Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter

Old news: October 2002

Karen
10/31/2002
Despite the cold temps we had an all time record number of trick or treaters -- 350!!

Amanda
10/31/2002
Hey, I thought some who were interviewed might want to see the project Tristen was working on for school. The letter for the week was I, so she had to Interview her family and ask them their favorite Ice cream... This what what she came up with. She found during the interview process that she does not care for answering machines, they tend to trick her into talking to no one. :) It isnt the best picture, but the scanner is down, so I used the digital camera, and she used some funky color changing colored pencil to write with, and it didnt show up in the photo sometimes..

Amanda
10/31/2002
Lindsey, I vote for your clown, it was SO cute. And tonight, will you be competing in the swimsuit competition?

Lindsey
10/31/2002
Happy Birthday, John!

Happy Halloween to everyone else!
My favorite costume is probably. . . this years (Miss America) or when I was like two or three and I went as a clown. It was a really cute costume!

Gary
10/31/2002
In addition to being Halloween, and John's birthday (a happy one, BTW)

today is also Peter Jackson's birthday. Jackson is director of "Lord of the Rings," a movie I may have mentioned here before once or twice if you were paying attention. The "Special Edition" of the first LOTR movie comes out on DVD in 12 days, and all the advance reviews are saying that the extra added footage makes it into a whole new (and better!) movie. Can't wait to see it!

Karen
10/31/2002
We are handing out mini tootsie roll pops and sweet tarts -- always stock up on chocolate -- but never seem to have any left by Halloween :)

Amanda
10/31/2002
So, what candy is everyone handing out tonight??? Us: M&M's and assorted Reese's candy's (see who am I favorite candy profiles for that one...)
Tristen wore her costume to school today because they will be singing, but instead of the Vampiress she wore the bat costume Sean wore years ago. If there were any mishaps with the Vampiress at school she wouldn't have anything to wear trick or treating, so she is bat by day, Vampiress by night. She loved it.

Marsha
10/30/2002
Howdy folks. Donna, where did you see all the Wellstone Memorial footage? I didn't know it would be national, really big news here of course. We loved him as our senator, a really great man of the people (and you know how I generally feel about politicians.) The memorial took a decidedly political turn with some of the speeches, although emotions were running high. The Republicans are ticked off. It was fun to see Gore, Hill and Bill, Jesse and Jesse and the Lott. Politics are all anybody is talking about here. We just got back from enjoying John's birthday gift -- a Bob Dylan concert. A great show, but not the best one I've seen. Plenty of fun, and we ate at the Excel Center too, nice night, 34 or so. My best Halloween costumes were the witch costume Mom made for me in kindergarten (Gary was a hobo and won first prize, a puzzle I think) and a mummy costume I made many years ago. John's neice Elizabeth Hignite is going to be on Nickelodeon this Saturday on Nick Cannon. She is a budding actress so watch for her!

Paul and Lori
10/30/2002
Happy Birthday John

***EMILY***
10/30/2002
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN***

Donna
10/30/2002
Of course it was Wellstone, why did I say Wellman? Weird. I just heard they cancelled our shot at snow for today. Yaaay. Today's cool site was very creepy.

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy Halloween everybody!

Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
10/30/2002
Happy Birthday John!!!

Amanda
10/30/2002
I didn't watch it, but wasn't his name WellSTONE?

Donna
10/30/2002
Life with Bonnie is my new favorite TV show. It was so funny last night--Martin Mull was the guest "Len-ard."
And did anyone watch the memorial service for Wellman last night--in Minneapolis? I didn't get to see all of it, but what I saw was really good. I don't know why one of his sons didn't take his place in the senate race. They were both really good speakers. As the politicians walked in, they appeared on a big screen. Gore got a huge round of applause. Trent Lott and Jessie Ventura, however, got booed. Lott was talking to someone, heard all the booing, looked up to see his face on the screen. He seemed surprised, but shrugged his shoulder and tried to laugh it off. I enjoyed that.

Donna
10/30/2002
Last night I was asked to participate in a survey with a research firm in Iowa Park, Texas. I don't know how scientific it was, but the interviewer seemed very professional--every time I tried to talk about something else she pulled me right back to the survey. That's just how they do it at Gallup. And it's very important research. There was only one question: what's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Nelsons
10/30/2002
Happy Birthday, John

Nelsons
10/30/2002
Happy Halloween!

Grandma
10/30/2002
Happy Birthday, John !!!

And Happy Halloween to one and all!!

Gary
10/30/2002
Be sure to check this page on Friday for "Who Am I? Pets Only!" (Betcha thought I forgot, huh?) The questions go up the day after Halloween, Friday, November 1. Woof!

Gary
10/29/2002
Check the recent photos page for some new pictures from Texas.

Ryan
10/29/2002
One year I went as rock star and put vaseline in my hair. That didn't come out for days. One of my favorites was going as a dead person.

Erika
10/29/2002
Stephanie Moore is the Miss Iowa, she came to my school today. I got to see her crown, and a picture of her first day of school.

Grandma
10/29/2002
Erika, I think Stephanie A. Moore may be "Miss Iowa." These favorite costumes are fun. I can only remember one, a white sheet that a friend and I shared at a Bonfire Party and as we came in a little late the "littler" kids got scared and threw rocks at us. Things were different in the olden days.

