Governor Daniels at IUSB

Governor Daniels made a trip to IU South Bend recently to talk to a group of Business students. It was special invite only, but on the day of his visit, I asked the Dean of the business school if there were any tickets left. He said he did have one so I was able to go.

It was held in our smaller auditorium, so I was up pretty close. Daniels talked for a little bit about the state of the state, basically bragged on what a good job his administration has done and how we're in much better shape than other states (which we are). He then took quite a bit of time to field a number of questions from students, which he answered thoroughly. He was asked directly if he is running for President. Daniels said he's not "currently" running for President, but was straightforward that he hasn't decided one way or the other yet.

I was impressed by his demeanor the whole time he was here. When he entered the auditorium before the speech, he bypassed all the administrators and other dignitaries and went right to a group of students and began talking to them. The Business Dean later told me that he did the same thing when he arrived in his car. Basically ignored him and walked over to a group of students. I like that.

He didn't seem to be in political mode and was very down to earth and eager to talk to us common folk. But at the same time, he was all business. He didn't disguise his disappointment with Obama and his policies and said we're heading in the wrong direction with the current economic policies. Make no mistake, Daniels is all about running things efficiently and he says bigger government is definitely not the answer (he remarked that in Indiana we have 300+ school districts and that we could easily get by with 1/3 that many).

I'm not sure how well Daniels would do on the campaign trail for President, especially against a master campaigner like Obama. But, who know, maybe we'll find out someday.

Seinfeld Reunion?

"Seinfeld" is easily one of my all-time favorite shows. There are few shows where 10+ years after it went off the air, I'll still watch at any given moment when it comes on. It was a true masterpiece. It's also famous for having one of the all-time worst series finales. Yep, they really botched it. Always wish they'd do a reunion show, but that's never to be. Or is it?

You may not know, but the cast did indeed get together for a reunion episode, sort of. On the HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," starring Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, there was an episode arc last year featuring the original cast as themselves getting together to do a reunion show. On the last show of the season, that "reunion episode" aired.

It's not a full episode, just a few minutes long, but the cast picked up right where they left off, they didn't miss a beat. You can watch it here.

Why I (still) Don't Like Soccer

Okay, so it's the Netherlands v. Spain in the World Cup final. Alrighty then. If I'm by a t.v., I guess I might check it out, but if not, no big loss.

I've been engaged in some friendly back and forth with some of my student workers, several that are international, in just how boring soccer is and how it'll never be as popular here in the U.S. While I certainly gave it a try for this World Cup, and started getting a little excited when the U.S. advanced, I just can't embrace this game. Here are a few reasons why.

It's Boring - One of the biggest arguments for the pro-soccer side is that soccer is non-stop action and a typical NFL game only has about 12 minutes of actual play time during a 60-minute time span. Okay, technically that's true. But just because there is sustained movement going on doesn't mean it's exciting. They kick the ball this way, they kick it back the other way, they kick the ball this way, and so it goes. Think to any recent last-minute touchdown drive in the NFL and how exciting it is when every play is huge. Very, very exciting.

Stoppage Time - I don't get this rule. Time runs out, they keep playing, making up for injury time or something else. Think of your NFL team kicking a field goal as time expires, but the ref says, "Uh, we still have 3 more minutes to play."

Referees - This recent World Cup could mark a change in how the game is officiated. When the U.S. played Slovenia, we kicked a goal and it was disallowed. However, the ref did not say why. Nor is he required to ever explain his reasoning. Nor is the league office required to explain it.

Furthermore, in baseball, there are 4 officials on the field at a time. In the NFL, there are several. In soccer, there is only ONE to cover a very large field. How could they possibly get all the calls right, or even close sometimes. That makes no sense. But this all could change this year as there have been many questionable calls.

Low Scoring - A 3-1 game is considered a blowout. More often than not, scores are 1-0. Yeah, exciting stuff when they ALMOST score often.

Television - Soccer seems especially dull on t.v. Maybe being there live helps, I don't know. But to watch it, with the continuous play, just doesn't make for very exiting t.v.

Would I be watching the final if the U.S. was in it? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I'd ever watch soccer again for the next 4 years (kinda like the Olympic sports you only watch when they're on).

So world, enjoy the futbol on Sunday.

#1 at the Table Tennis Club

It took a while, but last night I made it to the #1 table at the South Bend Table Tennis Club. But I didn't stop there. I not only made it to the top, but I won the table outright. You can check out the results here.

Okay, there is a catch. It just so happens that this week is the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championship up in Grand Rapids. Thus, all the top players in the club were gone, which is the reason I even got to play at the top table.

