Added a link to our 3Day pics into our Photos section (some people had trouble finding it in the 3Day section so we made another link... Ain't the Internet grand!)

In other news, Rhon and I visited the actual set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigations to photograph the sets and props for the game I am working on. This was an ultra cool experience, and Rhonda's photography experience really paid off as the sets were underlighted and difficult to shoot. These pics will go a long way to making the game as realistic as possible.

We are hoping to add more content to the site this three day weekend, but we already have a lot planned. Stay tuned!

We're home from Vegas! We went for a long weekend to see my grandparents, my dad and his family, and my aunt and uncle and their families. It was smashing. We saw the Blue Man Group, climbed the 75-foot rock tower at Gameworks (but fell a bit short of ringing the bell at the top), went to the top of the Stratosphere to test our non-fear of heights (worked out fine) and we ate. And ate. The best part, though, was spending so much time with family members we hardly ever get to see. Kind of like getting a new family, like... POOF! Abracadabra, there they are.

Now we're putting up our blistered feet and relaxing. It's only 95 degrees here -- downright chilly compared to 104 in Vegas.

Getting into a new harness the first time is no fun, either. First, the leg is twisted. You take the whole thing off and try again. Then, the other leg is backward. You take it all off again. The straps over your butt are tied into knots. You fix them. The safety monitor comes over to gawk. Your waist belt is upside down. You take it all off again. The safety monitor continues gawking. The leg is twisted again. You can't believe it.

Then you decide to test the harness. You climb six feet, let go. Expect to dangle securely for a moment, then descend. Instead, you swing wildly to the side and slam into the rock wall. The safety monitor looks over. Little kids stare. At least the harness is fine -- it is you who is Bozo the Clown.

(Climbed the wall four times each anyway, and came home feeling just dandy this time.)

Legs hurt. Thighs hurt. Legs hurt. Thighs hurt.

We bought ourselves climbing harnesses at REI. Getting fitted is a unique experience. It starts with a blunt analysis of how big your waist is, how big your thighs are, that sort of thing. Then, when a harness doesn't fit quite right, the leg straps ride up and dig into an extremely unfortunate area -- which you have to explain in detail to the guy fitting you so he knows what is wrong. And, if you are a girl, you go through this entire ordeal in tight climbing shorts, so the entire store gets a complete, framed view of your rear as you wiggle in and out of all those straps.

These harnesses had better last a LONG time. I'm in no rush for a repeat performance.

We climbed the 50-foot wall for the first time this morning -- six times each! Even learning how to do the marked/rated routes, so we can watch our progress as we improve.

Felt fantastic at the time, but about an hour afterward I CRASHED. Got carsick, headachy, miserable. Whined until I fell into bed, then slept hard for an hour or so. Feeling better now, at least as long as Tony is willing to bring me popsicles in bed. Fortunately, he is still feeling good...

Gabe is sick again, so I had to bring him to the vet for another shot. The trouble is, once he's in his carrying box, it's almost impossible to get him out, even if you open the door and turn the thing upside down. So, when the vet tech brought the box into the back room, I offered to help. "Oh, no thanks," she said. "He'll be no problem."

Five minutes later: "It will be just be a bit longer. He's a little... frustrated."

Fifteen minutes later they brought him back out. They never could get him out of the box. They had resorted to disassembling it, giving him the shot, then reassembling it around him. Ten screws. But I guess it was easier (and safer) than fighting him. He's a handful -- I'm surprised that we haven't been banned from the office by now.

We did it! Went yesterday and took the belay course at the indoor rock climbing gym, then went tonight and took our certification exams. Passed! So now we both have red cards saying that we passed 'belay check' and can do the ropes.

The best part is that when we took a belay course last January, it was HARD. Both the climbing and the ropes. This time, no problems. Easy-peasy.

Just got an interview posted on the newly-resurected Die Hard Fan site. This is a very cool site, with all the info you EVER wanted to know about the Die Hard series of films! Since DH holds a special place in my heart, I think it's an awesome site! Check it out!

Hey folks, Tony here. Rhon and I have been working hard on putting pics up of the 3-Day.

You can check them out the usual way... click on the Walkathon button on the left, and simply click on the 3-Day Pics link. More 3-Day stuff coming soon, such as our Gear List and Rhonda's Log.

96 degrees today. Went hiking anyway, on our Huddart park 1000 ft ascent. Something of a mistake.

Came down from hill and went to mall. Spent too much. Also something of a mistake.

Left mall and went to the new Planet Granite (indoor climbing) place down the street. Signed up for another belay course so we can get certified next week. We think regular visits will be a good training addition for Kilimanjaro. Hopefully NOT a mistake...

We are taking turns being sick.

Tony is at work but will come home if he feels bad enough. I already feel lousy, but hoping to feel better by afternoon; I'm going with my sister while she gets a tattoo. In the meantime, I'm just hunkered down with the laptop, writing, writing, writing.

Got the key! They replaced both door locks, the trunk lock, and the ignition, replaced our broken alarm remote (the reason we went in the first place) and reprogramed both remotes to work with the new keys. Many handshakes and back-slapping all around.

Other than that, a yuck day. I have some sort of stomach bug. Tony spent the day working from home, which is not as fun as it sounds because he actually works from home. Tonight we'll eat chicken and watch the final episode of the Mole. I say Bill is the mole; he thinks it's Heather...

Another training hike up at Huddart park. Turns out that it's actually only a 1000 foot altitude gain, but if you think about it, that's about a 100-story building. Cool.

We saved THREE ACRES of rainforest today. We became members of The Rainforest Site (www.therainforestsite.com) and then used their shopping link to buy a new LCD monitor through Amazon.com. Feels awesome. Go click!

Still no key. Eight days and counting.

My birthday was yesterday, and we had a great day. We took a training hike up in the hills (altitute gain approx 1200 feet), hung out all afternoon, then went out for dinner with my family. I abandoned all pretense of dieting and ate chocolate strawberries and souffle. Got lots of great presents, too: a spa treatment, two games, lots of little summer shirts (I wear 'em year round), goodies from Sephora, and the 2003 Encarta Reference Library DVD, which I use constantly every year for writing research. I am crazy happy.

And today we're heading to Frys!

Not going to do any work on anything this weekend, but we have big plans for the site next week. Lots of 3-Day pictures, gear list, etc. are finally ready, and we're also starting a Kilimanjaro page. Stay tuned.

They STILL haven't found the key.

So they promised to order a new key blank, then redo our locks and ignition to a new set of keys (so the missing one won't work anymore.) It was supposed to be ready today. But this afternoon a whole new dunderhead called me from the parts department, saying that the blank had NOT been ordered. "You have to come in with your car registration and license before we can authorize..." he said, and I went berserk.

*&^%#@$%$##$%$# !!!!!"

He hasn't called back yet.