What Child is This?

What do you get when you put the Daddy, a ukulele, and the Virg inside a house covered in snow with no sign of escape... Christmas carols! If you dig back into the history of any Christmas song I'm sure you will inevitably find the composer was snowed in, eating whatever canned goods hadn't expired yet, and banging on whatever musical instrument they had on hand. Or, maybe it was divine inspiration. There's a fine line between divine inspiration and thinking your dog told you it's a good idea to make oatmeal with beer (No! Bad Dog!). Virg decided he wanted to chip in and play a few Christmas songs. He likes to play 'What Child is This', but I like to play 'Greensleeves'. Amazing how well those two songs harmonize.

No No Daddy, play the minor 3rd up here.

Snow madness...

Yup - for his first Christmas, Virg is getting a White Christmas. Very very white. Lots of snow. Snow snow snow. Everywhere we look, snow. So much snow you feel like your trapped in your own house with no way to escape. Ha ha ha ha ha - soooo much fun! At least Virg seems to be taking everything is stride. He's started waring his bunny blanket toy as a hat, rocking back and forth saying "All work and no play makes Virg a dull boy." Yup - everything should be fine.

Heeere's Virgie!

Santa Virg

You better watch out, You better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why: Santa Virg is coming to town. Actually just up and down our block to deliver good cheer, cookies and cocoa. Mommy (aka - the elf) made up a few plates of Christmas treats to give our neighbors. Daddy (aka- the Grinch) was against the idea from the start. I said it was too cold - we could freeze to death. The snow is too slippery - we could slip to death. It's too wet - we could be soggy to death. But Santa Virg was too cute for the Daddy to resist.

Virg's QT Christmas Cookie Delivery Service,

Christmas cookies delivered with a smile.

All I want for Christmas...

Apparently all Virg wants for Christmas is his two front teeth. More specifically, his two front bottom teeth. We can see them peeking through, and he really likes to chew on the Mommy's fingers. Since he now has his front teeth, he must take on more responsibilities in the household. He fits perfectly into his new commanders chair.

'Star date 12.19.2008. Virg's house... the first frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Virgil-prise. Its on going mission: to explore strange new floor areas, to seek out new objects to put into his mouth, to boldly go where no Virg has gone before.'

Beam down another 'Lt. Red-shirt' Scotty.

I have a little ... clean up work for him to do.

Sitting in a winter wonderland

The weather finally got around to putting some snow on the ground. If we lived in Minnesota, we would have bundled Virg up in his snowsuit and headed out to build a snowman. But Virg doesn't have a snowsuit, he has a monkey-suit... from his fairy Godmother. I'm not sure when it happened, but apparently there was a scientific study that showed dressing a baby in a cute and fuzzy animal suit was more effective at conserving body heat then a conventional snowsuit. Everywhere we look we can find a plethora of cute and fuzzy animal suits, but no snowsuits.

However, today the snow was too powdery to build a snow man, so Virg just sat on Daddy's lap and watched the dog eat snow as Daddy's bum slowly froze to the bench. Ahh... good times!

Hanging of the greens.

Christmas is almost here, and that means seasonal decorating. Daddy has never been a very big fan of decorations of any kind. You take the time to hang them up, they hang there, and then you take the time to tear them all down. Apparently this attitude towards Christmas decorating is genetic. As you can see - the utter lack of enthusiasm from Virg as he helps Mommy hang the festive holiday greens. The Grinch gene seems to be the dominant gene.

I've got some holiday greens for you...

in my pants!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

The weather man says it's going to snow tomorrow. For those of you who are unfamiliar with how weather is predicted in western Washington, everything is really just a "chance of something other then rain". But just in case we do get snow, we decided to get Virg all prepared for his first snow day. Using a snow-globe, we tried our best to describe what snow was and how much fun it would be. For the most part, Virg seems excited, but he is unsure as to how we're going to fit him into the little glass ball.

Virg the Knife

So now that Virg is officially baptized he also has an official Godfather. And since his Godfather is from New York, he was also given an official tough guy name - "Virg the Knife". At first we all thought it was cute, but the name has seemed to creep into his personality. Every now and then you'll see Virg give you a look that will make you wonder if maybe you should have fed him a little bit sooner, not waited so long to change his diaper, or maybe you were tickling him a bit too long that time?

