Recall

No not that kind of recall though being from WI I am sure anyone reading this thinks we are going to try and recall someone else from office.  I am talking about am manufacturer's recall on my car.  In October we received a notice that Kris's car was having a recall to replace some air-bag sensor in the front passenger side seat.  I brought it in and they replaced whatever sensor needed replacing, but then when the Hyundai techs went to update the car's software, it wouldn't update properly. 

I had brought the car in on a Saturday so they told me that they tried calling the technical support people at Hyundai USA, but since it was a Saturday, no one was there to help.  They told me they thought they were going to need to replace something in the seat itself and they would call to set up a time to replace it once the part came in.

Well the part came in and I made the appointment for a Saturday since Kris needs her car pretty much every day to take Alison to and from school since we live one tenth of a mile too close to school (by my measurements we're beyond the 1 mile limit, but the bus company disagrees, however that is another story entirely).  So I brought the car in last week, and after an hour and a half, they told me that there was again a problem, and again being a Saturday, no one was at the tech support desk to help them out.  The manager told me that he thinks he knows what the problem is (a bent tab when trying to assemble the seat) but since the seat is about $3700 to have it replaced and before doing that he wanted to make sure that was the problem, which will require me taking the Santa Fe in on a weekday when they can call someone for assistance if needed.  So tomorrow I am taking it in and hopefully they will get things taken care of.  Luckily they have a shuttle service so I can drop the car off and then have someone drive me back to work so I don't have to waste 4 hours at the dealer waiting to find out what is wrong this time.

Vein Surgery Update

It has been three weeks now since Kris had her surgery the veins in her left leg and everything is going along fine.  The first few days were tough.  She had a lot of pain.  I don't really remember the pain from the first time when she had the right leg done, I just remember trying to get the incisions to stop bleeding. 

There were actually a couple of spots that were very red, and inflamed and I was worried there was an infection going on, but on her follow up a few days afterward, the doctor said everything looked fine.  As it looks right now, everything seems to be progressing fine, so Kris should be ready to run 5Ks in the summer.

Midnight Mass

This year, I decided to do something out of the ordinary.  Our church actually had Christmas mass at midnight instead of at 10:00 PM on Christmas Eve.  I haven't been to actual midnight mass AT midnight since I was in junior high.  Even when I was an altar boy, we switched and had it earlier so people weren't staying up so late.  But I think that defeats the purpose of midnight mass.

We tried going to a vigil mass about 10 years ago when Sarah was little and we had to get there almost two hours before mass began in order to get a seat in church (though that was before the church remodeling to make it larger).  Sarah was a monster and wouldn't sit still so we never went back.  I wasn't sure what to expect as far as a crowd so I made sure to get there early, a little more than an hour.  When I got there, there were only about 15 people in the church.  Mental note for next year...  no need to get there so early.  In fact, there were plenty of seats in the church at the time mass started (which was actually at 12:10 AM).  The big "rush" of people got there about 11:40 PM so I was really early.  It was nice though sitting in the dimmed church with the Christmas lights and nativity scene being the main lights with the music playing.  It was really very relaxing.  I almost fell asleep.

I remember things being a little different though from my time as an altar boy.  I don't know if the way St. Anthony does things is just specific to the parish or if it's a whole, church wide thing.  But I would like to see some of the traditions we had when I was a kid brought back, lighting the Advent Wreath before mass, bring the baby Jesus in and placing him in the manger at midnight mass, maybe a little more ceremonial things.  But for now this will have to do.

The Christmas Pickle

A few years ago after doing some genealogy I decided I wanted to look for some family traditions that i could start with the girls.  I was looking for something specific from Pomerania, since that is where the Hahn family comes from.  Well I couldn't find anything specific, but I did find something that was supposed to be a German tradition, the Christmas pickle.  So we bought a glass pickle to hang on the tree.  It is always the very last ornament placed on the tree and is hidden deep in the boughs and the legend has it that the one who finds it on Christmas morning was supposed to receive a special gift, and the first adult to find it was supposed to receive good luck for the upcoming year.  While we never gave out a gift to the girls because we didn't want them fighting over it, I thought it was a cool tradition because they could look at and appreciate ll the ornaments on the tree while looking for the pickle.  Alison even used it as her family tradition in a project at school.

However, after reading some things about it online, I have come to find out that it is a total myth.  If you went to Germany at Christmas time and asked about hanging a pickle on the Christmas tree, they would have no idea what you were talking about.  It does appear to have some German roots though, just not in the old country.  The story goes that there was a German immigrant from Bavaria who was fighting in the Civil War by the name of John Lower.  He had been captured and sent to the Confederate prison in Andersonville, Georgia.  Anyone who knows anything about the civil war knows the name Andersonville.  It was a terrible place to be sent and nearly 1/3 of the Union soldiers who were held there died.  In poor health, and starving, John Lower begged a guard for just one pickle before he died.  The guard had mercy on him and found a pickle for John Lower.  According to the legend, that pickle (along with the grace of God) gave John Lower the strength to live on.  Finally, once he had been released (or liberated) and reunited with his family he began the tradition of hiding a pickle in the branches of the Christmas tree and the one who found it on Christmas morning would be blessed with good fortune for the year.

