Christmas vacation - skiing

We made it to MD on Wednesday and just relaxed all day Thursday. Friday we went to Ski Liberty (about an hour away) and had a blast. The kids all did terrific, and Michelle and I managed well. We were exhausted, but no injuries. The only loss was Matt's glasses which lost a lens on the last run of the day.

DC/LA Christmas Party #4

Hard to believe this is our fourth year in LA and so many of our dear friends from DC still live here (and the Crowe/Warfords joined us this year!).

Here's some photos...

Bienvenue a Montreal

I'm in Montreal, QC, CA this week for a conference. I've had a great time so for with my dear friend Dr. Crisp and others. It's about 10 degrees outside and there is 8-inches of snow on the ground from a storm last week. I'm meeting a Graziadio School alum tonight for a visit to Montreal's world-famous jazz clubs. Should be a blast. I'll post some photos tomorrow. The photo above is the view down Boulevard Rene-Levesque. What a wonderful city...

A new look...

I am trying a new look for the blog. It's nice to sport a new color a few times a year. :-)

Money & Moral Balance

I recommend listening to an excellent audio program from Speaking of Faith (a NPR Program). It's about keeping some semblance of financial perspective through the holidays. Very good!

Money and Moral Balance [Speaking of Faith® from American Public Media]

Coming to a mailbox near you...

2007 Christmas Card

Winter in Malibu

2007-Q4-Webster Jog-a-thon

The jog-a-thon this year was winter themed rather than the more traditional Halloween theme. It was a blast (although I missed it this year to grade term papers). They actually had snow at Webster! Someone brought in a snow-blower and they made snow all over the place. They had a little sledding hill and an igloo full of snow for snow-ball fights. The kids had a blast.

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Matthew's Big Day

Matthew was chosen by the Malibu Optimists as a Malibu Young Leader! It was such an honor. He was honored at a breakfast attended by adults from the community, then a Sheriff's Deputy took him and other leaders (2 from each public school in Malibu) for a day with City Officials. He met the Mayor, City Council, and the judge. It was a terrific day for Matt and an honor for all of us. Be sure to congratulate him!

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Long-delayed update...

Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Here are the final photos from our day avoiding the fires.

While this fire was much less damaging to Pepperdine, it was much more damaging to Malibu. Somewhere around 50 homes were completely destroyed. One of Madison's friends lost her home completely. They didn't get a thing from the house, not even a purse. One of Matt's friends also lost his house, but it was not destroyed by fire. The smoke damage exceeded the value of the structure so they also suffered a terrible loss.

Keep these families in your prayers over this holiday season.

Another day in Malibu...

For the second time in a month, we were awakened early to evacuate for nearby fires. This time the fires were on "our side" of the campus. As you can see from this photo, the fires were right behind our house. We later learned that these fires were still a mile away, but they looked very close.

We left the house the first time at 5am and came home about 8:30. Then they relocated us again at about noon. We were at the Campus Center until 5pm or so. What a day. The kids loved it, but Michelle and I were exhausted from the emotional stress. Nothing on campus was lost, but nearly 50 homes in Malibu were destroyed.

The fire dept. used the Pepperdine campus as a base for the fire-fighting operation. So all day there were dozens of choppers landing at Alumni Park to refill with water from the two "duck ponds" there. There were also 15-20+ firetrucks on campus most of the day. The constant roar of fixed-wing aircraft filling their tanks with water from the Santa Monica Bay and dropping it overhead was amazing. I hope I have some video footage of it, but Matt was playing with the camcorder so much I may have run out of batteries. :-)

As far as I know everyone is safe and there was no loss of life. Certainly a memorable Thanksgiving weekend.

We just left the house again. This is right behind our house.

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Another fire in Malibu. We're

Another fire in Malibu. We're fine but in the caf. Will post more later.

Birthday photos...

Here are some birthday photos from yesterday's celebrations...

Happy birthday, Marcus!

Today is Tater Tot's 5th Birthday! It's hard to believe my baby boy is already five years old. Today at 3pm we're having a big Transformer party and our whole block is invited for cupcakes and games. Should be fun!

In view of this big day, here are a few links to Marcus' first days of life...

• Day One


• Day Two


• Day Three


• Day Four


• Day Five


• Day Six


• More...

