Saturday, April 29, 2006

New Ella Chair in Living

A new chair has been ordered by Ella. She had a swivel rocker sent ahead for her next visit. She has graciously given permission for others to sit in it in her absence if they sit carefully and are clean. She also said Fletcher was allowed to sit in it.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

So relaxing

I'm not really sure how I came across this site, but it's worth checking out. I've only played the first game (the one with all the little bugs that look like the beetles you see everywhere), so I can't comment on the others, but the thing I love most is the music. I actually can't even figure out how to play the rest of them. It would be a great game to play at work, say when everything gets really quiet and you have your speakers on really loud. That would be nice.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

the local bison

I'm about halfway through my last week of classes, and things are starting to pile up pretty well. I was working on a paper about the book of Daniel earlier this evening at the library, but we're supposed to be having a "floor meeting" about clearing out our rooms and stuff. So, I'm just sitting around waiting for this here floor meeting to commence. Since I'm so busy, I've reasoned that the best way to use my time would be to spend it writing a blog update for all you bored family members.

Vicky came out and visited a week or so ago. As always, when she visits, I get to put on my tourist hat and go do rather touristy things around Chicago. I'm not actually sure if that's more for her sake or for mine. Anyway, we spent an afternoon at the Fermilab National Particle Accelerator. Sadly, I never got to see the actually accelerator. They buried it so no one could look at it. In the end, I just had to be content looking at some bison that they transplanted into a nearby field in an attempt to distract the visitors from all the national secrets hidden deep within the facility's complex. Actually, the truth is that I have no idea why there was a herd of bison napping around in the field. Fermilab has a lot of land (thousands of acres), so I guess they're just trying to share the land a little bit.


For all you doubters out there, ever suspicious that I simply nabbed this award-winning photograph from the internet somewhere, I have other indisputable proof that I visited Fermilab. There's only one or two buildings that visitors are allowed into. One is the rather boring-looking visitors center (not even worth taking a picture of). The other is a tall building (compared to the cathedrals of France in the little visitor's guide) that houses most of the offices for the engineers and physicists. It's a weird looking building that reminds me vaguely of a nuclear powerplant. The inside is actually interesting, as it's hollow in the middle, all the way to the top. In other words, offices that lack a window outside get a window that looks out into the middle of the building. Sadly I did not take a picture of this. I just took a picture of the tour de concrete from a distance.

Vicky and I also checked out some of Frank Lloyd Wright's stuff in the nearby town of Oak Park. We paid a whopping $6 each to walk around a church that he designed. I later decided that it would have been much cheaper to go to the chuch Sunday morning disguished as a parishioner. I could have even put a healthy $5 in the offering plate and still come out ahead. Anyway, it's a pretty small church and probably couldn't seat more than 100 people. It seemed cozy enough inside. Speaking of cozy, it actually had a couple fireplaces elsewhere in the building. Imagine, this was only built for $60,000. Calvary paid well over $3 million for their new building and I don't see anyone willing to fork over $6 to walk around the rotunda taking pictures.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Mike Barnhart - "A Real Man of Genius..."

I wanted to thank you Mike, for helping to raise Janell with the proper abilities to mow a lawn well. I appreciate that I can sit here in my cushy chair and type this blog message. So, to you Mike Barnhart, I salute you. You are a "real man of genius".

(This message is in no way endorsed or supported by the fine folks in Bud Light's marketing department.)

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

A McCannsRule Teaser...

Check out the McCannsRule blog for more on this picture...

Monday, April 17, 2006

Photos, photos, and MORE PHOTOS!

Greetings, fellow Barnharts. This short post is to inform you that our photosite has been updated. That's right. Ella did not stop aging at 3 months of age. She's now up to about 7 months (on the site). However, because of the great quantity of photos to upload, as well as my limited amount of available time to work on the project, none of the photos are labeled. I'm hoping to get to that relatively soon. At least the photos are in chronological order! Your patience in this matter is greatly appreciated.

Please, no disparaging remarks about my lack of organization and time-management. None of you has been mom to an infant - and most of you haven't even been parents. I welcome only encouraging and thankful comments, which may increase the number of photos that get uploaded of you with Ella (if I have them available).

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Laketon Soccer Going to the Dogs!

