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The News You’ve All Been Waiting For…

Will be available in about a week.

Bigfoot under microscope: a scientist plans to do a DNA test on a hair that is said to come from a sasquatch.

Scientists originally thought the patch of hair being tested was that of a bison, but it didn’t match that of a bison or any other known species. So—in about a week—we’ll know if Bigfoot exists. I, for one, cannot wait.

Next week: Loch Ness Monster–Fact or Fiction?

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Colin at 23 Weeks Pregnant

We had our follow up ultrasound on Friday the 22nd and we got some great face profiles of Colin. Now Matt and I can each have a photo of our little boy sitting on our desk!

The coolest part of this ultrasound was watching Colin kick on the screen and actually feeling it at the same time! Things have changed so much in just 3 weeks.

Doesn’t he have just the cutest little nose???

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Kickin’ It

Debra woke me (and I’m always such a peach in the morning) with a wonderful surprise! She had grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach—as she has done maybe a half-dozen times already—to “feel Colin kicking”… Only this time, I DID!

I have to admit, I was waaaaay groggy, but I still sat bolt upright in bed after having felt it. Colin was finally kicking hard enough that I could feel it. Very cool.

Of course, as parents-to-be, we had a long talk with Colin afterwards about how this was only acceptable behavior while in utero. There will be no kicking mommy (especially from the inside) once he is born.

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9:56am

It’s here! It’s here! Holy cow, it is here!

No, Deb, not making fun—just reporting the facts.
Debra is now embroiled in chapter 2 at least of the new Harry Potter.

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Do YOU Love Your Job?

Deb says this is me…

I disagree, I’ve never lost BOTH eyeballs in a fit of rage at my computer…

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Harry Potter Countdown

Well, thanks to J.K. Rowling I’m going to be busy all day July 16th. The 6th book is FINALLY here! And it’s over 200 pages shorter than the 5th book, which I just finished re-reading last night to make sure I was up to date on where life stands with Harry. Being 200 pages shorter I should be able to finish the book in a day, as opposed to a day and a half like the 5th book.

Here’s a countdown I stole from another site, so we can all stay informed on when the book is going to be out!

The countdown is gone! Harry Potter is already here! Haven’t you finished reading it yet?

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Dot dot dot

“Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing.”
—Mark Twain (or is it —Robert Benchley?)

In either case, I like the sentiment.

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The Cruise: Shore Excursions

The cruise we took was actually a bit on the short side—we only had two ports-of-call. The first port we stopped in was Key West where we mostly shopped but also spent a bit of time at the Hemingway House. The second port was Grand Cayman which sounds very exotic, but was my least favorite of the two. We did have a good time snorkeling and swimming with the stingrays, though!

No matter where we went, though, it was clear we were in travel-marketer paradises with no shortage of cheesy tourist-trap statues… Deb is seen here with a famous denizen of Grand Cayman (yes I will refrain from unseemly jokes about what the sign says) and I’m pictured in Key West at the restaurant where we had lunch, Crabby Dick’s (please note two things about this picture: the look on my face and the mermaid over my right shoulder).

(1) (2) (3)

We walked from the pier down Duval Street to the (1) Hemingway House, shopping all the way. We took a ($11!) tour of the house given by a very knowledgable docent who told us a lot about Hemingway’s time in the house. For instance, even though Hemingway only lived in Key West for 9 years, over 70% of his life’s work was completed here, (2) in the room pictured above. His house—though more than a half mile inland—was located next to a (3) lighthouse. Given his propensity for the bottle, his friends often joked with him that he bought the house so he could find his way home after last call.

Those of you who know Hemingway may know that he was a cat freak. The Hemingway House still has over 50 cats living on-site, each of them named after a famous musician, actor, artist, etc. We met a bunch of cats, including the aptly named Charlie Chaplin. The interesting thing about these cats is that they are all descendants of Hemingway’s original cats, and all have six toes. That sixth toe acts as an opposable thumb and does allow them to grasp things in a way normal cats cannot.

(4) (5) (6) (7)

Out next stop was Grand Cayman. I expected amazing things from this little island, but I guess it really is all about the banking. It still looked a little beat up from Hurricane Ivan back whenever that was. (4 and 5) We did have a great time snorkeling at the barrier reef around the island. (6) Debra even got up close and personal with a stingray—she held it and even gave it the traditional kiss for 7 years of good luck. (Our Jamaican guide put it differently, “Aren’t you jealous, mon? She just kissed a man with two winkies!”) Deb had the foresight to buy an underwater camera which is what we used to take these photos, I think it did a pretty good job, for a disposable, of capturing some of the magic of the (7) reef we were exploring.

In any event, this posting and the two from yesterday pretty much sum up our trip. It was a lot of fun—and I’m sure I missed some stories that Deb can share in another posting or in the comments field. And if any of you see us in person, we can bore you with the 8 dozen other photos we have of the trip!

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