Bonjour!

I'm back from France and it was absolutely amazing. I stayed in Cannes in the South of France for 4 days and stayed in Paris for 3. Hopefully, I will be sending Pres. Bort photos soon if someone decides to email them to me anytime soon (I'm seriously getting frustrated. I want those damn pics!). Anyway, I'm sorry to say that summer is coming to an end. We should definitely take some pictures to add to the family website on labor day though.
Au revoir!

Super Quiz Game Notes: Game # 7

Unfortunately, this will bring our games notes to a close for now. We haven't been able to gather for a circle in over a year. Hopefully soon.

We really should get one of these games on film one day. I think it'd be a fascinating study into our rather crazy little world.

The Official Society of Super Quiz
New Lebanon Region
Game # 7

Date: May 28, 2006

Recordkeeper Niblet Telbin

Cabinet Members:
Bort Trob, President
Pot Luck Kcultop, Vice President
Lorraine Eniarrol, Vice President
Niblet Telbin, Vice President

Other Members:
Farter Retraf, Upper League Member
Crier Reirc, Upper League Member
Belcher Rehcleb, Upper League Member
Julius Suiluj, Lower League Member
Tidy Ydit, Lower League Member
Slime Emils, Junior Member
General Lareneg, Junior Member
Thing One Enogniht, Junior Member
Thing Two Owtgniht, Junior Member

Members Present at Game:
Bort Trob
Pot Luck Kcultop
Lorraine Eniarrol
Niblet Telbin
Farter Retraf
Crier Reirc
Belcher Rehcleb

Occurences:

Niblet has now returned as Official Recordkeeper. She was deeply missed.

We’re deciding a specific set-up for the cube.

President Bort is reading the notes very well taken by Belcher.

Belcher used “winner” instead of “victor.”

Lorraine has forgotten the rituals, disgrace to all Super Quiz members.

Farter is complaining about the sign of President Bort.

Smells like Gregg’s meatballs.

Crier has found a wonderful way of folding the sign.

Belcher is first to get a star!

Belcher’s attempting to read the notes.

Malfunction of the boxes, Pot Luck is being ignorant.

Farter is doing her crossword puzzle during the game, huge distraction.

Pot Luck has been selected.

Pot Luck has told Farter to “shut it.”

This is one of the few times we’ve had a full circle.

Pot Luck is being a pain in the ass region.

Lorraine has been interrupted by President Bort and didn’t look too happy about it.

Farter was doing odd things with her hands.

Niblet was the first to receive a CRAP!

Farter needs to be more alert.

Belcher has flicked some paper at Pot Luck (inappropriate behavior).

Pop-pop has interrupted the circle asking for the help of Belcher.

Pot Luck tries to “crap” Crier.

Lorraine has decided to spit her toothpick at Niblet’s arm.

Farter has suggested that our circles be televised.

President Bort has gone to pee.

Crier wishes that the cube would be spinning, it would be “the heart of the game.”

Pot Luck has lifted himself from his seat and laid a nice fart.

Bort & Lorraine are playing with the chips. Belcher has joined in.

Farter has quoted a poem and Belcher was making odd hand movements.

Pot Luck has noted a 20 second time limit.

Crier has called President Bort “Kelly.” What does this mean?

Lorraine needs to be more straightforward with her leading of rituals.

Crier is yawning as if she is bored.

This game is very outdated. [Please note: This is the beauty of Super Quiz.]

Pot Luck has made an odd comment about bras.

Pot Luck is being commanded to get drinks.

“The Official Super Quiz Cocktail.” (OSQC)

We have dissed the overseer of rituals.

We have whipped out the chocolate.

Lorraine has called Niblet a bitch and is now disliked.

Farter has gotten crapped.

President Bort has belched.

Belcher has belched quite loudly.

Pot Luck is being timed and mocked.

Lorraine placed an M&M in her drink.

It spilled on the score sheet.

Belcher is trying to undermine the scoring.

Lorraine has suddenly decided to shout “Cock!”

Niblet: “I don’t have any stars.” Crier: “You are a star.”

Belcher has given Pot Luck the middle finger.

Belcher spoken during the ritual (twice).

Niblet has received her first star.

Farter and President Bort are neck & neck.

Belcher has been summoned to help Pop-pop (2 turns have been skipped).

Pot Luck has suggested a bit of a rest before the rituals start.

Lorraine has stuck a chip in her bosom (specifically the nipple).

Belcher has returned to make-up her 2 missed turns.

We enjoy quoting Mrs. Wanger.

Belcher is dancing oddly to the music.

Pot Luck had chocolate all up his arm.

Farter is attempting to pick her feet.

Belcher is the victor.

We must keep track of all bonus points!

We have decided to continue after Belcher’s victory.

President Bort tends to talk very loudly unnecessarily.

Belcher is the victor!

Note # 1 (by President Bort): Beginning with the next game, as per an amendment to the rules by Tom Gluteson-Hertfeld, an all game tally of stars shall begin. Players will be able to look up their “star bank.”
Note # 2 (by President Bort): We should obtain an official notebook for recordkeeping.
Note # 3 (by President Bort): In the past two games, we have neglected to engage in the opening and closing rituals. Rules must be reviewed and this needs to be amended immediately.

The final scores were as follows:
 Belcher – 6 stars (History, Geography, Movies, Mostly Music, Spelling, Words), 3 bonus points
 Farter – 6 stars (History, Science, Famous People, Mostly Music, Spelling, Words), 2 bonus points, 1 point Travel & Leisure
 Bort – 5 stars (Geography, Science, Travel & Leisure, Spelling, Words), 2 bonus points
 Pot Luck – 4 stars (Geography, Science, Sports, Spelling), 1 bonus point
 Niblet – 3 stars (Mostly Music, Spelling, Words), 1 bonus point, 1 point History
 Lorraine – 2 stars (Geography, Pot Luck), 1 point History, 1 point Science, 1 point Travel & Leisure

Picture of the Week

As I go back to work tomorrow, and probably will not be so bored I would imagine my posting will be lessened, so here's this week's pic of the week before I forget!


