December 13, 2003 (PM)-This movie makes you want to go to New York City...


Note from Kevin: New York City music executive Harry Langer (Nicholson) is a man of some age and experience who generally dates younger women. His world is turned upside-down, however, when he has a heart attack while visiting the East Hampton beach home of the divorced playwright mother, Erica (Keaton), of his latest trophy girlfriend, Marin (Peet). With his girlfriend having gone back to the city, Harry is left in the care of Erica and his doctor (Reeves), but the two men soon find themselves competing with each other, as they both fall in love with Erica.


November 29, 2003 (PM)-"...fish gotta' swim, bird's gotta' eat."

Note from Kevin: Tonight, Kim and I had a short, but fun visit to the Lakeland Drive Wal-Mart!


October 30, 2003 (PM)-We wish you a spooky, but happy Halloween!!!


Note from Kevin: See the difference in bone development between mine and Quinn's phalanges. The tips of Quinn's bones are not visible in the x-ray, because they are still developing! Isn't that incredible!?! Quinn went to sleep with Kim and me in his bed with him, with his new Hot Wheels accelerator RUNNING! He had a BLAST playing with it and his new cars and track and he didn't wish for that noisy thing to be turned off.


October 29, 2003 (PM)-Super Quinn got to wear his costume to Kindermusik yesterday


Note from Kim: I can't believe my baby is turning TWO tomorrow!!!! Quinn has two Halloween costumes and wanted to wear this one yesterday. If your wondering what happened to his hand, he dislocated three of his fingers over the weekend! He is doing really good with the recovery!


October 25, 2003 (PM)-SideKick... by DANGER. ... Yes, I agree...


Note from Kevin: The SideKicks are not yet ready for production... I think DANGER lived true to their name. But, Handspring's TREO 600 is ready to step in and take SideKick's place! One thing for sure, I'd rather be developing for Blazer than for AvantGo.


October 23, 2003 (PM)-ALERT: SideKick has a power management issue...

Note from Kevin: I speak from experience... You see, T-Mobile sent my SideKick an E-Mail telling me a had a defective SideKick and I was to call them and have them send me a new one so I could return my defective one. So, being a good Premier Classed faithful loyal ... wait a minute... GREAT PowerTel VoiceStream ... T-Mobile customer, I did as they requested. I sent my original SideKick back to them as soon as they sent me a "new" one. 'Very professional recall/replacement process! Right after I powered on the "new" SideKick, all my data was automatically moved tothe new one (except my keyboard lock code and setting and telephone call history) - no problem. 'Again, very impressive. And the "new" one worked just great... But, it died on its third day of use. So, I did this:

1. STRAIGHTEN A STANDARD-SIZED PAPER CLIP
   
2. PLUG SIDEKICK INTO WALL CHARGER
   
3. SLIDE BACK SIDEKICK DOOR
   
4. INSERT END OF CLIP INTO "RESET" BUTTON
   
5. PRESSURE CLIP TO KEEP RESET BUTTON DEPRESSED
   
6. PUSH DOWN GREEN POWER BUTTON
   
7. MAINTAIN PRESSURE TO KEEP GREEN BUTTON DEPRESSED
   
8. WAIT TWO SECONDS

This \should\ bring the thing back to life. Mine is doing fine at this time. I've decided it might be best to not power these things off. The new operating system upgrade/update will not be distributed until sometime (random) in November. Not only will it bring more features to the SideKick, but it might also resolve this power issue. If you have this happen to you, and this does not help, please record your SideKick's IMEI number (15 digits and found underneath the cover when you open it) and call the SideKick replacement telephone number listed in your manual.


October 18, 2003 (PM)-We postponed The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for...