Say hello to my little friend!

... But the greatest of these is love.

Today, Virg was baptized. He was a real champ. No crying, or strange looks at the pastor while the water was put on his head. Everyone said he was real cute, and they loved his little white outfit (got it on sale at Kohl's). Virg would like to thank everyone that was able to make it for the big day, both in person and in spirit. The coolest thing about the picture above is that it shows Virg surrounded by love, and that's just the people who could fit into the picture frame.

Virg can read your mind!

Yes, it's true Virg can read your mind. It won't be much longer before he can control your thoughts as well. Don't worry, for the most part he will just give you a strong urge to drink warm milk (possibly with some cocoa in it) and take naps.

What!!! You don't believe he can read your mind? You should never doubt the Virg! Fine, he'll prove it.

Pick a number between 10 and 99. Now, take the two digits that make up that number and add them together. Now take that result and subtract it from the original number you picked. Now, if the number you ended up with is a two digit number, add those two digits together. If you feel left out because your number only has a single digit you can add zero to your number... feel better? Now prepare to be amazed!

Is This Your Number?!?!

(... he also knows what you did last summer. Shame on you!)

Where has Virg been?

You may be asking yourself why you haven't seen much of Virg lately. Well, it all has to do with the uncanny attraction a child has to a new pile of leaves. I'm sure you all remember seeing that new pile of leaves in the yard. Without any conscious thought of your own, your small body was drawn to the pile with a gravitational attraction equal to that of a black hole. I was surprised at how early this attraction began with Virg. But whenever I thought I had a free minute to write on the blog, I would look up and say "Where's Virg?". The first time it happened, I just about went through my 19th nervous break down, but now I just mosey on over to the leaf pile. There you'll find Virg, calm and relaxed in a nice cool, crunchy pile of autumn leaves.

I can see my house from up here...

Here we can see Virg almost to the peak of Mt. Procrastination. It was a long and arduous trek, but the view is breathtaking.

Down in the valley of this mountain you can hear the Mommy and Daddy calling to each other in the early morning "Have you seen any clean socks?" "I saw one in that small glade of underpants over there." They are a small and simple tribe of people with ancient stories of something called 'Folds'. But even if some of the elders claim to remember the days-of-old when there were no wrinkles, Virg believes they are all just fairy tails used to scare small children.

Daylight savings... aka Time Travel

It was bound to happen sooner or later. When will humans learn that we can't play with the forces of nature without consequence? Every year we time travel one hour forward in the Spring, and one hour back in the Fall. Well, we set our clocks back an hour last night, and this morning we found Virg had time traveled all the way back to the early 1930's. He was saying things like:

"The only thing that prohibition is helping is the growing black market for alcohol and the violent gangsters who profit from it."
"The whole reason we are in the this financial mess is because of the unfounded belief that the market could sustain the high stock prices of the 'Roaring Twenties'."
"Herbert Hoover wouldn't have won the presidency if the market crash would have hit just a few months earlier. Worst president ever!"

He's sooooo cute when he complains about the state of the world! They say history repeats itself, but this is ridiculous.

BumbleVirg

The science community is at a loss, and it's time we find out what's causing CCD in our honey bee hives across this great nation of ours. Only Virg has the ability and cuteness to infiltrate the hive and find out what the buzz is all about. It's a dangerous mission, but Virg is prepared with the best costume available (for under $20.) According to his findings, it turns out it's just bad gas. Virg taught the Queen how to burp like a pro. Now, all we can do is wait, pray, and listen for little bee burps.

Virg-O-Lantern

Once the candle was put out by Virg's bum, things went as smoothly as can be imaged for placing a baby in a pumpkin. Some people say pumpkin pie is their comfort food, but for Virg, pumpkins are literally comfortable food.

Behold the Pumpkin King

Boyz in thier Hoodies

It's getting cold out there, and that means covering your head. Just an observation, but do you notice that Virg looks like a jedi master in his hoodie, and Dad looks like a crazy man who just stole a baby? Anyhoo - here's a few tips for anyone interested in carrying a baby in a Baby Bjorn.

1) Say goodbye to your back.
2) Hold the feet. Kicking a horse will make it go faster. Kicking a Daddy will make him loose his breath and start singing like Gilda from Rigoletto. (Virg loves Verdi)

Tummy Time... TO THE X-TREME!!!

