. . . stop reading now. Also, keep in mind that I'm exhausted, so this might not be the stellar writing quality you're used to on this blog.
Imagine this scene: a child lies asleep on the living room floor, at her mother's feet (literally between the chair and the ottoman). The mother sits, half-watching "Pride and Prejudice" (with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle), and nodding off to sleep. The father, tired, sits to write a blog entry.
As you have guessed, that's what our house looks like right now. While I normally spend my nights working on either my dissertation or my teaching responsibilities, last night was different. Plainbellied and I got a baby-sitter and went to the movies with some friends. We saw "Hot Fuzz" (loved it! look for a review soon). After we came home, things seemed great. Her Nibs was in bed and had eaten a lot for a change. Plainbellied and I watched "The Queen" (not my kind of movie), then she went to bed and I sat down to grade papers at 1:00 AM.
That was the end of the good times. Usually, it's my job to put Her Nibs back in bed if she wakes up at night. Around 3:00 AM, I heard her start crying, so I went upstairs to put her back to sleep. She seemed fine, but as I started to put her down, she started crying again, so I picked her up. As I did so, she puked all over me. I've seen vomit, but this was more than I had seen go on a single person. My shirt and pants were soaked, and it reeked. Frankly, it made me want to vomit.
Since I was already soaked, I got Her Nibs into the bathroom and turned on the water. This is when I realized I couldn't do it alone. So I yelled for Plainbellied, who had only been asleep for two hours, to wake up and help me. My plan was to start Her Nibs in the bath and turn her over to Plainbellied while I went and cleaned up the mess left on the carpet. Things went well, but we took her downstairs while I cleaned to make sure that everything had come up.
After about an hour, I had finished cleaning, and Her Nibs was ready to go back to bed. I started rinsing off our clothes when I heard Plainbellied cry out, "Come help me!" When I went back, Her Nibs had puked on Plainbellied, and we now had a new mess to clean up. So we put Her Nibs back in the bathtub to clean her up, and I worked on the clothes and carpet. After a while, she really wanted to go to bed, because she was so tired. But, as she walked to the stairs, she yakked on the carpet. Another bath and now there were no clean nightgowns. More cleaning. At around 5:00, things had calmed down, so we finally got to put her back to bed.
You probably know what happened next. Her Nibs puked on the bed. At least we had figured out that we shouldn't give her anything to eat or drink by now, so she only had a little bit left. Plainbellied took her into the shower while I cleaned up the bed. I learned that it's much easier to clean up a plastic-covered bed than to clean up carpet, and I was happy about that. We put her in bed again, and she finally started to go to sleep, even though her pig was now in the wash, a casualty of the previous attempt to put Her Nibs in bed. Thirty seconds later, she came out of her room and said, "I have to puke." She likes to use that word. She also says things like, "I'm not pukey anymore," or "I got puke all over!"
From then on, we knew how to play it. Since we caught it, no bath was needed. But now she was staying with us for good. She sat on Plainbellied's lap for a while, and we came up with a system: Plainbellied held a cup, and I had a wet paper towel ready. Every half hour or so, Her Nibs said, "I have to puke," so we put up the cup, and she puked in it, then I wiped her up, rinsed out the cup, and replaced it with a clean one. She actually got a little sleep on Plainbellied's lap, and then she crawled onto the floor and fell asleep there. And there we stand. I'm about to go to the store for ginger ale, Plainbellied is going in and out of sleep on the chair watching "Pride and Prejudice," and Her Nibs is asleep on the floor (at least until she has to vomit again).
By now, you're grossed out, and you wonder why I told you all of this. I'm not trying to set us up as a pair of martyrs. I've learned something tonight. I'm at the point now where I am way past my bedtime, and I didn't get much sleep yesterday. Plainbellied only got a few hours of sleep last night. We're exhausted. But neither of us got grouchy. It is frustrating and maddening to watch your child get sick, but neither of us resents it. When Her Nibs first threw up on me, I felt like I was doing exactly what a parent is supposed to do. Our kid throws up on us, we clean it, and we don't complain.
Don't get me wrong, it's not fun. It sucks (and smells). But it's what parents do. If you'll excuse me, I need to go clean up some more vomit.
I'm just amazed. . .
This entire post is the work of a relatively young father bragging incessantly about his incredible daughter. You've been warned.
Her Nibs has discovered a new talent. Recently, she's started drawing (sort of) recognizable faces on drawings. She does it on her own, too. I know I'm an incredibly biased observer, but for some reason it seems to me that she's a bit advanced with her small motor skills.
There. My bragging impulse has been satisfied. I included one of her faces below. I know it's not high art, but hey, she's not even three yet.
Her Nibs has discovered a new talent. Recently, she's started drawing (sort of) recognizable faces on drawings. She does it on her own, too. I know I'm an incredibly biased observer, but for some reason it seems to me that she's a bit advanced with her small motor skills.
There. My bragging impulse has been satisfied. I included one of her faces below. I know it's not high art, but hey, she's not even three yet.
Whose room is it, anyway?
When I arrived to teach my class today, my students were all congregated in the hallway. It was a couple of minutes before we were scheduled to begin, and the previous class still hadn't left. This is not unusual, but since there's a fifteen-minute break between classes I don't sweat it. There's plenty of time for me to get set up.
Well, today was different. Class time came, and the other group was still in the room. through the window on the door, it was clear that they were doing class presentations, and as today is the last day of classes, I decided to cut them some slack. After five minutes, though, it was time to put an end to things, because it was getting ridiculous. We needed to have class, too.
I knocked and stuck my head in the door, announcing, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my class needs this room." Some of you may not believe me, but I was quite polite about it. I totally channelled my "diplomatic" brother, assuming that they simply had lost track of time. Well, I was wrong. The other instructor came over to the door and said, "We came in here because our classroom is not available. Is there another room you could take your class to?" At this point, I got a little angry (I still wasn't rude, though--you can ask my students), and I told her, "No." Inside, I thought (but did not say), "We've been in this room every Tuesday this semester. What makes you think we should go somewhere else? Get out!" Then she had the gall to say, "We'll be done in five minutes." Remember, class was already supposed to begin five minutes ago. Luckily, her students had already begun leaving, so disaster was averted.
I'm still shaking my head fifteen hours later. At least I got a good laugh with my students after the other group left. They couldn't believe it either.
Well, today was different. Class time came, and the other group was still in the room. through the window on the door, it was clear that they were doing class presentations, and as today is the last day of classes, I decided to cut them some slack. After five minutes, though, it was time to put an end to things, because it was getting ridiculous. We needed to have class, too.
I knocked and stuck my head in the door, announcing, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but my class needs this room." Some of you may not believe me, but I was quite polite about it. I totally channelled my "diplomatic" brother, assuming that they simply had lost track of time. Well, I was wrong. The other instructor came over to the door and said, "We came in here because our classroom is not available. Is there another room you could take your class to?" At this point, I got a little angry (I still wasn't rude, though--you can ask my students), and I told her, "No." Inside, I thought (but did not say), "We've been in this room every Tuesday this semester. What makes you think we should go somewhere else? Get out!" Then she had the gall to say, "We'll be done in five minutes." Remember, class was already supposed to begin five minutes ago. Luckily, her students had already begun leaving, so disaster was averted.