Gary
10/29/2002
Erika, I give up! Who is Stephanie A. Moore????

Erika
10/29/2002
Today I got out of school early to go to the dentest and I got my 1st cavidy. In a week I go again and get 2 fillings and a cealence.

Erika
10/29/2002
Today Stephanie A. Moore who knowes who she is?

Erika
10/29/2002
Hi everybody I REEEEEEEEEEEEALY hate those costums. I think I will like my pionear costum the best. :>

Karen
10/29/2002
My favorite costume was a bird -- I won $.25 as a prize at school!

Amanda
10/29/2002
Well, the costume everyone remembers is the "cat" costume Karen made & Sean & I both wore (and Tristen wore last year). I remember one year I was big bird, with the ultra cheap plastic over the body suit and the hard plastic face with a beak with a rubber sting to hold it on. Not a good costume year... Which reminds me, anyone read the Jerry Seinfeld Halloween book? A GREAT one; a kids story based on his Halloween bit, we got it, and we all love it. This year Ryan & I are going as Husker fans. And of course we will get the game, again, in Longhorn country here....

Gary
10/29/2002
FYI, Saturday's NE-TX FB game is at 6 pm on Fox Sport Net. Hope it's available in MN, IA, and TX!

Gary
10/29/2002
I've got two that come to mind, both while I lived in San Francisco (which is a big Halloween party town): Once I dressed up as Mr. Peanut -- top hat, monocle, cane, spats (homemade), and a big orange sheet which I wrapped around myself and stuffed with crumpled newspapers. Another time I went as an angel -- standard get-up of sheet and cardboard wings -- but what made the costume was the halo, which I made out of one of those glow-sticks. At the time, this glow "technology" had just come out, so not many people had seen them. Walking home from the party that night, traffic literally screeched to a halt when they saw that halo above my head (held there by a brace made out of a coathanger). No lie! :-)
Snow is predicted tonight for Lincoln, too -- second snowfall before Halloween, which is a bit much, no?
Congratulations, Erika, on your fourth ribbon!! :-)

Donna
10/29/2002
You know after looking at the really bad Halloween costumes on the front page, I just have to say I have never liked any costume that puts the name of the character on the front. The same goes for a costume that comes with a mask but then has the whole body including head pictured on the shirt of the costume. What are they thinking?
But that leads me to this question: What's the best costume you remember wearing for Halloween?
Mine is dressing up as a gypsy--which I wore more than one Halloween--all that jewelry and make-up!

Karen
10/29/2002
Erika received another award this morning. She got the Fairness ribbon (her 4th one in a series of 6) so she is well on her way to getting the whole set. She is dressing as a pioneer for Halloween, very excited for Thursday night.
Emily's math teacher recommended her to be put into a pre-algebra class. She starts today.
Tristen I can't believe you got more mail than your Mom and Dad -- way to go!!
We are to be getting more snow today -- maybe 3-5 inches!!

Amanda
10/29/2002
Tristen got LOTS of mail yesterday, as she pointed out: more than Ryan & I. She got a Halloween package with candy and a book from grandma and Donna, and a card with candy from the Nelsons, and a card from Grandma Kris with her collectible quarters. It was very good mail day for Tristen, it made her day. Today is her fiftieth day of school, so they dressed up 50's style. I took some pix, but haven't loaded them yet to see if they turned out. She gets out early today, because there is a funeral that the teachers are going to for the middle school volleyball coach who was killed in a car accident this last weekend. At dance tonight they are having a Halloween party, so her week just keeps getting better. I did lots of online ordering this weekend, Christmas presents! So the UPS and mailman will think I am a shop-a-holic when it all rolls in. Teghan turned 10 months yesterday, it is going way too quick. I noticed today she got another tooth on the top that I didn't notice before now, she does NOT like me looking and feeling around in her mouth. So, that brings her total to 5! 3 on top, 2 on the bottom. It stopped raining here this morning, finally, another 3 days worth of non-stop. At first the grass liked it, now I think it is starting to turn it brown. And I know why flooding is a concern here, there are no drains in the streets for rain. Boy, Texans are smart, aren't they? I'm glad the stupid World Series is done, wish the election was over, the gubernatorial race here is NASTY, 2 ruthless pigs if ya ask me, the incumbent is of course Dubya's clone and take over man. Though it will be interesting to see how Minnesota's election turns out, and the control of the Senate. And Gary, I didn't reply to "Teghan" though I did go to Google and searched "Teghan" and found lots others other than ours, wonder why we got the response...

A few days ago I received an item for this newsletter from "Teghan" which I at first assumed was from Amanda. But the message was from another person named Teghan who had done an internet search on her name and found our site; so she wrote a newsletter item asking how we pronounced her name. I forwarded the note to Amanda. -Gary

Gary
10/28/2002
Take another look at the recipe page when you get a chance. I organized the recipes and made a table of contents where the names are clickable -- takes you right to the recipe you want. It's a pretty good-looking list -- we should start thinking about publishing a cookbook! :-)

Donna
10/28/2002
Marsha, I just added the Raspberry Coffee Cake recipe to the recipe page.
Great game Saturday, I hope we can do it again this weekend.
I love the time change.
Lindsey and Olivia, enjoy your week off. Wish I was off too.

Karen
10/27/2002
I think the Simpsons Halloween show is a week late because the World Series is on the same channel!

