Geocaching

The Rileys picked up a new hobby in Minnesota.  It's called geocaching, and it's a great family activity.  Shout out to Aunty Jody for introducing us. 

Geocaching is basically a modern treasure hunt.  Yon can sign up for a free membership at geocaching.com, and you're off and running.  Punch in any address, and a map will show you all the caches in the surrounding area.  With over a million caches worldwide, there will be plenty.  Each cache, or container, has coordinates, so you do need a GPS device.  We used the Garmin my dad gave me for Christmas, and it worked just fine.

Plug in the coordinates, and your GPS will take you right to the area.  The caches come in all sizes, and they're hidden, often in difficult terrain, so finding the container itself can be challenging.  When you find one there is a real sense of accomplishment.  Here are the girls looking mighty proud after finding a cache today.  It was cleverly hidden at the base of the Palo Verde tree in the background.  We were out for about an hour today, and we found three caches.

Each cache has a log book to sign, and some have little trinkets you can take, but only if you leave something else behind.  There may also be a travel bug.  These are little dog tags that people buy through the website and attach to an object.  We've already found two, one attached to a Lego Indiana Jones, and the other attached to a mini surfboard.  If you find a travel bug, you can take it and put it in the next cache you find.  Travel bugs have a tracking number, so you can follow where they go online.

Each geocaching excursion is logged online, even unsuccessful attempts, so the creator of the cache can see what's going on.  That's the next step for packoriles (our geocache name), hiding our own cache.  It's ready to go, we just need to figure out the best place to hide it.  The girls are looking forward to seeing what kinds of things people leave behind.  I'm looking forward to all the time we'll spend as a family with our new hobby.      

Opportunity Knocks

After 35 days on the road, we finally made it home, albeit a little later than originally planned.  Our flight was overbooked, so we took a bump.  We weren’t on a schedule, so we couldn’t pass up the $300 vouchers.  That’s $300 per person, $1200 total=NO BRAINER.

We were perfectly content to stay in a hotel and fly back in the morning.  In fact, the girls were down right giddy about the idea.  They weren’t exactly itching to leave this morning, so anything to extend the trip was fine by them.  They’ve already decided that we’ll use the vouchers to go see their cousins in Portland.   They wanted to get bumped again, but alas, no such luck. 

I heard the agent trying to get some other people on the last flight to Tucson, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to ask if we could squeeze on as well.  Turns out there were some empty seats, so we made it home by 10:30.  In my mind the Rileys made a cool $1200 for spending an extra three hours in the friendly confines of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport.

In my last post I wrote about the girls learning first hand that sometimes the most rewarding experiences of travel happen off the beaten path.  I think they learned another valuable travel lesson today.  Be flexible on the road, you never know when opportunity will present itself.  Well, that, and never pass up free plane tickets.

Off the Beaten Path

Our trip is winding down, a few more days with Auntie Jody in Minneapolis and then back to Tucson on Tuesday.  As usual, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Madison with the Krieghoffs.  We got our shopping fix on State Street, and of course, ice cream at the Union.  There are now two Big Chairs, and the girls chose to take their requisite Union photo on the new one, gets the lake in the background.  We did a little more campus this year, walked up Bascom Hill, and then ended our extended tour at the Lakeshore dorms.

The highlight of Madison this year was the show the girls put on for us our last night.  My goddaughter, Carlen, choreographed dances to 6 or 7 pop songs, and after the girls got the giggles out, the performance was actually pretty impressive.  We've had a number of these shows over the years, but this year's was by far the best.  I recorded the whole thing, so I can bust it out any time I need to properly embarrass the girls.

The drive from Madison to Minneapolis is usually nothing to write home about it, or in this case, blog about, but this year was a little different.  While flipping through radio stations, we came across a show on public radio about tourism in Wisconsin.  A woman called in and raved about a graveyard of wacky fiberglass animals and shapes at the F.A.S.T. Corporation in Sparta, Wi.  Meg was intrigued and checked the map.  When we realized we were only a short detour away, we decided to check it out.

The graveyard is full of fiberglass animals and shapes, the kinds of things you see at water parks, restaurants, cheesy tourist sites.  The place reminded me of a Midwestern island of misfit toys.  We walked around for a bit, took a bunch of pictures, then hopped back on the interstate.  It may not sound like much, but we went off the beaten path as a family, and I have a feeling this little stop will be remembered for a long time.

The Raft

In my last post I alluded to a big development at the beach this summer.  The beach at Eagle Harbor has a raft floating about 50 yards off shore.  It's always been my job to escort the girls out there.  It's one of those little things you do as a Dad that make you feel useful and appreciated.  On our first visit to the beach this summer, I was more than happy to fulfill my fatherly duty when the call came.

Turns out there wasn't much for me to do.  Scout can easily walk out now, and what Quinn can't walk, she can easily swim.  It struck me that my presence, while perhaps comforting, may not actually be necessary.  It took the girls a few more days to figure this out for themselves, but eventually the question came: can we go out to the raft by ourselves?  Meg and I had already discussed this of course, but we acted the part of deliberating parents before saying yes.  The girls had the look of kids who are fairly certain they'll be shot down, but it's their duty as kids to ask anyway.  Their little faces lit up as it sank in that they'd actually been given the green light, and they were off.

The girls made it easily, like I knew they would.  I smiled, swelling with pride, as they jumped off the raft, over and over, the thrill of independence floating back to me on their laughter.  As I kept watching the girls, it dawned on me, this won't be the last time they figure out they don't need the old man.  Letting go is only going to get harder, and in that moment, I was grateful for the practice.   

Family Time

Meg’s parents left Friday morning, ending two great weeks of family time at the cottage. We head to Madison on Thursday, so we have the place to ourselves for a while. Kind of a bittersweet deal: nice to have some time alone here, but we miss having everyone around. I think it would be better to have our time on the front end, then leave with everyone else.

The first week was full-on family, very action-packed. We kicked things off on the 3^rd with the annual Popeye Run. Meg and I haven’t been running lately, so we didn’t do the 10k this year. I “ran” the 5k, finishing in 29:52. You know you’re slow when a 6 year old leaves you in her dust. In a first, Scout and Quinn walked the 5k. I suppose it won’t be long before the girls are running the 5k, and then ultimately the 10k. I’m sure they’ll bury the old man too.

The 4^th of July is always great up here, classic small town Americana. The festivities kick off with a parade. The kids wear costumes, and at the end of the parade, they present themselves before judges, who will create an award for each kid, thus earning them a nifty $5. When the cousins are together we try to do a theme, this year’s being Star Wars. Check 'em out: Queen Amidala, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Obi Wan Kenobi.

After the parade, everyone meanders over to the ball yard (you could say “park" but the more old-timey the better around here) for an afternoon of games. It was really hot this year, so by the time the rolling pin toss was done, we were ready to hightail it back to the cottage for a dip in the watermelon hole. The icy waters of Lake Superior never felt so good.

The weather was great the rest of the week, so we spent a lot of time at the beach. The highlight for me was the afternoon we spent trying to body surf at Great Sand Bay. As far as the kids were concerned, it was just as good as being at the ocean. There was a big development at the beach this year, but I want to save that for it’s own post.

Scout and Quinn tried waterskiing last summer for the first time, but they weren’t able to get up. They tried again this year, and they did really well. They never got very far before falling off, but they made huge strides from last year. I bet next year they’ll be all over the Harbor. That means more time on the water for Big Dad, which will definitely make him happy.

Meg’s dad loves to be on the water, and his granddaughters love to be in the boat with their Big Dad. We usually just cruise the Harbor, with a quick run out to the bell buoy mixed in. The best boat ride this year was on the last day with the cousins. We went down to Silver Island to do a little exploring. We hiked around for a while and ended the excursion by jumping off the rocks into the lake. It was a great way to send the cousins off.

In between all the action, there’s still plenty of down time to enjoy. We play a lot of games, take long walks, read, take naps, just sit around and chat. Our time at Eagle Harbor is the perfect combination of action and relaxation. The whole experience is very restorative. The other night Meg and I were taking a walk after dinner, and she summed it up perfectly. The images of Eagle Harbor, the old ones that are updated and the new ones that get added, make it easier to deal with life in the real world-until we can make it back. I feel very fortunate to have a place like this in my life.

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

It’s hard to blog from the road, so I’ve decided to break our summer trip into manageable segments. The first segment is the shortest, just the first couple days.

June 30^th was a travel day, and even though we had to sit on the runway in Tucson for an hour and a half, we made our connection. I was very impressed by how well the girls handled the delay. It was pretty late when we got to Aunty Jody’s house, so it was straight to bed for the Rileys.

