Moment in the Sun

Just wanted to mention that N had a golden moment at the rink the other day. This is relevant because it's usually A who is in the spotlight. Though N never complains or expresses envy or jealousy (at least not outright), somehow A manages to capture center stage more often. N is more subdued and coy, though he is definitely more athletic, and his skills really shine in that arena. Case in point, ice skating. From the get go we'd noticed that he was a natural on skates. It's really cool to watch, and if we were the typical suburban set of parents, we'd get that boy into hockey gear immediately. I tell you right now, he'd do well, because we have sticks and pucks, and you should see him go.

Either way, we're not so keen on the competitive sports front, and hockey is particularly grueling, so much so that it can't figure out a parent's motivation to subject their kids to it, but what do I know? Not much.

We were at the local rink and the kids, the boys in particular, took notice of N's skating prowess. They gathered around him in awe, and it was nice to see. To her credit, A was there to witness it and she was extremely supportive and kind to him. Kudos to her. N basked in the glow, and the boys expressed outright amazement at the fact that a kid who was younger than them, in some instances by a whopping 6 months, could actually skate so much better than them. It was funny because he was initially bashful when they asked to see him skate, but he eventually warmed up to the idea and before we knew it, he was like Eric Heiden. Some of you may be too young to remember him.

Not that I'm so hung up on impressing people, but when you're a guy, you have to earn some credibility amongst the other guys, and some degree of athletic competence will accomplish this. Otherwise, boys can be mean, especially to each other. And as all guys know, it ain't easy being a real man, even when you're just a kid.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Patti Gray for the pic.

Cartoon Life

A has expressed a sincere interest in cartooning, she devours them like popcorn. Of course, this sends neurotic dad into a frenzy in order to find an avenue by which to nurture and encourage this endeavor. In the meantime, she cartoons away. There is a cartoon institute in WRJ, but the youngest they teach are teens. I told the founder, who we met at a cartoon lecture, that they should teach more kids' classes, so you never know. Also, they have them at the AVA, but again, perhaps for kids a little older. Stay tuned for more.

Frenzied Day

Okay, how's this for drama? We had a crazy time the other day, but managed to get a lot done and have fun, to boot, though A mentioned that the frenzied pace can be a drag. I agree, wholeheartedly.

First off, we had to deal with the registration on my Mentor's car. Everything was up to speed on it except that the registration expired on New Year's Eve. I figured we could slide for a day or two into the new year, but why push our luck. Now the registration was going to Mentor's mailbox, but since he was out of town, he had a friend retrieving his mail. I had to get to the mail via his friend then sift through it to find the registration. This was a whole rigmarole in itself, which I won't bore you with (too late?), but suffice it to say, it was a chore.

We had several errands to run, so I figured that join the list, though in retrospect, it might have been wiser to take care of the registration first. We hit the local coop to get our organic fix, then to Stern's for veggies, then the video store to return our New Year's Eve movies. Since the mailbox was near the ski hill, of course we weren't going to pass up a chance at the sled hill. It would have been even better if the ski hill were open, but no such luck.

The sled hill was fun, but we were the only ones there, and to be honest with you, part of pleasures of the snow is to enjoy it with friends. It was lonely. After a few runs, we decided to get out of there, go home and get our ice skates, and then hit the rec center.

We did just that, and had a blast, because it was no longer lonely. You really need a critical mass of kids before real fun begins. We're lucky to know where to go.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks for reading, and thanks to Julia Freeman-Woolpert for the pic.

Afternoon Activities

We've returned to the rec center and it's been loads of fun. The monitors are super nice, and A&N get to hang with the after school kids, some of whom we know from the past, some of whom are new friends. It's nice because rather than force the issue and set up playdates, which I loathe, the kids just get together and play, and friendships are forged. More like a neighborhood playground. Best of all, I'm am not even remotely involved, and the kids get to play on their own without their irritating dad there to complicate things.

Sure, I shovel the ice rink and break up the occasional scuffle, but for the most part, the kids are left to their own devices to interact, which I feel is an important part of growing up. I think as adults we place way too much faith in the idea that kids will work things out for themselves, because it usually ends up in disaster. Besides, this way of thinking has given parents the right to completely divorce themselves from their child's upbringing, making life that much easier for themselves. My point being, it's completely self serving and thus convenient. Kids need guidance and for adults to intervene when necessary. They are too young to have the wherewithal to completely work our their problems, that's what parents are for.

On the other hand, it's not good for parents to micromanage every aspect of their kids' lives. Somewhere there's a happy medium. Don't ask me what it is, I just know it exists. Also, I'm a bit incapable of completely disconnecting myself. When I see a scuffle and our kids are in the midst of it, there's just no way I can't at least investigate. Such is the life a neurotic, uber parent.

In the meantime, we're having fun in the afternoons. It's nice because the kids are all local, so they are in essence our neighbors and we'll run across them continually throughout the year. I have noticed that the crowds really thin out in the summer, so winter is a good time for playing over there.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Bert Brinkman for the pic.

Great Day on the Ski Hill

Wow, did we ever have a nice day skiing the other day. Best of all, we got to see many of our good friends whom we haven't seen in months, though for many of them, it's because they've defected to New Hampshire. Whatever be the case, it was an awesome day.