Seeing as we've had such a dino-themed week, here's a picture of some snow on my windshield from a recent snowstorm (well, okay, it was probably in March or something). Anyway, as I was stopped at a red light, I noticed that the wind had blown the snow into the shape of a T-Rex! I had to take a picture immediately, of course! It even had the stumpy little arm that's too short to reach it's mouth!

Super Quiz Game Notes: Game # 6

The Official Society of Super Quiz
New Lebanon Region
Game # 6

Date: May 27, 2006

Recordkeeper Belcher Rehcleb (filling in for Niblet Telbin)

Cabinet Members:
Bort Trob, President
Pot Luck Kcultop, Vice President
Lorraine Eniarrol, Vice President
Niblet Telbin, Vice President

Other Members:
Farter Retraf, Upper League Member
Crier Reirc, Upper League Member
Belcher Rehcleb, Upper League Member
Julius Suiluj, Lower League Member
Tidy Ydit, Lower League Member
Slime Emils, Junior Member
General Lareneg, Junior Member
Thing One Enogniht, Junior Member
Thing Two Owtgniht, Junior Member

Members Present at Game:
Bort Trob
Pot Luck Kcultop
Farter Retraf
Crier Reirc
Belcher Rehcleb

Occurences:

Niblet was not present to take initial notes. Pot Luck forced to carry Niblet in, but she left again.

It has been deemed that Belcher will assume the role of Official Recordkeeper for this circle session.

Using the “B” side of the cards for this circle session.

Farter enthusiastically agreed to go first.

Farter has been warned NOT to pick her feet… only categories.

Farter and Belcher needed to be reminded about The Bounce during the rituals.

Belcher has noted that Farter is “Priming for THE PICK.”

Farter has earned the first star of the night.

Farter is having trouble clapping to the beat.

Crier has requested to join the game already in progress. A vote was taken and it was allowed.

Lorraine has attempted to answer questions although she is not in the game.

Pot Luck lifted himself off his chair and blew a fart.

Pot Luck is doing a grand job as Disciplinarian.

Pot Luck offers to get us all a refreshment or snack.

Belcher takes phone call break.

“Bic pens” accidentally read as “big penis.”

Belcher on phone during turn.

Pot Luck suggests conducting the start of the clapping motion with a breath.

Farter continues to have trouble getting the cards out of the box.

Belcher has been reprimanded by President Bort for referring to “the victor” as “the winner.”

Belcher is falling asleep.

Farter has noted that Crier took a card from the wrong side.

It is discovered that M&M stands for “Mars & Murray”

Crier suggests that we relax the bounce.

Discussion of the winner ceremony.

Farter is the victor!

The final scores were as follows:
 Farter – 6 stars (Science, Movies, Famous People, Mostly Music, Spelling, Words), 2 bonus points
 Bort – 3 stars (Travel & Leisure, Spelling, Words), 4 bonus points, 2 points in Science, 1 point in Geography
 Belcher – 3 stars (Mostly Music, Spelling, Words), 2 points Movies, 1 point Sports, 1 point T.V.
 Pot Luck – 2 stars (Sports, Spelling), 2 points Science, 2 points Pot Luck, 2 points Words, 1 point History
 Crier – 1 star (Spelling), 1 points Movies, 2 points Pot Luck, 2 points Mostly Music

Jane Austen Quiz

You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Take the Quiz here!

If other family members are so inclined to take the test, I'll post the results!

Mom's results:

Take the Quiz here!

Let's face it, you're easily persuaded, especially when faced with choices that are or aren't 'the Elliot way.' But this doesn't mean that you don't have conviction. Actually, your sense of duty is overwhelming. And though you won't stick your neck out too often, you have learned to speak up when it counts. To boot, you know how to handle sticky situations. You love deeply and constantly.

"Superfreak"

To continue our series of favorite movie clips, here's today's. Why do I feel as though this would be our family's pageant experience?



We're not as dysfunctional as the Hoover family but - damn it! - we're trying!

Camp Hymelick

Strangely enough, I don't think Camp Hymelick has ever come up on the family website, despite the fact that hymelick.com gets it's name from it! Camp Hymelick is the epic story of one man's quest for the greatest summer camp. Roger Hymelick (portrayed by Jordan) and his family (portrayed by Kelly, Lindsay, Kara, Emily and other various family members in multiple roles) work together to run Camp Hymelick, a less-than-adequate summer camp. I am in the process of getting all our material onto the computer and transferred to DVD, but it is a looooong process! In the meantime, I remembered that two of our scenes are already up and running.

In this first one, talk show host Capitain von Trapp (played by Kara) and his brother Jumbo (played by Emily) dance with one of their guests, the Minch (played by Lindsay):

Spice Up Your Life

In this next video, Lindsay plays King Howard, a rotund member of royalty who enjoys dancing:

King Howard the Love Machine

More Camp Hymelick tales will follow.

When Dinos Attack...

This was the scene I saw last night --- though I didn't see the beginning of it, just from where the guy is in the ditch and the dino foot almost crushes him (hence why I didn't know it was in Spanish yet!).

"Jurassic Park in any form is magical."

Last night I was flipping through the channels and I noticed that Jurassic Park III was on. Now really, this is the worst movie of the whole series - in fact, it's not very good at all - but I felt compelled to watch some of it. I turned it on during a scene in which two dinosaurs were fighting. Therefore, I didn't realize until about two minutes later - when the characters started talking - that the movie was dubbed in Spanish!

Of course, I had to text Kara immediately, telling her of my dismay that they don't dub over the dino sounds, and we got into a discussion about how they dub panting, laughing, and screaming in another voice, but not dinosaur sounds. Kara speculated that they would have had to find a Spanish speaking dino, which is hard to come by, and I agreed, also adding that perhaps it is too hard to translate English dino roars into Spanish.

The discussion concluded with my saying that the real mystery was that I was still actually watching the movie! To which Kara replied, making the best point of the night, "Jurassic Park in any form is magical."

"Fortescue!... Fondant!"

Until I figure out how to get OUR family movies onto the site, I thought it would be fun to feature some of the family's favorite movie scenes, starting with - what else? - "Sense and Sensibility."

