Guest Post: A Brit at life of riles

Hope everyone had a great Fourth of July. Last week I put out an open call for guest bloggers, and I'll be running posts from the kind souls who took me up on the offer the next couple of weeks. There's still time to get in on the guest posting thing if you're interested, so don't be shy.


My first guest is David Macaulay from Brits in the USA. David is one of the first bloggers I followed way back when I started hanging out in BlogWorld. His writing is funny, insightful, and quite often poetic. If you aren't following David, stop by his blog and become a follower as soon as possible. David sent along something that he had previously posted that fits nicely with my last Fast Five about moments from the road. Feel free to leave David a comment and maybe share some of the quirky places you've come across in your travels.


I always love to find a naff tourist attraction so imagine my joy on the way to Williamsburg today when I took a wrong turn and found Presidents Park.

The site of a collection of gigantic white heads in a wooded glade was enough for me to cut across a few lanes of traffic clutching my camera, almost causing a six vehicle pile up.

Presidents Park closed down last September when it ran out of money. I assumed it had been there for decades but apparently it only opened up as a tourist attraction in 2006.

In presidential terms it would be William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States who decided not to wear a coat or hat when he took the oath of office on a rainy day and made a two hour speech. A month later he died of pneumonia.

On a sunny March day the heads were quietly gathering mold and bird droppings in silence while the fence around them was steadily rusting away. Nobody cared about these big old presidents gathered in beffudlement under the trees. I was amazed by the size of the busts but less so by their craftsmanship.

As one reader rather drily described Presidents Park beneath an article describing its demise it was like "Easter Island for the lame."

Apparently there are 43 giant busts in the park and that of the 44th president lies unfinished in a workshop somewhere.

Owners of the park said failure to secure the 44th bust was a tipping point, and the Obama statue, would have been a huge boon to the business, possibly even saving the park.

Oh really. It's not as if Barack Obama is ever on TV is it?

The mind boggles about what the park's owners are going to do with these giant busts. It's not your average member of the public who will say: "Forget the garden gnome Mavis. Let's get a 20 foot high bust of James Polk for the rockery."

Ever since the Griswalds went on the hunt for the world's largest ball of string, I've been somewhat fascinated by America's strangest and naffest tourist attractions, not to the point of obsessing at 4 a.m. or anything.

The string ball was fiction but apparently the world's largest twine ball can be seen in Darwin, Minnesota. When in Minnesota and all that, I guess.

More correctly it's known as the "World's Largest Twine Ball Rolled By One Man" because a rival twine ball in Cawker City, Kansas, is regularly added-to by visitors and townspeople. Darwin feels that this is cheating.

Someone should perhaps have told twine man to get a life. But obviously he didn't. Apparently the creator died of emphysema, and the townsfolk figured 30 years of exposure to twine dust, did for him.

Other gems are contained in a website of the worst tourist attractions in America. They include Seattle's wall of brightly colored chewing gum, the world's largest ball of paint (sadly the world's largest hairball disintegrated, after choking a few dozen cats), The Barbed Wire Museum in Texas, The National Museum of Funeral History (another naff Texas museum), and South Dakota's Corn Palace which looks like a mosque but is a veritable shrine to corn.

You have to be a special kind of person to want to visit these places, either that or you have to live in somewhere like South Dakota.

All of which makes those busts of presidents or the tedious model villages I used to be dragged around back in England as a kid, suddenly seem like a great day out.

Fast Five Friday: On the Road

I was on the road most of this week with my father-in-law and my dog. We left Tucson Monday morning and pulled into Minneapolis Thursday afternoon. There are certain things that stood out, fresh memories to add to the slide show in my mind, one big road trip continually building on itself.

Here are my top five memories from my week on the road:

5) Mexican Hat: This is a little town in Utah, one of those blink and you miss it kind of places. The town is named after a rock formation that does indeed bare a strong resemblance to a sombrero.

4) Cornfields in Iowa: Maybe it’s my Midwestern upbringing, but there’s just something about the sight of cornfields stretching to the horizon that stirs my soul.

3) Elk: We saw a number of elk while driving through the Rockies, but the highlight was a mother and her calf that we saw while visiting my father-in-law’s friends in Estes Park.

2) Snow in June:  There was quite a bit of snow in the upper elevations of the Rockies. The girls had given me strict orders to take a picture of the dog in snow, and thankfully, mission accomplished.

1) Grass:  This one took me by surprise. I was walking the dog at a rest stop in Iowa. As I walked through the grass in my sandals, I could feel the dew on my feet. The sensation triggered memories of early mornings from my youth, the promise of good things to come.

What are some of your favorite memories from recent travels?  

Open Call

I'm hopping in the car with my father-in-law and my dog tomorrow morning to begin the trek north. We'll be in Minneapolis by Thursday night. We're in Minny Friday, and then it's back in the car Saturday, destination Eagle Harbor, Michigan. We spend most of July in the Upper Peninsula, and wifi is hard to come by, so my posts will be sporadic at best for a while.

I've seen other blogs do the guest post thing, and if anyone is interested, that would be cool. I'd love to have some guest posts for the next few weeks. I'm open to just about anything. Maybe you have an old post you want to recycle, maybe you have a great top five list for a Fast Five Friday, maybe you have some new material you want to try out. I'm open. If you're interested, I think you can just send me a post in email and I'll take care of the rest on my end. I probably won't get to any posts until this Friday at the earliest. If I have any takers, I'll try to schedule the posts before leaving Minneapolis to run while I'm off the grid.

Fast Five Friday: Teardrops On The City Edition

The music world suffered a great loss last week. Clarence Clemons, the sax player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, passed away at the age of 69.

The Boss and The Big Man, a musical combination like no other. It's hard to explain how much I love the E Street Band. Born in the USA was the first gift I ever bought for my dad with my own money. He wasn't a huge fan, but I'd heard him say he liked Springsteen, so I was excited that we might finally have some music in common. I remember driving around Green Bay late at night with my friend Mike, driving our own Backstreets, listening to Springsteen on his boom box. I finally got to see Bruce and Clarence on their last tour. I've seen a lot of great shows in my time, but let me tell ya, the old guys put on the best show I've ever seen. I play a lot of Springsteen for my girls. It's important to me that they know the music. They may never love it like their old man does, but I want them to know it and appreciate it.

Clarence was a huge part of the E Street sound, the underlying pulse of the music, his solos turning good songs into great ones and great songs into classics. I've been listening to a lot of E Street this week, and here are the five songs where Clarence was at his very best. 

5) Secret Garden:  This song was featured in Jerry Maguire, one of my favorite movies. It's a mellow song, and Clarence brings it home in style.

4) Thunder Road: This is classic E Street. Clarence takes center stage around the 4 minute mark.

3) Bobby Jean: This is one of my favorite songs on Born in the USA. The Big Man's solo near the end perfectly captures the melancholy of this song.



