Good Things Come In Small Packages

Familia,

We decided to downsize again. Last year it was our house, and in 2010 we have downsized our cars.

Joe and I traded my Honda Civic Sedan for two adorable Smart Cars:
The Cabriolet (convertible) and the Passion.


My Cabriolet


Joe's Passion


The Smart Car has been around in European countries for over 13 years. Each model’s revolutionary design conveys innovation, functionality and practicality—all without sacrificing quality and safety. Engineered by Mercedes-Benz, the smart fortwo was originally designed as a solution for urban congestion. While it’s obviously a great city car, it’s also great for anyone concerned about the environment or simply looking for something as unique as each driver.



When you are on the leading edge of vehicle efficiency and small vehicle design, the issue of safety is a critical element. That's why the core design philosophy of the smart fortwo is focused on something called the tridion safety cell. Much like a nut is protected by its hard outside shell, the smart fortwo's occupants are protected by a steel housing that combines longitudinal and transverse members that displace impact forces over a large area of the car (think "race car"). So it's not about the amount of steel, but how that material will resist an impact. That's what the tridion safety cell is all about.

Both Carritos fit where the Civic used to park. And YES, parking is now a breeze, we practically fit in any little space.


When we are on the road, driving the carritos, we now have to get used to people around us always "smiling". I suppose we do look like a cartoon at times. They are also a fantastic "Conversation Starter", people are very curious about them.

Chiquitos Pero Picosos!

The Clean House - Suca's Play

As most of you know, Susie was cast for the part of Ana in The Clean House, a play by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Rebecca Remaly.

The play is about a maid who hates cleaning and dreams about creating the perfect joke. A doctor who treats cancer leaves his heart inside one of his patients. A woman who keeps her house in order realizes her life is a mess. This is a play of uncommon romance and uncommon comedy by "a playwright with a unique comic voice, perspective, and sense of theater" (Variety).

Sue's character, Ana: Here's the audition description:
"An Argentinian woman, 50's-60's. She is impossibly charismatic. In Act I, she plays Matilde's mother. Must be proficient with Argentinian accent, and quick to learn scripted Spanish text."

We could only take pictures after the play, but you'll still get a feel for the cozy, intimate set environment. We also laughed out loud, felt sad, almost cried.... along with the rest of the audience. The cast took us there, they transported us.

Greeting the audience after the Play


Sue was an incredibly endearing ANA. I told her that watching her on stage made me want to be hug her, be her best friend. I wanted to go do things with all tose women on the play. Joe and I really enjoyed it.


Suca and Moon


Suca and Brother Joe on the set
You'll have to go see it to find out why the set is so messy.


One of the play's sponsors (I think), Matilde and Ana


The Cast:
Lane, Virginia, Ana, Matilde and Charles


The Clean House is only playing through this coming Saturday, 4/17.
Thursdays are 2 for 1 prices. The venue is the Dairy Center For The Arts.

Sue's new moniker is now SucANA

Easter 2010

Easter 2010!!!

Hello family! Amy and I wanted to share a few pictures from last Sunday's Easter gathering at our home. The day was filled with laughter and love with friends and family and the "Easter Egg" contest was especially competitive this year!

Love,
Greg and Amy

Bloomin' Humans...

Hello family,

First of all thank you Mom and Greg for keeping this blog alive while I was abducted by aliens piloting a ship that looks like a vacant rental property at the Neusteter's building downtown.

Julie and I have been quite busy this winter cooped up in our home offices, avoiding the cold... Since last winter was so mild, this year has served as the true acclimation that we never really had when we moved back from San Jose the fall before last. Despite some really dry throats, bloody noses, a torn Rhomboid muscle and a vacant rental property, we are finally beginning to bloom into full humans again.... at roughly the same time our tulips are blooming the oregano and lemon balm in our garden is coming back to life!

Now back to the aforementioned abduction. Our tenant moved out of our loft downtown during the winter giving us a first hand look at a natural phenomenon the newspapers and NPR call a "recessed economy". Below is a before and after picture of what this meant to a layman, a landlord or in my case, a person who is both...

During 2006, 2007, 2008: Our renters moved out.... We listed the loft on craigslist to find new renters. Our craigslist ad was answered immediately as if the "submit ad" button on the craigslist page were hot-wired to our telephone... We'd do several showings all scheduled in 1 day and the first potential renter would accept a signed lease... The other potentials were turned away; angry they had lost the opportunity at living in a downtown loft... Also - we raised the rent every time and used the difference to sip fine wine in Napa Valley.

Winter 2010: Somebody call Macgyver! The hot-wire between craigslist "Submit Ad" button and our telephone has been severed! We resorted to finding renters by dressing up in gigantic bicuspid outfits and doing tricks on the 16th street mall. Julie excelled at this! When people would approach to give us tips, we'd persuade them to walk inside and look at our rental property. When desperate measures called, this eventually culminated in the use of canvas bags over people's heads and some extra muscle to force an awkward situation in the elevator.

Picky picky....where before out tenants were single, young males for which cooking meant walking across the street to Chipotle, in 2010 they are middle aged couples who have highly acclaimed credentials in the area of scrutinizing the awesomeness of rental property kitchens. Being the calculators that we are, Julie and I ran some numbers and some scenarios and decided it was time to remodel the loft's kitchen... I have a bachelors in mathematics so I can help break down what this looked like:

Should I remodel the kitchen = 9+3/2

In algebraic terms (For those who have pushed aunt Sally from their memories for good), this basically boils down to the following figures:

Should I remodel the kitchen = 10.5

I think you can all understand the predicament this caused for us. We were to remodel our kitchen....

There are many gory details that range from an uninsured cabinet installer with a DUI, to a rusty bathtub in a second floor bathroom that resides above a Rite Aid...... roughly above the section where Oreo cookies are sold.

Basically this project was a lot of work... I still don't remember all of the details but the hypnotic therapy I have been receiving has brought back enough of the repressed alien abduction memory that I know spring is good because our new tenant seems really nice and drives a very nice BMW... Seems like a great person to live in our place, using our new kitchen.

Also wanted to thank Greg for coming by in the final week to help me get my stuck arm out of the bath-tub drain... As we were literally caulking the new bath-tub as our new tenant came to get the keys on Saturday morning, would not have made it without your help. Thank you!

With that said..... Lets rock this blog!! Lots of stuff to share..... so stay tuned....