On Wednesday December 17th, it started snowing about 1230 in the afternoon. It kept snowing and snowing and then it snowed some more. At midnight it was still snowing.
Las Vegas, which does get some snow from time to time is not prepared to get that much snow. Down on the south end of town where I live, we got about 8". The roads were an absolute mess. It took me a little over an hour to drive less than 7 miles down a straight stretch of road. There were no accidents, the roads were just an icy, snowy mess. Combine that with people who have never driven in the snow. That equals a big damn mess.
I got home, Eric was already home and shoveling the driveway off. We have a shovel that works for that? I guess it IS Eric I'm taking about. He really does have just about anything he could need.
I digress.
Turk (the dog) had a ball playing in the snow, biting at the big, wet snowflakes as they fell and chasing snowballs. We built a snowman. It was leaning a lot and fell over before the night was out, but then again, I haven't built a snowman in about 20 years. It was a lot of fun.
Sunday, there is still a bunch of snow left on the ground and the mountains surrounding the valley are still snow covered. The snow never sticks around this long, but then again, the Vegas valley hasn't seen a snowstorn like thois since the early 1970's.
...Nothing all that important.
Well, we have had our dog form a little over a month now. I have lost count of the toys he has destroyed, and how many times we have caught him "dining" from the litterbox (gag), and doing other naughty things, but overall, we love having our dog.
He came with the name Trunks, but he didn't seem all that responsive to it, so we decided to change it to Turk- he really responded well to that. We tried numerous names. Eric wanted to name him Brawndo or Leroy...I said no.
We are working with him on behaving a little better at home (barking at weird noises like the dryer) and on walks (pulling and tugging).
He is really good with the cats, but I don't think he realizes how big he looks to them and that he invades too much on their comfort zone. The amount of hissing, spitting, growling and swatting has decreased, however, I think it will be a (long) while before they will be cuddling up with each other.
Turk can really be a ham. Even when he does something bad and you are mad at him, he does something really cute and it's hard to stay mad at him.
Well, It's official, we have adopted the dog from the rescue.
He is settling in and want to be friends with the cats so bad, but the cats are really disliking the situation. He is housebroken, pretty well behaved, has (mostly) good manners, and gets a little overexcited when we take him for walks. He pulls on the leash a lot, but were working on that. He is crate trained, and likes being in it. Plus he has a history of chewing on stuff, so, for now, he has to be in his crate at night and when were not home, but he doesn't seen to mind it too much.
Eric and I have decide to make an addition to our family!
No, we're not going to have a baby. That's just silly!!
We put in an application with a local dog rescue to adopt an 11 month old Boxer mix puppy named Trunks.
The rescue is reviewing our application and has called our references, so I hope we will find out in the next few days if we will be adding a new furry bundle of happiness to our family.
Stolen from teh interwebs:
On Halloween night, some houses struggle with the idea of candy. There are good houses, and there are bad houses. The best trick-or-treaters know to avoid the latter. At the food site Serious Eats, we all love Halloween, but wish certain homes would just stop handing out the classically bad "treats." They weren't good last year, the year before that, or now. Our own Erin Zimmer put together this list of our top 10 Halloween treats that nobody wants...
Toothbrushes
Dentists and orthodontists should not be allowed to celebrate Halloween if they're going to get all tooth doctory on us. Do not bring your work home with you, folks! We all have a personal responsibility to brush, and maybe some of us will forget, but your complimentary bristles on a stick (instead of a Snickers) will not help us remember. It will make us despise you and your trade.
Raisins
Little boxes of stuck-together shriveled globs are not what little kids schlep around the neighborhood for all night. When they say trick-or-treat, they want candy that will rot their teeth, not wrinkled grapes. (Using an empty box as a kazoo-like instrument, though, is kinda fun.)
Candy Corn
The most polarizing candy of all. The fruitcake of Halloween; it just never goes away. If you love them, fine. But don't subject the rest of us haters to the sickeningly sweet triangle that tastes like neither candy nor corn.