Next week, I'll be at the #1 table again, but all the top players will be back and I'll get absolutely squashed, thus ending my 15 minutes of fame at the Club. But for one night only, I'll get to hear the coach, Dan Seemiller, say, "Table 1 winner Rick Dennie starts off tonight against . . . ."

Allie @18 Months

My little girl is already a year and a half! Where's the time going?

Graduation Day

Tonight is commencement for Indiana University South Bend. It's actually held at Notre Dame because we don't have large enough space on campus. So, for one day, the Irish campus is decked out in IU red.

As the students come forward to receive their diploma, their names are read off by one of our faculty members in the speech department. He does a very good job and really nails some of the long international names. A name like mine would be easy to pronounce. Or would it?

Flashback to 1987 when I'm graduating from Huntington College. As I walk up to get my diploma, the academic Dean calls out my name as "Rick Deenie."

Anna's Final Quiz Meet

This past Saturday was Anna's final quiz meet of the year. She joined the team at Trinity Evangelical Free Church and this year they studied I & II Corinthians. She really enjoyed it a lot. During one of the quizzes, it went into an overtime 5 question round. She answered the final question in overtime which gave our team the victory. Way to go, Anna!

We asked her what she enjoyed the most about quizzing, and she said when she placed in the top 10 and received a medal (which happened at her first meet). When asked what she didn't like, it was when she didn't place. Hmm, it seems she is able to correlate the effects of studying the material and doing well in a quiz. Next year, she says she'll definitely study more.

It was fun to just play the role of parental observer this time after several years of coaching (and this particular quiz meet at Trinity is one I would have had to coordinate). My parents were also able to be here the quiz, as was Dorene's parents. Anna will be back next year to quiz over John.

At the Table Tennis Tournament

Today I played in the 46th annual St. Joseph Valley Open table tennis tournament. This year it was held at a brand new facility at Holy Cross College (across the street from Notre Dame and where "Rudy" first attended). I went in having come off a horrible tournament last November where I didn't win a single game and was hoping to do better.

That I did. I came home with a 3rd place trophy in one of the events I entered. I know, you're asking "So what 10-year old oriental kid did you have to beat to get this trophy?" Well, first of all, he was only seven . . .

I ain't kidding. There was this little dynamo that was the star attraction of the day. Every time he played, there was a crowd. I drew him in my final bracket of the day. I called Dorene and told her I was about to play this kid that was a little shorter than Cameron (our 8 year old). I watched him play and he was moving all around the floor, not missing too many shots. When it was my turn, I quickly dispatched him in the first two games, because his weakness was, well, he was so doggone short he had no reach. I hit it to the opposite side and he couldn't get there. Well, at least at first. By the third game, he was moving even quicker and returning a lot of shots I thought were winners. Although, he was so small, I look over and all I see is this paddle waving around furiously. I can't believe how quick he was. He took a game off me, but I came back and won game 4 easily and the match.

So, here I am, 38 YEARS OLDER than this kid. Of course I want to win, but it's oddly conflicting to rejoice in your triumph over someone born in 2003. Although I wasn't the only one having trouble, he was giving lots of older players fits. Although older is a relative term . . . everyone he played was older, anyone younger and they'd be in diapers.

So, I took out little Michael Tran and advanced. I was oh so close to advancing to the finals but lost a 5-game match to a kid from the South Bend club, who is irritatingly nice, so it's hard to get upset at him for beating me. But at least this time I came home with a trophy, something I hadn't done in a couple years. I still have a little bit left.

Note to Steve the next time you are at the Fort Wayne Club. I told a few of your club members sitting close by (Ron Forks, Ricky Reed and others) to take a vow of silence and not tell you I barely beat the little pipsqueak Michael.

"Glee" - I Don't Get It

I'm trying to latch onto the "Glee" phenomenon, but I just don't quite get all the hype. I've watched the show the past two weeks to see what all the fuss is about. Last night's show revolved around Madonna songs. Lots of musical numbers and reworking of some of the videos, like "Vogue." All well done, I guess, but overall, I didn't find the show all that enjoyable.

Maybe I was expecting a riff on High School Musical. However, when you have two teenage couples rolling around on the bed singing "Like a Virgin," then we've deviated just a tiny bit from the family-friendly confines of those movies (I guess maybe I should have known going in that Glee was more adult oriented).

For all the "Gleeks" out there, more power to ya. Maybe I'll give the show another chance, but it just ain't clicking with me.

