No Time For Now

This month has just raced by and not a single post from me since March 10th. I am definitely finding it more and more difficult to keep up with this blog. Where once I was able to post an entry almost daily - to the point that Kelly would get frustrated with how much time I spent blogging - to last night when Kelly asked, "so when are you going to FINALLY post some pictures!". My only guess is that she's been receiving "pressure" from friends and family requesting pictures to be posted on the blog? Literally hundreds of pictures adrift now, I can hardly muster the motivation to begin the process of selectively posting pictures.

Our internet connection at home does not help either. It is slow and inconsistent (when we are on the main floor - which is 99% of the time). The wireless signal is stronger when we are downstairs, but we are down mainly to do laundry and put our feet up and watch TV or a movie before retiring to bed or just recovering.

Anyways, I find some time now, since, though at work, things are very slow this Friday morning, and I have achieved nearly everything I wanted to get done today. I have sent off four attendees from our program to a meeting in Austin, TX. I have finalized all budgets pending and updated my projections. I am hopeful that 2008 will be a great year, since contractually, we have more than tripled our contracted budgets of 2007 and we are only yet in March. I wonder how the middle part of this year will go? If things continue at this pace, I may find myself not really knowing how to handle it all? Nah, I'll step it up a notch. :-D

So work is fantastic. The Fasting period just ended. We celebrated Naw Ruz (which actually means "New Day" .. though I have always referred to it as "New Year") .. but it does mark the Baha'i new year. So glad fasting is over though. Sunset nearing 8pm was just that much more testing than previous years, when I struggle anyways.

Ethan is just such a handful now. Fully embraced toddlerhood he has. Tantrum after tantrum. And since our communication is guess-work most of the time still, Ethan gets frustrated, and Kelly and I have no idea some times just what he wants. Draining. Always. So who's got time to blog when your pillow calling is a far greater ... calling?

Ethan is 18 months old. He is starting to "communicate" with everyone at his preschool. He feeds himself. Even attempts to brush his own teeth (or chew on his toothbrush). He is good with his jacket zipper and pulls his arms through and hands out by himself when we put on our jackets to leave the house in the morning.

I am getting excited about the gardening season - my first in our new home. It will be a lot of work though, since it is more difficult establishing and maintaining "garden beds" (here) when everything (weeds and all) grows everywhere and twice as big (compared to our home in Durham, NC).

I am also trying to price how much it will cost to have our deck screened. With tax returns coming, we can use a portion of this extra fund to make some home improvements :-D

The water level (of the lake) is much higher with recent rains we've received this past month. The drive along Dry Branch Road is so much more "scenic". Makes me really appreciate our location and feel good about the purchase of our home. Can't wait to break out the canoe too!!

Random entry, I know. Kelly has been doing well. Working hard. Gave a presentation to a group of elderly (Senior Circle) on the topic of Vaccinations. Kelly always works hard. She'll be very happy though since Krishelle and Jessica are coming to visit us first weekend in April. We should definitely take the canoe out then.

Love to everyone!! And do you still believe me when I say, "pictures coming soon?" .. Hopefully Kelly can help me out.

PhD For Shan!!

My dear friend Shannan successfully defended her PhD on Friday. Congratulations to you! After 5 years filled with many crises and rewards, self-doubt, and all the rest (you yourself know what these are, Shan) you have overcome them all! What a testament to just what you are capable of achieving, and I hope this is the begining of many more milestones and achievements for you.

I would like to think that I was a witness to your maturation from a first-year graduate student, to a newly annointed "doctor" and academician. But having gone through the same experience myself, I know that so much of it is down to personal grinding, some semblance of self-belief, and a lot of bad fast-food and late-nighters.

Friends help too. Often far removed from the very discipline you are engaged in day in and day out for years (huh? transcriptome-what?), still, these wonderful souls urge you on and keep you positive and forward thinking and quite often make the difference in times of tests.

And just how time flies.

When you were giving your final presentation, Shan, I could recall vividly the small stuffy room where I had to present my final talk, May 22nd, 2003. An error in the booking meant that I got half of a conference room (the other separated by an accordion divider thingy) and all of 40-50 people packed into a space with only 25 seats or so.