Note from Kim and Kevin: This movie was excellent! It's made off a book by Mississippi's own John Grisham. Set in New Orleans, this is the story of a mysterious man, Nick Easter (John Cusack) who gets himself on the jury of a landmark case against a gun manufacturer in an attempt to influence the other jury members to vote a certain way. Meanwhile, Easter's girlfriend, Marlee (Rachel Weisz), tries to swindle the attorneys (Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman) to pay millions of dollars to have the jury return a verdict friendly to their clients. The case involves the widow (Jennifer Beals) of a man killed in an office shooting suing the gun manufacturer of the weapon that was used, under the claim that they knew the store that sold it was not obeying the laws about firearm sales.


October 13, 2003 (PM)-With a little luck, we'll sit 2005's next to this one...


Note from Kevin: Yes, I certainly remember the days... My employees (mostly Melanie Sobczak and Kimberly Smith) and I scored many of these big wins for six different CIO's over my 8+ years at LDDS/WORLDCOM. Mark my words, that was just a warm up! Around the spring of 2005, you'll see my Information Systems Award Collecting starting to come back to life.


October 07, 2003 (PM)-First the CIO, and now the PRESIDENT... is the COO, next!?!


Note from Kevin: These dependable little hip pals are allowing us to stay connected in this modern world. I see you're not viewing this page with a SideKieck... If you do not already own one of these jewels, stop what you're doing and buy a T-Mobile SideKick!


October 07, 2003 (PM)-Arnold Schwarzenegger [ learn to spell it ] is Governor of California!!


Note from Kevin: He won in a landslide! THANK GOODNESS! Capping an 11-week campaign, California voters turned to action movie hero and political novice Arnold Schwarzenegger to come to the rescue as the state's next governor. Voters ousted incumbent Democratic Gov. Gray Davis on Tuesday and selected Schwarzenegger, a Republican, over 134 other candidates on the ballot.



"The Tonight Show" host Jay Leno introduced the actor-turned-politician as "the governor of the great state of California," as Schwarzenegger prepared to become chief executive of the nation's most-populous state and the world's fifth-largest economy.

In true Arnold form... [ The governor-elect announced his candidacy at a taping of Leno's show in early August. ]

"Today California has given me the greatest gift of all: You've given me your trust by voting for me..." and "... I will do everything I can to live up to that trust. I will not fail you." - from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's speech at 10:40 p.m. (1:40 a.m. EDT).


October 06, 2003 (early AM)-Microsoft Windows users - You might should check your hosts file...


Note from Kevin: The real Google is down at this time, but the false one... is still alive.


October 04, 2003 (late PM)-Quinn's profile - while sitting in front of our house...


Note from Kim and Kevin: That Quinn laugh - and smile - is just a joy to experience!


October 04, 2003 (PM)-Kim and Kevin bought a new camera today ...


Note from Kim and Kevin: DSC-V1 Cyber-shot Digital Camera. If you think you can only get true-to-life resolution, definitive control, and stunning output from an SLR camera, you are incorrect. Check out Sony's new DSC-V1 Cyber-shot, a digital still camera that combines the control you prefer with extraordinary performance and a uniquely-compact design. So, the Sony DSCS75 CyberShot 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, and then the Sony DSCS85 CyberShot 4.1MP Digital Still Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom, and now this one's the next step.


October 02, 2003 (PM)-Raspberry Creme Filled Zingers, AKA a "Boomerang in Byram" ...


Note from Kevin: Notice the inherent fire-engine red coloration of these calorie-loaded, tart-filled, creamtanks! What a nightmare!!! I actually bought these hideous tricks... only because they were acting as some sort of guard or mask (a Halloween mask!) in front of my favorite Zingers - Devil's Food Cake with White Icing! So, you see, I had to get to them. After I purchased the two packages... UGH! I trotted upstairs and dropped the Raspberry ones on "Steve's" desk, thinking he might actually enjoy grading them since he seems to have pretty inquisitive dining tastes. Well, I then escaped to my office and enjoyed downing the REAL Zingers with a Diet Coke, of course.

