Wilsons circa 1972

At my request, Janma sent me a batch of (original) photos to put into her book. I have a bunch, but as I got further into things, I realized I needed more "recent" photos.

In this last grouping, I found the above photograph, and it really struck me. I'm not sure why, exactly. It seemed like a crossroads picture, maybe... just two grandchildren shy... Anyway, when I saw it, I felt compelled to share.

I'm just guessing on the date, based on the ages of the younger kids, whose ages I guessed in relation to my own. Feel free to correct me. Hope you enjoy this one.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I've managed to put off the video editing so long that I pretty much forget how it works, so I'll be dusting off those skills again soon. Lots of clips in the folder — at least a couple good shows' worth. From all the masterpiece skill sets at the Arts & Crafts building to the printing of our young'uns, there's some fun moments to share.

So I don't leave ya hangin', I've posted a shorty below. This one's a quick look-see, with a token Scott moment near the end. (Who doesn't enjoy those?)

Happy Birthday! (again!)

OK... there was a little glitch in the birthday calendar, but I believe all is well now. (Thanks, Becki, for letting me know.)

I should also note that the dates were posted "quick-entry style," so if the date had already passed, it sometimes wouldn't show up until 2009. For example, Mary Powell's birthday was earlier this month, so it won't necessarily show up in the August 2008 calendar, but she's there for 2009. Ben Harless' birthday is Thursday, so his shows up as the first entry since it's after the date I put them all into the calendar.

This calendar is very interactive. Click on the arrows to flip between months, or click on the date and you can flip forward or back to a specific date and it will give you all the calendar listings closest to then.

If anyone else encounters any problems, or if there's corrections to be made, just post a comment on this entry, and I'll get it taken care of ASAP.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

Wow. Two weeks from my last post? Pretty sad. To make up for it, I offer you a couple of new features:

1. A label cloud. This just gives you a quick look at the topics covered in the blog as well as how often: The bigger the point size, the more entries we have on that topic.

2. The self-updating Wilson Family Birthdays calendar, nestled in the rail. You can scroll forward and back, and even print.

I'm guessing the lot of you will be more excited about the second item. As you recall, Kelli brought a big laminated calendar for everyone to mark their family's dates on. She passed it along to me this last weekend, and I told her I'd figure out a way to make it useful for the blog.

As it turned out, it wasn't that hard, at least not in this basic form. If another better format comes along, I'll be sure to update it.

And speaking of updating, please don't hesitate to let me know if there are any errors. I did my best to check myself, but even editors need editors sometimes.

Enjoy the new features. And don't say I never gave ya anything. ;-)

Thanks, Cuz!

Robert and Jack made sure Glenn had his hands full, and Kevin Kelly clicked through it all. Thanks to Kevin, there's lots of cool series shots like these in Slideshow Bob.

—

I got Kevin's DVD of pics a couple days ago and finally got all the Ft. Rob ones loaded into Slideshow Bob. I MIGHT get them captioned someday. Or not. But they're there for your viewing pleasure.

These are fun to watch in slideshow format (third link on the right, if you clicked the above link), given a lot of the pics are consecutive shots — like those above of Glenn getting mauled by a ferocious Jack and Joe-Bob. You'll definitely pick up the expressive nuances that way.

Again, a big thanks to Kevin Kelly. That guy's got talent. Must be related. ;-)

Killer Bunnies, Chapter 1: Delay of Game

Kim, Evan and I were the last to arrive at Ft. Rob, rolling into the park around midnight (local time) July 28.

Much to the shagrin of Dryden, who had managed to hold off the big Killer Bunnies match in my absence, according to the Twitter feed.

DrydenTheMeints: "Dryden is making it so that gina gets to be in on the first killer bunnies game. Mental note: make sure she thanks me. Hehe" (10:02 PM July 28, 2008)

As it turned out, thanks weren't entirely necessary as I staved off later games until Dryden could return from consecutive nights spent attending the Fort's musical productions of "Guys & Dolls" and "South Pacific."

designerGina: "Eric [Reed] wants a practice round before dryden gets here.... i smell fear." (09:22 PM July 30, 2008)

And this was only the beginning.

—

NEXT UP:
Killer Bunnies, Chapter 2: Enter the Spatula

CHEEEEEEEEESE!

I'm sure all of you recognize the above image...
HI KEVIN!

—

I exchanged e-mails with Kevin Kelly earlier this week, wherefore he informed me he had dropped a DVD in the mail for me. So as we speak, a plethora of Kevin's Ft. Rob '08 pics are making their way to my mailbox. Yay!

