I Want My Money Back......

Tonight I had the pleasure of going to see the Gopher vs. Iowa Hawkeyes game. This is the last Gopher game at the Metrodome.

The Gophers played a good first quarter on defense, but the offense did nothing all night. The game ended with a 55-0 Hawkeye victory.

I don't know what we are paying the head coach, but I want our money back. Last year we went 1-11, and this year we got up to seven wins, and then we have lost the last four in a row.

Our offense was non-existent.

The only hightlight of the game was meeting Matthew and John Steinbergs - who sat right behind us.

I can't wait to read the paper tomorrow. I hope they skewer the head coach. I can't believe we are paying this bozo millions to coach our time.

55-0.

Peace.

I Don't Understand...

The beer bong.

I just don't get it. I completely get the idea of getting tuned up. Great fun - if done in moderation.





On the right the woman is struggling to keep from spilling beer all over herself. Not my idea of a good time - but a number of people gave this a try at the Packer-Colts game.

Seems to me this is a waste of a good beer and a good buzz. After all, the quicker it goes down, the quicker it comes back up....

Cheers.

One Week in a Minnesota Fall

At the start of last weekend it was warm and a great time to rake up the last of the leaves. In the background the rose garden is still up and there are leaves everywhere.


This is one week later. The roses are buried and covered with leaves. The snow didn't stay long - but the cats were bummed.

Here the local power company is replacing a power pole that is leaning to the north quite noticeably. What wonderful people to work in the dark so that we got power back in the middle of the night.


This is a poor picture. You can't tell from this shot, but this tree was also topped by the storm. Limbs and branches from the top half of the tree are everywhere.

I am looking south here. There used to be a fence where I am standing, but it blew down. Across the yard, and the drooping power lines, on the other side of the fence is the bottom half of a tree that was topped by the storm.

A "micro-burst" came through our neighborhood on Thursday at around 11:30 a.m. This storm was most unusual because the wind was from the south. Most of the time our storm winds come from the west or northwest.

Roll, Tide, Roll....

Pennsylvania,
Ohio,
Virginia,
Florida
"Oh, the times they are a changing".

"Now Its My Turn" - Muhammad Ali

This morning as I walked out the door, empty stomach, and headed to the polling place at 6:20 a.m., I was so excited. I have kept thinking of Muhammad Ali's fight with George Foreman in Zaire. Everyone thought that Foreman would crush Ali, but the Ali camp loosened the ropes and Ali used the now famous "Rope-a-Dope" plan and let Foreman punch himself out. At some point in the fight (I think the fifth or maybe the eighth round) Ali looks at a gassed Foreman and says, "Now its my turn."

As I walk into the polling place and see my former neighbor, a former head of the Republican Party in Minnesota, all I could think is "Now its our turn." I was tempted to go over and say something, but that would be the kind of partisan crap that we are trying to put behind us.

Around 7:00 p.m, Minnesota time, the networks called Pennsylvania as going to Obama. That is fairly early in the evening for such an important state to be called. And then, at 8:37 p.m. the networks called Ohio has having gone in the Obama column. That is it. Its a done deal.

*****

Listening to the pundits tonight I learned something new. Obama had such a machine that he didn't have to call in huge favors with this victory. He comes to Washington as more of a free-agent compared with other winners in the past. Secondly, lots of Representatives are going to owe the Obama machine their victory. So Obama comes to town with a clean slate - he hasn't had to promise cabinet posts in order to get elected, and he has people who owe him their political lives. Boy this looks good for getting some things done.

One can only hope.

"That one" - Excuse Me...

Senator John McCain crossed the line last night in Nashville. In debating about the difference in energy policies, Senator McCain referred to Senator Obama as "that one". This is exactly what is wrong with our political system. Gone are the days when you could have a heated debate about a topic, but you treated the office with respect. The "that one" comment reminds me of the partisan crap that grinds our legislative process to a screeching halt.

