Shannon Phillips

We’re back from a brief visit in Las Vegas to rendezvous with the Cochrans, but dunderheads that we are, we didn’t take any pictures. Still it was great for Robin to get to see his Pops again (Mo, sadly, couldn’t make it) and enjoy the company of his uncle Taylor and aunt Masie. Masie especially was the hit of the trip, as she was willing to play endless rounds of peek-a-boo, tickle wars, and hallway racing games.

We’ll be back in Vegas in a couple of weeks: this time because Sam’s been asked to give a talk (about data visualization using Splunk) at a VeriSign conference there. We’re planning to drive instead of flying, so that on the way back we can take a detour to Reno and celebrate Robin’s second birthday in the company of the Phillipses, and also Nanita and Marqueño, who will be flying out for the party. So that’ll be fun for him. I hope he’s as good in the car as he was on the plane!

The house-buying process is proceeding. We’ve got a contractor (Keith Bupp) lined up to do the work the home needs: he was recommended by a friend and I came away from our first meeting impressed by his easy-going competence. He also confirmed, to my delight, that the original fir flooring is still in place throughout the home (under some ugly Pergo): and while we were inspecting the subarea of the house we found the French doors that originally stood between the living and dining rooms wedged into a dark back corner. They’ve suffered a bit of water damage from being left against damp earth, but they look salvageable. So, hooray!

The biggest news lately isn’t mine, but it’s been occupying most of my thoughts: my BFF Nina delivered an adorable baby boy last weekend. Congratulations and blessings to Silas Archer Karp O’Hanlon: the world feels nicer for having him in it.