Welcome 2013

So, it is another new year.  Last year in March I decided to get into shape.  To motivate myself I signed up for the Air Force Marathon in Dayton, OH in September.  (This was mainly due to the fact my wife called me fat and said I should do something about it, a fact she blatantly denies, but remains true all the same.)

Training was difficult but enjoyable.  I put in quite a few miles and actually learned to enjoy running.  My weight was down to 194 at one point and I felt better then I had in years.  I completed the marathon (which was the ultimate goal - clock be damned) and hurt very badly the next 3 days.  Basically I couldn't walk for 3 days, but it was worth it.  I told myself that I would continue to run after the marathon, but it is now 2013 and I have logged about 5 miles from September to today.  I blame life, holidays, moving into Lovington, etc... but ultimately it is because I am lazy.  I started feeling really fat and lethargic in December, so for Christmas I asked for Insanity (the workout program).  I received the gift I wanted and started Insanity yesterday with my eldest son Dylan.  I wanted to do this with Dylan (not sure he wants to, but he is humoring his old man) to try and establish the priority of exercise, discipline, and perhaps bond a little with the only child I don't seem to connect with because of our vast differences.  Dylan does need to get into shape to help build confidence in his body as well.  He IQ may be extremely high, but that doesn't mean kids aren't bastards due to his belly.  So we are going to begin this journey together.  I am using this Blog as a kind of sounding board that I can come back to in a few years to see how things went and to motivate myself to continue on the path for 60 days of hell.

Day 1:
Yesterday was D and I's Fit Test.  This is basically 8 exercises we perform for 1 minute at a time (with 1 minute of rest between each) and attempt to do as many as we can.  I probably should not have eaten at Taqueria Jalisco's at 5:30 then tried the Fit Test at 8:30 that evening.  I wanted to vomit on more than one occasion and could not even do the exercises for the entire minute.  I am so out of shape I just want to cry.  Holy Crap did I feel bad after that little excursion.  This morning I woke up a bit sore in the legs and obliques and that is without doing any legitimate exercise.  This could be a LONG 60 days.  I hope after tonights session I can walk tomorrow.

School Tests

So, according to my oldest son's teacher, his school year is technically over. She told my wife and I that they were not going to be learning anything new from this point on. The reason? The CSAP tests were coming up and they were going to be preparing for those the remainder of the year. The CSAP is the Colorado Student Assessment Program. This test is what all Colorado schools' "education" is based upon. If the school doesn't "pass" the program two years in a row, it becomes a charter school. Some funding is also based upon test scores. This program is why our school system is broke.

My son understands everything that he has been taught this year. He understands it so well, that now he is bored all day long. He also has started to really not care about how well homework is completed. As long as there is an answer, he doesn't care if it is right or wrong. He knows how to do it, so why should he waste his time with it? His grades have dropped to B's & C's because of this. So now my job as a parent is to make him bring home EVERY paper that he completes in class & as homework so I can check it before he turns it in. Since I have started doing this, it is amazing how little he has to correct, knowing that I am going to go over it before he turns it in.

We talked to the teacher about perhaps challenging Dylan more so his interest is kept, and she stated that she really doesn't have time. Her day is kept busy by meeting the CSAP standards along with the "No Child Left Behind" criteria set forth by the federal government. So because federal and state programs drive the money & accreditation of a school, my child is going to be pushed along with the rest of the pack.

This very reason is why he hates school. He loves to learn and challenge himself mentally, but hates busywork, and that is what school is all about anymore. Honestly, I can't argue with him.

The Weekend - Redux

So I have posted this earlier on my Tumblr account (which is varangianguard.tumblr.com) but thought I would repost again on this blog. I have been posting mostly on Tumblr, but am going to get back to posting here for the "written word" then just posting random crap on Tumblr. Never fear, all will be linked to my Twitter Feed for easy access.

This weekend, I came to the realization that there are certain days it is very difficult to marry your polar opposite. Usually, the differences are very cute and entertaining which makes our relationship that much more fun. We both think on two completely different wavelengths which can make for some very interesting conversations and decision making. Saturday, however, was the exact opposite of that.

On the way home from our boys' wrestling tournament, Karri told me she almost “Came out of her skin”. Being the ever attentive husband, I asked why. She then explained to me that Dylan went over to the kid he was going to wrestle and asked him not to hurt him when he won. (Seriously, he really did.) She said that after Dylan walked away, the kid leaned over to his parents and said a few words. The parents and child had a good chuckle and that was it.

Karri was super mad because she thought the child and parents were making fun of Dylan by laughing at his expense. This laughing, in her opinion, was very mean spirited and unnecessary. She then wanted me to agree with her, and that is when the disagreement started.

I told her there was nothing at all mean spirited in what happened because the kid didn't make a big production about what Dylan said. The only thing that happened was a quick joke with his parents. I have witnessed kids being very mean, and those children would have gathered the entire team to point and laugh at Dylan for even saying such a thing. No one that has any athletic prowess at all asks the opposition not to hurt them. That is ridiculous. The point in athletics is to determine a winner (or have fun if you are my wife) by competition. Dylan's asking for mercy was quitting before he already started.

Needless to say, it was a pretty uncomfortable afternoon. She was mad at me for not being compassionate for my son, while I was pretty blah about the entire situation. I guess the fact I didn't think there was anything to be compassionate about is what set her off. I believe there was a comment about being a "heartless bastard", but I'm sure she was speaking of someone else.