Hmmm, that may be it! --Gary

Gary
10/27/2002
No snow here today, just a drizzly rain. If you're going to check the Sioux City webcam for a look at the snow, be advised that you're not seeing Sioux City -- I've got the wrong cam there. I'll try to get it fixed tomorrow.

Hey, here's a question: How come the Simpsons always show their Halloween special (which, cartoon or not, I have to say is the creepiest Halloween show on TV!) after Halloween?? Tonight they showed last year's, and the new one will be shown next Sunday, November 3rd.

Karen
10/27/2002
Another very snowy day for us. We went to Wausa this morning, started out as rain, then sleet and finally snow. We didn't stay too long for fear of slick roads. Heavy, wet snow all afternoon, starting to stick to the ground.

Gary
10/26/2002
Hey, what a game, eh?? And on the road, too. And in front of George Bush (the other one) too! I hope we can do the same thing next week against Texas (the other one) for Homecoming. Could be quite a game!

I forgot all about Daylight Savings Time, until my computer reminded me this morning. If you haven't set your clocks back, do it now! :-)

Lindsey
10/25/2002
Well you guys have two and three days off, but I have 9!!!!!!!!! We get the WHOLE WEEK OFF!!!! Hahahaha!

Gary
10/25/2002
Some new recipes went on the page just now, if you haven't checked there in a while. Have a fun 3-day weekend, Emily! And a fun 2-day weekend to the rest of us!

Amanda
10/25/2002
OH, and we are ready for the game tomorrow, remember we are in the HEART of A&M country here. Many a neighbors fly the maroon flags and sticker their cars. I just hope we don't embarrass ourselves too much. I guess we can't do it without Crouch, though I hear he can't do it without Nebraska, heard he "retired" already from the Rams (with their not so spectacular season this year).

For those that don't know, the game is on at 6 pm on TBS. --Gary

Amanda
10/25/2002
Well, it finally stopped raining here and they say we might get some sunshine today. It rained non stop from Tuesday night until last night. The grass is SO long, so it needs some sun so we can mow! And our big tree up front is finally starting to turn colors and drop leaves. Tristen got the Halloween card yesterday and LOVED it! She couldn't believe everyone signed it. She loves getting real mail, since she is the one who checks the mailbox everyday (even Sundays). She has cards and her own address labels and stamps and is working to write to everyone, but she says it's hard work to write small on the cards, so she doesn't do a lot in a day. Thanks to everyone for the card, she needed it, because she is a little upset we can't go to Lincoln for Halloween.

Donna
10/25/2002
Hey Emily, You are so lucky! That's better than a snow day. What are you going to do today? I hope you have fun!

***EMILY***
10/25/2002
Hey Everybody!!! Yay!!! No School Today!!! The electricity came back on about 3:50 yesterday, but the heater still isn't working so we got the day off!!!!
Well I g2g!! ;)

***EMILY***
10/24/2002
Hey Everybody! Today at school about 1 we heard this really loud kinda pop then all the lights went out! After about 5 or 10 minutes some lights came on but it was still pretty dark. We had to stay in our 6th period cuz the halls were too dark to see anything, and our teacher wouldn't let us go to the bathroom without a teacher to go with us! After a while the principal came in and told us to go to our next class, but that took a while cuz we didnt have bells or the intercom. We still didnt have electricity when we left, and our teachers were telling us we might not even have school tomorrow, but we'll probly still have to go! :( Well I g2g!!

Amanda
10/24/2002
It is COLD here. Nothing compared to you northerners, but it took a cold turn last night/today. Rainy, rainy, rainy yesterday and today, and today mixed with the cold it is miserable. We are supposed to be getting our new furniture tomorrow or Saturday, so it better stop raining long enough for that. We sold our couch, loveseat and recliner Tuesday night, so we are ready for our new stuff. And the sofa is a sleeper (which I am told is MUCH more comfortable than the old ones(grandmas)). As soon as we get them I will take pictures and send them along.

Grandma
10/24/2002
Winter sure moved in early, I measured the snow piled on the deck rail a little while ago, and got 3 inches on the ruler. Hope we don't get the 2nd round they predict for this afternoon, altho it does "feel" like we will. Tristen, you are the best Vampiress I've ever seen, Boy would you scare me if you came to my front door!!! Am glad the past weekend was so nice, afraid we wouldn't have had many out of towners had we waited til this weekend. Amanda, I love the pictures of T. and T. I can't believe how fast they are growing. I'm so impressed with Sean's loading crew. Good work, Girls!!

Donna
10/24/2002
I think it was exactly 5 years ago today that we had the big blizzard. My power was off exactly 1 week and got it back on Halloween--so I think that's a pretty accurate guess. Thank heavens the snow we got this time was much milder. But still too darn early.
Tristen, you look so beautiful as a vampiress. I love the red lips.

Paul
10/23/2002
Sounds like a really cool field trip Erika. You're lucky, Olivia has had her field trip canceled twice now, and Linz had hers canceled for tomorrow as well, because of the weather, which I think is a little premature. I mean it's still 30 degrees at 10:00 pm.
Tristen, you look soooo scary. What did Teghan do when see saw you?? We will miss you at Halloween.

Amanda
10/23/2002
Is the UNL webcam not working? We keep looking at it to see snow, and it is the same guys suspended in the same spot for HOURS!

