Gary
11/30/07
Okay, Anna's link is working now. When I tried it last night, three complete strangers popped up! And nobody wants that. Once again, sorry about that, Anna!
Amanda
11/30/07
Oh lordy, it's even funnier to watch my DAD!
Amanda
11/30/07
Oh my god Gary, that is hilarious! Thanks! A great way to start out my Friday morning!
Gary
11/29/07
Hmmmm, Anna's link below wasn't working right when I checked it just now, so I disabled it. Problem is on the other end, because it was working earlier. Anyway, I will fix it tomorrow. Sorry, Anna!
Grandma
11/29/07
Christmas cheer, indeed!! If that doesn't help get you in the spirit, I don't know what will!! Still laughing...
I have noticed that this site seems to suffer from an afternoon slowdown. (A lot of people bored at work, I guess....) The link either fails to open at all, or it gets stuck on the "loading" page. Anyway, if it doesn't work for you, try it again in the morning or evening. --Gary
Gary
11/29/07
Hey everybody! Here's a little Christmas cheer for each of you:
Gary
11/28/07
With the Advent calendar starting this Saturday (December 1), I thought I would get a jump on things and open up the Christmas webcams pages today. Two pages of cams, with ten cams per page: This can be a test for your internet connection, so if anyone's computer comes to a grinding halt while viewing these pages, let me know and I can adjust things.
Some old favorite cams are back this year, plus a lot of great new ones -- from all over the world, in no particular order. Hope you like! (Note that a couple of cams haven't gone live yet, but they will be along soon.)
Sam
11/27/07
Hi there! I had a really nice time on Sunday. My favorite part of the trip was stopping by to see Grandma!! We got home around 6:30ish which made getting up for work much easier. Thanks for coming over and seeing me Lindsey! It was great to see both of you! We had a great time there! Mark enjoyed meeting you guys too! Me and Mark did some awesome things in Houston we went to the Museum, the zoo, and the NASA space center. We also went to their fancy mall the Galleria. His family was very nice. Thanks again Grandma and Lindsey!
Grandma
11/27/07
By the way, Sam and Mark, when you were leaving, my neighbor lady came out and said "Is that a DeLorian? They'll be taking off soon!" Thanks again for stopping, was a really nice day, and I did enjoy it. What time did you get home? Did you love getting up and going to work next day? My bouquet is still the center of the table, and I will really hate to see it begin to fade. T.& t. are coming for a couple hours this afternoon, I think they get out of school early today?? May be snow this weekend, but still not too cold. Trust you all had a good Thanksgiving. Ours was o.k. but I am feeling better as long as I can control the cough.
Gary
11/27/07 New pics! Thanks, Sam.
Gary
11/22/07
Thanks for the update, Emily -- glad you don't have to work tomorrow. Be thankful you're not in retail! :-)
We had a great thanksgiving here, if you don't count all the sneezing, hacking, and coughing going on... Donna's been fighting a bad cold for a while now, and Grandma and I both got the bug earlier this week. As we watched a movie this evening, Grandma's living room sounded like the emergency room in a tuberculosis clinic. I've got to make a Kleenex run to Walgreens tomorrow -- both Grandma and I are almost out.
The movie we watched, by the way, was excellent. I should write a review of it, but I don't know if I have the energy to finish this note.... Anyway, it's called "Amazing Grace," and tells the (true!) story of William Wilberforce and his crusade to end the slave trade in early 1800s England. A spectacularly good movie that, in spite of the subject matter, is incredibly uplifting. Do yourselves a favor and rent it -- if for no other reason than to hear the Scottish pipers play "Amazing Grace" at the end of the movie. Goosebumps!
Go to bed early tonight, everybody -- game tomorrow starts at 11 am! :-)
Emily
11/22/07
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!!
We had a pretty good thanksgiving. I had to work in the morning, but it wasn't too busy. Then we had a delicious dinner and did some shopping!
It was snowing here this morning too, and it was cold to go out!
At least I get tomorrow off work and I am going to go get my hair cut.
I already have a third of this school year over with, & I do get to be a sophomore now. With all of my AP and college credit classes from high school I should be able to graduate in 3 years, or at the most 3 years and a term... So those classes weren't all bad.
Hope everybody else had a good Thanksgiving!! :)
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
11/22/07
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What a great picture!
Donna
11/21/07
No what does first snow on the 21st mean? An unusually warm winter, I hope.
