Roasting at the Pulse Fest

This weekend was the annual World Pulse Festival, which has become a HUGE Christian music festival in South Bend, topping out last year at 40,000 and probably had a lot more this year. Also, it was very, very hot. The festival itself was on Saturday, but the night before our church hosted a Pre-Pulse party for some churches from Michigan and for a couple in Ohio. The Ohio churches being those lead by Benjamin and Tom and Paula, so it was nice having them up here again this year.

We fed everyone pizza then had a road rally/scavenger hunt around town (Paula's team was the only one that got lost). This was followed by a concert by a group from northern Michigan called Outshined. The lead singer is the brother-in-law of our pastor's wife. This group is pretty good and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. At some point (I think) everyone actually went to bed. We housed everyone at the church and our youth building.

After breakfast Saturday morning, we headed over to the festival site. I had to work Saturday morning, so I couldn't go right away. By the time I got there, Mandisa was performing (the one from American Idol). She was pretty good, although I'm not crazy about the Gospel style she does, but she's a good performer. A group called C3 had already performed, although no one I talked to was all that crazy about them.

Mandisa was followed by Skillet. I like some of their stuff and they did a good job, I just wasn't overwhelmed. Kutless performed last year and has a similar style, but I liked them much better. The crowd wasn't all that much into it either.

What I was waiting for was the next act, Toby Mac. I'd never seemed him solo, but saw him twice when he was lead singer of DC Talk. That group was one of the best live acts I ever saw. As a solo artist, he didn't disappoint. Backed by the "Diverse City" band, they put on a wonderful show. Full of energy and a wide variety of rap, hip-hop and funk. The crowd was really energized by his performance and I'd love to see him again.

After that was Casting Crowns. Yeah right, like we're going to listen to this group after Toby Mac. We left before they even came on. I'm sure they did just fine.

Olympics off to a Good Start

I have been impressed by the coverage thus far with the Olympics. Everytime I tuned in over the weekend, I saw a lot of actual competition, and not a bunch of filler. NBC is doing really well and I hope they keep it up.

There have already been a few exciting moments.

• The women's sweep of the fencing event, which featured a local Notre Dame student getting the gold medal;
• Last night the mens 4 x 100 swim relay team shutting down (and shutting up) the French team, keeping Michael Phelps 8-gold quest alive;
• The "Redeem Team" taking it to Yao Ming and the Chinese basketball team, which it is said was the most watched sporting event in history;
• The women's gymnastics team qualifying for the team final, even though they were short one gymnast, which left no room for major error.

Then there were the opening ceremonies, which I was both impressed with and somewhat not. They did some spectacular things, but after a while, it started to get a little old. I thought it somewhat humorous when it was said that the Chinese plan to put a man on the moon by 2024. Note to the Chinese: Back in the 1960's, when you were having that little Cultural Revolution and killing millions of your own people, we were going to the moon ourselves. China is a peculiar nation to figure out. Because while they are still communist, they have made incredible strides over the last 20 years and millions have come out of poverty and are having a much better standard of living. Not sure what to make of all that's happening there.

Despite all the technical bravado in lighting the torch, I still found it much more memorable when Janet Evans handed off to Muhammad Ali back in 1996.

Meanwhile, in the Rest of the World

I heard reports mid-morning today about the growing conflict in Georgia, with Russian tanks moving in. Far away on the other side of the world, seemingly no connection for me.

Except, that one of the international students that works for me, named Giorgi, is from there. He was working for me today doing entrance exams for incoming students. I walked over to the testing room to see if he was hearing any news. Sure enough, he was on the computer trying to find something out. The area of conflict, South Ossetia, is not far from his family. He said simply, "This is not good."

Okay, China, Game On!

Alright, time for this repressive regime to show us what they got. I think the high ranking government officials will be glad when it's all over, because a lot of warts are going to be exposed. Although, you do have to give them credit. They said they would allow protests, as long as said protesters formally applied for a "permit" and would agree to a location far removed from the action. Uh huh, real open government here.

I don't think the pictures you see on t.v. of the pollution does it justice. From what I read, it is really, really (really) bad. The government says they have a back-up plan if the pollution gets too bad. Uh, what would that be? Just move everything down to Australia?

I can see one of the hot selling souvenier items being some sort of oxygen mask with the Beijing Olympic logo on it. Hmm, would it be "Made in China?" Look for the late night talk show hosts to be ruthless on this.

A Return to Church Camp

A couple weeks ago, Dorene and the kids went to family camp at the Wesleyan campground in Fairmount, Indiana (James Dean territory). I couldn't go because of a busy week at work. However, I was able to go down on Friday evening and stay until the camp concluded on Sunday. This was my first church camp venture in about 25 years, which was a staple growing up.

My very first camp experience would have been in Pennsylvania, but I remember nothing about it. When we lived in Arizona, I vaguely remember going to some place called Watsonville, and not really enjoying it all that much. Maybe we also went somewhere else? I can't really remember.

But in California, I remember it well. We spent a few years of family camp at a place called Canyon Meadows, which at the time was a brand new campground, complete with 4-hole golf course, huge cloverleaf-shaped pool, and motel room accommodations. I enjoyed this place a lot. The junior camp accommodations were literally covered wagons with bunk beds, they were pretty cool . . .except I never stayed there. I always stayed in the air conditioned comfort with mom and dad (by choice). I remember for two years a husband and wife team led the junior camp. I think the Caruthers or something like that? They were great and they may have visited our home church at Pixley a time or two.

When I got into the 7th grade, I got to go to teen camp, which took place at a camp called Quaker Meadow. Very rustic, very old accommodations, but as a teen, who cares? These were some very fun times at this camp, which was nestled up high in the mountains in California. One year, the speaker for the week was Marvin Price, our former pastor in Arizona. For a couple years, we had this wild and crazy youth pastor from central California named John Calcote, who was a huge hit. Dad, who was always the camp director, always found it humorous to blast "The Chipmunks" from the loudspeaker to wake everyone up in the morning. During these years, I was always the reigning ping-pong champion. We played on old warped tables with balls probably obtained from the dollar store. I could never lower myself to playing in such conditions now, since I reguarly play on $2,000 Butterfly tables.

But as for family camp this year, it was very enjoyable the couple days I was there. The kids absolutely loved it and we'll definitely be going back now. I imagine for the next several years, this will be our family vacation, which is fine with me.

Ping Pong Diplomacy

Sports Illustrated had a recent article on the so-called "ping pong diplomacy" that took place between China and the US in the early 1970's. A chance meeting between a Chinese and American player set the groundwork for relations between the two countries to change dramatically. It's an interesting article.

I asked Dan Seemiller from the South Bend Table Tennis club if he was a part of this, but he indicated he was on the U.S. junior team and this all took place just before his time on the world stage. Although he said he played Glenn Cowan once and beat him (Cowan is the American player featured in the article).

I read that the arena being used at the Beijing Olympics was designed "specifically with table tennis in mind." Kinda shows you that the Chinese take this sport seriously.

Rethinking Future Plans

A couple nights ago as I was tucking him in, Cameron said he knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. He said he wanted to be one of those "war people" that fights battles. He wanted to lead the way and be up front.

Anna told him, "Uh, you will die. Who do you think gets shot first? The person up front...DUH." Cameron thought about this for a minute then said, "Well, I guess I don't know what I want to do when I grow up."

A Movie That Lives Up to the Hype

I went into "The Dark Knight" with fairly high expectations. I really enjoyed "Batman Begins" and how the whole franchise was basically rebooted. Christian Bale made a great Batman and helped put the George Clooney fiasco behind us.