Meg’s sister and her family got in the next morning, and the cousins got right to it. My brother-in-law and I took the two older girls to a Twins game. The new ballpark is as good as advertised, but they might want to beef up security. A pretty nasty fight broke out in our section, one drunk guy using the other drunk guy’s face as a punching bag. These were big dudes and no one was doing anything to break it up. For a second I thought Tom and I might have to get in there, but thankfully someone beat us to it. The “security“ that finally showed up was some old guy, no way in hell he was going to help. He didn’t even have a radio to call for back up. I never did see a police officer, which I found more than a little odd. I’ve been to a lot of sporting events, at a good number of stadiums across the country; I’ve never seen a situation in the crowd so poorly managed.

Both of the brawlers left bloodied, although I think it was all one guy’s blood. I was worried the girls would be traumatized, but they quickly turned the whole thing into a game, creating possible conversations between the two guys, always ending with “and then they started fighting.” Pretty damn funny actually. The game was quite exciting, but the Twins blew a lead in the ninth and ultimately lost in the 10^th. The best part of the whole night was working with Scout to fill out the scorecard. If you’re taking a kid to a baseball game, forget all the fancy souvenirs. Just get a scorecard, spend the whole game talking with your kid about baseball, it really makes the experience.

That brings us to July 2^nd, another travel day. The drive from Minneapolis to Eagle Harbor, Michigan, takes 8-9 hours with the kids, but it never feels that long. I love driving through northern Wisconsin, close to my roots kind of thing. Eagle Harbor is a pretty remote place, especially if you’re coming from the Sonoran Desert. Not a lot of internet access here on the Keewenaw Peninsula, but the one restaurant in town does have wi-fi access this year. We’ve been told you can sit in the parking lot and patch in. I can’t decide if this is a good thing.

Road Trip

Meg finishes summer school today, and then we're off on our annual summer odyssey. Every summer we leave the heat of the desert and head north to visit family and friends in Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. We used to leave town the day school let out, usually around May 20, and return a day or two before school started up again, usually the middle of August. With Meg doing summer school the last couple years, our departure has been pushed back, but we still have a ton of time to travel as a family.

The girls are jumping out of their skin excited. This year is extra special for them because they get to hang out with their cousins in Michigan. Meg's family has a place on Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We're right on the water; we fall asleep to the waves lapping at the stone shore. The wall the girls are sitting on in the picture is right out the front door. This pose is a bit of a tradition, the girls looking at the lighthouse. We usually spend about 2 weeks there, this year it'll be about three.

After Michigan we'll head down to Madison, stay with friends 4 or 5 days. My favorite part of our Madison time is the pilgrimage down to the Union. We park up toward the capital and shop our way down State Street. I always get some Badger gear for myself and the girls. We wind up at the Union, the kids get ice cream and the adults drink a beer or two on the terrace. We have another photo tradition there, the girls in the big terrace chair. Madison is an important place in my life, I love sharing it with the girls every summer.

Last stop this year will be Minnesota. We'll stay with Meg's sister and visit as many friends as possible. Meg grew up there, and I lived there for 8 years, so we have a lot of people to see. The girls love spending time with their Aunty, she always makes our visit special for them. Meg's parents have a lake place about an hour west of Minneapolis, but I'm not sure if we'll get out there this year. It seems like we've spent less time at the lake over the years, but when the girls were younger, we spent a lot of time out there. The place is for sale now, and even though it's a tough market these days, it will eventually sell. I'm grateful for all the great times we've had out at the lake over the years.

When you're visiting with family and friends, it's hard to find time for writing. The time I do fit in needs to be for the book. I'm at 44K, and the plot is starting to pick up. As Grady Tripp said in The Wonder Boys, I'm at a critical juncture. While we're on the road, my goal for the blog is to post pictures of our adventures, and maybe a written post here and there. Lots to do yet this morning, time to get cracking.

Say Hello To Our Little Friend

We had a little excitement in the Riley house yesterday. We live on an acre of desert, and we see lizards all the time. For the record, the Rileys love lizards. We catch babies in the house all the time, no big deal. This guy was no baby, he was probably a good 8 inches long. When I came across him in my room, right next to my bed, I'm not sure who was more freaked out, me or the lizard. After a brief stand off, our uninvited guest bolted under the bed, and the hunt was on. Nothing like a good lizard hunt to bring a family together. The girls were completely unfazed, they were right in there trying to help, laughing the whole time. It probably took us a good half hour, but we finally caught the intruder. I put him in a garbage can to take this picture. I have a feeling this will go down in family lore. One of those stories that begins, remember the time?

Earlier in the day the girls and I saw Toy Story 3. Great movie. I think the Toy Story movies are all about growing up, and this third installment beautifully deals with the end of childhood. Scout said an interesting thing in the car on our way to Peter Piper. She said the ending was sad, but it's probably sadder for adults because they know what it feels like to miss being a kid. It's pretty awesome to see a movie with your kids that can generate that kind of discussion.

We're having friends over this afternoon, so the girls and I decided to have our last Pizza Friday on Thursday. Peter Piper is a bit of a nightmare, but I've really enjoyed Pizza Fridays with the girls this summer. Before we ate, Scout asked if she could make a toast. We toasted to Pizza Fridays, and spending time together this summer, just Dad and the girls. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Perfect Weekend

The last three days have been such a blast, I'm feeling a little Lou Gehrig tonight.

Friday morning we watched the US/Slovenia match. The girls get a kick out of all my screaming and yelling during sporting events, and I have to admit, I was pretty into the game. I nearly lost my mind when the last goal was disallowed, but that second half was flat-out fun to watch. After the game the girls played while I did a little work on the book, and while I didn't write a lot, what I did write felt good, it felt true. I love that feeling. The girls earned a bunch of free pizza coupons at school this year, and we've been using them on what we creatively named Pizza Fridays. The coupons are for a place called Peter Piper Pizza, and while I'm not crazy about the place, the girls always have a good time, so why not. We play some games when we're done eating, and then the girls cash in their tickets for a bunch of crap they'll soon lose or forget about. I do love watching their faces as they try to decide what to get with their tickets, very serious business for them, kinda priceless. After lunch we stopped at Target to pick up some cards for Father's Day. The girls enjoy picking out their own cards, and they really put a lot of thought into their choices. This year's theme was dogs; the girls were quite happy with their selections. When we got home we swam for a good two hours. I spent a majority of the time judging a "diving" contest. I'll give the girls this, the number of dives they're able to come up with is staggering. Sure, we had best cannonball, smallest splash, but most of the dives were a little more creative: best dog dive, best cat dive, best insert-name-of-animal dive, best trumpet dive, best violin dive, best insert-the-name-of-instrument dive, you get the drift. After swimming we ate dinner, and then we watched Labyrinth. The kids enjoyed it, especially David Bowie, even though they refuse to believe he's the same guy who sings Changes and Golden Years, songs they both love. I remember thinking the special effects were so cool as a kid, but I was surprised by how dated they looked. Meg worked a long day, so she was pretty much in bed with the girls. I decided to usher in year 41 by watching Dream A Little Dream. I admit it, I was feeling a little nostalgic, and nothing like a good Corey and Corey flick to bring back old memories, well, for me at least.

I woke up Saturday to birthday hugs and kisses from my ladies. Meg and the girls gave me a beautiful new leather bag for school, very exciting. Unfortunately, Meg had to go to a seminar, so it was me and the girls most of the day. We met up with my sister for lunch, and then went by to check out her new place. There was another diving contest when we got home, and then we watched another classic kid flick from the old man's time, The Neverending Story. The special effects in this one were so bad, I'm ashamed to have been impressed by them as a kid. We had Mediterranean for dinner, and really, the rest of the night was pretty mellow. Before bed I checked Facebook, and I was overwhelmed by all the birthday greetings. Facebook has its faults, but that was pretty cool. No big party, no drunken debauchery, just hanging out with the family. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Pretty sweet to follow up my birthday with Father's Day. The girls gave me a new wallet, and Meg gave me Dave Eggers's book, Zeitoun. We lounged around the house like any other Sunday morning; it was good to have Meg with us. Meg had to get a few last things at Borders, and then we met up with my parents and sister for lunch at In-N-Out Burger. This is the Riley idea of a fine dining experience. We went to my parent's place for desert, and spent a nice afternoon just hanging out, my dad and I keeping tabs on the U.S. Open. It was great to see my dad enjoying himself. A couple weeks ago the guy was laid up in a hospital bed, so I know today was special for him. It's been a rocky road for my dad after his kidney transplant, and it means a lot to share Father's Day with him.

It's funny, this weekend probably sounds pretty uneventful, boring even. I think it was perfect.

The Karate Kid

I was in limbo during the summer of 1984. My mom had taken a job in Green Bay, and as soon as our house in Appleton sold, we would be moving. It was only 30 miles, but at the time, it felt like we were moving to another continent.

There wasn't a lot of fanfare when The Karate Kid came out that June. I can still vividly remember the first time I heard about it. I was playing Dig Dug at Open Pantry. The kids next to me were playing Joust, and they were talking about this great movie they'd seen, The Karate Kid.