Smarties and Necco Wafers
These chalky candies are supposedly "fruit-flavored," but no fruit I know tastes like dust -- and makes everything eaten after taste like dust, too.
Dum Dum Lollipops
Usually, foods on a stick are yummy (corn dogs, ice pops), but Dum Dums just can't be included on that list. Not even if they were breaded and deep-fried and served at a fair.
Apples
Long before "poisoned candy" scares, evil people were handing out apples instead of candy on Halloween. This disappointing "treat" is the main reason to avoid unwrapped food while trick-or-treating.
Tootsie Rolls
It looks like chocolate and sort of smells like chocolate, but the mini brown tubes are not real chocolate. They taste like watered-down chocolate, and have a chewy texture that will strip the fillings right off your molars.
Miscellaneous, Wrapped Hard Candies
Halloween is supposed to be a holiday for young people, not senior citizens who suck on hard candies all day. Something about the strawberry-shaped strawberries, gold-wrapped butterscotch, and peppermint feels past the expiration date. (These usually get set aside for Granny.)
Laffy Taffy
I do not laffy when I get these. I sobby. I get depressedy. Because it gets all stucky to my teethy and doesn't even taste that goody.
Anything Fun-Sized
Who started calling it this? Since when is one bite fun?! Give us the rich houses with the sprawling driveways and full-sized candy bars any day. Portion control doesn't need to start this young.
David L. Weide, Professor Emeritus in the Geoscience Department passed away on June 25, 2008. David earned his B.S. degree in geology from California State University, Los Angeles, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1974.
David L. Weide joined the faculty of the UNLV Department of Geoscience in 1973, when there were only four faculty members in the department. His leadership, knowledge, commitment, and unique style of spirited and overt enthusiasm helped to create an internationally recognized department of twenty cohesive full-time faculty that continues to demonstrate a commitment to excellence in teaching, research and service. Dave had many positive impacts on the department, and a particularly appreciated one was his generosity in sharing all his teaching and research resources with beginning faculty to help them get started in their new careers, and his genuine curiosity and interest in the work of others helped to make new faculty and students feel welcome. He served the department in innumerable ways including as Chair from 1989-1993, and at some point served as chair or member of nearly every standing committee. He was a very active participant in creating the Master’s graduate program in the department beginning in 1984 and later the Doctoral program. He helped build camaraderie, particularly amongst faculty, student, and staff in the Department of Geoscience and celebrated that effort by holding one or more barbeques at his house and at his expense every year.
Dave taught geology and geography at all levels, but was renowned for his teaching style in the introductory classes where he engaged students in learning and drew upon his background in theater to keep their attention. His acting ability as well as his knowledge garnered him the spokes person for the university on radio and television whenever an earthquake occurred or a flood event hit the area. During his 31 years at UNLV he taught some 5,279 students, including 4,022 in Geography 101; 748 in Geology 101; 306 in Geomorphology; and many more in 15 other courses. David Weide was the recipient of the UNLV College of Sciences' Distinguished Teaching Award for the 1997/98 academic year. His contributions to his students, colleagues, university, and community reached far beyond mere numbers. David Weide was a vital part of those academic pioneers who worked diligently to establish UNLV as a fixture in our community and a major entity in higher education.
Dr. Weide’s research interests included urban geologic hazards including flood hazards, unstable soils, tectonic-seismic hazards, and mass movement. In these subject areas, Dave mentored graduate students that not only completed theses but also co-published maps and papers with him. He authored many peer-reviewed scholarly articles, government and consulting reports, and over twenty-five geologic maps. These maps are still primary research data across much of the United States and many are used currently here in southern Nevada. Dave brought a breadth of knowledge and experience to UNLV by serving as a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, as Senior Museum Scientist at UCLA Department of Geology, a geologist with the University of California Archaeological Survey Office, and with the National Science Foundation European Projects. He was a consultant to the State of Nevada Governor’s Office and served on the State of Nevada Earthquake Safety Council.
