Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The mysterious traveler

Who or what is checking out the Albuquerque Sunport?

[Yes, Fran, I am tantalizing you with the Manzano Mountains, evil one that I am.]


Frequent readers will recall when Eddie and Dillinger were waiting for the Houston flight on our way to New Orleans not too long ago.


Same spot, same flight on a different day, but a different passenger with me this time.


Yes, it's Norbert the NIH worm, the newest addition to the family, a present from my godson Jack. Here he is playing in the bushes of the apartment complex where we're staying in New Orleans. [Technically in River Ridge by mailing address and just east of the Co'Cola plant - "we" being Norbert, Dillinger, Eddie, and I. Belle, Maggie, and I were in another apartment complex further west - same developers and floor plan.]


NIH worms are a marketing device and humorous invention of programming types. Norbert, you see, is a Not-Invented-Here Worm "This pest affects the brains of engineers and the managers by weakening the mental facilities of those afflicted while enhancing native stubbornness."

Jack's parents are techies and understand all sorts of computeroid things about which I have not the slightest clue. They are not, however, the robotic wetware sort of geeks one associates with many realms of technitude but warm, wonderful humanitarian types who love life, people, good food, and their two sons - my godson and Bill's.

I don't think of Norbert as a pest at all. He is actually rather sweet, though he was misbehaving in the office today with Aunt Jennifer. All the boys went in today. They are quite amazed that Excel spreadsheets are used for something other than plotting daddy's novels. Who knew you could crunch numbers with those things?

The final shot is the boys relaxing in my home away from home. Eddie and Dillinger threw a party for their friends while I was in Albuquerque this past weekend but I must say, they really cleaned the apartment nicely before dad got back. Dillinger was a touch bleary-eyed but still chipper Sunday evening and Eddie looked exhausted but happy. Needless to say I did not leave the computer or the keys to the rental car with them.

Good lads but definitely scamps.

I, of course, was never a scamp. At least not that I recall (or admit).

Greetings from Norbert and the whole gang to Jack!

--the BB

3 comments:

BooCat said...

LOL. I wondered how on earth the National Institutes of Health might be using a fuzzy worm as some type of marketing tool! Too cute!

Fran said...

What a delightful crew you have there- I stand in awe of your ever growing and eclectic family!

ABQ.
Sunport.
Mountains.

Waaaaaaa!

Paul said...

Sorry, Fran, my bad self got out of control there.

Norbert is the first new family member in years so, mercifully, we are not growing much. The kids hang out, variously, in the library, my bedroom, the guest room, and the living room and, though I know all their names, I could not recite them all without prompting.

Boocat, I wondered the same thing initially.

I called Jack last night so he got to see the photos and visit the blog for the first time.