I am a white father to a black son.
This means we get a little more attention than the typical parent-child attention. It's also an objective and verifiable fact that our son is charming, smart and handsome.
Typically, it seems like white males love little H most of all. He's a boy's boy and likes sticks, big trucks, loud noises, buttons. It's like men sense this in him! H often reciprocates their attention with smiles and laughs.
This got me wondering though.....
When will my son stop being "cute" and start being seen as "dangerous"?
What will I say when someone doesn't want him to date their daughter?
Instead of making people stop in their tracks with his smile, when will some walk a little faster when he comes closer to them.
How will I explain that he will be pulled over for being black?
What will I tell him to do when he is followed in a department store?
My son is almost 2 years old so these questions seem far away and foreign but I know they are coming. Luckily, I have some time to prepare.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
State of Mind
Sometimes I feel worn out. The kids are in bed. The dishes aren't done but I am.
I don't mean just physically but mentally and spiritually. Lately, my spiritual life feels like I am running in place in one of those huge hamster wheels.
My actions show that I feel like God doesn't mind if I miss a prayer (or two or three or four). I feel disconnected from it all. This life has ups and downs and all arounds, and right now I'm in one of those ruts.
Frequently, I find my mind wandering to the future, never satisfying with what's right in front of me. Too busy to just be. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that because I am "in the moment" for most of my life. This is true for sometimes in moments with my children I am almost brought to tears of joy or beauty. When I am alone though, my mind betrays me.
The truth is, the future isn't better. The future might not exist at all. Now is better than the past and the future. It's all we have. The plans I make are just preparation. They should not be a substitute for living. If you are familiar with the Buddhist concept of mindfulness you know I just cribbed all that from my little bucket of Buddhist knowledge.
God, help me to see what's right in front of me.
I wanted to litter this little post with quotes from the Buddha and scripture and add a cute picture or two but it would just be for my pride's sake and plus, it's getting late.
Being mindful will help me be open to being closer to who God wants me to be. When I do pray, here's what I pray for.
Faith
Patience
Love of others especially my enemies
For the poor and helpless
To help those in need
Those in conflict areas of the world
For the scared and sick
To be a servant of others
All these characteristics to be in myself and family
To be where God wants us to be.
I don't mean just physically but mentally and spiritually. Lately, my spiritual life feels like I am running in place in one of those huge hamster wheels.
My actions show that I feel like God doesn't mind if I miss a prayer (or two or three or four). I feel disconnected from it all. This life has ups and downs and all arounds, and right now I'm in one of those ruts.
Frequently, I find my mind wandering to the future, never satisfying with what's right in front of me. Too busy to just be. Many people would be surprised to hear me say that because I am "in the moment" for most of my life. This is true for sometimes in moments with my children I am almost brought to tears of joy or beauty. When I am alone though, my mind betrays me.
The truth is, the future isn't better. The future might not exist at all. Now is better than the past and the future. It's all we have. The plans I make are just preparation. They should not be a substitute for living. If you are familiar with the Buddhist concept of mindfulness you know I just cribbed all that from my little bucket of Buddhist knowledge.
God, help me to see what's right in front of me.
I wanted to litter this little post with quotes from the Buddha and scripture and add a cute picture or two but it would just be for my pride's sake and plus, it's getting late.
Being mindful will help me be open to being closer to who God wants me to be. When I do pray, here's what I pray for.
Faith
Patience
Love of others especially my enemies
For the poor and helpless
To help those in need
Those in conflict areas of the world
For the scared and sick
To be a servant of others
All these characteristics to be in myself and family
To be where God wants us to be.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Sick Fragments and a Happy New Year!!!
2014 was off with a bang I spent the night violently vomiting and having diarrhea.
Because you are dying to know, here is the list of the most sick I have ever been:
1. 2004 - China - too disgusting for words, painful, seemingly never-ending and I cried while on the toilet, "I just want to go home."
