The Music Man

Mali has a part in the woman's chorus in her school's production of The Music Man. Susy and I went with her last night for the parent's meeting, and met the rest of the cast and the producer. It looks like a lot of fun, and Mali is loving it, playing her songs constantly so she has them down perfectly. Last night she and I watched the newest version, with Mathew Broderick. I was pleasantly surprised - I'd never seen it. I had no idea "'Til There Was You" was from it.

Andrew has fallen twice now at track practice. He's managed to bang up both knees, and his arms and wrist are hurting now. I think he's going to try and practice today (he skipped yesterday).

Saturday night poker

Joan had to cancel our poker night because Eric is really sick with some nasty flu bug.
Andrew and I couldn't handle it, so we invited Rian and her mom, Terri, over to play at our house. Mali was barely conscious, but ended up winning. Everyone won except Susy and Rian. It was a great time = we just ordered pizza, set some snacks out, and played Texas Hold'em for a couple of hours.

Mali had a soccer game today - in Salem. They lost 2-0, but played great. Mali is playing very well so far this spring. On the way home we stopped at the Woodburn outlet mall and spent lots of money at the Nike store.

Friday night shopping

Woohoo! Mali needs clothes for the cruise - she just keeps growing. We all (except Andrew, who was lucky enough to get out of it) went shopping last night. At least it wasn't crowded. Who goes shopping on Friday night?
Andrew went to see Jumper with Tiana and Rian.

Swim team awards banquet

The Southridge High School swim team had a pasta dinner tonight and handed out letters and awards. Andrew, Eric, and Rian all got letters, and when they announced their new award for Freshman swimmer of the year I almost fell out of my chair when they announced Andrew won. Andrew said he was horrified since they called his name out first. The obvious winner was Taylor, who almost won a couple events at the state swim meet and set several school records this year. Happily, the award applies to each gender, so now Andrew is on a plaque with Taylor for the first year of the award, pictured below. It will hang in a case in the school's main entryway.

The team captains handed out silly awards to their respective genders and the opposite captain(s). Andrew and Eric were called up together by their captain and got the "amazing alternate" award, since they went to the state meet as alternates for the relays, and went to all the practices for it. Rian got the "Time Bomb" award because she dropped so much time with each meet. We thought she would get most improved from the coach, but she was beat out by a girl who could barely swim at the start of the season and ended up doing fairly well.

Susy, Mali, and I sat at a table with Eric's family, next to the one with Rian's parents, and in clear view of Eric, Rian, and Andrew, who were of course sitting together. Behind us was the loud table, with Cherise and Kyle - Kyle of course being Andrew and Mali's coach on the Murray Hill swim team last year.

Track Season Starts

Andrew had his first track practice today after school. He's very sore and tired. He and I went to the health club and sat in the hot tub for half an hour so he could recover. He goes again tomorrow.

Mali made some fantastic cinnamon muffins today, from scratch. She also cooked dinner - fish sticks and french fries. Very nice.

Bike Ride

Beautiful weather here had Paul wanting a bike ride, so we did our old standby, short version (past the airport, not Midway, about 16 miles) for the first ride of the year. It felt awfully good to get out and going again.

I picked up Alana from the Max station and her trip to Colorado, and met Maiara at her house, who told me she saw Andrew out running up her street (a huge hill) today. When I got home he and Mali were at the school. Mali has been doing sit-ups all evening while we watched Lovejoy (DVD from the library.) She is on a fitness kick lately. Andrew is trying to get ready for track. We figured out he ran about two and a half miles yesterday around our hilly neighborhood, with lots of sprinting. His first practice is tomorrow.

Soccer! - - and - - The Complete History of America (abridged)

Mali's team played another great game, but lost 3-1. This time a lot of the loss can be credited to some sadly inadequate officiating. To properly illustrate this, let me tell you that my darling, sweet, lovable daughter - full of laughter and dancing, fine drama, kind words, and love for all - my wonderfully smart and cheerful girl Mali got a yellow card!!!!

To the referee's (only) credit, it MAY have been a slight foul -
To Mali's credit most of our fans were sure the foul was on the other girl who tripped/collided with her, and
To Andrew's credit we practically had to restrain him from going after the ref after this crazy call. He loves his little sister.

Later, we realized that the ref may have mistaken Mali for the even sweeter-looking and smaller Caroline, who earlier had received the referee's warning for flattening an opponent with the audacity and temerity (or perhaps blissful ignorance) to wander into Caroline's range with some small relationship to the ball. Caroline is quite vicious on the pitch.

