New at Skating

We once took Dylan roller-skating when we lived in Columbia City in 2000. I do not remember if I actually donned skates during that little expedition.

So, if I did not go skating back then, the last time I did go skating for sure was when I was in college. I had some free passes, else I would not have gone, so that shows you a little bit about my commitment to skating.

I used to go quite a bit with the youth group when I was in high school, and I got to be fairly adequate at skating. I was good enough to skate couples, and I could propel myself just by moving my feet in and out without taking them off the ground.

Well, those years are long gone by. I have other expertise now.

We took Katelyn skating today, and this was her second time. Her first was last week. I was not there, but I heard it was quite a trying experience. She learned quite a bit and was really impressive today. She could almost skate circles around me. She rarely fell, and even tried tricks like limbo.

So, we are really excited about her new found love.

Me? How did I do? I tried using in-line skates instead of the traditional skates. My first lap was a fright. I held on to the wall more than not. However, that second lap was amazingly better. I still stuttered, stammered, and looked like the rookie I really am, but I was surprised at how much came back to me.

For some reason, I was reluctant to pull my left foot off the floor. My skating cadence was therefore really out of balance. I could not use my brake either, else I probably would have fallen backwards right upon my butt. I must have been a sight.

We are planning on having a skating party for Katelyn’s seventh birthday, so I guess I needed to get in some practice before I have to perform in front of all of her guests. Yikes.

buck on 01.31.09 @ 09:53 PM EST [more!] [1223 Comments]

Winter, Winter, Go Away

I had said before that it is just not Winter without snow on the ground, but Mother Nature has made her point. I am ready for the snow to go away, and I am ready for Spring to come and embrace us.

It is still pretty outside. It has been cold enough that virtually no snow has melted except what was on the road. Well, the large snow piles in parking lots look quite ugly by now, but the countryside still looks nice.

However, the cold has chilled me enough. It’s time for change.

buck on 01.26.09 @ 10:09 PM EST [more!]

Monkeying Around

The Infinite Monkey Theorem | Junk Worth Knowing

The infinite monkey theorem revolves around the idea that a monkey hitting random keys on a typewriter (or in today's context, a keyboard) for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a given text, usually defined as the complete works of William Shakespeare.

Only a true geek could appreciate the mathematics of this article. Be prepared for super-huge numbers, and discussions of strange monkey habits.

buck on 01.20.09 @ 10:17 PM EST [more!] [4 Comments]

Winter, the Way it Oughta Be

You see, this is what Winter was supposed to be. Temperature in the 20’s, no wind, and lots of snow accumulation. This weekend – my birthday weekend – was perfect winter weather.

Saturday found our entire family outside pulling sleds around and taking pictures. Katelyn did her best to go sledding down snow piles. She gets E for effort.

We started the day with breakfast at Dino’s. I do not normally order pancakes, but did so this time to do something different for my birthday. My stomach must be wimping out after forty years; they were delicious, but too sweet for me to want to order them on a regular basis.

That night we had a little get together with our friends Tom and Amy. Heather made her signature burritos in enchilada sauce. No, it’s not a contradiction. Afterwards, we played some euchre, men against women. We tied one game to one, so the Battle of the Sexes rages on.

On Sunday, Katelyn and I spent some more time outside just enjoying the beauty of the white snow and mild Winter weather. She tried digging a tunnel through a snow pile, and I did some shoveling. There was more accumulation Saturday night after the snowplow had come through. We now have over one and a half feet on the ground now.

Remember those balloons I received at work on Friday? When I walked into the office this morning, they were still at my desk, but had deflated. I took them out to the dumpster, and did not give them another thought. Later that morning, I was talking to our office secretary, and happened to look out the window. Although all of the black balloons had deflated, the silver “40” balloon had not. Someohe had just opened the dumpster lid, and the silver balloon shot out and disappeared into the sky. Someone is in for a big surprise when they find that in their yard.

buck on 01.12.09 @ 08:36 PM EST [more!] [1 Comment]

Lordy, Lordy, Look Who's Forty

I’ve been comically melodramatic about turning 40 for about six months now. In reality, it’s just a day like any other; I turned thirty with little incident and fanfare. I “stress” about it at work and at home, but I realize that it is just a milestone, nothing more.

From a physical standpoint, I see some of the decay. I am a bit heavier than I ought to be, and I finally had to be treated for my sleep apnea in 2008. I feel like a new man because I can get a good night’s sleep now, and that has made a huge difference in my energy and disposition. My beard has more and more grey now, so that snowball has started its inevitable roll downhill. My head is still almost exclusively black, so I’m holding on for deal life up there . . . uh, desite the slight thinning in the back.

Ultimately, if I could lose that pesky extra weight, I would be handling turning forty with flying colors and reckless abandon.

So, what are we doing to celebrate my birthday tomorrow? Heather sent me some balloons at work, and my co-workers really had a badly-needed chuckle. My General Manager came out and congratulated me for the milestone. I asked him if “I could sit at the big kids table now”, but he said no, I’m still too young. Man, there is no justice anywhere I go.

