Good Bye Roadrunner

After 4 years of service with Roadrunner we are giving up. Service outages have gradually become untenable.

If you email us at houston.rr.com our new email addresses are:
bpasta@gmail.com
dpastalaniec@gmail.com

Thanks!

Due to Popular Demand...

The first PastaNoodle registry has been created. Aunt Joanne helped us begin to register today at Babies "R" Us.

Click Here and then enter "Pastalaniec" or code "61747972"

If you should be so kind is to purchase something at the store you DO NOT have to give them your telephone number at the register - just politely decline.

If you are an experienced mother feel free to let us know we are smokin' da ganja by what we select or don't select.

Cheers, Pasta Parents

Houston Ozone Progress

HOUSTON OZONE EXCURSIONS SEEN ON ORIGINAL 9 MONITORS V. ALL 44 EXISTING MONITORS

Half as a hobby, half for work, I keep pretty close tabs on ground level ozone in Houston. While updating excursion data for the year I had a question - How does progress look if you look at only the 9 original 1997 ozone monitors? There are now a whopping 44 ozone monitors in the Houston area.

Using original monitors only the number of days in Houston with ozone excursions is down 48%, v. a 17% increase looking at all 44 monitors from 1997 to 2005. More of what you would expect given the dramatic emissions reductions at refineries, chemical plants and power stations.

PastaNoodle Week 18

Today PastaNoodle had his/her teir II ultrasound. The doctor said it is "perfectly fine" - which at this age means alot!

The picture is hard to see, I know. The face is easy to spot. The doctor measured all limbs and the skull and everything is A-OK.

Ted Boyce Birthday Weekend

On Friday Ted, Kathleen and Tadd came into Houston so we could celebrate Ted's birthday. We started out by going to an Astros' game on Friday night (hint: the Astros' lost.)

Saturday we took the day trip of Ted's choice, to the Sabine-Pass Battleground in far east Texas. Here, First Lt. Richard Dowling and 50 men defended Texas from four boats full of Yankee aggressors without losing a man - capturing 350 men and killing 61.

Dowling is the subject of the first public monument in Houston, dedicated in 1905. Besides the battle at Sabine Pass, Dowling was famous for his Houston bar, the Bank of Bacchus. Houston streets Dowling and Tuam (after his birthplace town in Ireland) were named after him.

We then visited the Sabine Pass Cemetery, the oldest continually used cemetery in Jefferson County. The cemetery had many folks killed during the 1886 hurricane and several Woodmen of the World tombstones, carved to look like tree stumps.

On the way back home we stopped at Valero's Pt. Arthur Refinery - one of the oldest refineries in America (and site of some of the biggest environmental remediation projects in Texas.)

Saturday night was BBQ time with Nick, Heather and Elissa. Drama insued when Barbara cut her hand while slaughtering an innocent avocado. Many thanks to the St. Lukes Clinic for a quick stitch in time.

Sunday, after brunch at Baba Yega, we toured the new addition to the Buffalo Bayou park systems west of Downtown, between Sabine and Bagby.

After Mass at the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral we dined at Brasil.

Bathroom Update

See pictures of the Bathroom remodeling job, almost done!

15-Week Check-up

Today Barbara and Pastanoodle had their 15 week check up with Dr. Tran. Everything was fine and Pastanoodle's heartbeat was at 150 beats per minute.

In about 3 weeks we will see another doctor for an intense 2nd ultrasound. It will determine any possible problems with our pregnancy. Our next appointment with Dr. Tran is at 19 weeks.

2006-07-17 More Sneak Preview

2006-07-16 #1 Old Masterbath Photos with Sneak Preview Photo

1 day? I meant one week, of course. Below are pictures of the master bathroom as we inherited it. The wall paper and blinds were both very high quality - but just so wrong for so many reasons. This led to the first quick make-over in 2003. The 2006 complete make-over is 1/2 done, and a sneak preview photo is shown below. The photo is of the shower being tiled with tumbled marble 6 inch tiles. So far, so good!

2006-07-09 Master Bathroom Good-Bye

Monday morning 7/10/06 work began on the paint-shedding roach-infested master bath. A disastrous attempt to paint the tile by the folks who flipped the house to us has led to a constant condition of ugly flaky paint. The house flippers did not even paint the green-ish tile floor - ugh! It appears that when the house foundation was raised in 1996 the shower drain was partially separated from the sewer pipe - leading to a sink hole under the house that breeds vermin. These and many other reasons have led to this project. Tomorrow - pictures of the bathroom when we bought the house. Not pretty!

2006-07-01 Barb's Birthday

On 7/1/06 we threw a stealth birthday party for Barbara. Through the intermittant rain Nick grilled some burgers and all ate well. For some reason the camera was focused on kids...
















Nick and Elissa as the party starts. Jewels and Gillian fight over coke, Cory and Candace















J.J. and Ava. The party spread (only partially picked over)





Margie plays with future grandchild stand-in (Elissa)

Announcing... PastaNoodle!