I'm still shaking my head fifteen hours later. At least I got a good laugh with my students after the other group left. They couldn't believe it either.
"Bienvenidos a Miami"
I think that it's only fair to warn you up front that this is going to be a pretty long entry about our trip to Miami Beach. You might want to make yourself comfortable. It's been a busy few days and I have a lot to say (you may judge for yourself whether any of it is worth reading).
In order to prepare for our trip, we downloaded the pilot of 'Miami Vice' from iTunes. I hadn't seen the show for a very long time, and I don't think Plainbellied had ever seen it. I thought it would be fun to find some of the places where they filmed and re-enact scenes, like when Crockett told his partner's wife that he had been killed. Luckily, there was not time for that on this trip.
You may have already read Plainbellied's blog about the drive down, so I'm not going to repeat what she has already said. I will just point out that I generally prefer Mapquest directions, because they tend to send you on a shorter route than other services, and they actually get the time right. Once, I checked it against Google Maps, and Google wanted to send us about 100 miles out of our way (Google does have a better interface, though). I used Mapquest again this time, and we arrived at the door of our hotel within five minutes of the time it had predicted. Making good time is very important to me, and this made me feel pretty good.
It turns out that we made a really good decision on the hotel. Instead of a dive, we stayed in a renovated Art Deco hotel right on Ocean Drive, across the street from the beach. It was a little away from the clubs, so where we were was pretty quiet at night, thank goodness. The room was small, but it was clean, and it had a really nice shower. Normally I hate hotel showers, but I actually felt clean coming out of this one. It had nice marble tile, so it really was nice. That was the best part of the room, though. Mostly, it reminded me of almost every hotel I had stayed at in Spain, which is to say that it had tile floors, adequate beds, and nothing else. The only noticeable difference from a Spanish hotel was the price. My goodness. It should be illegal to charge that much for a tiny hotel room. I'm lucky it was for a conference and my department is footing part of the bill. Otherwise, there is no way we could have done it.
We went to the beach both mornings we were there, and Her Nibs liked it a lot. She wouldn't put her feet in the water by herself, but she would ride the waves with me if I held her. We didn't go very far in, since I'm afraid of sharks, but the water was clear and warm. It was fun. I don't usually like the beach, but since we went early, the sun still wasn't shining, and there weren't crowds. Actually, I saw a guy wake up after a night on the beach when the water started licking his feet. I thought that only happened in the movies. It actually took him a while to realize the water was at his feet. I think he had a good time the night before.
The conference itself was pretty good. The first session I had wanted to go to was cancelled, so I had a chance to catch up with some of the other people there, some of whom I hadn't seen for several years. My session, in the afternoon, was well attended, but unfortunately the other two panelists had more "interesting" topics than I did, so no one bothered to ask me any questions or make comments about my work. Luckily, a few people spoke with me later and I got a few helpful comments. If they hadn't it would have kind of ruined the conference for me, because the whole point is to get input on your work (well, and "network" with people in your discipline). The sessions on Saturday were pretty good, too.
Friday night we went out to dinner, and we found a nice Spanish restaurant just down the street from where the conference was. It is run by an actual Spanish family, and the chef, along with much of the waitstaff, is from Spain as well. Good Spanish food is tough to find in this country, and we were really lucky. When we walked in, it felt Spanish, with tile that looked as though it had come straight from Seville. When the waiters switched to Spanish, they spoke with Madrid accents, and it reminded us of our time there. It also reminded us of a time when we went to a restaurant in Seville with my parents during the Feria de Abril. Everyone was at the fair, so we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. There were like three waiters just for us. The same thing happened in Miami. Because of Her Nibs, we eat early, so we were the first ones in the restaurant. They were all so friendly, and the service was great. The food was even better. We got a sampler of appetizers, so we each got some tortilla española, jamón serrano on bruschetta, and croquetas de jamón. Then Plainbellied got a barbecue pork tenderloin and I got paella valenciana.* Her Nibs nibbled on a salad (salad is her favorite food right now). We got gelato afterward, and I'm sure Plainbellied will tell all about that.
As we walked back to the hotel (the long way), a guy came up to us with a huge snake and asked if we wanted to pet it. Her Nibs was really scared, so the guy asked me if I wanted to hold it. I resisted, but he put it around my neck anyway, and then Her Nibs touched it and laughed. Well, I'm not stupid, and I know that when something like this happens they're going to ask for money. I'm thinking he'll ask for five bucks or something like that as a "donation." But he said, "I take Polaroid pictures of you with the snake for a donation of 20 dollars." He actually said it with a straight face. I know Polaroid makes its money on film, but 20 bucks for a single photo? Not on your life. I turned him down and he move on to the next sucker. It was almost as weird as the time a girl wearing a clown nose (and no makeup) got right up in my face as I walked home one night in Madrid and said, "Oooooooooooooo" while doing some strange dance. Of course, it also reminded me of Hulk Hogan's "24-inch pythons."
The trip was really great, but I should add a couple of caveats. I'm not sure I would have liked it so much if I had just gone there to hang out. I'm not a beach person. An hour in the morning is enough for me, because there were no crowds and the sun wasn't shining. I burn easily, so the beach is not for me. I think I was lucky to have a conference to go to, so I really only had to fill short periods of time with stuff to do, mostly the mornings and dinner time. I'm not into partying either, so most of what the beach has to offer isn't really my style. Also, if I had to pay for the whole thing myself, it would have been too expensive.
Even so, it took the bad taste of my last Miami trip out of my mouth. Maybe there'll be another conference there sometime.
*Tortilla española is basically a potato omelet. Jamón serrano is a Spanish cured ham, kind of like prosciutto but better (second only to jamón ibérico, which is incredible), and Croquetas de jamón are kind of like savory hush puppies with bits of jamón serrano in them. What they called paella valenciana was really paella mixta, which has both chicken and seafood in it. Paella valenciana should have rabbit and spanish chorizo in it, and maybe chicken, but no seafood. I've never had good paella at a restaurant in the US before. It was absolutely great.
In order to prepare for our trip, we downloaded the pilot of 'Miami Vice' from iTunes. I hadn't seen the show for a very long time, and I don't think Plainbellied had ever seen it. I thought it would be fun to find some of the places where they filmed and re-enact scenes, like when Crockett told his partner's wife that he had been killed. Luckily, there was not time for that on this trip.
You may have already read Plainbellied's blog about the drive down, so I'm not going to repeat what she has already said. I will just point out that I generally prefer Mapquest directions, because they tend to send you on a shorter route than other services, and they actually get the time right. Once, I checked it against Google Maps, and Google wanted to send us about 100 miles out of our way (Google does have a better interface, though). I used Mapquest again this time, and we arrived at the door of our hotel within five minutes of the time it had predicted. Making good time is very important to me, and this made me feel pretty good.