2. 2002 - San Antonio - All thanks to a McDonald's near Baton Rouge earlier that morning. Painful food poisoning. Laid on bathroom floor pondering how death could be a good thing if this continued indefinitely. Thankful I didn't get sick until I was home.
3. 2013 - Last night.
4. 1992(?) - San Antonio - explosive diarrhea at the mall, as I was buying the a Sega Genesis (repeated later after a uncomfortable trip home).
O HAPPY DAY.
Well, I have decided that I am going to take a shot at being an children's book author after all. Tentatively, I will begin my work in earnest after the Study Abroad this summer. It will most likely result in failure, but now that I have accepted that fact, I'm okay with it. The goal is the book, not success. Reminds me of this moment:
I was happy to note I surpassed my blog totals from last year, ever so slightly. Sadly, it made me feel like I accomplished something. I don't know how people blog often. I have lots of opinions but it's exhausting just to come up with ideas.
Keeping busy with the holidays, our annual X-Mas party, being sick. This FridayI have a date out with the Mrs. with two kiddo's spending the night at grandparent's (little one's not ready - or is it us?). Should be fun. Also, I am totally sucked into watching Star Trek: Voyager -- almost done with the second season. Not saying it's better than TNG but comparing the first two seasons, Voyager is more consistent in terms of quality. That first TNG season is a slog and has some duds.
I dunno maybe it's my stomach bug talking and I'm crazy.
In other news, I am taking a break from facebook. I read someone's stupid post about a diet or about how we have food allergies because, in the past, ."..people TRUSTED THEIR BODIES to heal on its own more than we did." No, they didn't. They couldn't afford to see a doctor or they had no medicine to treat their aliment. Idiocy. Last year I took a month break, I think I am due for one now.
Sometime last year, via my wife from my friend's wife, I found out my friend does not vaccinate his children. It took everything in my power not to say something to him about it. I knew it would be like talking to a conspiracy theorist - there would never been enough evidence to convince him otherwise. If you're in that boat - knowing you can never change your mind then you're brainwashed or you're dangerously arrogant.
We were at the mall the other day and I saw a sign for "Two Shirts for $139.00". I had one of those moments where I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or a visitor from another planet trying to understand an alien culture. What is wrong with the world?
That's it, kiddos.
To all of my 1.5 readers (no, not counting myself) - have a safe, happy and silly new year!!!
 |
| Not so good, Al, not so good. |
1. 2004 - China - too disgusting for words, painful, seemingly never-ending and I cried while on the toilet, "I just want to go home."
2. 2002 - San Antonio - All thanks to a McDonald's near Baton Rouge earlier that morning. Painful food poisoning. Laid on bathroom floor pondering how death could be a good thing if this continued indefinitely. Thankful I didn't get sick until I was home.
3. 2013 - Last night.
4. 1992(?) - San Antonio - explosive diarrhea at the mall, as I was buying the a Sega Genesis (repeated later after a uncomfortable trip home).
O HAPPY DAY.
Well, I have decided that I am going to take a shot at being an children's book author after all. Tentatively, I will begin my work in earnest after the Study Abroad this summer. It will most likely result in failure, but now that I have accepted that fact, I'm okay with it. The goal is the book, not success. Reminds me of this moment:
 |
| What a great line and movie. One of my childhood favorites. In the early 90's you could always just flip around the channels on Saturday afternoon and find either The Last Starfighter, Enemy Mine, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Roadhouse on TV. Either that or a Matlock re-run. |
Keeping busy with the holidays, our annual X-Mas party, being sick. This FridayI have a date out with the Mrs. with two kiddo's spending the night at grandparent's (little one's not ready - or is it us?). Should be fun. Also, I am totally sucked into watching Star Trek: Voyager -- almost done with the second season. Not saying it's better than TNG but comparing the first two seasons, Voyager is more consistent in terms of quality. That first TNG season is a slog and has some duds.
I dunno maybe it's my stomach bug talking and I'm crazy.
Does this need a caption other than AWE INSPIRING?
