Author Archives: joel

Scenes from Space #43

Posted on June 22, 2008 by joel
I think it's been almost a year since I last put up a "Scenes from Space" post, but this is a special occasion. On June 13th, at 12:05 PM, GLAST (the Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope) was launched into orbit. One of the instruments on that satellite is called the GLAST Burst Monitor (GBM), and I was involved in the software development effort for that instrument. So good luck GLAST! And if anything goes wrong, I swear it wasn't me. :)

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Look at Those Mugs!

Posted on May 28, 2008 by joel
These are just some leftover pictures from the long weekend - check out those grins!



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Maudslay State Park

Posted on May 28, 2008 by joel
We went to Maudslay State Park over the long weekend - twice, in fact. The first time, we stepped out of the van, put brand new batteries in the camera, turned it on, and it immediately started complaining about dead batteries. It's actually been doing that a lot lately, so we finally decided to buy a new camera, and went back to Maudslay on Monday. The kids loved both trips, pictures notwithstanding. The did a great job walking, and we had a nice little picnic lunch by the river. Sean saw a lot of boats, a few jet skis, and he swears he saw a submarine. :) We probably racked up about 2-3 miles each time. The loved the whole experience, which I find really encouraging - as I've got high hopes for them wanting to hike more with me in the future.



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Putting Them to Work

Posted on May 28, 2008 by joel
This past weekend, the kids and I washed the van. Or more accurately, Sean and I washed the van, and Carter alternated between running away from the hose and raiding the cookie bag when nobody was looking. Sean had a blast, but I think he underestimated how much actual -work- is involved in washing a van. When we first filled the buckets and were ready to start, Sean grabbed a sponge, rubbed it three times on a fender, and exclaimed "all clean!"



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Speechless

Posted on May 10, 2008 by joel
I'm not sure what to say about this one - I think it speaks for itself. :)


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Backyard Exploration

Posted on May 10, 2008 by joel
With the steadily warming weather, the kids have been getting a lot of time outside lately. Sean is starting to want to explore the woods around the fringes of the yard. And Carter is climbing up and going down the slide all by herself now. What a big girl!


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Trip to the Beach

Posted on May 10, 2008 by joel
A few weekends ago, we took the kids to the beach. This was the first time either of the kids had ever seen the ocean. It was too chilly for swimming, of course, but we explored plenty. We brought home a rock that had been smoothed by the ocean and sand, and now it is on our mantle. Every night when we head up to bed, Sean says goodnight to his "special rock from the beach", as he calls it. Then, on the way up the stairs he tells me all about all of the things we saw and did at the beach. We can't wait to take them back this summer, when it's warm enough for them to experience the waves as well.


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Leftovers

Posted on April 11, 2008 by joel
Just some cute leftover pics, that didn't have any unifying theme. But I still wanted to put them up anyway - so enjoy.


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The Great Escape

Posted on April 11, 2008 by joel
Sound the alarm! Put out an APB! Carter, the notorious master criminal, has enacted her escape! After using her dastardly cuteness to lull the guards into relaxing their vigilance, she has stolen the keys to a vehicle and made a break for it. If anyone spots her, please contact the NH State Police. She is 2 feet tall, 20 pounds, rosy-cheeked, and was last seen in a pink jacket and blue jeans. Be advised, due to the potency of her crooked grin, she is to be considered armed and dangerous!




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So Happy Together

Posted on April 11, 2008 by joel
The kids are becoming closer and closer friends as time goes by. They do everything together, and - knock on wood - they don't ever fight. The only time either of them gets upset with each other is if Sean takes a toy from Carter - but he usually feels bad and gives it back. It makes me so happy to see them together. It's the highlight of my day.



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