Years ago...

When I was first learning how to shoot trap, an older gentleman got right up behind me and guided my arms as I held a shotgun and started oscillating his hips, repeating, "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing." He was demonstrating the importance of following through when going for a clay pigeon.

I couldn't help but think about that a lot last night at the swing dance callout.

Ha!

When I was staying with my brother in Chicago, my mom sent me a check to reimburse me for some tuition, and at the time, I had absolutely no cash on me and I needed to fix that. But the problem was I was in Chicago and nowhere near a PEFCU or IMCU, so I couldn't cash that check. But not to worry, I just handed it over to Paul and let him cash part of it, and deposit the rest in his savings account.

Now that I'm back in West Lafayette within walking distance of a PEFCU, Paul has paid me back the remainder of the check. And on the check he wrote to me, he wrote something very amusing.

Prepare to be amused

Failure happens

On the way back from Wal-Mart today, I saw this unfortunate sight.



I can totally see myself doing something like that.

Botanic Garden

I was really in my element here. The sandal-wearing hippie within was set free, and it had a camera.


Such a violent place.



Ornamental peppers.



Amy checks out some really really green pears.



Ethan finds something interactive to play with.



Why yes, I do have a pink flower on my blog.



Ethan gets carried a lot. Paul was complaining of a sore lower back long before this picture was taken.



Adrian gets some free flowers.



I'm not sure if this statue is appropriate, but it came out looking kinda neat.



A very cool looking clover.



A Show-and-tell with Pooh in the background.



A river? Or a mere brook?



buzz



A very brave heron.



Carillons.



The Japanese Garden which we skipped.



I think my sense of humor is waning.

Fermilab

Then it was off to Fermilab, the largest, fastest, and most powerful particle acclerator in the world (or so I was led to believe). I got a shirt for five bucks. Awesome!

An experiment in constant acceleration.


The place was about to close as we came in, so we were shooed outside.



Adrian checks out a cross-section of the accelerator.



Working a surprisingly accurate sundial

Some random guy biking around the accelerator

A break

Paul getting ready to bottle some home brewed brewskies.

Petting Zoo

Myself, Paul, Amy, and my two nephews Adrian and Ethan went to a petting zoo up in Wisconsin. I took a few pictures, Paul took a few more. Here they are.


Adrian and some ducks.



Paul appears to be contemplating something that a duck left behind.



Me trying some milk I had just squeezed out of a cow's udder. It was very warm.



This chicken received my unconditional love because his feathers were on backwards. Poor thing.



Ethan, Adrian, and a very attractive hog.



Paul and a very large hog.

Gimme Three Steps

I haven't really had steady internet connection lately, and even if I did, I was way too busy doing things other than computering to update anyway. So here are some pictures. These are from my home in Connersville. Recently, some frogs have made their home in the pond. The last count is there are nine frogs.




And this was one of the fruits of boredom. I was actually somewhat pleased with how it turned out, considering there was no finishing, glue, or clamps.

Big ol' potato chip

My mountain bike's rear rim has turned into a big ol' potato chip.

waffles

drama

I've completely edited this post away to say that five minutes after writing it, I started packing away my books and I stumbled upon some old letters. I was going through and reading them, and one had a verse written in it. It was Jer. 29:11 and it was perhaps one of the most profound experiences I've had. Fitting for such a profound promise from God.

Woop!

Irish barn dance at Southside tonight!

Cliché

This has been said before many times so I don't know why I feel like I should say it, but it's really satisfying to design and build something.

I hope it fits in my car.

Physics is Over!

We get it on most every night
When that old moon gets so big and bright
It's a supernatural delight
Everybody was dancing in the moonlight

Everybody here is outta sight
They don't bark and they don't bight
They keep things loose they keep things light
Everybody was dancing in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight
Everybody's feeling warm and right
It's such a fine and natural sight
Everybody's dancing in the moonlight

We like our fun and we never fight
You can't dance and stay uptight
It's a supernatural delight
Everybody was dancing in the moonlight

Dancing in the moonlight
Everybody's feeling warm and right
It's such a fine and natural sight
Everybody's dancing in the moonlight