Favorite Books

Kathleen: Top vote goes to Three Cups of Tea for inspiration factor. Greg Mortenson is now one of my living heroes. This book documents what I believe to be the best long term anti-terrorism strategy possible. (I have an admittedly limited knowledge base.) Reading the book, along with Khaled Mosseini’s phenomenal books and seeing Charlie Wilson’s War, I’m horrified by the potential consequences of our nation’s current actions in the Middle East. We need a thousand more Greg Mortensons and a government willing to fund them instead of bombs.

Predictably Irrational provided excellent insight into the array of subconcious processes that affect our decision making. A fantastic read for election year, as well as prior to the holidays. The writing isn’t quite as excellent as the content.

Finally, I must mention The First Circle. When Solzhenitsyn died in August I had yet to read one of his books and this was the only one offered at our local library.  It did not dissapoint.

Charlie: Richard Scarry’s Cars and Trucks and Things That Go is an enormous hit, as is Sandra Boynton’s A to Z (he likes acting it out).

Harry: I have a crush on Steve Martin and so loved Born Standing Up. I’d been wanting to read The Timeless Way of Building and A Pattern Language for a couple years and found copies at our local library; I thought they were brilliant, especially for the potential applications outside of architecture. The Spirit of St. Louis was very inspiring; I can’t believe those people accomplished what they did with the available technology. I also loved Boo and Baa Have Company.

Favorite Music

Kathleen: Uh oh. Here we go again with the dreaded music question. I admit, I am completely out of it with regards to new music. I must sing “Baa Baa Black Sheep,” “The Wheels on the Bus” and “Five Little Ducks” more than I listen to all adult songs combined. That being said, For The Kids continues to be the most tolerable kids album in our household. Please feel free to suggest some good music!

Charlie: “Baa Baa Black Sheep”

Harry: I’m in the same boat as Kathleen. I don’t think I listened to anything released in 2008. But I created an online playlist of some of my faves that you can listen to. Use the player below or click the “online playlist” link.

Favorite Movies

Kathleen: My most memorable, moving, and unusual movies include The Visitor, Children of Heaven, The Story of the Weeping Camel, and Seven Samurai. I’m finding more and more that independent and foreign films seem to be the best stories for me. (This question was so much easier to answer this year now that we have Netflix!!!).

Harry: Simon’s Cat, The Lives of Others, Children of Heaven, The Story of the Weeping Camel, Whale Rider, God Grew Tired of Us, The Fog of War, Spellbound, Helvetica, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Kite Runner, The Visitor, and Seven Samurai.

Big Challenges

Kathleen: Living simply and contentedly. Finding ways to balance our immediate family time with all our jobs, extended family time, and other necessary aspects of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle. I nearly crashed and burned multiple times this year from not nurturing my faith, health, and social life.

Charlie: stairs

Harry: Finding direction. This year I really struggled with the fact that I will never fully explore all the areas of life that I’m interested in. I’ve always known this to be true but it really sunk in this year. And now combine that with an inability to decide on one area of focus and you’ve got a recipe for a bad French movie. 2009 will be the year of my great redemption story or the year I buy a Porsche on credit. I’m also tired of being heavier than I should so look for New, Improved, Buns-of-Carbon-Nanotube Harry™ at the end of next year.

Name Something You’re Particularly Proud Of

Kathleen: I am most proud of supporting Harry in his dream to work on Jetrecord full-time. I needed to let go of a lot of false securities and fears to do this. This decision has provided deep satisfaction for Harry, amazing times for our family, and no regrets. I am also proud of myself for going back to work in the hospitals. It was rather daunting to enter medical speech-language pathology after several years off. Neither of these actions would’ve been possible without the incredible support we’ve had from our families.

Harry: Even more than Jetrecord itself, I’m proud of the hard work Kathleen and I did to get to a place where we could make that decision to go for it with confidence and joy, even in the face of such great risk. It’s funny, looking back to February, how small that risk seems now.