In a highly anticipated scrimmage this past Thursday, the allstar Laketon U-14 boy team versed the girl team they shared the field with. Unfortunately, only half the team was there; the other half were scrimmaging the U-16 boys travel team. The game began, the boys cocky and ready, the girls determined to win. But, alas, in the end, the girls won 4-0. Now, before you jump to conclusions about this boy team, even though we were yet again beat today by North Muskegon today(3-1), and even though the other half of the team tied the travel team. Perhaps instead the coaching is bad, perhaps the parents are undersupportive, but whatever it is, it is extremely clear, it is not the boys fault we lost, it is the Laketon Township Soccer Council and the coaches. "It's going to the dogs!", a certain Devon Joslin said Thursday, who coincidentally is son of Coach Joslin, partner coach of U-14 Laketon team. "It's not our fault at all!", an anonymous source put in. As you can see, the Laketon Soccer Association is under a dark rule of corruption. "I have to wear shoes my older brother's wore, were so undersupported by our parents!", Daniel Underhill said in a secret interview behind the dumpsters after the game on Saturday. As the evidence shows, it isn't the kids fault, it is the fault of the parents and the Coaches. "The Laketon Soccer Association and coaches will not be held responsible for poor losing", president of Laketon soccer said, who is also partner coach in the boys U-14 team. But, will he? As the season progresses, we will see where the problem is, the coaches and undersupporting parents, or the boys team who "just can't get it together".

-Daniel Groundwalker, elite writer of Barnhart Central and associates

Here's an idea...


Does anyone else think David might need a new digital camera? Ah, and his graduation/birthday are just around the corner...any takers?
By the way, I'd like to clarify that the previous post attributed to my name was written by none other than the evil McAndy and does not in any way reflect my beliefs or perception of this blog. Please feel free to retaliate in any way you see fit. (providing it doesn't negatively affect me in any way of course). To the left you'll see documented proof that Andy is very mischevious and has been scheming from the time he was small. I call this the gray coat face.

The new moon (or the new camera, rather)

This has been a long time in coming, and I am most confident that it has been eagerly awaited. After having taken my first round of award-winning astronomic photographs a few weeks ago, I wanted to upgrade my equipment and take even more incredible pictures. First I bought a tripod. That was cheap. $3 at the thrift store. Next I needed a state-of-the art ultramegepixal camera. Neither was that cheap nor at the thrift store. In the end, I just talked a friend of mine into going outside and taking pictures with his new, high-powered-zoom camera. Daniel, take note of this: his camera had a 12x zoom on it, just like yours. That means you should be able to take the same sort of pictures, with a little fiddling around.

Anyway, I wanted to put this picture of the moon up so that everyone can compare it with the dismal failure of a picture that I took with my own camera a few weeks ago. One picture was taken with a 2-megapixel, 3x zoom camera. The other was taken with a 5-megapixel, 12x zoom camera. It's a game! See if you can guess which picture belongs to which camera!


Ella says "Hey, how did this Oobleck get on my toy? "

Friday, April 14, 2006

Go Cart leaves Barnhart Motorsports


"Lies and broken promises!" That was the venom spewing from the Go Cart as it headed out of the Barnhart Motorsports complex last Saturday. "I'll be back to show you!" it screamed from the back of the pickup truck that carried it away. Thus ended the painful relationship between the Barnhart Motorsports team and the Go Cart. As late as one week ago the team was searching for the right engine and sprocket to put the Go Cart into running order, however, it became apparent when the team abruptly switched its efforts and financial backing from the Go Cart to the Mini Bike, that things had run amok in the long and slow efforts to make something of the Go Cart.

"We hated to see it end this way" stated Mike Barnhart, crew chief with Barnhart Motorsports, "We had every intention of getting that Cart up and running until just this week". "If we could have gotten more co-operation, we think things may have turned out very differently." "We just couldn't work with it anymore", said Barnhart. "When the opportunity to work with the Mini Bike came up, it was just too good to pass up". Barnhart explained that the next day after the Mini Bike was brought in, the Go Cart began to demand to be sold or traded to another team. "I just hope it can work out somewhere else, sometimes those things do, I wish it the best of luck" concluded Barnhart.

