Andrew ran his 1500m in 4:38, beating his old best time by 8 seconds. He came in third best for Southridge, though there was a Beaverton runner or two ahead of him. It took a lot out of him, he looked a little tired for his 800m run an hour later. He ran a decent-for-him 57 second 400m as the first leg of the winning JV 4x400 team.
I brought Rian and Moose along with me, and saw Tiana and Isabelle and it was mostly a party-like atmosphere. Very fun for everyone, even through the intermittent rains.
Mali missed out on that, but seemed to have a great time at her rehearsal for The Music Man. She says they're ready, which is good since tomorrow is Opening Night! The grandparents will be here and it should be quite an event. Details tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Hello.
Hi.
It's been awhile.
Life is happening here.
The biggest news:
In an amazing coincidence, Andrew is exactly the same height as me, and Mali is exactly the same height as Susy. I would show you a picture, but my photo PC is having network issues. Maybe some other time.
I took Mali to an orthopedic surgeon last week to review the x-rays of her knee. Her pain is apparently caused by growth, favoritism, and a lack of flexibility in her secondary soccer leg. The crushing news, the horrible news, the dismaying, sad, unfortunate news; uttered casually and without the necessary angst, yet with simple authority as the doctor pointed to the X-ray: "The growth plates around her knee have almost closed up, so she should be about done growing."
At the despondent look Mali and I both gave him at that, he kindly clarified and said that some growth has yet to occur from the back/spine region, and so she should have another inch or two to go before completely stopping.
She should end up taller than her mom, and that is all that really matters.
I fully expect Andrew to shoot past me any moment now. His shoulders are already higher, but apparently he does not possess the pencil neck or the elongated, egg-shaped head that would give him the height advantage, the poor kid.
It's been awhile.
Life is happening here.
The biggest news:
In an amazing coincidence, Andrew is exactly the same height as me, and Mali is exactly the same height as Susy. I would show you a picture, but my photo PC is having network issues. Maybe some other time.
I took Mali to an orthopedic surgeon last week to review the x-rays of her knee. Her pain is apparently caused by growth, favoritism, and a lack of flexibility in her secondary soccer leg. The crushing news, the horrible news, the dismaying, sad, unfortunate news; uttered casually and without the necessary angst, yet with simple authority as the doctor pointed to the X-ray: "The growth plates around her knee have almost closed up, so she should be about done growing."
At the despondent look Mali and I both gave him at that, he kindly clarified and said that some growth has yet to occur from the back/spine region, and so she should have another inch or two to go before completely stopping.
She should end up taller than her mom, and that is all that really matters.
I fully expect Andrew to shoot past me any moment now. His shoulders are already higher, but apparently he does not possess the pencil neck or the elongated, egg-shaped head that would give him the height advantage, the poor kid.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Aloha Relays track meet
Andrew ran for varsity at the Aloha relays today (Saturday. It's Saturday until I sleep.) He only ran one race, the medley relay, which happily for us was the first one. This worked out really well, since it started to rain (and then hailed, sleeted, and snowed on Andrew) afterwards, but the rest of us got to come home (and Andrew got to hide out under a tent). Rian came to the meet with us, and came home with us and hung out with Mali, and stayed for dinner.
Andrew ran the 400m leg and did great. The relay sequence was:
1200m
400m
800m
1600m
Southridge had the lead after the 1200m, but barely, and Andrew ran like a maniac to hold the lead almost all the way to the finish - enough to keep the inside lane for Southridge - and just before the finish someone else barely overtook him. Southridge took third overall in the medley relay, out of 15 or 16 teams from all over Oregon. Andrew's distance coach Michael timed him at 54 seconds, which is a PR and is amazing. He's very happy - and he will get another medal. Also, Southridge was in first place when we talked to him an hour ago.
He's home now - the high jump was still going on so they don't know who won the meet, but the bus brought them back to Southridge anyway.
Susy got pizza for the kids, and she and I left for the Southridge Band dinner and auction. Pablo bought us tickets, and also Alana, Deborah, Paul, and Nancy. It was fun, and some of the food was good. Pablo and Rocio won a raffle for a two night stay at a cabin on Mt. Hood, and Deborah bought the big-ticket item in the live auction, a motor-scooter! She is excited. There was a great band - the Green Garter jazz band from University of Oregon played. Matias and some of the other band kids sat in and played with them for a song near the end.
After the auction I went over to Pablo's and played Scrabble with Paul, Rocio, and Alana. Very fun - we were all a little loopy at the end, as it was very late. Now it's later, and I'm going to bed. Good night!
