Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter

Old news: September 2002

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Gary
9/30/2002
Ah, I took that announcement to be something that the Bush White House was doing, as that's the actual White House number and no other sponsors were mentioned. If it's just about people calling the White House, then I'm sure the White House will pay attention -- or not. :-) I'm not aware of any other anti-war activist groups or actions to participate in because [whisper] I actually support a show of force in this situation. But I won't support GWB in anything, including especially this war he's drumming up as it is almost certainly politically motivated. As to Gallup, I didn't mean to get them involved! :-) I believe (correct me if I'm wrong, Donna!) that all their polling is done by contract -- for, say, CNN or Time Magazine. I imagine by now they've already polled this issue several times, but I haven't seen any results myself.


John
9/30/2002
That announcement was forwarded to me by one of our local peacemaking groups. I've participated in phone campaigns in the past with favorable results and I am hopeful that this, along with all the rest that is going on in opposition to any war in the Middle East, will be effective. Any other suggestions or actions you are aware of that are going on that you feel are worthwhile or you are participating in that you feel gives you a stronger voice? How come Gallup isn't doing something around this issue?


Amanda
9/30/2002
I kind of believe the theory that they aren't tracking the comments, but didn't want to believe it myself. As soon as the operator answered she said, "how may I help you," I simply said, "I want to voice my opposition to the war on Iraq," very quickly (not enough time to hand write my comment and I didn't hear a computer typing) she asked, "and what state are you calling from," "Texas," I replied, and she answers, "OK I've got it down." End of call.

I didn't mean to say that calling was pointless. The results will tell the White House something, no matter what the results are, and those results may be used to guide their actions. All I meant to give was my gentle opinion that these guys are liars and are likely to lie about this too. Plus -- as Donna could explain -- this is a totally unscientific "poll," meaning only highly motivated people (on either side of the issue) will take the trouble to call (and pay for it, too, as Amanda points out). And if, say, I wanted to spend a couple of hundred bucks and skew the results by calling hundreds of times, nothing is preventing me. If the little man in the White House really wanted to know what people are thinking, he would commission a proper poll and get reliable results (which I am sure they have done already). Ask Donna how many Gallup polls are based on people calling Gallup. :-) --Gary


Gary
9/30/2002
Maybe I'm overly-cynical, but like I said earlier on this page I believe nothing connected with King George II. This isn't Gallup or an independent agency handling these calls -- it's the White House. Which means the criminals who work there can skew the results (or simply lie about them) any way they wish. Does the Bush administration want to justify a war that has no real support? OK then, they'll simply announce that the phone-in poll was overwhelmingly pro-war and that America is lining up proudly behind der Fuehrer. Or maybe the Bush administration wants to stop pushing for a war they know will be disastrous, but still wants to save face? Easy. Just announce that the phone-in poll showed us proudly supporting our President but less in favor of a foreign war, so, in the spirit of our great democracy, the President will humbly bow to our wishes. Bush is a liar. Bush is a thief. Bush is a bad man.


Amanda
9/30/2002
I called the White House line. And when she asked what state I was calling from I proudly told her it was Texas. Maybe he will see not everyone from here loves him & his ideas.

Oh, and the operator was pleasant.

Another thought on the comment line.. They must not want to know the American citizen's opinion TOO bad, since we are paying for the call. They could at least have it be a toll free call, we'd be paying for that anyway.


John
9/30/2002
John sent in the following announcement this morning:
If you are interested, you may phone the White House comment line at 202-456-1111 (between 9 and 5, Monday through Friday). A machine will detain you for only a moment and then a pleasant live operator will thank you for saying "I oppose" (or "I approve of") the proposed war against Iraq. The president wants to know. Tell him. Time is running out.


Gary
9/29/2002
Wow, great grades, Erika! Way to go! :-) Which museum did you go to on Friday? You are lucky you have so many interesting historical places to see in your city.

The "Who Am I" profiles will go up on Tuesday and you can all start making your guesses then. At this moment, everybody is on board except for John, Lori, Olivia, and Zachary, so if you four want in you've got today and tomorrow to answer ten easy questions! :-)


Erika
9/27/2002
Hi everybody today we went to the musuem today; at the gift shop I bought a bonnet & a bandana. The musuem was O.K. <:


Amanda
9/27/2002
The burrito bottle was actually a Dorito bottle (those new tube things with the mini chips) and I think she got the idea because she happened to be eating them. We never could figure out how to make candy explode though. The volcano went well, Tristen was a total ham in front of her class. It didn't explode extremely well, not like in our practice runs, but that could be because she jumped the gun a bit and put some baking powder into the vinegar mix. A no-no for future reference. But she got a "cccccoooooollllll" out of all her classmates and that's all that matters.