I believe he extended the same offer to the lot of you, but I'll still put some up here on the blog for all to see.

Thanks, Cuz!

-G

OLÉ!

No two words get this family's taste buds kicked into overdrive like...
TACO TOWN!

The Powell family generously imported Taco Town enchiladas to go with our tacos for the first night's supper. YUM. The leftovers helped Jeff truly appreciate the power of Twitter when he received immediate responses to his txt:

JeffWils: "Leftover enchiladas still good. What do they put in these things?" (01:04 PM July 30, 2008)

That powerful message got Dryden out of bed —
DrydenTheMeints: "Omg! I'm awake!" (01:09 PM July 30, 2008)
— and I heard Paula reported immediately to the main house.

I put Jeff's Twitter name in wrong, so I didn't receive that message in a timely fashion. Boo. But there were lots left over so I did get one of the leftover enchiladas. Yay!

An hour or so later, I was across the way sitting in the "Barista Kitchen" with Kelli, waiting for my latte to brew (thanks, Michelle!), when Ben Harless came in, a paper-towel-wrapped enchilada in each hand.

"Where's the microwave?" he asked. (Yeeeah... it's OK. Kelli and I both laughed, too.) He resigned himself to just eating them cold until I told him he could have a hot one (OK... well... fairly warm, anyway) in about seven minutes. Patience is a virtue, but leftover Taco Town enchiladas are a gift.

—

MUCH GRAS
While I'm thinking about it, a big thanks to Generation Three for providing the evening meals. That's a mighty big task, preparing a meal for 70ish people, so thanks for all your hard work.

Box hockey drama

Evan Johnson really got into the box hockey. Actually, he liked the sticks a lot better. Carried them around for hours whenever he could.

—

MONDAY JULY 28 — There were cheers to the east as Paula's Twitter reported the box hockey was loaded and ready for travel, followed shortly by an update that it might have fallen off. Such a scare prompted a call for prayer, Twittered immediately by Dryden:

DrydenTheMeints: "Dear lord, please protect and keep our sweet sweet wooden playing field..." (04:40 PM July 28, 2008)

BEHOLD, THE POWER OF PRAYER: The box hockey arrived safe and sound, and was a source of great fun for all, as expected.

All a-Twitter

Despite a few snags, I have to say that I was pretty pleased with the overall Twitter experience at Ft. Rob. I myself didn't get the mobile Twitter nuances quite right and so ended up out of the loop during the last leg of my journey, sending in a message or two here and there along the way that led some to believe I was receiving every one of their messages.

(A special thanks to Dryden for postponing the official Killer Bunnies rematch until Gina's arrival.)

Anyway, I'm sure some of you found the Twittering slightly annoying, but hopefully more of you found it to be a boatload of fun. (I know I did.)

I'm guessing so since I think some must have gone into Twitter shock... My notice about some new blog postings stirred up more than a couple of responses — followed by two notifications indicating Glenn Harless was no longer into it. Heh... teen-agers...

So the Twitters continued sporadically days after we'd all parted ways as a few participants checked in along their journeys home... with the rest of us jumping in. Fantastico!

I'll be pulling some Twitter gems out in future postings for those of you who might have missed out...

Feed the beast! (or, "A surprising lack of photos")

Where were stayed... a full house and a half. :-)

—

I was shocked to find out how few photos I actually took at Ft. Rob. Felt like I was always shooting, but my stockpile indicates otherwise. So I updated Slideshow Bob with what I've got, but...

I NEED MORE!

Kevin Kelly has my address and is sending me a CD of his pics. Until then, if anyone would like to contribute to the album, don't hesitate to e-mail me your pics: a1warlord@gmail.com.

Aaaaaand... WE'RE BACK!!! (or "WEBFAIL!")

Ahhhh.... air-conditioning and fresh towels. All the fresh towels I want, even. No charge. (Thanks, Kim and Craig!)

It was really great seeing everyone, and I look forward to combing through my photos and video clips. Probably not quite the selection Kevin Kelly has (I hear he's promised to send CDs...), but we'll see what turns up.

Even with all the pre-Ft. Rob scheming I did, I was still thwarted by limited access. I don't think it due to lack of signal, which I had. Therefore, I'll be doing some retro-posting in the coming days, so check back again soon. You'll all be traveling and unable to look at the blog anyway, right? Close enough.