2) Born to Run: Probably the most beloved Springsteen song, and with good reason. I love this video. The crowd in Barcelona is so passionate. That's what I remember about the show I saw, the passion of the crowd, people singing the whole time.



1) Jungleland: This may be the best sax solo in rock n' roll history. It's a long song, with Clarence coming in around the 4 minute mark. The solo itself is quite long, about 3 minutes, and it gets me every time.



If you're an E Street fan, feel free to share some other favorites in the comments. RIP Big Man.

Favorite Book Challenge Blogfest

I'd forgotten that I signed up for this Blogfest a while back. Time to make good.

This Blogfest is the brainchild of Teralyn Rose Pilgrim. For a full list of all the participants, check out her blog, A Writer's Journey. Here's the skinny:

*Pick your top five favorite books
*Between Jun 20 and 22, write one line of what each book is about and then write one line of why you liked it. Think of it like a twitter pitch for other people’s work. Semi-colons are cheating, but you can use them anyway.
*Go to other blogs and discuss the books.
*If you do not keep a blog, put your challenge in the comments on the day of the event.

I'm always game for a top five list. If you're a new reader, come back and check out my Fast Five Fridays. The Twitter pitch idea caught my attention, so let me see if I can pull that off.

5) Geek Love, Katherine Dunn: The owners of a traveling circus alter the genes of their children, breeding the ultimate money-making freak show.

The premise is outrageous on the surface, but it is spot-on satire if you look a little deeper.

4) The Book Thief, Markus Zusak: A young girl learns the power of the written word in Nazi Germany.

Zusak's language is unique and frequently profound, and the story is disarmingly beautiful.

3) The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger: Teen angst at it's very best.

There's nothing phony about Holden Caulfield.

2) The Road, Cormac McCarthy: A father and son struggle to survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Parents guide their kids down the road, but one day they must walk alone.

1) To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee: A young girl comes of age in the Depression-era South.

Scout and Atticus are two of the most memorable characters in literature.

You don't have to do a full five, but how about a Twitter synopsis for at least one of your favorites, and another Tweet explaining what you love about it.

Life's Rich Pageant

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there. If you're a Dad and you love the E Street Band, make sure you play some for your kids today. RIP Big Man.

This is the first Father's Day without my dad. I know it's trite to say things are bittersweet, but man, that word just works, why resist using it. Today is a bittersweet day. I love celebrating Father's Day with my girls, but it's hard not to miss my dad. Sorry for being so personal, but the blog is that kind of outlet for me. I want to share a story about my dad, a story that I shared at his memorial service in January.

My dad wasn't a big talker, but he taught me a lot of things through example. One of the best lessons my dad ever taught me was on the golf course, and I think it's a perfect example of what a great Father he was.

My dad was in a league one year, I think I was 11 or 12. One of his teammates couldn't make it, so my dad asked me if I wanted to fill in. I wasn't sure at first, but my dad assured me my game was up to it. My dad knew my game well, so I agreed. I even started to think I might actually be an upgrade for his team.

Golf is a uniquely humbling endeavor, and to say I didn't play well that day would be an understatement. It was bad from the get-go, one terrible shot after another. It was like I'd never picked up a club in my life. With each shot I became more and more frustrated. I was really holding things up, and I kept expecting my dad to tell me to pick up my ball, put me out of my misery. Instead he encouraged me through every shot. There was no talk of quitting, only of moving forward and doing my best on each and every shot. When it was finally over I'd shot a 99 - for nine holes. I felt like I'd let my dad down, but he told me everybody has bad days, you have to leave this one behind and do better the next time. It's one small moment, one shared over hot dogs in the clubhouse, but that lesson stuck with me, and not just on the golf course.

There were a lot of little moments like this with my dad: sitting in boats waiting for fish to bite, standing around tee boxes and greens, during commercials while we watched football. You had to be on your toes with my dad, you never knew when he might slip in some wisdom. You put all these little moments together and my dad taught me how to be a man. His memory will help me be the best man I can be.


I miss you Dad. Happy Father's Day.

Fast Five Friday

This week's Fast Five was inspired by LeBron James. I thoroughly enjoyed watching LeBron and the Miami Heat lose in the NBA Finals. As if that wasn't fun enough, LeBron proceeded to put his foot in his mouth in the post game press conference, reminding all the haters that their lives are still pathetic and his life is still outrageously awesome. I consider myself one of those haters, and while LeBron almost certainly has a point, I loved being a hater this year. In fact, I loved it so much, I'm going to keep right on hating LeBron and the Heat next year.

LeBron got me thinking. He's not the only famous person I love to hate. Before I continue, please let me explain. Hate is a strong word. I don't really hate anyone. When I say I hate someone, what I mean is that I really, really, really, really, really don't like them. Now that we have that out of the way, let me present five people who I love to hate.

5) LeBron James: You have to have villains in sports, and LeBron is a great one. The only problem is, LeBron thinks he's a hero. The guy doesn't understand his role. Who knows, if LeBron accepts being the villain, I may actually start liking the guy.

4) Donald Trump: I'm not going to lie. I watched the first couple seasons of The Apprentice. I found Trump's schtick mildly amusing, the whole "You're fired" thing. I grew tired of the constant self-promotion, and now I can't stand the guy. He took things to another level with all that birther nonsense.

3) Snooki: As far as I can tell, Snooki has no discernible talent, other than getting drunk and making a fool of herself. I guess that's all it takes to be famous these days. To quote the maitre d' in Ferris Bueller, "I weep for the future."

2) Sarah Palin: I truly hope we have a female President in my lifetime. I'll be seriously disappointed if it's Palin. She's one of these politicians who feels the need to define what it means to be a "real" American. Somehow I don't think I'd pass her test.

1) Ryan Seacrest: Is it ironic that a guy with no talent hosts a popular talent show? In all fairness, I may hate Seacrest so much because I can't stand American Idol. The best thing about Seacrest is that Kathy Griffin makes fun of him all the time.

Let me know what you think of my choices. Agree? Disagree? Who do you love to hate?

Inspiring Words

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time remembering where I hear or see things these days. Was it on the news? Did I see it on Twitter? Did I read it on someone's blog. Hell, did an actual person tell me something in an actual conversation? So many different sources of information, they all seem to blend together after a while. 

Someone, somewhere, wrote or said something about Toni Morrison's commencement address at Rutgers University. I remember being interested at the time, I've always been a big Toni Morrison fan. I saw hear speak when I was a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin. She spoke at the basketball stadium, and with all due respect to the Badger b ballers of my day, it was probably the best thing to happen in that building during my time in Madison. I made a mental note to look into it further when I had more time.