Technically there are two scenes here, but they are closely related and make up one of the greatest parts of the movie!

I believe that no further explanation is needed.

Picture of the Week

This is one of our "famous" family photos. Taken in North Carolina 1997. I like to call it "The Great Watermelon Chow Down." (Plus, Jordan's face behind Kara is really funny!)

Happy Birthday Ted!

Today Ted celebrates his birthday!



This picture was from his 70th birthday celebration in 2000.

The Most Amazing Song Ever!

While hunting down some plays for a possible musical production, Lindsay and I came across this - as it says in the title, the most amazing song ever!

CLICK HERE to hear it.

Happy Birthday Lindsay!

Today Lindsay celebrates her 23rd birthday!

Looking awesome in her glow-in-the-dark footsie pajamas!

As a baby.

With her first love - horses!

With Popops in North Carolina in 1995, at age 11.

Just 'cause I'm bored...

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Gentle Poet. Where You Lived: France. How You Died: Typhoid fever.

You never know - could be true.

Recipe: Brownies

These are the best brownies ever! The cooking time depends completely on your preferred texture. We like severely undercooked around here!

2 sticks unsalted butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Grease a 13x9x12 pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot, heat butter. When half melted remove from heat. Stir in sugar with a wooden spoon. Add eggs one at a time. Stir until chocolate is shiny. Stir in vanille. Add flour and salt. Spread in pan. Bake 30 minutes (less time for fudgier brownies, more time for "cakier" brownies). Cool completely in pan.

A fun "fact:" These brownies are officially called "Pot" Brownies because you pretty much prepare them all in one pot!

Travel Tales: Los Angeles 2006, Part Three

Day three of our Los Angeles journey began with our first glimpse of the Hollywood sign. After a quick breakfast of - what else? - toast and peanut butter we headed out. Jordan took us on a brief tour of Hollywood on the way to the studio, so in addition to the sign we got to see the Chinese Theater for the first time, the Kodak Theater (where they hold the Oscars) and caught far away glimpses of some of the stars on the walk of fame.

We arrived at Universal Studios quickly, where we parked in Jurassic Parking 3K - as big fans of Jurassic Park, we were highly entertained by this fact (plus we appreciated the highly dorky play on words!). The day was already quite warm and we were not really prepared for the walk through what seemed like a little village within Los Angeles, but we managed to reach the ticket booths and pay.

Our first stop was the Universal Studios Lot tour, which was very interesting. We got to see, among other things:

1. The Bates Motel and House set
2. Wisteria Lane
3. Whoville
4. A plane crash set from War of the Worlds

5. King Kong sets

6. New York street and other set locations

In one lot they were filming the show CSI while we were there and we had to be very quiet while passing the large building. No star sightings though. There was really not a lot going on in the studio that day. After the tour we walked around a bit more and checked out some of the movie props that grace the park.

We then went on the Jurassic Park ride, which was a lot of fun! Sitting in the front row, Kara was quite scared when it came time for the big drop. Though we didn't notice at the time, in her fear Kara had stuck her elbow right in my face in an effort to hold on the railing for dear life. We just had to buy the picture afterwards (which I'll post when I ca scan it in)!

We headed back to Jordan's where we parted for the evening. Jordan and his roommates headed to see "Miami Vice" and Kara, Emily and I decided we wanted to "cruise around." We also had not had dinner yet so we wanted to find somewhere to eat. We ended up driving down Sunset Boulevard, and finding a little Italian restaurant. The waiter came over to take our drink orders, to which Emily replied,"

"So, what do you have. I mean... like... what kids of, um... uh, well... I'll just have water." Apparantly Emily forgot what drinks were called. Later that night she would entertain us one more time when, while passing an open convertible, she looked in and said, "They should really put the top up. Someone might steal their towels!"

Once done with dinner, we continued to ride around a little bit, heading onto Rodeo Drive where we saw the steps from Clueless! Tonight's visit was simply a drive-through one. Our stop on Rodeo is a story for the next installment.

However, the beef stick from part one of the tale returns here. That night, we decided we wanted to watch a movie on Jordan's laptop. Apparantly, the laptop had issues and the cable to charge it was loose and would fall out. Jordan, looking around for something to prop it up with, came across the beef stick we had brought him as a gift. "Ah, this beef stick is going to come in handy!" he exclaimed, and he attempted to use it to pry up the cable. At first it didn't work, causing Jordan to then exclaim, "Come on beef stick, don't fail me now!"

Finally it worked, and we all fell asleep watching Wedding Crashers.

Next time: our tour of Hollywood, the Santa Monica Pier and stars homes.

In Honor of Katherine's Voyage to France Today....

Though she won't be in Paris till the end of the week, here's a picture to get into the spirit of France! Have fun - and we expect to hear all about it when you return!

Our Gang

Stemming from a Christmas present to Katherine, the family formed the "Kip Gang."

Lindsay

Katherine

Kelly

Joe

Grandma

Hmmm.... perhaps we need to come up with some better gang names.

Flower Photography

This post serves no purpose but to display my photography skills yet again. I took all of these, and I just really liked them. Of course, it helped that the subjects were really nice before I started! The first two are from upstate at Grandma and Ted's and the third was taken right near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Picture of the Week

This picture is from Joe's Graduation Party in August of 2006. Cindy and Laura were in town and we had a lot of fun playing with the camera on Laura's computer, trying out each of the special features it offered!

Travel Tales: Los Angeles 2006, Part Two

Day two in Los Angeles started early, as we wanted to drive forty-five minutes to Disneyland. We were very excited because, as we kept saying, none of us had ever "been to the land" before (we've been to Disney WORLD many times, respectively).

So, after getting dressed and eating breakfast (toast and peanut butter!), we headed out to the car, only to find a PARKING TICKET! We were about 10 minutes too late to move the car, and because of it, now had an extra $45 expense on our hands. However, we were a little too excited to think about it for too long, so we tucked it into the glove compartment and piled into the car, headed for Freeway 405.