I'm not going to lie, I was obsessed with The Karate Kid that summer and fall. I'm not even sure how many times I saw it in the theater, but it was a lot. It got to the point where my friends started greeting me by asking when I was going to see it again. The Karate Kid wasn't just a movie for me, it was like a sign of things to come. I had no doubt in my mind that a bunch of thugs would routinely attack me upon my arrival in Green Bay. I wasn't very familiar with the demographics of Green Bay, but I was sure there had to be at least one old Japanese guy who could train me in martial arts. Thankfully, I fared a lot better than Daniel LaRusso when we finally moved. I know it sounds ridiculous, but The Karate Kid helped me make the transition, and for that, it remains one of my all-time favorites.

Last summer some friends gave me a box set of The Karate Kid movies for my 40th birthday. I've watched all the movies with the girls, well, the first three anyway, sorry Hilary Swank, and I'm proud to say they love The Karate Kid as much as Dad. Not much makes me happier than watching the girls do the crane. Sharing The Karate Kid with the girls is one of those things that makes being a Dad special.

We went to see the new Karate Kid on Sunday, with the same friends who gave me the box set actually, and I have to admit, it's good. A bit long, but definitely worth seeing. Jackie Chan is excellent, and surprisingly, Jaden Smith didn't irritate me. I still think he's too young for the part, but he did a nice job. The girls enjoyed it too, but this morning at breakfast they told me they like the original better. I had to smile, my thoughts exactly.

Thank You, Soccer

We've got World Cup fever at the Riley house. We watched South Africa play Mexico on Friday. We were cheering for Bafana Bafana in support of our old friend Mosuwenyana Mokoena. I know how proud he is to have his country hosting the World Cup, and we shared a lot of Mosuwenyana stories during the game.

On Saturday we watched the US tie England. Sorry about that one England. We didn't watch any games today, but I think we'll watch a lot this week. The girls aren't normally interested in watching sports with dear old Dad, so if they're willing to watch, I'm definitely in. Of course, "watching" is a relative term here. Scout is more interested in her book, and Quinn spends a lot of time with her dolls, but they're both IN THE ROOM, and that's progress. I'm hoping soccer will be a gateway sport, and before you know it, I'll have a couple of sports junkies on my hands.

My favorite part of the World Cup so far is the noise. I love those damn vuvuzelas. Who cares if the French players can't hear themselves on the field, they're brilliant.

Life Lessons

The girls competed in the Grand Canyon State Feis this past weekend in Phoenix. The Grand Canyon feis is sponsored by their dance school, Tir Conail, so the girls were very excited. Here they are with their excited little selves.

For the uninitiated, a feis (pronounced fesh) is an Irish step dancing competition. I would try to explain how one of these things works, but quite frankly, I think it might be easier to tie up the loose ends of Lost. All I know for sure is that the girls compete in a bunch of dances, and if they do well, they can win shiny medals. If the shiny medal is a first, or sometimes even a second, they move up to the next level of competition, and that's a good thing.

Scout started out strong in the morning, with two 1sts and two 2nds. I'm always happy when the girls place, but this was big. Scout was shut out at the last feis, and she took it pretty hard. The judges said she wasn't crossing her feet enough, so she worked on that in practice. I think this experience taught her a valuable lesson. When things don't go your way, you can pout, give up, or you can go back to work and try to get better. As parents, we preach this all the time, but this is concrete proof, and now Scout has something to draw on when things don't go as she hopes. Which, of course, happened a lot sooner than any of us expected.

Quinn danced in the afternoon, and she was wonderful. At the last feis, Quinn wasn't her usual energetic self; she just kind of shuffled her way through. We talked a lot about picking up her energy level, and this time around she was bouncing all over the place, big ol' smile on her face. She moved up to Novice in one of her dances, and placed in 4 others. Quinn has a good time no matter what happens with the judges, but again, it was good to have concrete results.

Scout had to wait all afternoon for her last dance, it was a very long day for her. It's the only dance she has left in Beginner II, and she's been stuck there for a while. She needs to place 1st or 2nd to move on to Novice, and it didn't happen. As a parent, I felt powerless. I want to be able to tell her what she can do to get over the hump, but the truth is, all I can tell her is to keep working, and sometimes that sounds hollow even to me. I know it stings when you fall short of a goal, and I was proud of how Scout handled her disappointment. It wasn't long before she was talking about moving up at the next feis in August.

The girls love Irish dancing, and they love competing. What I love is watching the girls improve from feis to feis, as dancers, and as people.

Gets Me Every Time

We're about a week into summer vacation here at the Riley house. Meg does summer school, so for the month of June, it's just me and the girls. We're having a blast, being lazy, going with the flow. It's nice to get off the conveyor belt of life for a while.

One of my favorite things about summer is the reading program sponsored by the public library. The girls get a little chart, they color in a shape for every 15 minutes they read: sea horses, seashells, you get the drift. Every 6 hours they get some sort of prize; I think the first one is a temporary tattoo. The girls are obsessed with filling in their charts, so the first week or two of summer vacation there's a lot of reading going on in the Riley house. I don't think they even care about the prizes, they just like filling in that chart, must be the sense of accomplishment. Intrinsic reward over extrinsic reward, does a parent proud.

In a departure, Scout is using a timer this year. She resets it every 15 minutes, it's pretty damn cute. Scout is a freakish reader, incredibly fast and way above grade level. She reads better than most of the 8th graders I taught this year. Quinn is coming along at a more normal pace, and I love listening to her read, helping her sound out tough words. It's really starting to click for her; I can hear the confidence growing in her voice with every chapter. Quinn has a bunch of books checked out from the library, but I doubt she'll ever get to them, we're reading The Magic Treehouse series. Quinny reads aloud to Meg and I, and we just ballpark 2 chapters=15 minutes.

Meg and I are both avid readers, so I'm not surprised the girls love to read. The thing is, I'm surprised every time I see Scout in one of her many reading spots around the house, completely lost in her own little world. I'm surprised every time I listen to Quinn sound out a polysyllabic word or use the perfect inflection with dialogue. I'm surprised how happy it makes me.

My First Tag

Last week I was tagged by Eric at Working My Muse. I told Eric I would use the tag for one of my posts, but I completely forgot until I visited his blog today. Eric posted a great poem honoring veterans, take a minute to check it out.

The point of the tag, as I understand it, is to answer 5 questions with five facts and then select 5 other people to do the same. It seems like a fun exercise, so here we go.

1. Where were you five years ago?

I was teaching, but at a different middle school. We were still living on Pima Street, a few months away from the decision to move. Meg had left teaching to stay home with the girls. Our dogs, Chili and Goldie, were alive and well, and I was still a huge Brett Favre fan.

2. Where would like to be in five years?

Despite all the negative publicity lately, I still love Tucson, so I plan on being right here 5 years from now. On the job front, maybe I'll try high school. Like many bloggers, I would love to be a published author. I can't imagine we won't have at least one dog running around, and last but not least, ARod will have more Super Bowl rings than ol' Brett.

3. What is on your to do list today?

Today's almost over, so let me think ahead to tomorrow. I want to get at least 2 pages of the book done. I need to get in the pool with the girls. I'd like to read at least 50 pages of the Jonathan Tropper novel I started today. Quinn's reading is really coming on, and I'll sit with her as she reads Magic Treehouse. The most important thing tomorrow is to get up to the hospital to hang out with my dad.

4. What snacks do you enjoy?

My favorite snack is Goldfish. To be honest, I eat so many Goldfish, they're more like one of the food groups for me. I don't really eat any other snacks with regularity, but I do enjoy Dots, Rolos, grapes, and cheese, preferably some kind of cheese spread, Merks or Pub Cheese, on pretzels.

5. What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?

This one is fun to think about. The basics come first, dream house for Meg, college for the girls, big checks for family and friends. I'm sure there would be a lot of travel. Meg and I would start a charitable organization, fund different projects, make that our life's work.

Thanks again to Eric for thinking of me with the tag. I don't have a lot of followers yet, but here are 5 bloggers I enjoy reading. Of course, I have no idea if I'm doing this process correctly, but what the hell:

Johanna

Teacher Mommy

Ed

Kate

Marquita

School's Out

I didn't go into teaching to have summers off, but it's certainly a nice perk, one of the few we have in the teaching profession. Today was our last day of school, so the teaching off-season is now officially under way. Much like athletes need the off-season to heal physically, teachers need the summer to heal mentally. Well, at least I do, and I've got a lot of healing to do this summer.

This was a particularly trying school year for me. Around this time last year I agreed to participate in a federal study. In exchange for switching to an underperforming school, I was given a bonus. The point of the study is to see if teachers who have had success in raising test scores can duplicate that success in underperforming schools. I was honored to be asked, and ultimately, the money was too much to resist.

I knew going in I would have my work cut out for me, but I have to admit, the experience has been more challenging than I expected. Getting 8th graders to do their work is always a battle, one I pride myself on winning. Let's just say my winning percentage took a severe beating this year. There were many days when I felt like Don Quixote charging those windmills.