Amanda
9/27/2002
Oy. I was just looking at the weather after reading Gary's jacket comment, and all 3 of your cities are enjoying 50's right now. We are in the mid 70's climbing to the 90's today. We were SUPPOSED to have a cold front move in to take us into the 70's, but apparently it went north. Nights are a bit cooler, high 50's, low 60's but we cant get over that "a little too warm" feeling in the afternoons. I have yet to find a thing about Texas that I like. Teghan & I are off to go to Tristen's class to help her with her science project. She is doing the volcano, made of modeling clay that explodes with baking powder, vinegar, red food coloring and dish soap. She was very excited this morning, I'm sure she will do great! We will let you know how it went.

Sounds cool! Whatever happened to the "burrito bottle" (whatever that is!?) that was "gonna blast candy out"? :-) I kept meaning to ask. --Gary


Gary
9/27/2002
Yeah, just yesterday and last night I started to feel the fall thang myself. Plus, I wore a jacket this morning for the first time this year. Woo-hoo!
Ditto on the Teghan picture. Can anybody reading this remember ever being that excited over a ride in a wagon? :-)
Oh also, Sean is now on board with the "Who Am I?" game, so we're only waiting on Anna, John, Lori, Marsha, Olivia, Paul, and Zach. I'd like to put the profiles up early next week at the latest -- let's say Tuesday -- so if you are one of those seven and want to be dealt in, then ante up! To those who are already in, the answers are looking really good so this should be a fun one.


Donna
9/27/2002
Ahh, Fall. I love this time of year. I watched Friends last night. It was okay. The best line was from Ross while trying to remember if he'd proposed to Rachel..."that does sound like something I'd do."
That picture of Teghan cracks me up!


Amanda
9/27/2002
Ahh, it feels like fall now. Watched "Must see TV" last night. It was excellent. Anyone else see Friends or ER?


Karen
9/26/2002
Hey Paul, I went downtown this evening and saw a bunch of General Excavating trucks in front of City Hall. Are you doing anything on that project? Word from my city hall informant is that they had a few problems with a traffic light falling down....


Amanda
9/26/2002
I sent Sean an e mail, I'll remind him again! Linz, get on them parental units!


Gary
9/26/2002
Hey, Anna, John, Lori, Marsha, Olivia, Paul, Sean, and Zach! Time's a-wastin' if you want to get in on the next "Who Am I?" game. :-)


Amanda
9/26/2002
The Norfolk robberies took front page of our online newspaper already!


Amanda
9/26/2002
Looks like W isn't going to wait for the Senate to worry about the safety of the American people.


Amanda
9/26/2002
I guess what I meant with the "what is Gore trying to accomplish" comment is that I'm not ready for another round of this already. Feels like we just got over election disaster 2000 (doesn't help we just got reminded of the Florida pitfalls with Janet Reno). I agree someone needed to speak up against him and his political agendas with war being his number one seller. Well, he is in the "great" state of Texas today campaigning for a local senate candidate, just saw W on a commercial actually. If he is so busy campaigning, how concerned is HE about the safety of the American people?


Gary
9/25/2002
Actually, I think Gore does have more clout than Clinton; and if the currently-timid Democratic party could be said to have a backbone, Gore would be it. Clinton maybe could draw a bigger crowd for a speech perhaps, but the bottom line is he can't run again -- and Gore can. Plus, don't forget: Gore got MORE votes than Bush did two years ago.... I thought Gore's speech was a much needed thing -- nobody else, Republican or Democrat, is holding Bush accountable for the fact that his so-called war on terrorism hasn't, as you point out, accomplished much thus far. The fact is, we crashed into Afghanistan -- after several months warning -- and went looking for the ringleaders and, gee, never found them; so Bush turned it into a war on Saddam (because we KNOW where HE is) and hopes everybody will stay on board. His war is politically motivated; he knows his approval rating will stay high as long as he's a war-time president, so he'll keep "Operation Finish Desert Storm" (as the great Al Franken calls it) going as long as possible. If Bush were to announce that "Oxygen is good," I would hold my breath until I do some research....


Amanda
9/25/2002
Anyone else notice we are apparently over the "togetherness" our government shared following last years tragic events? It's the political nonsense over these wars.. And I am a proud democrat, but what is Gore trying to accomplish? It would mean more having someone politically active speak out, or someone with a little more clout, maybe Clinton. I am NOT for more war, but how quickly they (Bush) forgot the lives lost that fateful day, and all the families separated because of his war against terrorism, that almost started a year ago, and we as citizens can't see that it has accomplished anything thus far.