My external examiner (from the Netherlands) was running late (his flight delayed) which ultimately left me with 40 minutes to speed through my slides. Perhaps that situation really just aided in calming my nerves since everyone felt pity on me. But that feeling, when your "acknowledgments" slide appears and you have nothing left to say but "thank you" to all the people who have helped you along the way - truly, NOTHING compares to that feeling. (except for your wedding day, birth of your first-born, but as far as academic achievements go ...)

May you remember that moment, as I do mine, and treasure it forever as you make your way onwards, Doctor.

Hungry Hungry Hippo

Well, since it is my "lunch break", and I am not actually eating anything (because I'm fasting), and since I can't find any other (better) time to sit down and write a blog entry these days, here goes one ...

(not claiming any responsibility for how this entry will make sense or not since blood/brain glucose levels are surely waaaay low ... not too mention tummy grubmling is quite the distraction!)

So for the last day of Ayyam-i-Ha and the first day of the Fast, Kelly, Ethan and I spent time with our friends the Teskes in Jasper. Bella and Adib were their usual playful selves but were also overcoming some sickness. Still, Ethan loved playing and chasing and interacting with his friends.

We went to a local park with a toddler playground (on sand, instead of the usual mulch). Adib and Bella had a bunch of toys to play in the sand with including a bucket, dump truck, shovels/spades and the like. Ethan enjoyed scooping sand and filling up the truck or the bucket or any other place actually. Needless to say his shoes were filled with the grainy stuff! :-D

Ethan is now 17 months old. (did I write an entry for this milestone? hmmm... I don't think I did!) Another time maybe. He still only has 8 teeth (4 up, 4 down) and according to a pediatric report that Kelly showed me once, Ethan has up to 19 months (old) before his first set of molars are to break through/come in. Of course all of this is relative, since we know of some babies who went their whole first year and more without a nubbin' in site. So the pearlies will just have to come in when they come in. It is not preventing Ethan from eating a whole lot, since he manages to break his solid foods well, albeit a bit slower than Kelly or I would like.

I have a bunch of picture to upload still.

Yesterday, our family attended a work conference in Atlanta. Never again! It was such hard work coordinating Ethan and the various sessions, not to mention the huge disruption to his "regular routine" which toddlers live on (where/when to heat his food, where/when to sleep, where to change diappies). I think we will take each investigator meeting from now on, separately, either Kelly or myself, the other staying home with Ethan. These conferences are simply not family-friendly.

OK, 12:30pm, and I've noticed a couple work emails have just come in. And my tummy has stopped grumbling (for now).

Moon Sand

This past weekend our family stayed in Atlanta. Kelly attended a cardiology CME on Saturday from 7am-2pm, and thereafter we spent time doing shopping and activities for Ethan.

While Kelly was at the CME course, Ethan and I went back to our hotel which was next door to a Waffle House. Naturally we ate breakfast at the Waffle. It was my first experience having breakfast at one, and I have to say their waffles are pretty good (then again I was totally hungry).

Not knowing that I would smell like I had been sitting in a Waffle House for breakfast for nearly an hour, Ethan and I decided to go to the GA aquarium (the world's largest - I always have to say that it seems) where we have a family pass for one year. The time we bought these passes and took to seeing the aquarium for the first time Ethan was out asleep, only to awake in our final minutes there. This time, he was fully engaged and active, running around, curious, pointing at things, walking up to strangers and nearly begging for what they may be eating, the usual toddler mentality (that everything is entitled to them :-D).

Actually, Ethan was more interested in people than fishes. And afterwards, we walked around Centennial Olympic Park (adjacent to the aquarium, created in 1996 for the Atlanta Olympic games). Simple park, had some play area for children, but we were out so early and it was ever so slightly drizzling that the playground was all misty and wet.

So we went back to our hotel room. Ate lunch. Napped a bit. At 2:30pm we picked up mama and did the same things over again - aquarium and olympic park. We went to Babies R Us for some much needed shopping of 18 month old onesies. Some essentials you just can't have enough of, or, which is likely more accurate, he is going through a lot more clothes as a toddler in preschool when his clothes otherwise gets wet or dirty or both during water play, painting, clay or play doh work or outdoor play. Then for dinner we went to Persepolis (Persian Cuisine) and took our food to go since by that time it was past Noomsie's bedtime. Dinner was Joojeh Kabob (cornish hens) and kashk-e-bademjoon with bread. Yum! No seriously. Yum-Yum!!!