We headed over to Quechee to catch the twilight ski, and immediately ran into R&J and their kids. Out of all the people we don't see as much, I think I miss those guys the most, mainly because we kind of come from similar environments (west coast, science), and we both have a thing for travel, though their level of perambulation make us look sedentary. They are so worldly, it's awesome. Most of all, it's fun hanging with them and just talking, the conversation always flows smoothly.

Anyway, we got to ski with them, and the kids got to hang on the slopes. There's nothing like a little peer pressure to push kids to try to impress, and our kids are a bit guilty of it, though it goes a long way to elevate their level of skill. Fortunately, our kids are fairly cautious, so they aren't getting too crazy. It was a lot of fun.

We also saw the W's, though curiously, the last time I saw them, they said with conviction that they were done skiing, and that their kids just hated it. And there they were, skiing. For the record, this is not the first time that such inconsistencies have cropped up with them, and I'm never sure what to make of it. It's hard to peg where they're coming from, so I'm best off not trying.

We also saw our buddies A&I at the lodge, where it was like Romper Room. Kids everywhere, pumped on hot chocolate and donuts, running around. How can you beat that? There was a fairly good contingent of our neighbors at the hill, some of whom I found out later were there, so it made for a sociable day. Also, since it was Sunday afternoon, all of the city folks had skipped town to get back to their 9 to 5's, so the hill was not crowded in the least bit. I don't necessarily mind crowds, it's when they act like they own the place that it bothers me. It's not unheard of for you to get that with the "nouveau riche", suburban bourgeois crowd. Then again, that's the Lakes for you. I guess, when you get down to it, they do own the place (their a landowner's association), so I can't complain... though I still do.

We like the idea of a regular thing at the hill, and will work towards that. It's fun seeing friends and getting a day of skiing in. Then off to the lodge to see our old curmudgeon buddy, SW, and sample his handmade treats. You gotta love it.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Horton Group for the pic.

Making the Most of Our Christmas Bounty

Not to encourage all of the consumer madness of the holidays, but we sure scored on some great Christmas gifts. In fact, we're still wallowing in the glow of our Christmas bounty, and they're sure to bring us hours of domestic bliss. The kind we love.

The kids got a couple of really cool books from their grandparents, and needless to say, they have not only sparked their curiosity, but keep them coming back for more. The latter part is not an easy thing to do because A&N will often read a book once and be done with it. It makes going to the library an endurance sport, but we're glad they love reading. Either way, they got the David Macaulay books on how things work, and they have been reading them like crazy, every day. I think by the end, A will be ready to apply to medical school.

I get to use my stellar coffee cup that was made for me in pottery class. It's a pretty amazing piece of work. If you can't tell from the pic, that's a leopard on the front standing in front of a palm tree, and its tail curves around to form the handle. How can you not love such attention to detail? Best of all, I get to use it every day in the morning, and as you might have guessed, my coffee tastes that much more delicious since I started using it. Amazing how that works.

We've also broken in our pizza stone, and the thing is amazing. Thanks to DR for that one. I'm still not completely sure how to clean the thing, so I'm employing my standard approach to these situations by simply not cleaning it. How's that for a solution? Actually, because it gets baked at high temps, it tends to get crusty and the stuff just falls off. You gotta love that sort of convenience. Best of all, we get crispy crusts on our pizza, and several bread recipes call for a stone, so we get brick oven results in the comfort of our home. We'd still like to build a cobb oven, and I think that's in our future.

And, of course, there's our sewing machine, but for anyone who has ever used one, you know that nothing more needs to be said.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

Better Than TV

Boy, not to solidify my place in the sissy-man hall of fame, but I'm pretty stoked about getting a sewing machine for Christmas. Thanks much to my in-laws. Now I've never used a sewing machine, but I've also thought they'd be useful for making things with the kids, not to mention assorted things around the house, though I'd never admit this to my Mentor. He'd slap me upside the head. For the record, I used to sew patches on my jeans by hand, and it took hours.

Either way, we received one for Christmas, and the kids were nudging us incessantly to open it up, especially N. He loves machines, it's in his blood. So we took it out and we were all taken in by the things it could do. In fact, we could have spent all night, if not all week, fiddling around with the thing. Who needs a TV? It's a beautiful and sophisticated machine, complete with cool sounds and lights, and you can do all sorts of things, even make lattes. The selection of stitches alone was worth the price of admission. We literally had to pry the kids away from it because it was getting late, but needless to say, it's going to be a lot of fun.

Having no experience with them, however, I found it a bit overwhelming. R put me, of all people, in charge of setting it up, and I got completely lost in all the jargon. What exactly is a "bobbin?" Personally, I was ready to let the kids take over and go for broke, but R stepped in and saved the day. She understood all the lingo, and you could tell it was a piece of cake for her. She breezed right through all the directions.


So now we can sew. I think curtains and doilies are in our future. To placate my Mentor, I'll use it to do manly things, like repair the holes my chainsaw made in my pants, or put some elastic in my karate gi after I've just applied the "vice-grip of death" to my adversary. Better yet, do it while I'm applying the vice grip of death. That would surely win me some points.

We're excited to get started, I just have to figure out what is what. This could be a challenge. Until the next time, thanks for reading.