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)

Snow and Driving

I don't know what it is, but I sure love to drive in the snow. I guess it isn't really the driving I enjoy so much, but more like the stomping on the gas when turning corners and trying to get 360 Degrees around before continuing my journey. I also really like to drift around corners then gain control before smacking the curb or going into the ditch. It is probably a good thing that it has only really snowed once this season in baron Brush so I don't wreck my truck.

On a completely unrelated note, I am becoming a really big fan of the David Wax Museum. They are an amazing band that I just can't get enough of. I found them when my NPR podcast downloaded a "Tiny Desk Concert". I immediately thought of a band called the Darktown House Band, except the David Wax Museum is still around and they have a Mexican folk band feel. Just really good stuff. This is just another reason why I love NPR.

Other then that, Matt, Shae and Miles are heading our way for the weekend; along with Mom and Dad. They are coming to celebrate Isaac's third birthday. Should be fun. I'm sure stories will follow on Monday.

Oops

Yesterday I come home from Denver and notice my wife is pretty ho-hum about the day. Not very talkative, doesn't seem very excited about life, and just generally blah. She left to go to a bible study and I just figured she wasn't all that excited about going with it being so cold out, so I let it go at that. I plugged in my iPod and jammed to some tunes while cleaning up the house and kind of forgot all about it. While giving the kids a bath, Karri came back in her same mood. She then begins to tell me why she is so bleh. Yesterday was Kelli's deatheversary. Four years ago yesterday was the day her sister died. I guess some people must mark this day on the calendar, because my darling wife told me that she received calls from all sorts of friends to console her on this tragic day. I didn't get the memo that you are supposed to "celebrate" deatheversaries, so I put it on my calendar. Next year, my wife will get a flower to know I was thinking of her on the day her sister died.

I also need to get a new office. I forgot how awesome it was to not hear of complaining all day. Perhaps I should put a moving day on my calendar and invite my boss to join in.

Here I sit...

I am currently here in Centennial, CO working with the Environmental group to get all of our reporting complete. I am always amazed at the differences between each state requirements. Our plant in CA has to be the absolute worst as far as regulations, and because of the plant location, he has to deal with SCAQMD which is the most stringent regulatory agency in the United States. The runner up is our guy from Montana which deals with the MDEQ. They are not as picked as South Coast, but they still nitpick every report and require a lot more. I get to be in beautiful Colorado, where reporting is still VERY easy and pretty straight forward. To put it in perspective, my CA friend has 2 stacks to report on and he is not even close to complete. My buddy in MT has only 1 stack to report on (it is a coal unit) and he is about done. I have 7 stacks to report on and have not only my EPA reports complete, but all of my state stuff done as well. The only thing left is Greenhouse Gas reporting, which I can't do because I have to wait for my corporate folks to get their acts together. I say it a lot, but I am living the dream.

A weekend home

The weekend was good. It could have been the first weekend in a month where we didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go. Saturday I took advantage of this fact and actually got some things done around the house. I put up shelves in about every room where a child resides. I also cleaned up the basement area (while putting up my Bears pictures & paraphernalia) along with the pool cue rack. (Which the kids ripped out of the wall on Sunday...pretty excited about patching that giant hole). I also thought ahead so any activity that was in the basement I put off until the afternoon so I could watch football. The football portion of the weekend was not so great, every team (except the Packers) I cheered for lost. That pretty much sucked. Sunday came along and Karri and I had a great day of sitting around while watching movies and hanging with the kids. Then we went to church and we met a friend and his son. They invited themselves over for lunch, then didn't leave until 9:00 PM! So much for family time. Usually this would not bother me at all, but because it was our first weekend together for so long, I was a bit annoyed. I tried to drop hints that perhaps he should leave, but they didn't work. Did it ruin the weekend...of course not. I still had a great weekend, but I have to complain about something. Oh Well.

Can we learn from history?

On my way in to work today, I listened to the story of how two people (Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter) began to start at the University of Georgia 50 years ago. The big deal was that the two mentioned people were black and were the first two black students ever to attend UGA. So on NPR, I listed to the story of Charlayne and what her first days at school were like. I listed to stories of people being just plain ugly. I then began to get angry. What is wrong with us as a people, that we would discriminate based solely on the color of someones skin? Why is different always bad? I live in podunk Colorado, and still have to put up with people like this all the time. Some days I ask why they hate and usually get an answer about being lazy or some other generality. I point out that if "they" are all lazy, then "we" (living in Brush, CO) are probably all inbread and only have 2 teeth. This is normally when one of us in the conversation gets up and leaves. I actually look forward to the day when there are no such things as black people anymore, just people.

This thought then made me think about the current time. 50 years from now, are we going to look back at gay people the same way. The way that current mainstream America hates gay folks and doesn't want them to have any rights that we as a nation take for granted? In 50 years, will there even be an issue on if a marriage certificate is being issued, there is even a sex box to fill in? In 50 years, will my grandkids (or great-grandkids) be thinking about how their grandfathers generation were close minded people that were scared of something different? It is funny to think about things this way, but will we as a nation, actually learn from history or continue to fight the inevitable?

Hello New Year!

Well, I guess 2011 is here. I just got back from the most enjoyable visit to my parents house that I have had for years. It was a completely relaxing, stress free visit. I can't remember the last time that has happened. We celebrated New Years by playing games with the older kids and just visiting. We also celebrated Christmas with the folks. Although Mark pretty much won "the best gift of the year" award by giving Dad an autographed Husker football, Karri and I did win the "most useful" award by providing them a gift card to the bowling alley. As far as gifts go, Mom and Dad went down my Amazon wishlist and I received all kinds of goodies. A new British Army knife (way more heavy duty than the Swiss version), the Jesus Christ Superstar CD, some biker socks, an Amazon gift card, Husker floor mats....all in all a great haul. Dad, Mark, Dylan & I took Cole to a Husker basketball game as well. We sat as close to the floor as you could get and had a fantastic time. Cole was scared to death of Herbie Husker for a while until he snuck up on him and shook his hand. Then he wasn't quite as scary anymore. Before the handshake, Cole did spend a couple minutes trying to climb behind me and Dad to hide from Herbie. I chuckled.

I am not setting any personal goals for 2011. I just want to become a better husband, father, and person. Pretty much what I strive for all the time, so no reason to write that down. I do want to get skinnier and get my eating back under control. It is 9:30 right now, and I am starving. I guess a couple weeks of binge eating doesn't do well for my hunger pains. I can understand how I gained 13 pounds in two weeks. Funny when you look at it that way. This is how fat people stay fat.

So, welcome new year...I'm looking forward to some good times together.