Avatar

The family outing to see "Avatar" turns disappointing, as the movie, in our 3D-equipped eyes, didn't hold to its praise. The special effects were no better than Harry Potter's or Star Wars'; 3D we've seen before; and the whole idea of innocent and spiritual indigenous culture killing scores of Marines seems out-of-place particular these days, when one innocent and spiritual country is desperately awaiting Marines and supplies in the earthquake-stricken Port-au-Prince.

Warm and Warmer

Last weekend, Max (with generous helping from Dad and project idea from Mom) completed this year Science Project. Among other things, the experiment involved heating up a considerable amount of vegetable oil in a plastic bottle under a very hot halogen lamp, which made Dad somewhat nervous. The concerns were unfounded - thanks to cold January weather and a rather drafty house insulation, the oil temperature never made it above 85F degrees. Still, the experiment was a success - the budding scientist proved that the sand surface is indeed getting hotter faster than deep sand or water. Yes!...

P.S. The project didn't win anything.

Rock Band

Thanks to cousin Kostya (and evil geniuses from Microsoft), we now have a full drum set and other noise making equipment. Kids of all ages were enjoying the set non-stop for the past week. Nothing uplifts the holiday spirit as listening to the rendition of "Final Countdown" for the n-th time.

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