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Hatgidakis Family
11/21/07
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!!
Grandma
11/21/07
Brrr! From 78 to 30 is a big drop in temperature! Takes some getting used to. Not much in moisture but is WINDY. Had a fun day yesterday, Tristen invited me to 'Grandparent's Day' at school and so Paul picked me up and we joined lots of grandparents to listen to stories of the good old days and see what these young 'uns are doing. We visited Tristen's room half an hour and Teghan's for half an hour. Those K'gardners can really sing. I did enjoy it! Sam, it sounds like you are having fun! Looking forward to your stop in Lincoln. Hope you brought a jacket. Thawing turkey today, hope it will be smelling good this time tomorrow, just making the usual only smaller. May make a cheesecake this p.m. Wish you were all here. Finished with my annual burst of ambition, washed the last window on Monday, not much since, checked out too many good books. Emily, I can't believe you have a term finished already, are you really doing Sophomore stuff in a couple weeks? Does this mean you may finish in 3 years? Just looked out the window and it is snowing! First snow on the 21st and you know what 'they' say...
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!
Donna
11/20/07
So, is Gore going to announce he's running or is it a lost cause?
Well, the time has almost run out on my prediction -- that, if he declared, it would be by Thanksgiving. Not only has he not declared, but he has taken a position with a Silicon Valley firm (if he were going to run, he would be divesting himself of such attachments, not adding them), and he also told the California grassroots movement trying to get him on their ballot to stop their activities and close up their office. I still believe Gore is the only one who can undo the damage Bush has done -- undo it physically, symbolically, and spiritually even. All the other Democratic candidates, as good as they may be, can at best only patch things up. They can't correct this because, simply, they are not Gore. They are not the person who rightfully won the 2000 election and had it stolen from them. Gore entering the Oval office would instantly reverse that. It totally mystifies me that Gore could turn his back on this, if he does. A huge disappointment... --Gary
Samantha
11/20/07
Hi there everyone! I'm in Houston, Texas. Its really nice here and things are still alive and blooming here! I'll be here till Saturday and be driving home in Mark's Back to the Future DeLorean. We will be making a pit stop in Nebraska on Sunday.
Nice ride! And thanks for the new review -- I want to see this one! --Gary
Emily
11/20/07
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! & Grandma, thanks for the card, I got it a few days ago.
I didn't do anything too exciting for my birthday, but it was fun. I just went out with my friends on Friday night, and I took the day off of work on Saturday and we did some stuff at home.
My break is pretty much over now. I have to work everyday except for Friday before I go back to school on Monday. But, I think I will be ready to go back. I changed a few of my classes and got into all of the ones I wanted. And, now that 1st term is over I have enough credits to be a sophomore already! So, that should be fun.
Donna
11/20/07
Gar, you always get those no charge repairs. And this one just in time for Christmas music. I'm really liking the 'new' Dean Martin Christmas CD. Anyone interested in a copy?
Me! --Gary
Gary
11/20/07
Foggy day in Lincoln today. Weird to look out my back door and not see the Capitol, only four blocks away. Even right next to it, as I drove by on my way to work, the top two-thirds were hidden in the fog. (Check the Lincoln and Omaha webcams!)
Many people have been asking me, "Why don't you tell more of those fascinating stories about your car and its state of repair?" So for all of you, enjoy:
A couple of years ago I had a CD player installed in my car. It was great until about six months ago, when the front speakers developed a tendency to buzz and pop -- very annoying! Not wanting to spend any money on replacing the speakers or whatever it might require, I regretfully turned the CD player off and went audio-free for the past six months. Then I recollected that with my old radio (which was taken out when the CD player was installed), I had the option to switch between front and rear speakers. Maybe the CD player could be reconfigured to play from the rear speakers only...? So I went to the Best Buy guys who had done the installation and told them this story -- and asked what would it cost to re-wire it for the rear speakers. The guy went to the door and asked, "Which one is your car?" I pointed it out, he got in, went beep-boop-beep on the CD player buttons and voila! No sound from the front speakers, nice and loud from the rear. That's what I get for not reading the manual. But anyway, problem solved, and no money changed hands!
Gary
11/18/07
You "cool site" fans out there have probably noticed that many of the links from years past no longer work. It happens -- sites come and go. So I checked through them recently and lined out the nonworking links.