Press Release: 7/1/06 - The Pastalaniec Family, LLP. announced the release of details about Project PastaNoodle. PastaNoodle was officially kicked off 12.5 weeks ago and development has constantly accelerated since. The picture at left shows PastaNoodle about 7 weeks after the project began. Analysis by 3rd party auditors also reported a 170 beat per minute heartbeat 11 weeks after the project's inception. The 3rd party auditors - Houston Women's Care Associates - has been ordered by Pastalaniec Family to maintain secrecy surrounding PastaNoodle's final form: "male" or "female," even from company leaders.

Pastalaniec Family's two founders, David and Barbara, are quoted as being "thrilled" and "excited" about the project. Pastalaniec Family's main offices in Houston are being remodeled to make room for PastaNoodle. The office wing formerly known as "Guest Bedroom" will be formerly dedicated as headquarters for Project PastaNoodle towards the end of fiscal year 2006.

Project PastaNoodle was kicked off after 2 years of effort by the company's founders with assistance from outside consultant Dr. Russel Williams. Founder David said "This company owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. Williams and wishes him well in his new endeavor, the Pathways to Pregnancy website."

Pastalaniec Family estimates that the first phase of the project, currently being referred to as "gestation," will be completed on January 10th, 2007. The 2nd phase of the project will be kicked off at Texas Women's Hospital, where the project's official name will be announced once the final form of the project is determined. Founder Barbara said, "We believe that the addition of PastaNoodle to Pastalaniec Family LLP will have a positive impact on the company's bottom line for years to come."

Statements contained in this release that state the company's or management's expectations or predictions of the future are forward-looking statements intended to be covered by the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The words “believe,” “expect,” “should,” “estimates,” and other similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. It is important to note that actual results could differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements.

Pt. Aransas Trip (or, lots of pictures of Elissa)

Clinton, Nick and Kevin prepare the grill while Elissa supervises










The weekend of June 10th we went on a Carol Heider planned expedition to Port Aransas: 4 bungalows, 5 bedrooms, 5 couples and a baby. (Us, Heiders, Elliotts, Boyces and Kevin and Denise) The bungalows were cute! We cooked all our meals and spent lots of time on the beach. Elissa had her first experience with sand and surf and had a blast.

Hurricane Prep Week

Quote of the Day: Dave - "We make a good team on this window boarding project." Barb - "I would rather we made a good team doing something fun!" Followed by pouty look.

We have made a decision not to evacuate for the next hurricane. Our house is sturdy and well removed from potential impact by storm surge from even the worst hurricane.

Barbara started the week by preparing our hurricane kit. Everything we need to weather a storm and potential disruptions in utilities and other services. No power for 3+ days and Barb will be headed out and I will be headed to the plant, most likely.

This Sunday we spent 8 hours planning and purchasing supplies for boarding windows and then working on it. 6 hours of cutting and screwing boards later we have 7 windows completed and 6 to go, including our three biggest windows. Many of the windows on the south and west side were deep enough that we could use Plylox clips - pretty cool stuff for us coastal bound residents!

Back from Florida

Walt Disney World--Triathlon and Touring

We returned Sunday from a great vacation to Florida. On the trip Joanne and Barbara competed in the Danskin Triathlon at Disney World. The race went well for both. Next, it was off to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney/MGM for Joanne, Barbara, Dave, Dan, and Margie.

A visit with Crush from "Finding Nemo" at Epcot.

Joanne cruelly deafens Mickey.

Behind the scenes tour at MGM lets us know what it's like to be near a truck explosion.











Sanibel Island

We later headed down to Sanibel Island for some relaxation in the sand and surf. The Wheatleys joined us their for bird watching, kayaking, sunbathing and general lazing around.

Daniel travels in style











Dave gets pinned by a one year old!













Joanne a.ka. Queen of the Kayak














Kayak company brochure shot










Barbara on the malaria trail.

Beach fun

Look out beach, here I come!

Daniel shows Anida where the best shells are.











Daniel--"Who is this dude holding me?"

How Do Gasoline Prices Compare Over Time?

Changes in the Price of Gasoline and Other Consumer Items Between 1982-84 and 2006

It's something most Americans take for granted: The cost of living goes up a little bit every year. But a look at price trends over the past two decades shows that gasoline prices have increased much less than many of the common items we purchase everyday.

Thanks to Tiffany Johnson and ExxonMobil

Elissa Baptism

Today Elissa Nicole Boyce was baptised into the Presbyterian Church. The ceremony took place a Grace Presbyterian. Pictures below obviously biased towards the new Godparents - Dave and Barbara. After the service the Boyce's hosted a luncheon party second to none (folks are still trying to finish off the ham!)






The Proud Godparents





















The proud family!











Waiting for baptism