The Go Cart was contacted at it's new owners location, "I am really hurt and angry over this whole situation!" "I had been promised to be brought up to running order for years, then they bring in this sassy little mini bike frame and in one day have the sprocket mounted on the rear wheel and purchased a new engine!" "If they think I'm just going to sit here and rust away while they continue to lie to me and put me off, then they have another thing coming" "My hope is the new owners will see the potential in me that I know exists, and will get me up and running soon." "I am really hoping to meet that little prissy mini bike out on the trail some day and kick some dirt down it's intake!"

It's Time to Get a Little Bit Presidential

Well it's been two years since I first threw out this challenge - long enough that I even forgot about it until I started cleaning out my inbox today. You may remember this as the last time you had real fun or the last time you got any exercise or both. Either way, I'm renewing my exercise challenge. You might also say I'm exercising my right to challenge. Or, you might not.

Here's what to do: Find the website http://presidentschallenge.org/index.aspx. Then logon (if you can remember your old username and password) or create a login. You will be able to log daily activity in exchange for points - no strings attached!!! Of course, it is your patriotic (and presidential) duty to join in this effort. Though you may now be overjoyed at the thought of earning points for taking out the garbage, I tell you the best is yet to come. That's because you will also want to register with the group 'not2fit' - a special BaCe exclusive. Once in the group, you can track your progress against others. See the canned message below for details.

Who knows, maybe we can have a monthly prize for the most active person. I have a head start, of course, since I began my active lifestyle yesterday. But we won't start keeping track and charging demerits until the first of May. David - I would like to suggest that baton twirling and unicycling will not be acceptable this time around.

The group name is 'not2fit'
The group ID number is '7293'
Your group member ID/Name will be your favorite arcade game or your favorite pizza topping.


:::CANNED MESSAGE BELOW:::

YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE!
[YOUR NAME] has started a group to take the President's Challenge together: [GROUP NAME]. And you're invited to be part of it!
WHAT IS IT? The President's Challenge is a series of programs designed to help improve anyone's activity level. Joining a group is a great way to make staying active easy.
To learn more about the President's Challenge, go to: http://www.presidentschallenge.org
WHY JOIN? Staying active with others can be a lot of fun. They'll help keep you motivated - even when you don't really feel like it. Groups are a great way to meet new people. There are even programs for people at different activity levels: the Active Lifestyle program aimed at beginners, and the Presidential Champions program for those who are already active.
Signing up for a group is simple. And there's no limit to how any you can belong to. You can join or leave at any time. All you have to do is register. It's quick, and there's no cost just to participate!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO JOIN:
1) Go to http://www.presidentschallenge.org/login/register_individual.aspx
2) Fill out the registration form. * Be sure to include the following info during registration *
Your Group ID Number: [GROUP NUMBER] Your Group Member Number: [MEMBER NUMBER] 3) After registering, start logging your activities. As you log activities you'll be able to track your progress toward winning a President's Challenge Award or Medal.
Good luck!
----------------------------------------------------------------- -- The President's Challenge -- http://www.presidentschallenge.org -----------------------------------------------------------------

:::END CANNED MESSAGE BELOW:::

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Let's hear it for the woodworker in all of us

I was inspired today by a few pieces of furniture and since it isn't most days that furniture inspires me, I decided to see what you guys think too. Check out this link and let me know what your favorite piece is: http://www.jakecress.com/index.htm.

You'll be looking for the Animated Furniture link. Just so nobody else claims it first, my favorite is "How to Build Furniture". Of course, for these prices I might be tempted to create some of my own. As a matter of fact, I think I've created some pieces that come pretty close to these unintentionaly.

And lets have a picture of that bookcase that I heard about, KenobiDan.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Here comes "the arch rival"

Well, Barnharts...I have accessed your so called "blog". It sounds more like the rantings and ravings of some Muskegon Psych Ward. Objects with emotions, blog hogs, Microsoft, and Don Johnson/James Bond. All are just slightly off center, if you know what I mean. I am considering pursuing a more formal investigation of this possible security breach at Pine Rest. I'll post the results on the far superior, McCann's Rule Blog. I'm not sure about this AdSense lunacy. Anyone with an ounce of brain matter could see that we are not profiting from our blog.

So, visitors to the Barnhart blog, heed my warning. All is not as it may seem...

Saturday, April 08, 2006

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Welcome, and Don't Forget to Change Your Clocks (last week)

This is a public service announcement. The public is hereby invited to Barnhart Central, or BaCe, for the purpose of a late reminder.