Amanda
9/25/2002
Good plan Erika, but Ryan says he HAS to work at the funnel cake stand.


Erika
9/25/2002
Amanda Ryan can work at the amusment park.<: O.K.. (;


Gary
9/25/2002
The "Who Am I?" answers are looking interesting -- this should be a fun game! We're still waiting to hear from Anna, Brent, John, Lori, Marsha, Olivia, Paul, Sean, and Zachary. If you know the whereabouts of any of these elusive characters, please urge them to report at their earliest possible convenience. Thank you.


Grandma
9/25/2002
Hi All,
Erika, I sure liked your idea of "A Peaceful World." I love the school pages!! I hope the Hatgidakis's are on the mend, and Grandma Marie doesn't get the bug. Tristen, I can't believe what a good printer you are already. Emily, you are a very pretty 8th grader!! I have been digging up my "garden" and my hands don't want to uncurl. Hope it rains. Surprised that Vern and Grace's old house made the Sioux City papers. Did you also see the crop circles in Russell's cornfield? And Gail Anderson got an A+ teacher's award. Busy week for the Andersons. Carol and I visited the zoo on Monday, went shopping and had lunch at Red Lobster. Fun. She is sub-dividing 80 acres into acreages so she may be on council meeting tonight.


Amanda
9/25/2002
GREAT essay Erika! One question, with the extra money can Ryan get some? With no military we will be out of a job and out of $$!! :)


Karen
9/25/2002
Hi everyone!! Hope the Hatgidakis clan are all feeling better. When are you planning to go to Lincoln? I hope to be able to go then too, not sure about Brent yet. He is doing very well, back to work full time and lots of meetings again. Mostly back to "normal." Erika went back to school this week -- missed three days last week with a sore throat, but it wasn't strep. She joined Girls Scouts last night -- so be ready for cookie orders this spring. Happy nine month birthday Teghan-- Tristen I love hearing about your school. What about Anna, Sam, Olivia and Zach pages???? Gary -- you mentioned Verns old house being torn down last week -- we had a picture in our newspaper of a house being moved and I'm sure it was their house.

It was! We had the same picture in our papers. When I saw the exposed foundation, I just assumed the house had been torn down; but obviously somebody picked it up and moved it. By the way everybody, see Emily's 8th grade picture on the recent photos page, and read Erika's essay on Erika's page. --Gary


Amanda
9/24/2002
Yes, we can confirm Christmas in Lincoln. Thanksgiving though, we can neither confirm nor deny. Wish we could make it home in October.


Marsha
9/24/2002
Hey everybody, we are here, but barely. Sam got the nasty flu bug first, then John, now me and Zach and Anna aren't looking too good today. It is MISERABLE. So, many things are falling to the sidelines, like writing to the newsletter. John flies to Colorado Springs tomorrow and will return with his mom on Sunday. Her apartment will be ready for her on Friday, so it will be nice when her furniture arrives. Hey Amanda, can you confirm if you will be in Lincoln at Christmas? We are making a trip to Lincoln in Oct. and would like to leave your Christmas gifts then. Let me know.


Lindsey
9/24/2002
I just did the "Who am I" and it was relatively easy, but could be hard to choose people to fit the descriptions though. Anyway, I got my cartilage pierced on Saturday! Woohoo! Didn't hurt at all. Dad wasn't too thrilled when I brought up the subject but he didn't care, anyways, Hope everyone does good on choosing for "Who Am I"!


Donna
9/24/2002
Erika, can you put the essay on your page? I would love to read it.
Happy 9 months, Teghan.
I just submitted my "who am I." They seemed pretty easy this time. I had to think a while on what to bring to show and tell, though.
The Mel Gibson movie sounds good, but no subtitles? Wait...I just realized I read that wrong--thought it was the early life--not earthly. That makes a difference. But who will they get to play Jesus? I haven't seen a good one yet. Ben Kingsley was so good as Gandhi, I bet he would have made a good Jesus. But he's too old now. How about Tom Green? Just kidding.

Gibson's choice for the role of Jesus is a relatively unknown actor named Jim Caviezel. --Gary


Karen
9/24/2002
Erika read an essay she wrote at an assembly today. It was on a "Peaceful World."


