It's Been Busy and it's Going To Stay That Way

Hi All,

Its been a while since I wrote a general email to update everyone regarding whats going on with Jenee and I. Quite simple, we have been busy. This is nothing out of the ordinary, in fact if we weren't busy I think that something would probably be wrong. Jenee is working 40 hours a week and now has 4 internet classes from Dallas Baptist University to keep her busy. She seems to be taking everything in her stride and has each day scheduled wonderfully. I dont know how she does it. If it were me, I would have a temporary meltdown, then I would pull myself together and over schedule everything so that I hed to work 10 times harder than necessary. Jenee just gets her stuff done.

As for me, January and February are writing months. I have just completed an invited book section for a professor on campus in a week flat, thanks to the wonderful help of Stephen, sorry Dr Tedeschi, and Milorad. I think we did a good job and I am looking forward to hearing back from the book's author. In the mean while, I have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... about 8 papers that I would like to get written and published. These are in varying stages of final drafts to just being formulated in my head. About 4 or 5 are actually 50% or greater completed so that is great news for me.

In other interesting news, we had some car trouble last week. After making a stop just before Bible study our battery went dead flat, and then nearly an exact week later the same thing happened again, so the poor Saab had to go and get fixed. Turns out there was a legitimate source of the problem but it has been fixed (at $85 /hr, thank you very much). I think Jenee and I realised how we have both been spoiled in the past with both our fathers owning mechanical repair shops.

Well, its the end of my lunch break and it's time to make some fancy looking graphs in Sigma Plot so that I can finish off a paper. Hope you are all doing well.

Nate

VIDEO CHAT to us on Skype for FREE!

Ok, here is the short and sweet. You, yes you, can VIDEO-CHAT to Jenee and I over the internet for free! And its really easy to do. Here is all you need to know...

What you will need:

[a] Computer
[b] faster than dial-up internet (broadband or better)
[c] a web-cam. This one costs US$30

(just make sure your webcam comes with a microphone/headset. Logitech does)

What to do:

Step 1. Download Skype from here if you use Windows or here if you use a Mac
Step 2. Install Skype, make a user name.
Step 3. Install you webcam. (If you use a newer Mac you are already set)
Step 4. Shoot either Jenee or I an email and we will give you our screen name.

and hey presto! we can video chat.

So people there are no excuses....

(If you are technically handicapped I can help you if its too tricky :-))

Krista is a PhD!

Yay for Krista! Yesterday she passed her final defence with flying colours and is now a bonafide PhD. Last night we went along with her family and friends to celebrate with the happy tiger. Enjoy...

Cats Getting Bored

This is what we found when we got home last night. Sable saw the potential for a new hiding spot and decided to take the initiative. The turned this box over, pulled out the packaging and made herself welcome. So funny (to me anyway).

The Original Dr. Pepper Museum in Dublin, TX.

Eugene and I went to Dublin to see the original Dr. Pepper bottling facility. It was quite a unique experience. They still make Dr Pepper with cane sugar and you can even have it from glass bottles bottled at the museum, if you have your own original bottles. Otherwise you can buy cane sugar Dr Pepper in cans and smaller glass bottles that come from another bottling plant.




It was really interesting to see how everything is done, I love this old kind of machinery.

Second Batch of Christmas in NM Pics.

First Batch of Christmas in NM Pics.

Sorry, I gave up trying to edit them. I have no free time at the moment.

The Score: New Mexico 2 - Australia 0

Well, this year we were off to Angel Fire once again for our Christmas Vacation with the family. After Jenee and I arrived back in Texas after our Immigration interview, we all caught a few hours of sleep and scrambled into the cars for a 4 am departure.

Now, I have done this trip several times now so I am becoming a bit of an expert about the whole deal. Therefore I took the first shift of driving, following behind Dad2. I did ok for the first few hours but about 6am I started too feel very sleepy. This luckily happened about the same time we took a toilet stop so I got out, relieved myself of my early morning water drinking and then proceeded to run around in track pants and a t-shirt in below freezing temperatures on the frozen grass. It was definately invigorating and I was ok for a few more hours.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and we arrived in Angel Fire, greeted by snow and ice and 10ºF / -10ºC temperatures! LOVE IT! Now I am not going to give you a complete blow-by-blow of all the events but I will give you a few stories. 

