Chance, Put your shoes on...oh, already on...good

Yep, youngest daughter did it again.  After last weekend's 'broken elbow' scare, the youngest decided to try again.  She sure is persistent.

Wearing a one piece 'slip-slidey' pajamas, she tripped over the Cookie, the smaller of our dogs (45 pounds).  Landed face first on our tile floor and started crying.  Off to the hospital we rushed.  Yep, snapped that left arm just underneath the joint like a tree branch.  Now she is upstairs sitting in her chair, watching cartoons, and is in a boatload of pain.

For a short time the doctors were preparing to stick an IV in her to start a morphine drip in case orthopedics decided they needed surgery.  Yes, it was that bad.  Fortunately, it didn't come to that.  Ortho said a sling to hold the bone in place is all that is necessary.

Unfortunately, the children's hospital was quite busy.  Appears some form of flu is going around up here and the place was packed with kids having "The Linda Blair Experience".  Pleasant it was not.

So, after getting back around 1100 I headed up to the 24 hour pharmacy (not exactly nearby, but relatively close) and had her pain meds filled.  Now, it is mid-day Tuesday.  Marie and I are both tired, and the little one is still in pain.  Not much we can do, just weather it through...poor thing.

Terminator Origins!

T-101

It is a force of destruction with one goal: the destruction of all human life on earth.  They are the Terminators: robotic juggernauts of devastation, and they are coming for us.  To the right is the metal skeleton of the more famous of these models: The T-800.

But, and this is the ultimate question regarding Terminators: "Where did they originate?"  Well, after this weekend, it was finally discovered the very first Terminator, the soulless killing machine, was formed on the kitchen table of the Folmar Household.

Behold, in terror, the might of the T-1!

T-1 Rampages through house inflicting wanton 

destruction on unsuspecting household

I, for one, welcome the oppressive regime of our evil robot overlords.

So, this weekend the girls and I had a good time.  First, Arionna, Alora and I headed to Lowes for a Build and Grow clinic.  They built Santa's sleigh.  That afternoon, we built the T-1!  

Marie, being the technology teacher, has lots of material to work with at the school.  One of these was a Lego "Mindstorms" robot.  However, it takes time to learn to build, program and catalog all the tools she has available.  She brought the robot home to learn how it works and determine the best way to incorporate a lesson plan around it.  The girls and I separated out all the parts, built the robot, and then programmed it.  I quickly dubbed it the 'T-1', and its first victims were Kaylee, Arionna, and Blackie the dog.

Marie has all kinds of neat technologies to play with at her work.  Besides the standard computers, she also has the Smart Table and our little robotic friend above.  It is now a month into her work, and she loves it.  One of the things she has begun doing is creating an inventory of all the items available to her.  As time progresses she will get more organized with regards to lesson plans and coordinating with the other teachers to demonstrate technology's uses for her students.

"Chance, put your shoes on..."

Those words were uttered by my wife to me on Saturday night.  After putting my shoes on I asked, "Which one is it?"

"Arionna," she replied.

I had dropped the youngest off at a birthday party earlier that afternoon.  They were doing a dance party and Arionna fell and hurt her elbow.  At least it was the left one.  So, we picked her up and off to the urgent care we go for x-rays.

It didn't appear broken, which is the good news.  However, it could take a few days for it to show up.  Right now it is wrapped in an Ace Bandage.  She still complains it hurts, and if it continues for another day it will be to revisit the emergency room and make sure it is not fractured or broken.

So far there have been 6 broken bones from my girls: 

Alora: Collarbone and both arms (all at different times),

Kaylee: Jaw and ankle,

Arionna: Right elbow.

My mother raised 3 boys and she always said we were "rough".  I admit we made many more trips to the hospital than my girls have, but we had fewer broken bones. My brothers and I did have more hyper-extensions, dislocated joints, severe sprains.  But, in the broken bone's category, my girls rule the roost.

Now, here is hoping it isn't really broken...

DBA in Space

Working with databases is a job I fell into, I'm the classic 'accidental dba'.  My training is in Aeronautical Engineering (minor in math) from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  My odds of going into space were astronomical (pun intended).

Then Redgate Software started a DBA in Space contest.  It was a series of questions, and I answered them all correctly.  Now, I just need votes.  So, in a shameless plug for me, I'm asking everyone to please click on the following link to vote for me: http://www.launchbuddi.es/5u0Yu

Odds are still against me, but you can't win if you don't play!  Thank you all very much.

Volunteer Work

This week is 'Volunteer Week' at the Folmar household!

First, Marie had the PTA Fall Festival today (Friday) where she was responsible for the food.  everything went well and the food costs were dropped dramatically.  There was still food left over, but only about 1.5 roasters full rather than the 5 from last year.  Poor Marie was running herself ragged trying to work her school job, send out the MacaroniKid newsletter, and prepare for the Fall Festival.  This on top of Halloween.  She survived and the festival was a success.