Gary
9/24/2002
Hey cinema fans, here are some interesting movie tidbits I picked up today:
1) There's talk of a sequel to Ocean's Eleven (at this point titled Ocean's Twelve).
2) Another old TV show becomes a movie, this time Bewitched. It's early yet, but they're hoping to get Nicole Kidman and Mike Myers to play Samantha and Darren Stevens.
3) Okay, you knew I was going to bring up Lord of the Rings, didn't you?? :-) Director Peter Jackson says there will be an extended version DVD of The Two Towers, just like there will be of The Fellowship of the Ring. He said there were lots of scenes they couldn't squeeze into the theatrical release. Yay! Sadly, though, he said he has dropped his tentative plans to do a remake of King Kong, which I was really looking forward to....
4) Most interesting of all is Mel Gibson's next project -- as director, not actor. He's working on a film called Passion about the last 12 hours in the (earthly) life of Jesus. (Again, Mel is directing; he's not acting in this movie.) What makes it unusual is that he is doing it in the authentic languages of the time -- Aramaic and Latin, both languages which nobody on earth speaks any more -- and with no subtitles! He's doing it this way for a) realism, and b) an attempt to tell a story without being dependent on language. This could be very amazing, or a total flop -- but I'm betting on amazing.


Karen
9/24/2002
I just submitted my answers on the "Who Am I." Had one question -- on the 7 hour car trip -- am I driving or riding along -- makes a difference in the answer ---

That occurred to me, but the question got too clumsy if I set up two categories (riding or driving); and also, which category you chose might tell too much. I'm assuming people will think of a "typical" car trip and choose that way. --Gary


Lindsey
9/23/2002
Hey Teghan! Glad your doing good, you beautiful little girl! Happy 9 months old, Teghan!


Teghan
9/23/2002
I had my 9 month well baby check today! I weighed 20.24 pounds! I am 28 1/4 inches tall! They said I am a beautiful girl and am doing well! I had to get a shot though. :(


Gary
9/20/2002
New pics on the recent photos page, and something new on Tristen's page.


Gary
9/20/2002
Good question! I was wondering that myself -- none of the H's has made a peep here in weeks. :-) Maybe their computer is down...?

By the way, since the time when Marsha and Sam and Anna were visiting here last month, another landmark has disappeared. Just today I was driving out 27th Street and saw that Vern & Grace's old house, that big one on the hill that seemed to dominate the whole area, has been torn down. All that's left at the moment is the foundation. I know it was there a month ago because we all drove past it on our way to have brunch at Mahoney Park on the Platte. But it is gone now, and that hill looks very different without it.


Amanda
9/20/2002
Where have the Minnesotans been?


Amanda
9/20/2002
Oh, and Erika, only a 7 for Monsters Inc??? That has to be my favorite Disney to date! I LOVE that movie!! I give it a 10! We bought it Tuesday but haven't had a chance to watch it yet. Probably this weekend.

Same here. Best Disney movie yet! Erika, give it another chance! :-) --Gary


Amanda
9/20/2002
I don't think I have been on TV either. But Tristen says she was on grandma's TV after we went to Des Moines. And Ryan of course on Lancaster County Lookout. :) J/K. Teghan hasn't been around long enough, and Tristen KNOWS she will be on stage on TV someday.


Amanda
9/19/2002
OK, I want to get to the bottom of this. Anyone see the recent GAP ad? Who is in it? They have been having celebrities do thier ads, and the recent one has me baffled. She is younger, has a star by her eye & looks SO familiar. She sings, "ain't nobody crying, I'll take you there...." Help us, its driving us nuts.


Karen
9/19/2002
I don't think I have ever been on TV. Brent is interviewed for the news about once every month for work. Emily was on the news once for a nature class she was in. Erika has been on a local commerical so I guess we are above average with 3 out of 4.
Erika is home sick again today. Went to the doctor today, she doesn't have strep (yet) but is being treated for strep so no school again tomorrow. Hey, Ryan good job, nice you are keeping us all safe. Your house projects are fun to see. Nice to be a homeowner isn't it?


Gary
9/19/2002
I've been on public access tv....


Donna
9/19/2002
Okay, let's take an unscientific survey. The crawl today says 1 in 4 Americans have been on TV. I was on Cartoon Corral(?) when I was a kid. Anyone else?


Gary
9/19/2002
New photos!


Gary
9/18/2002
Oh no, Tristen's already talkin' lak a Texan, y'all! :-) Get well soon, Erika!


Amanda
9/18/2002
Italian dunkers are toast and sauce dude! Gross!


***EMILY***
9/18/2002
Those lunches look really nasty, but pretty accurate too! At moms school they still have someone who makes all the lunches from scratch!!!! Not Fair. Well I Gotta Go
P.S. Our Fundraiser stuff is due on the 24th. 8)


Donna
9/18/2002
Hey Erika, how did you happen to find out that the hot dogs bounce?
I used to mostly take cold lunches too, in my Mary Poppins lunch box. Wish I still had it.