Whatever the story, it is something the girls like to do, and they do look for the pickle, and admire all the other ornaments.  So I am glad that we decided to pick that custom.  I'd still like to find some other traditions we can do with them before they get too old, but for now at least we have the pickle.

What's a Cassette

A couple of weeks ago we were driving somewhere, maybe Kohls, maybe Walmart, I forget exactly.  But were were driving in my car and had the satellite radio on.  I was flipping stations and landed on the hair band channel.  I don't remember exactly what was on but it was a song that I hadn't heard in years.  I know it was something that Kris liked too.  I said something about how I remembered having the album by whoever it was on cassette back when I was in high school.  Alison was sitting in the backseat and asked, "What's a cassette?"  My mouth dropped open, and I said, "What? Are you kidding?"  I thought for certain she was putting us on, but she was serious.  Apparently she had never seen a cassette tape before.  That was how I knew I was officially old

Cookie Time!

Yes, it is that time of the year again, or practically.  We got Ali's stuff for selling girl scout cookies again.  This year the sale starts right after the first of the year, and last for only two weeks.  Also this year the council as doing their sale a little differently.  Some genius did a study apparently, that the girls can sell more cookies with boxes in hand, so that when they drop them off they are supposed to have extras on hand and then let the customers know they have extras.  I am not liking this new method.  This is the last year of Alison's troop as they are reportedly disbanding the troop after bridging so I think we might tone things down this year.  If you got cookies from Ali last year, let us know if you want them again, let us know.  We aren't going to go hard pushing them.

I Really Don't Hate Christmas

Last weekend I had to run to WalMart to get Kris's dad a new trimmer.  It was just one thing, in and out.  Well that was a mistake.  The parking lot was jammed, and people were driving like complete jag-offs.  There is nothing that hacks me off more than someone "parking" in the middle of the aisle waiting for someone to pull out of a parking spot so they can save the extra 30 feet they might otherwise need to walk.  Then again, if you have ever seen the clientele that frequents WalMart you know they aren't exactly into health and working out. 

Once I got in I went right to the aisle where the trimmers were, picked the one that I think will work the best for Kris's dad (about 2 minutes to look and compare models) and then had to wait in line for 15 minutes to pay for it.  15 minutes in the 10 items and less checkout.  That is another thing that gets me hot.  It is one thing if there are no people waiting, or no other lanes open, but on this day, WalMart was PACKED!  So there were a couple of people who had like 30 things, and had split it up into three transactions, so they paid three separate times and yet the line didn't move.  UGH!

So as I was leaving I was thoroughly disgusted with shopping and with the whole Christmas season.  The rudeness of the people in the stores (other consumers, not the store employees; the employees I saw were more than accommodating trying to do their jobs and keep everyone happy).  I think there is just something about the season that seems to bring out the worst in people. 

So in closing I want to just want to say that I really don't hate Christmas.  And to prove it, here is Dr. Doofenschmirtz singing the new Christmas classic:

Thumb Update

It has been a week and a half since I got my shot in the thumb.  So far so good.  I can report that at the very least the pain that I was having in it is gone.  It is still stiff at times, such as when I get up in the morning, and it still "clicks" when I move it, sometimes worse than at other times, but I can deal with it I guess.  I am hopeful that that too will eventually go away, but the main thing was the pain and not being able to move it at all.  And since that is gone, I guess I'll call it a win for now.

Furnace Install

Well, it's all done.  The furnace and the air conditioner have been replaced.  Boy, the Air conditioner sure is small.  I suppose that just shows how much better things have become, smaller and more efficient.  The same goes for the furnace.  I wasn't home at all when the servicemen were ripping the old stuff out and putting the new one in, but Kris spoke to them and did we learn some things. 

The pipes for the air intake and the CO exhaust were somehow not hooked up right.  They had to replace one of them for sure because there is a new PVC pipe in the joists because they apparently were not up to code.  The same went for the chimney and the exhaust ducts coming from the hot water heater, not up to code.  I seriously want to know how the building inspector passed things when we bought the house 14 years ago.  At least we are all up to code now and everything is working. 

When I came home the first night, the house smelled like the oven when it is on the cleaning cycle.  They told us that it will go away shortly.  But until then, it sort of gives me a headache.  I will say that the amount of air coming out of the vents is increased.  Kris said the service guy told her that we did have an issue with the blower on the old furnace not moving enough air, which makes sense.  The house warms up much faster than it used to.  Unfortunately, the one thing that didn't change it the amount that the Christmas tree lights affect the room temperature/thermostat.  So we still have that to deal with, but that is minor compared to having a furnace that will not shut off during the night.

Light Bulbs

I finally had it with the light in our house.  The ceiling fans upstairs provide just terrible light in the bedrooms.  I wish we didn't need to have the fans, but unfortunately due to the poor heating and cooling in the house because of the way they ran the ducts when the house was built, we need the fans to help circulate the air.  Maybe not as much when the new furnace gets installed, but we'll see.

Anyway, I went to Home Depot and started looking and I could not find any light bulbs, or at least any non-CFL bulbs.  I refuse to use those crappy CFL bulbs.  The light is not pleasant and I cannot stand waiting for the things to "warm up" before emitting enough light to see.  If I want light, I want it now, not in two minutes.  The largest bulbs I can get are 60 watt, and what I really need is 100 watt.  Thanks to the stupid government, I can no longer get a light bulb that allows me to see in my own house.  Thanks a lot government, you eliminate a product that people want and is effective in its use and replace it with an inferior product, and then force people to use it.  Yep, great job.  That's also why our power rates are so high.  I could go on, but I'll end my rant here.

Vet Checkup

Last Saturday we took the cat's up to the vet for their annual checkup.  They needed their shots and just a general once over to make sure they were healthy, especially Phoebe.  Luckily, other than Phoebe's obsessive/compulsive licking and some slight tartar build up on a couple of teeth, they are both in very good health.  We've been going to the same vet for almost 20 years, ever since we got our first cat.  For a while we stopped taking the cats there because it was too much of a hassle/drive to go up to West Bend just to see the vet, but after going to a couple of different ones here in the Falls, we just didn't feel like we got the same attention, or quality of care.  I think there is something to be said for that.

2012 Christmas Tree

As I do every year, this is the 2012 Hahn family Christmas tree.  It's much like it is every year, just moving around the ornaments a little bit.

This year I made sure that Kris put on all of her/our ornaments first.  The last few years by the time the girls got finished putting on all of their ornaments we had limited space for ours.  So this year, I told the girls that they were going to have to decide which ones they wanted to put on and which ones stayed in the box. 

This year I also put on an even 2000 lights.  I only had to throw out three strings for having lights out.  I think that after Christmas this year, I am going to go see if I can find some LEDs for the after Christmas, clearance prices, but I have to find ones that have the yellowish glow, not the bright bluish-white ones.  I want to have that warm glow without the heat, or the blinding light.  Like this:

There is just something about that glow that makes the season.

Vein Surgery

Kris went in last Friday to have surgery on the veins in her left leg.  A couple of years ago she had her right leg done so this is just evening things out.  The left leg wasn't as bad as the right one, but it still needed to be done.  The procedure apparently went smoothly, and now she's recovering.  The level of bruising isn't as bad as when it was done on her other leg, but there are a couple of spots that seem to be very red.  The after care sheet that the doctor gave us says to watch for a condition just like this, so we are watching and monitoring it carefully.  She goes in for her follow up on Tuesday so hopefully it doesn't get worse before then.  If it does I think we'll need to call to have it looked at, but for now it is so far so good.

St. Nick's Visit

St Nick visited last night.  The girls were lucky.  He brought some candy, they each got a new ornament for the tree, some good quality lip gloss and other lotion, and the big thing, Just Dance 4 for the Wii.  It seems that St. Nick thought the girls were good this year.  I told them that next year they might just get a visit from Krampus instead.  What?  You don't know who (or what) Krampus is?  Well then....  just click here for some background. 

Putting the fear of Krampus into the children would have been the thing to do when the girls were still little enough to be frightened by it.  Then again, it may have resulted in visits to the child psychologist.

Ali's Concert

This is Alison's fall concert, or a clip from it.  Put your hands together for the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B.

Concert from Dennis Hahn on Vimeo.

Healthy As a Horse

About a month ago I had my annual check up and as usual, everything came back pretty good.  The only issue I had was my thumb.  The joint was locking up on me, and was actually slightly painful to move. My doctor looked at it and said, yep, you have a trigger thumb.  Now I have heard of a trigger finger, but never a trigger thumb. 

I put up with it for a little while, but two weeks ago I finally decided to call the orthopedist to take a look at it.  My doctor told me that he would probably just give me a cortisone injection, but if it was bad enough, they might do some surgery on it.  So today I went to have the doctor look at it.  After the initial check and moving it around he confirmed that it was indeed trigger thumb.  Luckily, he thought all it needed was a cortisone shot.  My prognosis is good.  He said there is a 75%  chance that this will take care of it.  If not, he can give it another shot, in which case there would be a 50% chance it fixes it.  If that doesn't do it, then he would need to do a little surgery on it, but that is something that would be taken care of in the office. 

It's still a little swollen from the injection, and as I am typing this it is still numb from freezing it for the actual cortisone shot.  IN a week or so I'll know if it takes.  I figure it can't be any worse.