One of my co-workers took the photo at the top of this entry with his camera phone, and shared it with all of my co-workers. Someone in Jackson, Tennessee, then hijacked that picture and gave me the benefit of being 27, 150 pounds, and from Hawaii.

buck on 01.09.09 @ 10:33 PM EST [more!]

Christmas 2008

I told everyone it was the longest week and a half of my life, but I meant that in a good way!

On Christmas Eve we took off for Ohio to visit Heather’s mom and step dad, her older sister and husband, and her younger sister and husband and nephew. The seven-hour trip there was easy: we listened to the radio, I read for a while, and Katelyn played her Leapster. Although it rained the entire way there, we were safe and we moved quickly.

We spent a lot of good time with the family. We played, we cooked, we talked, we discussed family history, and we even spent a couple of hours looking at old family pictures that needed organizing. You really cannot beat professionally taken black and white vintage photos.

My mother-in-law was kind enough to make me a Purdue University quilt, even though she is an Ohio State fan. See the picture to the left, and see my happy face? In all honesty, she made it for both Heather and me, but I just claim the quilt for my own. In fact, Dylan has used it more than any of us have!

Christmas Day itself was quiet and peaceful outside. I spent some time outside in the woods just looking around and enjoying the chilly but windless and sunny day.

We did not have a lot of time back in Michigan before we had to go get our friend Becky at Chicago’s Midway Airport. She and her son Isaiah were visiting from Kansas City. Monday was pretty quiet once we got back home, but we went to Kalamazoo on Tuesday to visit Bounceland and Chuck E. Cheese. Bounceland is an inside facility full of giant inflatables. Katelyn and Isaiah seemed to like the Sponge Bob inflatable the best. They took turns boxing the barriers inside. We three parents just sat back and watched the kids be creative and have fun.

We adults came to the conclusion that the pizza at Chuck E. Cheese is not that great. Now, I rarely step away from pizza, and I certainly did not step away from this meal. However, the food is secondary to the fun the kids have there.

On Thursday, we went to see The Tale of Desperaux, and then went bowling! I actually broke above the 100-pin mark in the second game. This was the first time in years I had done so, so I really relished that accomplishment. For the most part, I walk away with a 75 and blistered fingers.

We took Becky and Isaiah back on Friday, but not before we stopped at Quaker Steak and Lube
Portage, Indiana. We were hoping to find a McDonald’s so the kids could burn off some energy at the playland, but none were to be found! Since we had stopped at the one in Youngstown, Ohio, back last summer, we knew the food would be good, and the atmosphere would be fun. Check out the concentration on Katelyn's face as she tries to master the motorcycle game. She was a good girl during lunch, so we rewarded her with a chance to show her stuff. She was disappointed that there were no wooden cutouts you can stick your heads through for photographs. Well, maybe they just have them outside during the summer.

After dropping off Becky, we went to Heather’s dad’s and stepmom’s place in Indiana for the weekend to celebrate Christmas with them. We had a lot more genealogy talks, and even visited some cemeteries in the Warsaw area.

buck on 01.07.09 @ 08:26 PM EST [more!] [92 Comments]

The Tale of Despereaux

It’s a good way to start out the new year, go see a movie! Heather, katelyn, and I took two visiting friends from Kansas City to see The Take of Despereaux, a story of a heroic mouse in a world of rats, soup, and sad kings.

It’s a throwback to a more traditional style of animated storytelling. Many contemperary animated films have a lot of action and slapstick comedy, and are very entertaining. If you have never seen movies like Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, or Shark Tale, you really are missing some fun times. However, Despereaux abandons the familiar pop culture references and comic relief commonly used today. The movie reminds me of old-fashioned fairy tale stories, even though the original book came out in 2004.

Man, what a way to make a living. Write a children’s book, make a movie out of it.

buck on 01.01.09 @ 08:07 PM EST [more!]

A Fall Weekend in Michigan

This past weekend was marvelous weather for the beginning of November. We had temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s, and mostly sunny skies on Saturday. We did our usual sleep in, had some coffee, and enjoyed a leisurely morning. It was so nice, we wanted to go out and see the Fall colors before the colors went away.

We headed north on Red Arrow Highway looking for something photogenic. There are many small public places along the way that have beach access. The highway hugs the Lake Michigan coastline. We first stopped at a little park with trees and dunes, and a long march to the beach. Katelyn had a chance to climb some trees and run around a bit, and Heather and I were able to get some good pictures of the beach. It was nice to see Katelyn enjoy herself. Heather really seemed relaxed too.

We also did some random driving around the countryside, and came across a patch of large seedpods. I wish I knew what the plant’s name is.

The big highlight for Katelyn was visiting Jollay Orchard outside of Coloma. This is their time of the year to have a mini-festival for the kids. Face painting, hay rides, petting zoo, an inflatable caterpillar the kids can climb through, a hay pile, and the like. Good family fun on a small scale.