In other news, I am taking a break from facebook. I read someone's stupid post about a diet or about how we have food allergies because, in the past, ."..people TRUSTED THEIR BODIES to heal on its own more than we did." No, they didn't. They couldn't afford to see a doctor or they had no medicine to treat their aliment. Idiocy. Last year I took a month break, I think I am due for one now.
Sometime last year, via my wife from my friend's wife, I found out my friend does not vaccinate his children. It took everything in my power not to say something to him about it. I knew it would be like talking to a conspiracy theorist - there would never been enough evidence to convince him otherwise. If you're in that boat - knowing you can never change your mind then you're brainwashed or you're dangerously arrogant.
We were at the mall the other day and I saw a sign for "Two Shirts for $139.00". I had one of those moments where I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone or a visitor from another planet trying to understand an alien culture. What is wrong with the world?
That's it, kiddos.
To all of my 1.5 readers (no, not counting myself) - have a safe, happy and silly new year!!!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Vacation Fragments
I'm on vacation now for about a month.
CUE HAPPINESS
Got my no shave-almost-kinda-beard going for about a week now. I don't know how long that will last.
In theory this should mean I have time to post more on the blog but it won't really matter. I will be lucky to get done with 2-3 more posts before 2014 hits.
My office is so cold at work (so cold I am forced to occasionally use a little space heater in the summer time). I brought the littler heater home on the break so I could warm my feet up as I work on the kids' project at night in the kitchen. The kitchen floor at night is like an ice-rink. Today, it came upon me that the heater made me realize how cold I pretty much always am and have always been. All this is to say I feel like an Old Lady all day long. FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
Goals this Winter Break:
Finish Girl's Project (for Xmas)
Research Peru trip (fill in the details for Sacred Valley free day, and Puno activities)
Think about revamping my intro class
Oil Change
Hair cut
3-6 Blog posts
Before the lame "War on Christmas" started I used to say "Merry Christmas" - now I only say "Happy Holidays" to strangers. TAKE THAT FOX NEWS.
In the spirit of the season, MINI PIC DUMP
CUE HAPPINESS
Got my no shave-almost-kinda-beard going for about a week now. I don't know how long that will last.
In theory this should mean I have time to post more on the blog but it won't really matter. I will be lucky to get done with 2-3 more posts before 2014 hits.
My office is so cold at work (so cold I am forced to occasionally use a little space heater in the summer time). I brought the littler heater home on the break so I could warm my feet up as I work on the kids' project at night in the kitchen. The kitchen floor at night is like an ice-rink. Today, it came upon me that the heater made me realize how cold I pretty much always am and have always been. All this is to say I feel like an Old Lady all day long. FIRST WORLD PROBLEMS.
Goals this Winter Break:
Finish Girl's Project (for Xmas)
Research Peru trip (fill in the details for Sacred Valley free day, and Puno activities)
Think about revamping my intro class
Oil Change
Hair cut
3-6 Blog posts
Before the lame "War on Christmas" started I used to say "Merry Christmas" - now I only say "Happy Holidays" to strangers. TAKE THAT FOX NEWS.
In the spirit of the season, MINI PIC DUMP
 |
| Well, then that just about settles it. It's hell for me. |
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Sikh Center Fragments
I visited our local Sikh gurdwara (called a "Sikh Center") here in town about a month ago.
Here are the fragments:
I had called about two weeks prior to inquire about the best worship time to come to. It was an awkward phone call but I didn't let it dissuade me from coming. Most Sikhs I have met have all been friendly folks.
Besides, I was looking to expand my checklist.
Here are the significant religious places/events I have experienced in life thus far:
We arrived inside the lobby and took our shoes off. There was chanting going on in what seemed like the large open room right in front of us. I led us inside to find....just a women sitting on the floor alone. I realized we were listening to a speaker we had entered the "langar" the common area around the kitchen for eating after the service.
I approached the woman and found out her name was Regina and she wasn't a Sikh at all - but married to a Sikh that had immigrated here to the states from India. She came to the gurdwara every Sunday with her family (including her in-laws). She told us it was best if we covered our heads while inside the gurdwara as a sign of respect. I felt a little stupid for not knowing that ahead of time, but ya know, it all worked out. She led us to a drawer full of head coverings for men and scarfs for women. I chose a blue one and felt like a pirate. Turns out blue and orange are preferred colors for Sikhs.