It turns out that we made a really good decision on the hotel. Instead of a dive, we stayed in a renovated Art Deco hotel right on Ocean Drive, across the street from the beach. It was a little away from the clubs, so where we were was pretty quiet at night, thank goodness. The room was small, but it was clean, and it had a really nice shower. Normally I hate hotel showers, but I actually felt clean coming out of this one. It had nice marble tile, so it really was nice. That was the best part of the room, though. Mostly, it reminded me of almost every hotel I had stayed at in Spain, which is to say that it had tile floors, adequate beds, and nothing else. The only noticeable difference from a Spanish hotel was the price. My goodness. It should be illegal to charge that much for a tiny hotel room. I'm lucky it was for a conference and my department is footing part of the bill. Otherwise, there is no way we could have done it.
We went to the beach both mornings we were there, and Her Nibs liked it a lot. She wouldn't put her feet in the water by herself, but she would ride the waves with me if I held her. We didn't go very far in, since I'm afraid of sharks, but the water was clear and warm. It was fun. I don't usually like the beach, but since we went early, the sun still wasn't shining, and there weren't crowds. Actually, I saw a guy wake up after a night on the beach when the water started licking his feet. I thought that only happened in the movies. It actually took him a while to realize the water was at his feet. I think he had a good time the night before.
The conference itself was pretty good. The first session I had wanted to go to was cancelled, so I had a chance to catch up with some of the other people there, some of whom I hadn't seen for several years. My session, in the afternoon, was well attended, but unfortunately the other two panelists had more "interesting" topics than I did, so no one bothered to ask me any questions or make comments about my work. Luckily, a few people spoke with me later and I got a few helpful comments. If they hadn't it would have kind of ruined the conference for me, because the whole point is to get input on your work (well, and "network" with people in your discipline). The sessions on Saturday were pretty good, too.
Friday night we went out to dinner, and we found a nice Spanish restaurant just down the street from where the conference was. It is run by an actual Spanish family, and the chef, along with much of the waitstaff, is from Spain as well. Good Spanish food is tough to find in this country, and we were really lucky. When we walked in, it felt Spanish, with tile that looked as though it had come straight from Seville. When the waiters switched to Spanish, they spoke with Madrid accents, and it reminded us of our time there. It also reminded us of a time when we went to a restaurant in Seville with my parents during the Feria de Abril. Everyone was at the fair, so we were almost the only ones in the restaurant. There were like three waiters just for us. The same thing happened in Miami. Because of Her Nibs, we eat early, so we were the first ones in the restaurant. They were all so friendly, and the service was great. The food was even better. We got a sampler of appetizers, so we each got some tortilla española, jamón serrano on bruschetta, and croquetas de jamón. Then Plainbellied got a barbecue pork tenderloin and I got paella valenciana.* Her Nibs nibbled on a salad (salad is her favorite food right now). We got gelato afterward, and I'm sure Plainbellied will tell all about that.
As we walked back to the hotel (the long way), a guy came up to us with a huge snake and asked if we wanted to pet it. Her Nibs was really scared, so the guy asked me if I wanted to hold it. I resisted, but he put it around my neck anyway, and then Her Nibs touched it and laughed. Well, I'm not stupid, and I know that when something like this happens they're going to ask for money. I'm thinking he'll ask for five bucks or something like that as a "donation." But he said, "I take Polaroid pictures of you with the snake for a donation of 20 dollars." He actually said it with a straight face. I know Polaroid makes its money on film, but 20 bucks for a single photo? Not on your life. I turned him down and he move on to the next sucker. It was almost as weird as the time a girl wearing a clown nose (and no makeup) got right up in my face as I walked home one night in Madrid and said, "Oooooooooooooo" while doing some strange dance. Of course, it also reminded me of Hulk Hogan's "24-inch pythons."
The trip was really great, but I should add a couple of caveats. I'm not sure I would have liked it so much if I had just gone there to hang out. I'm not a beach person. An hour in the morning is enough for me, because there were no crowds and the sun wasn't shining. I burn easily, so the beach is not for me. I think I was lucky to have a conference to go to, so I really only had to fill short periods of time with stuff to do, mostly the mornings and dinner time. I'm not into partying either, so most of what the beach has to offer isn't really my style. Also, if I had to pay for the whole thing myself, it would have been too expensive.
Even so, it took the bad taste of my last Miami trip out of my mouth. Maybe there'll be another conference there sometime.
*Tortilla española is basically a potato omelet. Jamón serrano is a Spanish cured ham, kind of like prosciutto but better (second only to jamón ibérico, which is incredible), and Croquetas de jamón are kind of like savory hush puppies with bits of jamón serrano in them. What they called paella valenciana was really paella mixta, which has both chicken and seafood in it. Paella valenciana should have rabbit and spanish chorizo in it, and maybe chicken, but no seafood. I've never had good paella at a restaurant in the US before. It was absolutely great.
SoBe
As Plainbellied mentioned, we're off to Miami Beach this weekend so I can attend a conference. Finding a hotel was the most recent adventure. A few years ago we went to Miami to get our visas for Spain, and it was a rather unpleasant experience. The highlight was getting room service at the Fairfield Inn (only time we've ever done room service). This time, though, we're going to stay in South Beach (SoBe), which is within walking distance of the conference site. I've heard lots of good things about it, but what people don't tell you is how expensive it is. I learned that in order to get decent accommodations there, it is required to sign away one's firstborn child.
I know Plainbellied covered this in her post, but I'd like to give my perspective on our search for hotel accommodations. I jumped on the first "reasonable" rate I found without clearly thinking it through because the conference hotel rate seemed excessive (from someone who never wants to pay more than 60 dollars a night). Last night, when I went looking for directions, etc., I discovered that people passionately despise the hotel I had booked. I've stayed in dives before, so I was prepared for the worst, and if I were going alone it would have been all right. However, since Plainbellied and Her Nibs are coming, I had second thoughts. As you can see from Plainbellied's description, there were some serious problems with the other place. I can tell the difference between a crank who simply didn't like the hotel and serious problems. Since multiple reviewers kept bringing up the same issues, it raised a major red flag. Instead of gutting it out, we decided to swallow our pride and chalk up the one-night cancellation penalty to a "learning experience."
There are still a few minor issues about the new place, but it looks to be sanitary, safe, and friendly (if possibly a bit loud). Apart from a few of the usual crusty reviewers, most people really like it. As long as we're not looking for luxury accommodations, it should be all right. And since it's one of the old Art Deco hotels, it will at least be interesting to look at.
We'll definitely give a solid write-up about the trip when we return. I'm still a bit intimidated by Miami, but hopefully things will turn out for the best.
I know Plainbellied covered this in her post, but I'd like to give my perspective on our search for hotel accommodations. I jumped on the first "reasonable" rate I found without clearly thinking it through because the conference hotel rate seemed excessive (from someone who never wants to pay more than 60 dollars a night). Last night, when I went looking for directions, etc., I discovered that people passionately despise the hotel I had booked. I've stayed in dives before, so I was prepared for the worst, and if I were going alone it would have been all right. However, since Plainbellied and Her Nibs are coming, I had second thoughts. As you can see from Plainbellied's description, there were some serious problems with the other place. I can tell the difference between a crank who simply didn't like the hotel and serious problems. Since multiple reviewers kept bringing up the same issues, it raised a major red flag. Instead of gutting it out, we decided to swallow our pride and chalk up the one-night cancellation penalty to a "learning experience."