Erika
9/18/2002
Hay Donna THATS why I take cold lunch & get this the HOTDOGS BOUNCE!!!!


Grandma
9/18/2002
I really liked the crawl from Ryan today. ["Something easy just became difficult," for those of you who don't get the crawl. --Gary] Truer words were never spoken as any "home improver" knows well. I love seeing what you guys are doing to your house. Better save some of those jobs for a rainy day. Aren't you guys doing anything exciting for your school pages?? I know Livy knows about syllables and Tristen knows about vowels. What else?? Erika?? Linz?? and Sam and Anna?! Emily, I did like the way you put your fund raiser stuff up, how long do I have to make up my mind for what I want??


Gary
9/18/2002
I probably should have waited for one of the school-goers to answer Donna's question (after all, they're the ones who have to eat the stuff...), but I got curious. So I found a website in Harrisonburg, Virginia that has pictures of their local elementary school lunches.... If you're ready, take a swig of Maalox and look at BBQ Meatballs, Cheeseburger Macaroni, Teriyaki Bites, and Italian Dunkers. Bon apetit!


Amanda
9/18/2002
I'll tell you what, each state varies in their school lunches I think, and Texas sucks! They don't have much selection. Oh, and choclate milk is available every day now, it was just Friday's for me too.


Donna
9/18/2002
Okay school lunch eaters, what are Italian Dunkers? And are they any good?
What's the best thing on the school lunch menus these days and what's the worst? I remember being grossed out by the hot dogs because they buttered the bun. Disgusting. I loved Friday's because we got chocolate milk and ice cream bars. But we got in trouble if we ate the chocolate coating off first. Silly rules.


Donna
9/17/2002
Great home improvements in TX. Think of how much money you saved by doing it yourself. It is the little things that make the difference. Can't wait to see the rest.

They are now up on the projects page. Also, note that you can now get to the School Pages from the box above. Anybody else who wants their own page like Emily, Erika, Lindsey, and Tristen, just let me know! --Gary


Amanda
9/17/2002
Here is a suggestion that might make the "Best Chili you ever ate" different. When cooking meat like this with onions and garlic, I cook the meat and the onion and garlic in the crock pot all day, makes it that much more tender and tasteful! I do this with beef stew meat. Just a thought....


***EMILY***
9/16/2002
Hey Everybody We started a fundraiser at school a few days ago, and if you would like to see what you can buy, you can go on to my page and look around! :)


Gary
9/16/2002
New stuff from the Drug Czar on the projects page. I say "new," but actually the pictures came in last week. And there are more to come! I'll try to get the rest up there tomorrow....


Donna
9/16/2002
Ryan, your new name should be "Drug Czar." That's very impressive. Congratulations!


Ryan
9/15/2002
Saturday, September 14th, 12:30 AM: In a covert operation including myself, other instructors and MTL's (the tech school version of drill instructors) we succeeded in a raid designed to nab airman who live in the dorms (which is all of the students, except for the rare few like myself when I went to school here who get to live off base with their families) doing things, and owning things they aren't supposed to have. Key items to look for: alcohol, pornographic material, and in the off chance, drugs. The MTL's proceeded to bang on the doors and a second later opened them, telling them to "GET UP, GET DRESSED, GIVE ME YOUR ID CARD, AND STAND AT PARADE REST OUTSIDE, THIS IS A HEALTH AND WELLNESS INSPECTION!!" The instructors then paired up went in and searched everything. We found plenty of alcohol and pornographic material, ranging from magazines to movies. We were almost done with the raid when my partner and I went into the last room. I began searching the wall locker, as I had done in every other room, and almost immediatley found a baggie with marijuana in it. Immediately the search was stopped, and the MTL came and read the roomies their rights. Every one was involved, from the first shirt (the boss for the enlisted) and the squadron commander (the BIG boss). The Security Police were called, and I gave a statement. Not very often are drugs found, but I found them. I am actively speaking with the DEA for a position with them cracking down on idiot airmen. This "2 hour max" job went well into the morning, as I didnt get home until 4:30 Saturday. It was well worth it though, it was very fun. Found some cockroaches in one guy's bag under his bed. Opened up a drawer to search in one room and there were shoes in it that stunk like the local dump. Although, you think that some airmen are young, I did find one who had a bottle of Geritol and Rogaine. This is just one of the perks of my new job as an instructor.


Ryan
9/15/2002
Hey Gary, I built myself a new house, where's the project page??