On Sunday we went to the Children's Museum and bought a family pass for one year there too. Inside are all these cool activities for children (infants to toddlers to older kids) - many of which Ethan does at his preschool. These include the usual painting station, blocks, shapes, a water play area, and more. The one station that I found really neat, was a "sand box" place filled with this stuff called "Moon Sand" (hence the title of this entry). This stuff is sort of like sand, but more moldable like play-doh. I only wish I took some home, since you could buy it on your way out in buckets of 5 or 10lbs. Perhaps I'll investigate online and buy it that way. Ethan just loved squishing the material with his hands, or with one of the many instruments to shape, scoop, or dump the material :-P It was interesting too, that Kelly was the only woman at this station. It was mainly the dads and their sons :-D Way cool. I think the dads were getting into it more than their kids.

Then we did a bit more shopping. I bought a Calvin Klein suit, and Kelly bought some clothes. Oh yea, and Kelly's boots were totally falling apart so we had to buy a new pair of shoes for her before we went anywhere.

TONS of pictures to come soon. And it seems the blogging may just be a once weekly thing from now on. Not enough time in the day/week.

February Family Birthdays

Happy Birthday Mom (Feb 19th), Carmel (21st), Ryu (22nd) and Shar (23rd)!

February is always a month packed with celebration in our family, what with four birthdays in as many days, as well as Ayyam-i-Ha, parties, dinners and get-togethers are simply the norm. This year for Ayyam-i-Ha, we are putting together gift packages for all of Ethan's preschoolmates, along with a short blurb on what Ayyam-i-Ha is and what it stands for.

Briefly, Baha'is celebrate Ayyam-i-Ha as a time of gift-giving, service, fellowship (hence the may parties) but more importantly, for spiritual preparation for the fasting month (19 days) that follows. Ayyam-i-Ha is celebrated from February 26-March 1st (plus February 29th on a leap year - which is the case this year!). The fasting month is from March 2nd to the 20th (sunset) and Naw Ruz (New Year) is on March 21st - coinciding with the start of spring (for us Northern hemisphere folks - start of Fall/Autumn for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere).

While fasting, Baha'is refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours, making for large(r) breakfasts before the sun rises, and sizeable dinners with plenty to drink once the sun sets.

Fat Or Fiction

Growing up I was always the "skinny kid" - more accurate actually I was always the SHORT and skinny kid in school. And puberty hit and I grew a foot! Quite literally: I was 4'6" in 1992 (grade 8) and 5'6" in 1994 (grade 10). Since then, I have maybe grown 2 inches to my current lofty height of 5'8" (with a fully spiked hair and some tennis shoes on). But, I was still light-set, and this bothered me.

Boy have times changed!

In highschool I was active and played sports virtually every day of the week (weekends included). Following graduation, and all throughout university, I maintained my frequent dose of sports through the intramurals program and working out at the gym (where I also worked part-time).

Life was good, body image was healthy, I looked more stalky (not fat), no complaints.

Fast forward several years of fast food (and marriage and a baby) and I am a robust dude. Or should I say rotund, round, and not just in the face, but a full-on belly. Hey, I hope you all find this amusing, because I have no issues about telling it like it is.

I am fat(ter) and need to get back in shape. So much for New Year resolutions, it is now February and my treadmill just arrived.

That's correct. Nothing was working out. Mountain terrain is hardly a place to go "jogging with my iPod". Someone has to look after Nooms. Can't leave Kelly alone (and Kelly's not interested in exercise). Can't go to the gym when you have to juggle work and Ethan and preschool? Bike to work? Geez. And, yes, the EXCUSES are longer than ... well, just long, ok?

And I was getting tired of doing nothing, so I did what I do best and that's spend money.

I bought this Gold's Gym MAXX 650 treadmill that I have yet to break in (it arrived on Wednesday). I hope to unpack and assemble it this weekend and run everday thereafter. (and I'd better get some regular motivation from my readers to "keep up with the exercise, Max!")

I want to be fit for our trip to BC in June when I hope to hang out with my bro and all of my buddies and for them to meet Ethan (many/most for the first time).

Running With Research

River Birch Research is picking up the pace!