Getting Cultured

Last night I attended the senior piano recital of Tinatin Saralidze, who is part of IU South Bend's Toradze Piano Studio, which features world class piano players. Now, why would I be doing that? Actually, Tinatin (who goes by Tika) is one of my student workers. She is from Georgia, the former Soviet Republic. International students are very much restricted on how they can work when attending college here and are limited to on-campus employment, so I tend to hire quite a few of them (Tika is actually my third Georgian piano player who has worked for me).

When she asked if I could attend the recital, I asked her what she was playing. She said Beethoven's 7th. Now why did I ask that? What do I know about classical piano? What was I going to say, "Yeah, that's a good one. I'll be curious how you play the moderato section in the middle. Oh, you're playing it in D Major? That will really bring out the nuances in what I believe was one of Beethoven's best compositions."

This was her senior recital, as she will be graduating and then headed off to Chicago for graduate school. She, along with all the international student workers I've hired, are great workers and I enjoy getting to know them. As for the recital, I was only able to stay for the first of two pieces (which still ran about 20 minutes as it had 4 different movements). I thought she did a very good job. Kind of amazing that they have to play such complicated compositions totally by memory.

Fortunately, no one put a Pez dispenser on my lap.

. . . And You Think Butler Came So Close!

Check out this video of the Women's Final 4. Xavier v. Stanford, with the winner going to the finals. A choke for the ages by a Xavier player who will forever be replaying this game in her mind:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR3OyP8f8Fc

Cell Phone Problems

My phone has been giving me a lot of trouble. I dropped it a few months back and a piece of it broke off, so I had to tape it back together. It often shuts off automatically, which isn't exactly convenient.

So, Dorene went to the AT&T store to see what they could do. After much back and forth and haggling over early upgrades, etc., it finally came to an equitable resolution, as Dorene is quite the negotiator. She now will be getting a brand new phone and I'll be using her old one.

Let's see now, MY phone was broken, so SHE gets the new one and I'm using the old one. Hmm, did I miss something here?

Allie's First Easter Egg Hunt

We had an Easter egg hunt on Saturday morning at our church. Lots of neighborhood kids showed up. Allie caught on pretty quick to the whole routine.

Bored at the Oscars

Last night I went to my annual Oscar party with a bunch of other movie geeks (that is, those that can accurately name, and have seen, most or all 10 Best Picture nominees, can describe why a movie's cinematography or art direction is best, and have actually seen some of the movies in the obscure categories). This was an off-year for me, as I only saw a handful of the nominees. As for the Oscar telecast:

• All agreed it was probably the worst show in years. Long, boring, slow-paced, lethargic. Just not an exciting show.
• However, I thought Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin did a very good job. They were pretty funny, but seemed to disappear for long stretches. Could've used more of them.
• Where was Jack Nicholson?
• We were all laughing wildly at the "interpretive dance" number. When you got guys break-dancing to The Hurt Locker, something's amiss. Kinda conjured up the infamous Rob Lowe-Snow White debacle.
• Ben Stiller and Tina Fey/Robert Downey, Jr. were the only presenters who seemed to enjoy themselves. Everyone else was pretty blah.
• Okay, why a montage of horror movies? Ah yes, trying to woo the Twilight crowd, thus the presence of Taylor Lautner and Kristin Stewart. Awards shows are not popular like they used to be, and I guarantee you the younger demographic won't be tuning in anytime soon to watch this show.
• Of course, if you are going to woo the younger crowd, giving the top award to the lowest money maker in Best Picture history isn't a good place to start.
• Nice tribute to John Hughes. Makes me want to revisit Breakfast Club, Ferris Buehler, etc.
• The whole thing where they have people giving tributes to the Best Actor/Actress nominees is too much. Hey folks, they ain't up for a Nobel Peace prize!
• Best Director should have been James Cameron. He took something from scratch and made a billion dollars and transformed the way movies will probably be made in the future. Nothing against Kathryn Bigelow, but her achievement just doesn't compare.
• However, I must say that The Hurt Locker was very good and I highly, highly recommend it. Certainly one of the best movies I saw last year. A very tense movie, not very relaxing. It especially does a good job showing how tough it is for our troops to know who is friend or foe (makes you appreciate how well trained our troops are not to fire indiscriminately at every perceived threat). It is very suspenseful all the way through. But shouldn't a movie that wins Best Picture be seen by more than just a handful? It's budget was $11 million and it made about $13.5 million.
• No performances of the original songs. Too bad. Can you believe one of the highlights would have been a duet with Jeff Bridges and Colin Ferrel? I saw Crazy Heart and really liked it, with one of the highlights being a duet with those two. But then again, hearing all the songs would have meant also hearing from Randy Newman.
• Without Bush in office, no political jabs. I guess suddenly everyone in Hollywood, including Sean Penn, likes the war in Iraq after all.
• Overlooked movie: Invictus. I don't understand the rules of rugby, even after seeing the movie, but a great story of how Nelson Mandela used the all-white South African rugby team to unite the country.
• Sandra Bullock, excellent acceptance speech and great sense of humor.
• Monique, dial it down a notch, you didn't win a Nobel Peace Prize (okay, I already used that line).
• Jeff Bridges, you said "man" a lot.
• What's the matter Barbara Streisand? Ticked off you didn't win with Yentl?