Once a baby is about three months old they should start getting a few minutes of "tummy time" every day. For the average baby this means just what it sounds like. Boring! But for the Virg, we have EXTREME TUMMY TIME! The professional luciador's name is Senor Guppy, and he was one tough hombre. With one look, Virg knew this would be the toughest tummy time of his entire life. Virg (or Chico Froggy as he's known in the luciador circuit) donned his tummy time shorts, but left his shirt off so he could intimidate his opponent by showing off his muscular arms and his 'two pack' abs. It was a fierce battle, but in the end Senor Guppy was soundly defeated by Chico Froggy.

If your looking to take a tumble,
and watch your strength crumble,
just ask Chico Froggy for a rumble!

Chico Froggy after winning the match!

Virg peeks into the political arena

It has been too long since my last post. I blame it on the economy, because I can. Who's going to step up and defend it?

Today Virg got his first glimpse into our political circus. I didn't want to scare him off with a full blown presidential debate on foreign policy, so we waited until today and took a simple stroll through the VP debate. What's the worst that could happen? We got all dressed up in our patriotic jump suits of freedom, waved our American flags that were made in China, and clung to each other in a confused daze. All in all I think it went well. I'd say Virg came away from the debate with the same reaction as most of America. He threw up a little in his mouth.

Virg is our sunshine

Today Virg had an extensive photo shoot. This will happen when the Mommy and the baby and the digital camera are in the same room together. 39 photos of Virg in yellow. Every single one was a keeper. If the Daddy were home there may have been some protest against the giant yellow flower, but Virg seemed to think it tasted all right. It was hard to pick just one picture to put on the blog, but this one speaks volumes. Even dressed all in yellow, holding a ginormous yellow flower, he's still a suave and charming little man. You can almost hear him saying, "Hello ladies. Your long wait is over. God's gift to you has arrived."

Ukulele revisited

If you recall, there was a post back in July that showed Virg next to a Uke. We'll here he is again about three months later. Soon he'll be big enough play it and as you can see, he's very excited. There were some questions with that last post as to the type of Ukulele. It's a soprano Uke that was made by Harmony in Chicago USA, it's 21 inches total (13" scale length from nut to bridge), and it's tuned to standard "g c e a" tuning. Virg prefers the "g c e a" tuning as apposed to the more traditional "a d f# g" tuning.

Family finances

Priorities change after a child. Proof of this can be seen in the many aspects of your life, but you needn't go any further then your latest grocery receipt. Here is a typical receipt that a new family can expect to file away for those future IRS audits.

It's interesting that the bulk of the money is spent on diapers for Virg. These will eventually be covered in baby leavings and thrown away. There may be some universal truth to be found in that observation... but I'd rather not think about it now. The next bulk of money is spent on Pabst beer. Pabst is God's gift to all fathers. That only left our family around $5.00 for sustenance. We all voted and decided on Ice Cream. If you lots all your money, were evicted from your house, all your pets died, and you literally saw the four horsemen of the apocalypse galloping towards on on the horizon, and someone handed you a bowl of ice cream, you couldn't help but smile and feel like everything was going to be OK. Virg like french vanilla the best.

Are you ready to ROCK!!!

Children are starting to play video games at such a young age these days. Virg likes Rock Band the best. He totally shreds on the virtual guitar. The virtual crowd just loves him. One virtual groupie even threw their virtual underwear at him. I was virtually disturbed. Virg is a total rock star. He stays up way late into the evening, mumbles incoherently, passes out after going on a drinking bender, soils himself, and has a 24 hour staff to clean up after him. Here's Virg passed out on me just after he gave me some pointers on how to get through a song with no mistakes... that's right - 1485345 note streak!

Hello Covington! Are you ready to ROCK!! (or maybe just take a little nap)

The Incredible Virg

Most all of the pictures that have been on this blog have shown a happy, calm, innocent little baby... but there is another side to the Virg. An anger that sleeps deep within.

Dr. Virg Banner, Physician/Scientist, searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of his two month immunization shots interacts with his unique body chemistry. And now, when Virg Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphoses occurs. The creature is driven by rage and a constant pursuit of milk. So Virg must keep his diapers clean and his tummy full, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.