My brother blamed the webfail on me having a Mac, given that he had no trouble getting his IBM Thinkpad fired up and working just fine. I think it was my Internet provider — rather, it's partner in coverage (or lack thereof), Alltel — unwilling to allow me to access the web outside of California. I will be seeking a refund of equipment AND access charges upon my return.

I guess I could have used Chris' set-up, but all my editing software was on my laptop. Plus, I decided I'd be better off focusing on collecting all the footage and photos and experiences AND THEN posting them up here. Or, at least, that's what I'm telling myself to keep the journalist in me from being outraged about the inability to do live updates. *sigh*

But all is well. I have lots of photos. Not as many as Kevin Kelly, I'm sure, but still a lot. I also have quite a bit of video footage to sort through and/or compile. Look for those in coming days... I know there's some good stuff in there.

Also, I'd encourage any of you to e-mail me photos or video clips that you want posted here. I'd be happy to get them up. Comment postings are encouraged as well.

Check back soon...

Aaaaaand... WE'RE OFF!!!

The FtRob Twitter feed is abuzz today with everyone shoving off on the last legs of their respective Ft. Rob journeys, ending about 36 hours of monumental technological advancements.

Let's recap:

*Lots of new txt-ers out there, diving into Twitter just today (welcome to the year 2008, Melissa, Tara, Judy and Ruth), thanks to Paula and Dryden at WWCC (West Wilson Command Center) getting their cells all signed up. A giant leap for the Brewers and Jeff's clan. Maybe Scott, too, later.

*Ben Harless tested the Twitter waters a bit last night. I'm thinking he'll be game later on, which means Glenn will be, too.

*Gina has barraged the Petersens with pleas to get them to join in on Twitter. Might have to get them online on site as well, by force if necessary. Same goes for the Powell troops.

*And yes, we've let Dryden loose on the blog. Well... mostly. ;-)

—

Seems like a few folks have just arrived. Kim, Evan and I will be falling in last, I think, due to arrive sometime around midnight.

Drive safe. See you all there.

(Save me a bed!)

-G

The egg stands alone.

There's only one left.

After days of cooking and baking and slapping of hands, a single egg remains. What shall ever shall become of you, oh white orb of solitude?

Here's how the votes tally @ The Farm (EASTSIDE, homz!)

Gina — Make half a Crumb Cake.
Lynne — Leave it in the fridge.
Mike D. — Eat it for breakfast... I guess.
Lynne — Can I change my vote? BREAKFAST!

Time will tell what the outcome will be. For now, DDNette has mobilized the baked goods into the camper. I was informed that Chris counted the Crumb Cake before he left, so any sampling that occurred in his absence WILL be noticed... unless Gina's vote wins.

-G

2WC Squared OR Battleship remastered

2WC squared: aka West Wilson Command Center. The product of four hours of nigh fruitless toil and little light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

Objective: Twitter mobilization.

Location: Top secret

I'll explain. Paula and I have been slaving over hot laptops and overworked, underpaid cellphones for FOUR HOURS, sitting across from each other in Butch and Judy's living room. It's comparable to battleship. Except much, much more technological, and much, much more dangerous. Its been a brutal brawl of bandwidth, an intricate engagement of internet, a foul fracas of phones.

The outcome: Twitters have been obtained for all of (count 'em) TWO people. Myself, and my mother. Many questions have arisen, including "What is Twitter?" sent by my mother, uncannily late in the game. They have been forwarded to headquarters, at EWCC, and been turned over to the resident Twitter overseer.

The most eminent danger: All of the previous users are going to have to figure out how to "follow" the new ones, otherwise all our labors are truly for naught. We, being the brunt of the WCC, have legitimately considered using our overpowering numbers (again, 2) and password informant (Gina) to hack into every one of your accounts and force you to follow us.

More later, but as for now... our convoluted web of technology shall continue expanding... enveloping websites and phone lines and eventually... the world.

Twitterpated

(OK, I finally caved and used the obvious headline.)



Got a handful of folks signed up on Twitter "remotely" on Saturday, namely Ben, Glenn, Kelli, Mom and Michelle, with reserved interest from Dryden. Happy to extend the same service to anyone else...

But only on

SUNDAY!
SUNDAY!!
SUNDAY!!!


After that, I'm on the road myself.
Txt @ ya l8tr.

-G

We are GO for video!

This is my first video production — which should prove to be a fun dimension to add to the blog. (I'm still perfecting the sound aspects, so this one is a little on the loud side if you want to adjust your volume down a notch or two before you hit the "Play" button.)

Anyway, here's a quick look around the Dvorak family farm. Enjoy.