I don't want it to sound like nothing good happened this year, because I had some amazing kids, and more than a few transcendent moments. That really hit home today at promotion. Every time a kid came up to say thanks, and it happened a lot more than I expected, some of the lingering negativity fell away. Every parent who thanked me for helping their child reminded me why I put up with all the bullshit.

Now I have the summer to recharge the battery. When it's time to report back I'll be ready. Like teachers everywhere, I'll walk in those doors ready for the best year of my career. For now though, play me some Alice Cooper.

Do The Right Thing

Tuesday night was a big night in the Riley house, and I'm not just talking about Lost. Voters in Arizona overwhelmingly passed a 1 cent sales tax increase to offset massive cuts to education, public safety and health services. With the current mood of the state, I was expecting the measure to be shot down rather handily. That's the great thing about this life, you never know. Not only did the sales tax pass, it passed by a nearly 2/3 margin. Not to be hyperbolic, but this was a bi-partisan victory for common sense and decency.

I don't want to get all political, I am a registered independent after all, but I do think there's a lesson here. What the results say to me, and I hope our state legislators, is that people don't want to destroy the education system to balance the budget. I know times are tough; the budget deficit is no joke, but schools have already shouldered their fair share of cuts in this state.

We can't just cut spending to vital programs to get ourselves out of trouble, there has to be some new revenue coming in. No one wants to pay more taxes, including me, but we're not going to get out of this mess without some sacrifice. I think we all realize this, but the definition of sacrifice has been very limited. Too many legislators in this state have decided that sacrifice can only mean cutting spending. I hope they see things a little differently after this vote. Arizonans showed they are willing to pay a little more to provide their children with the best education possible.

We're still way behind the curve down here in the desert. We need to be talking about spending more on education, not less. For one night though, Arizonans did the right thing. It's a start.

Leave It To The Bard

I'm reading Romeo and Juliet with my honors 8th grade English class. I see no reason to wait until high school to read Shakespeare with advanced readers.The kids are all very bright, but Shakespeare is tough, it really humbles them. We stop a lot to break down what's being said, what's happening. My questions are often met with averted eyes and the kind of silence that really should be accompanied by crickets. That's what I love about teaching Shakespeare to this age group, it's a challenge, they have to work at it.

Early on the kids really struggle, but by Act IV and V, the light goes on for more kids and more frequently. When I stop to ask questions, there are more hands, so many that certain kids can't take the chance they won't be called on and just shout the answers out. I can literally feel these kids learning how to read Shakespeare. It's the kind of feeling teachers crave, it's our drug.

Every year there are students who get it more than others, and this year is no exception. One student in particular is damn near bringing me to tears. His name is Rene, and two years ago he didn't speak a word of English. When I ask what things mean, Rene does this little half raise of the hand, almost daring me not to notice him. I do, and he's always spot-on. Rene volunteers every time I assign roles, but I notice he's become partial to Friar Laurence. His English is heavily accented, but his voice is firm and loud, I can hear the pride as he reads these ancient lines of English.

As a teacher, it's very easy to be cynical these days, especially in Arizona. Reading Shakespeare with a kid like Rene is what this whole teaching gig is about.

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a great weekend, the highlight being Mother's Day brunch at our house. It was a real treat to celebrate with three amazing Mothers: my mother-in-law, my mom, and my wife. I feel very blessed to have these exceptional women in my life.

Scout has become very interested in cooking, so she helped me make the spinach/egg dish for the brunch. We watch a lot of cooking shows as a family, and Scout couldn't resist providing narration: now I'm adding the spinach to the eggs and giving them a nice mix. It was pretty damn funny.

There are a lot of great Moms out there, but Meg is hard to beat. Friday night, after an exhausting week of work, she spent the night with a rowdy troop of Girl Scouts, camping in the other troop leader's backyard. Up at dawn, all day Saturday at a Girl Scout event, she finally got to relax Saturday night. She managed to stay awake long enough to watch The Informant! I normally love Damon and Soderbergh, but not this time. The music was distracting, and it just wasn't that funny.

I had a great time with Quinn while Meg and Scout were gone. It's so much fun to spend time one-on-one with the girls, it's a totally different dynamic. We had dinner at Whataburger Friday night, and did some Mother's Day shopping at Target afterwards. Quinn is so adorable, she missed her sister, so she slept in her bed. I spent a couple hours flipping between Pulp Fiction and Jerry Maguire, two movies I doubt I'll ever grow tired of. Saturday morning Quinn crawled into bed with me bright and early and we had a good long talk. We finished up the Mother's Day shopping and then hustled over to the bowling alley for a birthday party.

It was an action-packed weekend, and by Sunday night Meg and I were exhausted, but we couldn't go to bed without watching Betty White on SNL. It was great to see all the female alums show up to support Betty. We laughed a lot and called it a weekend.

I Crack Myself Up

Last summer I turned 40 and started working on a novel. I realize this sounds like typical mid-life crisis behavior, and maybe it is, but in a good way I think. I'm having a great time writing the book. The finish line is still a ways off, but I'm confident I'll get there; I'm having too much fun with the story to stop. I have no delusions about becoming a famous author. I know the odds of making any money as a novelist are slim, but that's beside the point. I'll know I did it, I wrote the book I set out to write, and that sense of accomplishment is what I'm chasing, not money or fame. I'll try to get an agent, go the traditional publishing route, but if that doesn't work, there's always the self-publishing option these days. My kids know I'm writing a book, and I want them to see me finish what I started. That will be more important than anything else.

I was reminded again last night of why I'm writing in the first place: having a good time. I wrote a couple lines that I thought were pretty funny. I actually laughed as I wrote them, and I laughed even harder rereading them later. I may be the only one who thinks they're funny, but for what it's worth, here they are, with a visual aid for those unfamiliar with the Gravedigger:

Vic never went on the road without a full trunk of liquor. On this particular occasion, he had a cooler of beer and enough Jagermeister to anesthetize Gilbert Brown.

Get it? Gilbert's a big man? There's a lot of Jagermeister? Well, I'm laughing right now, and I'm going to have a shot of Jager in Gilbert's honor.

Back to the 80s

Meg and I stumbled across Eddie and the Cruisers on cable Friday night. I don't think either one of us intended to watch the whole thing, but we did, and it was a lot of fun. Of course, after three Jack and Cokes I probably would have enjoyed any movie. For me, the best part of Eddie and the Cruisers was always the music. I forgot how much I loved those songs. When I was in high school my brother and I shared a room together. We would fall asleep to music every night. One of the albums in our rotation, and yes, they were albums, was the Eddie and the Cruisers soundtrack. The other mainstays were Purple Rain, Born in the USA, and the Platoon soundtrack. Hearing all those songs took me back to that time, it was like I was back in my old room. Those were good times, it was fun to revisit those memories.

I had a similar experience Sunday night. We try to do Family Movie Night every Sunday, and this week the girls picked E.T. This is another movie that triggers a very specific set of memories, and I enjoyed rummaging through them as I watched with the girls. I was 13 when E.T. came out, and I was living in Appleton, Wisconsin. The highlight of any weekend at that age was taking the bus downtown to get a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut, and then going to our rinky-dink mall to play video games in the arcade and see a movie. The freedom of those days was a highlight of my time in Appleton. I can still remember how I felt the day a bunch of us went to see E.T. Just enough of that feeling is still in my brain somewhere, and it felt good to let it out.

Sometimes You Gotta Vent

Arizona is taking a lot of heat over this new immigration law, and deservedly so, but as a teacher, I'm more concerned about what this state is doing to public education. Last year the education budget was cut 14%, and this year schools are being forced to cut another 10%, possibly more. On May 18, the state will vote on a sales tax measure to increase the sales tax by 1 cent, for a restricted three year period. It is estimated the increase would raise 1 billion dollars a year, which could be used for public education and other severely cut social service programs. If the measure doesn't pass, it will mean further dracoian cuts to education. Drastic steps, like eliminating high school sports, are seriously being considered if voters shoot down the sales tax increase. Quite frankly, I'm not expecting the measure to pass.

I'm a teacher, I don't need to tell anyone where I stand on crazy shit like this. It's disheartening to work in a state that already spends less money on education than any other state in the union, and wants to cure its budget woes by depriving children of a quality education. My daughters attend one of the top public elementary schools in Tucson, but budget cuts are sucking the life out of the place. The librarian was cut last year, but luckily parent volunteers stepped up to keep the library open. There's no band/orchestra this year, no PE, it's very bare bones, and now we have to cut more. Projections for next year are so bad, I was joking with the principal that he'll be answering phones next year.

Apparently, eliminating positions isn't enough. There's a very good chance those of us left standing are going to have our salaries cut, anywhere from 2% to 4.2%. Of course, with all the cuts, you can bet class size will go up, which means teacher workloads will increase. I know, I know, lots of people are working more for less these days, join the club. That doesn't mean I have to like it. Sometimes you gotta vent.

A little catch up.....