The new one didn't disappoint. In fact, maybe it was even better than I expected. It's long, but it doesn't feel like it as it zips along. There was lots of action, but it didn't override the story, which presents some interesting moral dilemmas and clearly suggests real world parallels. And what a great cast. Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhall, Aaron Eckart, and, of course, Heath Ledger.

His last performance has certainly gotten a lot of the hype, and I gotta hand it to him, he pulled it off. I haven't seen much of Ledger's movies. He was in "A Knight's Tale" and "The Patriot." But neither of those movies would remotely suggest he was up to this role. Sad that a role that would have launched him into the stratosphere of Hollywood turned out to be his last. I wouldn't have guessed it would be very easy to forget Jack Nicholson's take on the Joker in the Michael Keaton version, but Ledger made you do just that, although his performance is a much darker version of the Joker. There's already talk of him winning a supporting actor Oscar posthumously, and I don't see why not.

Sports Story of the Year? I Hope.

Wow, this Dara Torres is amazing. 41 years old and she qualifies for the Olympics two years after having a baby. She qualified by beating out other women half her age. I read that she has been undergoing voluntary drug testing very often, to dispel any rumors that at that age, she must be taking something.

It's a great story, and I hope she medals in Beijing and that she is clean. We don't need another Marion Jones, Floyd Landis, etc. giving multiple denials only to recant when the evidence proves otherwise. This will be one story to watch in what promises to be an exciting Olympics (if one can wade through all the gymnastics coverage and individual profiles of each gymnast and their pets).

It's the Principle

I was running really low on gas this morning. There's a gas station on the edge of town that I've never stopped at before, so I pulled in since the needle was deep into the red zone and touching the "e."

However, upon pulling in, I notice to my horror that I would have to go inside and pay first before pumping the gas. There was no pay at the pump. This is 2008 and there are still gas stations that haven't joined the rest of humanity in this endeavor.

So, I got back in my car and went up the road a little further, not totally convinced how much further I could really go. But I made it and filled up . . . using the comfort of my debit card and not having to go inside and use the long forgotten phrase, "give me $$ on pump 4."

Wesley for VP? Probably not.

I'm thinking that Wesley Clark is no longer on any short list for Obama's VP. His comments on McCain probably did him in. He said that being in that fighter plane and being shot down does not qualify one to be president. Now, actually, that is true. Being a prisoner for 5+ years doesn't qualify you either. Nor does refusing early release so you don't leave any other fellow Americans behind. None of that indeed is an automatic qualifier to be president.

But, do you think Obama wants Clark out there saying that stuff? Nope. I don't think Clark will be welcome campaigning on behalf of Obama anymore. In fact, I'm sure at some point Obama will say, "That is not the Wesley Clark I knew."

A Long Week (but worth it)

This past week, our church hosted Vacation Bible School. We're a church with an average of about 60, so this is a rather large undertaking and basically required everyone to get involved. For the most part, everyone was involved one way or another.

Throughout the week, we had 30 kids, the best part being that 15 of those were unchurched kids from the community. The Bible school itself was a rather traditional program, thrown together by a lot of people not entirely experienced in this area. Each night we had separate sessions for crafts, music, games and Bible stories. The kids had a blast. We ended on Thursday night with a carnival in our parking lot, in which all the parents were also invited. This gave all of us and our pastor a great opportunity to connect with the parents. We even had some people just stop by to see what all was happening (the live pony rides may have had something to do with it).

It was a tiring week, and we are all glad it's done. But we made some great connections in the community. Will we see any of these kids again until next summer? Maybe, maybe not. But once that seed is planted, you never know.

When Hillary Came to South Bend (the rest of the story)

Back in April, during her "Last Gasp Tour" for the presidency, I went to see Hillary Clinton when she came to town. I was able to get up real close and at the end, get her autograph as she was making her way out. There was more to how I was able to get real close, and as Paul Harvey would have said, " . . .and now, the rest of the story."

While I stood in line for Hillary, some of her campaign workers were making their way down the line and asking for volunteers to step out of line and have a chance for a "red ticket." This red ticket would get you on the field and closer to Hillary, instead of just being in the stands (but no, it wouldn't get me in to see Willie Wonka).

But to get a red ticket, you had to stand there with a small group of Hillary supporters and yell out "HILLARY" while the other group yelled out "CLINTON" and back and forth. After watching a group of people do this, I'm thinking, no way, not gonna happen. So, the volunteers continued their way down the line.

Meanwhile, I kept waiting for the gates to open. A bit later, the campaign volunteers came back again asking for more people wanting a chance to get on the field. So this time, I'm thinking, what the heck, when will I ever get this chance again? So, I walk over with a group to get my coveted red ticket.

Here then, is the scenario: Rick Dennie, lifelong Republican, is standing with a group of Democrats yelling out the name of one of the more despised people to ever cross paths with the GOP. Just so I could get a closer look at this person with a last name that drives conservatives crazy.

It's just about now that mom and dad are probably rewriting their will.

College World Series

I hadn't exactly been paying attention to this event, but headlines today caught my eye. The finals are between two bulldogs. Those from the University of Georgia and those from Fresno State University. The Fresno State team has been unranked all year long and beat the #2 team in the nation, North Carolina. The pitcher that sealed the win to get into the series was a transfer student from the College of the Sequoias, located in Visalia, California. When I'm reading this stuff, it's like, hey, I know where that's at!

I may have to check in on these bulldogs and see how they do.

Father's Day

Yesterday was my last Father's Day as a father of 2. Will be adding #3 in the fall. Didn't really do anything all that special. We came home from church and I grilled some sausages and dogs, then just hung out and played with the kids and (real) dogs. For dinner, we pulled out all the stops and had a Tombstone pizza.

Actually, my Father's Day treat came the night before. I said I didn't want to go out and eat on Sunday, but wanted to just spend time with my family doing something else. So, we went to the Tri-Way Drive-in, located in Plymouth, and saw "Kung Fu Panda." For a kids movie, it was actually pretty good. It featured the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, and several others. I liked it and the kids certainly did. The place was packed on a Saturday night. There are three screens, although the one playing "You Don't Miss with the Zohan" was pretty sparse. We'll probably have to return to see the new Pixar movie, "Wall E" in a few weeks. The ABBA movie, "Mamma Mia" opens soon. But I'll probably have to go visit Curt to see that, because I don't think anyone else is much of an ABBA fan in my family.

I watched quite a bit of the Lakers-Celtics and was about to go to bed when the Lakers built a pretty good lead with just a few minutes to go. I had switched channels and just before heading to bed turned back, and the Celtics were suddenly just down by 2. The Lakers, after such a collossal choke in the previous game, should have learned how to close out a game. They were lucky to win this one. I would assume the Celtics will finish them off in Boston, but the Lakers could catch fire and stretch it to a game 7, but I just don't see them winning two in Boston.

I'll Miss Russert

This election cycle will definitely be missing something with the sudden death of Tim Russert. He was one of my favorite commentators and who can ever forget his now famous dry erase board with "Florida, Florida, Florida" during the 2000 election. I always looked forward to hearing his analysis. He'll be a hard one to replace.

On Top of the (South Bend) Table Tennis World

Last night, for the first time in my 3 years of playing at the South Bend Table Tennis Club, I finally got to play at the #1 table. I had won the #2 table the previous week, so I had earned the right to move up. There are some really good players at the club, and I had no illusions about actually winning a match against any of them, and I didn't.

However, I did win one game off each of them, which was what I set out to do, although I didn't know if it would happen with them. I just wanted to hang tough with them ("Yo, Adrian, if I can just go the distance . . .").

