This afternoon, I spent a couple of hours raking leaves and mowing the lawn. Generally speaking, I don't mind mowing the lawn and shoveling snow, but I find leaf-raking to be quite unpleasant. I'm not exactly sure why - maybe it's the association with the upcoming winter season. (At least with snow you sometimes get a day off from school or work). There are still a lot of leaves up in the trees, so to some extent the work today would be in vain. But tomorrow my town starts their collection of the leaf bags, so I figured I should get going.
So after lunch, I headed outside. I planned to make the chore more enjoyable by listening to some music on my iPod. Nothing gets me pumped for physical work like rocking out to Barry Manilow. However, a few minutes later, my 7-year-old daughter came out to help me rake the leaves. I appreciated her enthusiasm and willingness, but I had my doubts as to how much help she would be (not to mention that I would not be able to listen to my iPod).
After we (I) had raked a few piles, it was time to put the leaves into the large brown bags that the township provides. Then a funny thing happened. Instead of picking up a big handful of leaves each time, Amy would pick up a single leaf and admire it. She would show it to me and make some comments about its color, shape, etc. At first, I would just say a quick word of agreement followed by encouragement to pick up more leaves. But soon I found myself noticing some individual leaves. I even found one that Amy and I agreed was the biggest leaf ever!
In spite of some leaf-observing breaks, we managed to get the job done before it got dark. Since there are still many leaves in the trees, I know that upcoming weekends will contain more leaf raking and watching. I want to thank my daughter for giving me a fresh perspective on what has previously been a tedious chore.
This morning at Church, the preacher spoke about thankfulness. After Jesus healed ten lepers, only one came back to thank Him. I realized that I take many things for granted. It's even possible to be thankful for a lawn full of dead leaves. Not only did this provide me with some exercise and time with my daughter, leaves remind me of the beauty and uniqueness that can be found in all areas of God's creation. I just needed to see them through a child's eyes.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Talkin' Baseball
Baseball's regular season ended today. Thirty teams have battled daily since early April, and now eight teams are still standing in the quest for a World Series championship. I will make my annual predictions in a moment, but first we should review how I did in my preseason predictions. You can check out the full story from my post in April; I was correct on 4 out of 8 playoff teams (Yankees, Rays, Twins and Phillies). My original World Series prediction had the Yankees beating the Rockies; I can still be half right about that :-)
Here are the playoff teams in order that I would like to see them win:
1. Yankees. Can they win back-to-back titles?
2. Giants. They haven't won the World Series since 1954, when they were still playing in New York.
3. Twins. They just seem very likable. This is their first year back in an open air stadium - could there be snow at the Fall Classic?
4. Rangers. For the past couple of months I've had a feeling that the Rangers could be tough in the playoffs.
5. Reds. I don't think I've seen them play all year, but I've heard good things about them.
6. Rays. I guess I'm supposed to hate the Rays since they're in the same division as the Yankees, but I just can't.
7. Phillies. The Yanks taught them a lesson this time last year.
8. Braves. My dislike for the Braves goes back to the early 1990's. Even though all of those players are gone, I still don't like that team.
The above is my order of preference. Below are my actual predictions, one of which might be surprising. (A disclaimer - I'm often wrong, so don't make wagers based on these):
Division Series
Rangers over Rays in 4
Twins over Yankees in 5 (every Yanks starter except CC makes me nervous lately)
Giants over Braves in 5
Phillies over Reds in 4
League Championships
Rangers over Twins in 7
Phillies over Giants in 5
World Series
Phillies over Rangers in 6
I think the Phillies starting pitching is going to prove to be too much for everyone.
Enjoy the baseball, everyone. We'll come back in a few weeks to laugh at my awful predictions.
Here are the playoff teams in order that I would like to see them win:
1. Yankees. Can they win back-to-back titles?
2. Giants. They haven't won the World Series since 1954, when they were still playing in New York.
3. Twins. They just seem very likable. This is their first year back in an open air stadium - could there be snow at the Fall Classic?
4. Rangers. For the past couple of months I've had a feeling that the Rangers could be tough in the playoffs.
5. Reds. I don't think I've seen them play all year, but I've heard good things about them.
6. Rays. I guess I'm supposed to hate the Rays since they're in the same division as the Yankees, but I just can't.
7. Phillies. The Yanks taught them a lesson this time last year.
8. Braves. My dislike for the Braves goes back to the early 1990's. Even though all of those players are gone, I still don't like that team.