My only New Year's resolution for 2010 was to spend an hour every day writing. Most days I spend that hour working on a book I started last summer, but as a change of pace, I started this blog. I'm finding it a great way to practice writing. I watch a lot of movies and I read quite a few books, so the original idea for the blog was to write reviews. I'm still interested in writing reviews, but I've enjoyed writing about other topics as well, so I guess the blog will be about whatever is on my mind when I take a break from working on the book. Tonight, I have a bunch of movies and books to catch up on.

Meg and I watched Everybody's Fine a couple weekends ago. DeNiro plays a widower trying to reconnect with his kids. He hits the road to see his kids, and much enlightenment ensues. Pretty formulaic movie, but I'm a sucker for family dramas and road trip movies, so I actually liked this more than I thought I would. The next day I braved the mall and took the girls to see How To Train Your Dragon. I know this is a kid's movie, and my kids thoroughly enjoyed it, but I probably liked it more than they did. That night Meg and I watched An Education. I know this was nominated for Best Picture, but I wasn't impressed. Call me old-fashioned, but I don't really want to watch a 16 year old girl have a relationship with a creepy older guy, especially when he's played by Peter Skaarsgaard, not my favorite actor. I read a number of reviews comparing Carey Mulligan to Audrey Hepburn, but I was reminded of Katie Holmes circa Dawson's Creek, and that's not a good thing. This past Saturday, we watched The Blind Side. It's hard not to like this movie. I can't say it's Best Picture material, but it's a solid movie about a truly inspirational group of people. While I think Sandra Bullock did a nice job, I find it absolutely ridiculous that she won Best Actress for this performance. There is simply no way a sane human being can tell me her performance was better than Gabourey Sidibe's in Precious. That gets me caught up with movies.

On the book front, just a couple to write about, but they're both excellent. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper is a great book. The main character, Judd Foxman, is going home to sit shiva for his dead father. His family has a hard time being in the same room, so the seven days of shiva are full of plenty of fireworks. Tropper has a great sense of humor and writes wonderful, fully-developed characters. This is the second Tropper book I've read in a month, and I have another ready to go. Big fan. The last book I finished was bird by bird by Anne Lamott. This is an excellent book about writing, full of sage advice and concrete suggestions for aspiring writers. Lamott recommends writing at least 300 words a day. I think this post fits the bill.

Minneapolis Doppelgangers

I received some crazy news from a friend in Minneapolis this week. Well, it's crazy to me anyway. Her son is taking swimming lessons, and a there's a girl named Quinn in his class. Awesome, my youngest daughter's name is Quinn. It's not a common name, but I've seen it out there, it's not all that surprising to come across other Quinns. We actually have a female reporter on the local news named Quinn. I'm sure this Quinn's parents wanted a beautiful Irish name like Meg and I did. I wouldn't be surprised if Quinn becomes a fairly common name. At this point we're talking minor coincidence, but this is where the crazy comes in.

My friend got to talking with Quinn's nanny at their last swimming lesson. Turns out little Quinn recently became a big sister. Her little sister's name? Scout. Hmmm, now that's weird. My oldest daughter's name is.....wait for it.....Scout! Other than her fictional namesake, and Bruce and Demi's kid of course, I am not aware of any other kids out there named Scout, and this is definitely the kind of thing friends and acquaintances would pass along. I've heard of people naming their dogs Scout, which is another topic altogether, but kids, no. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, this blew me away.

Meg grew up in Minneapolis, and I lived there for 8 years. We still have a lot of friends up there, and Meg thinks the other Scout and Quinn's parents heard the names from someone we know. It's definitely possible, but so what, right? We love the names, so why wouldn't other people? I think it's cool. We spend quite a bit of time in Minneapolis in the summer, who knows, maybe we should meet this family. Apparently we have a lot in common.

What Would Isaac Do?

A boy named Isaac has become a legend in the Riley family. In 2008 we had the misfortune of sitting behind Isaac on a flight from Tucson to Dallas. Isaac was the kid you never want to sit by on a plane. The only thing more irritating than Isaac's behavior was his parents' refusal to deal with the young man. Ever since that brief encounter my daughters have been obsessed with Isaac. They make up games in the backyard with Isaac as the villain. When they see kids acting up in public, they think of ways Isaac would be even worse. For the Riley girls, Isaac symbolizes misbehaving children everywhere.

It's actually been a while since I've heard the girls talking about Isaac, but his name popped up this weekend. Meg and I were in the kitchen talking about our summer trip. One of the perks of having a two teacher family is the time off. Every summer we get out of the desert for a while, spending time with family and friends in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The last few years we've flown, but this year we're going back to our roots, loading up the car for a good old-fashioned road trip. We've taken different routes over the years, so we were discussing places we might stop for the night. As we were talking, riotous laughter began spilling into the kitchen, so we went to investigate. When we asked the girls what was so funny, they said they were making up stories about Isaac. The stories all involved running into Isaac at hotels on our trip, with Isaac doing some ridiculous thing or other to get into trouble. I didn't find the stories particularly funny, but watching the girls lose their minds together was hilarious. Watching your kids laugh hysterically is one of the true pleasures of parenting. Thanks Isaac.

When Pride Still Mattered

I grew up in Wisconsin, so it goes without saying that I'm a huge Green Bay Packers fan. As a child of the 70s and 80s there wasn't much to cheer about, the Packers were consistently terrible. My generation had no idea what it felt like to cheer for a winner. All we could do was listen to stories of the glory days, passed down from Father to son, stories of the Lombardi era, when the Green Bay Packers were the epitome of success, right up there with the New York Yankees.

When I was 16, we moved to Green Bay, about a mile down the street from Lambeau Field. When you live in Green Bay, Lombardi and the Packers are everywhere. My old high school is on Packerland Drive. My brother and sister both attended Lombardi Middle School. We drove Lombardi Avenue nearly every day. Lombardi may have died in 1970, but his legacy is still very much alive in Titletown.

I read somewhere recently that Robert DeNiro is going to play Lombardi in a movie based on the biography When Pride Still Mattered by David Maraniss. I remembered giving the book to my dad as a gift at some point, but I'd never actually read it myself. I borrowed it from my dad to get a little football fix and brush up on my Packers history. When Pride Still Mattered is an excellent biography, very detailed, informative and entertaining. Sports fans, especially football fans, will definitely enjoy this book. If you're a Green Bay Packers fan this is a must-read.

All Part of the Job

As a teacher, I consider keeping up with pop culture part of my job. You can really connect with a kid if you're able to talk about music, movies, and yes, even books. The Twilight series is a perfect example. Like it or not, these books are huge in the world of middle school. I finally broke down in '08 and read Twilight when I noticed how many girls were toting the thing around. My reaction to the book was lukewarm, and I would have gladly stopped there, but I had some really great girls in class that year, and I let them talk me into giving New Moon a chance. I liked the addition of werewolves, but other than that, I still wasn't hooked. At that point, I felt like I'd done my duty, I would not be finishing the series.

When Twilight hit theaters in "09, I have to admit, I was interested to see it. Not enough to brave the mall, but I did watch it on DVD. I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan, but I actually quite enjoyed it. Some of the special effects were laughably bad, but overall, I thought the movie was an upgrade form the source material. I was done with the books, but I was open to more movies.

This weekend Meg and I watched New Moon. The special effects were better, no more ridiculous shots of RPatz running with Kristen Stewart on his back. We loved the music, great Killers song over the final credits. Citizen Kane it's not, but we had a good time. I still have no plans to read the other two books, but I will watch the movies. Just doing my job.

The Little Things

This is isn't the easiest time of year to be a teacher. With Spring break over, it's a straight shot until the end of the year. I only have so much patience for a given school year, and supplies are running dangerously low. You can only say the same things, to the same kids, so many times before it starts to take a psychic toll. We've all heard "there are no stupid questions." Uh, wrong. My 8th graders seem to have a neverending supply. My ability to fend these questions off without losing my mind is quickly waning. Luckily, the end is in sight, and I can start recharging the battery this summer. Not that I'm counting down the days or anything, 33, but yes, I'm counting down the days. In my experience, these are common feelings in the profession this time of year.

Having said all this, something happened this week that reminds me why I love this job, why I can put up with the nonsense. One of my students is obsessed with words. He scours the dictionary and thesaurus daily for new words, trying them out on his classmates and teachers. His attmepts to incorporate the new words into his everyday speech are often misguided, he's like a verbal Don Quixote, but I love the enthusiasm. The other day he asked if I knew what the word lachrymose means. He loves it when he can stump me, and I had to admit, I wasn't familiar with that one. He proudly informed me that lachrymose means "tearful," and mission accomplished, took his seat. That interaction alone made my day, but it got better. The next period was my planning period, and I was straightening up a bit when I noticed a piece of paper on my guy's desk. In large, neatly crafted letters he had written, "Ecstatic people are never lachrymose." I had to laugh. Maybe he left the paper behind intentionally, hoping to impress me, or maybe he just forgot to pick up after himself. Either way, it's a keeper, probably wind up on my fridge. For me, little things like this make teaching truly rewarding.