There are still a few minor issues about the new place, but it looks to be sanitary, safe, and friendly (if possibly a bit loud). Apart from a few of the usual crusty reviewers, most people really like it. As long as we're not looking for luxury accommodations, it should be all right. And since it's one of the old Art Deco hotels, it will at least be interesting to look at.
We'll definitely give a solid write-up about the trip when we return. I'm still a bit intimidated by Miami, but hopefully things will turn out for the best.
Startling New Study
I like to read The Onion online. As a parent, I found this recent article to be one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. I hope you enjoy it.
Who's Drinking the Kool-Aid Now?
Apparently, Kirsten Dunst has a high opinion of herself. Here's the short version. There is talk that Sam Raimi won't make the next Spiderman movie, and that Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Mcguire might not be in it. Dunst thinks that this is "disrespectful" to her and that "audiences aren't stupid. It'd be a big flop without me, Tobey, or Sam."
What do I think? I kind of liked the first two movies. I like a lot of comic-book type films (they're a guilty pleasure). Overall, though, I think the Spiderman movies would have been better without Mcguire and Dunst. I like what Raimi has done, but neither of the lead actors has done a particularly memorable job. Mcguire is OK, but I don't really like his delivery very much. I'm at the point now where I don't actually care if I see the next movie. I've liked the story lines, but the acting is problematic.
Dunst, in particular, has really been terrible. If they dropped her from the films, I would actually be more likely to see it. Take the second film, for example. Dunst's character, Mary Jane, is supposed to be some wonderful actress. But the scenes they show of her onstage in "The Importance of Being Earnest" are terrible. Add to that her bad teeth, and you have the makings of a disaster. Don't get me wrong, I thought that Dunst was solid in "Drop Dead Gorgeous," but I think she's had the same experience as a lot of other actresses. She gets into some serious films and somehow thinks she's a serious actress.
I think it's awfully pretentious of her to think she's somehow indispensable. Somebody needs to give her a reality check.
What do I think? I kind of liked the first two movies. I like a lot of comic-book type films (they're a guilty pleasure). Overall, though, I think the Spiderman movies would have been better without Mcguire and Dunst. I like what Raimi has done, but neither of the lead actors has done a particularly memorable job. Mcguire is OK, but I don't really like his delivery very much. I'm at the point now where I don't actually care if I see the next movie. I've liked the story lines, but the acting is problematic.
Dunst, in particular, has really been terrible. If they dropped her from the films, I would actually be more likely to see it. Take the second film, for example. Dunst's character, Mary Jane, is supposed to be some wonderful actress. But the scenes they show of her onstage in "The Importance of Being Earnest" are terrible. Add to that her bad teeth, and you have the makings of a disaster. Don't get me wrong, I thought that Dunst was solid in "Drop Dead Gorgeous," but I think she's had the same experience as a lot of other actresses. She gets into some serious films and somehow thinks she's a serious actress.
I think it's awfully pretentious of her to think she's somehow indispensable. Somebody needs to give her a reality check.
Maverick and Goose at the Airshow
Plainbellied and I have made a concerted effort to be more connected to the community where we live. There are a number of things we either didn't know about or simply never went to before. We started with the camping trip we took recently. Since then, we found a nice little pizza place in town that everyone else already seemed to know about and a fifties-style diner in a town about twenty minutes north (that other people already knew as well).
Last weekend, we took another leap and went to the airshow that came to town. Let me give a little background to this. When I was a kid, I had a friend whose family invited me to do things with them occasionally. They took me to a Patriots game against the Jets once and professional wrestling another time (back when it was real). :) Well, at one point they invited me to an airshow. I must have been about ten years old at the time. The problem with the airshow was that they planned to go on a Sunday, which is problematic for religious reasons. While I understand my parents' reasons now, I was very upset at the time. To top it all off, my friends who went came to school the next day to tell me all about their helicopter ride at the airshow.
I have been jealous ever since, and I never got to an airshow until now. We were unable to go a year and a half ago for some reason, so this time we decided that we would go no matter what. We took Her Nibs and our friend Don't Mess with Texas came along, too, after Plainbellied's game. It was a great time. We saw biplanes doing things that should be against the law (of gravity--ha ha ha). They brought out an F-18 fighter jet, and it was absolutely crazy what that thing was capable of. Other than high-speed maneuvers, it actually stayed in the air at under 100 MPH, and it weighs 40,000 lbs. Later they had an F-16 and a wing-walker as well, but watching the F-18 alone was worth the price of admission.
To top it all off, we got to go up in a helicopter. Plainbellied's father flew helicopters in Vietnam, so she's always wanted to go up in one, too. We made sure to take Her Nibs, who had a great time. Plainbellied went in a different helicopter than Her Nibs and I, and hers did some crazy stunts with her in it. I kind of wish I had gotten to go in that one, but I had my ride. I'll probably never get to do it again, and it was totally worth it.
Even though we had a great time, we quickly learned that we were airshow neophytes. It turns out that they don't actually provide seating at these things. I expected bleachers or something, but when we got there everyone else had brought camping chairs. There was also only limited shade. Most people had gotten there early and staked out positions under the wings of airplanes. Luckily, Don't Mess with Texas brought some SPF 50 and we got only very mild sunburns. We also realized immediately that we should have brought the camera.
We also learned that airshows are really loud. Her Nibs got very adept at covering her ears. Jets make a ton of noise, and since we were really close to the runway it was more than I had ever experienced. Every time the F-18 turned away from us, we got a roar from the engines. Anyway, it was an incredible afternoon. We all wanted to immediately rent Top Gun. Luckily, none of us had the energy to follow through on that.
Next up: we're taking a trip to Miami Beach so I can go to a conference. Since I had to get a hotel anyway, we thought we'd make a family trip of it. Should be fun.
Last weekend, we took another leap and went to the airshow that came to town. Let me give a little background to this. When I was a kid, I had a friend whose family invited me to do things with them occasionally. They took me to a Patriots game against the Jets once and professional wrestling another time (back when it was real). :) Well, at one point they invited me to an airshow. I must have been about ten years old at the time. The problem with the airshow was that they planned to go on a Sunday, which is problematic for religious reasons. While I understand my parents' reasons now, I was very upset at the time. To top it all off, my friends who went came to school the next day to tell me all about their helicopter ride at the airshow.
I have been jealous ever since, and I never got to an airshow until now. We were unable to go a year and a half ago for some reason, so this time we decided that we would go no matter what. We took Her Nibs and our friend Don't Mess with Texas came along, too, after Plainbellied's game. It was a great time. We saw biplanes doing things that should be against the law (of gravity--ha ha ha). They brought out an F-18 fighter jet, and it was absolutely crazy what that thing was capable of. Other than high-speed maneuvers, it actually stayed in the air at under 100 MPH, and it weighs 40,000 lbs. Later they had an F-16 and a wing-walker as well, but watching the F-18 alone was worth the price of admission.