She invited us to grab a bite to eat (some corn-bread-like stuffing cake stuff and some other Indian goodies). We were waiting for the 11:00 service to start but it was already 11:00 and about 20 people came out of the worship area into the room we were in. More people started filing in, old people, women with their beautiful saris and groups of kids, running around being kids.
It surprised me when I saw that about a third of the men didn't have a turban or beard.
I had previously thought all Sikh men had to have beards. I knew all about the 5 K's (look it up, I'm too lazy to type it out for you). It turns out a Sikh male is only required to follow the 5 K's (which includes not cutting hair and keeping your facial hair) only after baptism. Baptism is a choice and only when the believer is ready. So, there were some men even in their late 50's at the gurdwara that had not been baptized.
A little after 11:00 AM rolled around, we strolled into the worship hall, which was divided by gender. It is similar to a mosque in that everyone sat on the floor. However, at the front of the room was a short stage where three musicians chanted and sung. More importantly, at the center was a stage like area where the scared book of Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib was presented. The entire service an older Sikh would wave a feather over the book (ya know, to keep it cool).
The only other male student in my group and I went straight to the back where most believers were seated at. At this point, they were all older men over the age of 65. We found a spot against the wall, as that's what most of the early-birds were doing - getting the early bird seating. So, old people are all the same, no matter the culture. Indeed, it was the most comfortable spot and that's a good thing because we were sitting there for over two hours.
The first 30 minutes was just one long song. Like one of those praise-and-worship songs that just goes on and on and on. Making it more difficult was the fact that I had no idea what was being sung.
Turns out the mind wanders when the entire service is in Punjabi.
I noticed a young couple that sat in the back together on the female side, breaking the division of gender in the room. No one seemed to mind but it seemed audacious to me all the same. I was like, yeah, man, I would be that Rebel Sikh guy, too. Fight the POWER. He was a baptized believer and his girlfriend/wife/partner was Anglo. I was going to talk with them later but felt a little too eager to talk with them and then it made me feel silly and maybe even a little racist as I felt like talking to them only because he had a Anglo girlfriend/wife/partner. So, I was lame and didn't.
One of the musicians spoke for a few minutes and then another long half hour song began. Some parishioners seemed to quietly sing along, but the music was so loud I couldn't tell how many were singing along.
Finally, there was a sermon. I was left guessing what was being said. Mostly, to my foreign ears it sounded like rhetorical question after rhetorical question, with the accompanying pauses and the occasional eye-brow raising. He seemed like a seasoned pro - even watching him was a little entertaining. He got a few pleasant but authentic guffaws from his congregation from time to time.
Later, it was explained to us that the sermon was about loving God and all of God's creations, including our fellow man. To love others is to express one's love in God and for God. A pretty nice thought.
After the sermon, you guessed it, another SONG (which thankfully only ran for 15-20 minutes). This final song was followed by a prayer in which we all stood up. Standing up felt great after being on the ground for about 2 hours. The prayer was issued and I prayed myself, hoping God was listening to the Sikhs around me. As you may or may not know, I am not one of those strict, mean old Christians but this got me thinking about the nature of God, prayer, the purpose of prayer and the importance of prayer on the believer.
Finally, after the prayer, a part of the service happened that was in English! Three children read from short essays they wrote about their "camp" experienced from a youth event they recently attended. Good introductory Sikh stories that I actually already knew. We were formally welcomed and our names were read out loud and we stood up as they called our name. Then another prayer was said and sweet bread was passed around to all. It felt a little like communion.
The congregation was dismissed but a group of young Sikhs were quickly around us to welcome us and answer any questions we had. They were pretty cool and they helped answer the question I had about facial hair. I was also encouraged to hear that they hadn't really experienced any direct or explicit discrimination here in town. I was pleased to hear that a group of Christians came by after the terrible shooting in Wisconsin to offer their support. I wished I had thought about doing that too.