I didn't win the pool again. I basically win every 6 years and am not due until 2013. My picks were pretty lousy. So much for the Oscar movies, time to switch gears and look forward to Iron Man 2.

Last Ticket to Avatar

Last night I became probably the final remaining person on the planet to see Avatar. This was the last week it was playing, so I wanted to see it before the Oscars on Sunday since it is up for multiple awards.

I wasn't sure what to expect, since I was seeing the movie 2 1/2 months after its release and long after the hype and a gazillion articles had been written about it and it had become the #1 movie of all time. So, I guess my expectations were rather low.

But I was very impressed and loved the movie. For being nearly 3 hours, it never slowed and I thought the storyline (criticized as being weak) was just fine. Then the technical aspects of the movie were truly astounding. Much better use of CGI than Lucas did in his newer Star Wars movies. The 3-D effect was not gimmicky. There were maybe only a couple shots where something comes right at you (which is typically what 3-D movies go after). Instead, there was just an amazing depth and clarity to all the scenes. I often looked out over the top of the 3-D glasses to see the difference and it was huge. If you saw this movie in 2-D, then you really didn't see it as was intended, because you missed out on what James Cameron had been perfecting for the past 14 years.

This movie and The Hurt Locker are supposed to be the top contenders for Best Picture. I thought The Hurt Locker was very good, but which of these two movies will stand the test of time? No contest, there. Cameron shouted out he was "King of the World" when we won for Titanic a while back, and he may get to do that again.

Sending My Taxes to Fresno

Today I mailed my completed tax forms to the IRS in Indianapolis for my state return and to Fresno, California for my federal return (that's the mailing label I was provided). Wait a minute. Fresno? Not a city that probably many people know about, but seeing as I grew up in California's San Joaquin Valley, I know exactly where it is. So, here are my Fresno memories:

• We actually lived 60 miles south of Fresno in a little town called Pixley. Don't even try and tell me you know where that is. Compared to Pixley, traveling to Fresno was going to the BIG city.
• Fresno is the raisin capitol of the world. In the 3rd grade, we took a field trip to the Sunmaid raisin factory. At the end of the tour, you get a box of raisins. In the 5th grade, we toured the olive factory in Lindsay, California and you got to sample olives. I much preferred touring the Hershey chocolate factory as a kid.
• We traveled to Fresno a lot because they had a big Christian bookstore that my dad liked to go to. They also had a nice big mall.
• Not nearly as popular as the Ft. Wayne Komets, but we occasionally ventured out to see the Fresno Falcons hockey team.
• I really got into Fresno State University basketball in the early 80's. They had a good team and went all the way and won . . . .the NIT tournament. Hey, it was still exciting for that part of the country. Go Bulldogs!
• In the early 80's, Fresno was named the worst city in the country, and there was a mini-series called "Fresno."
• All the t.v. stations we got were based in Fresno. I remember once while on spring break with a college friend in Flint, Michigan, we turned on the news and there was a former sports anchor from Fresno. Hmm, went from Fresno to Flint (which also at one time was named worst city in the country).
• Nothing much exciting happened around Fresno, except for one time in the neighboring city of Chowchilla in 1976. A school bus full of kids were kidnapped and buried underground in a semi-trailer. That was one of the first 24/7 news stories I remember following. It turned out good, as all the kids were rescued, but everyone was riveted waiting to hear news, because nothing like that had ever happened anywhere.

Take good care of my tax forms, Fresno. Send me a refund, but you can hold the raisins.

Working the ACT

IU South Bend is a testing site for the ACT, so many Saturdays I am on campus administering one of these exams because I'm the site coordinator. This past Saturday, I gave the ACT Explore, which is a pre-ACT exam designed for elementary age students.

It's a pretty easy gig. I just need to arrange the rooms and other workers, and make sure all materials are held in confidence and returned immediately. Students are always easygoing and follow the rules. Even though the verbal instructions ask if anyone has any questions, I don't think anyone's ever asked a question in the 15+ years I've been doing this.