While I was looking for video of the speech, I came across this excerpt:

I have often wished that Jefferson had not used that phrase “the pursuit of happiness” as the third right — although I understand in the first draft it was “life, liberty and the pursuit of property.” Of course, I would have been one of those properties one had the right to pursue, so I suppose happiness is an ethical improvement over a life devoted to the acquisition of land, acquisition of resources, acquisition of slaves. Still, I would rather he had written “life, liberty and the pursuit of meaningfulness” or “integrity” or “truth.” I know that happiness has been the real, if covert, goal of your labors here. I know that it informs your choice of companions, the profession you will enter. But I urge you, please don’t settle for happiness. It’s not good enough. Personal success devoid of meaningfulness, free of a steady commitment to social justice, that’s more than a barren life; it is a trivial one. It’s looking good instead of doing good.

I wonder if the kids at Rutgers were inspired by these words. I know I was.    

Thoughts on Dirk and LeBron

I wouldn't say I was a big LeBron James fan when he played for Cleveland, but I was trending that way. The man is a freak of nature, a truly awesome combination of size, speed, and strength. As a basketball fan, it's impossible not to admire his game. Cleveland sports fans haven't had much to cheer about through the years, and I would have been happy to see LeBron and the Cavs bring a championship to the city.

As a fan of a small market sports team, I was irked by the way Lebron left Cleveland. Then LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh had their little dance party before the season, talking about 5, 6, 7 championships, like the first one was a mere formality. It was just too much. For the sake of all that is good in sports, LeBron and the Big Three had to be denied.

Nobody expected the Dallas Mavericks to be the team to deny LeBron and the Heat. I'm no Mavs fan, but I badly wanted them to win. I cheered for Dirk and the Mavs with a surprising intensity. Dirk is the anti-LeBron. He could have bailed on his teammates the way LeBron did, joined a team with a better chance of winning. Instead, he stayed with a team that supported him and put in the work needed to become a champion. Who knows, LeBron may wind up winning more titles than Dirk. If I had to bet, I'd say he will. No matter how many titles LeBron wins, his success will pale in comparison to what Dirk accomplished this year.

Fast Five Friday

Sometimes in life, a piece of art can be so bad, it transcends the boundaries of all rational taste to win over even the most jaded of hearts. One of those times happened this week for the Riley family.

Like their parents, my daughters are big movie fans. They're very interested in older movies, so my plan this summer is to show them a bunch of movies from that golden era of film, the 80s. I searched Netflix for something I could stream, but the girls had seen most of the movies available. One movie did catch their eye though, Mac and Me. I had never seen M & M, but I did remember hearing it was outrageously bad. I was intrigued.

Mac and Me is the touching story of a young boy befriending an alien. Did I mention this movie came out after E.T.? I'm pretty used to product placement in movies nowadays, but man, I've never seen a movie with so much blatant advertising. It's like the advertising arms of McDonald's and Coke decided to make a movie. I could probably go on and on, but simply put, Mac and Me is quite possibly the worst movie ever made.

Here's the thing. I loved it.

My daughters were initially confused. How could I love a movie that I thought was one of the worst movies ever made? It is indeed complicated. With time, I know they will come to understand the beauty of a movie that is so bad, it's awesome.

Hollywood has given us any number of bad movies over the years. Not all of these bad movies are able to break the barrier of good taste to become classics. Today I present five films that are so bad, they just might be brilliant.

5) Weekend at Bernie's: You have to love a movie where everyone is too dumb to notice a couple of guys lugging a dead body around. Don't even get me started on Andrew McCarthy.

4) Howard the Duck: This movie was thoroughly trashed when it came out in 1986. Of course, on the heels of Back to the Future, Lea Thompson could do no wrong in my eyes.

3) Breakin: This movie capitalized on the burgeoning breakdancing craze. I couldn't dance to save my life, but a buddy of mine could do a passable moonwalk. I still have fond memories of riding our bikes downtown to see this one multiple times.

2) Mac and Me: I think I've said enough.

1) Roadhouse: This is the awesomely bad movie by which all others are judged. To this day, if I come across Roadhouse on TV, and it happens quite a bit, I can't turn the channel.

Please feel free to comment on any of these fine films. For all of you who love truly bad movies, make sure you tell us what they are so we can watch them too.

Technology Is Messing With My Brain

I almost had a meltdown in the Scottsdale Hilton this past weekend. Not long after we had settled into our room, I called guest services to get the password for Wi-Fi access. I was on hold for way too long, but that's another rant altogether. I finally got the info and successfully logged on. That's when things went sideways. Not since the days of dial-up had I waited so long to reach my desired web destinations. My connection was slower than one of my middle school students going to their next class. I thought I was going to lose my mind.

The thing is, this wasn't the first time I've lost my patience with technology. In fact, it seems to happen quite frequently. My computer at work acts up so much, I'm afraid I might fling it across the room one day during class.

"What happened at school today honey?"
"Well, Mr. Riley threw his computer out the window because he couldn't get YouTube to play this cool double rainbow video he wanted to show us."

It's not just that I'm reliant on technology, that almost goes without saying nowadays. Technology is so fast now, I expect instantaneous results. I want my computer to give me a list of every single document mentioning Anthony Weiner's penis, and if it takes longer than the blink of an eye, someone's head needs to roll.

I wasn't always like this. Hell, I didn't even use a computer until I was 18 years old. In the last 5-10 years I've noticed a change. The exponential increase in technological speed seems to directly correlate with my decreasing level of patience with said technology. Sometimes I feel like we may be living through a permanent evolutionary change that is wiping out the human brain's ability to wait. Or maybe it's just me.

Fast Five Friday

My last post was about gender bias in reading. I was responding to a list put out by Esquire, 75 Books Every Guy Should Read. The list included one woman, which is utterly absurd.

Even more absurd were the recent comments by VS Naipaul. In an interview with the Royal Geographic Society, Mr. Naipual said there are no women writers who he considers his equal. Apparently female authors are too sentimental for Mr. Naipaul. In fact, Ol' VS insists he can tell if a book was written by a man or a woman in the first one or two paragraphs. Try this little quiz and see if you can too. Full disclosure, I took it this morning and got 5 out of 10.

All this talk of gender and reading this week got me thinking about my favorite books. I admit that many of my favorite books are written by men. Let those of us free of bias throw the first stone. I have read many great books written by women, and I will continue to search out female authors. I am, after all, a work in progress. It seems fitting that this week's Fast Five be my top five books written by women.

5) Case Histories by Kate Atkinson: This is a literary detective novel. The detective, Jackson Brodie, deals with his own family troubles as he investigates three gruesome crimes that ripped families apart.

4) Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison: We follow the protagonist, Milkman, on his journey to find his identity as a black man in 20th-century America. As the title of the book implies, Morrison's writing is truly lyrical.

3) The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: Immigration is a central theme of this book. A Bengali couple moves to the US, and the story focuses on the religious, social, and ideological conflicts that arise between the parents and their son.

2) Geek Love by Katherine Dunn: This book is twisted, and I mean that in the best way possible. Al and Crystal run a traveling circus. When business goes bad they start breeding their own freak show. As social commentary, this book feels more relevant to me now than it did the first time I read it.

1) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This isn't just my favorite book written by a woman, this is my favorite book, period.