Donna
11/16/07
Happy Birthday Emily! What are you doing to celebrate?
Dad, Mom and Erika
11/15/07
Happy Birthday Emily
The Hatgidakis Family
11/15/07
Happy Birthday Emily!!!!!
Grandma
11/15/07
Happy Birthday, Emily!!
Amanda
11/14/07
I finally broke down & went to the doctor, got on an antibiotic & decongestant. I have a sinus infection, just as I had suspected... Oh well, I've got to be on the up & up now, antibiotics are the only way to go with a sinus infection... I'm pretty gun shy about them now, as I remember my worst one, that I let go for a few weeks (didnt realize it was that bad) until one Sunday morning my face and were hurting, but that wasn't even the bad part, I sneezed one time & it felt like the skin on my face/cheeks was ripping off. My god, did it hurt, I cried instantly. I went to the non-emergency care place on base & sat for an hour or so, because I couldn't wait til Monday! I never want to let it get that bad again! If you have ever had a sinus infection, you know what I'm talking about! Only bad thing is I got a decongestant & it kept me up all night. I tossed & turned, kept looking at the clock. I got up okay today, but I bet I get tired today....
Feel better! And thanks for the new reviews. --Gary
Gary
11/13/07 New pictures today! Actually, they arrived yesterday but I only got around to them this morning. Thanks, Amanda!
Amanda
11/13/07
Yea, it has been quiet. Of course, I don't have much to say. Teghan & I have been sick. She went to the dr. twice & stayed home from school twice last week. They put her on an antibiotic after the second trip. She got to stay with Grandma on Friday, which was a treat for both of them I think. I felt crummy one day, achy, sore, sore throat, congested, then felt better the next. Then the next day my voice was shot. I didn't have a voice really for a good couple of days. Now its back, but I have a sore throat & the congestion is still pretty bad... ARGH. A crappy way to waste a 3 day weekend. BUT, back to work today for a 4 day week, then a 3 day week next week...
No plans for Thanksgiving. Just not "feeling" it. No one has invited us, and it appears Ryan wants to do it here, new house & all, but it's not him who does all the work... So, I haven't decided. I'm sure it's because I've been sick... I'm not even sure I will go shopping Friday after.
On a lighter note, I got to watch Alexis, our niece all day yesterday. I wanted to & had made the plans before I got sick. I didn't feel bad yesterday & I'm pretty sure all I have is a sinus infection, so I watched her. It was a lot of fun. Teghan got to spend all morning with her before she went to school & then Lexi & I went to see grandma... A good day, good day...
Emily
11/12/07
Geez, its been pretty quiet on here lately!
I guess everybody has just been busy? I just finished my last day of classes for the term on Friday, and I have finals tomorrow, then I get about 2 weeks off.
What has everybody else been up to? Any fun Thanksgiving plans??
Wow, two weeks off -- lucky! That should take you right up to Christmas break! :-) --Gary
Donna
11/8/07 Tornado alert for Lincoln: Lincoln, NE -- In case of possible tornadoes sweeping through the state of Nebraska,
we ask that all Nebraskans take shelter at the Husker Stadium. We are certain that a touchdown will not occur there.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Gary
11/7/07
BREAKING NEWS: There is frost on the pumpkin -- literally! -- in Saranac Lake, NY.
(FYI, many of the webcam pictures can now be enlarged just by clicking on them. Give 'em a try -- especially the new Antarctic PenguinCams.)
Gary
11/7/07
Hey, if you can say yes to these statements:
I don't plan to watch the Husker game on Saturday
I can travel to Burbank, California
I am weird-looking
then you have a chance to be in the next Star Trek movie!
Filming is starting soon for the still-untitled Trek movie (to be in theaters Christmas 2008), and a casting call has gone out for extras -- you know, the crew members walking around the ship, the students in Star Fleet Academy, etc. They are looking for people with "unique facial features" who are "OK with their eyebrows being shaved." It happens this Saturday in Burbank. Details here. Good luck! :-)
Gary
11/6/07
I really shouldn't laugh at this, but I can't help myself. :-) Kids: Don't try this at home!
Gary
11/6/07
Attention webcam fans: I've given the pages a slight upgrade. Added four new cruise ship webcams (for a total of ten), and added a new page of world cams -- including a spectacular cam in Germany which should be quite a sight as Christmas approaches. Hope you enjoy!