Andrew ran the 400m leg and did great. The relay sequence was:
1200m
400m
800m
1600m
Southridge had the lead after the 1200m, but barely, and Andrew ran like a maniac to hold the lead almost all the way to the finish - enough to keep the inside lane for Southridge - and just before the finish someone else barely overtook him. Southridge took third overall in the medley relay, out of 15 or 16 teams from all over Oregon. Andrew's distance coach Michael timed him at 54 seconds, which is a PR and is amazing. He's very happy - and he will get another medal. Also, Southridge was in first place when we talked to him an hour ago.
He's home now - the high jump was still going on so they don't know who won the meet, but the bus brought them back to Southridge anyway.
Susy got pizza for the kids, and she and I left for the Southridge Band dinner and auction. Pablo bought us tickets, and also Alana, Deborah, Paul, and Nancy. It was fun, and some of the food was good. Pablo and Rocio won a raffle for a two night stay at a cabin on Mt. Hood, and Deborah bought the big-ticket item in the live auction, a motor-scooter! She is excited. There was a great band - the Green Garter jazz band from University of Oregon played. Matias and some of the other band kids sat in and played with them for a song near the end.
After the auction I went over to Pablo's and played Scrabble with Paul, Rocio, and Alana. Very fun - we were all a little loopy at the end, as it was very late. Now it's later, and I'm going to bed. Good night!
Friday, April 18, 2008
Hearts
After dinner we all played hearts, but only to 50 because 100 takes too long. I won in 3 hands! I took them all, Susy took 24 to hit 50 to go back to zero, and I took them all again. Then everyone went to bed. Woohoo!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Recovery
I am all better now, at least once the Oxycodone wears off I will be back to normal. This afternoon I gave birth to a pair of baby kidney stones, and now I'm feeling much better.
Emergency Room Fun
Before you panic at the title of this post, let me inform you that the trip to the emergency room at 2:00 this morning was FOR ME, Darrin, OregonDad - and not one of the precious children or the lovely OregonMom.
I discovered, as the night wore on, that the muscle strain/cramp that I was feeling in my side and back was actually getting worse as I tried to loosen it up. I googled my symptoms and came up with appendicitis, as I was pretty confident it wasn't a tumor that suddenly sprang into my abdomen, and I've some healthy fear of appendicitis after Mali's friend Amanda lost a third of her body weight coping with the aftermath of a burst appendix.
I stumbled up to the bedroom (I was downstairs in my writhing, stretching, grunting and occasional moaning state, so as not to bother the lately sleep-deprived OregonMom) and woke Susy to tell her I was going to explode at any moment. After she wrapped her sleepy brain around that statement, and my additional 'Yes, I think so" to her query of "Should I take you to the Emergency Room?" she leapt into action, only yelling at me once when I was doing one last thing on the computer for work in case it was the last thing I was able to do for work for some long, undefined period of time.
Susy drove me to the hospital, after alerting a near-somnambulant Andrew to our departure (he exhibited his concern for me later by going about his morning rituals as if nothing unusual had occurred, the brave kid.) At the hospital, the whirlwind of uniformed people quickly concluded that it was probably a Kidney Stone, which was then confirmed by a cat scan, after the administration of an IV and some wonderful drugs. The good news: It is a small stone, only 2mm, and I should be able to pass it in the normal course of events, though also with the normal amount of the fabled pain that comes with passing a kidney stone. We, the doctor, Susy and I, discussed the upcoming event in great detail, along with the upcoming further pain-relief medication. Only then did the kind doctor bring up the less-than-good news: there are several more of the little pearls waiting in each kidney for their turn in the sunshine.
I intend to become an expert in these things over the next couple of days, particularly in the whys and hows of their creation, with particular attention paid to measures available for countering these whys and hows.
Right now my overwhelming desire is for sleep, and as soon as I email some folks at work with news that I have not yet slept, but intend to -- and email my Canadian customers with the information they need this morning, I am going to bed.
Good night/morning/whatever/night.
I discovered, as the night wore on, that the muscle strain/cramp that I was feeling in my side and back was actually getting worse as I tried to loosen it up. I googled my symptoms and came up with appendicitis, as I was pretty confident it wasn't a tumor that suddenly sprang into my abdomen, and I've some healthy fear of appendicitis after Mali's friend Amanda lost a third of her body weight coping with the aftermath of a burst appendix.