My USATT rating is 1310, and I won games against those with a rating of 1544, 1627, 1881, 2048, and 2230. The player with the 2230 rating is Dan Seemiller, Jr., the son of the 10-time US national champion. His dad kinda gave him a hard time, "Rick won a game off of YOU?!" It is fun playing against such top-notch players and also fun seeing their reaction when a hack such as myself steals a game from them. In the deciding game, Dan Seemiller, Jr. won quite decisively in a game that was his way of saying, "that last game was a mirage."

Next week, I'll be back down to a lower table and will have to fight my way back up. But it was nice on this one night to be playing against the big guns.

Notes from the Sports World

Stanley Cup - I watched the last two minutes of the finals last night. Detroit won it against the Penguins from Pittsburgh. Okay, I was waiting for the news to come on, that's why I was watching hockey on t.v. Hockey is only enjoyable when seen live, when you can really hear the guys getting crunched against the glass.

Lakers v. Celtics - Certainly brings back memories of the Bird v. Johnson match-ups in the 80's. I remember watching those finals and they were definitely exciting. I'm not sure if this one will live up to the hype. I have a feeling the Lakers could take Boston out in 4. If Kobe gets hot, it's all over, and I'm not sure if Boston will be able to contain him or not.

Belmont Stakes - I only watch horse racing this time of year, in particular when a Triple Crown is at stake. Big Brown is going for it this year. Based on his performance in the Preakness, he should easily win. But then again, so should have several other horses over the years, who easily won the first two races, which is why there hasn't been a Triple Crown winner since 1978. That year was Affirmed v. Alydar, which I followed very closely. Affirmed won the Belmont Stakes literally by a nose. I was a big Alydar fan, so I was disappointed. Actually, I was very disappointed because I didn't see the race live. For some the reason, the local CBS affiliate in California didn't run the race.

Baseball - Cub fans around here are excited once again. They are in first place. So are the White Sox, but they aren't the loyal diehards that Cub fans are. Could this be their year? This will be the 100th anniversary of the last time they won a World Series, so what better time than to break through. I'm sure somewhere Steve Bartman is hoping for redemption. If they do get to the World Series, it would be justice served to have him throw out the first pitch.

Little Sis on the Way

Yesterday, on our anniversary no less, Dorene had an ultrasound to find out the gender of our new baby. Turns out we'll be having a girl. Which is actually what we were both hoping for, although it didn't really matter. Anna called me at work to tell me the news, a far cry from when she totally freaked out when first hearing we were having a baby. She's getting more and more excited about it, just won't necessarily admit it. Cameron has already stated he'll do absolutely anything for the new baby, and he probably will. He'll be a good big brother.

So, now we'll see if we the parents finally begin realizing that, hey, we have a kid on the way. Still hasn't completely sunk in. We haven't run out and bought much of anything, save for a playpen at a garage sale. We're kinda waiting this one out to see what all we need because several people in our church have already given us things, and this kid doesn't need to have 3 outfits a day like we had for Anna when she was born.

Back to our anniversary, yesterday was 13 years, and each one of those years just keeps getting better. We celebrated by going to the new Texas Roadhouse that opened up recently (good stuff). Our pastor watched our kids for us so we could have the night to ourselves. I did get an anniversary present. Anna bought me a box of "Dots" which is one of my favorite candy.

My 25-Year High School Reunion

I just realized this year would be my 25 year class reunion at Tulare Union High School in California. Wow, it's really been that long! If they are having a reunion, I didn't get any notice about it. Although, I kinda figure I wouldn't be going anyway, seeing as it's all the way across the country. Furthermore, I can't say there's anyone I'd be dying to catch up with and see what they are doing these days.

However, that doesn't mean high school was an unenjoyable experience. I actually rather enjoyed my high school and while I was glad to graduate, I didn't leave behind bad memories. I had relatively no friends, but I was an independent spirit anyway and didn't need anyone around me. I associated with many fellow students at school, just not outside of school.

As for the teachers, there were some good ones and some not so good ones. But there were three in particular that when I think back, were actually rather influential:

• Mr. King: I had him for world and U.S. history. I had always enjoyed history but Mr. King made it come alive. He was always good at bringing up relatively obscure facts about historical events that I enjoy. I always remember first hearing from him how Andrew Jackson walked over to a would-be assassin and beat him up with a cane.
  
• Mrs. Walters: I had her for speech and dramatic literature my senior year. Although I was comfortable being on stage, these two classes made it even more so and the next year I'd begin the first of many dramatic productions in college. In this class, I gave a very anti-evolution speech that even the pro-evolution crowd enjoyed.
  
• Mr. Shelburne: I had him for political science my senior year. I'd always been interested in the political process, but Mr. Shelburn really made it interesting. One of our class requirements was to get involved in a local political campaign. I volunteered for the campaign to re-elect Congressman Chip Pashayan. Went to a campaign rally and later that day walked door to door with him. Lots of fun and I've been hooked to the political scene ever since.

But as for that 25th year reunion, I'll just be staying home. Dorene has her 20th reunion coming up, and it's a $40.00 a person affair at a local banquet hall. She's skipping that too.

McClellan Talks

I hear Scott McClellan, the former press secretary, just came out with a book. I always felt that of all the former Bush staff that would be writing their memoirs, he is one that would have a lot of interesting things to say. Evidently, he does, and it's not too complimentary of the Bush administration. There will be a ton of post-Bush material out there in the next year or so, but McClellan's book is one that I will certainly make a point to read.

Indy Returns

Saw the new "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" tonight. Unfortunately, I would call it a rather major disappointment. Maybe that was inevitable, given that it's been almost 20 years from the last one. But this just didn't have the zip or humor of previous installments. The plot was very confusing at times and I wasn't always sure what they were doing and why. The theatre was full and there was very little reaction from the crowd.

The movie was set in 1957, which may also have taken away from the enjoyment, since we were used to seeing Indy battle Nazis. Was just strange seeing him in a more modern setting. Harrison Ford looked good, but the movie overall just didn't grip like the others.

One of the cable networks was replaying all the other Indiana Jones movies recently, and I'd often watch part of them. Boy, those were good. Especially the first one. I have always considered "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as my single most enjoyable movie-going experience. I saw it before it went into general release as a sneak preview. You had to first sit through the 80's masterpiece "Take This Job and Shove it" (huh, never heard of it)? Then, you got to see this new movie, of which I knew nothing more than it was a Lucas/Spielberg collaboration. But wow, what a movie. I don't think I've ever been to a movie that had the crowd so into it. It was great. I went back and saw this in the theatres 4 more times, mainly so I could be there and witness the crowd reaction when Indy shot that master swordsman.

A Late Night at Work

It's 10:15 p.m. and I'm still "working." IU South Bend is a test site for ACT, so I oversee several different tests throughout the year. Tonight, I'm doing the Automotive Service Excellence exam, whcih is kind of funny when you consider my car expertise (hey, I just give the test, I don't grade it). Luckily, no one has ever asked me to clarify a question, because, I mean, what would I tell them? "Uh, yeah, I think in that particular questions they are referring to the actual diameter of the rear axel in relation to the turbine cooling power of the piston rods."

So why do these tests? Well, they pay me pretty good to read instructions, then sit here, make sure no one is cheating, and, well, type in my blog.

We Just Want to Help!

It's mind-boggling what power can do to you. In Myanmar, thousands are dead and thousands more are in desperate need of food and supplies and the military junta is dragging its feet letting aid workers in. Those in power don't want to seem like they don't have control over their people. These kinds of things shouldn't be political, but they are. China could certainly play a role here if they chose to, we'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I read that the military junta did specifically request World Vision to come in and help. I thought that was pretty cool.

Missed Voting Yesterday

I didn't get to vote yesterday, and I believe it's the first time since I cast my first vote (as an absentee) for Ronald Reagan in 1984. I thought the polls closed at 7:00 but it was 6:00. I tried to get back to town in time, but to no avail.