Don't make him angry... you wouldn't like him when he's angry!



(well OK - you'll still think he's super cute and fall in love with him, but come on... give a baby a break!)

Support your local CSA!

All throughout his time in the womb and up to the milk that sustains him today, Virg has been enjoying the fresh, 100% organic, local vegetables from a CSA (community supported agriculture). Virg got to visit the Whistling Train Farm today and see firsthand the bountiful harvest that is helping him grow so big and strong.

Sure Monsanto has genetically engineered cauliflower the size of a small VW Bug, and corn that will actually hunt down and kill all other types of corn, but there's just something about local organic vegetables that is so appealing. Maybe the fact that it doesn't scare me. Today there was also a fruit share to pick up (2 lbs. of ripe peaches). Time to go to Grandma and Grandpa to "borrow" some ice cream!

The grand scheme of things...

Every now and then we all come across things that make us reexamine what we think we know about... well, everything. Picking up the phone to place a call, only you don't hear a dial tone. After a pause you here a "Hello?" from the receiver and it was the person you were going to call. Having a pain in your finger and deciding maybe you should call your sister to check up on how she'd doing only to find out she almost cut her finger off with a butter knife. Listening to your baby fill his diapers and thinking to yourself, but I just changed him and there's no way such a small body can produce such a large quantity of poo.

But here's a fun one. See if you can put the following four pictures in order from largest to smallest. One is of our Universe, one is the lights of a city taken from space, one is of Virg, and one is of a group of neural cells found in your brain. (Note: This was the hardest blog post I've made as I had to travel both outside the Universe and inside your brain for two of the pictures.)

Cheesecake the size of your head!

One of the advantages to being a baby is that Virg can use the phrase "It was the size of my head!" and it's true. Nobody will doubt him. But in case you need proof. Here is a photo (or digital image for any Jake type people reading this currently), of our outing to the Cheesecake Factory. It's the Dulce De Leche Caramel Cheesecake. The description for this particular cheesecake was as follows (or at least it should have been):

"Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have diabetes? Well order this sugar time bomb and witness your body fight to survive as it tries to process this much sweetness. If you are diabetic, please do not order this cheesecake as you will explode as soon as the waiter sets in on your table."

Team Pabst - Virg Crossover

Nothing captures the pure innocence of a baby as being surrounded by deep fried potato, dead chicken parts slathered in mouth burning sauce, glasses filled to the brim with alcohol, and people who argue about the validity of a plastic bag tax and the difference between film and video. Yes all these things could only mean Virg attended his first official Team Pabst meeting.


Be sure to check out the official Team Pabst blog for meeting minutes and more photos of the big day.

Everything is SO BIG in the city

When Virg learns to write and composes his literary masterpiece that rivals Homer's Odyssey, there will no doubt be a chapter dedicated to his exploits with the ruler of all cats. Dolce!

At first Virg was a bit apprehensive as Dolce was twice his size (Virg 11 lbs. - Dolce 22 lbs.), but Dolce was quickly won over by Virg's cuteness. As you can see from this photo, Dolce couldn't stop looking at Virg. The two of them had many exciting adventures together.

Virg Groban

No. That's not Josh Groban. I was shocked and amazed myself when I first saw this video. Look out world, here comes the next big singing sensation. Look at the emotion, the passion, and sheer talent of this young and up and coming star. At only five and a half weeks he has already wowed everyone in the whole wide house.

'The Cute'

Lack of sleep has turned my mind to mush. As Virg ponders the mysteries of this new world he's in, I try not to black out and bang my head on the laptop. But I'm not completely unaware of what's happening around our household.

He's cute... a little too cute! He's planning something. Don't pretend like you don't see it as well. Sure, you may say I'm getting paranoid (or more paranoid to be more accurate) and maybe I only have two brain cells firing anymore, but I don't think he's being so cute by accident. I submit the attached photo's as evidence. This isn't just some cute little baby boy. Oh NO! But a mastermind honing his power to control 'The Cute'. Yes...The Cute is strong with this one!

Virg... I am your Father!

Noooooooooo!!!!!!!!

Virg... the plot thickens!

