School in the Future

N has been cruising along with his schooling and doing very well. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for certain general academic subjects, he works hard and does a very good job in these subjects, including writing, which he claims to dislike. We don't push him too hard but have certain reasonable expectations, and again, he does a nice job of it. He's even diligent to the point that he'll "want" to do the work even if we give him a break. I'd like to think that he wants to because he finds it a gratifying pursuit rather than just a duty. Whatever be the case, it would be nice to expand his horizons a little and not only expose him to a broader range of experiences, but maybe get him into more social situations, as well.

With this in mind, we approached our local school and made some inquiries. One of the counselors, GM, who is also a good friend, told us of the options while subtly alluding to the fact that the opportunities were greater at the big city school. I think he got the blessing of the local principal to spell it out this way, so he wasn't acting in a backhanded way. What we were told is that there were some options locally, but if we really wanted some interesting and diverse opportunities, than the big city school was the way to go. We figured as much, but it's good to hear it from the source.

I contacted the big city school and as it turns out, we know several of the staff. In fact, we know the assistant principal, who was a good source of information and guidance, and we found out that the school has some pretty amazing opportunities as far as classes go, particularly in our areas of interest, which are computers and elective courses. We can do the general education courses on our own. We made an appointment and met with the principal and course overseer and took N over to meet with them.

I've been to the school countless times because it's a poster boy stop, but I'd never really ventured too far into the building. This time around we got the full tour, and it was pretty impressive. I won't bore you with the details, but the variety of classes was pretty extensive, including stuff that really piqued N's interest, including woodworking, 3-D modeling, and various computer programming classes. They even have some cool music options that he might be interested in... in my dreams. What's interesting about the school is that at the kids have the option to choose their classes and create their schedules. I don't really remember this to be the case when I was that age, way back in the dark ages. What's also really cool is that there are a number of clubs that he can take part in, including mountain biking and model airplane making. The full course catalog will come out later this spring, so we'll have a better sense of what he can take.

Since we're out of towners and have our own school which we are choosing to "not choose," we will have to pay the big city school tuition, which will be pro-rated based on the number of classes he takes. No free rides in the big city, but sometimes you have to pay a little money for the right experience. Plus, he'll be with kids his own age in a setting where they share common interests, i.e., boys and girls checking each other out. The timing is good, as well, because in his grade a whole wave of kids will be coming in who will, like him, be new to the school.

I think it's all good, so we'll wait and see what's being offered and do whatever it takes to make it work. Hopefully lots of people will be getting married this summer so that there will be lots of catering gigs. We shall see.

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

Back to Ultimate

The weather hasn't made up its mind yet, but with no snow on the ground, that can only mean one thing - it's time for ultimate frisbee. A week back a notice went up on the message board that people were interested in playing, and with the longer days, the time was ripe to get back outside. Several people replied and said they'd be there, and the night before N was at the town dance and was told to get out there to play, so we went over.

The weather was still cold but tolerable, and the ground is still a bit soft, but nothing a bunch of UF fanatics can't handle. Besides, the sun was out, and I personally think it's easier to play in cooler weather as opposed to searing heat. About 15 people showed up, which is a good number, though many of us were rusty, and yours truly was achy and out of shape, but we had a good time. It was mostly high school kids so the level of play was high, at least for an old man like myself.

Afterward we went home for supper and I was feeling pretty beat. Nothing like a game of UF with a group of high school kids to remind you of how old and brittle you are. This is especially true the next day, but what are you doing to do?

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

Making Peace with History

When I was growing up, one of my least favorite subjects was without question history. Talk about boring and miserable. When you're a kid, you just have no context to really grasp and appreciate what you're being taught. With the exception of a few genuine history buffs, I think this is still the case today. Kids are still forced to learn about various historical events and they really have no idea what they're learning or for that matter, why.

As you can imagine, this is a problem with homeschooling, because for the most part, our kids are not that interested in history, and who can blame them? Ironically, now that I'm an old man, I actually find it all very interesting, and even look forward to studying history with the kids. I don't think my enthusiasm is infectious, but it does motivate me to find a way to make it more interesting for them. For N, this may be impossible, but I have to give it a try. And since we homeschool, we can design a course plan that fits our interests and needs.

We have been using a combination of books, videos, and online courses, and it's been working out fairly well, albeit a bit slow. Then again, what's the rush? For A the focus is on civil rights but within the context of important historical events, and this is where we can make it interesting. She is doing an independent project at school that pertains to civil rights, so we decided to make that the focus of her history lesson. This kind of ties her whole year together. We begin with the Civil War, which we had studied ad nausum and are pretty much done with, then look at WWI and head into Women's Suffrage and the Civil Rights Movement. For N, we are looking at the French Revolution, which we will study as a precursor to the Industrial Revolution, which I think he'll find interesting... I sure do.

My hopes are that by tying different subjects together, it will make it more interesting and give a broader context to what they are learning rather than just memorizing facts. For all it's worth, I find it much more interesting and if you can believe it, am actually enjoying learning about some of these things, especially the French Revolution. Now that I'm old and creaky, I really like history.

We'll see how this goes. For A, she really just needs a year of history/civics for future scholastic endeavors, though it may spark an interest that she might pursue at a later date. For N, it's just about surviving and minimizing the amount of boredom that is inherent in learning history. I can't say a blame him.