But on the Republican side, there wasn't much to vote on anyway. Mark Souder cruised. Beyond that, wasn't much else. McCain squeaked by, so my vote wasn't needed there. I was glad to see Jill Long-Thompson make it through for governor.

Hillary barely won Indiana but hasn't indicated she'll drop out. It's kind of humorous in a perverse pro-Republican sort of way to see how Democrats are turning on her. Back in January, she was the "it" girl. The presidency was hers for the taking, and how dare anyone criticize her. Now, my fellow co-workers who were praising her name back then are saying how selfish she is for staying in. I mean, they really have turned on her and for years they thought she was the greatest.

Does Hillary realize what she's doing to the party? Her money is pretty much drying up, which should force her to abandon her quest soon. I'm sure that her and Bill just haven't come to terms with the fact their own party is telling them no. Is this a "vast left wing conspiracy" at work? It may be time for her to pack the bags and go back to New York (and hope Obama loses so she can return in 2012 as the "inevitable candidate").

My Consolation Prize

I'm about ready to go to bed. Pretty worn out from a long day of table tennis. Played a total of 9 matches today at the St. Joseph Valley Open, a large annual tournament held at my workplace, IU South Bend.

I didn't win any trophies this time, much to the dismay of Cameron, who came to see me win a trophy. He said I did terrible and as we left, he asked if I was done playing forever (doggone it, he wanted daddy to get that trophy). I told him I played well, was proud of that, you don't always get a trophy, and all that other teachable moment stuff you're supposed to instill in your kids.

I could never quite close the deal today. Three times, I lost to much higher rated players in 5 games. Had I won those, my rating would have really jumped. As it was, it might go up a tad, but not much. My most frustrating loss was to this older guy that I was convinced I would not lose to. I was still convinced I wouldn't lose even as I sat there having lost 3 games to 0. I have no idea what happened there (and a fellow member from the South Bend club, who is very good, also lost to this guy and didn't know how).

Steve had a good day, particularly against a couple of rather poor sports. His rating should jump up. I was late to my match against the old guy because I wanted to see Steve beat one of those poor sports, which he did in 5 games, helped along by a rather amazing return of a smash which the other guy still probably isn't sure how he returned.

Anna had already been thinking ahead. She went to a friend's house but told Dorene to take something to daddy in case he didn't win a trophy. It was a supersize Charms Blow Pop.

It did taste good.

Summer Movies

The brainless summer movie season officially kicks off this weekend with "Iron Man." That one looks like it might be pretty good, although I'm a little leery of comic book movies because there are so many of them now. There's new versions of "Hulk" and "Hellboy" on the way too.

What I'm waiting for is the new "Indiana Jones." The preview looks great. Then the other one I'm most excited about seeing is "The Dark Knight," which takes on a rather poignant tone with Heath Ledger passing away earlier.

Other movies may be hit and miss. There's a version of "Get Smart" with Steve Carrell that could be really funny . . .or really dumb. Of course, the kids will want to see the new Pixar movie, "Wall-E," and no one will want to go with me to see "Mamma Mia," the ABBA musical (they are one of all my all-time favorite groups). A new X Files movies is coming out, although I wonder what appeal that'll have now so long after the series heyday, and how the series kinda fizzled out.

Last year was the summer of Part 3 movies, and most were pretty weak. I haven't heard much of anything else coming out, but definitely I'll be there for Indiana Jones and Batman. Of course, there's also "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" which has to win the award for the sequel absolutely no one was crying out for.

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.

Vacation's Over

I took this past week off, because it was spring break for Anna and Cameron. Packed in quite a bit over the nine days.

On Easter Sunday, we had the pastor and his family out for dinner. That would be a total of 4 adults and 10 kids. It was a lot of fun. Their kids and ours get along great and they stayed for quite a while (pastor and I watched the great Memphis v. Texas A & M game).

On Monday and Tuesday, me and the kids headed to Fort Wayne to spend time with mom and dad. Had the always great noodle dinner on Monday night with Steve and Pam, Tom and Paula, and Benjamin also in attendance. On Tuesday, mom and Anna went to see "National Treasure 2" while dad and Cameron went to Menards (Cameron didn't think he got the short end of the stick here, he loves going there).

Tuesday night I went with Steve to the Ft. Wayne table tennis club and played great. Later that week, I went to the South Bend club and played terribly. Although I did have a breakthrough against one player that I'd never beaten before. Although that excitement was quickly tempered when I found out later he was playing with his opposite hand.

On Friday after Dorene got off work, we headed to Pokagon State Park in Angola. Stayed at the Potawatomi Inn there and we all had a wonderful time. The kids swam and swam and we explored the whole park. We plan to return again when it warms up more and there are even more things to do. We'll also go there during Christmas break (already got the reservations).

Now, I have to get back in work mode. Being off a week is nice, but makes it kinda hard to get back to the normal routine. It was a good week off, and I was able to focus a lot of attention on the kids and wore them out pretty good.

We Had a "Blast"

Friday evening, Dorene and I sent the kids off to Grammy's house and we had a rare night out on the town. After eating at Papa Vino's a wonderful local Italian restaurant, we headed downtown to the Morris Performing Arts Centre for a performance of "Blast."

This was a very cool production, which consisted of a group of brass and percussion players doing all sorts of things. Some particularly amazing percussion segments, especially the drum solo to end all drum solos, in whichere you had one guy and one snare drum. Before he was done, he was somehow playing with one hand and the other stick was balanced on his ear (yeah, you just had to see it).

Parts of the production kinda reminded me of "Stomp" which is probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. "Blast" originated from a drum and bugle corps known as "Star of Indiana," which has won national and world recognition. If you ever get a chance to catch this show, I highly recommend it.

Hmm

My wife works in the public schools and they have the day off today for Good Friday. My kids attend a Christian school and they do not have the day off.

NCAA Picks

I haven't really followed college basketball much this year except when they fired Kelvin Sampson from IU. I always fill out a bracket at work, but never do very well. So, here's my shot at it this year. Either I will come across as brilliant or just another hack who thinks he knows something others don't (I'd go with the latter).

Final 8 Teams
Memphis - Stanford
UCLA - Duke
Notre Dame - Louisville
Kansas - USC

We then have a PAC-10 dominated Final Four with Louisville-USC and Stanford-UCLA. Which then takes us to an all-California match-up in the championship game with UCLA prevailing over cross-town rival USC by a score of 68-60.

This year's Cinderella teams will be Oral Roberts University and Siena (both 13th seeds), one of which will advance to the Sweet 16.

Apple: Use at Your Own Risk

The following message recently came from our information technologies department:

"As a part of the overall campus emergency planning effort, an application has been installed on all campus PC's which will allow campus police and other authorized users to issue emergency alerts through the campus network. When an emergency alert is sent, a pop-up window will appear informing you of the emergency and what steps to take. Currently, there is no way to provide this to on-campus Mac computers."

So hopefully the Mac users will catch on when a tornado strikes and they are the only ones left at their computers, wondering why everyone else left.

Making Tammy Wynette Proud

Once again, a public official steps down after getting caught in some extra-marital activities. Once again, the wife is forced to stand by her man and listen to his apology as the cameras flash away and late night comics have a field day. I always wonder, what are they really thinking?

What happens when they have their first moments alone after the scandal has broke and the husband steps down from office? Is it a teary eyed confessional? Lots of yelling and screaming? A time of healing? Or, perhaps, threats by the wife to take some hedge clippers and inflict permanent damage?

Spring? Maybe?