Alright people, let's hear it. What are favorite books written by women? Doesn't have to be a full top five, could be just your favorite, whatever works for you. If you happen to take the quiz, I'd also love know how you did.

Gender Bias in Reading

There was a bit of a stir in the literary world recently. Esquire published a list of 75 books every guy should read. Esquire is a men's magazine, so it stands to reason that such a list would be dominated by male authors. A lot of people have taken umbrage with the list because it includes just one female author, Flannery O'Connor. Even for a men's magazine the list seems out of whack.

This got me wondering about gender bias in our reading habits. Are we more likely to connect with books written by someone of the same gender? My guess is that we are, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It doesn't mean guys should only read books written by guys, and women should only read books written by women. Not at all. I guess that's my problem with Esquire's list. By including only one book written by a woman, the message seems to be that guys shouldn't waste their time reading books written by women. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hell, I checked out three books on my last trip to the library with the girls, all written by women.

Esquire's list got me thinking. If I were to create a list of 75 books that I think everyone should read, how many of those books would be by women? I know the top spot would go to a woman, Harper Lee. I know books by Katherine Dunn, Kate Atkinson, Geraldine Brooks, and Toni Morrison would make the list. I'm sure there would be other books written by women, but I have a feeling a considerable majority would be books written by men.

My list would certainly be more inclusive than Esquire's, but there would still be some gender bias. Some degree of gender bias is probably unavoidable when it comes to our reading choices. I may be putting this too simply, but guys can relate to a male point of view more easily, and women can relate to a female point of view more easily. I don't have a problem with that. There are plenty of exceptions to this rule of course. I hate to break it to the people over at Esquire, but Flannery O'Connor isn't the only female author their readers should be checking out.

All this begs the question: do you think it's easier to connect with books written by someone of the same gender? And if so, is that a bad thing?

Fast Five Friday

This week's Fast Five was inspired by my mother-in-law. She sent me a clip of dance scenes from various movies set to "Footloose." My MIL knows my love of all things Footloose, so I had to include the video. It's kind of fun, check it out. You'll have to click on the link because embedding was disabled. The video got me thinking, so today I present my top five movie dance scenes.

5) (500) Days of Summer: I really enjoyed this movie about the rise and fall of a young couple. You don't expect to see a dance scene in this kind of movie, but somehow it fits perfectly. It's set to a Hall and Oates song, and well, in my world, that's brilliant.



4) Napoleon Dynamite: Another great dance scene you don't expect. It's hard not to smile while Napoleon busts a move to help out his buddy, Pedro.



3) West Side Story: I have a real soft spot for West Side Story. I watch it with my students just about every year, and it's always a hit. There are classic dance scenes all over the place, but this one is my favorite.

2) Pulp Fiction: Another movie that doesn't feature dancing, but has one of the all-time great dance scenes. Travolta had been off the cultural radar for quite a while, and Pulp Fiction was one heck of a comeback. It was fun to see Travolta strut his stuff again.

1) Footloose: What can I say. Footloose came out when I was teenager, and it's just one of those movies from my childhood that made a huge impression. I think I like the scene where Ren teaches Willard to dance because I am not the most graceful dancer myself. I sure could have used a Kevin Baconesque mentor to teach me some smooth moves.



Lots of great dance scenes in movies over the years. Let me know what you think of my top five, and as always, I'd love to know which five would make your list?

A Million Bucks

Two more days of school, and they should be a lot of fun. Tomorrow we practice for our 8th grade promotion ceremony in the morning, and in the afternoon the 8th grade gets together to watch the end of year slide show. Each kid makes a slide in technology class. The slide is meant to be a representation of who they are as they leave middle school and a chance to say goodbye to their friends and teachers. The technology teacher includes pictures taken throughout the year, and this year he asked the teachers to bring in baby pictures for a then and now kind of thing. The slide show is a very cool event.

We started a new incentive program with the kids this year. They earned points for positive behaviors, and then every so often we had auctions where they could bid for prizes. It was quite successful, and after the slide show, we're going to have our final auction.  One of the prizes will be the chance to throw a pie in my face, and oddly, I'm pretty excited about it. 

Wednesday is promotion, and that's always a bittersweet time. While there are certainly kids I'll be happy to see go, there are plenty of kids I'll miss. I'll probably write about these next couple days in more detail later.

Last Wednesday we had our annual 8th grade barbecue. This is a night where we honor our top students. The kids with the top 10 GPAs are invited, along with a number of Student of the Year recipients. The kids bring their families, and it really is a beautiful night. We honored 38 kids this year, all of them quite amazing people. Each teacher prepares a little speech about their Student of the Year, and things can get very emotional. Teachers tear up, parents tear up, kids tear up, it's very cool. It's the kind of night where a Dad jumps out of his seat and rushes to hug his son in front of a cheering crowd. It's hard not to be moved.

My Student of the Year was a kid I wrote about back in January. Let's call him the Quickwrite Kid. I think I knew even then that he would wind up being my choice. I started my speech with a funny story about my man, and then I told the story of the Quickwrites, just one of many ways my man made our school a better place this year. After my speech, I turned to give my man a congratulatory handshake. He wasn't having it and moved in for a hug. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little choked up.

As a teacher, I'll never make a lot of money. Driving home last Wednesday night, that didn't matter, I felt like a million bucks.                

Fast Five Friday

This is the last full week of school here in Arizona. The kids have three days next week, and then it's Alice Cooper time. Teachers have a grading day on Thursday and that puts a wrap on another year in public education.

It feels like I say this every year, but man, this school year went fast. The older I get, the faster time seems to slip away.

There was a lot going on this last week, so I haven't had a chance to post since last week's FFF. When I have some time this weekend, I want to write a post about our annual 8th Grade Barbecue. It's a great event, and the kind of night that makes me proud to be a teacher.

This week's Fast Five Friday was inspired by Roger Ebert. I follow Ebert on Twitter, and he posted a link to an article he wrote about movie sequels. It's an interesting article about the record number of movie sequels coming out this summer, and what that says about the current state of Hollywood. I'm not a huge fan of sequels, and generally speaking, they're never as good as the original. With that said, I have enjoyed a number of sequels over the years. This week I present my top five movie sequels.

5) The Empire Strikes Back: This came out on my birthday, and the memories are still vivid in my mind. My dad gave me money in the morning, and I waited in line all day with some friends. I immediately fell in love with Yoda, and I nearly lost my mind when Vader told Luke he was his father. Like a lot of people, the Star Wars movies were a big part of my childhood, and TESB was my favorite of the original trilogy.

4) The Dark Knight: I'm a big Christopher Nolan fan. I enjoyed Batman Returns, but The Dark Knight blows that movie out of the water. Heath Ledger was brilliant, and Nolan managed to make a summer blockbuster that had a lot to say about the world we live in.

3) Toy Story 2: This is another sequel I enjoyed more than the original. Just another day at the office for the folks at Pixar.