It's a dark and stormy night in a city where the scum of the earth gather to bring forth the chaos they seem destined to unleash into this world. Vince the Rose is perched on the top of the clock tower. From there he can see every poor sap who's unlucky enough walk unknowingly between the cross hares of his snippier rifle. Vince is out for blood tonight, and his aim is to strike fear into the whole world...Vince is a good shot.

Luckily, Virg is no place near that city, so we went out on our first stroller ride. It was uneventfully for the most part. We got to see some bumblebee's fly around a lavender plant. Virg slept through most of it.

Ratatouille has nothing on Virg

It's become obvious now that Virg is a natural born leader. First he takes command as Chief Editor of the world famous blog 'Virg of Happiness', now he's become head chef in the somewhat less world famous Hansen Home Kitchen. Our slogan: "You want good food? Hansen Home Kitchen probably won't make you sick!" I used to be head chef, but have been demoted to line cook. But Virg is a very fair and even tempered leader. Our new slogan is "You want good food? Our food is better now that it's being cooked by a baby!" And since I will not be working the next three weeks, I need the work. I'm being paid in cute baby noises and snuggles, which I've found somewhat less effective than traditional currency at the local Safeway. I totally thought a giggle from Virg was worth at least a banana, but the store manager didn't seem think so.

Did sombody order tickets to the Gun Show?

Because Virg is packing some serious heat! Check out those guns.

We got Virg's birth certificate the other day in the mail. I haven't gone over all the fine print yet, but I'm sure some place on there is a licence to carry some impressive guns. And by the looks of it, it's no 'concealed weapons' permit. How could you hide cannons like those?

Our Robot Nanny

Just like the Jetsons, we have a robot that can take care of the house. Well, not the whole house, it's more like a nanny then a maid. Actually all it can do is rock Virg, but I do call her Rosie.

Mom doesn't trust our robot, kinda like Will Smith in iRobot. I'm pretty sure it's programmed not to harm humans. By programming I mean the rubber belt and electric motor are still running when I turn it on. The video here shows the swing at it's lowest speed. At higher speeds we take out Virg and insert a cocktail shaker filled with gin and vermouth. Best Martini I've ever had. Next time you go into a bar say "I'd like a martini. Not shaken, not stirred, but rocked like a little baby."

Time to relax with a good book...

It's been a long week for Virg. He's moved to cloth diapers (for the most part), he's up every night to make sure Mom and Dad don't forget how to change dirty diapers, and he's masterd many Yoga poses I could only dream of acheiving some day.

After a long week it's always good to just curl up with a good book in your favorite chair and just chill out. Last night Virg and I finished reading 'I Am Legend' by Richard Matheson. I told Virg it was better then the movie, but he's a big Will Smith fan, so what are you going to do?

Bring us food... and maybe you can hold Virg.

I'm not promising anything, but I have started to noticed a trend. If someone brings us food, they usually end up holding Virg. It's just our way of saying "Please hold this while I consume the calories you've just provided... who are you again?"

Please note, you can not just bring us anything and expect to hold Virg. It must be consumable and non-lethal. We had a man come to our door selling pest control. He was offering to fill all our walls and crawl space with a toxic chemical that would instantly kill all insects and small rodents. I've often wondered what my facial expression must have looked like to him after he made his offer. As a new father of a week old baby, I must have been thinking something between "How much bigger is Virg then the largest rodent in my house, and could Virg take him in a fair fight?" and "Hello Satan! What bring you to my humble home?"

Needless to say, he did not get to hold Virg. In fact I politely asked him to not stand so close to our home... for the next ten years.


Pizza = Holding Virg


Chicken and Rice = Holding Virg



CSA Vegetables = Holding Virg


Deadly poison = NO HOLDING VIRG!!! PLEASE GO AWAY!!!

Mom's soothing tea sneek atack!!

They say in the books that you should wake your baby in a soothing voice and create a comfortable environment for the baby as they exit the land of slumber. Mom may be going a little overboard here with the roses, two types of cake and a cup of tea (with binky). The only thing missing was the doily. I'm proud to say that Virg did just what his Dad would do if someone woke me up the same way... he soiled his pants.

Special thanks to our good friends from the land of Tacoma for the cake and roses. Just remember, Virg may have been asleep the whole time you were here, but that's his way of saying "I like the way you smell". Apparently a baby's sense of smell is it's most advanced sense with taste coming in a close second. I read that on the Internet some place so it must be true. And now it has been referenced in this blog, and that makes it universally true.