Maybe, just maybe it'll be spring. I am so tired of winter this year. It seemed to have dragged on and on this time. Our kids are dying to play outside (and we want to be able to send them outside). The dogs want to be out. Let's be done with this cold weather. Today I'm wearing a sweater and turtleneck which I hope will be for the last time.

I'll Do It My Way

Recently, I took Cameron to a birthday party for one of his classmates at a skating rink. I strapped skates on the little tike and told him to go at it. I think it possibly took him 20 minutes to make one pass around the rink. He would go about 1 foot, maybe two, and plop down. Up again, down again, and so on. Needless to say, it was pretty funny to watch.

However, Cameron got lots of offers for help. He had adults coming to help him, and junior high and high school girls coming to the aid of this little kid. But in each instance, Cameron waived them off. He refused any help. He was going to conquer this on his own. So he kept his up again, down again routine all afternoon. By the end, he was actually moving around fairly well. He told me later that, "Daddy, lots of people came to help me but I told them NO!"

We're finding out that Cam has just a wee bit competitive spirit in him.

Idiot Alert

We have one of those underground, invisible fences for our dogs. If I'm ever asked if they are worth it, the answer is . . . .yes. They work extremely well. Although, for a while, our rat terrier was so traumatized she'd just stand out in the middle of the yard and not move, afraid of getting zapped if she moved.

This weekend, one of the collars came off. I found it at the edge of the driveway and was walking back to the house with it. Suddenly, I felt a couple jolts running through me. Yeah, I was holding onto the sensors of the collar that put out the jolt. Took a few of them before I realized that maybe I shouldn't hold the collar like that. It was a pretty good jolt, so I can sympathize with Daphne the Rat Terrier when she gets zapped.

Upon hearing the news of this, Cameron just laughed and laughed and informed me that he'd be telling everyone at school how his daddy got zapped.

Hillary's Last Stand

For a candidate on the ropes and needing to really rise to the occasion, Hillary chose a very peculiar issue to pounce on at the debate earlier this week. Her "Why do I always get the first question?" mini-tirade did not make any sense, then bringing in "Saturday Night Live" made even less sense.

It's another version of her vast right-wing conspiracy theory. She has until next Tuesday to make her case, then it's over if she doesn't do extremely well in Ohio and Texas. If Hillary doesn't become President, it won't be due to the Republicans, but because her own party told her no. I look for some interesting behind the scenes stories to come out if her campaign ends.

Still Waking Up from the Oscars . . .

Still half asleep from not getting home until after midnight due to the annual Oscar party. Although today is a snow day for my kids and I get to stay home, too, so that's helping.

I had my lowest score ever in this year's pool, missing 14 categories, which may be an all-time record for futility at this gathering. In fact, everyone had a bad night because there were a lot of surprises, especially in the technical categories.
Most of the acting categories went as expected (especially for the guys). The one surprise was for supporting actress, which went undeservedly to Tilda Swinton, a weak role in a weak movie. I still wanted Ellen Page to win best actress for Juno, but they gave it to the woman who played the French singer in a movie a couple people saw.

I thought Jon Stewart did a very good job, much better than his first time out. The show was pretty lean, kept moving without a whole lot of filler, and no Randy Newman! My favorite part of the show was the performance of "Falling Slowly" from the excellent movie "Once." It was nice they gave the girl a second chance to give an acceptance speech, because they were really cutting off folks this year. None of the other acceptance speeches were all that memorable, except maybe one of the Coen brothers who just couldn't talk either time he was up there.

Each year, our host, Carolyn, serves up a variation of her homemade cheesecake. This year's recipe was some triple or quadruple chocolate concoction that was very good as always and gave us that extra buzz to make it through the show. We typically serve this during the lengthy special Oscar presentation to some old person that has never won before and they need to give them an honorary award before they die (this year went to some 98 year-old produce who looked and sounded pretty good for his age).

Or, we eat it during the what we call the "dead people montage" when we all are like, "Oh, THAT PERSON died last year?" Yeah, I know this is supposed to be a time for us to reflect on those we've lost, but it usually stoops to sarcasm and mock disbelief when some obscure set designer from the 60's comes up and we're like, "Oh no, you mean the set designer from "Gigi" passed away?" We always take a quick poll to see what dead person will get the biggest applause. Didn't seem to be any standout dead person this time, maybe Heath Ledger.

An unintentionally funny moment came when they ran through all the Best Picture winners since 1929. For some reason, Carolyn's TV cut off the first couple letters on the left hand side of the screen. So, we were borderline hysterical as they ran through the list and we were just cracking up with titles like "ocky" "liver" "rash" "ramer v. Kramer" "hariots of fire" and "andhi".

Carolyn won the Oscar pool this year. Her picks of "The Bourne Ultimatum" to win in three categories put her over the top.

My Oscar Predictions

What do Ebert, Roeper, and all the other critics have on me? Hey, nothing. By golly, I won the pool at Carolyn's Oscar Night Party last year. So, take that! Glad the writer's strike is over, because otherwise this show would've not taken place, and I do look forward to it, event though it's an eclectic bunch of movie folks and a gathering that Dorene went to once and swore she'd never do again (hey, we like our movies, what can I say).

Best Picture
"Juno" - This is who I want to win. By far the lightest of the nominees. I went into this with very low expecations and loved it. Great writing and a great cast all around, led by a super performance by Ellen Page. This movie will easiliy win Best Original Screenplay because the writing was a true standout.

"There Will be Blood" - A straightforward, yet very odd movie at times. Hard to describe. Strange soundtrack. Very long, but held my interest throughout. People seem to either like or strongly dislike this movie. I very much liked it. This movie will probably also pick up a lesser award like Cinematography or Art Direction.

"Atonement" - A much better movie than I was expecting. Figured it was just some sort of Jane Austen adaptation, but much more. A story of false accusations at some upper class mansion, then it switches gears and you have this well done sequence at Dunkirk. This movie should win Best Original Score, which was good, although "There Will be Blood" had the most unusual one I think I've ever heard (but it wasn't nominated).

"No Country for Old Men" - This is the movie that's favored to win. It is very good . . .but not all the way through. It's got an infuriating ending. Well, it doesn't end, it just stops, and quite abruptly. If someone tells you they like this movie, ask them about the ending. There's no way anyone can say they were happy with it.

"Michael Clayon" - Kind of a disappointment. I found this hard to follow at times and just wasn't always sure what was going on. I wanted to like it, but just didn't really connect with it. The movie thought it was good, but I didn't.

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis should easily win. His was a true standout performance. I enjoyed Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah", which was a movie that absolutely no one saw. Viggo Mortensen had the scene of the year in "Eastern Promises." If you haven't seen this movie, you'll know it when it happens. George Clooney just won a couple years ago, so he has no chance. I didn't see Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Toddy" nor did I care to.

Best Actress
My pick is Ellen Page for "Juno." She truly made the movie. She's too young to win, so that's why the favorite is Julie Christine, who played an Alzheimer's patient in "Away from Her." This is one of those "Oscar" performances that I just didn't buy into and her role wasn't all that large. I haven't seen any of the other nominees in this category.

Best Supporting Actor
No way anyone but Javier Bardem wins for his performance in "No Country for Old Men." His was a truly classic villain. Great performance in a semi-great movie with the previously mentioned, seriously flawed ending. Casey Affleck was good in the very long, meandering, but still somewhat interesting, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford." Tom Wilkinson was the best part in the otherwise disappointing "Michael Clayton," the only other nominee in this category I saw.

Best Supporting Actress
Ruby Dee had a microscopic role in "American Gangster," yet she was still nominated and is kinda favored to win. That movie, by the way, was pretty good, although maybe a bit too long. Good performance by Russell Crowe who had that and "3:10 to Yuma" last year. My choice would be Amy Ryan in "Gone, Baby, Gone" a movie that starts out as a typical missing kid movie but is much, much more. I was very surprised by this one.