Gary
11/6/07
Hey, good news (for me, anyway): My home computer is back online and running more or less normally. Still some tweaking to do to get everything back the way it was, but I'm back to about 98%. I had a mini-revelation last night as to what might be the common denominator of all the problems I was experiencing, so I called Microsoft tech support who suggested a few steps to take with that in mind and boom! Fixed it. This guy, like the previous ones, was also in India (I asked) and he was really good. Weird to be talking with someone on the other side of the world (12-hour time difference: I asked), just to fix my computer. But that's the world we live in!
Beautiful morning here, though a chilly 27 degrees on the drive in. Winter is on the way: webcam shows a blizzard in Fort Kent, Maine, as I write this....
Donna
11/5/07
Gary, what a lousy way to spend a Sunday.
Mom and I went Christmas shopping and found the same thing you mentioned, Karen, way too many shoppers, long lines and Christmas music playing. What's the deal?
My Sunday wasn't a total waste: I cleaned the kitchen while I was on hold. :-) --Gary
Gary
11/5/07
Some of you early risers may have noticed that the front page was not updated this morning. (If you're reading this, it now has been.) The reason was, my computer was down all day yesterday. Pretending you're interested, I'll tell the story: A game I bought recently wouldn't run after I installed it, so I started doing some minor updates and tweaks here and there on my computer, hoping to fix the problem. Nothing worked, so next I did what amounted to a re-install of Windows. That did not fix the problem either, and what's more it erased/replaced some important settings -- like all my internet connection settings. I more or less expected that (re-installing Windows is never a small matter), so I set out to rebuild the missing stuff. Got out the CD that came with my DSL package and re-installed the internet software. But it still wouldn't work, so I called tech support. After some hours on the phone going through the CD re-install process, with three different techies (at least one of whom I'm sure was speaking to me from Calcutta), we came to the mutual realization that we were each working from different CDs: Mine was a two-year-old CD from windstream, theirs of course a current one from Windstream. (Non-Lincolnites: Windstream is our new phone company, having recently bought out windstream.) So after discovering this, the techie informed me my old CD wouldn't correctly set up my DSL any more, and I would need a new one -- which she would put in the mail, and I will receive in three to five days.
Bottom line: For the next three to five days, I won't have internet access from home. I can update the pages (including this newsletter) through the day from my office here, but nothing will get updated through the evening hours. Your items sent in during that time won't show up until the following morning.
So that's how I spent my Sunday. How about you?
(P.S.: Let me know if you tried the GoogleEarth link on the front page and it didn't work. There is another way to do it that will work.)
Karen
11/3/07
Just wanted to add some input to Gary's reference about the extra early christmas season. Erika and I went to the mall this morning. Two different stores had all of their Halloween AND Thanksgiving merchandise on the discount tables, and there was Christmas music in the background. The mall had all of their Christmas decorations up and a big sign for Santa -- coming in two weeks :)
On his show last night, Bill Maher also talked about this. He suggested we combine Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas into one holiday: Everybody wears a costume, we exchange gifts, and then have a turkey dinner and watch football. :-) --Gary
Gary
11/2/07
Some odds and ends:
Al Gore is scheduled to appear on Leno soon (I think next week). It would be a great time for him to announce his candidacy... I'm just sayin'...
This ad is now playing in the early primary states:
Gary
11/1/07
I know it's commonplace to say that the retailers start the Christmas season earlier and earlier every year, but this year it's a fact. This morning on television, just a few hours after Halloween, I saw two Christmas-themed commercials. And then later I read that Wal-Mart -- instead of waiting for the day after Thanksgiving to have their big sales to lure in the shoppers -- is going to do that tomorrow. [article here] It's like Thanksgiving doesn't even exist. To go along with our two-year presidential campaign, we now have a two-month Christmas season....
Amanda
11/1/07
We didn't have many trick or treaters. Or at least, not as many as Ryan thought we might get & therefore bought candy for. We went all out this year & started a tradition. Ryan wanted to be the house that gives out full size candy bars. So, we did. And now, he has full size candy bar leftovers... We had a decent crowd though, considering it's a new neighborhood. It was neat to go though, Ryan & I walked with the girls & our next door neighbor Mia & her mom. We went to nearly every house in the Prairie Village neighborhood, and that was nice. Lots of people out walking & saying hi.
Scary photos! (Teghan is creepy...!) Thanks, Metcalfs! --Gary
