Cameron Questions the Offering

Once a month, we have what is called "penny march" at church. It's a special offering in which we come forward with coins to place in a big plastic water jug. The money is targeted for a specific purpose every few months (right now, the monies will be used to repair our church van). The offering is designed for the kids, who enjoy coming up and dumping their coins in.

A few weeks ago, Cameron was up there with his friend Lydia. Cameron put his coins in, then watched in horror as Lydia put in a dollar coin. He was like, "Lydia, you can't do that!" He kept peering into the jug and brought the line to a standstill. I know he wanted to get it out but there was no way. He just kept looking in there aghast that she had done such a thing.

The pastor was laughing the whole time as Cameron just couldn't believe one would put a DOLLAR coin in the jug (he had just gotten one from the tooth fairy, so he thought those coins were for more secular purposes).

E-Mail at all Costs

I saw something today I'd never seen. Upon entering the bathroom at work, I saw a cord plugged into the wall. I followed the cord and it led into a stall, where it was plugged into a laptop computer sitting on the floor while the owner, uh, did his business.

Okay, this is finals week at IU South Bend, so maybe it was someone finishing up a paper or cramming for an exam. Maybe they just HAD to read their email, or they were bidding on a Hannah Montana CD on Ebay. Or, perhaps, they were just an idiot.

Hillary Up (real) Close

For the second time in as many weeks, a presidential candidate came to South Bend. I saw Obama in person earlier this month and when Hillary made a return trip on Saturday, I jumped at the chance, figuring this second opportunity to witness history will never again happen in my lifetime. I had my digital camera with me, so these are all my pictures, and you can see I had a good view. The picture above is Hillary making her way to the podium, right in front of me.

The rally took place at our minor league stadium for the Class A Silverhawks. So there was a lot of room and no need for tickets, unlike Obama, which was very difficult to secure a seat for unless you knew someone with a connection. The rally was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. and I think it began at about 2:02 p.m., right on schedule (Obama was 40 minutes late). Pictured on the right are former governor Joe Kernan and Senator Evan Bayh. Hillary was introduced by former congressman John Brademas.

Hillary's speech was quite different than the one Obama gave when I saw him. His was basically a pep rally with little detail (which is by design, he hasn't had to give much detail). Hillary was more specific about what she would do, and with lots of detail. Although, maybe that's been a problem of hers, too much detail. At one point, she's talking about biofuels and NAFTA and China and, I don't know, maybe those things get lost on a lot of the crowds. Some of the applause she got was muted at best. Although, some of this may have to do with the venue. Noise in an open air stadium is quite different than in a compact high school gymnasium where Obama appeared. Her biggest cheers came when she vowed to stick it to the oil companies, make college affordable, and do away with No Child Left Behind (and, of course, bring the troops home).

Overall, a much different atmosphere than the Obama rally. Hillary is just not as good a speaker in this setting. Up close, her age really shows, and the youthful vigor of Obama really does create a striking contrast between the two. There was another contrast that was oh so evident. In scanning the stadium, I could count on both hands the total number of African-Americans in the audience. Hillary has all but totally lost this voting bloc. A far cry from the days when her husband was called "the first black president." Will the two sides unite in time for the general election? Recent history says a party divided will lose in November (see the Democrats in 1968 and 1980, and the Republicans in 1976 and 1992). Could it happen again? I'm just not sure at this point how eager the supporters of the losing candidate will be to join forces with the other.

One thing about Hillary you can't deny, she knows her stuff. But all the experience in the world has been taking a back seat to Obama's "change we can believe in" campaign. She pretty much left Obama alone, until the end. She talked about how his campaign aides were complaining about the last debate and the questions that were asked. She said she was issuing a challenge to a debate with no moderators. My guess is Obama won't go for this. Neither of them did particularly well at the last debate, but Obama particularly showed some cracks in his armor and the last thing he wants is to make people start thinking Hillary's right and he's not ready on "day one" like she says she is.

After she was done, Hillary walked around for a while signing campaign signs and posing for pictures (all of us up close were given a sign). I tried to hand her my sign as she passed by, but to no avail. Then, as I was preparing to take more pictures, my batteries ran out. I changed them and then noticed a break in the line that was waiting for Hillary to come by. I snatched up the spot and the picture to the right is Hillary, seconds before she was standing right in front of me, autographing the campaign sign you see below. I said "Thank you, Senator" and she smiled back and also said "Thank you."