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

Happy Easter

I was thinking that the kids were too old to do the traditional Easter Egg Hunt, but it turns out that N was still keen on the idea, and since he was doing it, A said she'd go along for good measure. It's actually become a running joke in our house and perhaps even a family tradition that I do a terrible job of hiding the eggs. I figured that if you make it too hard, the kids won't find them, but clearly I don't give them enough credit. So, each year I put some easy ones out just to fuel the tradition, but also make it a little more challenging each time. It makes it a little more fun and interesting, and I'm all for that.

This year there was an added complication of my working Sunday brunch at the Inn. As I've mentioned, things are slow and work hasn't been that readily available, so when this opportunity came up I talked it over with mom and decided it would be okay. I put the eggs out in the yard in the early AM and headed off for work. The plan was for the kids to hunt for eggs, hang out and relax, and then make Easter bread. I was slated to work until the early afternoon.

Work was fine, the Inn was packed and sold out but the crowd was manageable. I think the brunch crowd is more relaxed and congenial, and the day was very pleasant. I didn't get to gather leftover goodies because I wasn't actually working with the food, and we aren't supposed to imbibe in the vittles until all the guests have finished and departed. My shift ended while there were still guests dining, and while I could have hung out and waited for everyone to leave, I wanted to get home and hang with the family.

When I did get home, mom and A had left for rehearsal, which I thought was strange because it was Easter. I was also disappointed because I figured I'd missed out on the whole day with the family and wanted to have Easter supper together. Well, as it turns out, there wasn't rehearsal after all. The girls came home early and we were able to have a nice Easter supper together. I love when that happens.

It was a nice day. I got to get some employment in (at the Inn), the kids got lots of Easter chocolate, and we got to dine together as a family. My kind of Easter.

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

Making it Happen

A auditioned for a part in a regional play and I think she was on the short list, which she was excited about. The play is a musical and her role is not an acting part but as a member of the backup band. I.e., I don't think she has any speaking lines but she will be on stage playing her guitar, which suits her just fine, though I think A is a really good actor, and I'm not alone in this assessment. This may be something she could pursue as well, but more on that later.

The big caveat to being in the play is that it's a summer learning intensive, which is akin to a drama/theater class or camp. They train the kids in various aspects of the theater, and the production company, Northern Stage, is first rate. They don't mess around and are the real deal in terms of teaching acting and stage production. We know numerous kids who do it, and A and N were both involved years back when the program was run by another teacher. Anyway, as I mentioned, because it's a summer intensive, it costs money. After ruminating over it and factoring in band costs and potential lessons, not to mention summer camps and other extracurricular activities for both kids, we concluded that maybe it wasn't the best time to do this. It doesn't help that my work has slowed to a trickle. A was disappointed but she understood, she always does.

After we informed them that A was not going to be able to participate, K&T said that maybe something could be worked out and they approached Northern Stage about trying to work something out, which I thought was incredibly thoughtful and kind of them. I even thought I would volunteer some of my time to make this work, but let's take this one step at a time. I'm not sure what will come of this but I'm grateful to K&T and Northern Stage for even considering it. Once again, we'll see where this one goes, but at least there's a ray of hope. Good enough for me.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Lynne's Images for the pic.

Slow to a Trickle

The busy season at the Inn is long over so as expected, work has slowed to a trickle. It has actually been really nice to be able to spend time at home with my family, especially with our busy and crazy lives, a SAHD really needs a break. On the other hand, I'm not pulling in the big bucks to support our fabulously luxurious lifestyles, so we'll have to scale back on the champagne and caviar. I do enjoy sitting down with mom and the kids to have supper, especially after a long day, and every day seems like a long day.

There is some work this coming weekend, and once April passes things will start to cook, literally and figuratively. I also got the tentative schedule for my other catering gig and it's looking pretty full. We just have to lay low through the lull.

Until then, thanks for reading, and thanks to Tim Wilcox for the pic.

Falling Apart

As if I needed another excuse to whine, I went out and managed to hurt my lower back, again. What's a total drag about it is that it's not as if I was out tossing hay bails around or lifting trees. I did it by taking a walk, of all things. Granted, it was a pretty rigorous walk, but if I can't even go for a walk and suffer from it, what the heck can I do? It's actually a walk that mom likes to take and it's pretty vigorous as far as walks go, but again, it's still a walk. The kids often go with her and it goes for about 4 miles, though only about 5% of it is flat. The rest involves very steep hills, and it's a good workout.

The kids were inspired to talk said walk and I decided to go with them, and it was interesting, to say the least. First off, I had to exert my tired-old self to keep up with the kids, they just take off and walk at a brisk pace. Secondly, I had to answer nature's call at some point and then had to run to catch up with them. And finally, the big downhill section can rock your body, especially if you're running down it to catch up with young people. That's exactly where I think I hurt my back, because let's face it, I just can't shake it like I used to.

I managed to keep up with the kids and maintain some semblance of male pride, but in the end, I should have just met them at home and taken it easy. Now I have to suffer for my pride, but maybe that's a fitting price to pay for my machismo. As my Mentor would say, time to see the chiropractor, though from my years of experience with back pain, I don't think this will be a long term thing... I hope.

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