Our bad luck was not over for the morning. The closest freeway entrance to us turned out to be CLOSED that day! We had to follow alongside the freeway until we found the next entrance. As we got onto the freeway, I couldn't help thinking of the line from 'Clueless' when Dion is learning to drive and Murray says, "Yo, you're gettin' on the freeway!" and the trio procede to scream their way through until the next exit! I have to say though that driving around was fine, except for the confusing area where the exit ramp seemed to be on BOTH sides of the highway (turned out the HOV lane was on one side and all other traffic was on the other).

We finally made it and parked the car (on the Goofy level in Secion D7 - we saved the parking stub), and then got our tickets and a park map. It happened to be Disneyland's 50th anniversary that year, so everything was very festive. We had to take a tram to the park, and we highly entertained with the fact that they referred to the employees as cast members, and how even when they were warning you about something they use sugary sweet voices, prompting me to say to Kara and Emily, "If you do not comply, one of our cast members will be happy to pound you to a bloody pulp."

Our first stop was Peter Pan's flight, one that we all agreed was an excellent ride from our experiences with it at Disney World. The lines were long but it wasn't too hot out so waiting wasn't too bad.

We spent the rest of the day just experienced Disneyland's attractions. We headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, the Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, the Alice in Wonderland Ride, the Teacups, and we even caught a parade on our way to the Bobsled ride. After we had seen everything, we got some ice cream and did a little shopping, where I found some fabulous hats (but, alas, did not purchase any of them). We headed out, a little tired, and ready to meet Jordan for dinner.

First, however, we had to head to Wal-Mart to pick up some blankets. Though Kara and Emily had brought some very funny portable sleeping bag things, we needed something else as it got chilly at night in the dorm Jordan was staying in. We got the things we needed - while they were coincidentally playing "Down in the Boondocks" in the store - and headed back.

Dinner was at the Olive Garden, where Jordan somehow managed to drop-kick the little thing that lights up when it's time to head to your table! It was the highlight of the night!

Recipe: French Chocolate Truffles

At Katherine's request, I am providing the famous Roberts Family truffle recipe.

French Chocolate Truffles

1/2 cup sweet butter
1 bar sweet baking chocolate
4 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate
1 cup confectioner's sugar
dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. brandy or cognac

Melt butter and chocolate. Remove from heat. Add all of the other ingredients. Blend well.

Cool till you can roll the candy into small balls.

Roll balls in cocoa, nuts, etc. and then wrap in foil.

Photography by Katherine

Katherine took this picture of Daniel and Nicholas in their slide when we were visiting them last week. I thought it was a good "defining" picture of the twins!

Jordan's Going Away Party

Yesterday Lindsay and I attending a going away party for Jordan, in honor of his moving to Los Angeles. There was lots of food, drinks and fun - including a marathon of "Shout About Movies!"

Pictures from the event are now in the photo gallery, though we really do have to start taking more pictures of the person the event is actually for!

Photography by Kelly

After "helping" Katherine with her photography homework, I decided to take out my camera and play around with it a bit. My favorite one:

Super Quiz Game Notes: Game # 5

The Official Society of Super Quiz
New Lebanon Region
Game # 5

Date: November 26, 2004

Recordkeeper Niblet Telbin

Cabinet Members:
Bort Trob, President
Pot Luck Kcultop, Vice President
Lorraine Eniarrol, Vice President
Niblet Telbin, Vice President

Other Members: Farter Retraf, Upper League Member
Crier Reirc, Upper League Member
Belcher Rehcleb, Upper League Member
Julius Suiluj, Lower League Member
Tidy Ydit, Lower League Member
Slime Emils, Junior Member
General Lareneg, Junior Member
Thing One Enogniht, Junior Member
Thing Two Owtgniht, Junior Member

Members Present at Game:
Bort Trob
Pot Luck Kcultop
Niblet Telbin
Farter Retraf
Crier Reirc
Belcher Rehcleb
Slime Emils
General Lareneg
Thing One Enogniht
Thing Two Owtgniht

Occurences:

We initiated our four junior members, allowed into the society by the new amendment into the Official Rules from the National Headquarters that states that junior members are now allowed to join in the Circle, and while they do not actively participate in the questioning and answering, they are able to obtain wisdom for their future omni quest.

Pot Luck told Belcher to go home by telling her that President Bort makes the rules and not her (amendment from President Bort – the rules are made by the National Headquarters under the meticulous supervision of Tom Gluteson-Hertfield).

President Bort is Overseer of Rituals in Lorraine’s absence.

Belcher is being quite rude to President Bort.

Belcher has just suggested that Crier’s name be changed to Pinchaloaf. Such a request will be granted in the event that Crier desires the name change and submits the proper paperwork.

President Bort informed the group that guests will be able to ask questions at the end of the circle session.

We have decided to read from side “B” on the cards today.

Farter mispronounced President Bort’s name, calling her “Bart.”

President Bort tried to “dis” Crier out of a turn.

Farter has messed with the circle by rotating it towards President Bort, thereby moving the circle and unbalancing the alignment.

We have assigned two category boxes to each member present today, as Lorraine is away from the circle (again note that she has been official granted a leave of absence due to her desire to gain more wisdom for her Omni quest).

Farter experienced a “senior moment,” as Pot Luck would say.

Farter has said “Crash” instead of “Crap” during the wrong answer ritual.

President Bort earned the first star!

Crier wants to be excused to get her membership card. President Bort granted permission.

Crier could not find her membership card so instead returned to the circle with a piece of cake.

Farter is sarcastic.

Niblet harrased Pot Luck.

Crier held “Om” too long.

President Bort is trying to cheat Niblet out of her proper points – they were placed accidentally in Words when they were actually earned in Spelling.

Pot Luck informed Niblet that he has a moderate case of gas.

Farter is criticizing the questions, and by association, Isaac Asimov.

Belcher is trying to cause problems by challenging Crier’s spelling.

There was a very good “Om” after Bort’s spelling of extraneous.

Niblet clapped twice instead of three times and is deeply sorry.

Crier has made a mistake – she called for Niblet to go instead of Pot Luck.

Belcher clapped in advance.

