A few months ago, I got an electric toothbrush. It has changed my life. For some reason, that phrase, “It has changed my life,” seems to imply a large change. It hasn’t been a large change. It’s been a small one. But my life is changed nonetheless.
Category: family news
Announcing Baby Shinn!
Friends and Family,
Lisa and I are proud to be expecting an addition to our family! With an expected birthday of December 18, (NAMEHERE) Shinn will join Sam (cat), Max (cat), and Maggie (dog) as our first same-species child. Attached is an image from our first sonogram a month ago. At the time the image was captured, the embryo/fetus was shaped a bit like a shrimp. Now the baby should be about 4 inches long and has fingers, toes, fully functioning ears, fingernails, and lots of other neat little body parts. Today we heard the baby’s heart beating for the first time. Well, sort of. I (Andrew) thought it was hard to hear, but the doctor assured us it was there. And Lisa heard it.
Lisa is at 12 weeks today and just about to start showing. She has been doing well, with only a few minor aches attending the process. At this point, all signs indicate a normal, healthy baby. Please join me in praying for the mother and the child as we all grow.
Excited,
Andrew and Lisa
Ruth’s Graduation/Grandpa’s Birthday Party!
Click on the first picture, then view them all!
Google solves another problem!
We had a pet problem today. One of the cats (Max, no doubt) took it upon himself to urinate on our down comforter. Bad kitty. Then Maggie (our sweet, adorable but sometimes misguided puppy) smelled the cat urine and decided to add her own unique scent. Now we have a pee-soaked comforter and I have a very upset wife on my hands. What do I do? Turn to Google, of course.
I searched for “How do I remove dog urine from a down comforter?” I could hear sobs emanating from the back room. The first result I clicked on was a bulletin board discussing pet urine problems. I searched within that page for the words ‘down comforter.’ The post I read was by a lady recommending a product called Just Rite, and she claimed it is made by a guy named Bill, who often answers the company’s phone himself. I surfed on over to www.justrite.com and searched frantically down the page for a phone number. The crying in the back room was reaching a fever pitch. I quickly called the number, which had an Illinois prefix. Sure enough, Bill answered after the first ring and gave me very specific advice about how to deal with dog urine on a down comforter.
A few minutes later, as I came inside from my trip to the garbage can, I explained to Lisa what Bill had told me. Oddly, the certainty with which I found the information was comforting to her, as was my comment: “Hey, at least it’s not winter!”
Thanks, Google, and thanks Bill!
Stuff Maggie Does
Maggie’s so cute. She dreams while she sleeps on our floor, and sometimes when she hits REM sleep, her body starts moving and twitching. Sometimes she’ll simulate running, and I’ve even heard her bark her defensive bark under her breath. Today she was sleeping on my studio floor with her tail wagging back and forth excitedly. Lisa and I like to speculate about what she may be dreaming. She usually reserves that level of excitement for my arrival home, Lisa’s arrival home, our first-thing-in-the-morning greeting, or a trip to Shadow’s house. (Shadow is Brad and Mary Fast’s dog, and Maggie’s best canine friend.) Lisa and I speculated that she was dreaming that Shadow moved in with us, or that Max (our cat) finally decided it was alright to play with her. That’ll only happen in her dreams.
Enough with the boring, the philosophical, and the book reports: a Tribute to a Teacher
Today, I’ve got some great news. My father, Larry Shinn, has been selected as the teacher of the year in Lodi, California. I’m so proud of him! He’s approached an increasingly difficult teaching environment with a caring, realistic attitude. As in any career, some times were tougher than others. But he’s persevered, and many students have benefited. In particular, he’s worked hard to share his love of science with students. He runs a science club at school and works at the district level with other educators on science education initiatives. The need for educators with a passion for science can’t be overstated. Many of the U.S.’s academic, ethical and national security issues in the coming decades will be decided not by policymakers in joint session but by scientists in lab coats. Some of these scientists may catch their passion as students at the gentle encouragement of Mr. Shinn. Other students will grow up to vote at the ballot box, with their consumer behavior, and with their labor resources on issues requiring an understanding of scientific principles. They and the future they build may very well owe great thanks to Mr. Shinn. Let me be the first to express that thanks. “On behalf of my children, Mr. Shinn, thank you!”
The Saturday Auction in Reedley!
Lisa and I walked a few blocks to the auction this morning. It’s a fun small-town thing to do on a Saturday morning. Here are some photos:
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Maggie – or her anscestor? You decide.
Apology
Dear Readers,
I realize that I’ve now posted two images of my dog in a row. I know this blog is supposed to be about meaningful issues, and I intend to get back to the regular stuff shortly. Apologies for all the non-brainy personal stuff of late.
But what kind of meaningful stuff do you want to see? I’ve been thinking about blogging about some of my favorite internet writings out there. I’ve also been thinking about publishing an extensive survey of cool internet services that I’ve been experimenting with. Playing with cool “web 2.0”-type services has been a hobby of mine of late. Are you interested in reading about that? Or should I stick to more philosophical stuff ‘n’ junk? You let me know, and I’ll work on writing about it.
Looking forward to hearing your response,
Andrew
Our Puppie Maggie learns to sit
Maggie Girl! We have had her for two weeks and she continues to grow and grow. She’s so fun AND a lot of work.