We got out of church on Sunday, and decided to get out again! This time we went south on Red Arrow Highway. However, beyond the places we had visited a couple of weeks ago, we just did not see any place where we could stop off and explore. The area on the highway is a lot more developed than it is north of St. Joseph.

However, once we reached Michigan City, Heather had the idea to visit the lighthouse and pier. The lighthouse is essentially the same as the one here in St. Joseph, but the pier is longer. The temperature was really nice, but very windy. That might have been why the place was mostly deserted, and we had it mostly to ourselves. Katelyn was totally fearless when walking, and I was on paranoia hyperdrive, worried that a wind gust would blow her right in the drink. She loved being out there because she could explore and do something different.

buck on 11.06.08 @ 09:30 PM EST [more!]

Weekend Update

reading: Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

It’s been a long week for us. I’ve had a lingering chest cold that gives me coughs even yet today. Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the fifth week of the cold! Well, at least I do not have a lack of energy, and I do not have wheezing and chest rumbling.

Soccer season is over, and that gave us the opportunity to take a little road trip yesterday and see some of Michigan’s Fall colors. You can see my two Facebook albums here and here.

After church, Katelyn had a birthday party at the movie theatre. While she was watching American Girl, Heather and I watched The Secret Life of Bees. Neither of us really cared for the movie, although well put together and well acted. I’ll not spoil the show for you, but I simply do not care for Civil Rights era movies set in the Southern United States. Although that was not the focus of the movie, it played an important part in the subplots and background.

Katelyn lost one of her front teeth this weekend. It had been wiggling for some days, and she finally pried it out Saturday morning. Check out that gappy smile! She had reached a point of eat/not eat because the tooth was so loose and hurt so much when she chewed on it. It was decision time, and she made the right one.

After a few month layoff, we were finally able to start hosting the regular Thursday Night Bible Study again. I had missed the fellowship and the worship and the discussion. I was really thankful to get back into it again. It’s been something I missed.

My high school’s football team is having its worst football season in history. If they lose in the first round of the playoffs to Mishawaka Marian this next Friday, the varsity team will set a school record for losses in a season. However, my sister tells me that the freshmen team completed an undefeated – and unscored upon – season, so my Vikings are looking good in the future.

My Boilermakers are having a tough time of it themselves this season. They are a listless 2-5 so far, and did not look very good at all against a decent Northwestern team. It could be a long five game stretch if they cannot get something going.

However, there is some good football here locally. St. Joseph is currently 8-0 heading into the last game of the regular season. If they win out, they look like they will have home field advantage through the first three games of the playoffs. What makes this team amazing is they were 12-1 last year after going 0-9 in 2005. Worst to first.

buck on 10.19.08 @ 09:26 PM EST [more!]

The Tragedy Behind the Tragedy

listening to: Chick Corea Elektric Band on YouTube.com
reading: Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub

If you have not already done so, check out my entry from September 15, and watch the YouTube video on the accidental student death at my high school alma mater, Tippecanoe Valley. You don’t have to have any previous knowledge about the high school or the people there to get the gist or subtleties of the story. I do not know the gym teacher myself, the high school and the junior high are about ¼ of a mile apart on the same property, and the track is just like any other high school track.

Now, it is logical to ask yourself a lot of questions about how this happened. How did the student get a hold of the teacher’s bicycle, why would the teacher even need a bicycle, what else was going on at the time, and how would a seemingly innocent boo-boo like a bicycle hitting a person result in death? I asked all of these questions myself.

However, I want you to take a look at the links below and read the viewer comments. I am shocked at just how judgmental and conspiracy-minded some of the people are.

From WNDU.com.

From WSBT.com.

Update from WSBT.com.

Here are some of the conspiracy theories offered as reasons why this accident happened: the student riding the bicycle did it on a dare; lack of supervision in the class; was it more than the bike that killed her; stupid students; why are there bikes at the school for kids to ride; administration negligence and not enforcing bullying rules; this was a bullying incident; the parents in the community are to blame for letting their children be all that.

These were all offered by people who were not at the school at the time, and most people were not even Valley grads. There seemed to be such ignorance of the fact, that one person had confusion on the teacher’s gender.

Wanting to know answers is one thing, but throwing out conspiracy and statements of ignorance does not help anyone. Blamestorming is an American pastime, that’s for sure.

And one more comment about the people writing foolish comments: did you notice the grammar and spelling, or lack thereof? There is a certain “consider the source” factor that plays in as well.

Admittedly, I would not have taken notice of this story if it were not in my own high school. It brings new perspective to the struggles that high schools across the nation have. There have been three recent incidents of loaded weapons just down at South Bend Washington High School. Dylan has brought home stories of kids getting themselves thrown out of school for making bombs. It’s prevalent, but easy to ignore.

buck on 10.01.08 @ 09:39 PM EST [more!] [151 Comments]