It was then time to eat, while we were having our questions answered the congregation filed into the langar (or what Christians might call the "fellowship hall") for lunch. The Sikh tradition includes lunch after service for all. Everyone sat on the ground and servers came around with buckets of food.
It was Indian vegetarian fare. Not bad. Lentils were very good, the other stuff was okay. However, when you get free food, everything tastes a little better. The students that stuck around for lunch were (honestly) a little boring. I ended up walking over to Regina and talking with her and it got very interesting as she considers herself a Christian but still attends here every Sunday. She talked about feeling the Holy Spirit among the believers and wondered if I thought it could be possible. I couldn't complete my thought as her in-laws came by, as did her husband. It seemed like this conversation was for more Christian "insiders" than the whole fam from the look on Regina's face. After a short conversation it seemed like it was "time to go" (and much of the congregation was making for the exits). I hope to meet her again next semester, but my answer is yes, I think it's possible.
It was an interesting experience I was happy to participate in. For me, I love "hands on" experiences with other religions and cultures. I look forward to another visit in the coming months.
Here are the fragments:
I had called about two weeks prior to inquire about the best worship time to come to. It was an awkward phone call but I didn't let it dissuade me from coming. Most Sikhs I have met have all been friendly folks.
Besides, I was looking to expand my checklist.
Here are the significant religious places/events I have experienced in life thus far:
- Buddhist Monastery - Chanting Service & Meal (Monks were from Thailand)
- Buddhist Meditation Center - Meditation Open House (a Shambala Center)
- Hindu Temple (
- Mosque (Islam, for those that don't know, Sunni for those scoring at home)
- Eid al-Fitr Celebration Dinner (End of Islamic Ramadan - Turkish Cultural Center)
- Reformed Synagogue (however, I was not there for a worship service)
 | |
| This is the Khanda, the symbol of Sikhism. I think it's pretty obvious that Sikhism has the best symbol out of all the religions. It looks like something off of Star Wars. (Runner-up: Yin-Yang) |
We arrived inside the lobby and took our shoes off. There was chanting going on in what seemed like the large open room right in front of us. I led us inside to find....just a women sitting on the floor alone. I realized we were listening to a speaker we had entered the "langar" the common area around the kitchen for eating after the service.
I approached the woman and found out her name was Regina and she wasn't a Sikh at all - but married to a Sikh that had immigrated here to the states from India. She came to the gurdwara every Sunday with her family (including her in-laws). She told us it was best if we covered our heads while inside the gurdwara as a sign of respect. I felt a little stupid for not knowing that ahead of time, but ya know, it all worked out. She led us to a drawer full of head coverings for men and scarfs for women. I chose a blue one and felt like a pirate. Turns out blue and orange are preferred colors for Sikhs.
She invited us to grab a bite to eat (some corn-bread-like stuffing cake stuff and some other Indian goodies). We were waiting for the 11:00 service to start but it was already 11:00 and about 20 people came out of the worship area into the room we were in. More people started filing in, old people, women with their beautiful saris and groups of kids, running around being kids.
It surprised me when I saw that about a third of the men didn't have a turban or beard.
 |
| Love the sense of humor of this t-shirt. I would wear it if I was from India, South Asia or the Middle East. |
I had previously thought all Sikh men had to have beards. I knew all about the 5 K's (look it up, I'm too lazy to type it out for you). It turns out a Sikh male is only required to follow the 5 K's (which includes not cutting hair and keeping your facial hair) only after baptism. Baptism is a choice and only when the believer is ready. So, there were some men even in their late 50's at the gurdwara that had not been baptized.