Spring Break '10

So it's back to the grind for the Rileys. We had a great Spring Break with the Krieghoffs. I'd call it a Seinfeld vacation, we didn't really do anything, but it was perfect. Each individual day felt strangely long, but the week as a whole felt like it went by in a flash.

It was sunny and warm for most of the Krieghoff's stay, and we spent a lot of our time lounging by the pool. I guess you could say that was the main activity of the week, afternoon naps a close second. Our big group outing was a hike in the Rincon Mountains near the house. The girls melted down on us a bit, so we cut it short, but it was still good to be out there in the desert. We ate whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted, and it was never too early for a beer. On the one cloudy day we did have, we went to see Alice in Wonderland. Not bad, but I wanted to like it more than I did. We watched a bunch of movies at night. The kids would watch out in the guestroom, and the adults in the family room. We watched Hoosiers to get ourselves ready for the Final Four. We were all pulling for Butler, and it was a lot of fun watching them beat Michigan State. The Krieghoff's last night we had a Corey Haim memorial and watched The Lost Boys.

Getting back into the routine is never easy, especially as a parent. The girls were sad this morning, definitely not in the mood for school. I had to work harder than usual to pump them up for the day, but I got the job done. I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit myself, but one of the things I told the girls brought some solace. You know you had a great vacation if you're really bummed out that it's over. That's how we all felt this morning, and that's a good thing.

Two Great Reads

Our friends, the Krieghoffs, are visiting from Madison this week. They're out taking a morning walk, so I thought I'd quickly mention the other two books I've finished while my students work on their own books.

The first is Little Bee by Chris Cleave. This is an amazing book, I can't recommend it highly enough. It's a story of immigration, globalization, and the ties that bind us. Little Bee is a Nigerian refugee seeking asylum in England. The only two people she knows in England are Andrew and Sarah, a couple she met when they were vacationing in Nigeria. This brief encounter changes their lives forever. Cleaves has a very fluid writing style; once you get started, I bet you'll have a hard time putting this one down.

The other book is The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. Joe is a writer whose first book is a huge success, even spawning a hit movie. The book and movie are scathing indictments of his hometown, Bush Falls, and many of its residents. When he returns after a long absence to be with his ailing father, the town doesn't exactly roll out the red carpet. High jinks ensue, and along the way, Joe comes to grips with some of his issues. Tropper is a great writer, his style striking me as a combination of Phillip Roth and Michael Chabon, very masculine.

These are both great books, you can't go wrong with either one. I look forward to reading more from both authors.

Olive's Ocean

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that my students are doing an independent reading project in class. They got to select a book from a wide selection of recommendations from their peers. I like to read the first few pages of all the books, just to get a sense of what they're about. That way I can help kids pick books that will work for them.

One book in particular, Olive's Ocean, caught my attention. I usually read the author bio first, and when I saw that Kevin Henkes lives in Madison, my interest was piqued. Then I read the first few pages, and I was hooked. By the end of the day, I was half way through the book. I cranked out the second half easily the next day. Olive's Ocean is actually the story of 12 year Martha Boyle. Olive was a classmate who recently died when her bike was hit by a car. Martha and Olive weren't friends, but Olive wrote in her journal that Martha was the nicest girl she knew. The story begins when Olive's mom hand delivers her daughter's journal to Martha. The Boyles are getting ready to spend a week at their Grandma's house on Cape Cod. Martha and her brother, Vince, call their grandma Godbee, and Martha looks forward to their visit every summer. This visit is a journey of self-discovery for Martha.

There's a lot of humor in this book, and young readers, even the guys, will definitely be able to relate to the issues Martha is dealing with: parents, siblings, loss, friendship, boys/girls. It will ring true to kids 12 and older. I definitely want the girls to read this one, but not before 12, that feels like the right cut-off. What's really impressive is that parents will enjoy this book as well. Henkes has given adults a nice look into the mind of a young person on the cusp of adolescence. This is truly a book for readers of all ages.

Lark and Termite

I have my students doing an independent reading project right now, so I've been reading with them. We call that modeling in the teaching world. This has allowed me to get a lot of reading done the past couple weeks. When we started, I brought in the book I was reading at home, Lark and Termite, by Jayne Anne Phillips.

I'd call this a family secrets novel, akin to Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres, but with a gothic feel. Phillips starts us in 1950, with the story of Robert Leavitt, Termite's father. Leavitt is a soldier in the Korean War, caught in an awful situation, and his story unravels throughout the novel to its tragic end. From Korea, Phillips takes us to West Virginia in 1959. Lark and Termite are siblings being raised by their Aunt Nonie, their lives haunted by the absence of their mother, Lola. These story lines are expertly woven together, creating an emotional crescendo, no small feat.

Lark and Termite was a National Book Award finalist, and with good reason, Phillips is clearly a master. While I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to others, I did find the writing a bit forced in places, almost like Phillips was trying to be literary. It's not a deal-breaker, just a thought.

Hoops and Healthcare

I wrote my last post on the eve of the Badger's second round game against Cornell. The Badger's last few games weren't very encouraging, and I had a feeling they might lose. Being a fan, there was still hope, but those hopes came crashing down Sunday afternoon. Cornell simply dismantled Wisconsin. I have to say, I can't think of a bigger beat down in the Bo Ryan era. Let me say this, that was not an upset. I watch a lot of college basketball, and Cornell is a damn good team. A buddy of mine said he thought Cornell would have won the Big Ten, and I think he's right. No way they were a 12 seed. I've seen a lot of 12 seeds in my time, and that was no 12 seed. So Wisconsin's season comes to an end. Pretty good season all things considered: beat Duke, finished in the top half of the Big Ten, again, and a 4 seed in the tournament. As for this year's Sweet 16, I'll be cheering for Cornell, St. Mary's, and Northern Iowa, all true Davids with a real shot.

Obama signed the healthcare bill today, and conservatives everywhere are apoplectic. I'm concerned about the cost, but I think this is a worthy expense. I know cynicism is king these days, but I think reform can lower costs. Our premiums get jacked up to cover the uninsured as it is. It makes sense to me that preventive care can lower expenses. I respect that it doesn't make sense to everyone. I guess we'll have to see who's right. For now, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'm proud to live in a country that looks out for all its citizens, but I am more than a little embarrassed by how contentious our politics have become.

Ode to March Madness

What a great tournament so far! I could be wrong, but it sure feels like more upsets than usual. I think we're going to see some new blood in the Final Four. Really excited for Northern Iowa, couple Green Bay kids on that team. Watching KState/BYU right now. I love the Fredette kid, but KState is awfully tough, very tenacious. Not very happy about how my Badgers played yesterday. They better play a lot better tomorrow against Cornell or their run will be over. I'd love to see them have a crack at Kentucky. Of course, Kentucky is pounding Wake Forest by 30 right now, but that's the thing about the tournament, you never know.

The tournament has always been my favorite sporting event of the year. So many great memories, where do you even start. I remember One Shining Moment before it was a big deal. My earliest memory is Al McGuire and Marquette winning the title in '77. My dad went to Marquette, so that was our team. A few years later some of the Marquette players came to my school, St. Thomas More, for a little basketball clinic, and I remember being in awe. When Marquette fell on hard times, I just kind of followed the game in general, usually pulling for the underdogs. I remember losing my mind, like everyone else of course, when Lorenzo Charles snatched that ball out of midair and slammed it home. I loved Rollie and Nova taking down mighty Georgetown. Keith Smart"s jumper in '87 was a highlight of my senior year. Unfortunately, the Badgers never made the tournament when I was a student, that would have been amazing. My buddies and I followed Tony Bennett and UWGB during our college years; their victory over Jason Kidd and Cal was huge for the state. The Badgers finally became a factor in the Dick Bennett era. It wasn't always pretty, but they won, and if it wasn't for Michigan State, we probably would have won the national championship in 2000(?). Bo Ryan has turned UW into a perennial power on the hardwood, but in my mind, the Badgers have often underachieved in the tournament. They had a nice Elite 8 run a few years back, losing a tough one to eventual champ, North Carolina, but other than that, too many loses to lower seeds. Hell, last year Trevon had me jumping up and down with the buzzer beater against Florida State in the first round.

Kentucky is mighty Goliath this year, but who knows, if Wisconsin can take care of Cornell tomorrow, maybe they can pull off a classic David in the Sweet 16. That's what this tournament is all about.

Proud Poppa

Lots of Irish dancing this weekend. The girls performed at the Tucson Festival of Books Saturday, and today the girls walked in the St. Pat's parade and performed at Armory Park afterward. Tomorrow they go down to Green Valley for a performance. Quite the schedule for these little Irish dancers.

I love watching the girls perform, makes my heart swell every time. The girls put a lot of effort into their dancing, and that hard work is really paying off. Irish dancing has really taught them a valuable lesson: if you want to get better at something, you have to work hard. They've embraced that, and their progress is amazing to me. All the performing they do has given them real confidence. They don't think twice about getting out there in front of big crowds, they're totally composed. Even if they do mess up, they've learned to keep their wits and carry on. It's all very impressive.