Tomorrow (Saturday) I'm volunteering at the DaVinci Institute.  They are having their Inventor's Showcase and I'll be there from 7:00 am till noon.  It will be a good time and I'll enjoy it.  Mostly I'm helping to sett up the exhibitors and doing whatever job needs doing.  Keep me busy and out of trouble.

In other news, it snowed again Wednesday!  I didn't get to shoveling it off the driveway till today, but it wasn't too bad.  Most of the snow on the roads, sidewalks and driveways is melted.  The lawns, having been cooled off by last Wednesday's snow, still has snow on it.  So, the ground is hardening.  No new snow is predicted for the week.

That is all to report for this week.  I'm off to bed early tonight as I have to be up early tomorrow to make it to the showcase on time.

Halloween Weekend (Wii party take 2)

Blackjack Pizza's "Pirates of the Pizzeria"
(Erie "Trunk or Treat")

Last week was a busy one.  Marie returned from her convention (it is good to have her back!).  However, she immediately had to start work on Monday, 30 hours a week as a Technology Teacher.  In addition, she had her first regular appearance on the news that Friday.

Wednesday the Denver area received their first snow!  It was in the mid-to-high 70's Monday, and we woke Wednesday morning to about 7 inches of snow.  Usually we get the 'light, fluffy, dry' snow...the kind which doesn't stick to form snowballs or snowmen.  However, this snow was wet, but not heavy.  By the third day most of the snow melted.

This couple cracked me up with
their Cardinals/Rangers costumes
(Erie "Trunk or Treat")

Trees did not fare so well this year.  With the late warm summer, almost all the trees kept their leaves.  Several branches and trees were laden down with snow and cracked under the pressure.  Normally there is a preceding cold snap which forewarns the trees winder is coming and the leaves fall.  This year they weren't so lucky.

At least we had the weekend to rest up...Not so much.  

'Wrestlers' in the back of their truck
at Custom Ink Tatoo
(Erie "Trunk or Treat")

Friday night I took the younger two girls to a Halloween party at a friend's house.  Arionna and Alora were downstairs dancing and watching television with the rest of the kids their age.  I was upstairs with the adults playing games and making small talk  (and eating cookies).  Marie stayed home, took a hot bath, and then promptly collapsed on the bed.

Kaylee's 'Grim Reaper"
The detail on this is awesome!

Saturday afternoon we attended a Wii party at a friend's house.  It was loads of fun and we all had a good time.  After, we hit the Erie "Trunk or Treat".  Erie is a smaller community which is very spread out to the northeast of us.  They are so spread out, it is easier for them to organize a community trick or treating at the local community center.  Local businesses decorate their cars and trucks and pass out candy.  All of them were creative and I did manage to get some pictures which I've included above.

Sunday was pumpkin carving day.  Pumpkin carving has become a competitive sport in our household...at least it seems like it.  This year I was going to say Kaylee would win, except Marie trumped her with some cool special effects.  I tagged along on the theme with Marie's pumpkin, creating a Knight to battle her Dragon. 

So, of the pumpkins below, which do you like the best?  Leave a comment let me know!  

The Dragon and the Slayer do battle

Kaylee: The Grim Reaper

All pumpkin carving, now holes.  The amount of detail she did on this was amazing.  I like how the cloak billows out.  The full idea was to have another pumpkin below this one to serve as a "cauldron" from which the Reaper was rising.  However, this Reaper stands by himself as a work of art.

Marie: Dragon (Chance is the Dragon Slayer)

Despite an awesome job, my vote has to go to my wife's idea.  She created the dragon to the right.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  However, whereas Kaylee's has incredible detail, the Dragon uses FX to make it shine.  It can't be seen in the picture, but the lower right portion is a whole where the dragon is breathing fire.  From that whole a bit of Dry Ice in water is added and the Dragon "steams".

Chance: When Marie announced plans for a Dragon, I had to make a Dragon Slayer.  Placed side-by-side, the two pumpkins tell a story, but who will prevail?  The picture doesn't display the details, it is just possible to see where the Knight's leg and arm is, but the picture of the two together was just so much nicer.

Alora went with a creepy, screaming spirit ghost.  After hearing Mom was going to use dry ice, Alora wanted to as well.  So she created this spectral like ghost with holes at the mouth and eyes.  The picture to the left doesn't capture the details well, but it does show the effect the dry ice had on the light emanating from within the pumpkin.  For the dragon the ice came across as "wispy", like steam billowing out from the edge of it's flame.  But Alora's ghost had this odd spectral quality which adds a degree of creepiness.

I do not have a picture of Arionna's yet.  I need to get it transferred.  Her pumpkins is still a good one, and she gets better every year.  I'll edit this post if I find a good pic of it.

I already have plans for next year.  I will use the dry ice next year for an effect, but I can already visualize what I want to do with it.  What is it?  Just have to wait to next year