So far in 2008, we have 5 active studies - already equal more than half the total (n = 8) of 2007 - and we are only a week into February. We have a COPD study, as well as a rheumatoid arthritis, anemia, stroke/atrial fibrillation and osteoarthritis of the knee. Due to confidentiality agreements we've signed, this is all I will say for that. But I am getting very excited about where we are going.

I have interviewed an applicant (Deb) for a study coordinator position, who we hope to hire very soon. With another full-time coordinator, and several other studies in the pipeline, and a stylish and clean new look to our website (www.riverbirchresearch.com) things are slowly coming together.

We have brought in a few providers and staff members to our research team. In just this past week, Dr. Leski (sport's medicine), Dr. Sabreen (nephrology and hypertension), Dr. Issa (internal medicine and pulmonology) and Cami (women's and perinatal nurse practitioner) have joined our team at River Birch!

Next week, I am meeting with Dr. Mannino (cardiology), Dr. Whaley (oncology) and Deb (coordinator applicant).

Unlike basic science research, I can actually see immediate results to things I implement. And I realized something about myself -- that I need this steady supply of rather "instant gratification" to keep motivated (something that happens all too infrequently in academic research).

I truly enjoy directing our whole program. Far from knowing for sure if the changes I am introducing will translate to financial gains, I am still hopeful we can meet and exceed "2003" - our last respectable fiscal year revenue-wise.

Another goal and personal challenge: a satellite branch for RBRA in Atlanta, GA.

Preschool A Success!

Ethan LOVES The Learning Depot. He completed his first week of preschool this week. He goes three times a week (T, W, Th) for now. Linda still looks after him Ms and Fs... but eventually we will transition him to full-time at TLD. In his first week, Ethan has played indoors and out with children slightly older than he is, experienced playing with Play-Doh, does gross motor play in a "jump room" where everything is "bouncy" and child safe, dabbles with art (he even brought home a piece of art work that he had scribbled!) and more ...

What impresses me is how detail-oriented TLD is in completing these "report cards" that are sent home with every child, EVERY DAY :-D They include things like what Ethan ate, in what quantity, when he slept, for how long, diaper changes, supplies needed, potty training, and such. There is this one part that reads, "Today I was:" and then an area to fill out. Ethan's "teacher" (for lack of a better term that escapes me just now) writes for Ethan such adjectives as "wonderful!" and "great!". So cute. (you know, it reads as if in Ethan's voice saying "Today I was wonderful" - ahh you get what I mean) ..

And the other children are so happy with Ethan - as if Ethan is a new class pet (everyone wants to touch and "pet" him) - partly because he is just so darn cute in his toddler outfits. The parents of Ethan's classmates sure have voiced their admiration for our little Noomsie and his dashing good looks.

Tomorrow will be back with Linda. It will be interesting to see how he does after three days (kinda like a long weekend anyways) away from her care. But we suspect no difference in his behavior or attachment to us or Linda, since he is quite used to her now and loves very much being in her care and with Lukie and Lilly to play with.

Next week, I think, Ethan's class at TLD gets a local clay artist come and visit and teach them some pottery. We'd better slip in a note to E's teacher to pay special attention so that noomz doesn't eat any of the clay. :-p

Sweet 16 (Months)

Ethan's 16 months has passed with little notice. It has been such a busy time for our family lately, I honestly don't know where all the time has gone. This is probably the longest I have gone without writing a blog entry. Sorry!

Ethan is doing well. Kelly and I should really be taking more videos of him, since he is just developing and changing daily now it seems. Speech is still (always) lagging. This can be frustrating for both parents and Ethan. His wheezing is now a regular occurrence and it is just a matter of time before he is "officially" diagnosed with asthma.

If not for Kelly, who I defer most/all of Ethan's health concerns to, I would not be able to stop worrying. I mean, breathing, so essential, the most essential of functions, to keep an active life - the very definition of this stage of toddlerhood that Ethan is in. But otherwise little slows Ethan. He is experimenting daily with things he gets away with which he should not. For example, climbing on to the dining chairs, and then on to the dining table. Pushing his toddler chair up to the kitchen counter to help him reach objects we purposely store in high places like the kitchen counter. Sticking his hand in the toilet bowl (he has sort of lost interest in flushing the toilet several times at least). And on and on...