Best Original Song
"Enchanted" has three songs nominated, none of which are memorable. The song that will win is "Falling Slowly" from the movie "Once." I absolutely loved this movie and the song is truly memorable. Next to Juno, probably the best movie I saw last year. Both lead characters are wonderful.

Best Documentary
Michael Moore is nominated, but I'm not sure the Academy wants him on stage. So, I'd go with "No End in Sight," which was an excellent documentary on how we botched Iraq, as told by those that were in charge at the time. You will absolutely despise Paul Bremer after watching this. The sad thing is, this documentary shows how we actually could've made it work, but those chances are long gone now.

All Other Categories
As always, winning the Oscar pool usually depends on getting lucky with picking the winners in animated short, live action short, and the other obscure categories. I'm going with "I Met the Walrus" for animated short and "Tanghi Argentini" for live action short. Hey, something has to win!

"Transformers" will win any award for visual effects and probably sound too. I can't believe "The Simpsons Movie" wasn't nominated for animated feature film. That was the best one last year, but that leaves "Ratatouille" as this year's winner, which I thought was one of Pixar's lesser efforts.

Time for Him to Go

Around here at a regional campus of Indiana University, who do you think the "Him" is referring to? Yep, Coach Sampson. The guy was trouble when he came from Oklahoma, and he's been trouble ever since. Can't seem to keep his hands off the phone making those illegal recruitment calls. I think the IU President is just making sure they have all their ducks in a row before they get rid of him. They don't want a lawsuit coming back at them later for improperly firing him (which happened at Ohio State).

Keeping Sampson around will only be deterimental. As long as he is here, he can't be trusted. They risk NCAA sanctions and what basketball recruit would want to come to IU with that cloud hanging over them. I've talked to a few faculty members here and they are adamant that he needs to go NOW. I've heard IU President Michael McRobbie speak a few times and he is a very impressive individual and is going to serve us well. I don't see him putting up with this at all.

So, the next question is, would they do it? That is, would they bring Bobby Knight back for an encore and let him finish out his career at IU? You know that's the buzz going around campus. That would make quite a story. I don't think there's any chance it would happen, but you never know. Imagine this: Bobby Knight comes back and wins the National Championship. Who then would present him the championship trophy? Why, that would be NCAA President Myles Brand, the former IU president who fired Bobby back in 2001.

Goodbye Fidel!

El Presidente announced his resignation today, turning over power to brother Raul. President Bush said he hoped this would speed along Cuba's move to Democracy. I'm wondering though, will the people of Cuba seek our help? We haven't done so hot with making Iraq a democracy. Wondering what the people down there are thinking?

I've never quite understood why we kept Cuba under such an embargo for so long, especially after the fall of the communist bloc. The missle crisis happened almost 50 years ago, it's not like the island nation is a threat. As usual, it's the people that suffered under the decisions made by the powers that be.

Is McCain Really the Devil?

Wow, I can't believe the continued venom being directed at John McCain from the talk radio folks like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Laura Ingrahm (my favorite of the three, which disappoints me). They just seem to think he would be the worst thing to ever happen to this country if he's the nominee. I don't quite get it. I really like McCain and could easily vote for him. No, he won't beat Obama or Clinton, but I think he's a good man that has done very well at reaching out to both parties (I got hard core Democrat co-workers that really like him). Maybe that's the problem.

The Democrats are already divided between their two front-runners. Not sure what good it is for the Republicans to be divided like this also. Although, maybe they are not so divided, it's just that these talk radio personalities get a lot of press. In the primaries, McCain is significantly ahead, so it could be just a lot of hot air that will have no impact, except to maybe keep more Republicans home from the polls on election day.

Mitt Hits the Mat

So now it's McCain. I know, Huckabee is still in there, but won't be for long. Now, McCain can sit back and watch Obama and Clinton battle it out. That is going to be quite a battle too. Not sure either side is too enthusiastic about throwing in the towel.

Would Obama take the VP slot? Perhaps. Would Clinton take it? I don't think there's any way Bill would settle for that. Either way, the party is very divided right now. Whether that helps or hinders them in the coming months, we'll soon find out.

Of course, the Republicans are kinda divided too, especially if you listen to talk radio, where Limbaugh, Coulter, Ingrahm, et al have been lambasting McCain. It'll be an interesting run-up to the election. I don't see how the Republicans could possibly win the White House. That would be like saying the Giants . . . . .

Sorry about that Pats!

Wow, what a finish! Still can't believe the Giants actually pulled this one out. Kept waiting for Brady to hook up on a long pass with Moss and put the game way. Didn't happen. Now, it's back to back Manning family championships. Gotta love it!

Super Bowl

Our church is having a Super Bowl party on Sunday night. Well, I guess I should say we are having a gathering of people from our church in which the television may be turned on and coincidentally be tuned to a broadcast originating from Arizona (there, hopefully that will satisfy the copyright hungry NFL and they won't try and shut us down).

This game will be historic. Either New England will finish 19-0 or it will be the biggest upset since . . . .the other New York team with Joe Namath. I am pulling strongly for the Giants. I'd love to see Peyton's little brother take the mighty Patriots out. Can you imagine the endorsments that would follow? Back to back championships featuring two brothers. Maybe Eli can join in Peyton's "Priceless Pep Talk" commercials, although no one can top Peyton's now classic Saturday Night Live sketch teaching football to those kids.

Then again, the game could be over before halftime, because the Patriots could just totally blow them out (in which case, the game becomes secondary to the commercials). If it's close by the 4th quarter, that doesn't bode well for the Giants. Lots of teams this season got close, but could never put them away. I think the Giants have a shot and I hope they can do it, because I don't really want to see Moss, Belichick, et al celebrate.

Snow Day II

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another snow day today. Twice in one week. Gotta love it. We're all at home again. I'm satisfied now, I like to have at least one snow day a year. For all I care, the groundhog can tell us tomorrow that winter ends next week.

Snow Day!

Dorene scared the crap out of me this morning. She was watching t.v. and suddenly said, "Oh my gosh . . ." I bolted up wondering what was going on, heart beating furiously. She finished her sentence " . . .South Bend schools are canceled today."

A little bit later, the other magical words scrolled across the bottom of the screen, "IU South Bend closed." Hey, even us big kids can still get excited about a snow day.

When the Routine becomes Not So Routine

Our pastor's wife Cheryl was due to give birth to baby number 8 (yes, that freaks us out too). No problems with the previous seven, so she was going in last week to be induced. They had been going through a mid-wife, so while they were at a hospital, it wasn't a regular doctor performing the procedure.

All was well until Cheryl suddenly bolted upright in her bed in intense pain. Her placenta broke and blood literally was gushing everywhere. Pastor Greg later told us he just totally lost it. That would be an understatement, I know I would have totally freaked seeing my wife like that.

Luckily, there just happened to be a party going on in the hospital that day of several doctors and nurses, who normally wouldn't be there. As soon as the placenta broke, she was immediately wheeled down for an emergency c-section. When it was all over, Cheryl and the baby (Lucas David) were fine. But Cheryl lost 40% of her blood, which gives you an idea of how serious it was.

As Greg shared from the pulpit on Sunday, had those doctors not been there, or had this happened at home, then both Cheryl and the baby wouldn't be here today. Cheryl was very pale, but still came to the morning service with the baby. Everything happened so fast with the crisis and delivery that the word didn't even go out right away that they needed prayer, so some people on Sunday morning were hearing about this for the first time (pastor wasn't exactly in a mood to call everyone right away, which was understandable). God had it under control, and all is fine now.