Pot Luck farted and it smells bad.

We have established a new way of saying “Crap.”

Crier is letting a junior member – Slime – participate by reading a card. (Note: Such behavior is acceptable.)

Niblet is wasting paper.

Unacceptable disturbance to the circle with a rendition of songs from the “Wizard of Oz.”

Interuptance of game by friends of the “Liccardos.”

At the end of the game, new members were voted in and given their identities. Official copies of the rules as well as their membership cards are forthcoming from the National Headquarters.

Farter was the victor!

The final scores were as follows:
v Farter – 6 stars (Spelling, Pot Luck, Mostly Music, Words, Famous People, History), 2 bonus points
v Bort – 5 stars (Geography, Travel & Leisure, Spelling, Words, History), 2 bonus points
v Belcher – 4 stars (Spelling, Pot Luck, Mostly Music, Words), 2 bonus points, 1 point in Famous People
v Crier – 4 stars (Mostly Music, Spelling, Sports, T.V.), 1 bonus point, 1 point in Pot Luck
v Pot Luck – 3 stars (Spelling, History, Science), 2 points in Travel & Leisure
v Niblet – 2 stars (Geography, Spelling), 2 bonus points, 1 point in sports, 1 point in Pot Luck

Every family has one of these...

... a mystery relative, that is. This picture was found in the Roberts family archives and has provided great fun and mystery for everyone who has seen it. Though we know that he is a member of the family, so many questions remain. Who exactly is this strange, bathing-suit (or perhaps wrestling outfit) clad man, and just what is he dressed for?

Hello darlings,

Kelly and I just got back from an exciting mini visit to the Greens' house! I played a lot of hide & go seek, gave many piggy back rides, and pretty much owned in Mario Party 7. Kelly and I arrived back at my home last night and she decided to sleep over. We ate craploads (yes that is one word) of food at Carol's so we decided that it was necessary to do a wonderful exercise tape this morning. It was quite invigorating. Kelly let me copy the DVD so I can now do The Firm all the time! Sweet!
Yours Truly,
Katherine AKA Niblet

Picture of the Week

This picture was taken on Fake Christmas 2003. Grandma and Popops gave everyone the Mt. Snow/Norba Race t-shirts, and we all put them on to take a long-needed family portrait! This was also the year Jack had gingivitis and was not very attentive to the holidays!

I also included the more formal one we took afterwards, of us in our ACTUAL clothes from the day!

Just for Fun: Today in History

This isn't family news at all, but just a fun look back on today's date in history. This comes from MSNBC.

In 1842, the United States and Canada resolved a border dispute by signing the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.

In 1848, the Free-Soil Party convened in Buffalo, N.Y., where it nominated Martin Van Buren for president.

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which described his experiences while living near Walden Pond in Massachusetts.

In 1902, Edward VII was crowned king of England following the death of his mother, Queen Victoria.

In 1930, a forerunner of the cartoon character Betty Boop made her debut in Max Fleischer’s animated short “Dizzy Dishes.”

In 1936, Jesse Owens won his fourth gold medal at the Berlin Olympics as the United States took first place in the 400-meter relay.

In 1965, Singapore proclaimed its independence from the Malaysian Federation.

In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and four other people were found brutally murdered in Tate’s Los Angeles home; cult leader Charles Manson and a group of his disciples were later convicted of the crime.

In 1974, President Nixon’s resignation took effect. Vice President Gerald R. Ford became the nation’s 38th chief executive.

In 1995, Jerry Garcia, lead singer of the Grateful Dead, died in San Francisco of a heart attack at age 53.

Ten years ago: Bob Dole telephoned Jack Kemp to ask him to be his running mate; Kemp accepted. A weary-looking Boris Yeltsin was sworn into his second term as president of Russia.
Five years ago: A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a central Jerusalem pizzeria, killing himself and 15 other people. President Bush approved federal funding only for existing lines of embryonic stem cells.

One year ago: The space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven safely returned to Earth, ending a 14-day safety test that was shadowed by the Columbia tragedy. Charles McCoy Jr. pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and 10 other charges in a series of Ohio highway shootings and was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Author Judith Rossner, who wrote “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” died in New York City at age 70.

Katherine's Photography Homework

This picture is part of Katherine's summer assignment for photography. She had to take a self-portrait. I helped - by acting as human tripod. Katherine actually pressed the button (with it on self-timer) so technically it's STILL a self-portrait!

In the picture she is wearing Grandma Ginger's junior prom dress - a gauzy thing in greens and yellows with a floral pattern on the skirt. I think the picture came out really cool - aside from the very updated lotions and sprays sitting below the mirror, I think it could have come straight from an old movie!

Hello my children,

I'm honored to be a contributor to the family website. I represent the Russell side of the family. I enjoy long walks on the beach and the occasional hike in the woods. I spend most of my time with my violin, Charlie. I'm up for just about anything these days. I've become quite the rebel lately. Oh goodness, I almost forgot! I'm Katherine.

Super Quiz Notes: Game # 4

When we play Super Quiz (see the Official Society of Super Quiz post below), we rely on our Official Recordkeeper Niblet to take the minutes. Here is our log from game # 4.

The Official Society of Super Quiz
New Lebanon Region
Game # 4

Date: November 25, 2004

Recordkeeper Niblet Telbin

Cabinet Members:
Bort Trob, President
Pot Luck Kcultop, Vice President
Lorraine Eniarrol, Vice President
Niblet Telbin, Vice President

Members Present at Game:
Bort Trob
Pot Luck Kcultop
Niblet Telbin

Occurences:
Do not use the word winner in the official society of super quiz. We will use victor.

A folder must be obtained for keeping records.

Today there will be no original copy of the records because we are using the laptop.

Note: There are no rules packets in the box. This must be amended.

Crier, Lorraine, Belcher, and Farter are not present at this session.

We will try to convince Farter to buy us name plates at Wal Mart.

Potluck has suggested that mouse go on the floor.

Cubicle of Truth will take the place of the Ball of Truth.

President Bort has suggested that the Ball of Truth be made smaller.

