Grandpa meets Grandson

Hey, I can be a proud grandpa, can't I?? I finally got to meet Caedmon today! Definitely one of the highs in a guy's life is when he meets his grandson for the first time.

All right, I'll add some pictures of the rest of the family! I'd say grandma and mama look plenty proud, too!

Another one of the rest of us with Caedmon. Zach was taking the picture, so no Zach!

New Cells for Mom, Dad, and Timothy

Yes, I finally decided to upgrade our cell phone lines, and as soon as Timothy gets his either today or Monday, we'll all three be reachable by cell. I'm not posting the numbers, but email us and we'll get back to you on that!

Hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!

Lowdown on ALL the Presidential Candidates.

Anyone who tells you that News can't be reported in one month chunks needs to spend some time at the pool and stop living their life like the bonus round of Jet Salom. Political News especially is just the same old gags dressed up with new names and faces. If you've read Thucydides or Homer you'll know: not much has changed in the past 3,000 years. Still, it is important to maintain the habit of interest and involvement, lest someday, being habituated to carelessness, we allow some great opportunity to pass us by.

One of the few things in Politics that nearly a majority of Americans care about is who will be the next President of the United States. Perhaps this anomaly of interest is explained by the American proclivity for amusement in all manner of pageants; from American Idol to Ms. Universe to the Presidency.

Upon reviewing the lineup, these things I know:

Joe Biden is even more petty and nitpicky than Hillary Clinton.

Hillary Clinton has more politics in her veins than blood.

John Edwards is the third Rock Star vying for the single Democratic nomination.

Mike Huckabee like' sophistree, an' his proficiency there-in evident-in his sharply gains among the polls.

Rudy Guiliani was knighted by the Queen of England...England, the country we fought so fiercely to be free of in 1776...President, a Knight! I'll eat my hat! ... Oh, and don't you think it is unfortunate that he is capitalizing on the deaths of 3,000 Americans?

John McCain may have gotten the White House confused with the Margaret E. White House for Elderly Persons when he announced his candidacy.

Barack Obama is just as visionary as he looks in this picture, but doesn't even have the balls to say "ass" in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "...we are, as stated before, kicking A-S-S" ~ Senator Obama (09-11-07)

Ron Paul sends me really boring emails, but people keep telling me he is actually cool.

Bill Richardson has enough spunk to make an ad in which he is at a "Job Interview" for the Presidency. Also he is our Governor.

Mitt Romney is a Mormon, probably has some sort of plan for Iraq, is a Mormon, and aside from all that, he is a Mormon.

Fred Thompson has an intricate understanding of the reality of our legal system from his work Law & Order, but hell, we might get a good speech or two out of him.

Albert Einstein is the smartest man who ever lived, and he was right when he said, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were when we created them."

Unfortunately, Albert Einstein is not running in this election. Instead, we must take our chances with the latest bunch of preeminant political hacks. But that's just id; the significant problems we face were created by political hacks and at their level of thinking. How then can any politico save us?

So it seems there will be little innovation to American politics next year. And thank God: for dramatic change is not befitting of government, although it is constantly touted in the rhetoric thereof. Government should remain constant, and it is the People's perogative to be flexible until the Government prevents them from bending in the direction they wish to pursue, and they are at last compelled to stand up and demand change. This is the most exciting moment in Politics, the moment every presidential-hopeful dreams of spearheading. Real change, however, is slow and subtle. Real change cannot be affected in four years. And the structure and stability of our Government relies upon this fact, lest some tyrant succeed in changing the world "for the better". This need for stability may explain why the forerunner in any election remains Prevailing Apathy.

Prevailing Apathy relies on our comfort and complacency and lack of real knowledge to maintain a system of government that does not consistently and deliberately strive to serve its constituents. Prevailing Apathy allows our great country to be run into the ground and embarrassed in front of the people of the world. Prevailing Apathy is our best defense against the upstart and overambitious politicians.