Of course, I wasn't at the ACT Explore exam in January, when one of the elementary age kids did have questions/suggestions. It was after the break and the adminstrator asked if there were any questions. This 5th grader pipes up, "Yes, how about if we go around the room and have everyone introduce themselves." So, they did that. Then, the same kid asks "How about if we find out what everyone wants to be when they grow up?" So, they did that too.

Oh yeah, why wasn't I at this particular exam? Well, I was playing the role of the parent this time around and as such, wasn't allowed to be an administrator. So, yes, that was Anna in the testing room getting everyone to introduce themselves and disclose their future ambitions (my colleague said, "your daughter is a real trip"). If you don't know my daughter, let me tell you that is pretty much par for the course. Put her in a group, and she's already getting them organized.

Oh Yeah, the Olympics Begin Tonight

I had kinda forgotten this was a winter olympics year, and with them being held in Vancouver, we'll likely see a majority of events live. I don't really know who our prospects are, except for Apollo Ohno and basically all of our snowboarders, who I don't know by name, except for Lindsay Jacob-Ellis, who tried to show off 4 years ago at the finish line, fell down, and finished with a silver.

I'm not familiar with our figure skaters, but that will soon change because coverage of that event goes 24/7 once the games begin. I'll still tune it at times. I especially like some of the skiiing, such as the men's downhill (one of my earliest Olympic memories is Franz Klammer winning it in wild fashion back in 1976). The luge and tobaggon can be fun to watch, and also the ski jumping. Speed skating is kind of boring, and hockey just doesn't cut it anymore since 1980 when our true amateurs beat the Russians.

Well, That Stunk!

Thought we had the makings of a Super Bowl blowout after the first quarter, but the Colts really let this one get away. I thought the Colts lost this one in the final minute of the first half. When they stopped the Saints at 4th and goal, that was huge. But then they went all conservative and went 3 and out, giving the Saints time to get a field goal and swing the momentum back their way. I think that gave the coach more confidence to go for the onside kick to start the half, which was a huge gamble that paid off.

Did Drew Brees have an incomplete pass in the second half? He just totally picked apart the Colts pass defense. Manning couldn't get anything going either, only tried the long ball a couple times. He then had his Brett Favre moment at the end with that horrendous interception for a touchdown. They just couldn't get things to click the second half, but the Saints were totally unstoppable. But it didn't help as it seemed the Colts really never let their offense loose. Way too conservative play calling on the part of the coach.

As for the other part of the game:

• In the group I was with, everyone laughed the most at the Dorito's commercial where the dog puts the shock collar on the guy at the park bench. That was good.
• The "casual Friday" commercial was also pretty good.
• A good chunk of the commercials were pretty lame. How many did Budweiser have? They sure had a bunch.
• So, what was all the big deal over the Tim Tebow ad? That was much ado about nothing. Unless you knew the story behind the ad, you probably had know idea what it was even about.
• I wish Danica Patrick wouldn't attach herself to the risque Go Daddy commercials. That's when we always have to distract our kids.
• I'd say the halftime show with The Who was possibly the worst show in quite a while. I wasn't sure Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend were going to make it through their set. Just not a whole lot of energy.

So, another successful season for the Colts. They've won more games than any other team over the last 10 years. That should be commended. However, in that same span, Tom Brady has won 3 Super Bowls and Ben Roethlesberger has won 2.

Oscar Nominations

This year, a total of 10 movies were nominated for Best Picture. I've seen two of the nominees thus far, so I'll need to get busy in time for the Oscars on March 7. The nominees are:

• Avatar - I'm the only one on the planet who hasn't seen it yet.
• The Hurt Locker - However, very few on the planet saw this, as it made less than Avatar made in one hour, but it's supposed to be very good. The director, Kathryn Bigelow, used to be married to James Cameron, director of Avatar. Can you imagine if she beats him out, since his movie has made so much money?
• Precious - I don't care if I see this one, no matter how tastefully it deals with incest.
• Up in the Air - Not a single person I've talked to has really liked this movie.
• The Blindside - On the other hand, every single person I've talked to has really liked this movie; I'll try and check it out; heard Sandra Bullock is especially good.
• Inglourious Basterds - I did see this one and it was sort of odd; not the action movie you may be expecting, but lots of long dialogue scenes with quick bursts of violence, and it rewrites the ending of WWII. Not a boring movie, but not one I'd consider great, either.
• Up - Pixar can do no wrong.
• District 9 - Cool sci-fi film from South Africa; very well done, I liked it a lot.
• An Education - Please raise your hand if you've heard of this movie.
• A Serious Man - Again, please raise your hand if you've heard of this movie.