To top it all off, we got to go up in a helicopter. Plainbellied's father flew helicopters in Vietnam, so she's always wanted to go up in one, too. We made sure to take Her Nibs, who had a great time. Plainbellied went in a different helicopter than Her Nibs and I, and hers did some crazy stunts with her in it. I kind of wish I had gotten to go in that one, but I had my ride. I'll probably never get to do it again, and it was totally worth it.
Even though we had a great time, we quickly learned that we were airshow neophytes. It turns out that they don't actually provide seating at these things. I expected bleachers or something, but when we got there everyone else had brought camping chairs. There was also only limited shade. Most people had gotten there early and staked out positions under the wings of airplanes. Luckily, Don't Mess with Texas brought some SPF 50 and we got only very mild sunburns. We also realized immediately that we should have brought the camera.
We also learned that airshows are really loud. Her Nibs got very adept at covering her ears. Jets make a ton of noise, and since we were really close to the runway it was more than I had ever experienced. Every time the F-18 turned away from us, we got a roar from the engines. Anyway, it was an incredible afternoon. We all wanted to immediately rent Top Gun. Luckily, none of us had the energy to follow through on that.
Next up: we're taking a trip to Miami Beach so I can go to a conference. Since I had to get a hotel anyway, we thought we'd make a family trip of it. Should be fun.
Playoff Time
Plainbellied asked me to write a piece on her game this weekend, because she would prefer that I give my "disinterested" take on it (quotes used for irony). Plainbellied's team lost, 2-0, which most likely means that they are now out of the playoffs for good. About the only highlight of the game for the good guys was Plainbellied in goal. Even though the other team scored twice, the problems lay with the defense, not the keeper. In case you think I'm just showing favoritism, I should point out that I played soccer for years--defense. One fundamental issue Plainbellied's team had was that the defense tended to bunch up and chase the ball, leaving opposing players open to take shots. Plainbellied did the best she could, but they kept shooting, and a couple got past. On offense, Orange Crush simply couldn't shoot. They had a few opportunities, but they missed the goal. Anyway, it was frustrating to watch.
Highlights of the game
One sequence in the second half where Plainbellied's defense completely abandoned her and she had to come out of the goal. She blocked three hard shots in quick succession, leading the crowd (me) to scream, "Nice!!" at the top of its lungs. She had a few other great saves, but that stands out more than any other.
The ref didn't seem to understand what his whistle was for. He tended to wait about thirty seconds to blow it after a foul was committed. I don't think he really knew what he was doing. Seriously, the players got to the point where they had to tell him to blow it when the ball went out of bounds and such. The other team started yelling, "Play the whistle!" because one never could tell if he planned to blow it at all. Absolutely amazing.
One of the opposing players is a friend of ours, and after her team's first game, she complained about how violent the other team played. She even had a scratch across her face to prove it. Well, yesterday, she took on the enforcer role. It was ironic. On one play, she totally tripped one of Plainbellied's teammates who was just about to break a big run past the defense. I screamed, "OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" really loudly, expressing my displeasure. Probably she should have gotten a red card for the tackle, which seemed pretty malicious. She made two more tackles just like it. One of them sent a player off with a possible ankle sprain. I give her a big thumbs down for her Wayne Rooney imitation (on the link, scroll down to "Disciplinary issues").
Plainbellied's team only had one sub, so when one person went down, neither team had subs. So in the second half, the ref actually called a water break. I couldn't believe it. They only play 25-minute halves. He actually called a water break??!!!
Finally, I got to play the hero. I mentioned that Rooney, Jr. had injured another player. Well, no one had any ice to put on her ankle (it was so hot the ice in their water coolers was melted). Plainbellied asked me, "Don't we have an ice pack in the car first-aid kit?" In fact, we did. Plainbellied deserves the credit for remembering it, but I was the one who ran the 100 yards to the car and brought it back. Of course, one of Plainbellied's teammates is married to a doctor, who happened to be there and could check out the ankle, but I got the ice pack, dang it! That should count for something.
Highlights of the game
One sequence in the second half where Plainbellied's defense completely abandoned her and she had to come out of the goal. She blocked three hard shots in quick succession, leading the crowd (me) to scream, "Nice!!" at the top of its lungs. She had a few other great saves, but that stands out more than any other.
The ref didn't seem to understand what his whistle was for. He tended to wait about thirty seconds to blow it after a foul was committed. I don't think he really knew what he was doing. Seriously, the players got to the point where they had to tell him to blow it when the ball went out of bounds and such. The other team started yelling, "Play the whistle!" because one never could tell if he planned to blow it at all. Absolutely amazing.
One of the opposing players is a friend of ours, and after her team's first game, she complained about how violent the other team played. She even had a scratch across her face to prove it. Well, yesterday, she took on the enforcer role. It was ironic. On one play, she totally tripped one of Plainbellied's teammates who was just about to break a big run past the defense. I screamed, "OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!" really loudly, expressing my displeasure. Probably she should have gotten a red card for the tackle, which seemed pretty malicious. She made two more tackles just like it. One of them sent a player off with a possible ankle sprain. I give her a big thumbs down for her Wayne Rooney imitation (on the link, scroll down to "Disciplinary issues").
Plainbellied's team only had one sub, so when one person went down, neither team had subs. So in the second half, the ref actually called a water break. I couldn't believe it. They only play 25-minute halves. He actually called a water break??!!!
Finally, I got to play the hero. I mentioned that Rooney, Jr. had injured another player. Well, no one had any ice to put on her ankle (it was so hot the ice in their water coolers was melted). Plainbellied asked me, "Don't we have an ice pack in the car first-aid kit?" In fact, we did. Plainbellied deserves the credit for remembering it, but I was the one who ran the 100 yards to the car and brought it back. Of course, one of Plainbellied's teammates is married to a doctor, who happened to be there and could check out the ankle, but I got the ice pack, dang it! That should count for something.
Pseudonyms in History
The recent hubbub about the blogger code of conduct got me thinking about pseudonyms, which the "code" condones. I like pseudonyms. That's one of my favorite things about the blogosphere. Many historical figures have used pseudonyms, and I think it is a long and noble tradition: Silas Dogood (Ben Franklin), Voltaire (François-Marie Arouet), Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), and Publius (Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay in the Federalist Papers) to name a few.
Bigfoot
I used to think that Bigfoot was just a monster truck. Now I find out that they call Sasquatch by that name, too. I had no idea.
Actually, I did know that, and I was just trying to find a witty opening for this post. Now that I have your attention, I'm going to talk about my feet. I don't have very large feet, but I have a very hard time finding shoes. The problem is that I have very wide feet (2E). The problem with having wide feet is that unless a manufacturer makes shoes in several widths, you have to make up for the width by buying up a size. So you have to get long shoes that look a little funny.