All the girls, regardless of age or ability, are extremely supportive, there's a real community spirit. It's really fun to watch Scout and Quinn interact with the other girls. That might actually be the best thing about this whole experience, the friendships. I have a feeling these are going to be some lasting friendships, and it's a blast seeing those bonds develop. On a day like today, I'm really glad Meg got the ball rolling with the Irish dance. It's not the cheapest thing in the world, but it's been great for my girls, and that's all that really matters.

When Will There Be Good News?

I'm a huge Kate Atkinson fan. At this point, I'll read anything she does, she's that good. I waited a long time for this one to come out in paperback, and it was well worth the wait. This is the kind of book you don't want to put down.

When Will There Be Good News is the third go round with Jackson Brodie, a private detective who seems dogged by tragedy. Brodie is a great character, kind of a man's man, which is quite the feat for a female author. Atkinson does a masterful job of moving between multiple story lines, expertly bringing them together in the end, to devastating effect. That's one of the best things about this series from Atkinson, seeing how she ties the seemingly disparate characters and stories together. Kind of reminds me of a Tarantino movie. In fact, that's a great idea, I'd love to see Tarantino do a Jackson Brodie movie.

I don't know what Atkinson's plans are for Jackson Brodie, but I hope she isn't done with him yet. I know she doesn't consider herself a crime writer, and she doesn't think the Jackson Brodie books are crime novels, they just happen to involve characters dealing with crimes. I agree, there's a lot more character development in these books than your typical crime novel. I have a feeling she's ready to move on. I actually thought the other detective, Louise Monroe, kind of took over as the central figure in this one. I wonder if Atkinson is going to shift focus to her in the future. That would actually be quite interesting, a few books with her, tie in Brodie now and again. If this does turn out to be the end of the line for Jackson Brodie, it sure was a great ride.

Do yourself a favor, make your next book Case Histories, the first Jackson Brodie book. I guarantee you'll be hooked, and you'll knock the next two out like a kid reading Harry Potter.

Oscar

I've had a few days to let the Oscars sink in, so here are some thoughts about the whole thing. Meg and I had a blast watching with our friends Jane and Chris, who made the trek from Minnesota, most fun we've had watching the show in years.

Apparently Neil Patrick Harris is some kind of go-to-guy for award show dance numbers, but quite frankly, stupid way to start the show. Let Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin do their intro standup and get on with it already. Martin and Baldwin were funny: solid funny, not talk-about-it-the-next day funny. Their best stuff was the Paranormal Activity riff and the snuggie shot. Not a lot going on with the presenters other than Ben Stiller's bit, which I thought was a nice piece of Andy Kaufman-inspired awkward humor. The highlight of the acceptance speeches for me was Jeff Bridges, what a classy guy, The Dude does indeed abide. The Kanye moment for the best short subject documentary was fun, talk about promoting your film. Kathryn Bigelow was a bit incoherent when she came back onstage for the best picture win, but I actually found it kind of refreshing that someone was flustered by the enormity of the moment without screaming to mask it. I thought it was brilliant to have past winners of the short film award explain how important the award was to their careers, made that award relevant for me. My favorite part of the show was the John Hughes tribute, nostalgic in the right way, loved seeing all the actors.

Not a lot of surprises with the awards, for me at least, not that I agreed with all the winners. My real beef is with best actress. The whole Sandra Bullock lovefest didn't work for me. There is no way she should have beaten Gabouray Sidibe. That girl knocked it out of the park. I was glad to see Precious win for adapted screenplay, even though I thought Up in the Air was a great adaptation. I don't have a problem with Hurt Locker winning best picture, but I think Precious was a more powerful film. I thought Inglorious Basterds should have won best original screenplay, but it was Hurt Locker's night, so that made sense. I think Hurt Locker is a great movie, and I love the DIY spirit of the thing, but I thought 3 or 4 other films were better, with Precious being my choice for best film of 2009.

Oh, and one last thing. What the hell was Clooney's problem? I read somewhere he was swigging off a flask, but it sure didn't look like he was having any fun. Maybe he should have done some Lemoncello shots with Devito in the parking lot.

Couples Retreat

I'll write about the Oscars later this week. Our friends, Jane and Chris, were in town this weekend, and we watched Couples Retreat Saturday night. Wow! That is one BAD movie. I saw that Transformers won the Razzie for worst picture, but for my money, this was worse. Transformers is a bad action movie because there's too much action, it's mind-numbing. Couples Retreat is a bad comedy because the laughs are few and far between. Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau are usually hilarious, but not this time. Very little laughter in our family room Saturday night. Some brief chuckling when the yoga guy was doing his thing, but other than that, crickets. You have to wonder, what the hell were Vaughn and Favreau thinking? It sure felt like they just wanted to make some quick money and get a sweet vacation at a posh resort, but Favreau wrote the script, so I have to believe there's more to it. Bad judgement is more like it. The guys who gave us Swingers get a lifetime pass, and they definitely have to use it for this one. Better luck next next time fellas.

The Birthday Girl

We celebrated Quinn's 7th birthday on Friday with a bowling party. For the last 3 years we did the jumping castle party at the house, but this year Quinn wanted to change things up. Good party, the kids bowled a couple games, ate some pizza and ice cream, ended with the presents. It's just a blast to watch Quinny goof around with her friends.

My little girl is 7! It's not right. I know it's trite, cliche, but seriously, where is the time going? Leading up to her birthday I was joking with Quinn that I wasn't going to let her turn 7, she had to stay 6 for the rest of her life. Her indignation was hilarious. I am so proud of Quinny, she's making such big strides. She has worked very hard on her reading this year, and she's right at the cusp of being an independent reader. She was a stud on the soccer field this year, and her Irish dancing has really come a long way.

It's bittersweet, this parenting gig. I'd love to keep my little 6 year old Q forever, but it's pure joy to see the beautiful person she is becoming. The kid just has a lust for life, she's full-on 24/7. That energy is infectious, she picks me up all the time. A lot of changes for my baby girl this year, but I know that spirit will never change. Part of me hates to see another year roll by, but at the same time, it's incredibly rewarding to see how far my little girl has come.

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To

I enjoyed this book, the debut novel from DC Pierson. It's the story of Darren Bennett, a socially awkward teenager growing up in the greater Phoenix area. Darren spends most of his time working on Time Blaze, a sci-fi movie trilogy, with supplemental books to fill in the gaps. Made me think of James Cameron and the whole Avatar/Pandora thing he's got cooking. Darren's isolation is ultimately broken up when he meets Eric Lederer. I like how the two just sort of fall into being friends. Eric compliments Darren's drawings in math class one day, and the next thing you know, they're collaborating on Time Blaze, spending all their time together. There's a Gary and Wyatt/Weird Science quality that I liked about these two.

Eric is the boy who can't sleep, not a night in his life that he can remember. Darren keeps the secret until Eric steals his girl. Once the cat is out of the bag, there's a mysterious guy trying to bring them in, and they spend the last third of the book eluding capture. This is where Pierson weaves in some sci-fi of his own. The mystery guy appears because Eric can transfer things from the world of his imagination to the real world of metropolitan Phoenix, a byproduct of his sleep deprivation. During the climax, we see some other things form the world of Time Blaze, and I guess that type of sci-fi thing may work for some people. It's not really my cup of tea, so I didn't enjoy the last third of the book as much, but it wasn't enough to ruin it for me. This is a nice little tale of friendship, and I look forward to seeing more from Pierson.

Road trip and Inglorious Basterds

Busy few days for the Rileys. On Thursday morning we drove over to Albuquerque for a feis. We went to a sports bar Thursday night, Sneakers, to watch the Badgers put a beat down on Indiana. Friday we went to a science museum and the girls went nuts in the pool. Friday night the Albuquerque contingent of Tir Conail threw a little party for the out-of-towners. I spent a good chunk of the party watching the women's gold medal curling match. Quite a nice time actually. The feis itself was Saturday morning; the girls finished dancing by noon. We got our last results around 12:45, on the road by 1:00, home around 7:30, pretty good time I'd say. It was about 9:00 by the time we got everything unpacked and the girls in bed, so I was thinking a little Olympics, call it an early night. Meg surprised me by suggesting we watch Inglorious Basterds, which we'd finally gotten from Netflix. It had been in our queue for six weeks, very long wait my ass, so Meg called before we left, and whatdayaknow, it was in the mail before we left Tucson. A little proactive goes a long way sometimes. I have to say, we haven't been impressed with Netflix lately, they need to get their act together.