Besides that, we did go on a great walk together yesterday and everything is hunky dory again. We did almost kill my dog Diamond, but I think the exercise is good for her. I guess we (the dog and I) need to start running again.

Music

I used to be a pretty closed individual when it came to music. For quite a while, I would only listen to numerous Grateful Dead recordings. One may think that this would be a difficult chore, but when you find a website called www.archive.org it becomes a lot easier. This amazing website has live recordings of numerous bands (all legal and approved by each band) for download. Between this site and my own personal discography of the Grateful Dead, I have days worth of listening without repeat (at least of albums...not songs). One day, I decided it was time to expand my musical horizons and began to search different artists. I used a lot of archive.org, but also used YouTube and NPR for a lot of direction. What I found was a lot of fun stuff to listen to. I definitely gravitate towards the folk section of music in general, and I also only listen to entire albums. Sure there are favorite songs that I have, but I don't think you get a good feel musically of an artist until you hear the entire album.

So what are some gems that I have found and really enjoy? My new "favorite" band (the Grateful Dead is always excluded in this conversation) has to be "The David Wax Museum". David Wax reminds me (at least during live performances) of the old Darktown House Band. Not always 100% on pitch, but just a delight to listen to. They have a very distinctive sound. It is an infusion of Mexican and American folk that is really a genre all to itself. If you are looking for a new band to check out, do yourself a favor and find "The David Wax Museum".

If you are looking for something mellow and just easy listening, I like "Andrew Bird". I found this guy by an episode of "Jacks Big Music Show" on Nickelodeon. He performed as Dr. Stringz and was a hoot to listen to. He is big on stringed instruments and whistling. Pretty good lyrics as well.

Those are my latest and greatest that I have been listening to. I also have listened to "Jesus Christ Superstar" quite a bit lately, but that is just a classic. Oh, and Florence + The Machine as well. I just love her voice.

GHG & Basketball

Yesterday was a pretty good day. I was in Denver for all of the morning and the early afternoon at a Greenhouse gas seminar. The highlights were basically what I expected. The folks putting on the seminar new as much as I did about what the new Reporting rule stated...which is not much. This is our government hard at work. Instead of having the section of the government that actually writes regulation for a living do the writing, they had a whole separate branch do it, which has not turned out well. This is not made public because about 90% of America really doesn't care about the regulations and mechanics of a rule, as long as we stop the evil Green House Gases from causing global warming. (Which is a giant farce - it is called the cycle of nature, but what do I know?) So the reporting deadline is approaching and I still have no idea how I am supposed to report the data that is required. Fun Stuff in Adamland!

After the seminar, the family took off to beautiful Lodgepoll, NE to watch one of Karri's nephews "play basketball". I put that in quotes because it was horrific. At one point, instead of dribbling the ball around a guy, he just put his shoulder down, threw a forearm, and ran over a guy. So by saying it was horrific, it was in a fun way. I actually really enjoyed myself. Nothing like watching a Jr. High B-Team rock the B Ball court. The highlight was on the way out when we say this guy..

.

When Isaac say this guy, he runs to him and yells, "Uncle Matt!" Yeah, it was pretty awesome. Guess who has a new photo on my phone when he calls?

Anyway, that is the highlights of yesterday, tonight I head out to an Avalanche game, which should be a good time.

The Weekend

Our original plans for the weekend were to head to Elsie so we could watch Karri's nephew wrestle at an invitational. Those plans were disrupted when Natalie decided to puke early Friday morning. She got to stay home from school and we decided to stay home for the weekend, which ended up being a good thing.

Saturday was spent cleaning out the garage so Karri could actually park the Armada in it. (My truck is still outside because we still have enough crap to fill the outsides of the garage about 4' wide on all sides. Way to much crap and not enough storage room.) We also learned that the Grant team (the team Karri's nephew wrestles for) got about an hour down the road and turned around, not making it to the tournament. We would have been in Elsie for no reason, so life handed us a favor I guess.

Sunday was football day. We went to church in the morning, then got ready for the Bears vs Packers for the NFC Championship. It turns out, we were ready but the Bears were not. The O-Line couldn't stop anything, Cutler played like crap for the entire first half, then decided to quit on the team the second half. Then our 3rd string QB decided to bring the Bears back into the game a little too late. The Pack dominated and get to go to the Superbowl. After the game, Karri and I went for a little walk, then headed to Graffs for dinner and socializing.

No pictures this week (because I completely forgot to take them). 

This Weekend in Pictures

So I have decided to try a new thought here on the blog called "This Weekend in Pictures". It is pretty self explanatory on what it is. So without further ado....

Matt, Shae, and Miles came to town this weekend for Isaac's 3rd Birthday.

Matt is bringing out his inner warrior.

Shae is super excited about the Miss America pageant!

Miles is about ready to bring the hammer to Cole.

Here is Dad, also very excited for the Miss America Pageant

And Mom, prior to Miss America

I guess I should mention at this point, Miss Nebraska actually won Miss America for the first time EVER! Karri is very excited (as seen below) because now when she, Karla, and Natalie go to the Miss Nebraska pageant, the actual Miss America is going to be the one M.C.ing it. (At least Karri is excited)

Karri, just exuberant with Joy after the victory!

Even Diamond got into the spirit.

That is it for the first ever "This Weekend in Pictures". Share your thoughts on formatting and I will think on how to make it better (like it can get any worse)