David Weide was honored as an elected member of Phi Kappa Phi, elected Fellow of the Geological Society of America, a member of American Quaternary Association, and a member of Society for Archaeological Sciences. He served the profession as a reviewer for National Science Foundation proposals, a member of the Editorial Board of Geology, Secretary/ Treasurer of Society for Archaeological Sciences, and Chair of a Geological Society of America regional meeting, and representative on the Geological Society of America National Council on Geology and Public Policy.
Among David’s many passions was folk music. This interest was kindled in 1951, when, at the age 15, he attended a Los Angeles concert by the legendary Pete Seeger. He soon began collecting the (then) new 33 1/3 rpm recordings of American and British folk music. Some 53 years later, he donated his collection to his alma mater, UCLA, and its Ethnomusicology Archive. His collection included some 3,535 LPs (vinyl), 2,426 compact discs, and 1,690 cassettes. In 1984, he was invited to produce and host a radio program on KNPR, the Las Vegas public radio station. On September 10, 1989, he moved the program to KUNV (the FM radio station operated by UNLV) until June 2001).
David reflected upon his long and distinguished career at UNLV, writing in the Fall 2005 Geoscience Department Newsletter.
Once upon a time back in the fall of 1973, a new Geoscience faculty member arrived on campus and was assigned four new courses, no start-up funds, no release time, and a tiny cubicle in the third oldest building on campus; then shared with the Biology department.
That new professor was Dave Weide. At the start of that Fall semester in 1973, the geoscience faculty consisted of 3 people: John Wilbanks, Chairman; Bill McClellan, paleontology and “soft rocks”; and Anne Wyman, mineralogy and petrology. For Weide it was to be a brand new adventure!
On the first day of the first meeting of my first class I calmly announced to the 105+ students who had signed up for Geography 101: “This will be an adventure for all of us; not only have I never taught THIS class before; I have never taught anything to anybody before this! We shall learn together.
On July 1, 2004, Dave Weide; older, grayer, somewhat wiser, but in no way more subdued, retired from the Faculty of the Geoscience Department. What a long, strange, but wonderful trip it has been.
--found posted on the UNLV Geoscience Department website.
McSame-Mooselini are so out of touch with reality that it is frightening.
I generally do not blog about politics, however, I feel that John McCain and Sarah Palin, people who want to have the two most powerful positions in the U.S. government should leave their religious ideologies at home.
It seems these days, some people have forgotten all about the separation of church and state that the founding fathers wrote into the Constitution. "...the government shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...". Seems to me a Constitutional amendment to make abortion (under any circumstance) illegal, is "respecting" the conservative religious establishment.
It is also ridiculous that some people cannot understand that what one person may choose, may not be right for another. That is why they are called personal decisions.
Hey if you don't like abortion as a viable option to choose, that's okay. I respect your opinion. It's okay to have an opinion, just don't force your opinion on the matter on people who do feel like it should be a choice that is available to be made.
Oh, by the way John and Sarah... the definition of opinion is as follows:
1. a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.
2. a personal view, attitude, or appraisal.
[getting off of my soapbox]
Subject: Check-in: Your bags and your rights.
If you travel outside the United States this summer, you can kiss your right to privacy, and perhaps your laptop, digital camera and cell phone, goodbye.
Did you know...
1. Border security can seize your laptop, cell phone or camera with no suspicion or explanation.
2. Many airports use scanners that conduct a virtual " strip search" of passengers.
3. There are over one million names on the terrorist watch list.
4. The TSA recently expressed interest in having every airline passenger wear "electro-muscular disruption" bracelets that could be used to shock passengers into submission.
Traveling shouldn’t mean checking your rights when you’re checking your luggage. It’s time for some sanity when it comes to security.
I just asked my members of Congress to rein in travel abuses by the Department of Homeland Security. You can learn more about this and email your members of Congress here:
Here are a few pictures I snapped from my car when I was caught in flash flooding this past Thursday afternoon on my way out to a jobsite.
That make me happy.
Eric and his dad installed the garage door opener today.
Finally.
Now I don't have to strain myself, because I am too short to reach the door handle, to try and pull the garage door down every morning when I leave for work.
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