-G

Preparations and other fun stuff

Scrabble? Check!
Trivial Pursuit? CHECK! CHECK!
Clue? GOT ONE... no wait... we've got two of those, too!
Sorry? Don't be! I mean CHECK!
Twitter? Yes, please!

Mom and Kelli are finalizing their lists of to-dos and groceries. I've raided Mom's AND Janma's game closets, in person and remotely. And Dad pulled the camper around, so you know things are getting serious.

I've also cornered the Harlesses to get them set up on Twitter and made arrangements to set up the Petersen kids when they get on the road later today. Extending the same offer to the Powells via txt msg... and anyone else who wants to give me a call. (We can POSSIBLY set you up when we get there, but it will depend on what kind of signal we've got.)

T-minus 2 days, and counting...

BIG GROSS BUG

Before I'd even had my morning coffee, Dad brought in this monster he found in the garage (or maybe it was over by the shop). Mom thought it was a Hummingbird Moth, based solely on its size, but Dad disagreed. (I forget why... " ' Cause he knows stuff," Mom said.)

Anyway... it's gross. And cool. We're keeping him "on ice" until the boys wake up. OK, in a jar. Whatever.

This has nothing to do with Ft. Rob. Thanks for playing. :-)

Get a...

Much discussion about board games today. Not looking good for Killer Bunnies. I forgot mine, and Ben didn't think about it either. Erik doesn't have one. Maybe Dryden does? Otherwise, our hopes will hang on Jeff, who introduced us to the game in the first place.

Or there's Clue. Mom's anniversary edition is sitting on the table in its progression toward the camper; Michelle found one on sale at Target. (We told her she didn't need to pick one up, but it seems she's always eager to get a Clue ... har har.) Some version of Monopoly is bound to turn up, along with infinite decks of cards — and don't forget the UNO, preferably Gina style (more on that later). Becki's bringing some "next-gen" party game called Catch Phrase that I think has been a hit at the Powell household. And Trivial Pursuit is considered a staple at these things by now, isn't it? We'll see which version(s) turns up...



—

IN OTHER NEWS:

I raided Mom's refrigerator today. Had to. She had so many good pictures hanging on it, I couldn't resist scanning a few of them in and feeding them to Slideshow Bob.

It's also worth mentioning that I found a pic of Kelli and Mike playing box hockey. BOX HOCKEY!!! ...Good times...

—

ON DECK:

I sure hope someone remembers to bring food. I'd hate for us to starve while we're at Ft. Rob. Oh wait...

Airport haiku

Generic greetings.
Terminals without airlines
belong to no one.

ONT empty?
Isn't it cheaper to fly?
Don't go, ExpressJet.



-G

Doll heads and Twitter madness

You know that scene in "The Wrath of Khan" — the scene it's famous for, if only for its sheer spoofability?

"KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!"

This is how I'm starting to feel about Twitter.

If you're to believe my Twitter feed, I'm sitting on a runway in Ontario, but managed to be in proximity to my family in Omaha two hours ago. I know I'm awesome and all, but I left my cape at home... next to my TIME MACHINE.

*sigh*

ANYWAY... the Twitter site reports it's been having technical difficulties. Understatement. (Paula, that's why your txts weren't posting the other day.) But hopefully the Twitter feed will start living up to the level of awesomeness I once witnessed. Yar.

In the meantime, enjoy this photo from ONT. As promised... doll heads. Creepy.

Good timing

Of course.

Of course I have issues the first time I try to go live on vacation, despite a most successful test run. And of course I figure it all out when it's time to board.

Too bad, too. Had some interesting pics to download from the airport. Doll heads and such.

OK. Must go. On to Nebraska...

Good news, everyone...

When I promised everyone could play, I meant it. Finally, I can really deliver...

That's right: I HAVE TRIUMPHED OVER TECHNOLOGY.

I've figured out the Twitter feed, and now, if you can send a txt (that dork-speak for "text message"), then you can post to the Ft. Rob blog's Twitter feed, anytime, anywhere.

Here's how it works:

Sign up for a Twitter account, preferably using the invite I sent out (so you're automatically on the ftrob list), or go here. After that, all you do is send a txt to the phone number 40404, starting with "ftrob" or "@ftrob"... then txt away! Well, up to 140 characters... away...! Your txt will post to the "WILSONS TWITTER" feed on the blog instantaneously.

Pretty cool, huh?

P.S. - Need another invite? Drop me an e-mail or put up a comment on this post, and I'll get ya covered.