Again, my apologies. Those pictures are all on my computer at work, not here at home. So I can't update the projects page until I'm in my office. And as it happens, we've got some big time-consuming projects going on right now, so it's hard for me to steal some time there. The combination of the projects at work and my computer upgrade meant the projects page got back-burnered. I'm hoping to get everything up tomorrow afternoon (Monday). --Gary


Amanda
9/12/2002
OK, I vote for no more webmaster computer updates!!

My apologies, but there's just no way around it. But except for the front page and the projects page, everything is up-to-date. For the past week, until tonight, I haven't had a computer at home -- meaning I'd have to do all the webpage updates at work. And as it happens, we've been unusually busy at work this past week. From my point of view, however, it's worth it! My upgraded computer is sooooo fun. But things should start to normalize now -- look for a new front page tomorrow morning. :-) --Gary


Amanda
9/12/2002
Yes, I watched that when it aired on the 6 months anniversary. It was good. Interesting. We watched a thing on ABC last night about the babies born AFTER 9-11, whose fathers weren't there. THAT was sad. Hard for Ryan & I to watch, especially the 8 month olds.


Donna
9/12/2002
Did anyone watch the 9/11 doumentary hosted by Robert DeNiro last night? I guess it originally aired 6 months ago, but I hadn't seen it. Two brothers wanted to film a NYC rookie as he becomes a Fireman and ended up being right in the middle of the 9/11 attack. Really interesting and gave you a good idea of what it was like being there. And it's not as sad an ending as you would expect. All the firemen at this particular firehouse survived.


Gary
9/12/2002
Here's an article on Samantha's high school, which the Hatgidakis's sent me last night. Thanks!


Sean
9/11/2002
To me, it's hard to believe a year has passed...


Grandma
9/11/2002
I am sort of trying to avoid all the 9-11 recap today. Had a serviceman come to check the dryer and that detered me from washing windows. The new pictures of T. and T. are really cute, Tristen looks ready for a gullywasher. Can't believe how much Teghan is growing! Driving already. You have been gone a long time. A really great FALL day here. Low 70's I think.


Amanda
9/11/2002
I have looked back on September 2001's newsletter to read & reread. One thing I noticed are a few links Gary put on there that no longer can be reached, anyone remember what they went to? "Too little too late," and "having an effect on the world."

I was just looking at that old newsletter myself, and I do remember both of those. "Too little too late" was a picture of Yassir Arafat at a Red Cross thingy giving blood supposedly to aid the victims of 9-11. Maybe it was a sincere gesture, but.... "Having an effect on the world" was a news story unrelated to 9-11 -- it was about a school project in England to have all the grade school kids in the country go outside and jump up and down at the same time, and the effect was actually recorded on a seismograph. --Gary


Gary
9/11/2002
I've been keeping this newsletter up to date, but have gotten a bit behind on the other pages because my computer is still at the shop. Or rather, it was all fixed, I took it home, turned it on, and a minute later the hard drive went out. So I took it back to the shop for a new one -- should get it back today. Meanwhile, there are a ton of pictures for the Projects page I haven't gotten up yet (Ryan has been busy!), and as you can see I haven't been updating the front page. However, there are some new pictures on the recent photos page -- check 'em out! And don't forget to check the links page once in a while to see what's new on the "school pages." :-)


Karen
9/11/2002
Amanda and Ryan -- thanks for sending the 9-11 email -- Trying not to dwell too much on the day -- but pretty hard to ignore. We had chapel at Preschool this morning and LOTS of questions from the kids.


Donna
9/11/2002
Hi, Well is everyone remembering what they were doing a year ago today? We had a nice commemoration at work this morning. A lot of people wearing red, white and blue. And anyone wanting to donate to Community Builders got a pin of the twin towers.


Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
9/11/2002
We just wanted to tell everyone that we love them.


Gary
9/10/2002
Me again. Here's the latest on the "school pages"! Lindsey and Emily now both have pages (though there's nothing on them yet!). Lindsey--that's the best pic I had of you (taken at the North Shore), so if you have a better one that you'd like me to use, please get it to me. :-) Same goes for everybody, actually, if you'd like to use a different picture. For now, you can access the school pages through the links page, but in the future I may try to work up some buttons or something on the front page. Also, I've been calling them "school pages," but remember you can put anything there you want -- doesn't have to be school work!


Gary
9/10/2002
My apologies for the lack of updates over the past few days. It turns out my computer upgrade was not quite as smooth as I'd thought; after having it home for a day or two it developed some problems and I had to take it back to the shop yesterday, where it is now. So once again my access to the net is kind of iffy. Plus this time I might have lost some things you mailed: specifically Tristen's update to her page, and Ryan's "project page" photos. I think I can recover them, but (worst case) you might have to re-send them. Frustrating! Should all be fixed by this time tomorrow, though....