Senator McCain is coming across as an increasingly desperate old man, who will do anything to get elected president. I don't want another angry frat boy for president. We can't afford to have another man prove how tough he is by trying to be a bully as president.

I also have to say that Senator McCain's comment strikes me as racist. The Obama people can't say that - but I am a white man - and let's call it for what it was -- a race baiting hateful remark.

I have lost all respect for Senator McCain.

I voting for "that one".

This is Exciting.

On Friday I stopped by the Art room to check in with my daughter's art teacher. It was Parent/Teacher conferences, so I wasn't being a pain...

They were watching a video on YouTube about drawing and water colors. I was hooked. The artwork grabbed me. It is just the sort of thing that I hope to do. Wow was this exciting. (http://dannygregory.blip.tv/#757971) This isn't the video I saw, but it gets the idea across.

I started tonight. I am jazzed. Who knows where this will go. Great fun.

Wow. Who would have thought...

Our beloved Minnesota Twins lost tonight 1-0 in a playoff game in Chicago. While I am disappointed that we lost, wow does our future look bright. We have first or second year players at second, left, center, and right (or a fourth outfielder) and three or four starting pitchers. I can't wait until next year. I think the Twins are going to be very good for a number of years to come.

Nick Blackburn pitched a great game tonight. Jim Thome hit a mistake and that is the difference in the game. I don't think the White Sox will go far. I look for them to lose the series in four games to the Tampa Bay Rays. I think the White Sox pitching will tire, their defense is poor (their outfielders never adjust to different batters), and they don't take the extra base because they are so old and slow.

Our future is bright and next year we get to watch games in a real baseball park. Go Twins.

Pam

Our wonderful neighbor died yesterday morning (September 22, 2008) after a long battle with cancer.

I will miss Pam a great deal. She stayed connected with everyone in the neighborhood, and she help raise two wonderful boys. If the most social responsible thing you can do is raise great kids, then Pam is tremendous activist.

Pam would give me the key to my house when I locked myself out (a once a month occurrence during the summer months).

We will all miss Pam a great deal.

Godspeed Pam.

Woodpeckers, Beer, and a Long Good-bye

This weekend was delightfully warm. Our dead elm tree has become a haven for the local woodpeckers. Both Hairy and Downy woodpeckers are feasting. Shortly after taking this picture, four more woodpeckers joined the fun.

While I was shooting woodpeckers (with a camera) my neighbor came to tell me that his wife was in hospice care. He was very reassuring that this was a good thing, but that news was unsettling to say the least. Thirty-eight year old mothers aren't supposed to die of cancer and leave behind two young boys. The boys will be okay, because their father is great, but it is a rotten deal for Pam and for the family.

Later that evening, Karyl and I went out on our weekly date. We went to Saint Anthony Main and had a beautiful dinner outside and watched everyone else take pictures while we ate. The black-haired woman on the park bench who was posing for God-only-knows was entertaining.

In the course of a lovely evening I had a couple of beers and then came home and retired early in the evening. As fate would have it, I didn't have a restful night's sleep. I wonder how much was the day's news and how much was the beer....

As the weekend closes down, I sort of feel like I let this one get away from me. I worked with Paul on the bathroom project both mornings, and I did some reading about assessment, and I have some plans for the week, put I don't have that sense of great accomplishment that I would like to have.

Sigh.

So Hillary, What's it Going to Be?

The conventions are over, the bouncing is done, and its time for the main event.

My question is, how will Senator Clinton weigh in on the Sarah Palin issue. I see Hillary as being uniquely qualified to go after Sarah Palin and hold Palin's feet to the fire. As the number one woman in the Democratic Party, Senator Clinton can speak to the Palin issue without being accused of being unfair, misogynistic, or having a double-standard.

So, what is it going to be? Is Senator Clinton going to step up, be a team player, and help Obama, or is she going to give McCain and Palin a pass, with the hope that she, Clinton can run in 2012.

We are all watching.

Really?