President Bort has just told us that she has never met Tom Gluteson-Hertfeld.

Pot Luck has decided to go first.

Without Lorraine we seem to have forgotten the opening ritual.

Pot Luck earns the first star of the evening.

“Excuse me, something funky is going on with the spelling cards,” says Pres. Bort in response to Niblet choosing Spelling.

Lagniappe should be looked up in the dictionary. [Amendment to notes 8/5/07: A lagniappe is a small gift presented by a store owner to a customer who makes a purchase.]

President Bort has declared that she is retarded.

We are starting a new score card due to President Bort’s mistake.

Niblet has just messed up a “dumbass question,” as Pres. Bort would say.
This is the worst game we’ve had.

President Bort has earned a star.

Niblet has requested a break so she can go take a crap.

We are back now.

Potluck is being inappropriate and looking at pictures of women in bikinis.

There has been an official complaint from Potluck about the laptop on my lap.

NIBLET HAS EARNED A STAR!!

Musketeers is spelled wrong on the potluck question.

NIBLET HAS EARNED HER SECOND STAR!!

President Bort has made an association to Beauty and the Beast about spitting.

NIBLET HAS EARNED HER THIRD STAR!!

Pot Luck is victor!

The final scores were as follows:
v Pot Luck – 6 stars (History, Geography, Science, Travel & Leisure, Spelling, Words), 2 bonus points
v Bort – 5 stars (Geography, Science, Travel & Leisure, Spelling, Words), 2 bonus points
v Niblet – 3 stars (Mostly Music, Spelling, Words)

America's Next Top Models?

Where's Tyra Banks when you need her? As seems to be the norm with me, Lindsay and Katherine, we took some modeling photos the other night when we were all hanging out. You be the judge!

Lindsay

Kelly

Katherine

However, this competition may be entirely unfair, as Katherine has past modeling experience:

Travel Tales: Los Angeles 2006, Part One

In the summer of 2006, Jordan travelled to Los Angeles to take some film classes at UCLA. Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to see the city, Emily, Kara and I headed there to visit him for a few days. Our time in LA was short - just three days - but we managed to make the most of our time!

Our adventure began on July 26, 2006 when we met at Kennedy airport to board our plane (and since we still have the useless details: American Airlines, Flight 21). On our way to gate 36 for boarding, we happened to witness a woman drop her suitcase down an entire escalator flight. None of us were sure how it happened, she just seemed to have let go of it. She attempted to run down after it, but it was "saved" by a man below her and handed back.

Once in the air, we occupied ourselved with various things (as the movie sucked - I can't even remember what it was!). Kara and Emily began drawing pictures where they would fold a piece of paper, and one would draw the body and the other would draw the head - without looking at the other person's contribution. The pictures all came out very entertaining, such as a lion's head with the body of someone wearing a cape as though getting a haircut or a shave.

They took a break from their drawing to eat one of the snackboxes sold by American Airlines. It included shortbread cookies, a dried fruit packet, goldfish crackers, water crackers (and probably some cheese) and a beef stick (though this does not seem important now, it becomes and important part of our tales in later installments).

During the flight, Kara also "made friends" with a baby sitting in front of her. Really, the young child just kept turning around and touching Kara on the knee.

Upon arrival in Los Angeles, we headed to the exciting Enterprise car rental, where we met up with Jordan. We rented a Ford Focus, and it turned out to be the exact same car Jordan had rented when he arrived. At this point, it was about ten o'clock and we were all getting tired from the flight and us being used to a time difference of three hours later. After a brief stint of not being able to figure out where the headlights were on the car (and Kara yelling this out the window to amused onlookers), we followed Jordan to his apartment. Fittingly, we heard the "Wind Beneath My Wings" in the car on the way (those who have seen Jordan's performance of this on Camp Hymelick will understand!).

We arrived at the apartment and met Jordan's roommates. After a short introduction, the first things we heard from them was "So, Jordan, we opened up the stove and the pen cap isn't there anymore." Apparantly, because of their lack of pot holders, Jordan had attempted to pull the tray out of the oven using a pen cap, which he dropped INTO the oven. The group was in agreement that it had probably melted away.

The real talk of the night, however, was that Jordan and Ian had gone to the Talladega Nights premiere and seen Will Ferrell. Ian gushed over the experience, saying that he called everyone he knew because Will Ferrell had given him the peace sign.

Then it was off to bed for our early adventures the next day!

Coming soon: Disneyland!

The Official Society of Super Quiz

The Official Society of Super Quiz was started many years ago by Tom Gluteson-Hertfield and has since gained many followers. At it's heart, Super Quiz is a trivia game, but as members of the OSSQ know, it is so much more!

In truth, Super Quiz is a game that Katherine, Joe, Lindsay and I found when we were upstate for Thanksgiving one year. We started to play, but the official rules of the game were missing from the box. We started to make up our own, and soon the game took on a whole new life. We now call ourselves members of the New Lebanon Region and whenever we go to the Hitchcock House B&B to visit Grandma and Ted, we have a "circle session." Rereading our notes from the game is always incredibly entertaining (and perhaps I'll put some of them up at a later time.)

Just for fun, I decided to put up the NEW set of rules we created for the game.

Super Quiz: The Guidelines for Membership
Published annually by the Official Society of Super Quiz
Revised July 1, 2006

This is the official members’ version of the Guidelines for being a member of the Official Society of Super Quiz. Please read through these guidelines and know them well.

The Super Quiz Mentality

Super Quiz is not a game. It is a state of mind. To enter into the Circle of Super Quiz is to enter into the highest state of enlightenment. In the Official Society of Super Quiz we call this Omni.

The Circle of Super Quiz

The Circle of Super Quiz consists of twelve sectors: Pot Luck, Geography, History, Leisure & Travel, Sports & Games, Words, Spelling, Famous People, T.V., Movies, Science, and Mostly Music. The sectors are arranged around the board, and are controlled by the Cabinet Members of the Society (all members of the Cabinet have a special category or categories that they "keep"). During your time spent in the circle, only Cabinet Members may read cards, unless a Cabinet Member offers you the chance to read.

