Still Sick

I know how this guy feels.

Hi to all, sorry for my absence, dealing with many fronts over here, finding it hard to attend to this blog. No excuses, right?

One big downer has been my bout with illness. I think I’m going on week 4 of being sick, and there’s no end in sight. This round of disease has been simply awful, not so much for the severity of it all but the duration. I can’t seem to shake this cough, it keeps me up at night and I wake up feeling tired and depressed. I don’t want to keep R up at night, so I sleep on the futon, which doesn’t always help.

I can trace how long I’ve been sick by, of all things, hockey. I remember it was when A played in Northfield and N played in Rutland. I had to drive to both games, and believe me, it was brutal. Not only was it covering a huge distance, but I was sick as a dog. That weekend was 1/19. I think it was the flu, because it hit me hard, and then it tapered off for a few days but never really went away. Just when I thought I was feeling better, I got what seemed like a head cold that migrated to my lungs, and now I’m sick once again.

On the one hand, it’s like a completely new cold, while on the other, it’s like the old flu bug was just laying in wait to morph into something new and launch a new assault on my body. Total bummer. I remember when A got sick, she seemed to cough for about a month. N is on the final leg (I hope) of his cough, which is going on week 3 or 4, and when I talk to other parents, they say their kids coughed for what seemed like forever. I can sympathize.

I’m guessing we’re experiencing this year’s flu, and it’s a nasty one. I can’t wait to feel healthy again, it’s been so long.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to skaw for the pic.

Drum Parts

N’s drum teacher lent us a drum set for him to practice on, and I’m not clear what sort of time frame we’re talking about, but it’s not unthinkable that he can hold onto it for awhile. I hope so, because I think it inspires him a bit. Plus, how cool is it to have a drum set in your room? Who cares if it’s missing parts?

Actually, it’s sort of an issue. There are no cymbals and no bass pedal, so of course I made it my new mission to find these parts. I happened upon a drum set at the Listen Center and inquired about just purchasing the pedal. They were a bit reluctant breaking up the set, and asked me how much I was willing to spend, which strikes me as a loaded question. They also asked how much they actually cost, for which I had no answer, and finally offered them $10. They agreed, and now we are one step closer to drum nirvana.

N informed me that we still need cymbals, which I figured we had, but incorrectly so. Had I known, I would have tried to have procured them along with the bass pedal. Oh well, the search continues.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Well Oiled Machines for the pic.

Playing Guitar

I’m reminded of the John Mellencamp song where he says, “Forget about all that macho sh*t and learn how to play guitar, play guitar...”

I’m no stranger to the fact that being able to play an instrument can be cool when you’re a kid, bearing in mind, of course, that certain instruments have more cache than others. I think the rock and roll instruments hover high up on the cool spectrum, especially guitar. Drums are up there, as well, especially for guys, but drums are a production, and are not conducive to social settings.

Guitar, on the other hand, can be easily transported, and if you ever end up somewhere where there is a guitar, you can just pick it up and play. Plus, there is just something cool about playing guitar.

This has played out on a number of occasions with A. She has had numerous opportunities to play her guitar and perform, in front of friends and strangers, and I think she gets a big kick out of it. Even though I’m a boring old parent, I can appreciated the cool factor that it brings with it. What makes it all the more cool is that she is a real student of the instrument and thinks about things like chords and music theory. She then applies it to different songs she likes, and will sit quietly and figure out tunes. It’s great to see.

As I’ve mentioned, she is doing a world music class with her friends and they are singing a song she knows and has performed in the past. When the teacher learned of this, she asked her to bring in her guitar, and now she is going to play and sing a solo. She is excited about it, and again, I think it’s cool. Somewhere down the line in life, our kids will appreciate the ability to play. They doesn’t have to be an impresarios, but they just need a rudimentary knowledge to have fun with it.

And, of course, to be cool, which when you really get down to it, is what being a kid is all about.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Kristijan Žontar for the pic.

Getting Pic'd

R got her pictures in the local paper, which is pretty cool when you think about it. Since I’m writing the local hockey report, I inquired if they’d be interested in some pics, as well. Actually, I didn’t inquire, I just submitted them and said they were free to do with them as they pleased, and they liked them. They also gave me a byline, so our glorious careers in media have begun.