As I finished my dessert this evening I tuned in the Republican convention. I joined in time to hear Michael Williams, who if I heard correctly, is a railroad commissioner or executive from Texas. Mr. Williams was very articulate in expressing his support for John McCain, but the overwhelming feeling I had was that the Republicans picked Mr. Williams to speak because he is African-American -- any port in the storm to discredit the Obama campaign.

My sense of Republican desperation was enhanced when the next gentleman, a leader from Puerto Rico, proposed that American be energy independent by 2025. I like the goal, but the date seems a bit out there -- is that really the best for which we can hope?

******

I did like a commentator, who I believe was a Republican Senator, who spoke on PBS about how the Republicans need to get back to fiscal responsibility. The man was gracious, but direct in stating how very disappointing the last eight years have been because the lack of fiscal discretion. How very refreshing to hear someone discuss that we can keep spending money like a drunken sailor.

******

I am watching the Republican Convention on PBS. Can they fit any more white people in that room?

Another shot. They have labeled the Obama campaign as "politically correct" and that we should put our country first, and "political correctness" second.

Lost in Paradise...er, Portland

Last week Karyl and I dropped off Erik at Lewis and Clark. This was a bipolar event for me. On the one hand I was trying to see my son off gracefully, and on the other I was quite happy to wander around downtown Portland and sigh deeply. The weather was wonderful; Mt. Hood watched from a distance as we toured the campus.

I kept having to remind myself that Erik is going to be fine. We are dropping him off at a beautiful liberal arts college, not shipping him off to Fallujah. Still, it was a bit off a tough time trying to walk the line between being helpful and being a pain in the butt.

********

Whenever I visit Portland, I seem to fall in love, and I don't know why. I suspect that my affections for Portland are based largely on having lived there when I was 18- 22 - and so by power of association, I find the city so alluring. But then, how can you not fall in love with a city that has a salmon going through a building (on the same street as a great independent guitar store --"Pioneer Guitar").




Even the manhole covers grab at my heart. They have roses in the middle.






As we walked around there were all sorts of architectural wonders that caught our eye. The building to the right has great arches and the view out our hotel window reminded me of Harry Potter -- with its wide variety of characters with mythical powers.








We felt safe in our hotel room with lions and cupids supervising the coming and goings on the street below.









One morning Karyl was kind enough to humor me and walk to Stumptown coffee for a morning beverage. Here is the view from the inside looking out. If you can block out the fact that one is hemorrhaging cash, there is nothing like traveling. A leisurely morning walk through the crisp air, only to be greeted by a latte that is a work of art.




As we left Stumptown, I couldn't help but get a shot of this work of art. The front tire needs a little TLC, but was a gem. I love that Portland is such a biking town. I love that it rains there a ton and it is still the number one city for bicycling in the US. That is powerful. Karyl was very patient as my head would snap back and forth looking at all the different bikes that went hither and yon.



Much about Portland has changed, but the Outdoor Store still hangs on. Sigh.

Fiona Hits Campus

I am blessed to teach with one of the all time greats. Here, my colleague, Mary Jane, welcomes here first grand child - to the world. Fiona was born Friday, 28 August and everyone seems to be doing well. I just can't imagine a happier picture. Welcome Fiona!

Darwin Award Winners

This photograph is from today's New York Times. This is the levee at Industrial Street in New Orleans where Hurricane Gustav is blowing water over the top of the levee.

I can't believe that anyone would walk on the other side of a wall where the wind was pounding water. These two people are either very trusting or as dumb as a sack of hammers. Unbelievable.

What are they doing? Looking for lost quarters?
If the wall were to let go, these two would be found somewhere in the next county....

Peace

Here I am on the sofa, listening to a rare gentle rain, with the faint sound of an asthmatic cat wheezing through a mid-morning nap. What a wonderful start to the day.

Time to crack open a history book and dig in.

Texas Gains A Star...

This morning we said, "See you later" to Rachel. She and Sarah have packed up and they are moving down to San Antonio, where Rachel will begin college this fall.

