Fall 2009

Can't believe it's been nearly 3 months since our last post. We've been staying super-busy, and keep on taking more projects and classes. We had to put everything on Google Calendar just to keep track of it all - and we're running out of colors for all the different schedules!

Alison decided that being a Troop Leader for Girl Scouts wasn't enough work, so she started up a Destination Imagination team. The team is a small group of 2nd graders (including Sarah, of course) who will work on problem-solving in fun and creative ways, with a performance at the end of the year. Now, Ali and Sarah have Brownies after school on Mondays and "DI" after school on Tuesdays. Alison is also volunteering in the school library several days a month. She's also made the time to go to the gym at least 3 to 4 times a week, and has been losing weight and looking great!

David is gearing up to go to the AGU meeting in San Francisco for several days in December. He'll be presenting the public release of NLDAS data; one usage of this data is historical and real-time drought monitoring. The NLDAS data is over 30 years of hourly 1/8th-degree surface meteorology and land data, including precipitation, soil moisture, runoff, and snow cover. All that data is over 2 TB in size, so David's been working with the NASA GES DISC, who have the expertise and hardware to make it all available for researchers and the public.

David is also getting ready to move offices. After over 14 years in the Climate and Radiation Branch, he will be moving into a new office (in the same building) within the Global Modeling and Assimilation Office. David's actually been working part-time with both the GMAO and the Hydrological Sciences Branch for a couple years now, and his actual work duties and people he works for/with won't be changing. However, NASA just opened up a new building, which left open many new offices in his current building. Both the GMAO and HSB are consolidating on the other side of the building, and David will be moving sometime in the next month or two. The best part is that David will be moving along with his current office mate and friend, Greg, and Greg's agreed to let David have the window side of the office this time around.

David started the year going to the gym regularly as well, but ended up with a bad case of plantar fasciitis. It had been hurting him off and on for most of the spring and summer, but seemed to be easing starting the fall. But it started hurting more and more again, so David's now started physical therapy. He might end up getting orthotics (inserts for his shoes) to help keep his arch supported.

Sarah is enjoying 2nd grade and all her after-school activities. In addition to Brownies and DI, she was taking jazz dance and ballet, and will be starting ice skating lessons next week. She's also taking CCD in preparation for her first communion in May. She made the honor roll at school the first time she was eligible, and continues to read books all the time (even when she shouldn't be reading during school time).

Nicholas is doing great at the day care at NASA. He's the biggest kid in his class, and knows all his letters and numbers and has a great vocabulary. He can even spell his name (if you spot him the "N" and maybe the "I"). He has some trouble pronouncing several words, and we will be getting him evaluated for his ankyloglossia (aka, he's tongue-tied). Hopefully, we can correct it with just some pronunciation exercises/therapy. Nico also seems to be allergic to pollen and/or mold. He rarely gets a fever or other infection, but his nose will run for what seems like 2 weeks in a row. It seems somewhat correlated with when he visits the day care at the gym, but we're hoping the allergy nasal spray will shorten/reduce his bouts. He doesn't seem sick otherwise, but - as Nicholas finds hilarious every time we say it - "boogers are gross!".