A little after 11:00 AM rolled around, we strolled into the worship hall, which was divided by gender. It is similar to a mosque in that everyone sat on the floor. However, at the front of the room was a short stage where three musicians chanted and sung. More importantly, at the center was a stage like area where the scared book of Sikhism the Guru Granth Sahib was presented. The entire service an older Sikh would wave a feather over the book (ya know, to keep it cool).
 |
| Yeah, like this, except imagine the dude fanning the book with a feather (of course, it's hot under all those blankets). Also, this is (obviously?) not my photo. I don't have the gall to take photos of people when they are in their sacred areas. It just feels wrong and awkward. And I usually I feel awkward enough as it is. |
The only other male student in my group and I went straight to the back where most believers were seated at. At this point, they were all older men over the age of 65. We found a spot against the wall, as that's what most of the early-birds were doing - getting the early bird seating. So, old people are all the same, no matter the culture. Indeed, it was the most comfortable spot and that's a good thing because we were sitting there for over two hours.
The first 30 minutes was just one long song. Like one of those praise-and-worship songs that just goes on and on and on. Making it more difficult was the fact that I had no idea what was being sung.
Turns out the mind wanders when the entire service is in Punjabi.
I noticed a young couple that sat in the back together on the female side, breaking the division of gender in the room. No one seemed to mind but it seemed audacious to me all the same. I was like, yeah, man, I would be that Rebel Sikh guy, too. Fight the POWER. He was a baptized believer and his girlfriend/wife/partner was Anglo. I was going to talk with them later but felt a little too eager to talk with them and then it made me feel silly and maybe even a little racist as I felt like talking to them only because he had a Anglo girlfriend/wife/partner. So, I was lame and didn't.
One of the musicians spoke for a few minutes and then another long half hour song began. Some parishioners seemed to quietly sing along, but the music was so loud I couldn't tell how many were singing along.
Finally, there was a sermon. I was left guessing what was being said. Mostly, to my foreign ears it sounded like rhetorical question after rhetorical question, with the accompanying pauses and the occasional eye-brow raising. He seemed like a seasoned pro - even watching him was a little entertaining. He got a few pleasant but authentic guffaws from his congregation from time to time.
 |
| So, the Sikh Center here in town is in a non-descript building but this the Golden Temple in Punjab. Why am I posting a picture of it? Because I can't do a whole post on Sikhism and not show a picture of this amazing building. It would be a internet sin. This is definitely on my bucket list. It's also close to Dharamsala as well, which would be cool to check out. AHH - I gotta get to India-Nepal sometime in the next decade somehow. |
Later, it was explained to us that the sermon was about loving God and all of God's creations, including our fellow man. To love others is to express one's love in God and for God. A pretty nice thought.
After the sermon, you guessed it, another SONG (which thankfully only ran for 15-20 minutes). This final song was followed by a prayer in which we all stood up. Standing up felt great after being on the ground for about 2 hours. The prayer was issued and I prayed myself, hoping God was listening to the Sikhs around me. As you may or may not know, I am not one of those strict, mean old Christians but this got me thinking about the nature of God, prayer, the purpose of prayer and the importance of prayer on the believer.
Finally, after the prayer, a part of the service happened that was in English! Three children read from short essays they wrote about their "camp" experienced from a youth event they recently attended. Good introductory Sikh stories that I actually already knew. We were formally welcomed and our names were read out loud and we stood up as they called our name. Then another prayer was said and sweet bread was passed around to all. It felt a little like communion.
The congregation was dismissed but a group of young Sikhs were quickly around us to welcome us and answer any questions we had. They were pretty cool and they helped answer the question I had about facial hair. I was also encouraged to hear that they hadn't really experienced any direct or explicit discrimination here in town. I was pleased to hear that a group of Christians came by after the terrible shooting in Wisconsin to offer their support. I wished I had thought about doing that too.