Hmmm, I hadn't noticed. I did notice the other night that it was still daylight on the cam when it should have been dark, but hadn't checked it since then. I'll look into it tomorrow. --Gary

Later: Okay, I fixed the problem with the UNL webcam. They had changed their webcam address (I guess they forgot to tell me!), so our page was loading the same old picture over and over. It works now, so check out the snow! A few other webcams look suspiciously motionless (like Sioux City), so I'll be looking at them soon. --Gary

Gary
10/23/2002
Tristen, that is one scary costume!! That white face, those red lips - you're giving me the creeps!! :-)

Donna
10/23/2002
I just discovered a really good way to drink cocoa--add international flavored creamers to the cocoa mix. I just added cinnamon\hazelnut and it really tastes good. Of course, the snowy day helps make it taste better.

Amanda
10/23/2002
We are SOOOOOO jealous! It is rainy here, but still not cold at all! We want snow!! Tristen's performance went well last night, though her vampiress costume kept getting tugged by the 3 boys behind her, and she shot them a nasty look once (that's my girl). I will send a pix of her in her costume, she is excited for Halloween, and what I guess is nice about Texas (though I am not saying Texas is nice) is that for Halloween she won't have to be all bundled up and cover her costume like you snow birds might have to, though she did say she would miss trick or treating with Lindsey, Livy & Claire. Teghan is going to be a princess, I'll send pix after Halloween, since I'm not putting it on her til then.

P.S. Is it 5 years ago to the date that you guys got the crippling storm????????????????????????

Gary
10/23/2002
Okay, I take it back!

It is snowing here right now (10 am). Ground is getting covered, though it is melting on the streets and sidewalks. The weather guys were wrong about last night, though!

Gary
10/23/2002
I know some of us have been talking recently about the report of a huge bird in Alaska. For those who haven't, here's a link to a news article about it.

By the way, no snow here at all. Here we go again, with predictions of huge blizzards that never materialize. Which in this case is okay, as I think we're all in agreement it is still too early for a big snowfall, but come on! The weather-heads were talking 3 to 7 inches last night, and so far not a flake. It was supposed to be snowy all day today and tonight too, so I guess it could still happen. It's like the old joke: the weather forecasters have predicted 12 out of the last 5 blizzards....

Paul and Lori
10/22/2002
Hi everybody, sounds like and feels like winter is here, but it won't last long, I hope. Sorry we didn't get to see anybody this weekend, but Linz and Livy sure had a fun weekend, heard a lot about Petco. Lori and I sure had a good time in Chicago. Went to the top of John Hancock Bldg, took a dinner cruise, and stayed in a fantastic condo we found on the internet, 48th floor with a view of the lake. We realize we were in a touristy area, but the natives were very friendly.
Hey Big T and little T, fantastic pictures, what do you expect with models like you guys.

Erika
10/22/2002
Hi everyone on Fri.18, 2002 I went on my Sioux City history trip thats when we go on a trip around Sioux City. I saw things like War Eagle, the council Oak tree and Bragh's (Brea's) cabin. It was fun. :> <:

Amanda
10/22/2002
It is still 60's here. Nice weather I guess. Rainy, off and on, which is great for the yard. Tristen has her first school program tonight. It is a Halloween singing deal at the high school, and I asked her if she was on stage and she said, "uh, they are risers mom." I asked her if she was in the front row and she said yes, next to guess who, Kennedy...

Karen
10/22/2002
Snowing again! May get 2 - 4 inches before it's all over, most of it should melt as soon as it hits the ground.......

Weather forecast for Lincoln says snow possible tonight and tomorrow. Kinda feels like it now -- overcast, 30-ish, and misty. Woo-hoo! --Gary

Marsha
10/21/2002
Gary did a fine job of telling the Metcalfs about our fun weekend. We had such a good time! Really colder here this week, heavy jackets are out. We had snow on Sunday too, but it didn't stick. Just north of Mpls. they had 6 to 8 inches. Too Early! Hope Amanda and Ryan don't forget how to drive on snowy streets, remember, just go sloooow. How about a note from Paul and Lori telling us about their trip to Chicago? Hope you had a good time.

Gary
10/21/2002
Thanks to Karen and Sean for sending in some new photos from the past weekend. Check 'em out!

Izzy
10/21/2002
Hey Olivia, Thank you SO MUCH for the treats!! I enjoyed them, however I had to leave them at Penny's house. I couldn't carry them myself, you know, lacking opposable thumbs and all! Thanks!!

Karen
10/20/2002
Saturday was great!! We all had a fun day. We missed the Metcalfs though.........

Gary
10/20/2002
I don't know about the snow part (though I understand the H's drove through snow to get here on Thursday), but the weekend was great! On Friday Lindsey and Olivia arrived and we all went to Arbor Day Farms in Nebraska City for lunch, which was really nice. We sat right next to the windows so we could look at the beautiful trees and Arbor Lodge on the next hill. First thing Saturday morning we went to the Farmers Market (in Lincoln). Later that morning the Nelsons arrived, and we watched the game (...choke...) while feasting on a 4-star turkey dinner that Grandma turned out. And all through these two days there were smaller activities and excursions -- like games (including some spooky "Werewolf"), shopping trips (including two trips to Petco where Livy bought several pounds of dog treats using her new Petco Discount Card), and a slumber party for the girls at Donna's house where Livy talked in her sleep. The Nelsons went back Saturday night, and the H's went back early this morning (Sunday). I know I'm probably leaving out something, but bottom line -- it was lots of fun! Thanks for driving to Lincoln, everyone! Karen took some pictures which I will post soon.