The above is my order of preference. Below are my actual predictions, one of which might be surprising. (A disclaimer - I'm often wrong, so don't make wagers based on these):
Division Series
Rangers over Rays in 4
Twins over Yankees in 5 (every Yanks starter except CC makes me nervous lately)
Giants over Braves in 5
Phillies over Reds in 4
League Championships
Rangers over Twins in 7
Phillies over Giants in 5
World Series
Phillies over Rangers in 6
I think the Phillies starting pitching is going to prove to be too much for everyone.
Enjoy the baseball, everyone. We'll come back in a few weeks to laugh at my awful predictions.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
What's Bugging Bill
It's been quite a while since I've blogged; hard to believe that the summer is over. The summer was wonderful - my family had a couple of nice vacations, and we also got to enjoy the kiddie pool in the backyard several times. Times like these remind me of how truly blessed I am.
However, that doesn't mean that everything is perfect. There are a few things that bother me. I fully realize that these are minor problems in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to get them off my chest.
1. Special weather reports
We are now in the middle of hurricane season. Whenever there is a major storm threatening the coast, you know what will happen next. Every news outlet will send a reporter to the "scene" to do a live report in the midst of the rain and gale-force winds. Does this add anything to our understanding? Frankly, if you're too dumb to come in from the rain/snow/whatever, then I don't think I can trust your judgement. We all know what storms look like. If the goal of the news is to warn us of the impending danger, then don't put your reporters in the same harm. It's time to learn a new trick, networks.
2. Refrigerators
The fridge in my house has the freezer on the top, and the refrigerator section beneath it. This is how it should be. Side-by-side models have been popular for quite some time, and now the "freezer on the bottom" seems to be the latest trend. To be blunt, I think that these are horribly wrong and against nature. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it gets colder the further north you go. Anyone who has looked at a map knows that north is up, so therefore the coldest part of the fridge should be the highest. I urge all my reader(s) to start a letter-writing campaign to the appliance manufacturers demanding an end to their abhorrent practices.
3. Football-shaped Oreos
Oreos (in their pure single-stuff form) are my favorite cookie. In the past, I've complained about the inherent evil of double-stuff Oroes. Now, our friends at Nabisco have come up with a new way to torment me. This fall, they have issued football-shaped Oreos. They have the same thickness as regular Oreos, so they pass my initial test. However, do to their football shape, each cookie has a point on each end. I feel that this adds an undue level of danger to the cookie-eating experience. When consuming an Oreo, you should not have to worry about which end to pick up in order to avoid injury. Please, everyone, stick with the one true Oreo variety - the round single-stuff. It is the only way we can maintain order and civilization in our increasingly chaotic society.
Thanks for reading. And to answer your question: yes, there is a distinct possibility that I've lost my mind :-)
However, that doesn't mean that everything is perfect. There are a few things that bother me. I fully realize that these are minor problems in the grand scheme of things, but I wanted to get them off my chest.
1. Special weather reports
We are now in the middle of hurricane season. Whenever there is a major storm threatening the coast, you know what will happen next. Every news outlet will send a reporter to the "scene" to do a live report in the midst of the rain and gale-force winds. Does this add anything to our understanding? Frankly, if you're too dumb to come in from the rain/snow/whatever, then I don't think I can trust your judgement. We all know what storms look like. If the goal of the news is to warn us of the impending danger, then don't put your reporters in the same harm. It's time to learn a new trick, networks.
2. Refrigerators
The fridge in my house has the freezer on the top, and the refrigerator section beneath it. This is how it should be. Side-by-side models have been popular for quite some time, and now the "freezer on the bottom" seems to be the latest trend. To be blunt, I think that these are horribly wrong and against nature. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, it gets colder the further north you go. Anyone who has looked at a map knows that north is up, so therefore the coldest part of the fridge should be the highest. I urge all my reader(s) to start a letter-writing campaign to the appliance manufacturers demanding an end to their abhorrent practices.
3. Football-shaped Oreos
Oreos (in their pure single-stuff form) are my favorite cookie. In the past, I've complained about the inherent evil of double-stuff Oroes. Now, our friends at Nabisco have come up with a new way to torment me. This fall, they have issued football-shaped Oreos. They have the same thickness as regular Oreos, so they pass my initial test. However, do to their football shape, each cookie has a point on each end. I feel that this adds an undue level of danger to the cookie-eating experience. When consuming an Oreo, you should not have to worry about which end to pick up in order to avoid injury. Please, everyone, stick with the one true Oreo variety - the round single-stuff. It is the only way we can maintain order and civilization in our increasingly chaotic society.