It was then time to eat, while we were having our questions answered the congregation filed into the langar (or what Christians might call the "fellowship hall") for lunch. The Sikh tradition includes lunch after service for all. Everyone sat on the ground and servers came around with buckets of food.
 |
| Okay, this is from a gurdwara in Dubai but yeah, it looked like this. The only thing kinda weird was the bare feet so close to your plate. That sounds more gross than it was, it didn't bother me. |
It was Indian vegetarian fare. Not bad. Lentils were very good, the other stuff was okay. However, when you get free food, everything tastes a little better. The students that stuck around for lunch were (honestly) a little boring. I ended up walking over to Regina and talking with her and it got very interesting as she considers herself a Christian but still attends here every Sunday. She talked about feeling the Holy Spirit among the believers and wondered if I thought it could be possible. I couldn't complete my thought as her in-laws came by, as did her husband. It seemed like this conversation was for more Christian "insiders" than the whole fam from the look on Regina's face. After a short conversation it seemed like it was "time to go" (and much of the congregation was making for the exits). I hope to meet her again next semester, but my answer is yes, I think it's possible.
It was an interesting experience I was happy to participate in. For me, I love "hands on" experiences with other religions and cultures. I look forward to another visit in the coming months.
Quote of the Day: Coates on Human Complication
"If you begin from the premise that all humans are complicated then there really is no dissonance to be had. Dissonance is what we are."
-
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Thursday, December 5, 2013
Fragments, Ya Know?
I asked my little E today (age 5) what her favorite boogers were, "Crusters" or "Snotters"? These categories should be easy enough for you to figure out. She thought for a second and said, "Bloody". I howled while laughing.
For the record, Crusters is the correct answer (in case you were afraid to ask).
Another cute story that I don't think I have told on the blog. This was from a few years back when our oldest, C was in kinder. "Military Appreciation Day" or some other militaristic propaganda day was approaching and the students were encouraged to dress in "Camo" that Friday. We're not really a "Camo" family, so I told my daughter that she would not be able to participate. She told me without skipping a beat, "Well, I'll just wear a white shirt Dad." "Why's that C?" "Because the walls are white". Just another reminder that we had smart one on our hands.
C won a character award at school a few months back and we "won" discounted Spurs tickets. We did this last year, so we made it a date again this year. We had a ton of fun and this year we had a great game (last year we attended the Spurs' blowout of the 76ers). Timmy was apparently feeling good and had his best game of the year thus far, scoring over 20 and pulling down 21 boards -- the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat. It was pretty sweet to see Timmy maybe for the last time personally perform at such a high level. Then to top it off, with the score tied at 100 and 4.7 seconds left on the clock, he knocked down the winning shot, leaving .4 on the clock for the Hawks to work with (of course they didn't score)
So, this is the internet....here's the video for the kids who missed the highlights:
Crazily, I have attended well over 30-40 Spurs games in my life and this is the first Spurs "buzzer beater" we made "for the good guys".
I attended this little gem of a game when we were on the opposite end of the buzzer:
Of course we ended up winning the title that year (that was Game 1 of the 2003 playoffs). So, watching it now is no problem. At the time, it drove me a little batty (double batty for being off a missed free throw).
SIDENOTE: Courtesy of my friend, Phil (hi, Phil!!), I enjoyed a great seat, so I was in the background of a huge picture in the paper the next day. MY 2 SECONDS OF FAME.
ADDITIONAL BITTER SIDENOTE OF ANGER: it occurs to me that if TD made 80% of his free throws in the playoffs for his career, it's likely we have at least one more title. Hell, if the team averaged 76% (we had some terrible FT shooting teams back in the day), it would have made the difference, as well. The last two years, we have been fine and TD has been better.
Just bought and finished my first comic purchase (the Infinity Gauntlet limited series from 91) on the Kindle. It was a new experience but overall I enjoyed it. On the positive note it really stopped me from reading or sneaking a peek ahead. Whenever I buy old comics, I usually thumb through it first, just as a habit. With the Kindle, I found myself reading the comic panel by panel (you can do pages but the text is just a teensy too small for my taste and comfort level). This made the story much more dramatic and surprising from a typical read. Usually, there is good drama or surprises in a comic but if that plot point is on same page you end up spoiling for yourself because you can't not force your eyes over on the remaining panels on a page or the facing page. Also, it was nice I could read at night in bed with the lights off. On the downside, I love reading old comic books with ads and the "Bullpen Bulletins" (I am a Marvel guy). I love the smell of old books. I'm weird that way.