Work is picking up for me, and Kelly and I have a bunch of meetings lined up that will just contribute to that added level of complexity that comes with having to coordinate everything which leaving home with a toddler demands. But time just zips by when we are stretched thin like this.

Ethan starts preschool next week. I start a full week schedule (instead of half days on Wednesdays).

Kelly is looking in to a CME course in June in Vancouver. Maybe we can coordinate our trip to BC then and make for a short vacation to catch up with friends. Long overdue!

All Fun & Games

Immediately after my flight from Las Vegas landed in Atlanta, I was making my way to meet Kelly, Ethan and friends to celebrate Kelly's successful passing of the Pediatrics board exam. Renea (her partner, Richard), Josie (and housemate Sarah), and the Teskes joined us in congratulating Kelly, with dinner at Okinawa in Ellijay. Our party took up an entire (and private) hibachi table/section. The children, Adib and Ethan, were especially interested in the cook and his tricks (and of course the flames!). Ethan kept on repeating, "Wooooooooooooow" albeit he was saying this for everything the cook did, even when the cook was merely cracking an egg.

Most of us then returned back to our home for what is quickly becoming a sort of tradition - games and tea and cake!! This night, however, there was another special reason to have cake: it was Sarah's birthday (today)! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Regeneron Investigator Meeting

Last Thursday I left to Atlanta to catch a flight to Las Vegas for an investigator meeting sponsored by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. On the way to the airport, I stopped by the nearest Toyota dealership for Kelly's 10,000 mile maintenance checkup. An oil and filter change, tire rotation and fluids check later, I was on my way to the airport's park-and-ride.

The flight to LV was more or less uneventful, which is always a good thing. The only exception was going through a thunderstorm in the first 15 minutes of the flight, which provided some uneasy moments for me (turbulence) but at least the storm provided good amounts of rain in Blue Ridge. Turbulence on flights always makes me worried.

I arrived at the airport in LV (for the first time) and was surprised to find slot machines in the airport! (I don't know why I was surprised). A shuttle service awaited us - several conference attendees. We stayed at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort which was about 24 miles or so away from "the strip" or the glitz of Vegas. The resort, situated in the desert in a sort of valley, surrounded by generous hills, the road or driveway leading to the entrance lined with palm trees, was really quite nice and impressive. We arrived around sunset and so you know I had to take some photos.

The meeting was over Thursday and Friday. Thursday's agenda was registration and dinner (which was fantastic BTW). Friday was the full day, starting at 7am for breakfast, concluding at 5:30pm or so. We were introduced to the study protocol, the investigational drug, the regulatory material, shipping of materials for lab testing, all the ins and outs of conducting this clinical trial. We received electronic data capture (EDC) training for this study also.

At 5pm, I get a text message from Ray (my boss) saying we have a ride waiting out front. -- I guess we were skipping the remainder of the meeting (which was only the wrap-up session and dinner left). Lee (Ray's wife) had a night on the town planned for us which included: (1) dinner at the ultra trendy nightclub and restaurant called Tao (located at the Venetian hotel) -- asian bistro cuisine, (2) a stroll through some of the hotels and shops at the strip, (3) gelato at the Venetian for dessert .. and best of all (4) tickets to the show La Reve, which was showing at the swanky (new) hotel, the Wynn.

I have to thank the Tidmans, especially Lee, for organizing this evening and for including me. They planned to stay an extra day/night and I am sure their Saturday would have included all of this though not necessarily the exact itinerary. But knowing I was leaving very early on Saturday, the Tidmans decided to quickly come up with a night on the town for my first Vegas experience. Thank you! There's nothing like experiencing Vegas the Tidman way: personal drivers to and from hotel (no waiting for taxis), near front row seats at our show, and more.

La Reve

Now I can say: Been there, done that -- I should have bought the book! This show rocked. A la Cirque (de Solei?), La Reve was absolutely breathtaking. The light show, the athletic and jam packed routines were just unbelievable. The difference between Cirque and Reve, I think, is that the latter is focused on utilizing water in their shows (diving, that sort of thing). The theatre being dome-shaped, and I don't know if I can explain what I am about to say and do justice to this one part of the show ... where, at ever increasing heights, performers (and as part of the routine or show) were being "dropped" into the pool -- and we're talking heights of 30-40 feet!! ... And then, this one last "diver", was lifted through and out the top of the theatre ceiling (usually the case if the performer is changing to another costume or whatever for the next scene) .. only for the brief suspense of nothing happening broken by the re-entry of this performer down to the pool - OK some 60-75 feet?? It was ridiculous! R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S! Here I thought this part of the show was over and on to the next, when this final guy comes through the theatre dome top to be dropped into water, perfectly vertical, little splash. Gasp! Needless to say the appreciative crowd gave a thunderous applause and many oohs and aahs. (don't people die at impact at those heights? hmmm)

Late and exhausted we returned to the hotel. I had but a few hours before I had to meet my shuttle service at the lobby the following morning for an early flight back.

So much for what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

40 Of 137 Will Have To Do

With some reshuffling of photos, I managed to squeeze in a selection of pics from this past weekend with Carmel, Vipul and family. I failed to mention (see entry below) that we also went to Mercier apple orchard - at least the shop, since there isn't much to see in the orchard in January. Mercier in Blue Ridge always has the BEST apple cider and fried apple pies - yum! Anyways, check out the album in My Picasa (on right).

Lakhanis Visit

Last weekend the Lakhanis came to visit us. Carmel, Vipul, Kavi and Layli spent the weekend in our home. We took them to downtown Blue Ridge and did a bit of shopping and browsing through the many stores selling local art crafts and furniture, and many antique shops. We went into art gallery stores, fudge shops, and the Great Eats delicatessen for lunch.

Will write more in a separate entry or update this one. For now, I am trying to upload the many pictures we took that weekend. I have run out of space on my Picasa and Flickr accounts, and so I am trying to open a Photobucket account. There are many free photo album sites. Any recommendations? Or, since I am clearly a trigger-happy photo enthusiast, I should just invest in a real (paid-for) account with unlimited space?

Anyways, soon I hope to have these pictures up.

One thing I will say about this past weekend, it was relaxed and so much fun being with our old friends again. And what an adorable - and ALWAYS smiling - lovely baby girl, Layli.

Huh?

OK, so it's not as hot as this picture portrays. Was it not just a few days ago I posted an entry saying just how cold it was? 4F (-16C) ring a bell? Well, Earth no longer remembers, that's for sure. Today it is 70F (21C).

The Learning Depot

This past week has been filled with many new and exciting things.

One thing that has transpired over the past few days that both Kelly and I feel very excited about, is the discovery of this place in Blue Ridge called The Learning Depot.

Both Kelly and I are working parents, and like many, we too experience the rollercoaster of emotions that come with parenthood. This ride or journey takes us through guilty valleys, and deserving peaks, and loop-to-loops of toddlerhood. In particular, when the topic of Ethan's care and early education comes about, this dynamic coaster is in full gear.

With much investigation and heartache, we were pleased to find a nice home and very loving caregivers for Ethan. Linda and Jimmie Gray, better known as mi-maw (grandma) and pa-paw (grandad) have taken very good care of Ethan the past couple of months, and Noomsie really enjoys Lukie and the other infants currently also cared for by the Grays.

But with toddlerhood comes new challenges, and finding a solution for Ethan that would keep up with his increasingly curious mind and mobility was a very real issue Kelly and I now had to face. As wonderful as Linda has been in providing the best "care" for Ethan, what is needed now is someone who can provide more hands-on activities, and the exploration of many new learning opportunities.

Enter, The Learning Depot.

Back when we were looking for childcare for Ethan, we visited one particular center (name not mentioned) and en-route, drove by The Learning Depot. At the time of course, we were merely intersted in getting to this foreign address and just last week, Kelly thought to contact TLD and see what they have to offer.

By the act of God, TLD was exactly what we have always been looking for, and that we thought would not be available here in Blue Ridge. TLD is a learning center, a preschool based on the philosophy or approach of Reggio Emilia - Italian early childhood educator. (similar to Montessori)

The Reggio Emilia approach to education is committed to the creation of a learning environment that will enhance and facilitate children's construction of his or her own powers of thinking through the combination of all the expressive, communicative and cognitive languages.

