Bagombo Snuff Box by Kurt Vonnegut

It's been exactly two years since Daniel was born, which is a little hard to believe. But then it's also hard for me to remember a time when we didn't have kids.

And yes, that is a cake shaped like a truck. Daniel is fascinated with all manner of trucks, tractors, buses, and other large vehicles, so Erika decided to treat him to a special birthday cake that looks like a semi. It was cute to hear Daniel say, "Truck...Cake."

This is a very fun age. Daniel's starting to talk a lot and he tries to repeat everything we say, which makes us very self-conscious about the language we use.

I'm rambling, which is probably due to the lack of sleep that results from having a toddler and a newborn.

So anyway, happy birthday to Daniel.

Hey there! I'm back from my five-day weekend. Ric and I both got Thursday and Friday off, and let me tell you, it was nice. We wanted to take a trip out to see our quickly-growing nephews and their tired but wonderful parents.

We like to drive at night - it helps Ric focus. So we decided to leave late Wednesday night, but not before a movie night at the Agadonis. We had breakfast for dinner, played a tiny bit of MarioKart on the Wii, and settled in to watch Funny Farm. After that, we went directly to get gas, pick up some coffee, and hit the road for Arizona. We made it in somewhere around three or four in the mourning.

Thursday, we slept in, but not too long, since the sounds of nephews and puppies (although pleasant) are hard to sleep through. Angie and I went out in the afternoon to get massages at a local spa, which was something I definitely needed! We hung out with the family the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, we met up with Becky and went to an Irish pub and Starbucks. It's always great to hang out with her and feel like no time has gone by, even though it's usually about half a year in between our visits.

Friday, we were supposed to go to the zoo, but it was rainy! We played a lot of Wii games and Angie made a turkey so we could all have turkey sandwiches whenever we wanted. In the evening we went to The Olive Garden for dinner, then went to the mall where the boys went wild in the mall's play area. That evening Ric and Jon went out to see Indiana Jones while Angie and I stayed home and talked for a long time.

Saturday, we were thinking about the zoo again, but in the morning Angie discovered there was entertainment for kids provided by the fire department, and Harrison and Jack got to go on a firetruck and a helicopter. I guess they did a cool safety program too, so Harrison came home and started inspecting his house for fire hazards. Three-year-olds are cute. We all drove out to look at some model homes, which is something the family does for fun. The kids like playing on the playgrounds in different housing communities. There were some great homes, but as always, Arizona just depresses me, and I'm not interested in moving. One thing I don't like about the area we were at is how far one has to drive to do anything. Anyway, we all had a nice dinner together and talked for a while longer before Ric and I headed home. Traffic was a breeze and we got home around two in the morning.

Sunday I felt sick, so I spent most of the day watching tv and movies. Ric got a sudden inspiration while in Arizona and decided to re-do our upstairs bathroom, so he went to Lowe's and bought supplies, and began demolition work. He tore out the linoleum, took out the ugly shower doors, took down a bulky cabinet, and took down a mirror as well. Now all he has to do is remove the vanity/sink, and then we can get started. He says it's practice for working on the kitchen. We'll see how it goes! He also bought a steam cleaner for the carpets and furniture. It was sorely needed, since the people who lived here before us didn't seem to vacuum ever, and the water he threw out after the first cleaning was black as black can be.

Monday in the early afternoon, we drove Ric's parents to the airport. Right about now, they are touring around Edinburgh Scotland and will be visiting many other Scottish locations in the next week or so. We're having them keep an eye out on what types of foods they think we'll like, since we're planning a Scotland/Wales/Ireland trip for the fall. After the airport, we went home and did more work on the condo. I did a lot of touch-up painting in the kitchen, which almost ended up being a complete coat, since the painters did a crap job in there. I'm disappointed with the edges/trim, so I'll be working on that some more. The kitchen is just hard to get looking great, although it is much improved. In the evening we did more shopping around Lowe's and Home Depot and got some food at the Flame Broiler (warning: the one in La Habra is more expensive!). The rest of the night was movies and tv.

Up this week: more condo painting/demo, a fun retirement party at work, a visit from Ric's brother, and The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl on Saturday! I'm trying to find a day to do a make-up International Meat Day, since I was out of town for it this year. Maybe next week will work best.

I came across a quote that pretty well sums up my current view of religion:

What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. - Christopher Hitchens

Which is very similar to

Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. - Carl Sagan

So, if people want to accept an idea that has no proof behind it, fine, that's their right. But if they ask me why I don't accept it, I feel no obligation to attempt to disprove their idea. The burden of proof is on the person asserting something. I don't assert that there is no god, but I live my life without a belief in god. If you want to assert something with no proof, feel free, but don't expect me to take your belief seriously. I am just as likely to dismiss your belief as your are to dismiss someone's belief in fairies, astrology or unicorns. Perhaps that seems disrespectful. Why does religion deserve more respect than any other unproven idea?

To be fair, if I assert something without proof (as I'm sure do), I don't think I have a right to expect my ideas to be respected and taken seriously, either. They can be and often are dismissed. It's fun to discuss unproven ideas, but anyone asserting an unproven idea should remember that the burden of proof is on them.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm moving on Saturday so that has taken up a lot of my time. It's amazing how much stuff one can acquire in two years. When I moved into my apartment I was able to fit all my stuff in a few boxes. I guess I've nested a bit because I have a lot more than that these days. My DVD collection alone took up five milk crates. I'm finding it hard to believe that when I got back from China all I had was one large suitcase. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend. Mine was pretty great.