April 8, 2008 - Back to Business

So it has been a few days since I have posted. I guess I needed the time to recuperate from the North Carolina sports disaster that was Saturday. I went from following three sports to just one in a matter of a few hours. First, the Washington Capitals beat the Florida Panthers securing the final playoff spot in the east and eliminating the Carolina Hurricanes in the process. Well, it is actually the third spot since the Capitals won the southeast division. Hockey - done. Then UNC Tar Heels get their @ss handed to them by the Kansas Jayhawks in their Final Four match up. College basketball - done.

But at least I still have baseball. Ahh, baseball. How relaxing. A sport you can truly fall asleep to. Perfect for the long days I have off in the summer. And how about those Mets? Last place already. Great. If it weren't for fantasy baseball, I guess I wouldn't really care about baseball yet.

Yesterday, was my birthday. I turned 37 yesterday, but I don't feel any older than I did last week. In fact, in my mind I still think I am in my early twenties, but my body will, from time to time, remind me that I am not doing enough to keep it feeling as young. I did work on my birthday. It was a teacher workday. This is a day without students where teachers get the chance to catch up or get ahead in their plans or grading. Fortunately I was able to use it for some of both. Since the marking quarter ended with the beginning of spring break, I had one set of papers to grade and enter into the grade program at school. So, even though I officially worked yesterday, any day without the students doesn't feel like work. Last night we went to dinner at Biaggi's. For desert I had the cannolis - two sweet ricotta cream filled shells - my favorite. But what was even better, the waiter saw that one of the cannolis was not filled completely, so he brought a third. Bonus! Happy Birthday to me!

School is back in after Spring Break. The students seemed rested, and apparently, I am as well. I was at work this morning before 6:30 (I don't officially have to be at work until 6:55). I got a few last minute things done before class began. And when it did begin, I was ready! My energy level was high and my lesson plan was working. I had a good day. It is always a good day when I mix up the activities we do in class. Today the students in World History, for example, began with seat work (locating map items) followed by researching people of the Scientific Revolution, then on to discussion about those people, and finally a crossword puzzle to end the period. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

October 7, 2007

George, Jeff, and Pete

Keenan Stadium

Friday night was cool. Michelle and I sat in section 304, the same as Melinda. We assumed she was there, but we didn't find her until the second intermission. Evan, on the other hand, got to sit in the Lexus, Champions Club section with Dan, Wendy, and Aidan. Michelle and I were allowed up there at first, before the game. But we obviously were not allowed to sit in this luxury section without the correct tickets. From what I saw, it was definitely a luxury seating. There was a full bar, at least two restaurants, wait service at your seats for the game, extra wide, padded seats. Definitely a good time. We were able to see them from our seats and we enjoyed watching Evan dance and cheer and hold up his "Let's Go 'Canes" sign with Aidan. What made it even better was that Carolina won 4-1 over Pittsburgh. We sat next to a real cool Penguins fan who was a very good fan of the game. He was not a fan who was obnoxious or would bad mouth the opposing team, but instead was a good fan of the game. He made the game enjoyable as I had two people to talk hockey with.

Carolina was up BIG at the end of the first half on Saturday, but held on to win by 6. It was a good game, and most of us didn't expect to win at all. It was fun. We had a good time even though the seating was not at all luxury. The aluminum bleacher seating at outdoor stadiums makes for interesting arrangements. George was able to get 4 tickets from a partner at work so he offered me a seat and if there was anyone else I could think of to join. I offered one to Pete and one to Jeff. We all felt a bit cramped even though there were like 3 empty seats next to me. See, I was in seat 17, the man next to me was sitting in several seats, that is to say, I didn't know which seat was his, but he was one person using 4 seats. By the end of the 1st quarter he proceeds to tell me, "I don't mind, but I do have these four seats and you keep edging more and more." I was thinking, "What the hell do you need all that space for, you are one person and we are four grown adults." But instead, I apologized and I did my best to represent the season ticket holders whose seats we inherited for the day. I continued to try and be mindful of how far into his seats I was "edging." Despite that, and the walk to and from the car, (I always forget how vast the UNC campus is, even though we were parked "near" the stadium) and the traffic leaving the game, we had a good time. Again, it was made easier by a win for our team!

Today Evan had his second soccer game of the weekend. He keeps getting better and better. What he really needs to work on is his reaction time because he is getting better with getting the ball when he has a chance to get to it. I am also certain that he will score before the season is over. He asking to go in on offense. He seems to be getting more comfortable on the front line and keeps getting more opportunities because he is increasingly finding himself in the right place. I am encouraged by his progress and I am proud of him!

A bit of "drama" at this end. Evan now has his top two front teeth loose. He is afraid to lose his teeth. He will cry over the fact that he doesn't want them to come out and he bleed. On top of that, his scheduled dentist appointment is tomorrow. If I remember correctly (which is not for certain) didn't Evan have a dentist appointment just before or after he lost his previous teeth?