Thanks for reading. And to answer your question: yes, there is a distinct possibility that I've lost my mind :-)
Monday, July 5, 2010
Weird Al concert
On Sunday, June 27th, my wife and I went to Asbury Park, New Jersey to see "Weird Al" Yankovic in concert. It was the fourth time that we have seen him in concert, the first time was back in 2000, before we were married.
There was some confusion in the week leading up to the show. It was originally scheduled for the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. About a week in advance, I read on-line that it had been moved to the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park. (The reason for the move was never given; apparently it was Ticketmaster's decision based on ticket sales.) My biggest concern about the move was in relation to seat assignments. I was worried that it would be open seating at that we would have to get in line very early to get decent seats. Fortunately, I was finally able to speak to a representative from Ticketmaster on the Thursday before the show. I was told that the original tickets would be exchanged for assigned seats in the new venue.
The show was scheduled for 8:00 PM, but we arrived a little after 4:00 in case there were any problems. To their credit, the ticket exchange went very smoothly, and we ended up a couple of rows closer than we would have been at PNC. The only drawback was that we had a lot of time to kill before the gates opened at 7:00. So we had dinner at an upscale restaurant right off the boardwalk. It was a bit fancier than we really wanted, but a long meal would allow us to spend as much time as possible in air-conditioning.
Anyway, on to the show itself. As always, Weird Al and his band put on a fantastic show. A couple of songs in, Al acknowledged the venue switch by apologizing for the late start; saying that he thought the show was in an entirely different location.
The first song was Al's latest polka medley. On each album, he takes a couple of lines from a bunch of popular songs and puts them to polka music. He then performed a couple of original songs from about 15 years ago: "You Make Me" and "You Don't Love Me Anymore". After the second of these songs, Al smashed his guitar on the stage. Throughout the show, there were at least ten costume changes, keeping with the themes of the songs and/or the artists being parodied. During the changes, they play videos of Al conducting mock interviews with celebrities.
The show kept on going with some of Al's biggest hits mixed in with some new songs that will be on his upcoming album. During his seductive song "Wanna B Ur Lovr", he left the stage and sang directly to several women in the audience. We had aisle seats and were only about five feet away from Al before he had to turn around and go up the other aisle. The big encore contained Al's two Star Wars-themed songs - "The Saga Begins" (parody of "American Pie") and "Yoda" (parody of "Lola") - complete with dancing Storm Troopers.
Once again, Weird Al put on a fantastic and thoroughly entertaining concert. We are definitely looking forward to the release of his new CD and hope to see him again someday.
There was some confusion in the week leading up to the show. It was originally scheduled for the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ. About a week in advance, I read on-line that it had been moved to the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park. (The reason for the move was never given; apparently it was Ticketmaster's decision based on ticket sales.) My biggest concern about the move was in relation to seat assignments. I was worried that it would be open seating at that we would have to get in line very early to get decent seats. Fortunately, I was finally able to speak to a representative from Ticketmaster on the Thursday before the show. I was told that the original tickets would be exchanged for assigned seats in the new venue.
The show was scheduled for 8:00 PM, but we arrived a little after 4:00 in case there were any problems. To their credit, the ticket exchange went very smoothly, and we ended up a couple of rows closer than we would have been at PNC. The only drawback was that we had a lot of time to kill before the gates opened at 7:00. So we had dinner at an upscale restaurant right off the boardwalk. It was a bit fancier than we really wanted, but a long meal would allow us to spend as much time as possible in air-conditioning.
Anyway, on to the show itself. As always, Weird Al and his band put on a fantastic show. A couple of songs in, Al acknowledged the venue switch by apologizing for the late start; saying that he thought the show was in an entirely different location.
The first song was Al's latest polka medley. On each album, he takes a couple of lines from a bunch of popular songs and puts them to polka music. He then performed a couple of original songs from about 15 years ago: "You Make Me" and "You Don't Love Me Anymore". After the second of these songs, Al smashed his guitar on the stage. Throughout the show, there were at least ten costume changes, keeping with the themes of the songs and/or the artists being parodied. During the changes, they play videos of Al conducting mock interviews with celebrities.
The show kept on going with some of Al's biggest hits mixed in with some new songs that will be on his upcoming album. During his seductive song "Wanna B Ur Lovr", he left the stage and sang directly to several women in the audience. We had aisle seats and were only about five feet away from Al before he had to turn around and go up the other aisle. The big encore contained Al's two Star Wars-themed songs - "The Saga Begins" (parody of "American Pie") and "Yoda" (parody of "Lola") - complete with dancing Storm Troopers.