I stumbled up to the bedroom (I was downstairs in my writhing, stretching, grunting and occasional moaning state, so as not to bother the lately sleep-deprived OregonMom) and woke Susy to tell her I was going to explode at any moment. After she wrapped her sleepy brain around that statement, and my additional 'Yes, I think so" to her query of "Should I take you to the Emergency Room?" she leapt into action, only yelling at me once when I was doing one last thing on the computer for work in case it was the last thing I was able to do for work for some long, undefined period of time.
Susy drove me to the hospital, after alerting a near-somnambulant Andrew to our departure (he exhibited his concern for me later by going about his morning rituals as if nothing unusual had occurred, the brave kid.) At the hospital, the whirlwind of uniformed people quickly concluded that it was probably a Kidney Stone, which was then confirmed by a cat scan, after the administration of an IV and some wonderful drugs. The good news: It is a small stone, only 2mm, and I should be able to pass it in the normal course of events, though also with the normal amount of the fabled pain that comes with passing a kidney stone. We, the doctor, Susy and I, discussed the upcoming event in great detail, along with the upcoming further pain-relief medication. Only then did the kind doctor bring up the less-than-good news: there are several more of the little pearls waiting in each kidney for their turn in the sunshine.
I intend to become an expert in these things over the next couple of days, particularly in the whys and hows of their creation, with particular attention paid to measures available for countering these whys and hows.
Right now my overwhelming desire is for sleep, and as soon as I email some folks at work with news that I have not yet slept, but intend to -- and email my Canadian customers with the information they need this morning, I am going to bed.
Good night/morning/whatever/night.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
From the coast
Saturday we drove out to Seaside and met up with Mali's soccer team. The team ran around trying out all the activities: football on the beach, arcade, bumper cars, bumper boats, and we all met at Fultano's pizza and arcade at 3:00.
Then we drove 2+ hours South past Lincoln City to the Catalina Cottage, where we are now.
We're two blocks from a narrow beach with pounding surf, but we think the huge waves may be a result of the 600+ small earthquakes that have happened off the coast here over the last week and a half.
I left Susy and Mali at the Lincoln City outlet mall today and brought Andrew and Rian back to the cottage. They went down to the beach:
And after I returned for Susy and Mali, Susy jumped at the chance to make her own glass float. Here she is inspecting it in-between blows:
Then we drove 2+ hours South past Lincoln City to the Catalina Cottage, where we are now.
We're two blocks from a narrow beach with pounding surf, but we think the huge waves may be a result of the 600+ small earthquakes that have happened off the coast here over the last week and a half.
I left Susy and Mali at the Lincoln City outlet mall today and brought Andrew and Rian back to the cottage. They went down to the beach:
And after I returned for Susy and Mali, Susy jumped at the chance to make her own glass float. Here she is inspecting it in-between blows:
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
I'm home!
I made it home today, after another long day in BC. Mali had play practice - Alana picked her up since I was still at the airport. Andrew had track practice and was able to catch a ride with Eric.
Susy made spaghetti for Andrew, since he will attempt to break the freshman 800m record at tomorrow's track meet. They go against Aloha H.S., and I plan to go watch. Look for an update here tomorrow afternoon.
Susy made spaghetti for Andrew, since he will attempt to break the freshman 800m record at tomorrow's track meet. They go against Aloha H.S., and I plan to go watch. Look for an update here tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Heading to Canada
I'm off for Canada this morning for work - setting up the Energy Accounting functionality for BCTC in Langley, BC, just East of Vancouver. I'm flying, since it takes an hour less than driving and doesn't involve me behind the wheel for six hours.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Mali's last soccer game for awhile
Mali's last game of the Spring season was against FC Portland - Rachel's team (also neighborhood kids Alyssa and Haley.) Mali has been looking forward to this game all season, and she played ferociously, as did the rest of her team. They lost 1-0, much better than any of us expected against such a good team. Rachel is a forward, so she butted against Mali the defender frequently. Twice she knocked Mali over, and we saw them both cracking up the second time as she helped Mali back up. With a minute to go Rachel's team had a break away towards the goal, and Mali brilliantly fouled outside the penalty box to stop the threat, but it was a surprisingly brutal play. Mali has definitely learned to be aggressive out on the field.
There are optional practices for her team for awhile, but really there won't be much going on until after the next round of tryouts and the new season starts.
There are optional practices for her team for awhile, but really there won't be much going on until after the next round of tryouts and the new season starts.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Soccer
It is Mali's last soccer weekend for awhile. This morning she played downtown at the Portland State University field. It's a great turf field, but very difficult to get to because there is a lot of construction around there now. Also the Portland Saturday Market had its second open day of the year, which closes a few streets and makes parking even trickier. Luckily I found a spot near the field and next to the Starbucks. Coffee plus an almond croissant from the market made for a nice second breakfast.
