Entries this day: christmas

christmas

late pm Christmas Day 1999
(transcribed from my diary)


Presents and cookies at Ma's in College Station then I surprised
everyone by arriving at Dad's in Magnolia.  Fred was there; he had
decided at the last minute to fly in to town (his plans at Berkeley fell
through).  I am so glad to have seen him unwrap the crazy gift!  He
required 1.3 hours to unwrap it.  Really.  That time does not include a
break for dinner.  I was quite pleased with my handiwork.

Fred was quite pleased with the gifts: a 2x2x2 Rubik's cube, and a small
wooden puzzle called TAKITAPART.  There is some historical significance
on the gifts:

	Fred now owns a 2x2x2 cube, a 3x3x3 cube, a 4x4x4 cube, and a 5x5x5
cube.  
	He can solve the 2x2x2 and 3x3x3 and almost the 4x4x4!
	He has no chance on the 5x5x5 yet.  But I trust he'll do it sometime
	in his life.

	The TAKITAPART is identical to a puzzle that our grandad (Ma's dad) had
	back in the day.  Grandad had tons of puzzles.  Hundreds.  And we were
	eventually able to solve them all.  Except this one.  Grandad could
	solve it in about 10 seconds.  We have never figured it out.
	-- So I got Fred the identical puzzle, and we were able to solve it in
	about 30 minutes.  Turns out it's not the same puzzle.  It looks the
	same, but is not actually the same.  Hmmm.


Fred and I did dishes after supper and then took his unicycle down to
the local elementary school to get a few practice runs on it.  I was
able to get about 20 feet, Fred more consistently about 30 feet.  We're
no experts, but getting better.  I expect he'll be able to ride it by
the time I see him again.
I am sure I will be envious.

We got freezing cold (40 F) so we back to the house we were talking some
BS when Fred mentioned that Karen (dad's new girlfriend) said she likes
all types of music. 

HA!

So I called KTRU.  Curtis was there.  "Hey Curtis, this is Rob.  Will
you play something off the CD Japanese / American Noise
Treaty?"

He said he would be happy to, so we made sure Karen and Dad could hear
the stereo.

Fred had never heard such noise and I joined him in eyewatering laughter
"I like all music!" 

But even better: Curtis came back on after the song and said, "that was
requested _________  a cover of _________.  It's a nice song; I like to
sing along with it."

As if.  Fred described the sound later as "worse than static, cause at
least you can ignore static."  It's hard static with blown out screaming
and halts and it's just tough as hell.