And so, with such a dominant and persuasive candidate controlling this election, why should we even bother getting out of bed that fateful day next November? Because, even though every candidate running is fundamentally the same, there is one interesting and subtle element of real change: an element that might go unnoticed until the last paragraph of my long-winded post: the one thing that might make this election worthwhile: the one iota of evidence that social change is in fact occurring. This year, a black man and a woman are running. And this year, they both have a chance.

Vive le Republique!

Happy Thanksgiving

So what are you thankful for?

Even though most of you won't be around the table this year, I am thankful for each and every one of you (and looking forward to seeing you at Christmas!)

Don Rags Don Rags

Augh!! Tuesday is my Don Rag! Augh! Stress! Fear! Terror!

All my tutors will gather about a table and talk about me as a student in the third person with me present for 15 minutes. Yikes. Not only will that be REALLY AWKWARD, I am a *wee* bit nervous. Having Ms. Ames or Mr. Pagano analyze how I behave in class will be nerve-wracking. (gulp)

I am going to have Beethoven calm me down.

Later.

new videos

They're up on YouTube. I'm going to try to embed it here but I don't know if blogger will accept it.

Nate, ride, snow

I've talked to Nate a little since going to WLC. He's only one day into the actual course but he says it sucks, it's cold, and it's snowing all the time. He took his PT test this morning and passed. All in all it's not as bad as it has been, he has certain times he's allowed to use his cell phone. Caedmon adjusted pretty well, though he had a little breakdown this evening where all he wanted was "DADDDEEEEEEE!"

On that subject I was wondering if Caedmon and I might be able to grab a ride to Chicago to pick Nate up when he comes in. I don't know what my car situation will be at the time, though I'm sure I could arrange a ride for him fairly easily. I just thought I probably wouldn't be the only one who would like to go meet him at the airport.

I should be going, things to do now that little one is down. I'm hoping to have more YouTube action by tomorrow evening, to include the "BEEF!" video--very amusing, trust me--and Caedmon watching the snow (yes, we had snow yesterday, though it's gone already). ;-)

Veteran's Day

The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month... remembering the veterans in our family, past and present!
Our ancestor Jonathan Fletcher, was 19 at the Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17, 1775. Your great-grandfather, Chester Coleman, served in Mexico and France during WW I. Your grandfather, Delmar Davis, served in WW II. Your uncles, James Jackson, the 16 year old Marine taking Guadalcanal, 1942, and Sergeant Joseph Yakemonis, Air Force mechanic serving in both WW II and the Korean War. Your great-aunts, Eleanor and Ellene, working swing shift in the factory riveting bomber wings onto the planes! (I asked Aunt Ellene how on earth their father allowed two nineteen year olds to do this, and she said, "it was easy, we just threatened to run off and join the Navy!" we don't doubt it.)
And of course, hats off to our very own SPC Geoff M. Davis, home after a year serving in Iraq, and Sergeant Nathaniel A. Davis, linguist on active duty.
WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU.

shopping etc.

Just thought I'd let everyone know I did a little Christmas shopping in anticipation of coming home. Let's just say it will be a very chocolatey Christmas. Except for Geoff. I almost settled for Haribo, but Baeren Treff's gummis are so much better--I'll make a trip downtown to get some before I come home. ;-) Anyone have any special requests? Still planning on being home in a little less than 2wks. Caedmon and I will try to make it up a couple times before Nate flies out. Are there any special days we should plan on? I was thinking maybe sometime the weekend after thanksgiving? I'm sure the first few days will be a bit chaotic, but I'm also sure that I will have a bit of free time, especially during the day. In other news, I bought Lola a kennel the other day, she hasn't *willingly* entered it all the way, but when we "helped" her she did just fine in there, which makes me feel better. It sounds funny, but I'm kind of excited about letting her run around in a yard. More later...

The Retainer Tales - Volume I

So life with a retainer is no biggie at all. I never forget to pop it in and I always (well, almost always) remember to brush it at night. I'm not scatterbrained (or so I like to think) so casual problems are avoided.