On this day, I wasn't here with my partisan feelings. I wasn't thinking about sniper fire in Bosnia. I was just excited to be a part of history. This is so cool, I love it! So, with apologies to my fellow Republicans who wouldn't cross the street to see a Clinton, it really was an honor for a fleeting moment to be the person that the former First Lady was talking to.

Just One of Those Proud Father Moments

We haven't turned on our air conditioning yet, which makes the upstairs where the kids sleep a little warm. Anna was complaining about it and asked if she could take a fan upstairs. I told her that was fine and that I'd come up later to turn it off so it's not left on all night (Anna was worried about that for some reason).

At about 11:30 p.m., I go upstairs to turn the fan off. Anna did indeed bring it upstairs, but instead of by her, it was next to her little brother's bed keeping him cool.

Skipping Church . . .But For A Cause

I had to miss church this past Sunday because of needing to be at work. Well, actually, I didn't necessarily have to be there, but volunteered to do so. Beginning at noon on Saturday, we had a dance marathon at IU South Bend to benefit the local homeless shelter. This event has been very popular at the Bloomington campus for many years, so it was decided to try it up here.

Advertising was huge, and they even brought in Regis Philbin to kick things off. In talking with our director of student life, I found out that the greatest need for help was during the final couple hours on Sunday morning. No one wanted that shift because it was towards the end when energy would be low, no celebrities would be in attendance, and it was during church hours. I guess you could have a debate over skipping church for this, but aside from the good cause, I was more sympathetic to assisting my fellow colleagues. Many of them I know would've rather been in church, but by the nature of their job, had to be there. They themselves would also be totally exhausted, so the more help, the better.

I haven't heard final dollar amounts, but the event was a success. While I was there Sunday morning, the crowd had really thinned out. A few diehards that had danced the whole 24 hours were still there and an 80's cover band was finishing things out (I hadn't heard Autograph's "Turn up the Radio" for years). They finished off with everyone dancing to what has evidently been a YouTube sensation, "The Evolution of Dance." It's a group dance-along to this guy who goes through a whole bunch of dance moves in about 6 minutes. It seemed kinda fun . . .to those that know how to dance.

So, I don't think I'll burn in hell for helping out with a "dance"event on Sunday. Now, playing ping-pong on Sunday, that could do me in (which does happen in a couple weeks).

Our Weekend Visitors

Friday night, Tom, Paula, Benjamin, Jonathan, and Becky all came up to visit us and spend the night. We had been trying to arrange this for several months and finally we got everyone's schedule to mesh. Curt would have been there but he was away in Memphis for training.

We showed everyone around our new house and the kids were excited to show off their new trampoline. I specifically told Cameron that no matter what Tom, Benjamin and Jonathan told him about what they used to do on their trampoline, to pay them no mind.

For dinner, I brought out pizza from Luigi's, a hole in the wall place in South Bend that has the best pizza in town. We hung out, played games, then had everyone in bed by 9:00 p.m. Okay, not quite, it was closer to 1:00 a.m. before anyone (including our kids) went down. Becky had to go back to work on Saturday, so she drove back at about 10:00 p.m. That was nice she was able to still come up, even for a short time.

In the morning, we did a big breakfast of waffles, bacon, and Jonathan omelettes. Although, by the time everyone actually got up and we ate, it was more of a lunch. In the afternoon, two individuals went shopping at Goodwill, whose names were not Rick, Tom, Benjamin, or Jonathan.

Things kinda wrapped up after Dorene and Paula returned and we bid everyone adieu. It was a fun weekend and we appreciated everyone wanting to come up and hang out with us. We hope to do this again sometime. Next up, we need to get to Stu and Joyce's for some intense volleyball action.

Hillary and Rocky

I thought this was pretty funny. From a recent Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live . . .

"Hillary Clinton on Tuesday said she is not a quitter and compared herself to Rocky Balboa, the washed up, over the hill white contender, who, despite a herculean effort, still loses to the charismatic black guy."

Tonight on CNBC . . .

A few nights ago, during Cameron's bedtime prayers, he said, " . . . and I pray that all the stores make a lot of money." I don't know, maybe he's been watching Maria Bartiromo before bedtime, because he evidently is concerned about the economy. I'll have to ask him if he feels we're in a recession or not.

