Rug Removal

When we first moved into our house we bought a new table for the kitchen from a nice family out in NH. They were a super-nice family that really loved the kids, and when we went to pick up the table they gave us this beautiful rug. It was big and looked brand new, or at least unused. It was very cool of them. The problem was, it was a cream-yellow color, which is not the most practical when you have kids and live in the wilds of New England. The rug ended up sitting on the floor, rolled up, for several years. It almost became invisible except for the frequent occasion when one of us would stub our toe on it or trip over it.

Finally mom decreed that the rug must go, which wasn't the simplest thing because it was huge, and came with a matching pad. I asked a few people we knew who had just moved into their houses if they were interested, and they declined, so I listed it on the town listserve and within minutes people were clamoring for it. I invited the first person to contact me, who happened to be our good friend CF, and he took it with him that morning.

Now the rug is gone, and I have mixed feelings. On the one hand it's nice to be rid of it, but it was such a nice rug, I'm bummed we couldn't find a use for it. Then again, you don't want to get into the hoarder mentality, because it can get pretty ugly, especially for someone with fat case of OCD like myself.

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

And the Winner Is...

I just wanted to make some final comments on the kid's win in the 48 Hour Film Slam because it was such a cool moment and a big surprise. Not so much because their film wasn't worthy, because it was, but more so due to the way things transpired. As I mentioned, they didn't even really want to enter this contest, and only did so because a friend wanted to. When that friend dropped out, A&N took the helm and made it their own and with the help of ES did a fine job.

Once the contest started, they were competing against kids their own age, though for full disclosure, several of the so-called "middle-school" teams had older people acting in the films and presumably taking part in the creative process. I fully acknowledge that some parental input is en par for the course, but clearly some of these projects had the stamp of significant adult oversight. In fact, one group had a superstar actor involved and the film clearly reeked of his influence. I guess I understand that this is going to happen, and it was clearly the case when A did her movie about the F-35. Then again, kids are pretty savvy these days and can do amazing things with technology.

Whatever be the case, A&N were pretty much on their own. Mom and I offered suggestions and gave some input, but the ideas were basically theirs and their alone. Once the filming got going, we literally did nothing other than supportive stuff like cooking and driving. In the end, you can't control what other people do (though you can gripe and bitch about it all you want), you just have to stand by what you believe in and do your best. I'm proud of the kids because it really was their creation.

At the awards ceremony I think the anticipation was high but muted because it was their first foray into this event and again, it sort of fell into their laps. This made it more fun and less stressful, but toned down expectations, as well. Once the awards were given out for their age group and A,N&E didn't win, we figured that was it. At the very least one of the winners of the respective age category would win the overall prize, and there were three categories, with our kids being in the youngest. Keep in mind, they were competing against adults.

Interestingly enough, when they announced the awards, the runner-up hadn't won in their age group, either. When they called the kid's production group for the overall winner, it was quite a shock, albeit a pleasant one. The kids were thrilled, as were all the parents. It was a pretty cool moment, and I'm glad they got some recognition for their hard work and clever ideas. To add to the fun, there were a ton of people we knew in the competition and the audience, so for several days afterward people were congratulating the kids on a job well done. One of the actors is a teacher in our school and she announced the winners in her class and several of A's friends. She also wants to screen the film at the school assembly, but we'll see how that goes.

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

Jamming

A had her first session with her band and I think it went well. At the very least A got a big charge out of playing with a group. It was a fun and rewarding experience for her, and I think it will inspire her to practice her guitar more and take it more seriously. I can push her to practice and play, but nothing motivates you more than the expectations of your peers. They seem to be fairly serious musicians, so she is in good company.

Another good aspect of this is that she was terrified going into it for two main reasons: she was going to face the scrutiny of her peers who also happened to be accomplished musicians, and she was not as prepared as she could have (or should have) been. I don't think expectations were high because she didn't receive the tabs until a day or two before, but she knew what songs they were practicing, and she had easy access to the chord sheets online. I was nudging her for the past few weeks to learn some of the songs, because we were familiar with all of them, but she let it slide. She learned one or two, but the band has a repertoire of at least 20 songs.

We headed over to the studio and I could tell she was nervous. I said it was a good lesson in taking some initiative and being motivated, and that she should remember to just have fun with it, and I believe she did. I dropped her off and went to do poster stuff, and returned just in time to watch them play some Ozzy. For whatever reason, Crazy Train is popular with this generation. They were jamming and looked really good. A seemed to be meshing, and afterward she was charged and told me she had a blast.

I'm glad, for a number of reasons, but mostly because she took on a challenge that was uncomfortable and went with it. It's always better to regret what you have one than what you haven't done, right? Just to make things fun, I think they said they are doing a show in about a week or so. How's that for getting thrown to the lions?

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

Back Again

This seems to be an annual thing, but I managed to hurt my back once again. This all stems from a bad injury I experienced three years ago that put me in traction. I'd never experienced pain like that before, and it seems like it comes back to haunt me every year. Last year at some point I tweaked my back and suffered accordingly, though not as bad as the prior year. This time around I was splitting wood and the maul got stuck in the wood. As I tried to yank it free, I could feel something go wrong in my back and sure enough, the pain had returned. I have trouble straightening my back, so laying down flat is difficult. Sneezing and coughing are a nightmare, and it's hay fever season, so you can imagine how much fun I'm having with that.

Talk about a total bummer, though if you had to look at the bright side, and we are always searching for that bright side, it's that life is fairly calm right now, and at least there is no hockey. Spring has just sprung, the snow has just melted, and there's still a lot of time to get things done, so if there was ever a good time to get hurt, it would be now.