There are many regions of Super Quiz, and each region has it's own, separate Cabinet, and separate members. You may not be a member of two regions at the same time. If you need to switch regions, transfer forms are available from the president of your region.

Entering the Circle of Super Quiz

To be a part of the Circle, you must assume an identity. A good idea is to choose something that you are known for. (For example, one who sneezes a lot can assume the Super Quiz identity of Sneezer; however, the way you come up with your identity is solely up to you). If you would like to join in the Circle of Super Quiz, but cannot come up with an identity, the President of your Circle region will assign you one. Please note that a special card with your identity written on it must be worn whenever you are in the Circle.

There are different levels of membership within the society. The following are the types of membership that may be applied for, or earned:

Cabinet Members - only the true elite seekers of Omni may be in the Cabinet

Upper League Members - these people are very determined in their quest for Omni; if something should happen to a Cabinet Member, one of these members is voted to take over

Lower League Members (or General Members) - people who want to seek Omni, but do not yet have the determination to make it to the top

Junior Members – members who are just beginning their search for Omni. They do not actively participate in the question and answer sessions, but they can give questions a try if they so desire; mostly they spend their time observing the procedures and experiencing the aura of Omni; they are not meant to be as silent as simple observers, as they are often younger than most members and are excused for not having the maturity needed to achieve Omni yet

Observers - members who are interested in seeking Omni, but who are not allowed to participate in the answering of questions; these members must be present but remain silent; any interference or help with answering questions will result in expulsion from the Society

Guests are also permitted to enter the circle, provided the Cabinet Members approve. Guests are permitted to answer questions, and MUST wear their Guest Pass at all times when in the Circle.


The Rituals of Super Quiz

Rituals are important in the Circle of Super Quiz. They help to maintain the state of mind needed to achieve Omni. There are seven different rituals, and it is advisable that you learn the rituals before joining the circle.

Opening Ritual: Before any questioning can take place, members must unite and perform the opening ritual. Together, members clap hands ONCE, and then make a wide circle with their hands while chanting OM. At the end of the OM (and note that you say it only ONCE), the hands come together silently, and bounce slightly.

Correct-Answer Ritual: There is more than one way to celebrate someone's answering a question correctly. However, the process is the same as the opening ritual. However, when someone gets a 3-point question correct, everyone claps three times before moving on to the hand circle and recitation of OM. When someone gets a 2-point question correct, everyone claps two times before moving on. When someone gets a 1-point question correct, the ritual mirrors the opening ritual, with just one clap.

Incorrect-Answer Ritual: When someone gets all three questions wrong, the ritual changes. Players make a thumbs up sign, bring the hand up and then down (keep in mind that you have to switch to a thumbs down sign on the way down). While doing this, players recite an elongated version of the word "CRAP," so that is sounds more like, CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP. This happens until the thumbs return to the table.

Closing Ritual: When it is time to leave the Circle of Super Quiz, a goodbye ritual is in order. As in the opening ritual, members clap hands once, but then only wave the right hand in a circular motion, quickly. There is no speaking in the closing ritual.

Please note that all rituals should be performed by all members in the Circle, and not just by a few. Generally a vice-president of a region oversees the rituals. The Overseer of Rituals makes sure that all members perform the rituals, and in the proper form. He or she is the person to initiate each ritual. Members should always look to the Overseer of Rituals for their cues as to when to begin each motion.

The Elements of the Circle

Before players can begin their OMNI journey, the board must be set up. The circle is placed next to the Cabinet Members, who each sit in front of their sectors. (Generally, a Cabinet Member controls 3 sectors, but this depends on the number of cabinet members.) There is no set place for other members of the Society to sit, but they should be able to see the board so that they know the names of the sectors (note that members SHOULD memorize the names of the sectors).

The president of the society in which you belong should begin the game, unless he or she decides that someone else can start. The ritual of play is simple: when it is a member's turn, that member chooses a sector. Each sector consists of cards with three levels of questions on them. The levels are as follows:
1. Freshman Level
2. Graduate Level
3. PhD Level

The Cabinet Member in charge of the chosen sector reads the level three question to the member (note, a Cabinet Member cannot read a question to his or her self -- if they want to answer a question from their own sector, they may offer the reading to the other members, or another Cabinet Member reads). If the member answers correctly, they receive three points. If the member gets it wrong, they may try the level two question. If the member answers correctly, they get two points. If the member gets it wrong, they may try the level one question. If the member answers correctly, they get one point.

The goals are as follows:
· a player must get a star in 6 of the twelve sectors, which means that they must get a total of 18 points (three points earns you one star) - only ONE star may be earned in a sector
· a player must get five more points, called free points, for a total of 20 points
· the first person to get 20 points, with 6 stars, and 2 free points, is the winner

Generally, the president of your region will keep score, one copy to be kept by the region and one copy to be sent to the national headquarters for permanent recordkeeping. Records will be kept for each game played, recording who was in the circle and who was the first to get 20 points. It is also important that the Official Record Keeper (a vice-president) note anything out of the ordinary that happens within the circle.

Player Absence

Any players not present in the circle of Super Quiz MUST be noted in the record. Said player will not be penalized, as long as the reason for absence is on record and signed off on by the president of that region.

In the event that the President of the region is not present, the game may not be played unless there is written permission of the President, and the President has appointed one of the Vice Presidents the interim president for the game.

In the event that the specified Vice President is not present, permission will be granted to the next in line. Should THAT Vice President be absent, permission will be granted to the next in line, and so on. Please note that the Official Recordkeeper must keep the permission notices with his or her notes for the day.

In the rare event that the President and ALL Vice Presidents are absent from the circle at the same time, only an Upper League Member may take over. If all Cabinet members AND Upper League Members are absent, the game must be rescheduled, as the proper level of Omni will not be achieved.

Playing without permission of the president of the region will result in severe punishment.

Please note that, while not impossible, it is very difficult to achieve the proper state of Omni if more than three members of the region are not present at a given meeting.