Big Trouble in Little China

This whole Bejing Olympics is suddenly getting interesting. China was going to use this as their big coming out party as a world superpower. Problem is, there are people that seem to think China isn't exactly the most human rights friendly nation in the world. Of course, they are absolutely correct.

China seems to have gotten a free pass for years, but that's not happening now. This torch relay has been a disaster for them. Now, there are already several nations whose leaders will be boycotting the opening ceremony. Bush is being pressured to follow suit. You have to wonder what will happen during the two weeks of the games. Will there be protests taking place, because if so, China can't exactly roll in like Tianamen Square and crush them.

I have been reading a book by author Jung Chang called, "Mao: The Untold Story." Still early on is Mao's life, but my word, I'm not sure this guy has been given the proper monster status reserved for Stalin and Hitler. He's responsible for millions of his own people dying, and all during peacetime in the 50's and 60's. Yet, he's still pretty much revered.

The Olympics are indeed going to put China in the spotlight, but I think they are quickly realizing that they are getting much more than they bargained for. This will be a story to watch in the coming months.

Obama Up Close

Last night, Barack Obama came to South Bend for a rally at a local high school. Thousands of tickets were available and they were gone within an hour. To get one, you had to go to the local Democratic Club, something I wasn't exactly going to do. So, I sought out a connection. My boss is a member of the South Bend City Council and I asked her if there was any way she could get me a ticket. She did, so I got to go.

The rally was scheduled to begin at 10:00 p.m. Yes, you read that right, a late night rally. By contrast, Hillary was here a couple weeks ago and appeared at 10:00 a.m. I got there at about 6:30 p.m. when the doors were opening. Outside were the usual litany of t.v. trucks from CNN, Fox, etc. You had to go through a security checkpoint and then sit down and wait and wait and wait. I didn't necessarily have to get there that early, but wanted the best seat possible. I was just off the right of the stage in the bleachers, so I had an excellent view.

At about 9:30 p.m., some local pastor come on stage for an opening prayer. Wasn't really expecting that, but with a very large African American audience, I guess that should be expected (ever notice how you can't offend blacks when mixing church and state, that seems to just be a problem for us white folks).

After the pastor, some local Democratic chairperson came on stage for some words, then she was followed by former Congressman Tim Roemer. He maybe talked a little too long. Made a big deal about some endorsements Obama had just picked up. These being from the mayors of Michigan City and Goshen. Wow, could an endorsement from the mayors of Wabash and French Lick be far behind? He said it would be great if South Bend's mayor endorsed him. So, of course, Mayor Steve Luecke comes on and gives his endorsement, which I'm sure now guarantees an Obama win in November.

As a side note, the rally took place at Washington High School. Two weeks ago, when Hillary was in town, she wanted to come there but was denied. The school said it would "disrupt the education process" for the kids. A local high school in neighboring Mishawaka quickly snatched up the opportunity and she went there instead. Now, Obama comes to town, and the school opens its doors, but they said it wasn't a problem because it was after school hours. Evidently, hosting a former First Lady and first ever female candidate for president isn't one of those moments you would want kids to experience and has no educational value.

But, back to the action on hand. The mayor was thankfully brief, and quickly said, "You've been waiting all night for this haven't you?" So he introduced Obama, and at about 10:40 p.m., he took the stage (yeah, this was a late night). Of course, he got thunderous applause. Then it died down and he got into his speech.

I imagine Obama gives pretty much the same speech everwhere he goes. He had no podium, no teleprompter or any note cards. Just walked around the stage. He went into the usual list of things that need to be fixed (health care, education, gas prices, etc.). Spoke quite a bit about the situation in Iraq, although like Hillary, doesn't really say exactly what he'll do. Says the troops need to come home, but that's maybe easier said than done.

I like what he says about not taking money from lobbyists and wanting to dilute their influence. I'm all for that because Bush cashed in too many favors when he got to town. Obama's only real specific plan was to ensure a health care plan similar to what congress has by the end of his first term. Also mentioned something about a $4,000 credit for college tuition, but in return, students perform some sort of community service (not bad). He also spoke about how government cannot fix everything and parents need to do their part (yes!) and that teachers need to be paid more (double yes!).

I can easily see why he has such appeal. His campaign slogan is simple, "Change We Can Believe In," and that really resonates. It's why Hillary can't break through. Although undoubtely the better qualified of the two, she represents the status quo, and Obama truly represents something different. It's why I could never vote for her.