Meg falls asleep during movies quite a bit, much more than she will admit to, so starting a 2 and 1/2 hour movie after 9:00 is not the norm in the Riley house. With the Oscars a week away however, Meg will go to drastic measures to see as many of the movies as possible. There was no need to worry about Meg falling asleep during this one, way too good to be falling asleep. Inglorious Basterds is Taratino doing an old school war picture. I kept expecting to see digital versions of Lee Marvin or John Wayne show up. The acting is great, Tarantino has a real knack for casting. I thought Brad Pitt was great as Aldo Raine, leader of the Basterds, another good comedic performance from him. Chris Waltz is sweeping all the awards for his work as Hans Landa, the Jew Hunter, and deservedly so. From the very first scene you know he's nailed it. That first scene was reminiscent of Dennis Hopper and Chris Walken in True Romance for me. I know Tarantino didn't direct TR, but he wrote it, and both scenes are unusually long, with a sense of impending doom building through the strength of the acting. I also saw shadows of Reservoir Dogs in the basement scene. It's these kinds of scenes that make Tarantino great. Of course, putting them all together into a cohesive whole is no small task, and a lot of movies fail to do it. As usual, Tarantino uses multiple plot lines and nonlinear storytelling to tie it all together beautifully. He may never match Pulp Fiction in my eyes, but I think this is his best work since then.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

I don't why it took me so long to read this book, I am a huge Dave Eggers fan. I really admire what he does with McSweeney's and his 826 writing program. Admiration aside, this is one of the best books I've ever read. I know the title is supposed to be hyperbole, but I have to say, it's right on the money, this book is heartbreaking all over the place and its genius is staggering, no lie. This is Eggers own story: the loss of his parents and the aftermath, raising his brother while still trying to finish growing up himself. Eggers doesn't portray himself as the tragic hero, sacrificing everything as he tries to raise his younger brother. In fact, Eggers lets us in on a dirty little secret: he is often more concerned with how things are affecting him. Maybe he's being selfish, but it looks to him like no one else seems to care how he's dealing, so his internal life becomes very self-centered. That internal life is brutally honest, and Eggers pulls off an amazing feat, giving readers true insight into the mind of someone grieving. It's not what you expect, but make no mistake, it lives up to the title.

Getting Ready for the Oscars

Meg and I made it to the cheap seats this past Saturday to see Precious. Simply put, this is American film at its very best. It is unrelenting in its honest portrayal of the black experience and the destructive force that is poverty in this country. Gabourey Sidibe is absolutely brilliant as Clarice "Precious" Jones; her performance is utterly heartbreaking. How she hasn't won every acting award is beyond me. I will have a real problem if she loses the Oscar to Bullock or Streep. She is every bit as good as Mo'Nique, who has dominated the award circuit, and deservedly so. It takes real courage to play a truly disgusting character with such conviction. For me her performance is reminiscent of Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking. I've worked with many kids living in poverty over the years, and breaking the cycle is a herculean effort in our society. Director Lee Daniels has given us a character in Precious Jones who just might be able to do it. Her life is tragic, but watching her struggle to break free is truly inspiring.

Saturday night we watched A Serious Man, the Coen's latest. For the record, I love the Coen brothers. Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski are two of my all-time faves. This one, not so much. Quite frankly, I have a hard time buying it as a best picture nominee. I know the Coens always have some crazy stuff going on in their films, like O Brother being an adaptation of The Odyssey, that kind of thing, and I'm sure there was something going on with this one, especially in light of the beginning sequence and the last scene, but it was too much work to figure it all out. I usually enjoy the Coen's dark sense of humor, but again, not so much in this one. I've read that this is their take on growing up Jewish in Minnnesota, and I'm sure that's true. I'm just not sure what the hell they're trying to say about growing up Jewish in Minnesota. Don't get me wrong, any Coen brothers' movie is required viewing, I just don't think this is one of their best.

Dad Time at the Movies

Scout and I went to see Percy Jackson last weekend. Quinn thought it might be a little scary, so we set up a play date for her at the house. Scout loved it so much she reread the book, and then read the next three. We need to get the last book, but I'm waiting for it in paperback. Scout's obsession is rubbing off on Meg and Quinn, so I'm sure we'll all see it together soon.

I started reading the series a couple years ago when a bunch of my 7th graders turned me on to it. I really enjoy the books, and I was very excited to see the movie, especially when I found out Chris Columbus was directing. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and I hope it succeeds so the other books make it to the screen as well. The special effects are top-notch, and the actors are likable enough, particularly the guy who played Grover, very funny. I"m not usually one to complain about changes from the book, but I do think the omission of Ares is suspect. Who knows, maybe we'll see him in a second film.

The thing I like most is Scout's reaction. She clearly bought into the whole movie magic thing with this one, and that elevates it for me. I remember that feeling as a kid with movies like Star Wars and Raiders. I don't know if I would like Percy as much if weren't for Scout, but her enthusiasm is contagious, so right now, I'm a big fan.

Nothing Phony About It

I love Catcher in the Rye as much as the next guy, so when I heard that Salinger had died, I got it off the shelf straightaway. I enjoyed it this time through more than ever. It's been years since I've read it, and a couple things struck me.

First of all, it's an absolute joke that I was not REQUIRED to read this book in either high school OR college. Not something I'm particularly proud of. I had to take it upon myself, after college. I'm sure Holden would get a kick out of that. They never let you read the good stuff in school.

Everybody loves this book, loves Holden. The people who love this book the most may be writers. I can see and hear Salinger in so many of the authors I've read over the years. Not that people are copying, it's just hard not to be inspired by Salinger's voice and style. This may sound like I'm stating the obvious, but it really hit me as I was reading. I dare say, the influence of this book is Shakespearean.

I guess I forgot, but I was struck by all the swearing, smoking, and sex talk. Made me wonder how a book like Catcher would be received in our current cultural climate. I can just see the culture warriors at Fox losing their minds. Of course, that could help too, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that ol' Holden would have more than his share of detractors. There may have been a lot of phonies in his time, but I'm afraid we may have him beat.

Goldie

Sad day for the Riley family. We said goodbye to our dog, Goldie, today. We adopted Goldie in 1998 from a former student of mine. The vet figured she was 3 years old at the time, so she made it 15 years, pretty impressive for a mutt who was severely abused for the first couple years of her life. My former student, Hutch Earl, adopted her from the pound and helped rehabilitate her. She was still skittish when we adopted her from Hutch, but over the years she lost that fear and flourished with our family. Everyone who ever met Goldie fell in love with her, she was the sweetest dog I've ever known.

What really gets me is the relationship Goldie had with the girls. They were a wreck when I told them after school that we had to put Goldie down. They don't know life without her, and that breaks my heart. In their excitement, the girls could be pretty rough with Goldie, but she never got angry, not even a growl. I feel a bit like the guy from Marley and Me. All of our family history includes Goldie, and tomorrow will be the first day of that history without her. Feels like something has come to an end. Rest in peace sweet girl.

Love Will Tear us Apart

I was at a local bookstore with some friends, just killing some time while they looked around. I had no intention of getting a book, but I couldn't resist the title. I picked it up to check if the title was a reference to the song, and checking the back cover, I gathered that it was. The summary sounded good, so I found myself reading the first few pages. By the time my friends were ready to go, I was hooked. The power of a catchy title.

Any time I read an author's first book, I'm always pulling for it. Rainone clearly has writing chops, but I just didn't feel this one. I had a hard time relating to the characters. A group of twenty-something friends have drifted apart, but now they're coming together for the wedding of perfect couple, Dan and Lea. These two aren't developed much, they're really just there to build the other characters around. The problem is, I found those other characters uninteresting. You have Cort, the hippie chic; Alex, coked out fashionista; Shaun, not-quite-out-of-the-closet gay guy; and Ben, the boorish jock. Author Sarah Rainone does her best to push these characters past stereotypes, but I don't think she succeeds. I hate to admit this, but there might be a generational gap here. Rainone wants us to sympathize with these characters as they transition into an uncertain adulthood, but quite frankly, they all seemed like whiners to me. Rainone does a good job of showing the struggles young people go through, I just didn't like how her characters handled them. Of course, if I thought these characters were intentionally unlikable, that would be one thing, but I don't think that was Rainone's intent at all. She wants us to like these people. I tried, I really did, I just couldn't get there.

Spooner

I haven't read Pete Dexter before, but I was very impressed with his latest book, Spooner. With a new author it can take a little while to get into their rhythm, but once I got there, I found myself really enjoying the flow of Dexter's writing. I especially enjoyed the extensive use of creative and humorous figurative language. I have a feeling the style of writing in this book is indicative of Dexter's work in general, so I look forward to reading more from him.

Reading Dexter's acknowledgements, it's clear this book is liberally based on his own life. When I finished I felt like this book was written as a sort of tribute to someone who'd recently died, someone the author loved deeply, but imperfectly. Throughout the story, Spooner tries to figure out his stepfather, Calmer Ottoson, and in the end, isn't quite able to do it. Spooner's moment of realization ends the story, and it is very powerful. Ultimately, this is a story of men, sons and fathers, and the struggle to connect. Spooner struck me as a bit of a Forrest Gump at times, but his odyssey to understand the most important man in his life is truly universal. This may be the best book about men that I've ever read. I can't recommend it highly enough.