The bonus to all this is that R gets to take part in hockey in a way that speaks to her, and this makes our obsession with the game a little more tolerable. I’m still a bit cynical about the whole hockey/parental obsession, and feel the need to strike a healthy balance, but I am glad for the fact that R can get some satisfaction out of it.

Plus, she really enjoys taking the pics, so it’s all good. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to CubaGallery for the pic.

This is the End

This is the end, my only friend, the end... Can you name the song?

The hockey regular season ended last week, and I have to say, I’m not completely heartbroken. This time last year I was so bummed, but I’m pretty hockey-ed out over here. Coupled with all that’s being asked of us is the fact that I feel abandoned by all my so-called comrades in the youth hockey organization, who in the best interest of their children, are abandoning the team in droves. You can’t blame them, but the current system that is in place really hurts the program. In all fairness, I probably wouldn’t be so whiny if I was in their shoes, but I’m not, so I am.

The thing that bums me out is that all of N’s friends are moving up, and the few that might stay back are talking of moving up, as well. The program allows for this in certain situations, and the reality is, in a majority of cases, it doesn’t serve the team well. It’s really about promoting the child and making statement about their abilities at the expense of the greater good. No question about it.

A big problem stems from the fact that the people in charge and the heavy hitters in the program are the ones doing all the maneuvering, so how do you argue with that? Plus, one of the biggest detractors of the situation is guilty of the same offense.

It’s all a big mess, and personally I feel done with it all. I don’t even want to discuss it with the people around me, it’s all talk in the end. They’ll do what they’ll have to do, like all of us.

We’ll see where this whole fiasco leads us. BTW, the song is by the Doors. Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to the_mel
for the pic.

Girl’s Night Out

Last weekend they arranged for the girl’s hockey team to all meet at the Dartmouth game to cheer on the women and watch their friends skate on the big arena ice. The powers that be had set up a one-on-one shoot out between the different hockey programs, and one of A’s teammates was going to do it. Consequently, all of her teammates went. They got in free with their jerseys, so there was no way we weren’t going. Plus, we were at Stateline earlier in the day and one of the salespeople gave us complimentary tickets, which only cost about $5 each, but it was still nice.

We went to Boloco for our traditional pre-game meal, where we saw several of A’s buddies streaming in. We beat the rush and got out with time to spare. Once at the game, we got seats and let the kids run free. Fortunately for N, several of his buddies showed up, so he didn’t have to hang with the girls only. A, of course, was beside herself, what with a dozen of her good friends and teammates. The night was really fun.

One note, the game was against Harvard, who are in first place and always a threat to be champions. I noticed that all of the Harvard coaches are women, which is unusual, even for women's hockey. I think A's team would benefit from having a woman as a coach.

We got home late and had games and practices to deal with, but all in all, it was a great weekend. Plus, N had only one game, and A had none, so we didn’t spend driving all around the state, like we usually do.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to 560XLS for the pic.

Pond Hockey

We’ve been immersed in the end of the season, illness, and fundraising for the last big hurrah in hockey, so I apologize for not writing. Lots going on, not to mention the demands of everyday life. It really takes a lot out of you, and dare I say, can make one a little bitter.

We had a great weekend, however, a few days back, and believe it or not, it all centered around hockey. Go figure. Our good friend TG has a great pond up where he lives, and since he’s a farmer and all, he has the means to clear the ice and groom it to the point where it’s fun to skate on. That means one thing: pond hockey.

He sent out a mass email for people to come, and it was an outstanding turnout. There must have been 30 people out there, including about 20 kids. They had a blast. They built a bonfire and roasted hot dogs, and they must have been out there for 3 hours. When I picked up N, his hair was completely matted down and soaked with sweat. You gotta love that.

I, unfortunately, could not partake in the fun because A had practice, of all things. Her team is heading into the state tournament with no games, so the coach was not happy. There was ice available on the weekends to practice, however, so he took it. Not ideal, but I know at least A was excited to get more hockey time. She missed out on the pond hockey, but she wasn’t disappointed because she got to hang with her hockey buddies. Besides, the pond was really an N thing.

I was chauffeur for the day, carting kids back and forth, so that was my version of fun, but it was a nice day in the end, and everyone had fun.

Enough said.

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