***EMILY***
9/8/2002
Hey Gary, could I have my own page too? 8)

Yes indeed! Go ahead and send me whatever you want for it, and I'll have your page (and Lindsey's page) up sometime tomorrow (Tuesday). --Gary


Gary
9/7/2002
Thanks for all the birthday greetings! I do have my computer back online now, so feel free to send newsletter items, etc. The upgrade went like a charm, and rebuilding and re-installing everything (after totally erasing the hard drive) was surprisingly easy. New (upgraded) computer is WAY cool. MUCH faster than the previous version, plus I put in a CD burner -- which I haven't even looked at yet. I'm still re-installing old games and seeing how much better they play. It's like getting a whole new bunch of software!


Grandma
9/7/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARY!!!


Lindsey
9/6/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARY!!!!

Gary, could I get my own page???

You sure can, but I don't think I can get it set up until like Tuesday. But go ahead and send me stuff for it, if you have anything ready. --Gary


Sean
9/6/2002
Happy birthday Gary!! Well I'm off to Chicago until Monday...


Hatgidakis family
9/6/2002
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY!!!!


***EMILY***
9/6/2002
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY GARY***


Erika
9/6/2002
Hay Gary I would like a page for school.
Thanks

Here you go! When you send me something, I will put it on Erika's Page. :-) --Gary


Ryan, Amanda, Tristen, Teghan, Sasha & Zoe
9/6/2002
Happy Birthday Gary!!!


Donna
9/6/2002
Happy Birthday Gary!!!


Nelsons
9/6/2002
Happy Birthday GARY!!!!!

Thank you! Allow me to take this opportunity to explain what's going on with the page this weekend: I'm not connected to the internet at home yet (computer is still at the shop), so it is doubtful I'll be able to make updates til next week, after today. I'll put up a new "weekend" front page tonight around 5 pm and that will probably be it until next week. My apologies! But this cool new computer upgrade is my birthday present to myself. :-) --Gary


Gary
9/6/2002
Horribly hot here, too. When is this @*!$%#&! summer going to END??
As for "chipping in" for the webpage: There's no extra charge as long as the entire site takes up less than 5 megabytes of space -- more or less what you could squeeze on to five floppy disks -- and we are still comfortably under that, as long as I keep up with the housecleaning and remove old stuff. Pictures take up the most space, which is why I rotate the "old" pictures off the "recent photos" page when new ones come in. But if you want to chip in, I should think, say, $3000 per family per year would do it. ...OK?


Karen
9/6/2002
YUCK!!! Summer has returned! Grossly hot and humid, schools have been let out early yesterday and today. But NOT preschool, we only go in the morning and the teacher doesn't seem to think it's hot enough to turn the AC on. I like the idea of the school pages -- Gary, if they start to charge extra, let us know -- I think we would all chip in to keep the web page up and running.
Not sure about the "cat wedding." Nicole and Cocoa are happy being single.

I just noticed from a previous newsletter that you've had Cocoa almost two years now -- September 17. --Gary


Grandma
9/6/2002
I really enjoyed Teghan's pictures. She is growing too fast!! Sure is getting a lot of hair too. Tristen, your page is so neat, you are learning so many things. What a neat idea. Sam, I watched "The Others" last night. I really liked it but it was so spooky!! I finally figured it out near the end when they found the graveyard. How are your schooldays going? Sean, have a fun time in Chicago!! Hi to you all.


Gary
9/6/2002
"Tristen's Page" is up and running! Right now you can only get there from this page, but soon I'll have some buttons or something you can click on to get there. And anybody else who wants a page, just let me know and send something -- it doesn't have to be schoolwork. Maybe a poem or a story or a picture of something you made. Let me know! :-)


Lindsey
9/5/2002
I'm not sure what you guys are planning because I haven't been on the internet lately. But a cat wedding? What about a dog wedding? The cat people can plan the cat wedding and the dog owners can plan the dog wedding like Ceaser and Sasha or whatever. Just an idea to see what people think. Anyway, how are we going to "plan" it? On the internet? E-mail? I need up to date! Bye


Donna
9/5/2002
I think that would be fun to read. Amanda, tell us more about a cat marriage. How would that work? I have a feeling there are some Iowa girls that would love to help plan a wedding (or anything) for a couple of cats.


Donna
9/5/2002
Uh, Mojo is too young to be thinking about marriage--he's not even a year old yet. But here's an idea. Why don't you plan a vacation for me? All expenses paid of course. That would be fun. What about stuff everyone's learning in school? Like Tristen teaching us about something she learned in Kindergarten. Maybe they could have their own page within the site. I would love to read more on a weekly basis or so of what the girls (and Zach) are learning. Like, let's see, finding out on the first day that you need a notebook and pen. That's entertaining.