Once again, Weird Al put on a fantastic and thoroughly entertaining concert. We are definitely looking forward to the release of his new CD and hope to see him again someday.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Getting "Hooked"
Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to chaperone my daughter's first grade class trip to Sandy Hook. Here are some of the highlights:
Each chaperone was assigned four kids to watch. My group consisted of Amy, another girl whom she is friends with, and two boys. They were all very well behaved and I didn't lose any of them. Since I had never chaperoned before, I think the teachers who assigned the groups went easy on me.
Our first stop was at Fort Hancock, where we learned about the history of the fort and how they aimed the cannons at the ships on the Atlantic. Right next to the fort is the Sandy Hook lighthouse, which is the oldest continuously lit lighthouse in the United States. Our tour guide told the class that the lighthouse was older than America, and asked if they knew what year America was "born". When give the hint that it was a long time ago, one of the kids guessed, "1984?"
Next up was a lesson about the various shells and other sea life that we might find. Each class needed two parents to go into the water and drag a large net so that the kids could see what was found. Fortunately, two other fathers volunteered so I stayed on the shore.
One of the creatures they found was a horseshoe crab. We learned that these animals have ten eyes, yet can only see light and dark. Seems like a waste of all those eyes to me.
Soon it was time for lunch. Each small group ate on blankets on the beach. One of the great things about being with kids this age is that it's easy to solve many of their problems. Each juice box or bag of chips I helped open was another chance to be a hero. After we were done eating, each kid got a plastic bag that they could use to bring home shells, rocks, etc. that they found. (Amy's bag is now sitting in a corner of the garage).
By 1:30 it was time to get back on the bus for our return trip. A bus full of first graders sure can make a lot of noise, but don't worry, I managed to fall asleep anyway. I woke up when I heard another kid call out, "Amy, your dad is sleeping!"
Soon we were back at the school and it was time to go home. It was amazing how fast the day went. I had a lot of fun and I look forward to helping out on future class trips.
Each chaperone was assigned four kids to watch. My group consisted of Amy, another girl whom she is friends with, and two boys. They were all very well behaved and I didn't lose any of them. Since I had never chaperoned before, I think the teachers who assigned the groups went easy on me.
Our first stop was at Fort Hancock, where we learned about the history of the fort and how they aimed the cannons at the ships on the Atlantic. Right next to the fort is the Sandy Hook lighthouse, which is the oldest continuously lit lighthouse in the United States. Our tour guide told the class that the lighthouse was older than America, and asked if they knew what year America was "born". When give the hint that it was a long time ago, one of the kids guessed, "1984?"
Next up was a lesson about the various shells and other sea life that we might find. Each class needed two parents to go into the water and drag a large net so that the kids could see what was found. Fortunately, two other fathers volunteered so I stayed on the shore.
One of the creatures they found was a horseshoe crab. We learned that these animals have ten eyes, yet can only see light and dark. Seems like a waste of all those eyes to me.
Soon it was time for lunch. Each small group ate on blankets on the beach. One of the great things about being with kids this age is that it's easy to solve many of their problems. Each juice box or bag of chips I helped open was another chance to be a hero. After we were done eating, each kid got a plastic bag that they could use to bring home shells, rocks, etc. that they found. (Amy's bag is now sitting in a corner of the garage).
By 1:30 it was time to get back on the bus for our return trip. A bus full of first graders sure can make a lot of noise, but don't worry, I managed to fall asleep anyway. I woke up when I heard another kid call out, "Amy, your dad is sleeping!"
Soon we were back at the school and it was time to go home. It was amazing how fast the day went. I had a lot of fun and I look forward to helping out on future class trips.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Justice League
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do my civic duty and potentially determine the fate of complete strangers. That's right - I was on Jury Duty! In my county, you have to serve either one day or one trial, whichever is longer. If you are not selected for a case by the end of the day, your obligation is done and you can't be called for the next three years.
Many people dread the idea of serving, but as I see it, there are several advantages. First, it's a guilt-free way to get out of work. Second, it is interesting to see how "the system" really works. Hint: it's a lot less exciting than you see in movies or TV. On the negative side, there is a certain amount of boredom and repetition involved, as I learned about 10 years ago when I was on a jury for an assault case. That case lasted three days; a lot of the testimony covered the same ground.