Later also, the referee awarded a penalty kick to the other team when their player tripped completely on her own in the penalty box. She made the shot to tie the score at 1-1 just before halftime, and the wind sort of went out of the Xtreme's sails.

Except for Mali's. After the game she sailed over to us skipping and singing the new "I got a yellow card" song that she made up.

We had to rush away from the game so we could get to the local theater troupe
Bag & Baggage's performance of The Complete History of America (abridged). It was bawdy, funny, and clever, and thankfully the kids loved it, after expressing much pre-show resentment for our activity choice. We met Michael, Dominica, Eric, and Aaron there. Dominica had told us about the show - and Aaron's teacher's recommendation of it - and was horrified at the bawdy nature of the whole thing, mostly I think because she had recommended it to us and wasn't sure how we would take it. Also possibly because they arrived just after the nice man walked the crowd explaining to all the parents how the show would be a bit pg-13. But without that old Shakespearian trick of appealing to the least-common denominator, I'm sure the kids would have been as bored as they expected prior to the show.

Bowling

Last night we bowled at Players with Eric, Aaron, and their dad and Dominica. It's a very nice bowling alley with a staggering amount of video and arcade games. We all had a great time. Mali was very hesitant to go - last time she bowled without bumpers she didn't knock down many pins. She did a lot better this time after a brief lesson from Rian. I actually got 4 strikes in a row and had a great game, but of course Susy beat me in the next one. Later Michael got 5strikes in a row! Andrew lost a game to Aaron when all he needed was one pin in the last frame and couldn't get it. Sad, but funny.
Afterwards we went to their house for a delicious chocolate cake. We were probably out too late, but it was a fun time.

Spring Soccer, Game 1

The X-treme had their first game of the spring season today. They've been moved up to the Gold bracket, which is much better, and today they played a very good team and lost 3-0. Mali played well, as did the rest of her team, but it wasn't enough. The weather is beautiful here, so it was a pleasant game except for the score.

Tonight we're going someplace called Players, to meet with Eric's family - dad side. We're bringing Rian.

Politics and Far Right idiocy/intolerance

I read Glenn Greenwald's Salon column almost daily. He is good at pointing out Media hypocrisy and bias, but here he is just commenting on the threats the Far Right Spokespeople are throwing out at those who don't follow their lead:

Despite this refusal of our Civilization Warriors to have the courage of their convictions and state what they mean, it is unmistakably clear that they're issuing some rather demented threats -- ones that vaguely promise severe punishment, legal or extra-legal, towards Code Pink for their protests and the Berkeley officials for their democratically enacted resolutions. Everyone knows what one does with "Traitors."

We're in a never-before-encountered-Struggle for our Civilization because The Islamic Enemy hates freedom. Radical Islam is a grave threat to everything, to all of Our Freedoms, because they try to intimidate and threaten violence towards those who offend that which they hold sacred.

Those who disparage wars fought by the U.S. military Mohammed are threatened with violence. Those who organize protests against the U.S. Government publish anti-Islamic cartoons have fatwas issued against them, threatening their welfare. Any public dissent from sacred military orthodoxies sacred Islamic dogma subjects one to deranged, dissent-intolerant and freedom-hating "warnings." We have to dismantle our Constitution and begin once and for all to "get our hands dirty" with silencing our Enemies because we're at War with those who want to do violence against those whose values diverge from their own.

More Valentine's Day

Mali, Susy and I continued our Valentine's Day celebration tonight, with Port and chocolates (Mali had milk). Andrew had another evening at the State Swim meet. Mali had a Valentine's Day party at Seth's house, and got home around 10:00.

Andrew and I played online poker for an hour, and together won over $10,000 of sadly-not-real money. Pretty good, considering we each started with $1000. Andrew won about twice as much as me, but he's been practicing.

Three Day Weekend: WooHoo!

Valentine's Day

I'm a lucky guy, with my Valentines. Mali and Susy and I went to Cafe Murray Hill for a wonderful dinner tonight. Mali had their specialty chicken sandwich, which was delicious. Susy had their awesome squash ravioli, and I had the goat-cheese stuffed chicken breast. Then we shared some desserts - chocolate cake and caramel apple pie, and coffees. All delicious.
Mali's soccer practice was canceled - to our joy, which led to the wonderful dinner. She had callbacks after school for The Music Man, and should find out tomorrow what part she will play.
Andrew is at the state swim meet and won't be home until after 10:00. Susy's missing her favorite valentine. I'm a close third, behind Mali. She says Mali and Andrew are tied, with Moose a close fourth. At least I'm ahead of the dog...