We could do the page-within-the-site idea right now, if y'all want. I could create individual pages, like this one, that the "owner" could control -- adding artwork, stories, pictures, etc. We'd have to keep the pictures to one or two at a time on any given page (because if this site gets much bigger they'll start charging me extra for it!) but that would be workable. Think of them as individual "refrigerator doors" that you can tape stuff to. Whaddaya think? --Gary


Gary
9/5/2002
Here's an FYI for everyone: My computer is in the shop right now (home computer, that is) for an upgrade -- the big scary kind of upgrade where they erase everything and start over from scratch! -- so it might happen that I won't have access to the internet, meaning I might not be able to make updates to this page for a day or two. Anything that comes in while I'm at work, today and tomorrow, will go on the page as usual, but anything you send in after tomorrow afternoon might be delayed until I can get my net connections working again. Same deal for the front page: if it doesn't change for a couple of days, that's why. Thanks for your patience!


Erika
9/4/2002
Man Lincon got it hard. The Downburst looks like noutin compared to your flood!


Amanda
9/4/2002
Or, we could all vote on things to design/decorate a house... A Sims type deal, family/game oriented.


Amanda
9/4/2002
I think we need an activity. Maybe not a Who Am I? But something along those lines. I have an idea, that of course needs work, but I thought of it this morning as I was watching the news. The Today Show in fact. Where they have a couple that gets married and the audience plans the entire event. We could have a "fake wedding" perhaps, and plan the details. Maybe Zoe & MoJo. Just an idea.

I do have a new "Who Am I" beginning to take shape, but it's not quite ready yet. But even if it was, I wouldn't want to get in the way of a Zoe/Mojo wedding! :-) --Gary


Tristen (after seeing the recent photos of Lincoln)
9/4/2002
OH MY GOD!!! How did that rain come so fast? Cuz who did it? Who do you know who did it? Umm... I really don't know what else to say, but what else was floating? Just cars or stuff? That's it. Bye. It's hot here. Bye.


Donna
9/4/2002
Ummm, I think the Great Flood of Ought-Two was last Wednesday--not Monday. And it looks like a couple of fireworks on the picture with the car resting on the concrete wall. What is that?

You're right, it was Wednesday -- a week ago today, in fact! I'm not sure what the "fireworks" are; I assumed they were trees, like palm trees...? --Gary

Later: On second thought, I believe they are low-hanging branches from a pine tree, just a few feet from the camera and illuminated by the flash. You can see the one branch pointing to eleven o'clock, leaving the frame. --Gary


Karen
9/4/2002
Wow, Great pictures! What a storm that must have been. Brent is doing great! Saw two of his doctors this week and both said he was doing well. Able to drive again!! Plans to return to work on Monday (just mornings for awhile).


Gary
9/4/2002
A week ago Monday, our long dry spell here in Lincoln came to an end -- and how! The downpour hit in late afternoon and lasted for an hour or so. I didn't have any pictures then, but I do now. Take a look at the recent photos page.....


Amanda
9/4/2002
Ahh, the joys of being a homeowner. Last night as Ryan is vacuuming out the vent things on the fridge to see if that will help it to be a little colder on the inside I was loading the dishwasher. As I emptied out the water that was soaking in the crock pot, it wouldn't go down the drain and it came out the other sink, so I turned on the disposal. Only for a short while though, as I could hear water pouring out of somewhere. Somewhere else in the house, unrelated to the kitchen. Ryan finished the fridge, then looked at the sink, and ended up with the toilet plunger in the kitchen sink, and now it is working. I don't want to know....


Sean
9/3/2002
Ditto, Happy belated birthday Sam and Olivia.


Donna
9/3/2002
Happy belated birthday Olivia and Sam!!!

And hey, who said orange is the new pink, anyway?
Amanda, I just wrote you an email and it came back as undeliverable. What's up with that?


Tristen
9/1/2002
Olivia's cake looks beautiful, but Sam's cake looks good to eat!


Ryan, Amanda, Tristen, Teghan, Sasha & Zoe
9/1/2002
Happy Birthday Samantha!


Ryan, Amanda, Tristen, Teghan, Sasha & Zoe
9/1/2002
Happy Birthday Olivia!


Karen, Brent, and Erika
9/1/2002
Happy Birthday Samantha!


***EMILY***
9/1/2002
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA***


***EMILY***
9/1/2002
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVIA***


the Hatgidakis family
9/1/2002
Happy Birthday Olivia