We have been blessed with having Rachel be a part of our family for the last three years. As we move into this new chapter of our lives, we do so with a boatload of wonderful memories from our time together. There was the solo in front of everyone in Chapel after having the chaplain mention her by name. There were all the great plays, and songs in the musicals that were executed so effortlessly. What a star. There was the time she stopped Erik from frying pancakes with vinegar -- what a great laugh.

This isn't "good-bye", this is a definite, "We will see you later." Thank you very much for all the love you shared with our family. We will definitely miss you. Take care, good luck, we are with you.

No Trouble in Paradise

Last week my lovely sister, Gaylord, was married to the wonderful, Jon Young, in Bermuda. The weather was great, the wedding went smoothly, the parties were memorable, and the snorkeling was other worldly.


Gaylord hams it up during the rehearsal on Friday night.




Here Winston, Gaylord, and I are trying to figure out how to walk Gaylord down the isle. I believe I am suggesting that we drag her down the isle. Wow, this was great fun.




This is Erik at dinner. He is having a "chocolate monkey" during dinner. This is one of many drinks that seemed to go Erik's way that evening. Eventually he earned the name, "Mattress Man" from the bartender (I wasn't there, but this is according to the legend). You can tell Erik is on his way as he is already a bit out of focus here.

Here we are walking to lunch on Saturday. The weather was rainy and wet for the first part of the day, but thankfully it cleared up for a great wedding ceremony during the evening.





This is the island where we found the best snorkeling. Parrot fish, silver fish with black spots near the tail and bumble-bee striped fish were easily found in these waters. On Sunday or Monday, one of Gaylord's friends cut his foot badly snorkeling in this area.

I understand this involved a trip to the local hospital. The ironic part is this person is one of the most nervous snorkelers and he writes a blog from the perspective of a shark. Too funny.

A Slow Death on I-90...

Never again will I drive down I-90 on the way to Chicago. Of any place I have every driven the traffic between Rockford and Chicago is insane. We missed most of Maura and Grace's opening because we were stuck in traffic, and we left Minneapolis at 8:12 a.m. Brutal. Absolutely no sense to it at all.

Despite the horrible drive in, downtown Chicago is beautiful and worthy of another look. The light was great. I loved the flowers in Grant Park and the beautiful buildings downtown. Great stuff. I would have liked to hit a pizza joint and had some famous Chicago style za, but next time.

Brother Elm Takes A Turn...

In our front yard, on the boulevard, we have a huge elm tree. In the last two to three weeks, it has started to die, and not slowly. We don't know what has caused this, but here are some of the theories....

A) Maura is out of town and so the tree has not had forty minutes drinks of water each day.

B) Three weeks ago, Paul and I melted the lead out of one of the old iron pipes and we wonder if somehow the chemical residue from that pipe exchange has released toxins that killed our friend the tree.

C) Dutch-Elm disease. The argument against this theory is that we have watched many trees in the area go, and they seem to drift off slowly, not just wilt and have the leaves fall off...

D) Heart Attack - Don't really know the rationale behind this theory.

It is sad. Presumably they will come tell us the tree is sick and then at some point the tree will be cut down and instead of living in a nice tree alley, we will be back to a boring front yard with a lot more morning sun. On the other hand, if a storm ever came from the east, we now don't have to worry about the tree crushing the house.

After living here sixteen years, it is sad to see an old friend go. Sigh.

Back from Clifton

Erik arrived back from Clifton, Ireland this afternoon. He has been up for almost a day, but you wouldn't know it in looking at him. He seems to have had a great time, and he still is close friends with Brooks, who was gracious enough to invite Erik.

We haven't heard all the details but there seems to be a few stories about ordering a Guinness, something about cider and pitching dried bog chunks with Martin and his family. Too much, too much. All seems to have gone well, with the exception of a death of a small camera.