I've overcome the problem in running shoes by switching to New Balance, which does offer varying widths (and arch support, etc). I now wear my running shoes most of the time. However, since I teach, I've decided that I should wear nicer shoes sometimes so that I can actually look the part.
Tonight we went to the mall so my wife could have her eyes checked out (needed new contacts--paint me jealous), and so we stopped in Sears, which was having a sale. Well, there were several very nice looking pairs of shoes, but none of them fit me (well one did, but it had really thin soles, and I could imagine having painful feet at the end of the day). So here I am, without brown shoes. Several years ago, I actually bought a brown belt to wear with the brown shoes I planned to buy. I still haven't bought them. Needless to say, the belt sits unused in my closet. Of course, now it's too small for me to wear, which is a totally separate problem.
Actually, I did know that, and I was just trying to find a witty opening for this post. Now that I have your attention, I'm going to talk about my feet. I don't have very large feet, but I have a very hard time finding shoes. The problem is that I have very wide feet (2E). The problem with having wide feet is that unless a manufacturer makes shoes in several widths, you have to make up for the width by buying up a size. So you have to get long shoes that look a little funny.
I've overcome the problem in running shoes by switching to New Balance, which does offer varying widths (and arch support, etc). I now wear my running shoes most of the time. However, since I teach, I've decided that I should wear nicer shoes sometimes so that I can actually look the part.
Tonight we went to the mall so my wife could have her eyes checked out (needed new contacts--paint me jealous), and so we stopped in Sears, which was having a sale. Well, there were several very nice looking pairs of shoes, but none of them fit me (well one did, but it had really thin soles, and I could imagine having painful feet at the end of the day). So here I am, without brown shoes. Several years ago, I actually bought a brown belt to wear with the brown shoes I planned to buy. I still haven't bought them. Needless to say, the belt sits unused in my closet. Of course, now it's too small for me to wear, which is a totally separate problem.
Lasik
I found out today that my brother is getting Lasik surgery. I have to admit that I'm very jealous. I wear thick glasses to correct a terrible astigmatism. Even if I wanted to wear contact lenses, they would have to special fit them. The standard Toric lenses they sell don't work for someone like me. Lasik isn't an option either (even if I had the money). They can only reshape your cornea so much.
On the plus side of this equation . . . Never mind. There is no plus side to this.
On the plus side of this equation . . . Never mind. There is no plus side to this.
Subtitles or Dubbed?
Plainbellied's recent post on movie remakes made me think of a related issue: subtitles on foreign films. There are a number of different opinions on this issue. Some people prefer dubbing because it means they don't have to read the bottom of the screen to know what's going on. Others prefer subtitles because they want to hear the cadence of the people speaking. For example, watch "Life is Beautiful" in Italian, then try it in English. Roberto Benigni's delivery really makes the film in a lot of ways, and the dubbed English version is a tragedy.
Personally, I prefer subtitles unless it's an action movie or something where I feel they will be too distracting. I get the feeling I'm missing something when I watch dubbed films. Sometimes, if a film has bad audio, we'll put on the subtitles anyway. That's one great thing about DVDs--you can change the audio or subtitle track to what you want. One fun thing to do is to compare the subtitles with the dubbed dialogue. Often they don't match up. It's pretty funny.
I really like watching kung fu movies. They translate all of the special moves each fighter is known for directly, so you get things like the "Flying crane maneuverable death kick" and the "Buddha palm hurricane fist." I think that's fun.
When I watching Spanish films with my wife, I tend to critique their translations. She gets tired of hearing things like, "That's not quite what he said." I'm naturally a know-it-all.
Personally, I prefer subtitles unless it's an action movie or something where I feel they will be too distracting. I get the feeling I'm missing something when I watch dubbed films. Sometimes, if a film has bad audio, we'll put on the subtitles anyway. That's one great thing about DVDs--you can change the audio or subtitle track to what you want. One fun thing to do is to compare the subtitles with the dubbed dialogue. Often they don't match up. It's pretty funny.
I really like watching kung fu movies. They translate all of the special moves each fighter is known for directly, so you get things like the "Flying crane maneuverable death kick" and the "Buddha palm hurricane fist." I think that's fun.
When I watching Spanish films with my wife, I tend to critique their translations. She gets tired of hearing things like, "That's not quite what he said." I'm naturally a know-it-all.
Salad bowl and cups
I'm posting these images in response to a question from a friend, who wondered what the bowl and cups Plainbellied traded her pig for looked like. Again, my photographs aren't very good, but you can see that the bowl has a motif of birds attacking worms. I've included shots of the inside and the outside of the bowl. We originally had four cups, but I could only find three right now. But you get the idea that they are made with raised designs on the outside. We use them a lot. So now you know.
Well, lookee here!
Plainbellied located a photograph of the pig I mentioned in my previous post. She also gave me permission to put it up. Of course, she pointed out the technical deficiencies of the piece. I just like it. Note the Salvador Dalí lip couch. I think it's very whimsical.
Plainbellied back in action
While we are out west this summer, Plainbellied is going to take a ceramics studio class. I'm very excited for her. While I've been doing my PhD, she's put a lot of things on hold, including ceramics. Over the past five years, she's focused more on 2-D art, when she is really much more comfortable molding clay. I am definitely not an expert, but I've seen some of her work, and I really like it. I've posted a few of her earlier pieces below (stuff I like), along with a description of what I know about them.
These three pieces are part of a series Plainbellied did. She has helped me learn to appreciate abstract art. It doesn't always have to make a statement. Sometimes it's all right for art just to look cool. I think she succeeded here. I should apologize for the picture quality. I took them all myself, and I am not very gifted with a camera. These are in my sister-in-law's New York apartment, so we tell people that they're on display in New York.
This photo probably requires more explanation. Apparently, the art department where Plainbellied studied had experimented with a flexible mold material some years ago. They had molds of baby heads and celery bunches. Plainbellied stuck them together. These are on top of the bookshelf in my home office (hence the dust I should have noticed when I took the picture). While admittedly weird, they look cool when put together like this. It's like a bunch of baby comets or something.
I wish I still had a photo of another piece she made of a reclining pig with pearl necklace. Basically, it was a parody of the reclining nude portraits so many artists seem compelled to paint. Sadly, Plainbellied traded it for a nice set of a salad bowl and cups made by a friend (sad that we don't have her piece, the bowl and cups are very nice).
These three pieces are part of a series Plainbellied did. She has helped me learn to appreciate abstract art. It doesn't always have to make a statement. Sometimes it's all right for art just to look cool. I think she succeeded here. I should apologize for the picture quality. I took them all myself, and I am not very gifted with a camera. These are in my sister-in-law's New York apartment, so we tell people that they're on display in New York.
This photo probably requires more explanation. Apparently, the art department where Plainbellied studied had experimented with a flexible mold material some years ago. They had molds of baby heads and celery bunches. Plainbellied stuck them together. These are on top of the bookshelf in my home office (hence the dust I should have noticed when I took the picture). While admittedly weird, they look cool when put together like this. It's like a bunch of baby comets or something.I wish I still had a photo of another piece she made of a reclining pig with pearl necklace. Basically, it was a parody of the reclining nude portraits so many artists seem compelled to paint. Sadly, Plainbellied traded it for a nice set of a salad bowl and cups made by a friend (sad that we don't have her piece, the bowl and cups are very nice).