I really wanted to see 12 Years A Slave. Ya know, I am fascinated by race and slavery and I have MA in history so it's kinda "my bag". But...I haven't gotten around to it and now the 2nd Hobbit is coming out. Yikes. Hate to say it, but Hobbit is more of a "movie experience" plus, I have a few friends in town who are pumped about it.
I am a LAZY MAN. I have my Sikh Center blog post almost done just wanted to remember my booger story and Spurs memory with this post.
Until the next time, peace, love and waffles!
For the record, Crusters is the correct answer (in case you were afraid to ask).
Another cute story that I don't think I have told on the blog. This was from a few years back when our oldest, C was in kinder. "Military Appreciation Day" or some other militaristic propaganda day was approaching and the students were encouraged to dress in "Camo" that Friday. We're not really a "Camo" family, so I told my daughter that she would not be able to participate. She told me without skipping a beat, "Well, I'll just wear a white shirt Dad." "Why's that C?" "Because the walls are white". Just another reminder that we had smart one on our hands.
C won a character award at school a few months back and we "won" discounted Spurs tickets. We did this last year, so we made it a date again this year. We had a ton of fun and this year we had a great game (last year we attended the Spurs' blowout of the 76ers). Timmy was apparently feeling good and had his best game of the year thus far, scoring over 20 and pulling down 21 boards -- the oldest player in NBA history to accomplish that feat. It was pretty sweet to see Timmy maybe for the last time personally perform at such a high level. Then to top it off, with the score tied at 100 and 4.7 seconds left on the clock, he knocked down the winning shot, leaving .4 on the clock for the Hawks to work with (of course they didn't score)
 |
| And the crowd went wild including my kid and I. I had all those classic dad moments of explaining the game to her. I hope the experience made for some good memories for C! |
Crazily, I have attended well over 30-40 Spurs games in my life and this is the first Spurs "buzzer beater" we made "for the good guys".
I attended this little gem of a game when we were on the opposite end of the buzzer:
Of course we ended up winning the title that year (that was Game 1 of the 2003 playoffs). So, watching it now is no problem. At the time, it drove me a little batty (double batty for being off a missed free throw).
SIDENOTE: Courtesy of my friend, Phil (hi, Phil!!), I enjoyed a great seat, so I was in the background of a huge picture in the paper the next day. MY 2 SECONDS OF FAME.
ADDITIONAL BITTER SIDENOTE OF ANGER: it occurs to me that if TD made 80% of his free throws in the playoffs for his career, it's likely we have at least one more title. Hell, if the team averaged 76% (we had some terrible FT shooting teams back in the day), it would have made the difference, as well. The last two years, we have been fine and TD has been better.
Just bought and finished my first comic purchase (the Infinity Gauntlet limited series from 91) on the Kindle. It was a new experience but overall I enjoyed it. On the positive note it really stopped me from reading or sneaking a peek ahead. Whenever I buy old comics, I usually thumb through it first, just as a habit. With the Kindle, I found myself reading the comic panel by panel (you can do pages but the text is just a teensy too small for my taste and comfort level). This made the story much more dramatic and surprising from a typical read. Usually, there is good drama or surprises in a comic but if that plot point is on same page you end up spoiling for yourself because you can't not force your eyes over on the remaining panels on a page or the facing page. Also, it was nice I could read at night in bed with the lights off. On the downside, I love reading old comic books with ads and the "Bullpen Bulletins" (I am a Marvel guy). I love the smell of old books. I'm weird that way.
I really wanted to see 12 Years A Slave. Ya know, I am fascinated by race and slavery and I have MA in history so it's kinda "my bag". But...I haven't gotten around to it and now the 2nd Hobbit is coming out. Yikes. Hate to say it, but Hobbit is more of a "movie experience" plus, I have a few friends in town who are pumped about it.
I am a LAZY MAN. I have my Sikh Center blog post almost done just wanted to remember my booger story and Spurs memory with this post.
Until the next time, peace, love and waffles!
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