Let me say a few words about these Zingers... coming in economically-sound packages of three, Dolly Madison's Zingers are for the most part a solid snack cake and I have enjoyed them for a good many years. I'm far more partial to the varieties featuring thick slabs of chocolate or vanilla icing, but as I said, this particular Raspberry Zinger encounter was a means to an end, and it was to sink or swim on its own merit. I have eaten these things. I think I was in the tenth grade at Madison-Ridgeland High School, and Bob Hamil convinced me that the Raspberry Zingers were much better than the "Chocolate" ones. I should have passed on this one, because Hamil never had much taste with food. I bought them, ate them, and... this is how I recall the experience.

Now these Raspberry Zingers are easily recognized within the Zinger family by their unique scarlet coloring - ranging from a deep warm pink to a near fuchsia hue. In nature, bright colors typically signify danger, and predators seem to innately understand that potential prey - when colored in such fashion - is best left alone, or at least handled with care. Examples such as Poison Dart Frogs and many types of hunting wasps and snakes come to mind. Likewise, Dolly Madison no doubt uses this bright coloration as a warning to the consumer that this snack cake is not one to be trifled with casually. Once bitten into, the thin, coconut-lined skin of the Raspberry Zinger immediately releases a toxin into the (victim's) mouth that causes the would-be consumer to be overtaken by an incredibly overpowering tartness. The face's muscles will pull back into a rictus squint as s/he is overwhelmed by tangy flavor sensations. And before the person's tasters can adjust themselves, they're plunging into the overabundance of creamy filling, which makes up some 90 percent of the internal mass of these Raspberry Zingers. It's a sensation of being flung from one extreme to the other almost immediately, like maybe missing the salt and dousing your last four french fries with sugar. Oddly, the downfall of the Raspberry Zinger, as a snack cake, is the strange lack of cake. If a sufficient amount of spongy cake was present to serve as a balancing buffer between the acidic tartness and the overly sweet core, a flavor equilibrium may have been reached, but as it is - heed Nature's warning. Don't even approach this triumvirate without some kind of beverage with which to wash down the tangy/sweet polarities... I seem to remember a Mr. Pibb helping me on that day.

Well, 10-12 minutes after I made the drop, "Steve" told me he had eaten them and that they were nasty, and he made an awful face. He then informed me - and seemed to take great pride - that he had been smart and directed the vendor-machine loader to perform this dastardly task... knowing I would experience great frustration and at least a bit of anxiety seeing the tasty Devil's Food Cake with White Icing Zingers blocked from purchase by those horrible Raspberry things.

Like a said, a Boomerang in Byram!


October 01, 2003 (AM)-The infamous LDAP, which lasted 7 years...


Note from Kevin: My goal is to make at least 10 years with this one! For the non-IS/IT ones of you, CIO stands for Chief Information Officer.


October 01, 2003 (AM)-Quinn gas a great time exploring the Cay's rubble!


Note from Kevin: Five homes are being built at the bottom of our street, and all of us EXCEPT QUINN are very ready for them to be completed! Quinn has the best time running all around these new lots and houses and normally his lawnmower is right with him.


September 26, 2003 (AM)-Two of the Contact Us notes about this last picture...

Note from Kevin: As you can see, they range in degree of sweetness...


September 22, 2003 (PM)-Quinn is helping his dad with a photo' shoot...


Note from Kevin: Yes, we both would be very happy if we could take pictures and work with graphics 1/100th as good as Kim. She is just incredible! But, that doesn't mean Quinn and I can slack off. There's always grunt work to do while the real artist is doing the real work.


September 18, 2003 (PM)-VeriSign's not in the VeriSign New Seal pilot?


Note from Kevin: 'Notice something missing? I am sort of shocked, but they've pulled the new seal off their home page... Or the new seal is just not making it to their home page... because the three "more..." links at the bottom look like they are a bit too high on the page. 'Goodness.


September 16, 2003 (PM)-VeriSign's New Secure Seal Pilot has begun...