But back to yesterday. They make you report at 8AM, so I had to leave the house earlier than usual. When I got there, there was a long line waiting to go through the metal detector (I got through without setting it off). You have to watch an orientation video that is somewhat less than riveting. A judge then comes in to swear in all jurors. Then you wait.
At about 10:30, my number was called and I was part of a group of about 50 who went upstairs to a court room. The case being tried was for burglary. This was the second day of jury selection for this case; they still had not found 14 jurors who were acceptable to both sides. We were each given a questionnaire covering such topics of previous jury service, if we had ever been victims of a crime, etc. I was among the first from our group to be interviewed by the judge. One of my responses concerned my family's home having been burglarized when I was about eight years old (we weren't home at the time). The defense attorney requested that I be excused, and although they don't tell you the reason, I'm sure that my past experience had something to do with it.
I was sent back down to the juror room. Soon it was lunch time; I had a roast beef and cheese sub and an iced tea. After an hour, I returned to the court house. In the afternoon, they only called one more pool of jurors; I was not one of them. About 4:00 we were thanked for our service and dismissed.
So that's my story of jury duty. It was an enjoyable day overall. I listened to my iPod and read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (which I had never read before). In the morning I was sitting next to a very talkative man and it looked like I wouldn't get any reading done. But in the afternoon I was able to avoid human interaction :-)
I strongly encourage everyone to face jury duty with a sense of anticipation, not dread.
Many people dread the idea of serving, but as I see it, there are several advantages. First, it's a guilt-free way to get out of work. Second, it is interesting to see how "the system" really works. Hint: it's a lot less exciting than you see in movies or TV. On the negative side, there is a certain amount of boredom and repetition involved, as I learned about 10 years ago when I was on a jury for an assault case. That case lasted three days; a lot of the testimony covered the same ground.
But back to yesterday. They make you report at 8AM, so I had to leave the house earlier than usual. When I got there, there was a long line waiting to go through the metal detector (I got through without setting it off). You have to watch an orientation video that is somewhat less than riveting. A judge then comes in to swear in all jurors. Then you wait.
At about 10:30, my number was called and I was part of a group of about 50 who went upstairs to a court room. The case being tried was for burglary. This was the second day of jury selection for this case; they still had not found 14 jurors who were acceptable to both sides. We were each given a questionnaire covering such topics of previous jury service, if we had ever been victims of a crime, etc. I was among the first from our group to be interviewed by the judge. One of my responses concerned my family's home having been burglarized when I was about eight years old (we weren't home at the time). The defense attorney requested that I be excused, and although they don't tell you the reason, I'm sure that my past experience had something to do with it.
I was sent back down to the juror room. Soon it was lunch time; I had a roast beef and cheese sub and an iced tea. After an hour, I returned to the court house. In the afternoon, they only called one more pool of jurors; I was not one of them. About 4:00 we were thanked for our service and dismissed.
So that's my story of jury duty. It was an enjoyable day overall. I listened to my iPod and read "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (which I had never read before). In the morning I was sitting next to a very talkative man and it looked like I wouldn't get any reading done. But in the afternoon I was able to avoid human interaction :-)
I strongly encourage everyone to face jury duty with a sense of anticipation, not dread.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
baseball predictions
Well, the 2010 baseball season is now underway. My Yankees are playing the Red Sox tonight in the first game of the season. So now is the appropriate time to make my predictions for the year. Just a note, the following are based on absolutely no solid evidence; they are heavily influenced by my own likes and dislikes.And please, do not use these for wagering purposes. So without further delay:
American League
East: Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
Central: Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Royals, Indians
West: Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Athletics
National League
East: Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals
Central: Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Astros, Pirates
West: Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks
Playoffs
Yankees over Twins in 3
Rays over Angels in 4
Yankees over Rays in 6
Rockies over Cardinals in 5
Phillies over Dodgers in 4
Rockies over Phillies in 7
World Series
Yankees over Rockies in 5
Awards
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
World Series MVP: Mariano Rivera
American League
East: Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
Central: Twins, Tigers, White Sox, Royals, Indians
West: Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Athletics
National League
East: Phillies, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Nationals
Central: Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Reds, Astros, Pirates
West: Rockies, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks
Playoffs
Yankees over Twins in 3
Rays over Angels in 4
Yankees over Rays in 6
Rockies over Cardinals in 5
Phillies over Dodgers in 4
Rockies over Phillies in 7
World Series
Yankees over Rockies in 5
Awards
AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez
NL MVP: Ryan Howard
World Series MVP: Mariano Rivera
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