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Illegal filesharing and Universities

Illegal filesharing is a problem. One of the biggest centers for this type of activity is university campuses. My alma mater, Indiana University, recently sent an email to all students alerting them of a new policy. According to a policy going into effect January 1, 2008, any student who is notified by a copyright owner that they have violated copyright policy by downloading illegal content (from sites such as Limewire and Bit Torrent) will be billed $50 to their Bursar bill. I think this is a very interesting development and likely to be followed by many universities around the country. For more info, check out IU's filesharing resource site.

Rediscovering Reinhold Niebuhr

One of my favorite books from seminary was "Christ and Culture" by Richard Niebuhr. This week I've enjoyed an audio program dealing with the current relevance of Richard's brother Reinhold Niebuhr for understanding the role of morality in struggling with the immorality of political realities. While politics is "a good", it is inherently flawed compared to the perfect outcomes of grace. Thus, it is only a relative good and any political choice is not between "good" and "evil", but between "immoral" and "more immoral". I recommend this "Speaking of Faith" program. It's very good...

Moral Man and Immoral Society: Rediscovering Reinhold Niebuhr

Fire Damage

Fire Damage

There's evidence everywhere of the fire damage from a few weeks ago. I keep meaning to bring my camera out and snap some photos of the blackened trees, rocks, and hillside. I hope I do it before it gets washed away.

Here is a photo I took with my mobile phone today. It's a tree by the parking lot at the kid's school. You see this effect on trees all over here right now. If you look closely you'll see the right side of the tree was close to the fire and the heat of the flames killed the leaves. They are still there, but all brown. The left side of the treee was on the far side of the flames and it is still green. Isn't that odd?

Choctoberfest!

Choctoberfest!

Michelle and Liz hosted their first Choctoberfest (props to Cindy Lou Who!). Here's a great photo of it.
While men weren't invited, I heard it was fun for all!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

2007 Q4 Halloween

Happy birthday, grandmother

I am so fortunate to have three of my grandparents alive and well as I approach middle-age. My paternal grandmother had a milestone birthday last week...I think it's 90 (I lost count somewhere along the way). I was not able to go to the celebration, but here are some photos from "my favorite cousin", Shanon.

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Three Generations

Three Generations

 

We bought a new computer this weekend, and it came with a scanner. So, we pulled out some old photos to scan. I haven't seen this one in about eight years. I love it. It's my now ten-year old Matthew and me with my only living grandpa, and Matt's only living great grandpa.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

We had a pumpkin carving party at the poolhouse tonight. Lots of friends were there and there were many, many pumpkins carved! Fun, fun, fun! Here are some photos.

From 2007-Q4-Pumpk...

What happens when you mix "funnest" and "hardest"?

What happens when you mix "funnest" and "hardest"?

With all of the "indoor" time necessitated by the smoke in the air here, we've been looking for cheap fun indoors. So, this week we taught Matthew and Madison to play "Nertz". Nertz is like a group game of solitaire where everyone is allowed to play on the Aces in the middle. I think it's a common game, but it goes by different names in different parts of the country (Nerf, Gluck, Peanuts, Pounce, Solitaire Frenzy...).

Anyway, it's a really fun game to play with the family, but it's quite a bit more challenging than any card game the kids have ever tried. So, after about three hands Matthew was having a great time. He blurted out

This is the FARDEST game I've ever played!

Of course, he simply used the common contraction of "Funnest" and "Hardest", but it sure made us laugh!

We're home!!!

We're finally home. As you can see from this photo, the fire was dangerously close to campus. I'll post some more photos later. But there is evidence of the fire all around. The top of the ridge surrounding campus is black and the brush over by Baxter is completely burned up. My friend JA says that the fire was burning about five-feet from the Payson Library and that at one point the fire fighters asked the Emergency Operations Center to move from Thornton because they did not believe they could protect it from the flames. Amazing!

We were only inconvenienced for a few days, and we had a good time. We went to the movies, Chuck E. Cheese's, the bookstore, and out to eat. Overall, it was not a bad time. However, Michelle and I were pretty stressed and on the edge much of the time. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have lived through Katrina. To be displaced from your home and have no control over the events causing your displacement is very uncomfortable. May God have mercy on all of those who are affected by this fire and other natural and man-made disasters around our world.

Thanks to all of those who have called, e-mailed, prayed, or posted.

We are still fine. We

We are still fine. We are having fun in Ventura. Hope to be home tonight.

We are still fine. Roads

We are still fine. Roads in & out of Malibu are still closed. Hope to be home tuesday.

We are still fine. Roads

We are still fine. Roads in & out of Malibu are still closed. Hope to be home tuesday.

The Latest News

We are still fine, but not back home yet. Pepperdine allowed faculty/staff/students to return to their homes about 2pm this afternoon. However, they are still encouraging people to stay off the roads nearby. So, we're at the La Quinta Inn Ventura for a few days. We've spoken to several friends who stayed on campus and I think they are out of danger for now. The fire is still nearby, and smoke is a big problem. I think our house and furniture will smell for years. :-( But no people or buildings at Pepperdine were injured.

The biggest personal loss to us is the Malibu Presbyterian Church. MPC has been a wonderful presence in our lives these past four years. We've worshiped there several times, plus the kids participate in their VBS, Michelle has Community Bible Study there, as well as M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), and--most importantly--where Marcus attends pre-school. Apparently the church building was completely lost. On TV we've seen footage of the play area, where Marcus enjoys the sandbox, completely gone.

Please keep the good people of Malibu Pres in your prayers. Many of our friends and colleagues are members there and they have a long and difficult journey ahead.

Fortunately, the local elementary school is completely safe so far. However, all classes in Malibu (PU and local schools) are canceled for tomorrow and will re-evaluate Monday afternoon about the rest of the week.

2007-Q3-Pepperdine Fire

This morning at about 6:45 am we were awakened with news of a fire near campus. We evacuated by 7:20AM to Camarillo. Now we're at a friends house in the Conejo Valley. Here are some photos of the smoke over campus on the way out.

Pepperdine was just evacuated due

Pepperdine was just evacuated due to a fire. We are fine. We left at 7 am for denny's.

School Photos are here...

Fifth & Third Grade photos. Too cute, huh?

We're so pathetic...

Michelle and I are FREEZING! I just came home from class and it feels like a freakin' freezer in the house. I checked the temp and promptly turned on the heater. It was 69 degrees in our house! Gosh!

Outerspace

Outerspace
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

We went to the Malibu Pres Autumn Festival tonight. It was a kick. One of the highlights was the rock wall. Marcus tried several times. At first, he would go about 10-feet, then drop back down and do it again. Finally, on his fourth try he kept going. He LOVED it! He did it over and over. After his third time to the top, I had to beg him to leave so we could go do something else. He was so proud. Later that night as we sat around eating dinner he said, "Dad, I was in outer space! It was just black above me!" :-) So cute! I still remember the first time Matt made it to the top at a mall in Nashville with the Becks. He was probably about 4 or 5.

Good days.

A reason to celebrate...

Guess who was named one of the 2007 Howard A. White Teaching Excellence Award winners at this year's Pepperdine University Faculty Conference?

Thanks KK!

AreSlugsCredible
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

Speaking of old friends... KK read my post a few weeks ago where Tiny had a bad case of "slug disease". Today, this tee shirt arrived in the mail for her. She loves it!

Thanks, KK!

Old friends...

MeAndAnn
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

I'll never forget one of the oddest social experiences I have ever had.

It was one time when I was a student At Oklahoma Christian. I was probably twenty years old and was visiting a church in Dallas with a friend of mine. before the service as we were sitting and waiting for things to the again, a woman in front of me turned around to look in the back of the auditorium. When she saw my face she'd looked straight into my eyes and asked "Are you David and Jeanette Williams' son?"

I felt so odd. Almost like I had done something wrong.

This was a church I have never been to and I had no memory of this woman. However, she had been a close family friend fifteen years earlier when we lived in Dallas. Somehow, she recognized me over fifteen years later even though I was only a kid when we left TX.

I had a similar experience this week when I ran into an old friend from Frederick. I haven't seen the Bryan's since 1984 when I was a freshman in HS. Yet we recognized one another and enjoyed an afternoon together.

Here's to old friends!

Vote for 9/12

Tom Friedman is a good author (I recommend "The World is Flat"). But I don't often read his NYT OpEd column. Today's however, is worth a read.

Enough is enough!

When will madness like this stop? I've blogged before about Blackwater, but what will it take to stop this craziness?

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A Step in the Right Direction...

You may know I'm not a huge fan of the current administration. However, today President Bush signed into law an act that will help to limit some of the out-of-control profits that Big Banks have been racking up with the privatization of student loans. I am especially interested in this topic because I will be paying of our student loans until well after my children start college.

I am encouraged (and surprised) that President Bush would buck the banking lobby on this one. Perhaps he's got something up his sleeve that he'll deliver to them re: the mortgage crisis? (Which IMHO is another example of corporate land-grabbing gone wild).

Bush enacts deep student lender subsidy cuts - Yahoo! News

This is the goo that I made with Andrea's recipe. Yum!

• 1 1/2 C Sugar
• 1/2 C Cocoa
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3/4 C Water

Bring contents to boil in sauce pan. While still hot, serve over yellow cake. Ummm...

Social justice and the Restoration Movement

Most of my readers know that the Restoration Movement is not exactly well-known for an emphasis on social justice. So, perhaps it is especially weighty evidence in how far opinion has shifted away from the current war when there is an student-led anti-war protest at ACU. See photos here.

Now this is gross...

Now this is gross...

So the beautiful rain I mentioned in my last post was absolutely beautiful. The double-rainbow ending in the ocean was incredible. However, there was at least one nasty consequence of the rain. The garden area around the community suana overflowed leaving mulch, bark, and lots of mud in the hot tub. NASTY.

Finally...it's raining in LA!

As you may know, it's been dry here. In fact, we've received about 3-inches of rain in the past 15 months. Hard to believe. So, today we were SO happy to see grey skies roll in. It actually sounded like a thunder storm this evening. I don't think I've ever seen a thunder storm here in over three years. It's supposed to rain even more tomorrow. YEEAAAHHH!!!

Storm inches its way into L.A. - Los Angeles Times

From the "no-duh" department...

A recent study indicates the people are attracted to beauty. Duh.

What's behind curtain #3?...

Would you be willing to trade one year in a US prison rather than 1 yr. in Iraq as a soldier?  Here's someone who did.

Jail for soldier who paid to be shot to avoid Iraq | Reuters

Technorati Tags: News, Iraq, Crime

Is this an "Office" Killer?

In class we've talked about Open Source software. Today there was a very interesting development on this front. IBM announced that they were releasing their Lotus Symphony Office Suite to the Open Source community as a free tool. Lotus Symphony utilizes IBM's Open Source software and will be distributed through IBM's own web site as well as Open Office. I'm downloading it right now (for Linux and Windows). You may see it in a classroom near you soon!

IBM Lotus Symphony

The End of the Beginning...

First Day of School
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

Marcus started preschool today! It was so exciting. He was thrilled about it all weekend. He continually asked "how many days until preschool?" This morning we took the usual "first day of school photo" of him and he could barely stand still he was so excited. I think Michelle was equally excited to have her "first day off in ten years!" (OK, it's a bit of an exaggeration, but that's how she sees it.).

Slug Party

Slug Party
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

Madison found a bunch of baby banana slugs in the garage and ran around saying "I have the banana slug disease! I have the banana slug disease!" Disgusting.

First Day of Football

First Day of Football
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

Matthew decided to play flag football. It's odd that I have such mixed feelings about it. I played (and loved playing) from 8 years old until I messed up my knee a sophomore in HS. But I don't really want my kids to play. I don't know exactly why. But whatever. It's a flag-football league for elementary school kids.

Should fast food be illegal?

Yesterday's Christian Science Monitor reports that LA Councilwoman Jan Perry has introduced legislation for a two-year moratorium on new fast-food outlets in LA. Apparently, this has created a bit of a stir among the business and academic community for limiting the freedom of choice.

IMHO, this is no different that zoning various adult establishments away from schools and parks. If we as a society believe that a certain set of behaviors and products are unhealthy for the population, isn't it in our best interests to control their growth and locations?

Discuss amongst yourselves...

Diet-conscious Los Angeles eyes moratorium on fast-food outlets - Yahoo! News

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Is cheating worth it?

Some argue that the current business environment favors cheaters. After all, when Drexel Lambert, Enron, Tyco, Worldcom...were essentially robbed by their CEO's the vast benefits accrued to the thieves, not the shareholders. Even after substantial penalties, fees, fines, and jail time these men had millions in the bank and their families continued to benefit from this wrong doing while salaried employees of these firms struggle to make ends meet through unemployment and lost retirements. I'm reminded of this each time I see the Michael Milkin Institute in Santa Monica.

Well, today's NYT reports that Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots has been fined $500,000, the team fined $250,000 and they lost a first-round draft pick for video-taping opposing team coach's signals. Assuming this has been a long-standing practice (as suggested by the Eagles who lost Super Bowl XXXIX to the Patriots 24-21), I wonder...are three Super Bowls in six years, plus countless team advertising contracts, and individual contracts to players like Brady and even Coach Belichick worth only $750,000 in cash and a loss of 1/2 of a team's first round picks?

Apparently whoever said "cheaters never win" was not an NFL fan.

English at home and in the classroom

Today's LATimes has an excellent front-page piece about the growing percentage of LA's population that is non-native English speakers. I, for one, love living in a city where I can see, read, and hear dozens of languages being spoken any time I go out for dinner or to a movie. It helps make the world a smaller place. One of the challenges of this situation though is the classroom. Our current MBA student body is 40% non-native English speaking. Granted, these students are some of the best students from their home countries and are all proficient in English. But, as the article points out, the educational setting of today is far different from the one many educators were raised in. It is a constant challenge (and joy) to adjust my teaching to the demands of a multi-cultural and multi-lingual classroom.

Not at home with English - Los Angeles Times

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Marcus' Preschool Party

Lots of neighbors are starting preschool with Marcus next week. Here's a photo of them all together getting ready for preschool socialization.

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Marcus' Preschool Party

Lots of neighbors are starting preschool with Marcus next week. Here's a photo of them all together getting ready for preschool socialization.

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First Day of School

Here's the much anticipated first day of school photo.

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

After our conversation yesterday in class about how the Internet works, Natalie shared this great video with me.  Enjoy...

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash

Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Technorati Tags: Technology, Internet, Humor, Video

Risk Analysis and the Constitution

I found this
article very interesting and worthy of a quick read. No further comment. :-)

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The New Year has Begun...

The kids started school yesterday.  We took a few photos, but I've not downloaded them yet.  I'll try to do so tonight.

So far, they're having a great time and both like their teachers...Ms. Cook and Ms. Rash (both PU alum).  Marcus starts preschool next week.

RD's Wedding Photos

RD's Wedding Photos

My long-time friend, legal counsel and golf-partner married on Saturday. It was a beautiful ceremony in a terrific location with lots of beautiful people in attendance. Some of my favorite people on earth were in and at the wedding. I was deeply honored to perform the ceremony. While I've done about ten weddings over the years, it's been a while and I was nervous I would say the names in the wrong order. But it went well. Click here for some candid photos.


Welcome to the "family", Stephanie.

Search Plugin for Pepperdine University

One of the handy features of IE7 and Ff2 is the search plugin box.  This box in the top-right corner of your browser allows you to search specific sites like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, Buy.com... without having to leave the page you're currently on.  Using the CTRL-K shortcut (at least in Ff) allows you to shortcut directly to the search box and type in your search term for an immediate search of your chosen site.

So, I just created a search plugin for the Pepperdine Website.  Any of you who are affiliated with the University may find this a helpful little shortcut.

To install this into your browser, simply go to searchplugins.net and search for Pepperdine (this link will take you directly to the right page).  To install the plugin, just click the "I" next to Pepperdine University.  It will ask you to confirm, and click "YES" or "OK", whatever.

After that, you can always search PU's website from any page you're on.  So, I used it right away when I was looking for tix to see a movie at Malibu's new theater.  It's affiliated with Hollywood Cinemas and I wasn't sure if I could get tix at OneStop.  So while I was on the Hollywood Cinemas page, I simply CTRL-K'ed to the search box and typed "one-stop movies" and immediately found the page listing all the supported theaters.  Quick and easy...

PU Search Plugin

I just created a plugin for PU's website for IE 7 or Firefox 2. To install it visit searchplugins.net and then click on the "I" next to Pepperdine University. This will create a PU search plugin in your search box in the top-right corner of your browser. That way you can search PU's website without having to navigate to the search page.

I just finished listening to an interesting but provocative interview with Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. In this book, Kingsolver reports of a one-year journey with her family to understand more clearly the impact of their family-dining on the global economy and environment. Her experience is wonderful, enriching, and deeply disturbing. I recommend the book (I'm getting it from the library), and an excellent interview on NPR's Speaking of Faith.


It is not a "granola Bible" as some might expect, but an encouragement to personal sacrifice, responsibility, and individual accountability.

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Richard's bachelor party at 21 choices ice cream in Pasadena. Delicious!

RD is ahead by 6 after 9. He was up by 21 after the 18th hole! OUCH!

Putting a face on "made in China"...

Last night while I was making dinner I noticed that the can of Albertson's brand Black Beans I was using was obviously stamped "Made In China" on the top of the can. I was amazed. I haven't seen many "Made In China" logos at the grocery store, but obviously from the recent related food recalls, they are present.


With the pervasiveness of Chinese production on my mind, I couldn't help but notice and be touched by this gripping story in today's LAT that puts a human face on the Chinese side of the current export quality issues. The story tells of one of the owners of Lee Der Toy company which had millions of dollars worth of toys recalled. It turns out, that the problem wasn't theirs, but a criminal supplier who forged quality documents and sold lead-based paint pigment to Lee Der. Ultimately this bankrupted Lee Der after 10-years of production and the founder hung himself in the factory. Reminds me of the recent documentary The High Cost of Low Prices". Enjoy.


Safety problems bear down on Chinese manufacturer - Los Angeles Times

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On dining out with children...

We get together about once a month with a group of dear friends here in LA. Up to now, we are the only ones with children (however, now that the Big Load in in LA I'm sure they'll join us). Anyway...since we are the only ones with children we continually feel pressure to choose restaurants that are fun for our kids and fun for the hip-young adults we hang out with (although one of them won't be young much longer...). So today I put down some of my thoughts about restaurant selection with children in mind. This may be a helpful guide to those of you with small children who, like we (or is that "us"? Help, Elisa!), routinely meet friends without children at various restaurants around town.

Because classes are beginning here in less than one-week, I'm in full-blown class prep mode. Therefore, I am thinking in logical analytical sequences.

"Daddy, When is my Food Going to Be Here?!": An introduction to restaurant selection with children

Any parent with a child between the ages of one-week and 15-years recognizes that one of the key factors in family satisfaction is restaurant selection. A "good" choice means an evening of fun, relaxation and happy memories. A "bad" choice leads to peril...high-stress, enormous anxiety, endless whining, and possibly even a time-out or an early departure prior to eating.

In choosing a family-friendly restaurant there are three factors to keep in mind: speed, volume, & ambiance. These three factors contribute to four distinct tiers of alternatives for restaurant selection with children.

• Tier 1- The most friendly places are high-speed, high-volume, & uber-casual ambiance. These spaces often include some free space so the kids can get up and walk around after dinner. That would include places like homes, parks, and restaurants with play areas.
  
• Tier 2 - A moderately kid-friendly place is a high-speed, high-volume restaurant with a moderately casual atmosphere. In these establishments a child who is struck with an episode of SCBS (Spontaneous Childlike Behavior Syndrome) it won't be noticed by everyone in the place. Also it is relatively quick to get you seated and get some food on the table. This includes many "family-style" restaurants like Applebees, Chili's (except on busy weekend nights)...as well as lots of little family-owned places (like Hop Li).
  
• Tier 3 - Less kid-friendly restaurants include restaurants that are either high-volume OR high-speed, but not both. The most common arrangement is high-volume, low-speed restaurants with a moderately casual ambiance. These restaurants are safe for SCBS, but slow to get a table and/or food. Children loose patience with a 20-60 minute wait for a table and then parents are at a deficit by the time they are seated. By the time the food arrives, the family may be ready to have it "to-go". This includes many tier 2 restaurants on busy nights as well as any very busy, popular restaurants like Claim Jumpers, P.F. Chang's, Outback, and Cheesecake Factory.
  
• Tier 4 - The worst places are restaurants with an adult ambiance. These can be either low-volume/speed establishments like quiet, formal restaurants (picture a romantic Italian place), or a high-volume/speed establishment like a club-like restaurant designed for college-kids to hook-up.

With luck, a Tier 2 restaurant will satisfy all parties in any group gathering. Otherwise, I advise you select a Tier 3 restaurant and give ample warning to the children that there will be a wait, or that they need to be careful to use "inside" voices. Also, give ample warning to the adults that you will make it a short night.

Under no circumstances should you select a Tier 4 restaurant, or commit to a long, adult-oriented discussion in a Tier 3 restaurant if you bring your children. It it must be a Tier 4, or an adult-oriented Tier 3, then find a sitter.

Finally, remember that children are people too. They have the same feelings, desires, and hopes that adults have, they simply have less ability to disguise them. A hungry, impatient adult will simply not be a good conversationalist. A hungry, impatient child will drive everyone crazy asking, "Daddy...when is my food going to get here?!" in increasingly annoying tones until the food is served.

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Buy.com has a sweet deal on this 8GB mp3 player today. I now use (and LOVE) a 2GB Muvo V100 for $50. So, $80 for an 8GB seems like a good deal. The question then is what to do with my sweet little 2GB player? Matt might like it, or Michelle. But I'm not sure how much they really would use it. So, maybe I regift it to someone with an August Birthday (RD & RTB come to mind...). :-)

Anyone have an iRiver?

Buy.com - iRiver E10 6GB MP3 Multimedia Player with FM Radio, Voice Recording, & TV Remote Control - E10B

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