Amanda
10/20/2002
SO?? How was the weekend? What did you do? Are the Hat's gonna return to snow??

Amanda
10/17/2002
SNOW, NO WAY! I want it! :( :( We will probably get nothing but cold temps and ice, which they say is notorious here. Dang... Here it is 40-45 at night, and getting to mid-upper 60's or low 70's during the day, SO I can't complain. Except that I have to turn the heat on at night, so it can kick on at about 4 AM to warm us up a little, then I shut it off the next day, and one day had to go straight to AC. But, maybe we have a bit longer of the fall type conditions than back home, not a week and then cold. That I would enjoy.

Gary
10/16/2002
Snow, wow! Sioux City wins! (No snowfall in Minnesota yet this year, right?) (or Texas, for that matter...??)

Football news: For those who don't know, the game is at 11:30 am this Saturday, and will be televised on Fox Sports -- channel 37 here in Lincoln. I still haven't been able to get on the Huskers website for the schedule. I did call them again and complained, and they said the problem is with my (our!) browsers -- they said they have "upgraded" their site so that you need the absolute latest versions of Netscape or Internet Explorer to see it at all. Basically thumbing their noses at anyone who is unable or unwilling to get the latest software. Very arrogant attitude, in my humble opinion....

Karen
10/16/2002

Winter has arrived in Sioux City. We Have Snow!!! Started as all rain this morning and turned to snow about 10, coming down pretty heavy right now. Melting as soon as it hits the ground.

Gary
10/16/2002
Hey, movie fans! Here's some more cool movie news I thought I would pass along. If you're a fan (as I am!) of the big, historical epics, then you're going to be very happy over the next year. :-)
1) Ron Howard is beginning work on a remake of "The Alamo," hopefully to star Russell Crowe. If Crowe can't -- as seems likely, because of his other projects -- the back-up plan is to go with Viggo Mortensen (who played Aragorn in "The Lord of the Rings.")
2) The project Crowe is working on is "Master and Commander," based on the "Jack Aubrey" book series by Patrick O'Brian about a British sea captain during the Napoleonic wars. The books are excellent and should make great movies. If this movie is a hit, it will be the first in a series, and Crowe has already said he would like to play Aubrey in future movies in this series.
3) Baz Luhrmann, who directed "Moulin Rouge," is making an epic movie about Alexander the Great. Wow! A the G was a huge historical figure, and only tackled in the movies once, back in the '50s with Richard Burton (which movie, all things considered, was not too bad). Luhrmann's choice for Alexander is Leonardo DiCaprio -- who, unlike when he starred in "Titanic," will be just the right age for Alexander.
4) There is also early work being done on "Troy," about the Trojan Wars, with Brad Pitt as Achilles.
5) And finally, Vin Diesel is lined up to play Hannibal of Carthage, who nearly conquered Rome two centuries B.C. after crossing the Alps from Spain into Italy with a huge army (including elephants!).
There ya go!

Gary
10/15/2002
Lindsey, maybe we could play a few games of "Werewolf" in honor of Halloween, just around the corner. :-) And the "Who Am I" type game is called "Imaginiff" -- it works like this: You pick a person we all know and then draw a card with a question on it and fill in their name, like "Imagine if [Olivia] was an animal. Which would she be? 1) Sheep Dog, 2) Chimpanzee, 3) Koala Bear, 4) Bull, 5) Panther, 6) Toad." OK, that one was easy! :-) Or "Imagine if [Paul] was a car. Which would he be? 1) Family sedan, 2) Pick-up truck, 3) Rolls Royce, 4) Red Ferrari, 5) Volkswagen Beetle, 6) Dune Buggy." Then everybody who answered the way the majority did gets a point. See?

Lindsey
10/15/2002
I can't wait to see everybody this weekend when they come down. Sadly I don't get this week off so I won't get to see you guys Thursday night but my parents said Olivia and I could stay home from school Friday to go over with them so that will be fun! That "who am I" kind of game sounds fun. I don't know about you guys but I liked that Werewolf game but nobody ever wants to play it so I vote we do! Man, I wish you Metcalfs could come up for the weekend. I guess we will just have to wait for Christmas. :(. Ok I better go do my homework, lot's since I am not going to be there Friday. Cya L8ter. Bye

Gary
10/15/2002
Just FYI, I have added all the answers from our latest "Who Am I" to the "The Complete 'Who Am I?'" page (which you can also get to by going through the Christmas page. Makes for some interesting reading! And also provides some gift ideas too, if you're ever stumped for someone.

Amanda
10/15/2002
Sure wish we could be there this weekend, it sounds like it will be fun. Ryan's parents came last Thursday and left yesterday so we were pretty busy all weekend. Went to lunch with Tristen, went to Ryans work, saw a B-2 fly over a few times, toured his work, went to the Shrine circus (where Tristen & Ryan rode an elephant), out to dinner at a famous and EXCELLENT steak house here in town (for Ryan's birthday), and went to a classic car show at the mall, while some of us opted to shop. It was a good time, but glad to be back to our regular routine.

Gary
10/15/2002
Newsletter has been kind of quiet lately -- I guess some of us are saving it up for when the MN and IA folks come to NE this weekend. Big fun! See you in two days, Sam and Anna -- and in four days, Emily and Erika! Hey Erika, I just finished a book about Lewis & Clark, so I hope you can tell me some more about the new museum you went to. Also, I have a new game we can all play -- It's the closest boardgame I could find to our game of "Who Am I?" It looks like fun. See you all soon!

Samantha
10/14/2002
Hi everyone!! It is just a 3 day week which is really nice. On Thursday we are coming down (not dad or zach) and can't wait to see you all then!! Bye bye for now!! :)

Donna
10/14/2002
Happy belated birthday Ryan!!! Nice job on the garage doors. What's the next project?

Lindsey
10/11/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!

***EMILY***
10/11/2002
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN***

Paul and Lori
10/11/2002
Happy Birthday Ryan

Sean
10/11/2002
Well everyone, I'm off to Des Moines. My roomate Ryan and I are going there to spend the weekend with my buddy Josh. See ya all when I get back!!

Sean
10/11/2002
Happy Birthday Ryan!! Lauren Says Happy Birthday also!!

Grandma
10/11/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYAN!! If you were here I'd BAKE you a cake.

Tristen & Teghan
10/11/2002
Happy Birthday Daddy!

Nelsons
10/11/2002
Happy Birthday Ryan

The Hatgidakis Family
10/10/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!!!

Paul
10/10/2002
Boy, you are right, some people really stick out to me (or should I say by the looks of my score a few people) like Olivia, Ryan, Sean, and myself, I love gettin that one right away. But I am confused about some being so much alike, like Mom and Marsha, that just ain't fair. Not even Tristen and Teghan are that much alike....

P.S. This time you threw me, Amanda, I always had you picked easily, but not this time.

Amanda
10/9/2002
Yes, I think you are right, this is a good one, many families (and friends) would enjoy, you better get a copyright. And of course, we will all share in the profits, right? Who started the idea, wasn't it Lindsey or Emily, one of them? Oh, and congrats to Grandma AGAIN, and to Karen! And some people stick out to others, I guess you are right, Sean & I were talking about that, and the one thing that gave me away to him was checking bank accounts, and that is because we were just comparing online account access when he was here in August. And what are worry beads?

You'll have to ask Zagnut about that one... :-) --Gary

Gary
10/9/2002
That's the interesting thing about this game. Any given person is obvious to somebody but seldom to everybody. You may know "combs hair with fingers," but not "those wax bottles" or "Animal Planet" which would be obvious to someone else. I tells ya, we're sittin' on a gold mine with this game! Get me Parker Bros. on the line!

Amanda
10/9/2002
Oy, I quit Who Am I?! Some people stick out very easily, Donna: Jr. Mints, my dad: combs hair with fingers wet, Sean: Boston Market, Gary: games, Olivia: save a dog, and Brent: Star Trek. But the rest were even harder this time. I looked at mine again, and I think I might have been harder this time. Oh, well, it's all fun and games, right?

Gary
10/8/2002
There's a new note on Emily's page. Way to go, Emily!

Karen
10/8/2002
When are the answers to the Who Am I going to be posted? I think a week is long enough for everyone to get their answers entered.

I agree. I'll put 'em up tomorrow. So today is the last day to get your answers in, if anyone else is interested............ --Gary

Gary
10/7/2002
Okay, you "Who Am I?" stragglers, what's the hold-up? It has been up for a week now and I've only gotten responses from Amanda, Emily, Erika, Grandma, Karen, Lindsey and Paul. Nobody wants to play any more??

Gary
10/7/2002
A speech on the Simpsons? Way cool!

Hey, in case any of you missed the "Pop vs. Soda" cool site of a few days ago, go take a look at it -- I find regional differences about this and other things really interesting. And along those same lines, would you like to hear the funniest joke in the world? I recently heard about an internet poll (no, probably not scientific) the purpose of which was to find the one joke that would make the most people laugh. They did find some regional differences -- like, for example, people in Europe tend to laugh at jokes with death in them, where people in the U.S. and Canada laugh at jokes where people look stupid -- but they were at the end able to narrow it down to the one joke that seemed to cross all the boundaries. And here is is:

Two guys are out in the woods hunting when one of them suddenly collapses. The other guy immediately gets on his cellphone and calls 911. He blurts out, "We're out in the woods and my friend just collapsed and I think he's dead! What do I do??" The operator said, "Okay, calm down; the first thing we have to do is make sure if he's really dead." There was a long pause, then "[BANG!] ... Okay, what do I do next??"

Amanda
10/7/2002
Well, I know which episode (and a great site to look those up on) but only because Ryan is doing his next speech on the Simpsons (so I'll give it time for others to answer). Has to be 20-24 minutes, this week sometime, so we are studying up.

Amanda
10/6/2002
All right, go to links... Then to Cool Sites 2001. Then to February. Then to Simpsons Folder & go to that site. What's up with that???

Hmmmm, looks like that Simpsons site is no more, and that someone else then bought the domain name "irsburger." I guess we're lucky that picture isn't worse than it is -- though it is pretty bad.... Speaking of "irs burger," anybody know which episode of the Simpsons that is from? :-) --Gary

Amanda
10/4/2002
Tristen is doing better. She did go back to school the next day, only to be babied even more. She got to stay in for her "long" recess, just her & her best friend Kennedy with her teacher and do "centers," and she didn't participate in gym (that one I agree with, her nose was still very sensitive the next day). She still sounds funny today, like she has a cold, and her nose is still a little crooked, one nostril bigger than the other. We are calling her Rocky. She got a box of stuff from the UPS guy tonight from Grandma and Donna, and that made her day. We were sitting outside when he pulled up, and after we opened it she immediately called them. It finally cooled down here a bit. Still 80 today, but as soon as the sun went down it got chilly. We ordered Tristen's costume today, it took some debate but she finally decided upon a Vampiress. Still don't know about Teghan.. I know Sean looked at the Who Am I's? because we discussed it last night, maybe he is too afraid to guess, because he said they were hard. Ryan had a speech this week and did GREAT! Which is surprising for him, he gets nervous about that. It was a 10-12 minute speech, informative I guess you could say. Next week he has a 20-24 minute speech, and then the last is a 40-45 minute speech. Oh, he is taking what is called a BIC (Basic Instructor Course), a 4 week class to ready them for teaching, not too long after that & he will get his class. And he went to a meeting with the commander and the kid he busted a few weeks back, imagine this, the kid is using our justice system well, and now claiming it wasn't his stuff. Ryan might have to testify if it goes to court, which it is looking like it might. Anyhow, that's whats new in the lovely state of Texas.

Marsha
10/4/2002
The Huskers are having trouble from the webpage to the playing field! Everyone here was so sorry to hear about Tristen's owie! Hope it's much better now. We're all over the flu (I hope), John still has a cough, but it's getting better. Sam sprained her finger playing football on Sun. and went to the doc on Mon. It's healing up too. She caught a big toad on the patio tonight, even with her finger in a brace. It is rainy here -- guess Lili sent the rain. Did Lincoln get some? The movers arrive with John's mothers stuff tomorrow, so we will be at her new apartment getting things together. We accessed Husker News through the Lincoln Journal's web page. Yesterday at work, the weather was so nice that we left the front door open. A nice little squirrel with a black walnut in his mouth decided to come in and look around. Thank goodness he just stayed on the floor and didn't crawl up the walls or hide in some of our stuff. He could have really made a mess of the place.

Karen
10/4/2002
I have been trying to get on Husker website for the last 3 days myself. I was also wondering if the game would be televised. I had the same problems as Amanda.
Tristen, How are you doing today? Nothing like getting a call from the school nurse to make your day.
Almost cold here today, I Love It! Rained most of the night, got about 2 inches.

Gary
10/4/2002
I've been trying the Husker website all week myself, and getting that same "page not found" error. Then I thought maybe they'd changed their web-address, so this morning I tried to get to them through the University main page; when I linked to the Husker site from there -- and this happened three times -- all I got was a blank black page and my computer locked up, requiring a reboot. So I called the Athletic Department and spoke to their web-people, who said basically, "It's gotta be your problem--it's working fine as far as we know." Aaarrgh!

Looks like Solich needs to make some changes -- on the offensive line and on the web-page staff!

Gary
10/4/2002
If the Huskers keep turning in those painful-to-watch performances, they'll soon have to go to Pay-TO-View, meaning they pay us! :-) But I still think the big-screen TV was a great investment -- even commercials look good on that thing.

As to sharing the "Who Am I" prize money, you should get plenty even if all the contestants get a share; because so far the response has been kind of under-whelming. Only five people have sent in their guesses so far -- Amanda, Erika, Grandma, Karen, and Lindsey -- so if you're not one of them, get on the stick and do it this weekend!

Donna
10/4/2002
I heard that the game starts at 11:30, but will not be televised.

Grandma
10/4/2002
I don't know about the Husker website, but I do know the game will NOT be televised next week will be but only on Pay for View ($29.95). Missouri too. I invested too quickly in t.v. to get our games, so far has been pretty disappointing!!!
Hope Tristen has gotten over her bumps and bruises.
Turning into a pretty Fall around here and have been getting lots of welcome rain and some real cool temps. Gary, if there are 2 perfect scores, does that mean I will have to share the million $$ with someone else?? Only kidding.
How are the Hatgidakis clan? hope the flu bug has long been gone.

Amanda
10/3/2002
Anyone know what's up with the Husker schedule website? Its been down for over a week. And is this game televised Saturday?

Donna
10/3/2002
Hi Tristen, are you feeling better?

Lindsey
10/3/2002
Get well soon

 ("'.,("'., * ,.'"),.'")
<''.,,.* Tristen *.,,.'`>
 (,.'"(,.'" * "'.,)"'.,)

***EMILY***
10/3/2002
Hope You Feel Better Tristen!!! ;)

Grandma
10/3/2002
Tristen, I'm so sorry you got hurt, I hope you are all better and got to go to school today.

Gary
10/3/2002
Tristen, I hope your nose gets well soon!

:-)

The "Who Am I" guesses are continuing to arrive. As of now Amanda, Erika, Grandma, Karen, and Lindsey have sent theirs in. So far the average number missed is about 4 -- but two people have sent in perfect scores!

Amanda
10/2/2002
We had our first injury at school today. Tristen's teacher called me at about 1:40 and said Tristen was in the classroom and tripped and busted her nose on the table and was bleeding pretty bad and wanted me to come get her. I went to the school and was getting close to her room when I saw the mopbucket in the hallway with a wet mop line all the way down to the hall to the bathroom, she was in the classroom laying on the couch getting pampered by her classmates. She started crying all over again when she saw me. She had a towel to her nose and was still bleeding. Her nose and upper lip are pretty swollen, so we came home and have her a bed on the couch with an ice pack. As we were leaving the school she got all emotional again because they told her they would see her tomorrow, and she didn't think she could go, and then she heard other classes having fun and that made her sad too. Oy, what a day.

Lindsey
10/2/2002
I also thought the "Who Am I" was hard to tell people apart. I think the pet's Who Am I sounds like a good idea.

* I am most scared of....
* One rule that I know I am not supposed to break is....

Just ideas
~Lindsey~

Amanda
10/2/2002
No, we dont have Farmer's, we have USAA, offered to military and retired military, and is a bit cheaper than most. There have been a lot of mold claims in walls and stuff apparently here. Also, foundation is a problem with as hot as it gets, NO one has uncracked foundation. And in our area hail, high wind and tornadoes are a problem, so roofs are constantly replaced. But, from what I hear Texas is just high for rates, I'm not sure the REAL reason, politicians I'm sure. It is NOT fall here yet, in the 90's again today. I am SICK of it, and ready for fall like conditions. And I bet I'm the one who missed 7, I ended up with one person and one profile left and they TOTALLY didn't seem to match, but oh well, they had to!

Donna
10/2/2002
Amanda, why is insurance so high in TX? You don't have Farmer's Insurance, do you?

Donna
10/2/2002
I like the idea of a pet's who am I? Good idea, Emily. How about this for one of the questions--

*The craziest thing I've ever done is...?
*Or I got in trouble once for...?
*My favorite human food is...?

Karen
10/2/2002
Isn't it fun to learn all the "extra's" that come with owning a home. Our insurance is plenty high, but we have to buy flood insurance in SC also. Rainy and cool here today. I love fall!!! Leaves are changing colors and it's so pretty. Who Am I was hard this time!! How many did I miss Gary?

Hmmmm.... Well, I will say only this: Four people have sent in their answers so far, with one missing seven, one missing two, and two having perfect scores. Apparently it's not that hard! :-) --Gary

Amanda
10/2/2002
Well, we truly are homeowners now. We made our first house payment yesterday. And a whole whopping 14% of it went to principal, and that's after I paid an extra $45. Oh well, I guess you aren't supposed to think of it that way, right? But I guess it made it official. Meanwhile I am a bit nervous about our homeowners policy. If you aren't familiar, Texas has EXTREMELY high rates on all insurance, homeowners being the worse, and a lot of companies aren't even writing policies. Well, now Farmer's Insurance has just announced they are backing out of homeowners here in Texas. Every policy holder with them is up a creek basically. A little scary. To put price into perspective, we pay about double a year on this house than my dad pays in Nebraska, and our house is nothing compared to his... Ah, the joys of homeownership. Although, we did get our garage doors replaced, that was another LONG job, but looks better, they still need a few finishing touches and photos will be on the way.

Amanda
10/1/2002
A pets Who Am I? idea...

*Who has the best fence to jump?

***EMILY***
10/1/2002
Hey Everybody! I agree I thought the Who Am I was really hard this time! But I had an idea for another Who Am I. What about a Pets Who Am I? We could ask questions like

*I prefer dry or canned food?
*My favorite toy is...
*My favorite place to take a nap, or
*The nicest thing my owner ever did for me is...

I g2g. ***EMILY***

Amanda
10/1/2002
Oh, and a lot of people talk to themselves... We are a strange bunch, aren't we?

Karen
10/1/2002
Dang, the Who Am I is tough this time. I can't tell who anyone is!!!

Amanda
10/1/2002
Again, these Who Am I's look hard! Along with the Simpsons, lots of people like Christmas songs, and want to help out people.

Donna
10/1/2002
Gallup does not work for any political affiliation but does ask current event questions that are (usually) paid for by CNN and USA Today. Here are the most recent findings of how Americans feel about possible war with Iraq...

Americans' View: U.S. Should Not Go It Alone in Iraq
Presidential job approval rating at 66% in latest poll
by Lydia Saad and Frank Newport
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ: The American public continues to support the general idea of U.S. military involvement in Iraq, but it is clear that Americans want both United Nations and U.S. Congressional approval before such action is taken. Additionally, the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll, conducted Sept. 20-22, finds that only about half of the public approves of Congress passing a resolution that would give the president unlimited authority to respond militarily to Iraq whenever he feels it is necessary. In a significant change from earlier in September, Americans now say that the situation in Iraq will be more important to them in determining their vote in the upcoming mid-term Congressional elections than the economy.

Gary
10/1/2002
Happy October everybody! Best month of the year for weather, and the first of the three best months of the year for holidays (Oct/Nov/Dec). Woo-hoo!

Sorry for the delay in getting the "Who Am I" profiles up this morning -- one of the files I needed to post it I had left on my office computer, so I had to wait til I came in to work this morning to put it up. But it's all there now. Good luck! The only thing I will say at this point is, "The Simpsons" are clearly ahead in the ratings in this family! :-)

By the way, our September newsletter was the longest one yet! Also by the way, our Countdown page is one year old today.