2) The Color of Money: This sequel was 25 years in the making. Paul Newman first played Fast Eddie Felson in 1961. Martin Scorcese brought him back in 1986, this time managing a young Tom Cruise. Big Paul Newman fan, and I loved the music, especially "Werewolves of London."

1) Aliens: This one holds a special place in my heart. My dad loved the original Alien, and he was really excited to see the sequel. Opening night was a family event. I think this was the first movie where I truly felt the sensation of being on the edge of my seat. My buddies and I saw this one so many times, we still quote it to this day. Not to mention I had a crush on Siguorney Weaver. I had her Time cover on my wall.

Now it's your turn. What are your top five movie sequels? Of course, feel free to belittle me for not including The Godfather II.

Fast Five Friday

I rolled out the Fast Five Friday idea last week, and by my standards, 23 comments, I'd say it was a success. Thanks to everyone who left a comment, the feedback was great.

If you read my last post, you know I was in Florida earlier this week for work, an educational conference on the shores of St. Petersburg, Florida, no less. If you read the post, you might also have seen the comment left by Munk Davis linking my absence to the filming of The Hangover 3. Is it bad when a comment is the best thing about a post? Thanks for that one Munk, it made my day. By the way, if you're not following Munk's blog, you really should. It's not like most blogs, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you follow him, he might follow you back and drop some comments your way. You'll enjoy them.

On to business. Since I was on the road this week, I thought travel would be a good choice for the second installment of Fast Five Friday. I'm not the most traveled person in the world, but I've gotten around a bit. Excluding places I return to annually for family reasons, these are the top five places I've visited:

5) New Orleans: Met a guy from NO in college, and a bunch of us went down there for Spring Break one year. I'm not going to lie, there was drunken debauchery involved. I'll never forget when my buddy's parents covered the kitchen table with newspaper and dumped out a grocery bag full of crayfish. Washed 'em down with cold beer-brilliant. My second visit to The Big Easy was for a Packers game. Again, there was drunken debauchery involved. Let's just say, that weekend still lives in infamy among the participants. Oh, and the Packers lost.

4) NYC: I've been to NYC a number of times over the years, but my favorite trip was when we took the girls out. We stayed with my brother and his wife, and the girls loved everything. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and I enjoyed the city in a whole new way.

3) Prague: I went to Prague with my brother and sister-in-law. They were living in Moscow at the time, and Meg and I had gone to visit them. Meg went home early and the three of us took a short trip to Prague. Everything was so old and beautiful. I look forward to crossing the Charles Bridge again some day.

2) San Francisco: I've been to San Fran a few times, and I hope to go many more. San Fran is probably my favorite place in the US. If I had the money, I'd love to live there.

1) Golden Bay, New Zealand: I wrote about my connection to New Zealand during the A-Z Challenge. Meg and I went down over our Christmas break in 1999, and that trip is easily the best trip I've ever taken. New Zealand is a place of stunning beauty. People want to know if it's as beautiful as it looks in The Lord of the Rings movies. Absolutely, and then some. My favorite spot is Golden Bay, which is on the northern shore of the south island. Our friends have a batch there, and the time we spent there is seared into my memory. Even after all these years, my mind retains details that should have faded with time.

Now comes the fun part for me. What are the top five places you've visited?          

I Should Probably Be Enjoying This

I'm writing this post from my hotel room at the swanky Tradewinds Resort in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. Since the resort is right on the ocean, I'll probably go hang out on the perfect white sand beach when I'm done, take a dip in the ocean, that kind of thing. Later tonight, I'm sure I'll use my two free drink tickets at the Social Hour, followed by a middling dinner that will easily be covered by my allocated per diem.

Ah, the life of a business traveler. As a teacher, not something I experience very often. I've been teaching for 15 years, and this is only the second time I've been to a conference out of town. A few years back, I went to a conference at Disneyland. I had a good time, but I had a good friend to hang out with on that one. This time I'm with a couple women from work, and while they're very nice, socializing is awkward at best. I do have my own room, which seems like it would be great, but I actually feel strangely isolated.

I think I would be having a really great time if Meg and the girls were here. Meg and I have often talked about doing a resort vacation, where all you do is hang out at the beach all day. This would be a perfect place for that type of vacation. There's a fridge in the room, so we wouldn't have to eat out all the time. They have these huge inflatable slides and trampolines in the water. It's expensive, but it really is a great place for a family vacation.

This is my first time in Florida, and I feel like a whiner. I just can't get into it. My family isn't here, and that sucks all the fun out of a place like this for me. The truth is, I can't wait to get home.   

Trying Something New

I've noticed that some people have weekly themes on their blogs: Ten Word Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday, that kind of thing. One of my favorite weekly themes is Friday Night Frolic at Suburban Soliloquy. I look forward to reading it every Friday. There are other cool weekly themes out there. I caught the debut of Sippable Stories at allison writes last Sunday. It's a great idea and I hope it becomes a running segment. I've always liked the idea of a weekly theme, and I've been mulling different ideas over for a while now.

I've decided to try Fast Five Friday. The plan is to post a top five list every Friday. I enjoyed the random thing with the A-Z Challenge, so I'll go random for FFF as well. My brain works a lot like those guys in High Fidelity who make top ten lists all the time. Except I'm doing top five lists. You get the point. Hopefully people will share their top fives in the comments, and it'll be all kinds of blogging fun. Of course, this idea could be a complete bust. If so, well, it was worth a shot. Don't worry, I'm used to ideas flopping.

So here we go, the first FAST FIVE FRIDAY.

FAST FIVE FRIDAY: Top five all-time sitcoms

5) Diff'rent Strokes: They had me at the apostrophe. What am I talkin' bout? I know, this show wasn't remotely funny, but come on, I was a kid. I loved that show.

4) Family Ties: Again, in hindsight, not particularly funny. Hard not to love Michael J. Fox though.

3) Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry David kills me. I love the whole awkward silence kind of humor.

2) The Office: Very sad to see Steve Carrell go. I'm not sure how long the show can last without him, but I do love the ensemble cast.  

1) Seinfeld: It's amazing how many times Seinfeld episodes still pop into my head. Just the other day, a student was driving me nuts, and in my mind I heard George Castanza screaming, "Serenity Now!"

OK, let's hear it. What are your top five all-time sitcoms?

Reflections on A-Z

The A-Z Blogging Challenge was a lot of fun. I posted more in a month than I normally do in three. While I can't imagine continuing such a torrid pace long-term, I can certainly see myself participating again next year. In fact, I have a feeling I'll be thinking of topics for letters all the time now. I should probably start a file or something. I was posting about twice a week before the Challenge started, and that feels even more right now. I'm always curious about blog frequency. How many times do you try to post a week?

Blogging is about writing first and foremost, but it's also about reading. I tried to check out as many blogs as possible. There were over 1200 participants in this year's challenge, so there was no way I was going to get to them all. I'm comfortable with the number of blogs I was able to visit, and I found a number of excellent writers to follow. I'm looking forward to reading what they come up with now that the Challenge is over.