New editorial staff for the Blog

Apparently I need an editor when I enter these posts into the Blog. Questions I got from both my wife and mother-in-law.

1) What's a breadbox?

2) Did you know you spelled all these words wrong? ( apparently wear and where is ... whatever I don't' care)

3) What is a jumping flea? (another name for ukulele)

4) Why is the ukulele the greatest instrument created by man? (It was supposed to be funny.

Apparently I'm writing this blog to amuse only myself here)

So I've hired the best possible editor I could find for this blog. It had to be someone who would really care about the blog and have the time and energy to help create the best blog on Virg available. I could only pay with breast milk... so that quickly narrowed down the candidates.

Things are going well so far, but I may have to set some boundaries soon. Virg is a real slave driver and there have been moments of creative differences. While Virg knows Virg the best, I still think I shouldn't' have my creativity stifled. I'm not saying this isn't going to work out, but there have been times when Virg has seemed to take over and dictate what direction the blog should take.

As big as a ... breadbox???

Who in the world has even seen a breadbox? I personally don't think they exist. It's like unicorns, aliens, or a sunny spring day in Seattle.

I once saw a movie where a detective placed a dollar bill next to a footprint right before she took a picture... because apparently like me she doesn't believe in the stupid metric system. Always relate the size of an object to something of similar size. That's what I say! When the world ends and the metric system crumbles, people in the future wont know what a meter is. Might as well just say a meter is equal to a breadbox.

However, since we just had a baby, we don't have any spare money laying about. I found a quarter in the couch, but that picture just didn't turn out. But at least now we have a college fund started for Virg. Only 400,000 quarters to go!

I was going to place him next to my accordion, but some people don't believe in accordions.

So here it is. An accurate historical document that shows Virg is about the same size as a ukulele. Way to go Virg! The little baby bean next to the jumping flea.

The most perfect instrument in the history of the world, and Virg sitting right next to it. Amazing!

How much does Virg weigh?

Virg was 7 lbs. 7 oz. when he was born. At his last doctors appointment he was 8 lbs. something. I wanted to know how much he's grown since Thursday. Since Virg can't stand on my bathroom scale on his own I had to get clever. Here are some simple steps for weighing your newborn baby.

1) Get on scale holding Virg

2) The scale reads 201 lbs. 4 oz.

3) I know that I'd like to be around 180 lbs. or so.

4) Subtract 180 from 201

So Virg weighs about 21 lbs!

Wow... that is impressive. It's true what they say, cherish the time you have with your baby because they grow so fast.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

If a picuter is worth a thousand words, then by my calculations a minute long video should be worth around 100,000,000 words (give or take).

Each day when I get home from work I find I need to sit and just stare at Virg sleeping. It's like watching a lava lamp. For some unexplainable reason it's so relaxing and you just can't take your eye's off him. But unlike a lava lamp there is a element of suspense. Virg could poop, pee, spit up, start crying, or poop even more.

Here is a little vid of Virg in the crib. He's not doing much, but I could watch him for hours. Maybe it's just Dad hormones 'er something.

p.s. The glowing blue light is from the UV bed he had to be on because of Jaundice. It's not because he's an alien baby, or because we tricked out his bassinette to be all cool and stuff with florescent road lights, hydraulics, and a kicking audio system.

A new era of happiness (and poopy diapers)

The past two weeks have been good. Virg is drinking Mom's milk like... well like it was mother's milk. We are getting better at changing diapers. It's almost like being in the pit stop area of a Nascar race.

Quick - get the back up and get that old diaper off! Quick - clean up that mess! Cover! Cover! He's going to ... too late. Get the clean up crew over here with a new diaper.

What we've learned so far.

1) Always cover Mr. Happy. It easier to clean a soiled cloth then the the changing table, the walls and your face.
2) Never point the business end of the baby bum at any trajectory greater then 30 degrees off the changing table. You wouldn't think baby poo could fly so far, but you'd be wrong.
3) If you think you have enough diapers to last you for a few days, you're wrong. If you don't have a stack of clean diapers that is at least as long as your baby. Get more.

Virg continues to teach and we continue to learn.