The Transformation of Dick Cheney

By now we've all seen the pictures of our former Vice President at the inauguration...



Now that he's in a wheelchair, his transformation is complete.

Dick Cheney is Dr. Strangelove...

Fine Looking Island People...

In December, Green Bay experienced a record total of 46 inches of snow. That's nearly 4 feet!

To give you an idea of how much snow this is, in the land of the frozen tundra, the previous record for December was 36 inches set in 1887.

With all this snow, it can only mean one thing.

Sledding!

Cari and Nalani had a grand old time...



Nalani and Malia dressed in their purple best...



David and Bret Jr. were little daredevils flying down the hill...



And even I got in on the act...



Kekoa sled constantly, but somehow he always ended up with his sled flying off in one direction and him rolling down the hill...



Despite hours of pleading last night by her little brothers and sisters, Alyssa prefered not to play and stayed home.

Imagine our shock and surprise.

In any case, that didn't slow down Malia!

For the first time, our baby Malia (who's not so much a baby anymore), decided that she was ready to go down the hill all on her own.

So she did...



And she did again...



To give you an idea of how brave this little girl has become, here she is at the bottom of the hill...



Of course, the worst part about sledding to the bottom of the hill is that you have to walk back to the top...



Cari was plum tuckered out...



Nalani and Malia were smart enough to convince their brother Bret Jr. to pull them...



It seemed like a good idea to me so I put Nalani and Malia to work pulling my sled...



Now a history lesson.

During the Filipino-American War (yes, there was a Filipino-American War), the term "Flip" was coined. It was a horribly derogatory and insulting term used by the soldiers to demonize the Filipinos. It is comparable to the term "gook" and "chink" that were used in other wars.

On a complete aside, I believe it was also during the Filipino-American War that the famous Filipino Battle Hymn was written. It's lyrics are as follows:

Oh Philippines my Philippines
We always fight but no can win

You fight for me
I fight for you

You die for me
Too bad for you

Oh Philippines my Philippines
We always fight but no can win

In any case, "Flip" has been co-opted and given a whole new meaning which is emblazened on my hat...



Yep, those Bicoys are Flips - "Fine Looking Island People."