Right before the Challenge started, I had a string of three or four posts in a row with double digit comments. That was new for me. I'm happy to say, the streak of double digit comments is still alive as I head into May. I don't know how long the streak will last, but I'm riding it out like Kramer testing how far he could drive on a tank of gas. The point is, more people were reading and felt compelled to leave comments. I don't know about anyone else, but getting feedback on something I've written is the best part of this whole blogging deal. 

There were a few surprises in the data. The post I put the least effort into got the most page views and comments. Some of the posts I worked on the longest had the fewest page views and comments. Just goes to show. You never know. That's what I liked most about A-Z. It challenged my preconceived notions of my writing on a daily basis, something that can only make me better.

Z is for.....

Z is for.....Zoo

Before I had kids I wasn't much of a zoo person. I do have a few fond childhood memories of trips to the zoo, but they're pretty faded and worn now. Way back in the recesses of my cluttered memory, I can see old Samson, the giant 650 pound gorilla from the Milwaukee Zoo.

I did work at a zoo the summer after freshman year in college. That was a wild experience, one that might make a pretty funny book one day. A coming of age story with elusive spider monkeys, wacky co-workers, raccoons on leashes, and hissing badgers. Years later I spent a memorable afternoon with Meg at said zoo. We watched in sociological awe as a family straight out of Deliverance got peed on by a lion they were harassing. Meg and I have gotten a lot of mileage out that story over the years.

We have a nice little zoo here in Tucson. You can walk the whole thing in about an hour, which makes it perfect for quick visits with the kids. When the girls were little we had a membership, and we went just about every weekend. First came the stroller years, when Meg and I could dictate the pace and enjoy some time out of the house. Then came the toddler years, when we let the girls walk on their own, herding them through all the sights. Finally, we reached the point where the girls could walk slightly ahead of us, Meg and I able to have a little adult conversation while the girls checked in with all their favorite animals.

We don't go to the zoo much anymore. I wouldn't say the girls outgrew it, but other interests have taken over. Every once in a while they'll get excited about going, maybe to feed the giraffes. I miss the days when a trip to the zoo was a major family outing. I'm sure we'll make at least one visit during summer vacation. I hope the girls will have fond memories of our trips to the zoo. I know I do.

Well folks, there you have it, the last post of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Thanks to everyone for reading and commenting. The feedback has been awesome and greatly appreciated. The Challenge was a lot of fun, but I'll be glad to get back to a more sustainable blogging schedule, probably a couple times a week kind of thing. The hosts of A-Z have a reflection post scheduled for May 2, so I'll share more thoughts then. Again, thanks to everyone for making this challenge a rewarding experience.      

Y is for.....

Y is for.....Yoda.

I wouldn't call myself a full-fledged Stars War geek, but there are tendencies. I can't tell you the names of all the creatures in the cantina scene or anything, but I will gladly proclaim my love for Yoda.

I have a giant Yoda poster in my classroom. I tell my students that Yoda sees all and gladly informs me of any wrongdoing I might miss. I also have a few Yodas strategically placed around the class. One is a Yoda Magic 8 Ball, and every so often I'll let the kids ask Yoda some questions. I may or may not answer those questions in a lame Yoda voice. We have a few Yodas around the house as well, and I'm proud to say my daughters love the wise green one as much as I do.

George Lucas gave us two very different Yodas. The Yoda of the original trilogy is broken down, barely able to lift Luke's ship out of the swamp.

The Yoda in the prequel triology is an ass-kicking whirling dervish.

It was pretty cool to see Yoda bust out the light saber and mad fighting skills, but when push comes to shove, I have to go with the original Yoda.

Last summer I discovered a new version of Yoda. Origami Yoda.

This Yoda plays a prominent role in Tom Angleberger's great book The Strange Case of Origami Yoda. The book is a sweet story about a socially awkward 6th grade boy (is there any other kind?) who dispenses middle school wisdom through a perfectly constructed origami Yoda. It's ideal for 3rd-6th graders, and their parents of course.

Original Yoda, prequel Yoda, and yes, even origami Yoda. What's not to love? 

X is for.....

X is for.....Xenophobia.

When I decided to do the A-Z Challenge, I made a list of the alphabet and wrote ideas for each letter. Some letters were easy, some where hard. I had multiple ideas for certain letters and none for others.

The one letter that never caused me a single problem was X. That's right - X. Sounds weird you say? There aren't many X words, certainly not good ones for this type of exercise. Well, I live in Arizona. 'Nuff said.

I had grandiose plans to write a searing 5 paragraph essay about xenophobia. The history of xenophobia in America. The recent xenophobic leanings of my adopted state. A systematic approach to wiping out xenophobia in American politics. I'm pretty sure it was going to be great. But then I came across this clip from The Daily Show, and I figured this would be a lot more fun.

It's about a year old now, but sadly, with our legislature obsessed with birth certificates and the like, the general point still applies.

The Daily Show - Law & Border
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

W is for.....

W is for.....Writing.

The writing bug hit me a couple years ago. I started working on a book in June of '09, and the plan is to finish the first draft this June. Two years may strike a lot of writers as way too long for a first draft, but it is what it is. I'm still working on the discipline thing, but I also don't want to make writing a chore. Writing is fun, and I want to keep it that way. For comparison, I'd love to hear how long other people have taken on first drafts.

I did take a break from the book to write a short story. A funny thing happened and it struck me as worth writing about. I'd read that writers are always working on more than one thing at a time, so I figured it was OK. I've sent the story out to a few places, but so far, no luck. Like they say, you're not a writer until you've been rejected. I would like to dedicate some more time to sending the story out. That's a pice of the writing process I hadn't really thought about, the work of getting something published. My goal is to spend a chunk of time this summer getting the story out to as many publications as possible. That way I'll feel like I gave the story a chance.

There is one other reason the book is taking so long. THE BLOG. I'd read somewhere or heard somewhere that writers need to have an online presence. This made sense, so I started the blog in January of 2010. I thought it would be a nice break from the book, while sticking to my goal of writing every day. I know I spend too much time on the blog, time I could be working on the book. I have to go back to the fun thing. The blog is fun. It may not be a book or even a short story, but it is writing. People are reading (thank you very much) what I write and giving feedback with comments. Seems to me that's what writing is all about.

Who knows where it all leads. If anywhere. Does there have to be a destination? Eventually I'll look for an agent, try the traditional publishing route. If that doesn't work there's always self-publishing. Either way, the odds of making any real money as a writer are long. I may never be able to quit my job and write full-time, but as long as I'm having fun, I'll keep writing.

V is for.....

V is for.....Vincent Vega.

This post is for all the Quentin Tarantino fans out there. I was blown away when I saw Pulp Fiction for the first time. The nonlinear storytelling felt exciting and new. Pulp Fiction was cinematic and literary at the same time. I read recently that Jennifer Egan, who just won the Pulitzer for A Visit From the Goon Squad, was inspired by Tarantino's narrative structure. I'm sure she wasn't the only writer inspired by Pulp Fiction. 

