New Kitchen Faucet

This day was just gloomy enough to make us take on home repairs. So, today was the day for a new kitchen faucet.

We briefly considered repairing our current model, but that seemed uninspiring. Years of water leaks had built up a fine scale of calcium, lime and rust impervious to every toxic chemical I could find, and the bulky water filter attachment (never used) was always in my way.

I am sorry you had to see this photo. Gross.

Adam tackled the tasks with tools, and I helped by kneading the plumber's putty and offering silent encouragement.

Our new faucet is now in service. Selected primarily for its value (On sale?! With a $20 mail-in rebate?! Sold!) and secondarily for its beauty (At least it doesn't leak...), I'm willing to cross this project off the list.

And when all was completed, TJ put his paw on Adam's knee and told him, "Good job, old boy. I knew you could do it." True story.

Dear Let's Tap and The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks

Dear Let's Tap,

Let's be honest, you are a novelty gameplay mechanic and your content is limited. I initially expected the tapping required in all your games to bother me, but that wasn't really an issue. The problem was that it only took about ten minutes to realize what each of the four mini-games had planned for me. The running game is only going to add different obstacles, the jenga game is a jenga game, the rhythm game will unlock more songs, and the shmup isn't all that interesting. You do what you do well, but there isn't enough here. Oh and I almost forgot your fifth "game", which was basically an interactive screen saver. I laud you for your efforts, but I have better games to play.

Enjoy Greenbelt, MD.

Dear Spirit Tracks,

You are the second best DS game to come out in 2009 after Chinatown Wars. Everything I enjoyed from Phantom Hourglass has been improved and the problems I had with the previous game were also addressed. It is refreshing to have a game with so many different puzzles and places to discover. I can't think of another game for the DS that I want to play after you and that is a testament to the quality of your experience. 5 stars!

Enjoy Richmond, VA.

Snow Dog

We haven't blogged in awhile, and here's why:

1. It's too cold to type in our sunroom (i.e., uninsulated room with walls of windows).
2. We have been distracted with other activities, primarily birding. Yes, birding.
3. We keep losing our dog in the snow.

See you in the warmer weather.