New Music
Today I purchased two new CDs: "Fly by Night" by Rush and "At Budokan" by Cheap Trick. I'm very happy with them. "Fly by Night" was the first Rush album to feature Neil Peart on drums (John Rutsey, their original drummer, refused to tour). Apart from the fact that he's an amazing drummer, he pushed the band into much more interesting musical directions. They started using 5- and 7-beat patterns and longer melodic arcs. While there are still weak spots on this album, it has "Anthem" and "Fly by Night" on it, and both are great tracks. They've got a new album coming out soon, and the one track I've heard from it gives me hope that it will be good. Plainbellied has agreed to go with me to see them live this summer. It will be a major milestone in her life, as she's never been to a rock concert before. This is a pretty good place to start, since Rush has been around for 33 years and has an older following. It will be much mellower than when I went to the Lollapalooza tour in 1993 and Ministry threatened to stop playing because people were throwing sod patches onto the stage. I was on the lawn, and people started ripping the wood fence apart and lighting bonfires. The next year, the venue (Great Woods in Mansfield, MA--now the Tweeter Center), banned the tour.
As I write this, I'm listening to Cheap Trick, and the lead singer just announced that "This next one is the first song on our new AL-bum. It just came out this week, and the song is called 'Surrender.'" Classic. We used to listen to this all the time when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the remastered version has lost a lot of character and made the vocals difficult to distinguish. I'm a bit disappointed. This live album, recorded in Japan, actually pushed the band into popularity. I think that's pretty cool.
As I write this, I'm listening to Cheap Trick, and the lead singer just announced that "This next one is the first song on our new AL-bum. It just came out this week, and the song is called 'Surrender.'" Classic. We used to listen to this all the time when I was a kid. Unfortunately, the remastered version has lost a lot of character and made the vocals difficult to distinguish. I'm a bit disappointed. This live album, recorded in Japan, actually pushed the band into popularity. I think that's pretty cool.
Campout!!!!
Well, we finally took Her Nibs camping. It was really fun. We did foil packs for dinner and roasted marshmallows for dessert s'mores. In the morning, our friends made us breakfast, and we all scarfed down eggs, bacon, and pancakes. As if that wasn't enough, then we had a barbecue and an Easter egg hunt for the young 'uns. Her Nibs got 10 candy-filled eggs and had a blast doing it.
There were only two minor glitches: it got down into the 30s at night, and the ground we slept on felt like concrete. The temperature wasn't a problem except that the county has a burn ban on now because of dry conditions, so we could only light charcoal, which isn't as fun as a full-on fire. And the ground wouldn't have been a problem if we owned an air mattress. We don't, so Plainbellied and I both woke up with sore backs. I also have a cut on my knuckle that I don't remember getting. Overall, though it was a great trial campout. I think we're going to try the beach soon.
I'm sure Plainbellied will have more to say on her blog.
There were only two minor glitches: it got down into the 30s at night, and the ground we slept on felt like concrete. The temperature wasn't a problem except that the county has a burn ban on now because of dry conditions, so we could only light charcoal, which isn't as fun as a full-on fire. And the ground wouldn't have been a problem if we owned an air mattress. We don't, so Plainbellied and I both woke up with sore backs. I also have a cut on my knuckle that I don't remember getting. Overall, though it was a great trial campout. I think we're going to try the beach soon.
I'm sure Plainbellied will have more to say on her blog.
On Greg Oden, Billy Packer, and the Florida Gators
If you aren't really interested in sports, go ahead and skip to the last paragraph. One of my brothers took issue with my comments about Greg Oden and Billy Packer. He wrote:
As for Florida's team, I have to admit I'm a little sick of Joakim Noah. It was kind of fun to hear him talk last year, and I think he's a great player, but lately he's been getting under my skin. Living in the Sunshine State we get a lot of coverage, and I really wish he sounded more educated. I do like Al Horford and some of the other players though. I wish them luck in the NBA, since there is no way that they are going back to college now. Next year will be a down year for the Gators, since the football team was decimated after last season, and now the basketball team will have to regroup. Maybe they'll make another run on a couple of titles again in a few years (if Billy Donovan stays).
Anyway, this is the last you'll hear about this topic, and I probably won't be back to sports for a while. I tend to watch sports only when I'm rooting for a team in the playoffs, so you might hear more if the Red Sox make a run on the playoffs.
I do not agree with your assessments of Greg Oden and Billy Packer. Oden is the next dominant NBA center, and if anything, opponents seem to get away with fouling him quite often. As for Packer, my take is that OSU was making a little bit of a run at that point, and it might have been a good idea for Florida to call time out and get everybody calmed down, remind them that they're the favorite, and then send them back out there.I totally agree that Oden might be the next big thing in the NBA (I'm hedging my bets because I'm a wimp). My point in the previous post was that in last night's game, I think Oden got away with a lot. I don't think the refs called too many fouls on Florida. I just think that if they were going to call it tight against Florida, they should use the same standard on Oden. Apart from that, Oden was a monster last night. If the other members of his team had played like he did, I have no doubt that they could have won the game. Fortunately for those of us in the Gator Nation (I know, it sounds stupid), they didn't, and Florida won. As for Packer, my point was that I think he was over-dramatizing what was happening. Yes, OSU put together a decent little run, but I don't think it was time for Florida to panic.
As for Florida's team, I have to admit I'm a little sick of Joakim Noah. It was kind of fun to hear him talk last year, and I think he's a great player, but lately he's been getting under my skin. Living in the Sunshine State we get a lot of coverage, and I really wish he sounded more educated. I do like Al Horford and some of the other players though. I wish them luck in the NBA, since there is no way that they are going back to college now. Next year will be a down year for the Gators, since the football team was decimated after last season, and now the basketball team will have to regroup. Maybe they'll make another run on a couple of titles again in a few years (if Billy Donovan stays).
Anyway, this is the last you'll hear about this topic, and I probably won't be back to sports for a while. I tend to watch sports only when I'm rooting for a team in the playoffs, so you might hear more if the Red Sox make a run on the playoffs.
The Surreal Life
Tonight we watched part of 'Dancing with the Stars.' Mostly, I wanted to see Heather Mills dance with her prosthetic leg. It seems unreal that she can do that. Well, the game started before she came on, so we missed it. Her Nibs had a great time, so we let her stay up late to watch until 9:00.
Well, as we were watching, I felt as though I was having an out of body experience when Cliff Claven started dancing the tango. I couldn't help myself, and I burst out laughing. I like John Ratzenberger, but he's still Cliff to me. Later, one of the guys from Nsync danced a tango to the 'Star Wars' theme. What a dork. I don't know if I can ever take that show seriously again.