The only downside is that something seems to have changed with Erik's relationship with Rachel. She came over tonight after work and she left after a couple of hours. Erik was in tears when she left. That isn't great timing, but I suppose Rachel couldn't wait any longer, and with both of them heading in separate ways in a month, perhaps this will be a chance for a fresh start for everyone. Who knows what is involved...I don't know the whole story.

So with all of the that, I turn, once again to music. I have "Big Country" by the Flecktones humming along in the background to help me make sense of all of this.

Erik shared some quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald - something along the lines of being gracious and not attributing the worst to others and giving situations the benefit of the doubt. That is a game plan that serves me well as I struggle to get a handle of my educational future with a new Head of School and Director of the Middle School. What things do I control? Then those are the aspects of my life that I am going to work on developing. Perhaps my sense of community moves in a bit--I don't know. I shouldn't judge things before they have a chance to get started.

Bill Disappears.....

I was disappointed to hear through the grapevine that Bill has been fired. Apparently he missed a day of work and didn't phone in to let someone know that he wasn't coming in to work. I would guess that there was more to it than that, but I wouldn't have fired the guy. He was organized and he seemed to work hard when he was on the job. Sigh....

What makes it even harder for me is that I have a sense that Bill lives pretty close to the financial edge. I don't know any particulars, but of all the guys to cashier Bill and his family seemed closest to the edge.

Somehow this just seems like a meaner world when stuff like this happens....Where is the attempt to work with people?

Rotoworld...

Yesterday morning I was reading "Player News" from the Rotoworld.com website for Major League Baseball. I love the editorial comments that come with the news. For example, ripping the Mets for firing Willie Randolph at 3:18 a.m. Seems like an odd time to fire a manager. Jack Morris says that the guy on the bench who stays is the "spy" for the general manager. In this case that would make Jerry Manuel the spy for the Mets. Rotoworld wondered how he would handle managing the Mets after doing poorly at managing the White Sox recently.... We shall see.

Rotoworld also ripped the Mariners for moving Itchiro Suzuki from center field, where he has won a gold glove, back to right field. This move is even more puzzling when you consider that Willie Bloomquist was scheduled to start in center. The Mariners aren't very deep in outfielders if that is there best option. Bill Bavasi was fired as general manager after a four year stint with the Mariners. They need to build a farm system and quit trying to buy their way into the playoffs.

I will be interested to see if Rotoworld's criticisms bear out over time.

"Pal, go get 'em" - Tim Russet

Yesterday I was shocked to learn that Tim Russert had died while at work at NBC. Mr. Russert was 58.

Tim Russert is a cherished member of the Fourth Estate. His willingness to grill his guests in a polite fashion will be greatly missed. I feel as if one of the trusted guards of the political machinations in Washington is gone, and who is watching the post now?

Mr. Russert is the prototypical story of the American dream. His father worked two full time jobs (delivering newspapers and working for the Sanitation department in South Buffalo, NY) and yet Tim rose to top in his field. The Sunday morning news magazine, "Meet the Press" was high rated, and Mr. Russert had been the host of the show since 1994 (I believe).

I liked the fact that Tim Russert didn't seem to be like Stone Phillips, Brian Williams, etc....someone who looks good in front of a camera. Russert did look more like an average guy, albeit, a very bright average guy. His energy for politics was palpable.

And then there is 58. Ouch. That is way too close.

So as Hunter Thompson once wrote, the circle is closed in by one. We all come together knowing that the members of the brotherhood are shorter by one very large man.

Tim, thanks for the ride.

Bela and Victor kick some serious butt...

Yesterday while I was writing "thank you" notes I listened to music on "You Tube". I stumbled upon Victor Wooten playing "Amazing Grace" on the bass and it was amazing. Then I discovered Mr. Wooten is part of the group Bela and the Flecktones. I had a great time listening to their music while I tried to write. I found the music very powerful and energizing.

Here is a link to "Big Country". Enjoy.

Notes from the Ground Floor...