Greg and Cheryl are great parents, and exactly the type that should have a lot of kids. Their other seven are very excited about a new baby brother. As for our daughter Anna? When we asked her about what she thought of the new baby, she said, "It's just a bald thing in a blanket."

A NIght with the Globetrotters

Last night, Cameron and I went to see the Harlem Globetrotters up at Notre Dame. This was a daddy/son night out, and the women had to stay home (much to Cameron's delight, especially not having to share the spotlight with big sis).

I used to watch the Globetrotters every year when they appeared on "Wide World of Sports" back in the 70's. This was the era of Meadowlark Lemon, Curly Neal, and Geese Ausbie. A whole new lineup now, but still very entertaining to watch.

They do much more than just play the game against the hapless Washington Generals. The action virtually stops a times and they have other performers come on. One group in particular were the "Harlem Hi-Flyers," an acrobatic group that were pretty incredible. Also, the Globetrotters always have routines where they bring a kid from the audience to shoot a basket or try to steal the ball, or just clown around. A lot of the routines they do I rememeber from 30 years ago, so they pretty much stick to the same formula. One of my favorite parts was the opening "magic circle" with the famous Globetrotter theme playing. Some pretty impressive ball handling during that time, most of which you didn't typically see in their t.v. appearances.

Cameron's favorite part was when one of the Globetrotters had their pants yanked down and exposed their yellow underwear. He just cackled and later called Grandma Dennie and told her that this was just hilarious. The night may have been just slightly long for him, but overall he really enjoyed it . . .and I enjoyed the one-on-one time with the little tyke.

Just take the Oscar, now

I saw "Juno" over the weekend, and it was much, much better than I was expecting. The star, Ellen Page, has just been nominated for Best Actress. I am not sure I've ever seen a movie when part of the way through I'm like, "yep, just give her the Oscar, now." She is really that good. The movie is guaranteed to win Best Original Screenplay (the writing is superb and be ready to learn lots of new terminology). It may just go all the way and take Best Picture.

Not a movie I was all that eager to see. It's about a 16 year old that gets pregnant. But, well, you just have to see it . . .and contrary to what some may initially think before seeing it, it's not pro-choice and does not celebrate irresponsibility.

Now That's Dedication

On January 1, Indiana University went smoke free. No smoking anywhere on campus. The lone exception is that you can go to your car and smoke and then there are the technicalities of sidewalks that border run along the city streets.

Well yesterday, it was snowing pretty hard and it was very cold. There outside in the midst of this, on one of the sidewalks, was a fellow employee puffing away. I'm thinking, wow, that is really dedication to a cause. By golly, I'm going to pursue this dream of lung cancer no matter what!

Posters around campus have these little tear-off cards that you can give someone if you see them smoking as a "gentle reminder" that the new policy is in effect. The rationale being that employees and students can police it ourselves and don't have to call security to rat on a smoker. I'm figuring, if someone is that desperate for a puff, as long as it's far from me, more power to 'em.

Worn Out

A couple days ago, a colleague invited me to play racquetball at IU South Bend, where we have 3 courts. I took him up on the offer and we played over the lunch hour. I hadn't played in over 10 years and I kinda forgot just the kind of workout it is. I managed to win 1 of 3 games but was totally exhausted by the end. I used to be not too bad, but I spent most of this time chasing the ball all over the place, when you are really supposed to play the angles and anticipate where the ball is going to go. I'll ask for a rematch.

Then later that night, I went to the South Bend Table Tennis Club for the weekly round-robin. On this night I debuted by new Joola Tango Ultra pips-out rubber with the 1.8 mm sponge. Hey, this stuff is serious!

Anyway, I played 5 matches and every match went 5 games. Luckily I went 3-2, because I always hate losing in a 5th game. But, boy, I am tired! Guess I'm not in as good of shape as I thought.

Why I Don't Want Hillary as President

I don't want Hillary to win this year. It has nothing to do with her stand on anything. In fact, I think she might actually do okay. But let's assume she wins this year and is then re-elected to a second term. I give you the following evidence to ponder:

• 1980 - Vice President Bush
• 1984 - Vice President Bush
• 1988 - President Bush
• 1992 - President Clinton
• 1996 - President Clinton
• 2000 - President Bush
• 2004 - President Bush
• 2008 - President Clinton
• 2012 - President Clinton

Simply put, I'm just tired of these two families. I don't want a 32 year cycle of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. Time for someone else with a different last name to get in the White House, and I don't really care a whole lot at this point who it is, just somone different.

Manning Advances to Championship Game!

A good headline to read tomorrow . . .if you are a Giants fan! The wrong Manning advanced this year. Colts really had a bad day. One of those off days for Peyton where nothing went right, even though they had plenty of opportunity to win. Not as crushing of a loss this year, because the Super Bowl run last year was very memorable.

Next week's NFC championship has two good storylines. Brett Favre at his age looking at possibly one more shot of glory. The last time he led the Packers to the championship was against . . .the Patriots. On the other side, you have the chance for Peyton's little brother to go to the Super Bowl. I think the Packers will win this one, but the Giants may give them a run for the money. At least Brett Favre won't have Jessica Simpson in the stands rooting for him.

One reason I wasn't as crushed with the Colts losing is I really think anyone that went into New England next week was looking to get toasted. I don't see how the Chargers could possibly beat the Patriots, but if they pull the upset of the century, I'll take it. I'd still like to leave the Patriots coach on the verge of history with this undefeated season only to have it ripped away. But, I think I may need to get over it and just deal with a historic 19-0 season. Oh but how sweet that would be to see them go down.

The Happiest Place on Earth? Yeah, Right!

Over Christmas break, we went to Disney World, aka The Magic Kingdom, aka The Happiest Place on Earth. This was our second visit. Back in 2003 we went and Anna absolutely loved it. Had breakfast with all the princess characters which she loved, rode on "It's a Small World" countless times. Overall, a great day. Cameron was just 1 1/2, so he didn't remember any of it.

So we thought now was a good time for a return trip so Cameron could experience the magic. We were staying at a beachfront condo in Tampa (thanks to Dorene's sister) and drove over to Orlando on Christmas Eve to re-experience the Disney magic.

Flash forward to the next day. Anna and Cameron were pleading to us to never, ever take them back to Disney World. So, what did Mickey and Minnie do to them to make them feel that way?

They just weren't all that enthralled by it all. Let's start with Cameron. When we get there, the first thing we go to is the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride, which he loved. When you leave the ride you oh so conveniently exit through the gift shop. We told each kid they had $20.00 to spend however they wanted to. Cameron saw a toy pirate gun he wanted. We told him we'd come by and pick it up when we were leaving. About an hour later, Cameron starts asking us when we're leaving, and basically doesn't stop asking us all day long. Didn't he realize we paid $61.00 for him to come to Disney? Come on kid, it's the land of Mickey, Pluto, etc. You're supposed to HAVE FUN. But no, he wanted to get his gun and get out of Dodge.

Anna just wasn't into it either. She enjoyed the rides, especially the ones that were more of the thrill ride variety (which Disney doesn't really have, so our next amusement park visit needs to be along the lines of Cedar Point or Kings Island). By the end of the day, she was in tears. It was time for the electrical light parade, but she didn't care. She just wanted out of there. One problem is she got motion sick on back to back roller coaster rides. That coupled with the fact of probably too much snack food, and just being tired out from all the walking, she was d-o-n-e.

For me and Dorene? We don't care if we ever go back, unless it's an all-expense paid trip to one of the Disney resorts where we have several days and we go on an off-peak time. To say Disney was insanely crowded would be a massive understatement. It was literally wall-to-wall people and just going from place to place was difficult, and we had a dual stroller to make navigation even more difficult.