There are so many great characters in Pulp Fiction, it's hard to pick a favorite. I particularly loved Travolta's performance as Vincent Vega. Here's an interesting bit of movie trivia for you. Tarantino initially wanted Michael Madsen to play Vincent. Madsen had played Vic Vega (Vince's brother) in Reservoir Dogs, but he passed to be in Wyatt Earp. I bet there's not a day that goes by that Madsen doesn't regret that decision. I liked Madsen in RD, and I'm sure he would have done a great job with Vincent, but it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than Travolta.

Vincent and Jules are the heart of the movie, and their scenes together are full of hilarious, spot-on dialogue. My favorite Vincent scene though is when Vincent stabs Mia Wallace in the heart with that wicked needle. We're talkin' cinematic genius. 

So what do you think Pulp fans? Which character is your favorite? Which scene stands out the most for you? 

U is for.....

U is for.....U2.

Like a lot of people of my generation, I fell in love with U2 in the early 80s. I was a little young to be fully on board when Boy and October came out, but U2's third album, War, was a musical turning point in my life. I remember seeing the videos for New Year's Day and Sunday Bloody Sunday on MTV, and I was hooked. From that point on, the music of U2 has been like a soundtrack to my life.

I've seen U2 live three times in my life. The first show was in 1992 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. It was right before I left Madison for Minneapolis. The songs of Achtung Baby always remind me of that transitional time in my life. The second show was in Phoenix in 2000. Meg and I were new parents, and it was our first night away from Scout. It was after 9/11, and near the end of the show the names of all those who died in the towers scrolled down the huge screen. The emotion in the building was palpable; it was a night I'll never forget. The third show was in Phoenix again, last October. I'm not a huge fan of the latest album, but it was a fun show. We were on the floor of the football stadium, and I remember looking up through the open roof at a beautiful star-filled sky as I listened to songs that took me back in time. Me and 70,000 other people.

When I decided on U2 for this post, I got to thinking about my favorite U2 songs. The U2 catalog is full of classic songs, a perfect repertoire for a nice little top ten list. Ask me to name my top ten U2 songs another day, and I might come up with a completely different list. As I sit here writing, these are the songs that make the cut.

10) Where The Streets Have No Name
9) I Will Follow
8) One Tree Hill
7) Ultraviolet
6) Bad
5) With Or Without You
4) Sunday Bloody Sunday
3) Beautiful Day
2) One
1) Pride (In The Name Of Love)

If you're a U2 fan, let me know your top 3 in the comments. Concert stories would be good too. If you're not a U2 fan, what band or musician has provided the soundtrack of your life?

T is for.....

T is for.....Teaching.

I've been teaching for 15 years now. I started out teaching at an alternative high school in Minneapolis. That was a wild three years, but it was an extremely rewarding experience, and really, nothing shocks me after all the craziness I had to deal with in that job.

Meg and I moved to Tucson in '99. My first teaching job here was a 6th grade gig at one of the more challenging middle schools in town. It was a tough job, but I would have gladly stayed. There were only bilingual positions open at the time, so I moved to a different middle school on the other side of town. I finally got to settle in at a school and I was there for 10 years. This is where I came into my own as a teacher, where I honed my style. I like to tell people my teaching style is Father Flanagan mixed with Bobby Knight.

I've been successful in my career at raising test scores and two years ago I was offered a chance to participate in a federal study to see if teachers who get positive test results in one school can replicate that success in underperforming schools. There was a bonus involved, and I made the move. Last year was probably the worst year of my teaching career. I was seriously second-guessing my decision. Fortunately, this year has been the complete opposite, reaffirming my love of teaching, perhaps making it stronger than ever.

Teaching is a demanding profession. Each day in the classroom is a microcosm of life. Every day good things happen, amazing things, profound things. But bad things happen too, and you have to be able to learn from them, bounce back from them, leave them behind.

It's not the best time to be a teacher in the United States. We don't seem to have a lot of allies out there nowadays. The one thing Democrats and Republicans seem to agree on is that schools are failing and teachers are the problem. I would say the politicians are the real problem in public education, but that's a whole other kind of post my friends.

I could go on and on, trying to distill the essence of teaching, but I probably wouldn't do a very good job. Let me leave you with a story that nicely illustrates why I love teaching.

I took Scout and Quinn to the middle school city track meet last Saturday. I wanted to support my students who were competing. Right before I left, a former student came up to say hello. Here was a young man, now 21, who I had taught years ago. He told me what he was doing with himself, and then he surprised the hell out of me. He thanked me for teaching him how to write. He said he learned to love writing in my class, and he was really happy to have the chance to thank me.

That's what teaching is all about.

S is for.....

S is for.....Scout.

I have two daughters, Quinn and Scout. Quinn was the inspiration for my Q post the other day, which means today has to be Scout's day. It was hard to choose just one picture, but this one just feels like Scout.

When Meg and I found out we were having a girl, it didn't take long for us to decide on a name. We both love To Kill a Mockingbird, and when I suggested Scout, Meg was game. It's funny, Scout is very much like her namesake: adventurous, smart, inquisitive, kind, wise. Scout may be an unusual name, but it fits her perfectly.

Scout is a voracious reader. The kid reads so much, sometimes I'm surprised there are still books she hasn't read. Seriously. We go to the library at least once a week, and Scout always checks out a huge stack of books. For Christmas this year all Scout wanted was Borders and Barnes and Noble gift cards so she could buy new books. I love coming across Scout in one of her many reading spots in the house. Years from now, certain places in our house will remind me of her.  

Scout is a kid with inner strength, more than she even knows. Life is quickly providing opportunities for Scout to figure out how strong she really is. One opportunity came on the soccer field this past season. Scout took a nasty fall in a game. I coached the team, so once I was sure she was physically OK, I asked her if she wanted to stay in. She said she did, so I kept her in the game. Later in the same quarter, one of her teammates blasted a ball that hit Scout square in the face. I could see the impact knock the wind out of her. As I ran out to make sure she was OK, I figured she'd have to come out of the game. Once she calmed down though, she wanted to stay in. I was reluctant, but I let her keep playing. I thought Scout might be tentative, but she was her usual aggressive self. Scout scored two goals in a span of ten minutes, and I simply could not have been more proud.

Another opportunity came at an Irish dancing competition. Scout fell during one of her dances. She popped right back up, and without missing a beat, kept right on going. She had to stay on stage for two more dances, and I was worried she might be too rattled to do her best. She kept her composure and danced them both beautifully. I was incredibly impressed, but hey, I'm the Dad. Apparently the judge saw what I saw. Despite the fall, Scout won that first dance, and she took first and second in the other two. 

That's what comes to mind when I think of Scout. A kid who falls down, picks herself up, dusts herself off, and keeps going. A kid finding her inner strength and learning she can do whatever she sets her mind to do. I can't wait to see where she sets her sights.  

R is for.....