Last night I was in the local Apple store for awhile (longer than I had hoped). During my stay a former faculty member wandered into the store and claimed her children, whom I gather she left there while she went shopping down the hall. Somehow I found all of this upsetting, as in, can't-sleep-at-night type upsetting.

I don't know why this person always puts me over the top. I would like to think that I could be compassionate to someone who is clearly struggling in her/his own personal life. I don't seem to feel any such compassion. This makes me think that the person in question has certain qualities that I don't like in myself and that is why I have no time for her/his constant screw-ups and struggles.

The photo here is of someone with the same name, but this isn't the lost soul formerly of Breck.

The High, the Low, and the Undecided

The High:
This week in one day I experienced one of the great joys of teaching. A student who was reluctant to take chances in an adventure-learning class. Something happened in the last ten days and all of a sudden, this young lady started to take risks. Here she is jumping off the pamper pole last Friday. I just doesn't get any better than that as a teacher. That's the high.

The Low:
The same day that a student made a great leap forward, I found out that a colleague of mine is struggling. He seems to have lost his ability to solve problems. I don't know how well this has been going on, perhaps this is not new. None-the-less all is not well. I worry that this man may go the way of Brad Randall, another former colleague who suffered from depression and ended up taking his own life.

The Uncertain:
Yesterday I also learned that I will have a new boss next year. I don't know what this means. Will we have a vision as a community, or will it be sameo, sameo. I am sorry that my colleague Becky Farber has to end a great teaching career being shown the door. The guess is that the job was offered to someone outside, and that is why it has taken the school so long to make a decision. The speculation is that we were turned down and that the current choice was the number two man, but who really knows. It doesn't matter. What matters is that there is a new man on campus.

May is here...

Finally, life is beginning to slow down a bit. This week my class at the U. ends, and baseball ends on Saturday. It is nice to have time to attend to school work a bit more.

The kids are taking finals and they are beginning to wind down.

The weather is the only part that doesn't seem like it is nearing the end of the year. Today it was rainy and 49° at baseball practice. Not so nice.

Better times are coming...

70° and Sunny....

The sun made a personal appearance this afternoon, much to the delight of everyone in the Twin Cities. This was a nice ending to a pretty good weekend.

This week promises to be interesting on a number of fronts. My son should find out which college he will be attending and my father has his last week of work, not by his choosing. It sort of odd that the synchronicity of one man starting out as another man is being shown the door. Hmmm....I love you Dad. I am sorry that fifty years of preaching ends this way...

Another step on the Adios Tour - LuAnn Wagener

I had my first difficult day at work. With the sun, we were very busy, and one of my co-workers interrupted my work to get his stuff done. I need to process this event with him at a later date. It wasn't done well.

My loving wife is getting over a terrible cold. She has been shut down with bad headaches the last few days. I hope her recovery continues to move forward. I am sure that good weather helped a bit...

Ten Thousand Hawks and No Camera....Whose in Charge Here?

This morning we had our interview and tour at OWU. Great school. Perfect for me, probably a number three draft choice for my son.

We drove for a kazillion hours and arrived here in Galesburg, Illinois. Dinner at the House of Pizza and dessert next door at Kadij's (or something) with the beautiful baristas.

Unfortunately, I forgot to recharge the camera, so we don't have pictures of the ten thousand miles of vacant corn fields that we passed. We did see a few amusing signs, "Jesus is Real" and "Where will you spend eternity?" There were also lots of signs from the "Guns Save Lives.com" folks.

The highlight of the day, other than getting here without hitting anyone (sorry to the guy in the green Land Rover - "Didn't see ya dude") or without getting hit by anyone (a shout out to the four old ladies in the huge blue car in the McDonalds parking lot who just about drilled us) was seeing lots of birds of prey. Unlike yesterday's vultures, more of these seemed to be hawks. Too bad the camera was out for the day.

Time to shower and work or sleep... More later...

Too Many 18 Wheelers...

It is late. I am tired. Here are the shots from today.