Best Surprise

Kathleen: Finding out that Harry’s brother Steve was moving to Colorado. We are deeply blessed to have him close by now…and Charlie adores his “Uncle Cheese.” One of the simplest, sweetest surprises was making my best friend’s baby laugh for the first time. I didn’t know it was her first laugh, and when her parents watched wide-eyed as one of their twins giggled, I was overcome with the emotion of being part of that sacred moment. It was also especially special since I had flown to Seattle for the express purpose of being with that friend and meeting her little girls.

Harry: I’m really glad my brother moved here. Now we just need to get the other one.

Favorite Time of Day

Kathleen: I love dinnertime at our household. Even though I’m usually exhausted, it’s wonderful to be together as a family, try to have conversations with Harry, and listen to Charlie’s thoughts on the important matters of our family.   It’s also one of the silliest times of day for us and I treasure our laughs. I know you didn’t ask, but my least favorite time of day would be 3:45am.

Charlie: Mealtimes and the crack of dawn. While we’re still half asleep and grumbling about the unfairness of morning, Charlie’s already running to bring us multiple toys and making us laugh with his cheerfulness and enthusiasm for a new day. (The kid does sleep 12 hours a night.)

Harry: Night night time with Charlie.

Favorite Foods

Kathleen: I tasted the most incredible chocolate bar of my life at Chocolopolis in Seattle. With regards to healthy options, I think sushi still tops my list of favorite foods. I would be happy to eat it every day. I also really enjoyed the tomatoes from my garden and the raspberries & rhubarb from Harry Sr’s!

Charlie: mac sheese (mac & cheese), boo sheese (bleu cheese), appuhsauh (applesauce), too-ties (cookies), tate (cake), umnas (bananas)

Harry: I’m kinda partial to yellow curry from Thai Kitchen. Kathleen also received a dangerous recipe for Dutch Babies from a friend in Seattle. And I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow the desire for pizza.

Favorite Websites

Kathleen: TED is filled with incredible talks by experts in technology, science, the arts and global issues. I am often awestruck by the content. It’s a bit like getting to attend the best lectures at Ivy League schools for free. Last year I shared about joining Facebook. I admit to a love-hate relationship with it now. I love seeing regular updates from so many of my friends. I hate the superficiality of much of it. I definitely would never want it to replace conversations. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to stop looking at it as often and pursue writing more emails and making more phone calls to friends.

Harry: Netflix is one of the most functional sites I use although I would love to see much better organization. I love TED, as Kathleen does, for its content. I love FFFFOUND! for design inspiration. I’m on Facebook but I hate it. (I actually have this fantasy that I’ll wake up one day and Facebook will be gone. No explanation. None needed.) I use Twitter to communicate, somewhat unsuccessfully, with the outside world. That’s another love-hate relationship. I’m redesigning my web site this year (again) and I’m going back to plain ‘ol web pages. I’m fascinated by and fearful of, perhaps paranoically, the slow, automated integration of every web site with every part of my life, even though I’m also partially responsible.

Favorite Song Charlie Makes You Play on the Piano

Kathleen: “Pop Goes the Weasel,” hands down.

Harry: It’s a tie between “Chariots of Fire” and “Axel F.”

Least Favorite Activity You Must Do Daily

Kathleen: Washing out poopy diapers in the toilet. If I had to clean toilets everyday, these two activities would tie. I am really glad we use cloth diapers, but this is definitely not the best smelling part of my day.

Charlie: Go nigh’ nigh’.

Harry: Yep, me too. I don’t like go nigh’ nigh’.

Favorite Thing Charlie Says

Kathleen: So many things!!! The SLP in me adores every utterance. “Mama, Charlie eat mac cheese yesterday.” I hear this at least five times a day. I also liked it when, after feeling my wet hair, Charlie once said, “mama, turn off.” Apparently wet hair isn’t his thing. The other cute phrase we heard all Christmas season was, “Charlie get Christmas tree basement yesterday” (and he pronounces Christmas tree as “piss chee”). We had pulled our Christmas tree up from its basement storage place to set it up for the holidays without realizing this would have a profound impact on our child. Maybe he thinks we are storing streetlights or bushes down there that we’ll bring up and decorate for the next holiday. Last one- I like that “UPS truck” sounds like “peace truck.”