I also have to say that Billy Packer, who is one of the NCAA championship announcers, needs to work on his delivery. By all accounts, Florida was the favorite to win (if you're not a Gator, you're Gator Bait!). At one point of the game, they went up 12 points. After a few plays, Ohio State cut the lead to 8, and Packer says, "The Gators are really in trouble here. They need to call a timeout." He was trying to inject a little drama into what was getting to look like a done deal, but he really needed to try harder than that. I forgot that teams had to win by at least 8 for it to count, I guess.
Also, I think there might have been some sort of payola going on, because the referees seemed incapable of calling fouls on Greg Oden. He should have fouled out early in the second half, but he lasted the whole game. Maybe they were trying to keep it a close game. But as they say, it's now water under the bridge.
Well, as we were watching, I felt as though I was having an out of body experience when Cliff Claven started dancing the tango. I couldn't help myself, and I burst out laughing. I like John Ratzenberger, but he's still Cliff to me. Later, one of the guys from Nsync danced a tango to the 'Star Wars' theme. What a dork. I don't know if I can ever take that show seriously again.
I also have to say that Billy Packer, who is one of the NCAA championship announcers, needs to work on his delivery. By all accounts, Florida was the favorite to win (if you're not a Gator, you're Gator Bait!). At one point of the game, they went up 12 points. After a few plays, Ohio State cut the lead to 8, and Packer says, "The Gators are really in trouble here. They need to call a timeout." He was trying to inject a little drama into what was getting to look like a done deal, but he really needed to try harder than that. I forgot that teams had to win by at least 8 for it to count, I guess.
Also, I think there might have been some sort of payola going on, because the referees seemed incapable of calling fouls on Greg Oden. He should have fouled out early in the second half, but he lasted the whole game. Maybe they were trying to keep it a close game. But as they say, it's now water under the bridge.
Time Killer
Right now I should be hard at work revising my introduction, but I'd rather write a blog entry. Perhaps I should write about sports? I haven't really touched on that before.
Living in Florida, I am currently enthralled by the University of Florida men's basketball team in the NCAA tournament. I like sports, but I don't usually watch them on television unless a team I like is in the playoffs (college football is a bit different, because 'every game is a playoff'). Well, now the Gators have a chance at winning back-to-back national championships, and to be the first school ever to be basketball and football champions in the same year. The ironic part? For that to happen, they have to beat the same team the football team steamrolled in January. Boy, a lot could really go wrong here. . . .
Actually, I have a real problem with the way college sports are now. People talk about how much money sports programs bring to universities, but that is only true in a handful of cases. Usually, the best they do is pay for the other sports teams, bringing little or no benefit to academic programs. I'm in favor of college sports, but I think people have forgotten the point. It used to be that an athletic scholarship was an opportunity to get an education. Now education has nothing to do with it. This is especially true here in Florida, where big-time college sports (FSU, UF, and Miami) seems more important to people than fixing our public school system (I said seems for a reason--I know people care about the school problems). I'm not sure there is a way to fix things, but surely someone much smarter than me has some ideas?
Anyway, I've said my piece. I need to get back to work. Go Gators!
Living in Florida, I am currently enthralled by the University of Florida men's basketball team in the NCAA tournament. I like sports, but I don't usually watch them on television unless a team I like is in the playoffs (college football is a bit different, because 'every game is a playoff'). Well, now the Gators have a chance at winning back-to-back national championships, and to be the first school ever to be basketball and football champions in the same year. The ironic part? For that to happen, they have to beat the same team the football team steamrolled in January. Boy, a lot could really go wrong here. . . .
Actually, I have a real problem with the way college sports are now. People talk about how much money sports programs bring to universities, but that is only true in a handful of cases. Usually, the best they do is pay for the other sports teams, bringing little or no benefit to academic programs. I'm in favor of college sports, but I think people have forgotten the point. It used to be that an athletic scholarship was an opportunity to get an education. Now education has nothing to do with it. This is especially true here in Florida, where big-time college sports (FSU, UF, and Miami) seems more important to people than fixing our public school system (I said seems for a reason--I know people care about the school problems). I'm not sure there is a way to fix things, but surely someone much smarter than me has some ideas?
Anyway, I've said my piece. I need to get back to work. Go Gators!
Am I an April Fool?
Today is April Fool's Day. In Spain, the equivalent day is December 28, the 'Día de los Inocentes.' Instead of pranks, people pull 'inocentadas.' My favorite story comes from the 1930s, when a newspaper reported that a particular politician had changed party, even though he hadn't. It took about a week for them to sort things out. Someday I'll think of a great prank, and someone is really going to get it.
Here at our house, we simply had fun painting nails today. These are the lengths to which a father will go to please his favorite (read: only) daughter. Her Nibs really wanted me to color my nails, too, so I agreed to let Plainbellied paint my toes. Well, as you can see from the picture, my hands ended up being included, too. Her Nibs picked all of the colors. Does that make me an April fool?
Her Nibs
Here at our house, we simply had fun painting nails today. These are the lengths to which a father will go to please his favorite (read: only) daughter. Her Nibs really wanted me to color my nails, too, so I agreed to let Plainbellied paint my toes. Well, as you can see from the picture, my hands ended up being included, too. Her Nibs picked all of the colors. Does that make me an April fool?
Me
Her Nibs
Twilight Samurai
I just finished watching a wonderful movie, and I have to write about it. The film, 'Twilight Samurai,' follows the experiences of a low-level samurai who is a widower with two young daughters and a senile mother. I won't give away the details, but the plot revolves around how he gets another chance with the girl he has always loved, but complications arise. His clan becomes involved in a leadership conflict, and he is ordered to fulfill a dangerous and morally suspect task. The film, released in 2003, is very different from most samurai movies because it isn't about fighting. And rather than express a reverence for bushido, it portrays a man who puts his family above honor.*
There are two main things that make 'Twilight Samurai' so good. First, the romantic relationship 'feels right.' One can recognize the feelings that Seibei and Tomoe have for one another without any sappy melodrama. Second, the tension that builds throughout the film is excruciating. Only a few movies draw me in like this (once Plainbellied came home while I was screaming at Alec Guinness in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'). While I kept my composure tonight, I felt nervous and genuinely 'pulled' for Seibei to come out on top.
The only thing I would say detracts from this film is a weak epilogue. Other than that, it is a fabulous film with great acting and a compelling story.
* Bushido is the samurai code of honor. When I say that Seibei put his family above honor, I'm speaking specifically about this exaggerated code to which samurai adhered. I would definitely call him an honorable man by today's standards.
There are two main things that make 'Twilight Samurai' so good. First, the romantic relationship 'feels right.' One can recognize the feelings that Seibei and Tomoe have for one another without any sappy melodrama. Second, the tension that builds throughout the film is excruciating. Only a few movies draw me in like this (once Plainbellied came home while I was screaming at Alec Guinness in 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'). While I kept my composure tonight, I felt nervous and genuinely 'pulled' for Seibei to come out on top.
The only thing I would say detracts from this film is a weak epilogue. Other than that, it is a fabulous film with great acting and a compelling story.
* Bushido is the samurai code of honor. When I say that Seibei put his family above honor, I'm speaking specifically about this exaggerated code to which samurai adhered. I would definitely call him an honorable man by today's standards.
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