip was more expensive, and a Sony Webbie just look like it was asking for trouble. I charged up the Samsung and played around with the controls a little. It's all touch control which frankly I'm not too sure I like yet. Instead of being buttons that get pressed, they are buttons that respond to touch. Well, if you aren't careful you will inadvertently touch a button and cause a function to start or stop when you don't want to.

Here's a sample picture taken with the new camera:

From Sluggo is YoYo

Next I need to learn about the video part of it.

Bingem Am Rhein, Germany

More Germany pictures.

We were in Germany for almost two weeks in September last year working at Ramstein Air Base. We had one full weekend there and on the Saturday we wanted to go somewhere and look at some castles. We were given some vague directions and we ended up in Bingem-am-Rhein. We parked and just walked along the Rhine (Rhein) River for a while then walked up to Klopp Castle.

This is part of Klopp Castle:

From Sluggo is YoYo

On the grounds of Klopp Castle:

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Tower of Klopp Castle:

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Looking at St. Martin Basilica from an archway at Klopp Castle:

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Flag with the coat-of-arms on the tower of Klopp Castle:

From Sluggo is YoYo

German Taint Cheese

We ate two different times at the restaurant at Nanstein Castle. There were tables outside overlooking Landstuhl.

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You can see Ramstein Air Base in the distance in this picture.

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A suit of armor on display in the restaurant.

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The food at the restaurant was really good with a couple of minor exceptions. One time Glen ordered the Knight's Platter which was various cured meats/sausages. Most of it was quite good but one tasted like an old leather boot (or how I suspect an old leather boot might taste). The other time, Greg (not Deb's Greg) order a cheese platter. It was quite good save one particular cheese we took to calling Taint Cheese due to its taint flavor.

More Germany Pics

More pictures from my trip to Germany in September 2009. These pictures are of Nanstein Castle in Landstuhl. We didn't get to go in to the castle because both times we went, the castle itself was already closed. However both times we did enjoy eating at a nice little restaurant on the castle grounds.

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

A No Crap Post

Germany, September 2009. We were all tired from work and wanted to eat something. I told the guys lets just go off base and find something to eat. We piled in to the van and went to Landstuhl. I decided to follow the signs there for the castle. The gang didn't know that's what I was doing, but it was a spur of the moment decision. We walked the grounds of Nanstein Castle and decided to eat at the restaurant there. My favorite picture was this:

From Sluggo is YoYo

More pictures to follow.

Germany 2009

Last fall I had the pleasure of going to Germany for just under two weeks to do postal duty at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Over the next few days, I'd like to post a few of the pictures I took of some of the places we visited.

This is Ehrenfels Castle Ruins in Ruedesheim, Germany. Picture taken from Bingen-am-Rhein, Germany

From Sluggo is YoYo

Six more weeks of winter?

Punxsutawney Phil supposedly saw his shadow today and that means six more weeks of winter. I'm ready for spring.

A few days ago I posted some pics of plants and flowers from Paraguay. It was my little way of bringing a bit of warm weather to dreary winter.

So with today's groundhog day prediction of a longer winter, I bring you more pics to remind us of the nice weather that we will eventually get. I took these pictures in Germany last fall.

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

From Sluggo is YoYo

Pon-toof-lahs

I rarely know what I want to blog about and today I'm still rowing that boat. I saw bedroom slippers on the floor and they made me think of the Spanish word for slippers - pantuflas. Say it! Isn't it funny to say? Yes, yes it is funny to say.

Living in a semi-bilingual home is quite an experience. Sometimes I think of the Spanish word for something before the English word. I know that on more than one occasion I have thrown out Spanish words or phrases in conversation at work. My coworkers just laugh at me or look at me like I'm stupid.

Raquel and I speak Spanish to each other almost exclusively. So much so, that tonight she said something to me in English and I couldn't understand her because I'm trained to think that she's speaking Spanish to me. That poor girl must be all kinds of confused. Paraguay has two official languages - Spanish and Guarani. Languages change over time and are influenced by many things. Paraguayans have transformed their Spanish and Guarani into a sort of platonic relationship that has almost created a new language of its own called Jopara - not quite Spanish nor Guarani in their purest forms but related to both. Often its a Spanish word that gets conjugated according to Guarani rules becoming a new word.

As I said, Raquel must get all kinds of confused. She throws out Guarani words to me sometimes and English words to her parents and here in the house she'll mix English and Spanish in one sentence. The kids just roll with it all and seem to understand.

Now go ahead and say PANTUFLAS - you know you want too!