instones.org

• Michigan State 3-1 upset winners over Boston College

Nice to see a CCHA team win the Men’s Division I college hockey crown. I was rooting for Jerry York but I guess finishing 2nd two years in a row is not all that bad.

Our local paper printed the first version of the AP article on the game, which has this mistake:

Michigan State coach Mike Comley also won it all with Bowling Green in 1984.

It has been corrected online:

Comley also won it all with Northern Michigan in 1991.

At least the Falcons can say they were one of the last teams to beat the Spartans (to end the regular season).

I was tagged to tell 5 things about myself that you probably do not know (and likely do not care).

The Anthony Wayne Marching Band participated in the London New Year’s Day Parade this morning. I am looking forward to photos from the trip.

We went to the Falcons game against Miami at Nationwide Arena on Friday - part of the Ohio Hockey Classic. The Falcons did not win, but I thought they played as well as the Redhawks (just a few lucky bounces away from upsetting them).

Nationwide is a great arena - it was our first visit to the home of the Blue Jackets. The highlight was Blaine riding on the zamboni during the second intermission.

Here is Blaine just before the zamboni heads out onto the ice. We forgot our digital camera, so this is a phone photo. We will have better photos from a borrowed camera later.

Today is Christmas. Here are some photos from this morning.

Just before we opened the presents.

Still waiting to open presents (have to take some pictures first)

Caitie’s 3 favorite presents: Pajamas, Nintendo DS, Nintendog game (Lucy is a brown chocolate lab)

Rachel’s favorite present: Elizabeth American Girl doll (pink dress)

Blaine’s favorite presents: Power rangers, Fly-face, Troublesome trucks

Time to open the stockings

Modeling the pajamas from China

I am back home after 2 weeks on the road. This is my last photo from the trip:

Earlier on the trip, I had taken photos of Chicago, Tokyo and Shanghai. I added Wikipedia links to my Flickr photos for most of the places I visited. Hope you enjoy the pictures, lots of stories to tell…

I am still in Shanghai, but I put some photos online, from last week, when I was working in Chicago and sightseeing/shopping with Karin.

Photos from Chicago

Also, my IBM colleague Will Smith took photos there too - here are 2 with me in them:

With a moose

On Navy pier under the Shanghai sign

I flew from Tokyo to Shanghai today - more travels for IBM - the last leg of the trip.

I will be putting photos online - tagged Shanghai. Visited Old Town - it reminded me a lot of the merchants in Russia 10 years ago. Lots of bartering and lots of offers to sell me a watch.

I am in Japan, traveling for IBM. Here I am on the grounds of the Imperial Palace, standing in front of the Nijubashi Bridge.

Click to see the larger picture. Thanks Brian for taking it. More photos from the trip later.

Aunt Colleen, Aunt Erin and Grace are here for the weekend. After Erin came back from shopping, the kids attacked her and built this pyramid around her.