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Speechless

I don't know if you've been following the writers' strike, but there's a pretty clever webpage that's got a lot of funny clips meant to show the role writers play. Here's the general link. But a particularly clever video (I thought) was here. Also, this one has a lot of famous people.

Santa

One cannot be too solemn in Santa's presence.

Zoe!

Here's Zoe's movie. Apologizes to both her public and Zoe for how long it's taken to create and post:

Does Zoe have food in this picture?

Dude, we forgot to feed Zoe!

Owen eats!

Pancakes!

What day can't use a morning that starts with pancakes.

We had plenty of chairs

Zoe didn't really need to double up.

The meal, the table, the holiday

Thanksgiving!

Dad and Zoe

Dad came over for Thanksgiving and to play with Zoe.

Mimi at Thanksgiving

Mary came for Thanksgiving with Dad. Here she is with Zoe.

Dancing!

Zoe and I like to dance.

14 and a half years

Only 14 and a half years until her sweet sixteen party. Clearly, she's already getting ready.

Mom in the playroom

Everyone's happy when Mom's in the playroom!

Zoe descends

Zoe expects your attention when she walks down the stairs.

Owen and Lisa

B was out of town for Halloween, so Owen went trick or treating with Lisa.

Halloween with Zoe

Zoe and I stayed home to meet trick or treaters. And have chocolate milk.

Video Help

Hey, thanks for all the great feedback on the videos. For the regular blog viewers, though, I've got a question.

Which do you prefer, this link to a video, or this link to the youtube posted video (which, as displayed below) can also be embedded in a page? The video quality is, I think, heads and shoulders better in the former, but the ease of use with the second option may be significantly different, and, for some viewers, determinative. On the former, you may want to wait a minute to let it fully load and I suspect you need Quicktime (which you likely already have if you have iTunes).

Please leave a note in the comments letting me know which you prefer.

Thanks!

Owen - the movie

I've decided to make a movie celebrating each kid. Owen's is first, and, well, here it is.

I'm curious what your experience of seeing these movies is. I'm thinking about upgrading to an .Mac account so that I can post these with more clarity (they would be, supposedly, DVD quality). It's not that expensive, but it's not free. Please let me know if you like these movies, or have any thoughts about that.

Ok, enjoy the movie:

Roar, the extended remix

The Owen and Zoe video is now longer, with new footage. Check it out here:

New - Video!

Hey, we've got a new feature here at Kaiserstrasse - video!

Please see our new Owen and Zoe Video. Enjoy!

Obama in Des Moines

Here's a video of Obama's speech in Des Moines this weekend at the Jefferson Jackson dinner. Some folks have said it's his best in quite a while, and, to my mind, it is really quite powerful.

FYI, it's also about 20 minutes long.

Incendiary Ad

Is this in really bad taste? Will it dampen turnout among caucus-goers who caucus at shopping malls?

Airplanes from john

Our session meeting

Owen with Candice

Don't they look like they're having fun?

Zoe saw litter

and we're trying to teach her how to be human by showing her TV ads from the 80s.

if that's too opaque, please see this:

Visit to the pumpkin patch

And Zoe turned into a pumpkin!

For as long as she was behind that wall.

It's magic?

Visit with Family

B's cousin Max visited with his girlfriend Paulina, who were very lovely. They're both really neat people (though not (necessarily) in the sense of being tidy).

Here is the obligatory photograph of them with the children commemorating the visit.

I'm no fan of Edwards, but this is a pretty powerful ad, to my mind.

pretty in pink

In context

this was actually a part of a very sophisticated dance routine.

Pretty

On the stairs

Hitting the bottle

Glamor shot

Owen poses.

Rocking out.

Watch out Zam Fir, Owen is in the house!

are you ready for his closeup?

Not realistic

Owen: "Any idiot knows you don't transport an octopus and a monster in a stroller together. I don't know how they expect us to maintain any plausible character under these conditions."

Zoe: "Word."

Fade to black.

Dad with monster and octopus

Monsters, apparently, squint.

Sully!

Owen, as Sully, for Halloween.

B with children

B preps for the halloween parade.

Our minister's wife is a witch

Yes, that's with a "w."

No idea

I have no idea what that facial expression is.

Post race cuddle

B cuddles Zoe after finishing the Marine Corps Marathon. This is B's first marathon as a mother.

Takoma Halloween

Takoma Park does a good Halloween. Here, Owen prepares for the parade. By mugging.

B runs

Here's B in the marathon. This is, really, the only decent photo I have of her running.

It was a little tricky watching two young kids and photographing.

Finisher!

Our flag

Explanation: B, of course, ran the Marine Corps Marathon today. This "flag" was made of an old shirt of hers on a tent pole, which let her see where we were as she was approaching. It made it easier for her to see us and us to see her.

Waiting for mommy

On our way to see mommy run

Octupus storms takoma park

At the park

Owen hates dinosaurs

Long Weekend

It's a long Columbus Day weekend for this family of federal employees and we're not complaining. To my mind, the best thing to come from European imperialism is an extra day to hang out with Zoe and Owen (though, imagine what real estate prices would be like in Europe if America had never been colonized. I suppose that's another reason to be grateful for Columbus, despite the spread of smallpox, eradication of native americans, etc.).

Today was Takoma Park's street festival. Zoe and I had a lot of fun dancing to an AfroFunk band, and we all enjoyed eating funnel cake.

And B and I just saw "The Lives of Others" which won the Oscar for best foreign film last year. It was really good. My favorite fun fact; if the movie is to be believed, lying to the state carries a heavier penalty in the United States than it did in Eastern Europe. Chalk one up for the land of the free!

And, of course, Nebraska lost to Missouri. But, at least Bill Callahan has an extension on his contract. My theory; he's got naked pictures of Steve Pederson with someone else's wife.

Wow, this has been a surprisingly bitter and political post. We'll be back to more pictures of the kids soon.

More at the zoo

At the zoo

Knocked Up

No, there's no news like that (and, really, won't be again), but we saw the movie Knocked Up last weekend. It was really, absolutely awesome. Completely perfect. I've been mildly obsessed with the song at the end of the movie since I saw it. Below is a live version of it that I kind of like too.




Hey Missouri this weekend. That's tough. Go Huskers.

Baltimore people

Owen the naturalist

At the park

At the pool