As God would have it, TLD accepts children no younger than 16 months (preferably 18 months old). Ethan is 15 1/2 months old. And a 2 1/2 year old boy is leaving town by the month's end, making available one spot in February (when Ethan just turns 16 months old). Class sizes are small (5 children per age grouping per one instructor). Ethan's class will have 5 children, but 2 are part-time/morning, leaving only 3 children to one instructor in the afternoon.



The children do "social play", music activities, hands-on art activities in an art studio that includes pottery instructed by a local clay artist (!!), outside play, gross motor play (bouncy room), "science", and many others. The children have nap times and also snack times, and with each and everything they do, the children are involved: set up cots to sleep in, put away, wash hands and set up table setting to eat, clean up, and so with each learning responsibility and a sense of self, others and sharing.

This Wednesday, I will go with Ethan for his "first day" but only to see how a day's activity is carried out, and the afternoon, Kelly will go back with Ethan. Once we get a sense of TLD in action, we will make our official registration.

www.learningdepotpreschool.com

Board Certified

Nervous and trembling, Kelly opens her email which would tell her whether or not she passed her Pediatrics board exam she sat in October. Everyone that knows Kelly probably had no worry at all that she would pass. Easy to be on that side of the fence, isn't it? Well, y'all are right! Kelly passed and is now a "board certified" pediatrician!

What a long road. Already with her Georgia medical license she can practice both her specialties in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, but board exams make it all the more official (and are they required, Honey?).

In any case, one down, one to go. Kelly is already registered to sit the Internal Medicine board exam in August. Luckily for her, the medicine boards is a one day exam, compared to the pediatrics one which is covered over two exhausting days.

www.riverbirchresearch.com

Several weeks in the working and our company's website is now much more polished and more or less complete. Thanks to my friend Frank Lam, we now have a professional presence on the internet to reflect the quality of work we do in clinical research.

Frank has put up with my many "requests" for changes or ideas, many of which are still ongoing as we strive to put together the best website for our company's current needs. But this is not merely my own vision. Oh no. Frank has inputted many of his own ideas and design elements, many of which I initially would "gently" disagree with, but later find Frank's eye for webpages and his ideas more appropriate and aesthetic than my own. And for this, your own critical decisions for our site, I thank you immensely.

So as we strive to bring more clinical trials studies to Northern Georgia, I welcome you all to view our new look at www.riverbirchresearch.com.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

'08 has been thus far, freezing.

Too cold! The drive to work this morning: 8F (-14C).

We finally got some snow, though nothing compared to my Canadian friends' and families' standards. See My Picasa.

Perhaps it's the wind? or just not being used to cold weather lately? ... brrrrrrrrrr!

NYE With The Teskes

Happy 2008!! We rung in the New Year with our friends, The Teskes. Sevda and Michael graciously hosted dinner prior to (Nineteen Day) Feast.

THANK YOU!!

And when the kids retired for the evening, and our other friends and guests had left also, the few remaining watched a bit of Planet Earth while sipping hot tea and eating chocolates. (Totally laid-back, home-style New Year's). When suddenly, engrossed in a scene of mountain cats and baboons, Orville reminds us it was midnight! Out with the sparkling grape juice, a few toasts, a group photo later, 2008 was officially ushered in. Kelly and I, exhausted as we were then called it a night, but apparently Sevda, Michael and Co. still stayed up to watch Memoires of a Geisha. Ah, good for you guys. We slept the night at the Teskes and are now back at home.

And guess who decided to come back? Sparky!! More later. (Josie, we need the cat food back! Hahaha)

Holiday Meals With Friends

Josie and Sarah and company invited us to join them in their Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in their home this year. And so the turkey I had purchased to cook for Thanksgiving - all 18lbs of her - was kept frozen until this past week when Kelly and I offered to host dinner and games at our home.

It was the first time I had ever cooked a whole turkey by myself. With the help of mom's own recipe, and some searching for other "tricks" online, I pulled it off! The bird tasted pretty good! :-D Hahaha... I just wish I had taken a picture of my cooking labour prior to us all digging in.

But here's a picture of our spread after all was had.

And so with this, I would like to return the thanks to Josie and Sarah for making us feel like part of the family, and now, we truly have a family with whom we can play the many games we all enjoy!!! Hahaha.. A sort of belated Happy Thanksgiving in a way.

Here's to many special gatherings together!

Happy 2008 to all.