Let's see; there was the one with the pull out couch. Now our home had enough bedrooms for everyone but Jenee and I, we volunteered to sleep on the pull out bed. We snuggled up under the blankets and proceeded to sleep. Some hours later in the morning I wake up, I feel like I have been sleeping with an iron bar under my shoulders and legs with a sheet for a saggy matress. So that only lasted one night. I made the executive decision that I would sleep on the couch and Jenee would sleep on the single matress. We did try and sleep on the single matress together but apparently two adults don't fit on it long wise, let alone width wise. I do seem to remember falling off the bed a few times.

And lets see, there was the one with the snowmobile. As some of you know, my mom had a rather nasty encounter with a snowmobile. Well, this year it was Eugene's turn. Poor Eugene, following the guide hit a rock, breaking the steering and shock adsorber. Well, this flipped the snowmobile, volting Eugene into the snow and then landing on top of him. This resulted in us taking the special drive to the Taos Emergency Room. After a few hours (and me sorting out 3 seasons of Friends for Jenee's iPod) Eugene had a fractured collar bone, a fractured rib and some bad bruising. A packet of pain killers and we had one lightheaded 34 year old man who thought he was a humming bird (if you are reading this seriously, he really thought he was a bee). He's actually ok now. 

And I think we have time for one more story. Let's see, there was the time I went out in -13C weather to take some pictures for all of you, and then there was the time we went snow shoeing in two feet of fresh snow, but I think my favorite is the time I went snowboarding and got a little over confident. You see, I have really only stuck to the front side of the mountain for the last few years, so this year I decided to try one of the slopes on the back side. Following David, I started down the mountain and was really enjoying myself, I only fell once or twice too. And then it happened. On the last part of the slope within sight of the lift I picked up some considerable speed. Carving away, the wrong edge of the snowboard got caught and I got whiplashed onto the snow. It must have been quite a sight because when I stopped and rolled over, I had to stay on hands and knees for about 5 minutes before I had my wits about me. I had landed so hard on my tailbone that I head all the joints in my back crack, my abdominals were on fire because I had tried to use them to keep my head from hitting the snow and my head felt like someone had hit it with a rubber mallet. Next year I am buying a helmet...

Well, that was a short summary of our holiday in the snow. We had lots of fun and adventures with the family, who knows what will happen next year?

I will post some pictures tomorrow!

Nate and Jenee

Guess What Was in the Mail?

Yup, you get 10 points if you guessed my greencard. We got home on saturday and my greencard was in the mail waiting for me. It's probably the fanciest ID card I have ever seen. It has a finger print, photo and details, holograms and numbers all over it. Obviously all of this is there to prevent someone counterfeiting one. I would show a picture of it on this site but something tells me that's probably not a very good idea...

Oh, and for those of you wanting to know, it is actually cream in color however on the backside there is a little green.

This One is Just for Eugene

This is Kakashi reading his beloved copy of "Make Out Paradise" from a Japanese Anime known as "Naruto". If you have seen this, you will know why this is funny, otherwise you'll probably think I am just silly...

Best Christmas for 2007, Ever!

So, first of all, sorry for the lack of posts but thats what you get when you are away for two weeks over the Christmas period. I have a couple of posts in mind so I will try publish them over the next couple of days. There are even some pictures on the way so you can see what our annual Christmas in New Mexico looks like so keep on checking.

As I have probably ranted on these pages before, Jenee and I are now both entirely Apple computer people and haven't looked back since. One feature that we haven't used until Christmas Eve was the Video Chat capabilities.

On Christmas Eve (US) / Christmas Day (AUS) I first tried to ring Mum and Dad, no answer. Then Helen and Danny, no answer and then Heather and Jon and I got an answer. Jon and I chatted for a bit and decided to try the V-Chat when the family arrived there for Christmas Lunch.

It was the coolest thing! I got to see everyone all at the same time and talk to them and I even got to see my Niece Rachel in the flesh (kinda - digital flesh then...) for the first time. She is the most precious little pumpkin I have ever seen, it actually brought several tears to my eyes. Luckily thanks to poor lighting and low resolution, I don't think anyone saw.

So this is the new thing! Its even better than phone calls! We sent over another webcam for either Mum and Dad or Helen and Danny to use. So if you are reading this and want to have a video chat with us let me know (email) and I will tell you how you can do it, its pretty easy. All you need is a computer, webcam and broadband internet.

Talk to you soon!

Nate and Jenee