BUT - I have some sad tales to tell of my retainer.

First, a prelude. I have been so one-minded about leaving my retainer on my plate and throwing it out that I think of nothing else. So I avoid common retainer problems but the consequence is that I have more....strange problems.

Problem No.1. One fine morning after lunch some core members and I (core is a group of five or six Johnnies that share all the same classes) decided to have some fun and study Greek. We meander over to the mailroom and and while they check their mail I run to the bathroom. On the way, I play with my retainer - I'm moving it around, and all of a sudden, pop it out of my mouth and onto my tongue! Luckily it didn't fall on the floor. I am delighted! I try again, and it works! Fantastic. I nip into a stall and lift the lid, and therein lay my mistake. For while I am standing above the toilet I pop the retainer out again.

Yes, you guessed it. It popped right out, no problem, but failed to stop on my tongue. It sailed right out of my mouth and landed in the toilet with a perky plunk.

Ms. Robertson told me she heard a wail of dismay emanating from the bathroom.

Alas, what could I do? I had no choice but to reach down into the foamy yellow water, pull out my retainer sinking happily to the bottom of the S-bend, and wash it as best I could.

I told this story in the hopes of getting sympathy from my core. Did they sympathize? Heck no. They laughed till they cried. Phillistines.

Alas, for this is but the beginning. There are still other sad stories concerning my retainer, whom I have named Croesus.

new dates

Just wanted to let everyone know what our current plans are. Nate leaves for WLC Monday (the 12th) I'm going to fly out with Caedmon on the 19th of November. Due to being home for so long, Lola gets the misfortune of coming with us. Nate's class/training/thingy ends December 14. He will still fly out on December 18th. Then we all come home together on the 1st of January and, due to the time change, get back to Germany on the 2nd. Whew. It feels about as crazy as it sounds. But on the bright side everyone should be able to see Caedmon a bit more and a bit earlier. Off to go take a friend to the airport...

bald

Nate shaved is head. With a razor. Completely bald. As you can probably tell I'm absolutely thrilled. To his credit he did it because he's going to WLC on Monday. He was told on Friday that he'd go on the 14th, then he got told this afternoon he was going on the 12th. So I may try to come home a bit earlier. My parents have offered to cover the airfare charges because as of right now, it looks like it would mean forfitting my tickets in December. The problem at present is what to do with Lola for 45 days (to include Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's). I'll try to keep everyone posted on the latest...

Happy Birthday to Abby! She turned 14 today, and she went with Mom to Rockford to do some shopping for her birthday, a new watch, some new clothes, and calligraphy supplies with money from Grandma. We're at home this evening watching "The Man Who Knew Too Little" with Bill Murray. Zach made her the most delicious homemade chocolate cake with raspberry filling, so rich that one piece was enough for even Dad! We used the timer on Dad's camera so we could all be in the picture (I was asked to remove other photo -- will post another later. Sorry.).

A Better Birthday Post

It is my greatest pleasure to inform you all that our esteemed sibling and relative, Abigail "Abby" Davis, has reached her 15th year and is now 14. Congratulations! Some birthday advice:

• Ask for books for your birthday. Lots of books. Start reading Plato's dialogues - you are ready.
• There is little that is more important than keeping your mind sharp. Read daily and often.
• Find the good anime and watch it. Trust names like Miyazaki.
• Practice beautiful Baroque music - start learning a Bach Invention. Soon you will be ready for Scarlatti
• Run every day to clear your mind and relax.
• Study Scripture often.
• Have fun.
• Don't trust boys.

Happy birthday little sister! I hope it is a good one. Keep on pluggin' away in the (ever smaller) Davis household!

I'll see you next month.

Happy Birthday Abigail!

Fourteen!!! Whoo hooo!

Christmas confirmed/Picture

We officially have plane tickets now. We fly into O'hare December 18th 3:16pm and return on the 1st 2:42pm. Here's a pic of us on Halloween.