R is for.....Regret.

I'm not typically someone who spends much time with regret. For better or worse, I've learned to live with the consequences of my actions. I think my life playing and watching sports has helped me escape the grip of regret. Athletes learn early on that you make mistakes during games, and you certainly don't win them all. You can't hang your head, dwell on the play or game that went wrong. You need to get ready for the next play, next game, and give it 100%.

This isn't to say that I never think about my mistakes. I absolutely do. I use my mistakes to inform future decisions all the time. I just don't beat myself up. Every bad decision was made with the best of intentions, and I've tried to learn from every mistake. If I regretted every bad decision I've ever made, my life would be pretty miserable. Instead, I embrace the opportunity to grow from my mistakes. I'll hang out with regret for a little while, but then it's game time and I've got to be ready.

Regrets are like old friends you don't see very often. You get together every once in a while to get caught up, but then you go your separate ways, hopefully made better by the experience. You see some friends more than others over time, and there are some decisions that you revisit more than others. One decision that frequently shows up for me was made right after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin.

I was working at a park in Madison, running a summer program for neighborhood kids. Two of the kids were from Italy. Their mom was from Madison and they were visiting for the summer. The boys really took to me because I made everyone play soccer with them. The boys knew about baseball from their mom, and they wanted to try it out, so we played a lot of baseball that summer as well. Right before the family left to go back to Italy, the boys' dad asked me if I would come to Italy for a year and start a baseball league in their town. I don't even remember the name of the place anymore, but when I think of it now, it's always the most idyllic town in the history of the world. They had a guesthouse I could stay in, they'd feed me, pay me a modest monthly salary. Looking back, this should have been a no-brainer.

This post is about regret, so obviously I declined the offer. I had my reasons, but in hindsight, they weren't good ones. I often think about that lost opportunity. Who knows, I could be an Italian hero by now, the man who brought baseball to Italy. I could have written a bestseller about my year teaching baseball under the Tuscan sun, that kind of thing. I'm not saying the course of my life would have been dramatically altered, but I'm pretty sure it would have been a really good time.

When this memory fights its way to the surface of my consciousness, I briefly regret my decision to pass up a year in Italy. The reasons that led to my decision seem foolish now, but they were legit at the time. That's the thing, our decisions may not make sense in retrospect, but they were probably the best thing for us at the time. I still haven't been to Italy, but I believe I'll get there when the time is right.

Q is for.....

Q is for.....Quinn.

I wasn't going to write about my kids for A-Z, but my mind just can't wrap itself around another word for Q. I had some other ideas for Q, but my heart just isn't in it. I hope I'm not turning people off by writing about my daughter, but when I think of the letter Q, it's hard for me not to think of this face.

Quinn, Quinny, Q-bird, just plain Q. It's hard to believe the little girl in the picture is 8 years old now. There are a million reasons why I'm crazy about this kid. I won't go on and on, just a few highlights.

If Quinn had a theme song it would be Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life." The girl is full-on, all the time. Quinn is a kid who can play outside in the backyard by herself for hours. She sings, dances, pretends to be on the phone, sits in the palo verde tree holding intense conversations with imaginary compatriots. It's hilarious and beautiful. Sometimes I just stand at the window and watch her out there. It always makes me smile, and it's inspiring.

Quinn is also a kid who cries hysterically whenever we see one of those help the animals commercials. I'm talking heaves, sobs. We can be flipping channels and just the slightest glimpse of one of these commercials sets her off. It's hard not to laugh sometimes, but then it's hard not to cry right along with her.

Quinn is a kid who dances all the time. She's been Irish dancing for a few years now, and she's always practicing her moves. Seriously, the girl doesn't stand still. If she's upright, she's doing one of her Irish dance moves. When she runs out of a room, she does it with steps from one dance or another. Quinn has even made me love a Katy Perry song with her dancing. She and a friend made up an Irish dance routine to Perry's "Firework," and I know I'll always love that song.

If you're still reading, thanks for putting up with the ramblings of a Dad who's head over heels for his kid. I'm sure there are a lot of great Q words I could have gone with for Q, but sometimes you just have to go with your heart.

P is for.....

P is for.....Pixar.

Pixar movies are those rare gems that connect with people of all ages. I've watched all the Pixar movies with my daughters, and I'm not sure who loves them more, me or the girls. There is definitely a nostalgia factor in play with the Pixar movies for me, each movie evoking memories from specific times in my kids' lives.

But it's more than the nostalgia. The animation is stunning, and even more importantly, the stories are creative and well-crafted. Pixar has made 11 movies since 1995, and I love every single one of them. I also love making lists of movies, so here's how I would rank the Pixar movies.

1) Up
2) Finding Nemo
3) Monsters Inc.
4) Toy Story 3
5) A Bug's Life
6) Cars
7) Toy Story 2
8) Toy Story
9) The Incredibles
10) WALL E
11) Ratatouille

Let me know in the comments which Pixar movie is your favorite. I'll leave you with a video highlighting 25 years of Pixar brilliance. If you're anything like me, you may very well find yourself getting a little verklempt.

O is for.....

O is for....Owls.

I've always been fascinated by owls. I lived in Wisconsin and Minnesota for most of my life, and while I'm sure they were all around me, I never actually saw one in the wild until I moved to the desert. Now I see them all the time.

Our first house in Tucson was in the middle of town, so I didn't see any there. Our current house is on the outskirts of town, near a National Park. All the lots in our neighborhood are fairly large, with natural desert yards. We get a lot of owls out here.

I saw my first owl about a month after we moved in. I was turning off the lights outside when I noticed this little guy. He just sat there staring at me. I'm sure the poor guy was paralyzed with fear. I had plenty of time to get Meg and the camera. That was four years ago now, but my eyes still go to that spot every night when I close up, hoping for a return visit.

We see Great Horned Owls quite frequently. I don't have any pictures to share, but man, they are so cool. Our neighbors had this dead tree in their yard, and the Great Horneds loved to perch at the top, surveying the land for prey. They would just sit up there, hooting away. The neighbors took the tree down a while back, and unfortunately we don't see as many Great Horneds these days. 

I remember lying in bed one night and the hooting was particularly loud, it was like the owl was in the room with us. It sounded so close, we went outside to look for it. A giant Great Horned Owl was right on the old TV antenna directly over our bedroom. It was so cool we got the girls out of bed to check it out. 

This little guy is around so much we had to give him a name. We named him Horatio, but recently the girls decided we should add Papa to his name in honor of my dad. So now our little friend is Papa Horatio. I believe Papa Horatio is a Western Screech Owl. There's a hole in the brick he's on, and there are normally birds nesting there. Papa Horatio shows up every so often for a feast, hangs out for a while, and then he's gone. This owl spends so much time at our house, I've actually toyed with the idea of getting a falconer's glove and trying to train it. I told the girls I was thinking about training Papa Horatio one time and they nearly lost their minds laughing. Yeah, guess I'll just settle for taking pictures.