Swimming, Skiing, Snowboarding

The District Swim meet (5 high schools) was Friday and Saturday. Andrew swam great - he got his best times ever and took 11th and 12th in the Backstroke and Butterfly. He gets to keep practicing because he's an alternate on the relays that made it to the state final next weekend.
Mali and I missed his meet on Saturday to go skiing/snowboarding with Paul and Zoë. The weather was great - the snow started out hard and crunchy, but it softened up nicely as the day went on. It was a little windy at the top of the mountain, but the view was great. Mali is snowboarding amazingly well for someone who's only been twice. She's a natural! Here's a not-so-great cell-phone photo of Mali and Zoë on the mountain:

Home from Washington.

I'm glad I won't be coming home from Washington tomorrow, since both Clinton and Obama will be there with their security clogging up traffic. There's caucuses Saturday. Today's drive home was very pleasant, and relatively speedy.

Andrew had a carb-loading pasta feed for the swim team before tomorrow's District meet. He has three events tomorrow, and we don't know what on Saturday and Sunday. He made the local Beaverton paper for last week's swim meet, though they messed up and said he got second in the breaststroke, but it was the backstroke. Here's the article: http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/sports/story.php?story_id=120240492473525700

Music Man

Highland Park is performing Music Man this year. Mali is going to try out. She thought auditions were today, but they're next week.
Andrew has discovered Texas Hold'em on Facebook, and it's been sucking up a lot of his free time. Saturday is our poker game at Joan's. It will start late I think, since Andrew, Eric, and Rian will all be at the district swim meet until 7:00 or so.

Susy stayed home and in bed today. She's not any better for it, though she's determined to go to work tomorrow.
Tomorrow I head up to Redmond.

Snow gone. Susy sick.

Susy went to work today, where she feels miserable. She was sick all weekend, including her Friday off. She wanted to go in today to pick up her new laptop - otherwise she had to wait another month. I am finally mostly better - I'm able to take a deep breath without coughing up my lungs. But coughing still hurts.
Mali has soccer practice tonight - it's been raining off and on but it's been in the 40's all day. Andrew and Rian walked halfway home from swimming practice before I picked them up.
Yesterday I picked up Paul, Nancy, Zoë, and a sunburned Hannah from the MAX - the van and I were the last leg of their trip home from their 10-day Cancun vacation. Mali went over to hang out with Zoë most of the afternoon. They brought me back a bottle of D'Aristi Xtabentun, a honey and anise rum-based liquor supposedly based on a Mayan spirit made from the Xtabentun flower on the Yucatan peninsula. I opened it and we tasted it at their house when I dropped Mali off - very delicious.

More Snow! Less sick!

I drove Andrew to his last Saturday swim practice this morning at 7:15 just as it started snowing. There was over an inch on the ground when I picked him up at 9:30. I slid down the driveway in the camry when I left and I had to leave it on the street when we returned. The temperature is warm enough now that the snow is dripping off the trees and slushing over the street.
Rian came home with us. Andrew showered and ate breakfast and they walked down to her house - probably for the day.

Maiara's Birthday!

I am still sick, but getting better. Drugs help. Now Susy is also sick. At least she got to sleep most of today since it was her Friday off.
Andrew's swim meet last night was his best yet. He got his best times and took second place in the backstroke and third in the butterfly. I got to go since it was at Aloha H.S. and Mali's first soccer practice of the year was also there. Chauffeuring made easy, for a change.

Today is Maiara's birthday! Susy made a chocolate cherry cake and we're bringing it over in a few minutes. We won't be staying long, since I have a strong desire to fall into my bed. Andrew went to a feast at Southridge, and just called to tell me he's going to the basketball game with Tiana and Eric. The feast was to follow a fast several classes did to raise money for Uganda, but athletes were supposed to raise money some other way. Andrew did this by exchanging the fasting bit with a promise to eat extra food next week. Some of the swimmers fasted, and their coach yelled at them today. Duh. Most of the freshman swimmers look like scarecrows.
Here's Maiara with the cake and the only candle Alana could find: