It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The stocking were hung at the fireplace with care...



David (My Brother) Testing his manliness as he stands on a pond that has been frozen over.

No Ducks In Flagstaff

Finals finished, Soldier's training was shaping up nicely, and my brother came to visit. WE WERE READY FOR OUR FIRST DUCK HUNT ON SAT. We went out scouting FRI morning only to find that all the roads to the lakes in town had been shut down to motorized vehicles. So unless we wanted to walk uphill in the snow for 9 miles (both ways of course), we were out of luck. Oh well, I think that all this snow came as a surprise to most Flagstaffians, and I have heard that this is going to be the first white Christmas is 3 or 4 years. We are so excited. Here is a funny Far Side that my brother showed me. You have to look closely to get it.

More Snow!

We got about 4 feet of snow in total here! Snowbowl opened up, and Soldier's backyard is a winter wonderland!

My pathophysiology teacher gave us an interesting current article to read on tattooing.

A couple of NAU undergrad students are researching "tattoo inks to determine if any inks pose health threats in the form of heavy metals or other dangerous chemicals." I quote one of the students. "I don't think anyone is aware that the FDA doesn't regulate the tattoo process. The inks in tatoos are subject to regulation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as cosmetics, but the FDA does NOT regulate tattoo ink for injection, nort does it regulate tattooing itself." The article continues by saying, "...the various inks do not have to have ingredients listed. So far they have found that some inks have as many as 14 elements in them, with some instances of lead. But just how much of these elements exist in the inks has yet to be measured. Gathering quantitative data is the next step." Here's a link to the article if you want to read it in its entirety.
http://www4.nau.edu/insidenau/bumps/3_17_05/tatoo.htm

Since this research has surfaced, other "reports have surfaced indicating that tattoo ink can cause adverse effects in wearers, such as allergic reactions, burning sensations during MRI scans, and the migrationof tattoo ink into different areas of the body, including the lungs." That quote was from:
http://health.excite.com/article/id/524476.html

Our First Flagstaff Snow

Jacob & Sunny's Documentary On Snow

Getting Soldier Ready For His First Duck Hunt Next Weekend

Soldier Learning For The First Time That Snow Can Get Into Your Eyes

Furry Sunny, Furry Soldier

Jacob And Soldier


Soldier Chillin By His Warm, Cozy Doghouse