—

UPDATE: OK, there's another bug here. Looks like you have to LOG IN to the Twitter feed to see it (for now... I'll keep working on it). Just enter username "ftrob," password "wilsons" and you're in. ... And go, Paula!

DORK ALERT!

So I was on the hunt for an image to include in the blog when I stumbled upon an eBay auction for Trivial Pursuit Genus II edition. I didn't recall ever SEEING such an edition, so I was intrigued at what sort of price such a rare (?) item might be fetching.

At that moment: $2.99 (with five-ish hours left in the auciton)

"PFFFFFFF!!! I can do better than that..." I thought.

Now, it's at this point, I should tell you that I've hardly ever bid on anything on eBay (I did snag my own Whosit game a couple years back, though... SCORE!). I generally don't have the time/energy to keep an eye on how someone else's actions just affected me online. Anyone who's ever had a pillow fight with me on Facebook knows I'm a relatively easy mark.

ANYWAY... I put in a $5 bid figuring some geek watching that particular auction would swoop in at the last minute anyway and win the item while I was at "The Dark Knight." That's generally what happens to me.

But guess what? I won. Of course I did! I'm leaving town for two weeks on Thursday! Of course I'm having to figure out how to get a package mailed to me WHILE I'M ON VACATION. *sigh*

Someone on the Google Groups called me Gina the Genius, for creating this blog, I think. All evidence to the contrary.

Thanks for playing. :-)

—

UPDATE: A friend of mine helped me arrive at a most obvious answer to my dilemma: Have it delivered to my office. Nar. I knew that. ... OK, I didn't.

Ask and you shall receive

Paula Twitters!!! I was going into the Twitter site to grab the logo for my post just now and poof! There's Paula! WOO HOO!

Now, the bad news: Her tweet to ftrob didn't pull through to this blog; only to ftrob's replies page. Boo. But don't give up on me yet. I'm still working on getting those messages to post up here, too. Stay tuned.

Tweet tweet!!!

OK... back to Twitter.

This is a little application I got turned on to while attending a Society of News Design (international) conference in Boston last fall. Basically, you sent a text message to the SND Boston blog's Twitter name and it was immediately posted to the conference blog. They also projected the Twitter page onto the big video screen during the awards banquet which made waiting for your food almost the highlight of the whole evening.

There's still a few finer points I'm trying to work out. For example, I'm not sure that you actually have to have an account to play along or if you can simply send a text to the right address (I think you need an account, though). I also haven't been able to test whether someone else who tweets (that's Twitter talk for sending a txt) to my account will also post there because I only have one cell phone (THANK GOD!). But I'm curious to do a couple of test runs, if anyone is interested...

Any volunteers? Go to Twitter.com and set up your account. After that, send a tweet to ftrob, the Twitter account I set up for this blog. Oh, and if you IM, there's also a way to tweet through there (still testing that one out, too).

Hopefully, I can get all the technology down so that everyone can join in. It's much more fun when everyone can play.

Batman break

The only thing cooler than going to see "The Dark Knight" on opening weekend is going to see it opening weekend at a midnight showing in Hollywood. Yes, my friends, those are actual costume pieces from the movie.

I'm not saying anything more in case you haven't seen it. And if you haven't seen it, all I have to say is, "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT?!?!" Well, consider this your one-week(ish) warning because I'm pretty sure it will be a topic of fairly wide discussion and a popular point of reference next week... and you may not get any spoiler alerts, at least not at the Killer Bunnies table.

Nananannnanananananananananana.... BATMAN!!!

In the FACE!

Sometimes it's the obvious things that escape us, no?
When I put up the post about Slideshow Bob, I really should have included a plea for any of you to send me your photos or Web site links, video? — whatever you'd like to share here on the blog. It's really no trouble. Just shoot me an e-mail.

a1warlord@gmail.com

Thanks to Paula for the nudge. Now we can ALL play!

Wherefore art thou, box hockey?

I'm told my folks actually DON'T have a box hockey. Boo. My next thought is that Butch probably has one (or more?). Hmmm... hope so. Can't imagine Ft. Rob without some little kid getting beaned by another one holding a broomstick. Stay tuned.

Three weeks and counting (or, LOW-TECH RULZ!!!)

Actually, by the time you read this, I'm guessing there will be a lot less than that. (Is anyone reading this right now at all, anyway? Hellooooooooooo...?)

Well, that's OK. From what I hear, there's lots of planning in the works... meals, vacations, driving arrangements.

And don't forget the entertainment. (Not that we're all not entertaining enough...)