Note from Kevin: VeriSign's instructions were very firm how all approved "new secure seal" pilot participants were to only source this "getseal" script off their new seal server... which they did not do on their own home page... hmm... I certainly followed them, and they worked really well.


September 09, 2003 (PM)-CDW now owns warehouse.com...


Note from Kevin: This acquisition is going to work really well!!! Both these companies are good ones and will work well, together. If you need anything, call Nick Herbst at CDW - Phone: (877) 881-6916 Fax: (312) 705-4936 E-Mail: nickher@cdw.com. He will not let you down, but make sure and tell him where you got his name!


September 09, 2003 (AM)-Kim took Quinn to his 2 year checkup and the fifth of several "get his shots" visits with Dr. Ray. He got his last 2 shots (Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) and Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) Vaccine) and received 100% perfect scores on everything!!! No smiles from Quinn, today - 100% serious. She said he was doing incredible and gave us perfect scores on how we were doing as parents!

The Shots List: Note from Kim and Kevin: Quinn received 2 shots at this 24 month visit, and he handled them just fine... This 2 year visit (of course Quinn's only 22 months...) finishes the major "baby/infant" shot groups.

September 08, 2003 (PM)-Quinn has fun with his Tide Car!


Note from Kim: Kevin's Tide Car is from when he outran all his employees in this nascar video game week after week after week!!! Quinn's is ... well, Quinn's had his Tide Car for over five months and he takes it everywhere!! Walmart, Walgreens, the park, McAllister's, even to Target and he's never misplaced it.


September 05, 2003 (PM)-Quinn had fun at the Smith family reunion this July... playing with Robbie's RC toy!


Note from Kim and Kevin: This was a summer day in Greenwood!!! For more Quinn pictures, see him and his counsins at Geyser Falls.


August 29, 2003 (AM)-I have oddly shaped tannish-colored material creaping up from my lungs... and crawling out of my mouth. It seems to be self-regenerating, and from how much has made it out of my body, it must be feeding from some internal resources of mine to re-build itself. And to make things worse, it now has jumped into Kim, and she is now sharing this same experience. I have to say, this is gross. Will Quinn be next?

Note from Kevin: (self analysis) If the phlegm that you have is dripping down the back of your throat from your nose and sinuses it could be postnasal drip. There could be several reasons for this phlegm. One is an allergic reaction to inhaling something. A second reason is a nonallergic, noninfectious inflammation in the sinuses that could be lingering after a cold. When the phlegm "sits" there, it can change color quite frequently. A third reason is chronic sinusitis. Postnasal drip can cause irritation of the throat and lungs. You may experience the postnasal drip as a constant feeling of phlegm at the back of your throat. A nasal wash helps remove phlegm from the nose and sinuses. This can temporarily reduce the postnasal drip and lessen the dark brown phlegm. A prescription nasal steroid spray decreases nasal swelling and phlegm production. This may prevent the postnasal drip and dark brown phlegm. To get the most out of a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective. Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment. A doctor would also be able to help you to know if there is some other cause for your tannish-colored phlegm. The doctor will more than likely say you have a bacterial or viral infection and that your throat is swollen. S/he will also check for strep. and will more than likely prescribe Z-Pak (Azithromycin) and Prednisone (for the swelling/inflammation) and send you home to rest.


August 22, 2003 (PM)-It looks like someone spilled ink on this picture... For a few hours, Ridgeland, Mississippi had more lights than Metropolitan New York City!


Note from Kevin: I'll bet some of these buildings in New York City and the surrounding area are going to be purchasing and installing UPS's for at least some of their elevators... maybe posting labels for the ones that are power protected? It wouldn't take that much to get these things down to the ground and allow their doors to be opened... And, I'd get LIEBERT to do the design and implementation - using their equipment. Check APC's stock history for an example of how these Uninterruptible Power Supply companies are doing...


August 05, 2003 (early AM)-Visit Mars... here on earth!