Duties of the Official Disciplinarian

In every region, one of the Vice Presidents acts as Official Disciplinarian. This is an extremely important job, as discipline is essential to achieving Omni. Said person is in charge of all punishments, severe or otherwise, as he or she sees fit. It is the duty of this person to fill out a discipline action form in the case of punishment, and make sure that a copy is kept on record with the region, and sent to the Official Society to keep on file.

Though it is the duty of the Official Disciplinarian to hand out the punishments, a player may not be expelled from the region until approval has been given by the president of the region. When you are expelled from your region, you may join another region, however should you repeat your offenses in the new region, you will be expelled from the society, but only after official forms have been signed by the founder of the society.

Recordkeeping

The record keeper MUST keep track of the comings and going of the game. Record keeping is very important to determine the members’ moving up in the society. A well-kept record might cause a lower league member to become an upper league member, based on behavior and performance during the game, or vice versa.

Before the game can begin, all players must sign in, using only their Super Quiz Identity. The duties of the region’s Record Keeper are as follows:
· ensure that all players sign in before the game
· note the time the game begins and ends
· note the final scores of the game, specifically marking who the highest achiever was
· note anything strange that occurs
· note any member misbehavior, such as not participating in rituals
· keep an ongoing record of the scores obtained during play, and tally the totals for each member

The Star Cache

The officials records, typed up by the President of the region from the written notes taken by the Official Record Keeper will feature the Star Cache, a listing of all the stars received by the member in all his or her years of play. Though it is impossible to determine how many stars are needed to achieve Omni, each star in a player’s cache brings him or her closer to that goal.

Final Thoughts

Super Quiz is meant to be enjoyed. In the OSSQ, we do not embrace competition. Instead, we embrace togetherness. Super Quiz is meant to uplift and enlighten. We in the Society hope that you enjoy your time in the Circle, and we wish you luck on your quest for Omni.



Tom Gluteson-Hertfeld
Founder
Official Society of Super Quiz

A Good Family Quote

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

Another Pic of the Week

I couldn't help myself, and had to post a second picture of the week. This one is of the Roberts cousins again, and clearly we are in the middle of some sort of production. Unlike the "Beast King" picture however, I have no idea what we were doing! I really wish I could remember. My best guess is that Jordan is playing some sort of travelling salesman, but I can't think of what the rest of us are supposed to be.

Oh - and isn't Kara's wig awesome?!

Picture of the Week

One of the greatest pictures of the Roberts cousins, all dressed up and ready to film "The Music in the Beast King's Forest of Gardens," one of our many home productions.

In this picture, Kelly plays Anna von Trapp, Kara plays Capitain von Trapp, Emily plays Mary, Jordan plays Beast King, and Lindsay plays Lily. Each cousin had multiple roles in a very complex musical plot, featuring songs from The Sound of Music, The King and I, The Secret Garden, Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, and Les Miserables.

New Pictures!

New pictures are now up in the gallery (link to your left). They are from all the July adventures, such as the Renegades baseball game, Forbidden Pleasures Day, the Museum of Natural History and the Aquarium.

Travel Tales: Hawaii 2004, Part Five

Day six began with a search for the bus to take us to Hanauma Bay to go snorkeling. After walking around for what felt like an hour, we finally had to ask directions, only to be sent back in the direction of our own hotel, where the bus was across the street!

We arrived at Hanauma Bay and had to wait on a very long line to get inside to watch a special video about what NOT to do while snorkeling. While this was an important thing to hear, Kara and I, of course, had to come up with our own ridiculous list of things you must NEVER to to fish. It reads as follows:

1. Lick

2. Poke

3. Take and Eat

4. Flirt with

5. Shoot

6. Pee on

7. Spear

8. Filet

9. Step on

10. Tease/Taunt

11. Insult

12. Rile up

We were also particularly entertained by the female employee who had apparantly seen the video so many times, she liked to sing along with the music!

We finally got down to the beach to snorkel. We rented equipment and got right to it, discovering that snorkeling gear is not an attractive look for anyone. We stayed together for a while, looking at fish, and not going too far past the reef because of the threat of turtles (you CAN go see them, but as I have a strange, irrational fear of being near turtles...).

After a couple hours of snorkeling (cut short by rain!), we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner. No chain restaurant - we were headed for the luau!

We met our bus and started the one hour drive to Paradise Cove. We had a tour guide of sorts on the bus who called us all a family and mentioned that we would be sitting together at the luau once the buffet had started. She also gave us a run down of all the things we could do once we were there, and then we settled in. Kara "made friends" with two guys sitting in front of her, who we're pretty sure didn't know how old she was (Lindsay started singing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen" as a hint). We also quickly discovered that one of them was a bigot, as he kept making inappropriate comments about various ethnic groups.

Once we were at the luau, we practiced our spear throwing (which we were all REALLY bad at) and made leis. Then it was time for the festivities to start! There was a ceremony with hula dancing as they dug the smoked pig out of the sand, and then on to the buffet dinner and the show. We watched more hula dancing, but the most interesting thing were the ones that performed with fire.

Towards the end of the show, they started announcing all the buses that had arrived, and each table would cheer for their tour guide. This became increasingly amusing and irritating at the same time, particularly when they announced a guy named Mark's bus, and Lindsay yelled, "Screw Mark!" for me and Kara to hear. However, she was overheard by a honeymooning couple in our group who started laughing hysterically!

Then it was back to the hotel to prepare all our bags for our departure the next day. Our last day in Hawaii was not particularly exciting. We packed our things, made sure we didn't forget anything and then headed to Lindsay's dorm to hang out for the day (our flight being at night). We ordered pizza, continued to make fun of Kara's sunburn and said our goodbyes before heading to the airport. After a long flight, with a stopover in Los Angeles (which, strangely enough, would be our next trip together, and the subject of the next edition of travel tales), we were home!

A Day at the Aquarium

Today we headed for the New York Aquarium, making quite the group with Thomas Robert, Jack, and Vandana and Desmond (Lindsay's baby-sitting charges) in tow. We had a nice time looking at all the fish, and the kids were particularly entertained by the walrus!

Happy Birthday Wendy and Carol!

Today is a doubly special day, as both Wendy and Carol both celebrate their birthdays!