My favorite memory of all Fort Robs is... BOX HOCKEY! YEEEAH!!!

Despite all the gizmos I imagine will be floating around the houses (DS and PSPs... DVD, CD and MP3 players... digital cameras, blog equipment *ahem*), box hockey will still be the coolest form of family entertainment there. ANYONE can play, and taking turns is kinda built in because you're bound to tire out if nothing else.

I'm not sure how many box-hockey games are out there. I know my parents have (at least) one, or used to. I know Butch built the one we used in the Fort Rob gatherings when I was among the youngest there. And I know there is a really funny video out there of "the Mikes" — Harless and Dvorak — playing box hockey (if I can figure out a way to get that clip posted, I definitely will).

—

Next time: Facing the mental giant (or, How to Avert a Rick Petersen Trivial Pursuit Victory)

Recognize anyone?

Once we get things rolling in Ft. Rob, I'll be posting a bunch of pics of our goings-on in Slideshow Bob, a gallery at the top on the right. Until then, I thought you might enjoy flipping through this family photo album I've compiled. Given the sheer number of babies, I'm guessing there's at least a couple people you won't recognize.

Admittedly, this is just a few of the people we'll be seeing there, but these are all the people I have pics of. We'll get a better sampling of the whole family while we're there. In the meantime, enjoy the show.

P.S. - There's captions. I'm told they're entertaining. Click into the album to read for yourself. Enjoy.

Be afraid...

Brace for the carnage and the subsequent rubber-chicken farm. Two words: Killer Bunnies.

For those of you who know, I really don't have to say more. For those of you who don't, it's probably prudent to let you know what you're walking into. This card/dice game pits players against one another, armed to the teeth (if they're lucky) with a Kitchen Whisk, Torque Rings or, worse yet, Sharks WFLB*. And that's only if they survive the Cyber Bunny attacks or the Plutonium Radiation. But be warned: It doesn't pay to be nice in this game, and somebunny will always get hurt, or at least abducted by aliens — if they're lucky.

Having noted a few choice tidbits of information on the subject here and there since the last Ft. Rob, I'm anticipating several knock-down drag-out fireball competitions of epic proportions between Dryden Meints and Ben Harless, with a close eye kept on Aldy, which I imagine is always a good idea. ;-)

The rest of us will likely perish several times over and in spectacular fashion, no doubt. Myself, I can only hope my bunnies suffer a terrible misfortune while trapped in an old Fiat before being attacked by the Ebola Virus — or WORSE, (Bittersweet) Chocolate-Covered Anti-Matter Raisins — power-boosted by the Minilith, thus rendering my F18 Hornet and my wimpy-yet-thoroughly-entertaining Green Gelatin (With Evil Pineapple Chunks) utterly useless. I really hate when that happens.

There will be tears. There will be laughter. There will be many people awake past midnight. Choose your bed-down locations wisely.

*With Frickin' Laser Beams!

Technology on the prairie

Good news, everyone! Chris has WiFi Internet on his cell phone plus Bluetooth, as does my computer, so we'll be able to do updates as his wireless plan permits. (No, that's not him up there. Man, it has been a long time since we've seen you, huh?)

Allow me to translate (all you math and science geniuses I'm related to hush while the English major tries to do math): [Chris + cell phone(WiFi)] + [Gina + MacBook(Bluetooth)] + (Prayer x Wireless signal) = LIVE FT. ROB BLOG

Updates likely to be posted anytime after 7 p.m. CDT since that's when his free Web minutes kick in on weekdays. Awesome.

Those farm guys are hooked up! (I love relating such stories to some of my coworkers. I swear they think Nebraska is a third-world country sometimes.)

NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Arewethereyet? AREWETHEREYET?!

Hello. My name is Gina, and I'll be your tour guide. Sorry.

Actually, I can think of worse things. I mean, Butch gave me an award for my Christmas letter when I was something like 11 years old. SURELY with a journalism degree and a few years of newspapering under my belt — OK, almost 10 — I ought to be able to keep this entertaining, if not spelled correctly.

As far as I can tell, the only thing standing in my way at this point is the possible absence of adequate technology on the prairie. But you know what? If photojournalists can transmit award-winning photography from a mountain during a major wildfire, I'm betting I can get the job done... somehow. Fortunately, I have a Guinea pig — er, research partner? More on that later.

And without further ado, I present to you...

Ft. Rob — THE BLOG.
*cheering goes here. ahem.*

It's a work in progress. Stay tuned... and enjoy. :-)

-G