So farewell Magic Kingdom. The rest of the week was just spent on the beach collecting sea shells or in the pool. The kids never said one word about Disney. Cameron spent most of his time running around the condo with his gone and shooting at dolphins or birds in the ocean.

Just a couple days ago at breakfast, Cameron again said, "Dad, remember, never, ever, ever, ever, ever take us back to Disney World." Not a problem, kid.

Re-entering Politics

Since the 2006 mid-term elections, I've basically ignored everything political. Have rarely watched any news program focusing on the candidates running for President. I kinda got burned out on the 2006 election when I was heavily involved in an unsuccessful campaign for state representative.

But, now I think I'll get back into it. The Iowa caucus is finally over, and I don't think the result was all that surprising. I figured Huckabee would have a strong showing, but you also have to factor in that both McCain and Rudy weren't there, so I'm not sure how much you can read into that victory.

As for Clinton finishing third? That's where things could get interesting. But then again, she may come roaring back and Obama's Iowa win will just be a footnote to this presidential campaign. Nevertheless, I'm ready to start getting back into it. There's a long, long way to go before we hit the polls in November. Although for a while I've figured it would be Hillary v. Rudy, I'm not completely sure anymore if that's a done deal or not.

Parental Advice from a Spears

Thomas Nelson, the Christian publishing company, has just announced they have put a hold on publishing the book by Lynne Spears on parenting. Hmm, now why would they do that? Surely this book has some valuable insights that I could benefit from.

School programs, church programs, lots of snow, and going to Florida

On Sunday, we were supposed to have our children's program at church. But we got dumped with a lot of snow and church was called off. So, we will be having the program tonight. On Thursday, we will be performing it again at a local homeless shelter. That same Sunday night was Anna and Cameron's Christmas program at their school, but it too was canceled. It was rescheduled for next Sunday, but they'll miss it because we'll be out of town.

It will be a mad scramble the next couple days because on Friday, as soon as the kids get out of school, we hop in the van and head to Kentucky; stay the night, then head down to Tampa, Florida. Dorene's sister, Diane, has a timeshare there and all of us, including Diane and Carlene (Dorene's mom), will be spending the week there.

One of the days will be spent going to Disney World, during what is the absolute busiest time of the year. We did it 5 years ago and it was indeed crowded, but we still were able to see and do pretty much everything we wanted. Anna and Cameron are obviously very excited about going. Anna remembers the last time we were there, but Cameron was only a baby, so he's pumped up about it. The rest of the time we're in Florida will be spent enjoying our beachfront condo.

We'll head back to Indiana on December 30, then head to Fort Wayne for Christmas, part II, which will take place on New Year's Day. Yikes, then I go back to work on the 2nd while Dorene and the kids still have the rest of the week off.

Looking forward to the break in Florida, though, it'll be nice.

Anna W. Bush

A couple days ago, Anna and Cameron were bickering at the dinner table over something relatively minor. Cameron complained that Anna snatched something from his hand. He got sent to his room for a timeout and Anna got sent downstairs.

She was very indignant and insisted she did nothing wrong. As she went downstairs, in between her tears, she cried out, "Not fair! I didn't do anything wrong! That is false accusiation."

When she finished serving her timeout, I informed her that there was no such word, which made her laugh.

Catching up with Curt

Last Sunday morning, Dorene and I had breakfast with our nephew Curt. Went to a little hole-in-the-wall place on the south side of Fort Wayne called Spyros, which, by, the way, was excellent.

Curt works many hours at the Fort Wayne airport, so we haven't seen him much lately, so it was good to see him. Curt will always have a special connection with me because he was my first nephew and the one that I was with the most from the day he was born on May 29, 1981. Then, there's the fact that my son Cameron was also born on May 29. I told Curt I had Cameron dressed over Thanksgiving in an outfit he'd appreciate. It was camouflage pants and a "Green Day" shirt. Curt agreed that was pretty cool.

I'm sure his parents are glad Curt is working again at the airport, because they get to take advantage of little perks, such as flying to Maine at a reduced rate (or free, I'm not sure). Curt told us he and him mom were at an airport coming back from somewhere and just decided to randomly go somewhere, and chose Vermont. Curt has been quite the world traveler, certainly been to more countries than me, which isn't saying much since the furthest I've ventured out is Nogales, Mexico.

If you need any gift ideas for Curt, you may want to consider a snake. On the other hand, you may not want to, for the sake of the snake. He keeps losing them. So, I'd watch my step around his apartment.

Hating Holidays

In Anderson Cooper's book, "Dispatches from the Edge" which my freshman class read recently, Cooper talks about how he always hated New Year's Eve, because that is when his father died. So, when it was time to get festive on December 31, he wanted nothing to do with it.

I have always enjoyed holidays and this weekend had a great Thanksgiving, but there were several around me that didn't.

• A friend of my in-laws had a 50-year old son die in a hunting accident the previous weekend;
• A husband of one of our secretaries had his appendix burst on Wednesday, and is still not out of the hospital;
• The 34 year-old father of one of Cameron's kindergarten classmates suddenly died.

I imagine that from this point on, particularly for those who experienced a sudden death (and both of the deaths above were very sudden), Thanksgiving will forever be linked with painful memories.

Anderson Cooper said he volunteered to cover the ball dropping in Times Square just so he wouldn't have to do anything social on New Year's Eve. I imagine that holds true for many who experience a tragedy over a holiday and I doubt I'd be in much of celebratory mood either.

Sesame Street Trauma

I read recently that early seasons of Sesame Street, which were just released on DVD, come with a warning that the characters may be modeling the wrong behavior. Turns out that the Cookie Monster appeared with a pipe in a parody of Masterpiece Theatre. To make matters worse, the Sesame Street folks said it appears that Oscar the Grouch "appeared too grouchy."

Wow, and to think I actually watched this! It's time to get on Dr. Phil and let it all out.

Missed this Election

For the first time in I don't know how long, I didn't vote. I kinda procrastinated and forgot to file a change of address with voter registration, so I had to skip out on this one. I guess I technically could have voted at our old precinct, but figured I'd cause a huge scandal when it turns out I voted fraudently.

The big race up here was for mayor of South Bend, but we don't live in South Bend anymore, so I couldn't have voted for that anyway. The choice was between the 3-time incumbent, Steve Luecke, or my former Sunday School teacher, Juan Manigault, whose kids were on the Bible quiz team we coached for several years. I'll let you take a guess who was the Democrat and Republican in this race. Juan got beaten very soundly, 62%-38%. Meanwhile, my boss, Karen White, cruised to reelection on the South Bend City Council with more votes than anyone, including the Mayor (she kinda liked that factoid).

I Don't Like These Guys

I am really getting irritated at the New England Patriots. I rooted for them when they won their first Super Bowl against the Rams. Thought it was a neat story this Tom Brady guy stepping in and taking them all the way. Kinda was okay when they won again. But this year, they are going the way of the classic despised teams like the Raiders and Steelers.

Do these feelings have anything to do with the fact I'm a Colts fan? Well, kinda. Yes, they lost the big showdown today, although I don't think that's the end of the world. The pressure will now be totally on the Patriots to go for the perfect season. But the controversy with Belicheck stealing signals, the Patriots running up scores (VERY obvious against the Redskins last week) just doesn't set well with me. Today, one of their players went to midfield where the Colts logo is at and spiked the ball very hard when they made the game-winning interception. I just don't like it when players do that. That's an attitude that starts at the top.

I guess this is sometimes what sports needs, a team to really root against. Well, you can include me on the anti-Patriots bandwagon. I'll be rooting against them every step of the way now.