But would I vote for him? I'm not sure yet. I have seen him on t.v. a zillion times, and last night, he was actually a little off. Had trouble finding his stride at times. For the first time, he seemed a little more human, a little more vulnerable. His inexperience came through a bit, especially when it came to foreign policy. I am now officially tired of hearing about his speech in 2002 opposing the war. That seems to be his only qualifier when it comes to foreign policy experience and he mentioned it again. His approach last night to go at it unscripted may have been the cause for his stumbling at times, or maybe the lateness of the hour. Although, frankly, I can't imagine having to keep up this kind of energy every day for so long.

So, was I looking at the next president? Could be. Did he look presidential? Oh yes, absolutely. He is very much at ease in front of people, and his speech was in a conversational tone that really connects with the audience. As I sat there, I wondered what it would be like to attend a rally if John McCain came to town. I don' t think it would be quite the same experience.

Basketball Choke and Dominance

I wasn't all that interested in the NCAA tournament this year, but I did watch the second half of the men's game Monday night. It looked like Memphis had it won until they had a choke for the ages. They let a 9 point lead with just over 2 minutes slip away, missing free throw after free throw. Kansas tied it with an incredible 3-pointer with two second left, which sent the game to overtime, where it was no contest. We were given the final results of the basketball pool at work, and I was third from the bottom, seeing as my UCLA-USC prediction was just a little off.

I also watched some of the women's final last night. Tennessee won for the second year in a row. When you talk about dominance in a sport, maybe Pat Summitt and the Lady Volunteers should be added to the discussion. Her record in over 30 years coaching at Tennessee is 983-182 with a total of 8 national championships. That is an incredible winning percentage. No coach in any sport at the Division I level can come close to that. She is only 56, so she has a lot of winning left in her. Next year she will achieve victory #1,000. That's rather impressive.

Adding an Unexpected Chapter to Life

So, here we are, soon to be parents for a third time. Very much unexpected. Not planned at all, well, sorta not really planned at all. At one point, Dorene really wanted a third child and I was adamantly against it. She then pretty much got over it. However, for some reason, I hesitated about getting the procedure to ensure this would never happen again. I didn't want another kid . . .did I? But something in the back of my mind wouldn't let me follow through. But, I still made the appointment, and 2 days after making the appointment, we found out the news.

Right now, we're totally in a daze. Kind of in denial, not really doing much of anything to prepare for the new one. As of now, this kid ain't gonna get jack squat. We don't plan on buying anything until it arrives. In that sense, we're older and wiser parents. For Anna, we bought everything. That kid had enough new clothes to go a month without wearing the same thing again (and that really is not an exaggeration and mom can confirm that with all the clothes she's sold at garage sales). But this time around, we'll wait and see what baby showers bring us . . .kinda selfish I know, but the reality is Dorene's co-workers and our new church will be quite generous.

Mom seems kinda excited. Steve is probably really pumped because now that he had all this experience holding Conner, he has another chance with a nephew or niece. Stu said he was really really surprised, and, okay Steve, I'm just kidding. We could care less if you hold this one.

So, this is certainly one of those unexpected life moments. Not sure how all this will pan out. One observation: I'll be eligible for Medicare when this kid goes to college.

Getting "The Procedure"

Recently, I went in to a "specialist" for the initial consult on a specific procedure. This being the procedure unique to the male species that prevents, uh, further species. We are happy with the numbers in our family right now and see no need to add any more, so I figured it was time for me to . . . (I'm at a loss here, do you say "bite the bullet," "take one for the team", I really have no idea).

The initial consult mostly consists of watching a video. It kinda made me squirm. They tell you they have to poke a needle HERE, then poke another needle THERE . . .and so on. Not something you sit back and watch while eating popcorn. Then a doctor comes in and goes over a bit more detail, just to make sure that you are sure about having the procedure. I was convinced of the need to have it done, just not looking forward to actually having it done. But I guess it's a trade off since we guys don't have to actually carry a baby and go through all that a woman has to go through, yada yada yada. I always told Dorene when she was having morning sickness that "I feel your pain," but for some reason she didn't feel comforted.

Like I said, we are very content with the numbers in our family right now. We got the dogs, a cat, the kids, and just no need to add child number 4.