Note from Kevin: This is going to be a fun ride for Kim, Quinn, and me!


July 10, 2003 (PM)-Photo Gallery


Note from Kim: Check out these pictures of Quinn.... I'm going to start to create a REAL online gallery....this is just the beginning...

June 28, 2003 (PM)-Summer 2003 --- FUN!


Note from Kim: Quinn had so much fun with his cousin Audrey this past week! We did all kinds of stuff while she was in town.... went to the zoo, went on a shopping spree, went to rapids on the res, went swimming, ate at cock of the walk and fed the canadian geese our leftovers! We sure do miss you Audrey! We'll post more pictures from the visit soon! Now we're getting prepared for a visit from Audrey's brothers, Robbie and Reed! They will be in town this coming week!

June 16, 2003 (PM)-New Plate? !


Note from KIM: Hey!!! We have been terrible about updates lately!!!! We have been busy though! So here's a quick summary: Kevin put his two week notice in at CMMC today, he really enjoyed the job and the people he worked with, but his DREAM JOB finally came along and he accepted it. If you know Kevin, you know one of his goals was to become a CIO ....now he has been given the opportunity and I am totally thrilled for him!! WAY TO GO KEVIN!!!!

We've also been busy with my birthday, June 1, Kevin's birthday, June 8, Father's Day, June 15....and MORE! Quinn started his summer swim lessons today...he wasn't too sure what to think about the COLD water. He has been taking lessons for the past year in an indoor/heated pool....so he was screaming when I put him in the cold water today!

It has been raining ENORMOUS amounts around here lately.... one day Quinn and I were on our walk and we looked up and the sky was completely black. We were approximately 2 miles away from our house and it started pouring down raining, lightning, thundering, on us! I started running, but then asked myself, "We are completely soaked, why am I running?" So we finally got to a carport we could use for shelter. Quinn was having a blast....what a day!


May 28, 2003 (PM)-On Memorial Day, we bought Quinn a big-boy bed - from Cullan at Miskelly's furniture. It is within a couple of inches of being as high as Quinn - nearly 3 feet off the ground!

Note from Kevin: His bed was delivered yesterday morning, and Kim and I positioned it pointing South-Southwest, against Quinn's East wall. Kim got him to go to sleep in his new bed, and he didn't wake up until she and I woke him around 7:00 this morning! He slept like a rock, and didn't even seem to change position during the night!


May 19, 2003 (PM)-For all you "bandits" out there...

[ Click the links & watch your location window's URL change. ]

Note from Kevin: It looks like I might should be having an auction of my own... I hope they find a way to stay in Jackson. If they do, I might consider letting them use these domains, again. Let me know what you think.


May 12, 2003 (PM)-When using a Windows PC, stay in touch with HOTBAR!


Note from Kevin: Hotbar is a fantastic extension for the Microsoft e-Mail client and web browser. Give it a try and see what you think.


April 30, 2003 (PM)-Do you know the significance of these IP address ranges? If so, please tell me what you think.
Note from Kevin: If you're the first person to Post the correct answer, I'll publish your answer on this home page!


April 27, 2003 (PM)-These SuperFlyXtreme Gaming Systems are INCREDIBLE!

Note from Kim and Kevin: These machines are not only the ULTIMATE in PC Gaming Systems; they are the best looking ones!


April 26, 2003 (PM)-Time Warner Cable brought the Circus to Ridgeland, MS!

Note from Kim and Kevin: We had a Great time at Time Warner's Circus that came to Ridgeland. If you didn't make it this year, you should try to catch it the next time it comes to town!!!


April 26, 2003 (Later PM)-They also brought a Very Big SNAKE!

Note from Kim: I was taking pictures; Quinn was being proud of Dad, and the entire crowd (hundreds of people) was in awe, and now I can't say I've never been asked, "... How's it feel to be married to SnakeMan!?!" by a complete stranger!!!


April 21, 2003 (PM)-I have two words to describe these guys... WEB WIMPS.

Note from Kevin: When I get to where I have a bit more spare time, I'll show these jelly-spined weanies how this is done. Many uninformed people are still using Old Browsers that in no way support HTML v4 and/or CSS, and weak efforts like this one do nothing for the push to Update Web Browsers.


April 07, 2003 (PM)-Our B1B-Lancer - not a friend of Iraq's main nut case.

Note from Kevin: We may have taken out SaDamned and his two sons, today - using this incredible machine. Cross your fingers! It's time for those nutcases to go away - PERMANENTLY.


April 06, 2003 (AM)-Rice Road is under five feet of water... flooded worse than I have ever seen, and Quinn's ready for a new bed!

Note from Kevin: He leaped "OUT" of his bed around 2:00 AM this morning. And yes, the safety bar was all the way up. Kim went and got him, and all he could do was tell us about it over and over. So, I walked him back into his room so he could show me how he did it, and he did. He just continues amazing us.


April 03, 2003 (AM)-Sea Knights and Blackhawks - not friends of the nut cases in Iraq.

Note from Kevin: United States Army Colonel D. I. Smith gave me this one! Two CH-46 Sea Knights and two UH-60 Blackhawks on a road near the airstrip at Jalibah, southern Iraq. They use stops like this one to take on additional fuel before continuing the mission.


April 02, 2003 (PM)-Kevin predicts Quinn to comfortably reach the 1:1 pounds to inches ratio just a day or so before his 2 year mark.

Kevin's predictions for Quinn's 24th month measurements:

Length/Height:

39.000"

Weight:

39.000 lbs.

Head Circumference:

53.250 cm

Shoe Size:

8 Wide

Note from Kevin: Quinn is at the peak of his fourth growth spurt. He should be finishing his fifth one just as he passes his 24th month. All his growth patterns have been quite regular, and as I predicted his 12 month marks, I feel confident in being able to predict his 24 month marks - even closer. Keep watching CROTHERS.INFO to monitor the results!


April 02, 2003 (PM)-Quinn is now 17 months of age, and has just had ANOTHER - Yes, Another! - one of his growth spurts.

Quinn's 17th month measurements:

Length/Height:

36.500"

Weight:

32.875 lbs.

Head Circumference:

52.300 cm

Shoe Size:

7 Wide

Note from Kevin: During this 17th month, Quinn made it up over 36 pounds and at the time, he was exactly 36 inches tall! That means he reached the 1:1 pounds to inches ratio in his 16th month!!! He then lost some of his appetite and started seeming to be uncomfortable a good bit - especially while he was trying to get some sleep in our bed! He would spin around 180° and then another 90°, and would kick and sling his arms around - like he was wrestling with a Sasquatch! He would do this many times each night. We received many QuinnFootsandFists this month. I think this was his sharpest growth spurt.


April 01, 2003 (AM)-How to disable Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)

To disable ICS through the Desktop in Windows XP, you must be the Administrator.

• Right-click on My Computer and select Manage and then select Services and Applications.
• Select Services and then Internet Connection Sharing.
• Double-click on Internet Connection Sharing and then on Startup Type select Disable from the pull-down menu option.
• Click on Apply.

To disable ICS through the Control Panel in Windows XP

• Click the Start button and then double-click on Control Panel.
• Click on Administrative Tools.
• Click on Services.
• Scroll down until you see Internet Connection Sharing located under ICS Firewall.
• Double click on Internet Connection Sharing and then on Startup Type select Disable from the pull-down menu option.
• Click on Apply.

To disable ICS in Windows ME and Windows 98 SE 1

• Click the Start button, point to Settings, click on Control Panel.
• In the Control Panel window, double-click Internet.
• Click the Connection tab, click the Sharing tab, click to select the Disable Internet Connection Sharing check box, click OK, and then click OK.

To disable ICS in Windows 2000

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.

• Open Network and Dial-up Connections by clicking Start, pointing to Settings, and then clicking Network and Dial-up Connections.
• Right click the dial-up, virtual private network (VPN), or local area connection on which you want to disable Internet Connection Sharing, and then click Properties.
• On the Sharing tab, clear the Enable Internet connection sharing for this connection check box, and then click OK.

Note from Kevin: Some software packages do not like Microsoft Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). The CISCO VPN CLient is one of them. If you are using ICS for your Small Office Home Office "network," please consider buying a LinkSys (now a CISCO company) BEFSX41 or BEFSR41 and some CAT5 cable and creating a real SOHO network.


March 22, 2003 (AM)-These "anti-war protestors" disgust me. I see no reason why they should be living within our country, or even allowed to live within our country. How do they sleep at night!?!

Note from Kevin: As Kim said, my heart and prayers also - 100% - go out to our President and all of the men and women in uniform serving our country and our freedom abroad (and at home). May God BLESS them and give us all strength during the liberation of Iraq and all other countries that support terrorism.


March 17, 2003 (AM)-Say a prayer for our leaders, our troops and their families! God Bless America!

Note from Kim: My heart and prayers go out to all of the men and women in uniform serving our country and our freedom abroad (and at home). May God BLESS you and give you strength during these uncertain times!


March 8, 2003 (AM)-This one is in St. Johns, Newfoundland.

Note from Kevin: They actually have to divert the path of these things away from the rigs by towing them with ships! In this particular case the water was calm, and the sun was almost directly overhead so that the diver was able to get into the water and click this picture. 'Very clear water! They estimated the weight at 300,000,000 tons. Ones like this are why the Titanic sank!


March 6, 2003 (PM)-Another Quinn picture.

Note from Kim: Quinn is REALLY developing a true and very strong personality now. He LOVES music...he wants music on at all times. This morning I had the cd player in the kitchen on, the one in the bedroom on AND, on top of all that, he was playing an electric drum machine that his Aunt Lisa gave to him!!! He talks all the time.... he knows EVERYthing we say to him, we just can't quite tell what he's saying to us!


February 24, 2003 (PM)-Quinn is now 16 months of age, and has just had another one of his growth spurts.

Quinn's 16th month measurements:

Length/Height:

35.125"

Weight:

30.333 lbs.

Head Circumference:

52.250 cm

Shoe Size:

6 ½ Wide

Note from Kim and Kevin: At his last Dr. Ray visit, Quinn measured over 34 ½ inches, and Dr. Ray was sort of shocked. She told us he was waaaay off the growth charts for height and head circumference, and just about the same for weight! She told us he was for sure going to be, "at least... a good bit over 6 feet tall." When we tell others how old Quinn is, they are shocked, and repeat back to us the number of months, sometimes twice! He now knows so much english, it's amazing. Kevin stands beside the sink, unloading the dishwasher and is able to tell Quinn to get the "big plates," and Quinn starts grabbing the largest of the Denby plates, handing them - sometimes with ONE HAND! - to Kevin so he can put them in the cabinets. He has not dropped even one of them.


February 14, 2003 (PM)-Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Note from Kim: Quinn got a singing/dancing Gorilla for Valentines Day.... it sings "Wild Thing." Everytime I press its foot for it to start singing/dancing, Quinn collapses to the floor and starts crying!!! This gift did not go over the way I thought it would .....whoops!


February 10, 2003 (PM)-A time-sequenced panoramic view from our new space station!

Note from Kim and Kevin: It's a night photo with the lights clearly indicating the populated areas. You can scroll East-West and North-South. Note that Canada's population is almost exclusively along the U.S. border. Moving east to Europe, there is a high population concentration along the Mediterranean Coast. It's easy to spot London, Paris, Stockholm and Vienna. Check out the development of Israel compared to the rest of the Arab countries. Note the Nile River and the rest of the "Dark Continent." After the Nile, the lights don't come on again until Johannesburg. Look at the Australian Outback and the Trans-Siberian Rail Route. Moving east, the most striking observation is the difference between North and South Korea. Note the density of Japan. What a piece of photography. It is an absolutely awesome picture of our Earth taken from the Boeing-built Space Station last November - on a perfect night with no obscuring atmospheric conditions.