REMINDER: Don't forget to change your clocks last week, early Sunday morning. If you forgot to change your clocks, you may have experienced the following natural, but unnecessary, symptoms.
  • People looked at you funny as you came into work all week and didn't bring a box of 'late apology' doughnuts.
  • Your favorite local dairy decided to change its hours and open earlier, along with every other store in town. Suddenly, you have time for that breakfast cone on your way to work.
  • That new high-tech clock on your wall malfunctioned and skipped ahead an hour, but you fixed it by changing the time zone.
  • Your TV show is never on anymore - now you have to watch an infomercial.

Please take the extra effort to change your clocks now if you forgot last week. Please note the possible symptoms of clock-changing listed below.

  • You feel like you have jet lag, but your work commute is only 20 minutes.
  • You start talking like an Easterner even though you live in Minnesota/Illinois - clearly you are a Centralist
  • You suddenly realize that you have a million tiny devices that keep track of time. Why does your Tamagotchi have to keep time anyway?

This has been a public service announcement. And now, for the welcome. I would like to welcome Steve to the Barnhart Central Blog. As the last Barnhart male to contribute (except for Andy the Arch-Rival blogger), he is especially welcome. I would encourage you all to send him your accolades (Please do not confuse this with Escalades. He does not want your Escalades). And now, I would like to offer a challenge. I challenge all the zeroeth Barnhart females to contribute. We all know you can write. We just want to know if you can handle such a large (and now public) audience. You've seen Mike rise to great literary heights, now lets see what your best has to offer.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Why is this mini bike happy?


Because Daniel and his Dad have rescued it from a motorbike junkyard and it is hoping to be zipping around soon.

Why is this go cart crying?


Because it was promised an engine and whatever else it needed to run and was dumped in favor of a cute little mini bike.

Why is Mike crying?


Because his vacation is almost over and it rained on his unraked leaves all last night. He is now reflecting on a perfect week for raking leaves squandered on fun and frivolity.

Why is this car smiling?


Because it feels good. It just had it's front struts replaced and the wheels aligned. It is ready to roll into town and strut around.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Monday, April 03, 2006

In the first picture, you can see the fuel lines from the fuel sending unit that came off the old tank. They said," We have never leaked before, just put us on the new tank and every thing will be fine" But I said to them "You guys are 13 years old and everyone knows how teenagers lie, your outta there!". So I replaced the fuel lines too. In the next picture you will see the new fuel tank all snug and happy under the car. In the last picture you will see a proud car, no longer ashamed of leaking gas on driveways and parking lots. And also happy because I just changed it's oil too.




Sunday, April 02, 2006

James Bond meets Don Johnson

Hey Guys. Here are some pictures. Hope you like them. Thanks!





Look Lisa I'm really fixing it

This is proof positive to Lisa that I am fixing her car. Or at least is proof that I am tearing her car apart. See the pictures of your car with it's rear end up in the air? If you look closely you will see that it is gastankless. Then the picture where the old gas tank is trying to hide behind the tree? It was saying " I wasn't really leaking, I was just condensating, don't take me to the junkyard" But in the final picture I caught it in plain site and said " I caught you in the very act of leaking and it wasn't condensate buddy, it was gasoline" . "Guilty as charged" Tomorrow morning I will collect the new tank and steel lines I ordered anb hopefully put it all back together again.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Bike Ride To The Lake

Hello fellow Barnharts. I have just returned from a long bike ride to and from the lake. At first I thought I would just ride my bike there and visit my friend Alex who lives on Scenic Drive. But, as it turns out when I called, he wasn't there. So, I decided I would just ride my bike to Pioneer Park and visit the lake, and take some pictures. Unfortunately, dad wouldn't let me go swimming. So, after pumping up the front tire on dad's bike, gathering my camera, filling up a waterbottle, strapping it onto the bike, and suiting up, I was ready to go. So, I went. I made my first stop at LJ's Pantry. I had a little break, then set off again. The next stop I made was at the lake. I spent about 15 minutes there and then set off again. Then I stopped at the Giles Road Baptist Church for another break. I also stopped to look at some ducks swimming in the water in the ditch on the side of the road. Then, when I got home, I hid behind a tree along the driveway and I prank called dad on his cell phone that I had taken with me, telling him I had a flat tire on Benjamin Road. Then I road up triumphantly and surprised dad. So, here are some of the pictures that I took: