A Mountain Homeschool

We interrupt the dearth of blogging . . .

2009-10-01T13:09:00.003-04:00

So it happened again. Yep. Too many technological options to choose from; too little time. Plus that whole "actually getting work done during the work day" thing. At least I'm not tweeting yet.

Anyway, I saw this today and, since Facebook isn't loading for me (anyone else having problems lately?), I thought I'd post it here. Regardless of where you stand on the health care debate (where do you stand, by the way?), this is a pretty amusing poke at our celebrity-obsessed culture. And by "celebrity-obsessed", I mostly mean celebrities who are obsessed with themselves and their own self-importance.

Enjoy.

Spring Break - Homeschool Style . . .

2009-05-26T15:24:00.006-04:00

So I'm a little tardy talking about Spring Break here the day after Memorial Day, but oh well. Sometime around July 4th I'll mention how we celebrated Memorial Day. (OK, so as to keep the suspense levels down, I'll just mention that it was rainy all weekend and we mostly cleaned house and had friends / family over to eat. Sounds exciting, huh?).

Anywhat, the Mountainside Homeschool Academy DID take a Spring Break this year (as per usual). Last year we went to California for a family wedding and did all kinds of cool stuff like visit Sequoia National Forest, Muir Woods, and the Jelly Belly Factory. We did NOT do other cool stuff like visit a vineyard. As educational as it would have been, we couldn't quite bring ourselves to take three children (ages 8 and under) to tour wineries. Maybe next time!

This year, we stayed closer to home. However, we did want to do something educational AND something fun. Introducing the Burton 4-H Center on Tybee Island! A part of the Univ of Georgia Extension Program, Burton offers educational programs on sea and tidal eco-systems to schools across Georgia (and presumably beyond). This year, they held a "homeschool program" week for the first time, opening the camp up to any homeschool families who wanted to attend. It was the first time they had tried something like this, and I'm pleased to say that it was quite a success.

The "campers" were divided up into age-appropriate groups. Parents could go with whomever they wanted. The classes included "Crabs & Critters" (including crabs, turtles, fish, snakes, lizards, etc), "Marsh Ecology", "Beach Ecology", and the ever popular "Squid Dissection". No really. Tinkerbelle was more excited about getting to dissect a squid than anything else. It was awesome! Each kid took turns holding, cutting, squishing, and pointing at the various parts.

All of the units were a big hit. The camp seemed really pleased with the response (they turned away over 100 people, so apparently there is a definite demand for such a service) and with our feedback, so my guess is they will offer the program at least twice a year going forward. This was my first experience with anything associated with 4-H, and I was impressed. OK, the lodgings were pretty rustic (think summer camp), and we all agreed we would willingly pay more for better food (see previous parenthetic statement). But all in all, it was a big hit.

For all you homeschoolers lurking in the blogoshere, check into similar programs in your home state. If the 4-H camps don't offer them, point them to the Georgia system, where the beta test went swimmingly well.

Chris

How did that happen?

2009-05-20T14:54:00.004-04:00

OK, so when I started playing around on Facebook (see previous post), I didn't think it would trigger a 3 month hiatus from this humble blog. I'm not quite sure how that happened. Life? That's certainly been happening (in spades). Work? I'm hardly traveling at all now, which has actually diminished my "bored in a hotel room I think I'll post something on my blog" time. Who knows.

In the interim, I've missed out on blogging about:

Spring Break / Science Camp

the Spring recital / concert blitz

Springtime in the mountains

administering the Iowa Basic Skills Test (I can hear the collective groan from my readers from here!)

catching up with long-time friends from my high-school choir (thanks, ahem, to Facebook)

I'll try to take each of those in turn over the next few weeks and, maybe just maybe, insert a few cogent thoughts on how our 3rd year of homeschooling has transpired.

In the meantime,

blessings and prayers to Tim and Tonya

welcome back Arby

hello to Wendy (and here are some pictures - your Dad gave me your message)

Later . . .

Chris

I've found someone else . . .

2009-02-06T10:19:00.002-05:00

It's not that I meant to. I wasn't looking. It was just an innocent email from a fraternity brother of old, mentioning that there was a "group" for our fraternity now, up on some newfangled thing called "Facebook".

I got sucked in. I just wanted to see who had signed up. But first, I had to get my own page on FB. Then, I found out that I could be "friends" with people. People I hadn't seen in years. People who were posting little snippets about their lives, their families, even photo's. (note: some of them haven't aged very gracefully!).

The next thing you know, I'm FBing like a man possessed. "How many friends do I have?" "Can I get to 100 by the weekend?" "Ooh, I remember him!" "Hey, there's that girl I went to the Homecoming Dance with my senior year in highschool. (yikes!)"

And thus it happened. I became a Facebook junky. I'm still wrestling with the balance. Oh, I still check in on my favorite blog buddies (Hey, Tim!). But it's so much easier to just finish the sentence "Chris is . . ." then to actually compose a whole essay.

I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, I think I just became friends with the kid from down the street who laughed at my French Horn in Junior High.

In case you were wondering . . .

2009-01-08T14:57:00.002-05:00

1) Playing Wii Mario Cart for an hour right before bed is not conducive to falling right to sleep (but it does generate new aches and pains!)
2) Watching a few episodes from Season 1 of 24 right before bed is also not conducive to falling right to sleep (but it does generate some mighty interesting dreams!)
3) Doing both of those in the same evening can lead to a long, sleepless night indeed!!

Happy New Year!! Apparently, not traveling does not lead to more frequent blog posting, since I have been in town every night since my last post and yet three weeks have passed. Hmmm. Apparently, a new Wii (family Christmas gift) and 24 (we're trying to finish Season 1 before the new season starts on Sunday) are not conducive to blogging, either.

I trust that each and every one of you (ie "both of you") had a great Christmas. Ours here at the Mountain Homeschool was great. No overnight trips; lots of playing with family. Work-related angst increased ("oops, I don't have the head-count for you afterall!") and then subsided ("hey, can I get you on my team?") Details and exact job description TBD, but it looks like I'll be traveling a good bit less than last year. Yeah!! I've been working on my home office (pictures to follow once I'm done); now it looks like I'll be able to actually use it.

That's enough for now; I'll start blogging about more substantive issues in the near future. Or not. Maybe just link to some fun video's. Regardless, I'll try to be around more often.

Note to Tim: I LOVED Dr. Horrible; sorry I didn't link to it when I saw it last year. We would have had yet one more subject in common to discuss over dinner last month.

Note to everyone: Here's here's a new site for you to check out at your convenience. Dirty Harry, from one of my previous favorite clicks, is now the Editor in Chief at Andrew Breitbart's newest venture, Big Hollywood. Looks like it's going to be fun.

Christmas Memories . . .

2008-12-18T16:41:00.002-05:00

I've blogged in the past about how powerful memories are. That point is driven home regularly during the Advent and Christmas seasons. (soapbox warning . . . I refuse to call it the "Holiday" season here. I'll be PC at work, but this is my blog, dadgummit, and I'll call it what I want!!!!).

Ahem, where was I?

This time of year is filled with triggers that bring back vivid memories from Christmas' past. Stringing lights on the tree; singing those great Christmas carols; hanging stockings with care; etc etc. Many of my memories are musical in nature. One was triggered last night.

Blockus and I were up late wrapping Christmas presents. Did you see what I just wrote?!? On December 17th, we were WRAPPING PRESENTS!!!!! This did NOT evoke a vivid memory as we have never wrapped anything this early. I'm so proud. (it was either that or clean the house and that clearly wasn't going to happen). Anywhere, we were still going strong at 11:00 when A Christmas Carol ended on TNT. As I was reaching for the remote, I saw the promo for what was on next - Christmas in Washington. Now, the annual spectacle that I remember was just that - a spectacle. President and Mrs. Reagan sitting on the front row listening to a mix of singing stars broadcast during prime time on one of the big three networks. Over the past few years I've caught glimpses of the show on a seemingly random array of networks (CMT, Lifetime, the Food Network maybe?). And the "talent" seemed to have fallen off a bit. Lot's of pop; not much culture. Maybe I'm just getting old(er).

Last night didn't start off much better. I don't know who the first singer was (bless her heart), but we promptly hit "mute" while she gyrated around the stage in a gold lame mini-dress. "Merry Christmas!" I was going to give them one more song; if things didn't improve we were moving on.

Good news! Next up - Kristin Chenowith. Loved her in West Wing; can sing along to most of the soundtrack from the original "Wicked". (yes, I love Broadway; you gonna make something of it?).

Well, it wasn't her best performance, but it was enough to keep us watching. Next Darius Rucker (ne "Hootie") singing an absolutely lovely song that neither of us had ever heard before. I was starting to really enjoy myself! And I suddenly realized that, despite everything, I was still watching Christmas in Washington. Not "Holiday" in Washington or "Winter Solstice" in Washington. These people were right up there on stage singing about the Baby Jesus and everything! Out loud! On TV! Well I'll be!

The next act (that I remember, at least; remember that by now it's 11:30 and we're wrapped out) sealed the deal. I remember Blockus calling me to the kitchen to see some acapella group on YouTube singing the Twelve Days of Christmas. Just some guys from Indiana University singing at their annual Christmas / Holiday concert. They were amazing! Talented, funny and yes, talented. Well, that video went viral and now they are living the dream of every college-age music group. Major contract with a major recording label; performing on national TV (albeit TNT) in front of the First Lady. (FYI, this was recorded while the President was dodging shoes in Iraq earlier in the week). "Straight No Chaser" is the name of the group and they are darned talented. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Anyway, the whole show ended on a high note. Lot's of beautiful carols sung beautifully; unashamed celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. It was an awful lot like the olden days.

Merry Christmas,
Chris

On Being Celebrated . . .

2008-12-13T21:58:00.002-05:00

This past week marked my final week of travel for the year. Yippeeeeee!!! As previously noted, I journeyed to Seattle and Sacramento. Amazingly enough, I found Seattle to be gray, cloudy, rainy, and cold. Imagine that!

Sacramento, however was enjoying a nice warm-up after a frosty beginning to the week and it was wonderfully sunny. My raincoat stayed in the hotel the whole time.

The best part of Sacramento, though, was dinner on Thursday night. I was priviledged to be invited to dinner at the home of my western doppelganger. How cool is that!?! I've never actually met any of my blogger buddies yet.

(Humorous aside - - - one of my colleagues asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him that same evening. I had to figure out how to decline without making it sound wierd. "No thanks, I'm meeting some guy I met on the internet." Hmm, no that won't do. "No can do, some total stranger who either has a lovely family much like mine OR a raging imagination is picking me up and driving me off into the darkness." Nope, that won't work either. "Sorry, I'm having dinner with some friends." That worked!)

Anywhich, Tim picked me up at my hotel (no short haul from either his office or home) and took me home to meet Tonya, PFF, AJ, and Happy Boy. We had a great time getting to know one another, eating some amazing homemade soup and cornbread, listening to Tim play "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano, reading books to the kids while cozied up on the sofa, and in general laughing and enjoying one anothers company. (at least, I was; hopefully they were too).

So, many thanks to Tim and Tonya for opening their home to a cyber-friend but otherwise total stranger. It was a priviledge to be welcomed by your family. Besides (inside joke), after umpty-leven weeks of travel, I was REALLY tired of hotel and restaurant food!!!

(Oh, and Tim really does have a lovely family much like mine, and he did return me safely to my hotel. No worries at all!)

Happy weekend,
Chris

Observations on San Juan . . .

2008-12-05T15:34:00.002-05:00

Encouraged by Tim's comment from my last post, I'll provide a few observations based on my trip to San Juan. (Thanks, Tim!)

The people of San Juan are a wonderful, kind, loving people. Everyone there went way out of their way to make me feel welcome. I once heard a leader I greatly respect state "go where you're celebrated, not where you're tolerated." I was definitely "celebrated" in San Juan and as a result I will go out of my way to go back and support our team there.
Example 1: our General Manager arranged for a private tour of the Capital Building in Old San Juan. It is one of three state capitals in the country that is made of marble. Not only that, but all of the exterior marble came from the great state of Georgia (my own county, in fact!). I learned a lot about the history of Puerto Rico that I was woefully ignorant of prior to this trip.
Example 2: I also got to tour El Morro, the larger of the two fortresses guarding Old San Juan. Started in the mid-1500's by the Spanish, it protected the city through the Spanish-American War when, in 1898, the American Navy defeated the Spanish and took possession of the island. It reminded me of the fort in St. Augustine, but is much larger.
There is great food to be had in San Juan. However, don't confuse "Puerto Rican" food with "Mexican" food. First, they bear no resemblance to one another, and second, you'll really make the Puerto Ricans mad! PR food is more like Spanish food; lot's of pork and beef; spicy rice; etc. We had lunch one day at Reice's, an upscale "traditional Puerto Rican" restaurant where I had Mofongo. Take a plantain, mash it and mix with spices, and press the mixture around the sides of a tall wooden bowl. Fill the interior with churasco (skirt steak). Yum! (side note: anything you can do with a potato, you can do with a plantain)
Even though PR is a part of the USA, it really was like being in a foreign country. I speak no Spanish, so I was at the mercy of everyone else being willing to accomodate me and my language. Everyone was very gracious (see #1 above), but usually the conversations bounced between the two languages.
The last evening I was there I walked out along the beachfront walk of my hotel. It was December 3rd, and I was lying in a beach lounge chair, watching the stars, listening to the waves break against the rocks about 30 feet away. It's days like that that remind me how much I love my job!!! Hopefully a return trip in February will include Blockus as a travel-mate. She loves PR and definitely deserves a break!

Today I'm back home in the cold but beautiful mountains. Monday, I leave for Seattle and Sacramento. (Hey Tim, did you catch that?!? I'll be there Wed evening thru Friday morning). Then, it's home sweet home for the rest of the year. (I think).

Have a great weekend.

Chris

Good Heavens! ! !

2008-12-02T13:55:00.003-05:00

Have I really not posted anything for 5 weeks?!? Never mind "NaBloPoMo", how about "NoPoAtAllInNoMo".

Here's a quick summary of what we've missed.
1) Belle had a birthday (she's 9 now, and really turning into quite the young lady). I heard the party was nice, but I wasn't invited because I'm a boy. You see, she had a fancy tea party, and only girls go to fancy tea parties. So, The Boy and I stayed home and watched football on TV with my Dad.

2) One of my good friends lost his job. I know he's not the only one in the country in that boat, but that's hitting pretty close to home! Prayers for him and his wife are desired and appreciated.

3) I found out that my small team of people is "going away" in 2009. (see item #2 and start to panic). Oh, I found out about this the day before Thanksgiving ; what a way to set the mood!

4) Turns out item #3 is going to turn out all right. I talked to a VP today who really wants me on his new team that he's building from scratch. Turns out that my "old team going away" is really more of a "old team moving to a new home with a new boss" more than anything. Nothing is final yet, including the all important comp plan, but I'm feeling MUCH better.

5) Despite #3 above, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. After spending Thursday with Blockus' family, we headed to my folks (about an hour away) Friday morning to celebrate with my family. Two parents, three brothers, three sisters-in-law (don't you hate it when people say "sister-in-laws"? I know I do), nine nieces and nephews, an aunt and an uncle, and a partridge in a pear tree. It was great fun. We had a professional photographer friend come do a family portrait of the whole clan.

6) One of my nephews got engaged the weekend before Thanksgiving. He's the first of that next generation to do so; all of my nieces were thrilled that someone else was taking the plunge first.

7) And, after a week at home with no business travel, I'm back on the road again. I know you'll feel sorry for me when I disclose my current location . . . San Juan PR. When I left home yesterday morning it was 33 degrees and snowy; it's in the 70's here. Sweet!!! I have to admit, though, I really do feel like I'm in a foreign country. Everyone here in the office is trying to remember that I'm here and thus have all conversations in English. But when they get excited about something (um, that happens a lot here) they lapse back into Spanish and I just smile and nod as I listen. My GM here keeps trying to translate for me by whispering in my ear, but it's exhausting trying to keep up. Oh, cool aside . . . I was the "featured guest speaker" at a training session held over lunch at our office here today. Before I was introduced the local manager kicked off the meeting (in Spanish). I was messing with my laptop while he spoke, but suddenly I realized that his tone of voice had changed and everyone had gotten very still. I looked up and realized that he was praying! And it wasn't just a "Lord bless this food" prayer, it was a long one that appeared to cover a lot of ground. How cool is that? Clearly, this is a close-knit team whose members have been here for an average of 7 years. In ten years with this company, that was a first for me. Just thought I'd share.

How's that for a "stream of conciousness" post? I'll try to come back again before 2009.

Chris

Still missing in action . . .

2008-10-22T23:26:00.003-04:00

Well, here I am again. "Here" would be in a hotel room, right where you'd expect me to be.

Once upon a time (not so long ago), when I described my work and travel schedule to people, I would say something along the lines of "I usually travel 2 or 3 days a week, 3 weeks a month. Not too much; just enough to be interesting." Lately, it's been more like "4 or 5 days a week, every week of the flippin month for months and months on end". At what point does "not normal" become "the new normal"?

Fortunately, this really has been a season of unusual travel activity. It will continue to some degree through Thanksgiving, then abate through December. We'll see how "normal" defines itself in the new year.

In the meantime, I finally took some time tonight (while the World Series is on in the background) to catch up one the comings and goings of some of my favorite bloggers. Good heavens! People are getting pregnant, giving birth, moving, taking trips, getting their mailboxes knocked down, mail-ordering worms, celebrating birthdays, and generally getting on with their lives. Oh, and apparently there is an election going on and an economic meltdown going on out there. The election I know about; one thing about lots of travel is that you get to watch LOTS of campaign advertisements on TV. Joy.

That's it for now, my internetish friends. Hopefully I'll get back to more regular blogging soon.

Die Hard (the original!) . . .

2008-10-15T01:16:00.002-04:00

So, I'm traveling (again). What with the jet lag and all, I'm up late (by eastern time zone standards) watching TV. Tonight, on TBS, they're showing the orignal "Die Hard". Wow, does Bruce Willis look young. No, really young. If I've aged as much since this movie premiered as he has, I must look REALLLLLLLLY OLD. It didn't seem quite that bad last time I glanced in the mirror, but maybe I'm just not admitting reality. Or paying attention. Or maybe my eyes aged even faster.

Surely that isn't the case!

Here's to Hollywood stars who age faster than we do (despite makeup, stylists, and airbrushing). And, I'm a GUY! Rumor has it, it's even worse for the females amongst us.

C

I'm still here . . .

2008-10-12T21:45:00.002-04:00

Greetings, all! Lest you were wondering (as Tim was), I did get home safely from the LAX Crown Room lo those many weeks ago. However, that was just the beginning of a whirlwind round of trips. The next week I went to Chicago and Dallas. Last week, I went to LA (again), New York City, and Chicago (again). In that order. Starting in Atlanta. I'm still tired. Thus, I'm not totally ecstatic about my trip to Phoenix starting tomorrow. At least I'm only going to one city this week! On the upside, the Delta SkyMiles balance is looking impressive.

I didn't mean for this to turn into a travel blog. But, since I haven't even mentioned homeschooling in months (yes, we still do and yes, we still love it), why not. Maybe "A Mountain Homeschool Takes Flight" or some such.

Here's your travel tip for the day. If your trip to NYC means flying into JFK Airport, skip the taxi and call a car service. I did a little test this week - car service from airport to downtown; taxi from downtown to airport. The car service was CHEAPER. OK, not by much, but trust me when I tell you that the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car is far more pleasant than the back seat of a New York taxi.

Not only have I not had time to blog myself for weeks, I've barely been able to keep up with my favorite blogs to read. Oh, I've checked in on The Corner (usually from my blackberry), but that's about it.

I'll try to do better at both these next few weeks. After all, I've missed you guys!!!

G'night,
Chris

Gee, Ma, I wanta go . . .

2008-09-26T15:57:00.002-04:00

but they won't let me go . . . home.

So it's Friday afternoon, and I'm sitting in the Crown Room at LAX. That would be in Los Angeles (if you haven't been memorizing your airport nicknames). You'll remember that I live in Georgia. This is a sad thing.

This is the end of week two of a four-week string of UGLY travel.

last week, Chicago, Philly and Rochester
this week, Indianapolis, Sacramento and LA
next week, Chicago and Dallas
the following week: LA, New York City, and Chicago

That may sound cool and glamorous to those of you who rarely leave the city limits, but trust me when I tell you that it gets old really fast. The good news is that I'm racking up the frequent flier miles and free hotel nights. Blockus is REALLY ready for a family trip.

I just want to go home. And stay there for a while.

note to Tim: I didn't have time to try to get together while I was in Sacramento this week. I was only there for an afternoon and was with my boss most of that time. Hopefully I can get back soon and finally meet you!

Back to normal. . .

2008-09-17T15:08:00.000-04:00

Many of you may have had a lot on your minds lately. Hurricane damage; failing banks and insurance conglomorates; a big Presidential election looming.
Fear not. All is well. It must be. This morning, the Today Show was able to dedicate mucho valuable air-time to an "exclusive" interview with Britney Spears' mom.

It's good to know that we're getting back to the important stuff.

Feeling gassy?

2008-09-12T14:52:00.002-04:00

No, not that kind! I mean gas as in fuel for your auto.

If you live around here, I hope not. Blockus just called to let me know that the two gas stations closest to us are completely out of gas, and that stations in the nearest town are charging $4.50+ per gallon if they have gas at all.

Yikes!

(boy, I'm glad we filled up on our way home last night for the bargain price of $2.49 per gallon!!)

Hurricane Ike is making himself known even before he makes landfall.

To all of you Texas gulf-coasters out there, be safe. Our prayers are with you. And re-open those refineries as soon as you can!

I promise it's not my fault . . .

2008-09-09T23:08:00.003-04:00

but the limericks just keep coming.

We all know that I'm totally in the tank for Sarah Palin. If only the guys on MSNBC would admit that they're just as deep in it for Obama. Oh, that's right, they got "reassigned". Never mind.

Anyway, here is your daily limerick. (don't expect me to keep this up) hat tip to Rich Lowry at The Corner.

There once was a gal from Wasilla
Who knew how to spice plain vanilla
With her pearls and her pumps
She laid down some bumps
Thus turning a 'cakewalk' into a Thrilla.

This has been your "daily" limerick. Don't let anyone fool you into believing that this isn't a cultured blog. Susan Wise Bauer would be so proud!

Your daily limerick . . .

2008-09-08T09:59:00.001-04:00

There once was a poet named Todd
Whose meter was seriously flawed.
His limericks would tend
To come to an end
Suddenly.

This has been your daily limerick.
Hee hee.

A brief cultural moment . . .

2008-09-07T22:04:00.002-04:00

You know those times when you pull into the driveway but have to wait in the car for a particular song to end? (OK, sometimes it's because you're waiting for the end of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on PBS or the end of Rush's opening-hour monologue). Anyway, we had one of those moments tonight.

You just can't turn off the car in the middle of Archibald Asparagus singing "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General".

Try it.

I double-dog dare you.

Can't be done.

Veggie Tales does Gilbert and Sullivan. Now THAT'S entertainment!

By the way, Tim, I thought of you!

The Art of the Campaign Speech . . .

2008-09-04T15:09:00.003-04:00

Backstory: I was a Political Science major in college. ("why try, go poli-sci!"). I chose that major simply because I had always loved politics. I have a vivid memory of coming from school in 1976 (3rd grade, maybe?) to ask my Dad if President Ford had been re-elected. Fast forward to the summer before my senior year in high school (the 1984 election). I was a student in the "Governor's Honors Program" here in Georgia, a 6-week residential program for "gifted" students held every summer. While I was there as a music major, my love for politics had not abated. It had only been supplemented by an additional appreciation for the skill of public speaking and communication. For two of those six weeks, I remember huddling around the TV in the dorm common-room watching the political conventions. Remember, this was back in the days of only the three major networks (and an infant CNN). And, it was the days when the networks actually SHOWED the whole convention on TV, not just the last two speeches of the night (but don't get me started on that!).

I still remember Jesse Jackson's speech at the DNC that summer. He spoke eloquently about the various groups that made up the voting block of the Democratic Party at that time, likening them to the patches of a quilt sewn by his grandmother. He described how, standing alone, those individual groups were powerless to accomplish anything great; in fact, "their patch was too small". But, he went on, sewn together, those patches could create a quilt of great beauty, value and function. What powerful imagery. (Now that I think about it, the Democratic Party has been striving for party unity for quite a while now, hasn't it?). That same year Mario Cuomo made his debut on the national stage. I remember looking at a buddy and saying "that man can speak! I don't agree with anything he's saying, but boy he sure says it well". (or something like that; give me a break, it was 24 years ago!).

Of course, a few weeks later we were cheering on the Republicans as they prepared to return President Reagan for four more years. I remember Mrs. Reagan standing on stage after her speech, turning to look at the huge screen behind her to see a smiling President Reagan waving to her from his hotel suite.

I wander down this path to make a few points ("then make them, why don't you?").

A great speech is more than the sum of it's parts. It isn't just a nice organization of verbs, nouns and adjectives; most well-crafted speeches are poorly delivered and thus have a pretty short shelf-life. Similarly, a mundane, trite speech composed largely of sound-bites and cliche's, regardless of how eloquently it is delivered, remains a mundane, trite speech. But, when those two moons align, greatness can occur. More on that later.
Imagery is important. Whether in a political speech, a sermon, or a pep-talk to your shareholders, a great text well-delivered only gets you part of the way. The setting, the images, the context all can have a multiplying effect. For every one speech I remember, there are probably hundreds of vivid mental images and memories that I have where I don't remember a single word.

All of this, of course, is written in the context of last night's speech by Governor Palin. Only time will truly tell, but I would hazard a guess that this speech will be one that will be remembered for a very, very long time.

It was well written, with wit, grace, and strength. There were too many quotable lines to include them all here, but here are a few of my favorites:

"Since some of our opponents seem to look down on that [mayoral]
experience, let me explain to them what the job involves. I guess a small-town
mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual
responsibilities."

"To seek the presidency is not to be a journey of personal
discovery."

"Some use change to promote their careers, while others use their careers
to promote change."

It was masterfully delivered. For someone who has never spoken in such a forum, and who has likely not used a teleprompter more than a hand-full of times, she looked comfortable, in command, and powerful. In fact, she looked like she was having fun!

The images were powerful. While these were not in her control, the scenes we saw on the TV screen during the speech provided powerful mental hooks upon which to hang her speech in our minds. Her soldier son, preparing to go to war. Her oldest daughter, being welcomed and cheered by a loving crowd for a few extra seconds longer, as if to say "we know what you've been through this week; we love you". Her youngest daughter, licking her palm to smooth Trig's hair down. Her husband, still "her guy", smiling proudly at his wife as she stood before the entire country. Those images will remain seered in our collective conscience for a very long time.

Last night was the whole package. I hope you were there to experience it. If not, go find a copy somewhere on the web and watch it now. I may watch it again anyway, just for fun.

Hockey Mom's and Pit Bull's . . .

2008-09-02T13:16:00.001-04:00

From Mark Hemingway over at the Corner.

McCain aides whose judgment I trust are impressed by Sarah Palin. One was
particularly amused by this exchange: A nervous young McCain staffer took it
upon himself to explain to Palin the facts of life in a national campaign, the
intense scrutiny she'd be under from the media, the viciousness of the assault
that she'd be facing, etc.:

Palin: "Thanks for the warning. By the way, do you know what they say the
difference is between a hockey mom and a Pit Bull?"

McCain aide: "No, Governor."

Palin: "A hockey mom wears lipstick."

I'm working on a post about McCain's VP selection (hint, LOVE IT); will try to get it posted before the convention is over.

While we're waiting . . .

2008-08-29T10:31:00.003-04:00

to see who McCain's pick is, here is a little fun something for you to enjoy. From David Brooks, via Yuval Levin over in The Corner . If you were to write a generic Democratic convention speech, what would it contain?

We stand at a crossroads at a pivot point, near a fork in the
road on the edge of a precipice in the midst of the most consequential election
since last year’s “American Idol.”
One path before us leads to the past, and
the extinction of the human race. The other path leads to the future, when we
will all be dead. We must choose wisely.
We must close the book on the
bleeding wounds of the old politics of division and sail our ship up a mountain
of hope and plant our flag on the sunrise of a thousand tomorrows with an
American promise that will never die! For this election isn’t about the past or
the present, or even the pluperfect conditional. It’s about the future, and
Barack Obama loves the future because that’s where all his accomplishments
are.

Happy Birthday to The Boy . . .

2008-08-18T17:00:00.004-04:00

Time to update the "about us" column. The Boy is now officially five. One whole hand. In 5K. No more "Mothers Morning Out" for him; it's all homeschool now.

Due to the fact that he WAS in MMO for two years (since we moved here) and thus has lots of school friends, The Boy has lots buddies to invite to a party. That, plus the fact that we always invite our homeschool friends (regardless of age) to our parties, plus the fact that the party was at the community Swim Club and included parents and random sibling (would you want the responsibility for 10-15 5-year olds at a pool and lake for yourself? No thank you!!!), meant that we ended up with about 50 people in attendance.

FIFTY PEOPLE!!! I've seen smaller weddings. But really, it was a blast.

The Theme: A Pirate Party (arrrrrrgh!)
The Food: Hot dogs and brats (that's "brahhhhts" as in "bratworsts", not "braaats", as in poorly-behaved invitees to the party) on the grill, carrots, sliced cucumbers, black olives, fresh watermelon, and a salad (for the grown-ups). Homemade chocolate birthday cake (in the shape of a pirate ship bombed by cannon-balls) and ice-cream pops.
The Entertainment: 1) digging on the beach for pirate treasure based on a long-lost, recently discovered Pirates Treasure Map; 2) swimming; 3) eating; 4) running and screaming and terrorizing the innocent other swim club members (oops; that wasn't supposed to be on the agenda and was swiftly ended, to be replaced with . . .) 5) walking the plank.

It was awesome. The kids had fun. The parents had fun. The Boy had fun. I just hope I get to lead the treasure hunt again next year. Although, I think I'm going to pick a smaller treasure chest; this one was a pain in the toochus to bury.

Pictures to follow . . .

Naming conventions . . .

2008-08-14T22:58:00.002-04:00

From the very inception of this blog, I've had relevant and appropriate blognames for my kids. After 18 months or so, they're still basically accurate. However, I've never been able to find the right nickname for my wife. Thus, I've somewhat awkwardly referred to her as "my wife", "my beloved wife", "dw", etc. but none of those really resonated. Note: I've specifically and intentionally avoided referring to her as "the wife" as she HATES that and I really don't find it productive to intentionally hack her off. I do that well enough unintentionally.

Good news, good news, good news!!

I've finally found the perfect name.

Backstory: Our family loves games. Card games, board games, you name it. My wife has a particular love for games of skill (not so much for games of chance). In the past year, we've found a new game that she absolutely loves (and kills at, by the way). For the uninitiated, Blockus is (www.blockus.com) is a board game played by up to four people placing variously shaped blocks on a board. You can only place pieces on the board that touch your own color piece at the corner; no side-to-side touching with your own color. Priority 1: get rid of all of your tiles before anyone else does; Priority 2: accomplish priority 1 by blocking your competitors into a small a space as possible on the board. Everyone gets the same number of tiles and the same shapes. Thus, there is no chance at all; only skill.

Thus, introducing the new name for my lovely and talented wife . . . . Blockus.

FYI, not only is this a board game, it can also be played online at the site noted above. Register and play for free. It's awesome. Just be careful; Blockus is out there, and she's ready to take you down.

With her new bloggy-name in mind, I'm tempted to rename the kiddo's as well in a similar vein. Belle could easily become "Rummicube" (she totally rocks at this game). Tink loves a variety of games, but would most likely become "Connect Four". The Boy is the hands down favorite to become "Uno". Nothing makes 8-year old Belle madder faster than playing Uno with her 4-year old brother. Let me know your thoughts. Is it inappropriate to rename your children online?

(Oh, for those of you who are wondering, I have no idea what my "game name" would be. Maybe "Boggle", but I lose that to Blockus as often as I win. I'll keep thinking about that. Maybe "Brickbreaker".)

"Project Bookshelf" now complete . . .

2008-08-12T14:14:00.007-04:00

My apologies to my multitude of readers (ahem, Arby and, uh, well, nevermind) who have been clamoring for photo's of my latest handiwork. Wait no more, dear readers!

You'll remember from this post that I volunteered to build a new bookshelf for the school room. Nothing too fancy; just something that the kids can use to store their school binders, workbooks and pencil boxes. Plus some display space on top for odds and ends like globes and CD players.

I have to admit I'm extremely pleased with the finished product.

Given the fact that I did the whole thing with no workbench and only a Skillsaw and cordless drill, I'm pleased. My wife was extremely pleased with the finished product, which makes it even better.

I doubt it will remain as neat as it is now, but it's nice to see. The chairs you can see on the right face the school table. No pictures of that right now as it is not suitable for public viewing. However, here's a shot of the reading area at the other end of the room. As you look at the photo above of the bookshelf and windows, the sofa is behind you.

Time to snuggle up and read some books!

In which Belle throws me under the bus . . .

2008-08-11T23:50:00.002-04:00

Those of you who buy organic peanut butter ("choosy fathers choose organic") know that it has this nasty habit of separating in the jar. Solids sink to the bottom; oils rise to the top. Refridgeration helps prevent this, but first you have to get it mixed back together when you first open it after purchase.

Today for lunch, I made my specialty (peanut butter and honey sandwiches with a side of carrots and sliced cucumbers). I chose this because that's what we had in the fridge. I'm creative like that.

Anywhere, I had to open a new jar of peanut butter before I started. Trying to mix separated contents together with only 1/8th of an inch of space below the top of the jar is messy at best. In a burst of brilliance, I decided to dump the entire contents into a larger bowl, mix it up thoroughly, and then carefully pour it back into the original jar.

So at dinner tonight, my lovely wife innocently asked "what's up with the gross peanut-buttery bowl sitting in the sink?" (oops) I explained my brilliant process to her with some small amount of success. She still looked a little dubious.

From across the table, Belle piped up "the kids didn't have anything to do with that idea, Mom".

Thanks, kiddo.