February 07, 2003 (AM)-President Bush said last night, "The game is over." So, this is a ANOTHER day to be secure, and to start being secure "forevermore." Of course, I mean in everyday life, but you should also be secure in your computer communications. I normally use Mac OS X's SSH to connect to our servers, but sometimes need to connect while on a MS-Windows workstation... In these times, I still need an SSH client, but out-of-the-box MS-Windows only offers Telnet... Simon Tatham's PuTTY is a ~free~ one that is sourced by GreenEnd, and should serve you well for most all your remote connect client access from MS-Windows machines: Note from Kevin: If you have problems, you might need to do the following: Run PuTTY, and at the intial screen, click the "Connection - SSH" choice in the left-side menu. Raise "DES" Up above the "-- warn below here --" line, and check next to "Enable non-standard use of single-DES in SSH 2."

February 01, 2003 (PM)-SOME PICTURES OF QUINN

Note from Kim: Sorry we've been so horrible about updating our webpage lately....but we have ALL been busy with new projects on our plate!!!!


February 01, 2003 (AM)-Quinn is now 15 months of age, and still keeps running from those lines in the growth charts!

Quinn's 15th month measurements:

Length/Height:

34.750"

Weight:

28.750 lbs.

Head Circumference:

51.500 cm

Shoe Size:

6 ½ Wide

Note from Kim and Kevin: Quinn is now able to identify his arms, legs, hair, fingers, hands, tummy, ears, teeth, nose, eyes, feet, and MANY other things!!! From what we guess, he knows the general meaning of around 250 - 300 words. He speaks about 25 - 30 words, but is still sort of difficult to follow. He gets going and you can pick out a word here, and a word or two there, but following his sentences is almost impossible at this time. It is really amazing watching him learn and grow. We are extremely lucky parents.


January 17, 2003 (PM)-Next time you're washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't juuuuuuuust how you like it, think about how things used to be... Here are some facts about life just a few hundred years ago:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

Houses had thatched roofs thick straw piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor."

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway hence, a "thresh hold."

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew lasted a while, hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon."

They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content had to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up-hence the custom of holding a "wake."

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

Note from Kevin: It's sort of shocking, but these are all true... Whoever said History was boring!?!


January 06, 2003 (AM)-Greater Jackson is about to undergo its annual SHRINKDOWN!

Note from Kim and Kevin: We're excited about the next 8 weeks of Shrinkdown; we plan to work hard to get back on the fitness trail! Come to the Jackson Trade Mart (located just beside the Jackson Coliseum) and register as a Shrinkdown participant.


January 01, 2003 (AM)-Quinn is now 14 months of age, and just keeps moving off the growth charts. We are now buying him 2T size clothes, and 3T for next winter! Kim and Kevin gave him his first hair cut last night just before the end of 2002.

Note from Kim and Kevin: Kevin gave Quinn the ride of his life in a shopping cart in Target the other night! He was sliding the cart sideways and then quickly making turns - sliding through all of them, many times their cart would change 180 and even 360 degrees during the sliding turn!!! It was something to watch, and seemed to highly entertain the other post-Christmas shoppers. They even flatted one of the cart's tires, but Kevin repaired it pretty quickly. Kim made Kevin stop out of fear for Quinn... Getting Addicted to WILD RIDES IN TARGET SHOPPING CARTS! Quinn had the most incredible smiles pass accross his face during that ride. It was a magical time, and Kim and Kevin were astounded by Quinn's grip on the front bar of the shopping cart - a Very, Very Good Grip Quinn has!