Alger Hardware destroyed by fire

Our neighborhood hardware store burned down a few weeks ago. They're still not sure what caused it. I've been going to this store since I was a kid (the current owners had the store about 4 years). The store was a neighborhood treasure; you were never just a customer there, you were someone who could get a patient, clear answer and a good deal. The fire also caused some smoke damage to the brand new coffee shop and ice cream stand--two new favorite hangouts of ours--that had just opened up next door. They're closed until further notice. The owners say they're not sure yet what they're going to do, but they'll continue to post updates at alger-hardware.blogspot.com.

Our flowers are growing!

When we bought our house last year, we focused on working on the inside. This summer, we finally had the chance to do some landscaping, or at least plant some flowers. Since I have killed almost all the plants and fish I've ever owned, I didn't have great hopes for the flowers. However, they've grown like crazy and we've been able to enjoy them all summer long. Here are some before and after pictures for you.

First Day of School, But No Recess

Today was my first day of school! (For the sake of my wife, a lifelong Wolverine fan, I better not say which school.)

I'm taking a graduate course in Historical Linguistics, a two-day-a-week class that gives me four hours of driving each week--perfect for listening to sermons on my iPod. The topic isn't new to me--I even kinda sorta know a little of the International Phonetic Alphabet, which we'll be using--but I had a wake-up call once the other students started rattling off baffling answers to the prof's questions using phrases like "null determiner" and "voiced obstruent." (Did you know that voiced obstruents follow vowels and sonoric consonants? Well then why didn't you tell me?!) The prof, a delightfully wry, laid-back gentleman, bears an uncanny resemblance to John McCain (it doesn't really show up in his head shot, but from the side he could be a body double). The only downside was parking; I parked in the football stadium lot, which isn't cheap, but it's better than rip-off parking meters. I could buy a commuter parking permit, but to make it pay off I'd have to drive out and park about 4-5 times a week. Hey wait, would that mean more time with the iPod?

Sara's Bachelorette Party

Saturday night was full of jokes, laughter and dancing as we celebrated with Sara who's getting married next weekend. I'll spare you the details of all that goes on at a bachelorette party, but we had a great time thanks to Sara's sister, Laura who planned a fantastic party. Pictures are forthcoming, but in the meantime, I'm sure you can mentally picture the bachelorette riding a mechanical bull and being a dancing queen at Mezze and the B.O.B.

Tigers lose by a touchdown and a field goal

An unforgettable day at Comerica Park -- the Tigers lost 10-0 to their division rival; their first baseman got thrown out on a grounder to left field -- and I was there (with Mary, John, Neal, and Darwin) to watch in dismay.

Update: More from Mary

Oscar and Eleanor at work

Our nephew and niece are becoming little artists!

Welcome!

Welcome to our blog! Here you will find random (and hopefully interesting!) musings from one or both of us, pictures, and updates on what is going on in our life. Enjoy and visit often!

From yesterday's Wall Street Journal:

According to the 2004 General Social Survey, if you picked 100 unrelated politically liberal adults at random, you would find that they had, between them, 147 children. If you picked 100 conservatives, you would find 208 kids. That's a "fertility gap" of 41%. Given that about 80% of people with an identifiable party preference grow up to vote the same way as their parents, this gap translates into lots more little Republicans than little Democrats to vote in future elections.

Testing, testing 1,2,3!