Mali and the team played great, as they have been all season, but they lost 3-0. Afterwards we bought Mali a latte, then quickly ran into Dick's sporting goods at the Mall to get a gift card to give to Tyler at his birthday party. She barely had time to shower before leaving for that.
Susy and I had a great night out with Pablo and Rocio, who took us to the newest restaurant in Beaverton, Decarli's Trattoria. This was in appreciation of us letting them use our house while we were on our cruise and their house was having hardwood floors installed. We had a fantastic time, especially since we have not spent much time with them since Christmas break. Pablo even brought a bottle of Uruguayan wine, which I wanted to mock, but it turned out to be delicious.
Mali was home alone with Moose for dinner, and made herself a Southwestern chicken salad from a ready-mix bag of salad. She had urged me to buy it the day before, and it came in very handy. Andrew went to see The Superhero Movie with the usual gang, and then to Tiana's where they watched Fight Club. I was happily sleeping at midnight when he got home.
Mali and the team played great, as they have been all season, but they lost 3-0. Afterwards we bought Mali a latte, then quickly ran into Dick's sporting goods at the Mall to get a gift card to give to Tyler at his birthday party. She barely had time to shower before leaving for that.
Susy and I had a great night out with Pablo and Rocio, who took us to the newest restaurant in Beaverton, Decarli's Trattoria. This was in appreciation of us letting them use our house while we were on our cruise and their house was having hardwood floors installed. We had a fantastic time, especially since we have not spent much time with them since Christmas break. Pablo even brought a bottle of Uruguayan wine, which I wanted to mock, but it turned out to be delicious.
Mali was home alone with Moose for dinner, and made herself a Southwestern chicken salad from a ready-mix bag of salad. She had urged me to buy it the day before, and it came in very handy. Andrew went to see The Superhero Movie with the usual gang, and then to Tiana's where they watched Fight Club. I was happily sleeping at midnight when he got home.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Scrabble
It has been a long time since the usual suspects got together for a game of Scrabble. Susy and I joined Paul and Nancy (where we left Mali) for awhile after Indian food. Then Alana joined us, Susy took Mali home, and we called Pablo to come over for Scrabble while Nancy watched Bruce Almighty.
Andrew had a night out watching movies at Tiana's with his usual gang (Rian, Tiana, and Eric.)
Andrew had a night out watching movies at Tiana's with his usual gang (Rian, Tiana, and Eric.)
Indian Food
An Indian restaurant has just opened up where the old A&W was in our local shopping center. It's called The Curry Leaf, (Poetic, since curry is a collection of spices, not any particular plant.)
Susy and I are very excited about this, and we went there for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! The food was all good, and they had great chai, though strangely (to me) served it in a glass instead of a mug. It is different than most of the Indian restaurants around here: it has a sort of fast-food / take-out feel about it, but the tables and decor provide a comfortable urban vibe to the place. The manager was cool in his baseball hat, and as I gushed about the food and chai he very nicely brought Susy and I refills. (Okay, after I asked if they gave free refills. No, but he got them for us anyway.) I'm hoping to go back soon. It would be a nice little walking excursion for me at lunch, even if just for a glass of chai.
Susy and I are very excited about this, and we went there for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! The food was all good, and they had great chai, though strangely (to me) served it in a glass instead of a mug. It is different than most of the Indian restaurants around here: it has a sort of fast-food / take-out feel about it, but the tables and decor provide a comfortable urban vibe to the place. The manager was cool in his baseball hat, and as I gushed about the food and chai he very nicely brought Susy and I refills. (Okay, after I asked if they gave free refills. No, but he got them for us anyway.) I'm hoping to go back soon. It would be a nice little walking excursion for me at lunch, even if just for a glass of chai.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
First home track meet
Andrew's first home track meet today (at Southridge). He ran the 1500m (4:51), 800 (2:14), and the 4x400 relay. The JV relay team ran as varsity, since the varsity had an invitational the next day. They (JV) were clobbered by the Sunset varsity, but they got 2nd! For Varsity! (Okay, 2nd out of 2, but, well, okay...)
His coach thinks he has a good chance to beat the freshman 800m record of 2:06, especially if he doesn't run a 1500m race first.
His coach thinks he has a good chance to beat the freshman 800m record of 2:06, especially if he doesn't run a 1500m race first.
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