Monday, October 31, 2005

Bingo goes trick or treating


Bingo dressed up as the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Renny went as a mugger, carrying a tire iron, which proved surprisingly effective in drumming up about 10 pounds of candy.

The next evening began a storied Blume tradition. Torch the pumpkins! Here we see R torching his hand as well, but he survived the incident without incident.

Friday, October 28, 2005

Renselaer Nearly Reaches 10 mph

R ran an incredible 6:01 mile in his PE class, perhaps the fastest in his class. He averaged a speed of 9.97 miles/hour in his rush to the finish line.

W To Travel To Israel


After three years of working with the Johnson & Johnson owned company Biosense, W, who does not go by the nickname "Dubya", will finally visit the company headquarters in Israel as part of an ongoing software integration project with Stereotaxis. The company is located on the outskirts of Haifa. In related news, the president of Iran noted yesterday that Israel should be wiped off the map.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Marcel Exceeds Mach 0.0118 in X-Country Meet!


Marcel, a slight latecomer to the Webster Groves High School cross country team, surprised himself and other observers as he turned in a 15th place performance in his first cross country meet, the Webster Groves Invitational . Exhausted from his blistering 20 minute 50 second performance (a 6:42 min/mile pace, moving at over 13 feet/second, or approximately 0.0118 the speed of sound), M felt after finishing as if he was going to pass out, but maintained conciousness to enjoy his medal and a drink of water.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Victory!

After a long battle, victory has been declared over the washing machine. The washing machine had become so slow at filling that laundry sessions were becoming epic in nature. After attempting once to figure out how to open the back of the washing machine, W had pretty much decided that he wanted no part of the frustration inherent in attempting a repair, and was ready to buy a new washer. N remained unconvinced and spoke with some friends who advised her to buy a highly corrosive substance called CLR that is used to decalcify the supply lines. W knew that this was no time to desert from the battlefront, so he resumed his struggle with the back cover of the washer. Eventually the back cover yielded to reveal the relays controlling water input valves. W removed and soaked the offending parts in CLR, but to no avail. The part, when reinstalled produced the same slow trickle of water as before. W then turned to cyberspace and found a place that sold valves for 20 year old Whirlpool washing machines. Two days later the part arrived, and miraculously, it actually fit in the washing machine, although it looked quite different from the original. But even better, the washing machine now gushes effusively on all three settings: cold, hot, and warm.

Monday, October 17, 2005

Renny Eschews Jazz Band

R, despite landing a coveted jazz band spot, rejected the opportunity, having little enthusiasm for jazz band. Attempts to convince him otherwise fell on deaf ears, and it is apparent that the only remotely possible tactic might be that of reverse psychology.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Renny Lands Spot in Jazz Band

Renny's trumpeting abilities landed him a spot in the audition only Hixson jazz band. R is unsure about doing jazz, but recently tried playing his trumpet upside down in class, so has no trouble improvising. This puts him in a league with Miles Davis, who used to perform playing his trumpet backwards, facing away from the audience.

Marcel First Chair Percussion

Marcel's percussion audition earned him first chair responsibilities for the Webster Groves High School concert band. As he put it, "I am the best of the worst.". What he meant by this is that he did not make it into the more prestigious Wind Ensemble (no freshmen did), but managed to be in the top of the second tier, still a nice accomplishment.

Saturday, October 08, 2005

Nichole has C4-C5 "encroachment"

This never before seen photo reveals Nichole's spine in all its glory. You can also see a small portion of her wondrous brain at upper right. N has been having some pain from slipping and falling on an oily spot in a parking garage on May 20th. Since this incident, N has noted tingling that goes down her arm when she tilts her head in a certain direction. She was recently imaged, and the radiologist noted some "encroachment" in the C4/C5 area. W was unable to actually distinguish this on the MRI, but managed to make a pretty picture out of it (Click here for larger view).