Charlie: Seems to really like saying “Baa!” and “Mac sheese mac sheese mac sheese!”

Harry: I love that Charlie will continue addressing his stuffed robot until the robot acknowledges him. It doesn’t matter if Kathleen or I answer him back. If he’s talking to Robot, Robot should answer. And this means Kathleen or I must acknowledge him in Robot’s voice while holding Robot.

Favorite Animal

Kathleen: Still love dolphins. Of the animals I regularly see, I’m quite fond of one of our neighbor’s dogs.

Charlie: “Tee-tat.” He loves kitties and even has a make-believe one he holds in his hand on occasion. We must pet it gently.

Harry: I like tee-tats, too, and am secretly hoping we get one this year. But it’s a secret. I also enjoyed seeing a coyote in the field behind our house.

Least Favorite of Charlie’s Toys

Kathleen: I grew so tired of reading a particular book that I hid it. I brought it out days later, but I could not label the Cars and Trucks and Things that Go one more time at that moment. Alligator cars and cheese cars are cool, but man, twenty times a day for weeks on end?! I’m used to his noisy, battery operated toys now so they don’t bother me like they used to. I am also a little tired of rolling rings down the slide and fetching them from our basement stairs.

Harry: I will shoot the next person who gives us a battery operated toy of any kind. Okay, I won’t shoot, but you will walk with a severe limp.

Favorite Campaign Moment

Kathleen: The Obama family walking out on the platform together for the President-elect’s acceptance speech. I cried. I am thrilled he will be our President in three weeks!!!

Harry: Obama’s A More Perfect Union speech.

Favorite News Story

Kathleen: The Obama campaign and the election kept my attention for most of the summer and fall. I got great laughs from Jon Stewart’s segments mocking election coverage, too.

Harry: Easily, the election of Barack Obama.

Favorite Font

Kathleen: After watching the movie, Helvetica, I’m aware that there’s a lot more to this answer than I could’ve ever dreamed. I like the familiarity of Helvetica and certainly the positive associations Gotham provides (it’s the typeface of the Obama “Change” campaign).

Charlie: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom’s font.  He saw the same type and colors on a FedEx truck once and started singing the alphabet song.

Harry: Delicious

Favorite Speech-Language Pathology Area of Practice

Kathleen: I yearn to work with child literacy development again. I am strongly considering starting some part-time private practice literacy work this year, in addition to my current hospital work. I am thrilled to be practicing in acute care again, too. I am fascinated by swallowing disorders, diagnosis and treatment.

Harry: I’m a big fan of Barium enemas although I don’t get to administer them as often as I’d like. Wait, that’s Speech-Language Proctology.

Hats Off To

Kathleen: Angie, for raising newborn twins and a toddler with amazing grace. Our parents, for supporting us immensely through this crazy year and embracing their days with Charlie. Harry Sr, for his extensive hands-on help and consultant role with my gardening and landscaping work. My sister & her husband, for weathering great challenges this year and coming out dry! My brother, for graduating from Great Lakes Maritime Academy.

Harry: My brother, Steve, for taking a big chance moving here. Our family, for their huge support during another crazy year.

Inspired By

Kathleen: Harry has been my deepest inspiration this year. The lessons I’ve learned from him have changed the way I face the future. His courage to leave a secure job to dream big, incredible talent at thinking outside the box, and pursuit of what’s best for our family and his career have been nothing short of inspirational. It takes great faith to pursue dreams, and even more so when they are countercultural. I love that Harry has lived out our beliefs, priorities and definition of success. I am now much more willing to think big for myself.

Harry: I’m inspired by Kathleen’s steadfastness, dedication, and discipline, three qualities of which I need so much more. And whether he knows it or not, my other brother, James, inspires me with his relentless pursuit of his own dreams in music.

That’s a Wrap

Thanks for joining us again this year. We’re looking forward to all that 2009 has in store and we hope this letter finds you in good company. Per our usual finale, here’s a slideshow of some of our favorite photos from 2008.

Love, Kathleen, Harry, and Charlie

Verdict: it works! Initially we were worried when we saw the huge file start to download and the timer showing 30 minutes of download time. But we were able to start the movie immediately and watch as it downloaded.

As for the movie itself we both thought it got off to a shaky start but got better as it went along. “Sweet” is how we would describe the ending. It’s not for everybody. It’s “indie,” a little rough in the editing and cinematography, but there are some great moments. The actors were good. The characters were believable.

As for iTunes and the quality of the downloaded file we can’t say much. [noses up] We don’t own a TV [noses down] so we’re unable to make any comparisons. We watched the movie right on our little Macbook and it was fine.

We can say that iTunes needs more movies. The choices are pretty limited. However, when you consider that renting from Blockbuster costs the same, plus you have to drive, plus you might end up with late fees, we’re fine with the limits. For now.

This is definitely the future of movie-based entertainment, though. Hollywood, you need to get with the program. Get the picture? Good. It’s not a question of if, but when.

Lastly, considering the turn of events here, the debate over Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD is moot at this point. That’s a contest that should have happened five years ago. Next year, high definition DVD quality films will come streaming right into my house over the phone line. Why would I buy a DVD player, much less [snicker], DVDs? [snort]

[cackle]

What are you happiest about?

Kathleen: Having a baby.
Harry: Having a baby.

What’s the baby’s name?

Kathleen: Justin Uhlotta
Harry: Asurp Rize

No, really

…did some of you fall for that last year? We know you did. Here’s the birth announcement we posted last year.

Share a memorable laugh you had

Harry: These are two of my favorites: Charlie and the Crazy Cow; The Hand

Kathleen: I like Harry’s choices, as well as a night not so long ago when Harry talked while sucking in air and I communicated only through gesturing. Harry’s inhalation comments made me laugh so hard that I was crying.

If you could walk through any door, what would you like it to open to?

Kathleen: The honest answer is the inside of our friends’ homes in Seattle.

Harry: The honest answer is the inside of one of these.

Who is your favorite neighborhood cat?

Kathleen: Do coyotes count?

Harry: Yeah, I think the coyotes eat the cats around here because I’ve never seen one.

Will you be happy to say goodbye to anything from 2007?

Kathleen: Moving.

Harry: If I’m honest, my job at UW. I enjoyed the people, of course, but the job dynamics didn’t fit my personality. I was there 6 years, probably 4 too many.

Who has inspired you?

Kathleen: Harry. Charlie. Angie. Nickie.

Harry: Kathleen is my hero. I’m inspired by her endless thoughtfulness for Charlie, me, her family, and her friends. She has more care and concern for people than anyone I know.

When do you feel like time flies?

Kathleen: When I reflect on how much Charlie has changed since birth!!! Otherwise, it’s felt quite slow this year.

Harry: Working on Jetrecord. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Any favorite movies or videos?

Kathleen: All our videos of Charlie on Vimeo. Bourne Ultimatum. Ocean’s 13.

Harry: Dramatic Prairie Dog, I Trusted You, Beverly Hills Cop, Bridge to Terabithia (watched without sound on the plane to Louisiana), Superbad, and surprisingly, Blades of Glory. Yet again we’re way behind the times on movies. We became Netflix members this year so I hope we’ll at least catch a few recent releases.

Any favorite music or books?

Kathleen: I’m still playing the same music from last year’s post! I finally read One Hundred Years of Solitude which was incredible, but probably not a good choice when I’m feeling a bit of solitude myself these days…

Harry: As for music I discovered The Acorn this year. I also bought Radiohead’s new album In Rainbows and I love it. Sadly, no books to mention. And really, my music appreciation has been restricted to passive listening at work so I’m not sure that counts, either. Maybe four years from now when someone buys the business for $20M I’ll take some time to read fiction again.

Favorite web sites?

Kathleen: Same answer as last year: “I’m not much of a web surfer, so my vote is for my email account. Harry always shows me funny sites, so I get to see the good stuff without searching for it.” Although—and I’m hesitant to admit—I joined Facebook after getting roped in by a friend (you know who you are!).

Harry: Tip: for the last few years I’ve found all my interesting sites from two places: Delicious/popular and kottke.org. Of course there’s more going on out there but that’s where I start. I joined Twitter in March. Interesting communication medium.

Other than the baby, what are you looking forward to this year?

Kathleen: For the first time in my life, I have almost no idea what this year will bring…apart from spending most of my time with Charlie. I hope to get back to work (very) part-time if we can figure out good care for Charlie and I hope to visit Seattle. I am looking forward to starting the seeds of new friendships and fellowship, growing relationships in Colorado, and the treasured conversations with friends of old.

Harry: The day after Christmas this year I realized that I have everything in life that I’d ever hoped for. That said, I’m looking forward to opening the doors on Jetrecord for the second year in a row.

The End.

As always, we update Loveoirs from time to time with our thoughts so you can keep up with what we’re doing. Our photos (all 2,700 of them) are still on Flickr and we’ve put together a set of 2007 highlights to spare all of you who aren’t his grandparents from looking through our hundreds of pictures of Charlie. Our videos are on Vimeo. Everything else will at least be mentioned here.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

What are you happiest about?

Kathleen: Having a baby.
Harry: Yep, I concur.

What’s the baby’s name?

Kathleen: Justin Uhlotta
Harry: Asurp Rize

No, really:

Kathleen: …
Harry: …

Share a memorable laugh you had:

Kathleen: Photo booth pictures
Harry: More photo booth pictures
(yeah, we did this for hours)

If you could walk through any door, what would you like it to open to?

Kathleen: My gut-reaction response is that it would open to our little boy…sans labor & delivery! On a deeper level, I’d love to walk through the many doors of unbelief, pride, and fear that keep me from experiencing life to its fullest. However, I’m also thankful that this journey involves a more dynamic path.

Harry: Sainte-Chapelle, the night we saw the concert there; Zoka, my favorite coffee shop.

Who is your favorite neighborhood cat?

Kathleen: Even though he sprayed my friend, Copper takes the cake (for letting me rub his enormous belly on a regular basis).

Harry: Tough call, but I gotta go with Chester.

Will you be happy to say goodbye to anything from 2006?

Kathleen: Pregnancy-induced heartburn.
Harry: TV.

Who has inspired you?

Kathleen: Countless people, including strangers, friends, and family, through beautiful acts of generosity, perseverance through difficult times, faithfulness, and sacrifice. Maya Angelou’s Seattle visit, during which she recited poetry, sang, and shared about life, was also deeply inspirational to me.

Harry: Kathleen: it’s been amazing to watch her experience pregnancy. Guy Kawasaki: I read The Art of the Start in 2005 and now I follow his blog. Very motivating. Maya Angelou was fantastic.

When do you feel like time flies?

Kathleen: Dates with Harry. Watching our son move in my belly. Reflecting on the past year.
Harry: Reading. Watching movies.

Any favorite movies or videos?

Kathleen: Millions, Akeelah and the Bee.

Harry: Casino Royale, Tony vs. Paul, everyday, Martians Descend on Sesame Street, Bein’ Green, Evolution, Pythagora Switch, Imagination.

Any favorite music or books?

Kathleen: Some Wildflower in my Heart. Re-reading Maya Angelou’s early autobiographical works. I’ve continued to play many of the same albums from last year over and over again this year: Garden State Soundtrack, Illinois by Sufjan Stevens, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2, and anything by Coldplay. Harry also made me a fantastic iTunes digital album for Christmas that will probably be overplayed during 2007.

Harry: The Tale of the Unknown Island, Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century (still reading this one), The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology (still reading this one, too), Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joni Mitchell, Understand by Pete Rock (watch out, this might be too funky for you), and most recently, Black and Blue and Numb All Over by Graig Markel. Also, by way of video: Drifting, and The Wind and the Wheat.

Favorite web sites?

Kathleen: I’m not much of a web surfer, so my vote is for my email account. Harry always shows me funny sites, so I get to see the good stuff without searching for it.
Harry: Line Rider, Animator vs. Animation (choose Watch this Movie)

Other than the baby, what are you looking forward to this year?

Kathleen: I could write paragraphs to answer this question…but I’ll spare us all the time! Instead, in a nutshell: growth and development in my relationships and new roles, watching the same in others, Harry launching his business, and returning to gardening & physical activities (besides waddling around the lake).

Harry: Opening the doors to my web business (still under development). Ocean’s 13. Writing more. Adding more fiction to my non-fiction-leaning book list.

As always, we update Loveoirs from time to time with our thoughts so you can keep up with what we’re doing. When the little boy is born we will post an update here, so check back in the first few weeks of February. Our photos are still on Flickr. Here’s a collection of some of our favorite memories from 2006.

We wish you all the best in 2007. We hope you get at least some of the best. We’ll rock-paper-scissors you for it.

Warning: possible spoilers ahead, but you’ve already read the book, right?

Here’s the difference: National Treasure is only 2 hours and 11 minutes long.

Cue CHOIR: 525,600 minutes!

(music continues; CHOIR looks out into space and keeps dancing)

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES enters.

CZJ: T-Mobile’s Rent Anywhere plan gives you the freedom to talk whenever and however you like. You don’t have to pay last years’ rent, either, you struggling artist, you.

CHOIR: 525,600 minutes!
(music continues; CHOIR can hardly contain itself; we have Broadway jobs!)

CZJ: With 525,600 Anywhere-minutes, T-Mobile has the number one cell phone plan in America. You can talk for the rest of your life. Talk in your car, talk on the bus, talk in the middle of a movie or a concert, talk in your sleep. Heck, you could leave your cell phone on for two weeks straight! Your battery will wear out before this plan does!

CHOIR: (raising hands) 525,600 minutes!

CZJ: (Smiles and walks to the camera)

Logo. Fade to white.

If for no other reason, go see it for the performance of Georgie Henley, the little girl who plays Lucy Pevensie. She had more genuine (and believable) enthusiasm for her character than any child actor I’ve seen. Excellent casting.

If you need another reason, I give it 4/4 stars for a retelling of a children’s fairy tale. I and the others with me were completely absorbed in the film. The pace was good. The computer animation was very well done; the battle scene in particular had me glued to my seat. Seeing cheetahs and tigers running flat out towards each other at the onset—wow!

Finally, I had the same reaction to Aslan and the story that I did while reading the books. In short, I was overwhelmed. Honestly, as I believe the underlying truth presented in the story, there were a few times that I almost lost it during the film. It was very easy for me to put myself in the story. For that I would like to say bravo and thank you to the cast, crew, and filmmakers. I’m very much looking forward to the next parts in the series. Please give them the same attention you did here.

Kathleen and I remarked that we’d both go back and see this film again in the theater; that doesn’t happen very often for us. Perhaps the Cinerama next time?

• The Gospel
• Syriana
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
• Serenity
• Lord of War
• Little Manhattan (assuming the theater is not packed with 10-year-olds, no offense; perhaps the midnight showing?)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (deliciously appropriate for our time)

On a related note, I recently saw “Flight Plan” and I don’t recommend it. The writing is a classic example of spoon-feeding emotions and plot resolution, something I have come to despise about American cinema.

And while I’m at it, and since everything we’re going to see in 2006 has already been made, can 2007 be the year in which we don’t have comedies that rely on a clever turn of phrase? I don’t want to hear, for example

“Come on in, I’ll put on a pot of bourbon.”

or

“I love you, it’s just that I want to kill you.”

While I love understatement and oxymoron as much as the next person, I’m sick of seeing them used over and over again.

And music. Where would the American movie trailer be without indie rock, hip hop, Peter Gabriel, Simon & Garfunkel, and “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen? And for dramas and epics the front runners tend to be re-purposed James Horner, Hans Zimmer, or Randy Edelman scores, all of whom take their cues from the concert music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Please, can we get away from romanticism and neo-romanticism?

And we might as well go down the list:

• The gravel-voiced trailer narrator has to go. Too long have we suffered his low-pass utterances. He must depart. How about a female voice? How about no narrator?
• How about shorter films that cost less to see?
• How about getting real with concession costs? Why does 25-cent candy cost 25 dollars?
• Why does the price continue to go up while the quality continues to go down? Of both concessions and movies?

Anyone else with thoughts on this matter?

See our movie!

Hope you enjoy the flick!