Or better yet, don't get hurt at all. What a novel concept. At least I can sleep, and it sure makes a big difference sleeping in a comfortable bed. Funny how that works.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to supulido62 for the pic.

Mom's Day Out

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day. We sure did. We spent the day just chilling out and letting mom relax and do whatever she pleased. The weather was unusually hot so it made outdoor activities a bit of a challenge. Mom got some beautiful tulips and some cards made by the kids, and we enjoyed a nice breakfast of French toast, bacon and strawberries. Mom lounged around and read while I did some things outside, mostly yard work and getting the wood pile back up to speed. As I mentioned, it was hot, so it set a limit on how much work I could actually do.

Around lunchtime we headed over to the Worthy Kitchen to have brunch/lunch, and that was nice, though I think the food was a bit bland. Definitely in need of more salt. I've found in my extensive experience with cooking that you can't make up for blandness by simply putting a sauce over a dish, it works best when each ingredient tastes good. I.e., food tastes best when it is adequately seasoned, rather than adding seasoning while you're eating it.

Case in point, I got the burrito, which was good, but again, a little bland. I could put salt and hot sauce over it, but it should taste good from the inside. Does that make sense? N got the ham steak and eggs and my first impulse was to question his choice - do you really want that? I held my tongue and let him get what he wanted, but it turned out to be just okay, and he's not a big egg eater, so I'm not sure why he chose that. He's got to learn these things himself, right? A got the burrito as well, and mom got the salad, which was really not that impressive. I would not be so nit-picky if the prices weren't so high.

After lunch the plan was to see a movie a the Hop, and we were early so we lounged at the library. I was bummed because I missed a golden opportunity to distribute posters in the big city, which is the key market, but sometimes you can't maximize efficiency during your every waking moment. We also decided to forgo ultimate frisbee because mom takes priority. Plus, it was too hot, the forecast called for thunderstorms, the teenagers couldn't make it, and the kids have been exercising like crazy at track and lacrosse. Plus, UF will be going on all summer, so we'll make it next week.

At the library I actually had a chance to relax, read, and even catch a few z's. The movie was something we wanted to see for a while, a Danish film about an all girl punk rock band called We Are The Best. It was your typical Euro movie, short on plot but heavy on character development. In fact, being the aspiring filmmakers that they are, A&N made this observation, as well. I liked the movie but could see that it was really geared toward a more culture-oriented audience, like a lot of European movies, especially French.

After the film, we stopped at a friend's house to care for their cat and baby chickens, which when you get down to it is a precarious combination. Just as we got there the sky opened up and we got some much-needed rain. Then it was home to relax and end an enjoyable day. Later that evening I called my mom and wished her a Happy Mother's Day, which is a bit out of character for me being the rotten son that I am, but maybe this is a new chapter in our relationship.

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day, and thanks for reading, and thanks to Stephanie Klasen for the pic.

Spring Sports Begin

When it comes to youth sports, it seems like you just bounce from one thing to another. With hockey over, we now begin track and lacrosse (LAX). Most sports do not have the level of fanaticism that you see in hockey, with track being pretty laid back. Lacrosse, however, has elements of that dedication, and you see it in the parents and the kids, which makes sense because it's got many of the same players, and then some. It's almost like a club, and the kids (and parents) really identify with it. There are also opportunities for enrichment, almost like extra-curricular activities.

A wavered on whether or not she wanted to run track and in the end she went for it, and I think that's a good thing. She is a good runner and it's a good way for her to stay in shape. Plus, she'll have an activity to do through the spring term and won't be at home wanting to be on the computer all day. The weather has been cold and miserable until recently, so they haven't had much of a chance to run around outside, but that will come in due time. I am actually impressed with how hard they are working indoors, and I think the new coach, RS, is doing a good job thus far. Last year they didn't seem to do any conditioning and the coach didn't seem to totally know what he was doing.

Lacrosse has also begun, and N is into it. He is growing so we had to replace a few pieces of gear, which is alway painful because for whatever reason LAX gear is expensive. More so than hockey. He is a first year at this level so he's the younger kid on the block, but he seems to be doing fine. A week or two back the team got to play on the Dartmouth LAX field in between periods, and that was fun to watch. I'm not even sure who they played, but they got out there and went at it. They also got to watch the big boys play, and it was a good opportunity for DW, the coach, who for the record is an outstanding coach for both hockey and LAX, to give pointers to his players. The guy is amazing, he really is knowledgeable and passionate about the game without being overbearing.

The game was fun, N got to hang with his buddies, and then it was done and over. It could very well be our one LAX game for the year, but at least we got one in. Personally I prefer to watch the kids, but that's just me.

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

Ultimate Begins... sort of

People are chomping at the bit for ultimate, and I'm excited for it but it seems like there's so much other stuff going on. Enough to keep us busy, that's for sure. Either way, a big group of the young kids couldn't make it on the allotted day, so they shifted things. We had sort of planned on going to the film festival, but when the kids learned that there might be ultimate, they were ready to rock and roll with the frisbee.

It turned out to be a pretty small group, and at first, it was just the three of us and two others. I was ready to call it a day and head over to the film festival but a few other people showed up and we managed to have a small 4X4 game. It was fun, but was I ever out of shape. I was sucking air the entire time and the next day I was as usual sore in places I didn't even know existed, but such is the life of an old man like myself. I'm actually glad that some of these activities have started because I could use a little more activity in my life.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Evil Sivan for the pic.