Aqua-Girl

Caroline has joined the swim team at her high school.  They compete against other private HSs around the area.  So far, she has swum the 50m freestyle, the 100m freestyle, and a freestyle relay.  She's pretty fast in the sprint, and competes well in the 100.

Minor Surgery for David

I bet most readers of this journal already know this, but David recently had some minor surgery done.  He had the tear duct in his left eye unblocked.  Fortunately, it was of the simplest solution - a quick clearing out of a small membrane, no cutting or tubes or complicated procedures.  Doctor was over & done within a half-hour, catching Julie and me off-guard grabbing a quick (but not quick enough) breakfast in the hospital cafeteria.

We left the hospital by noon, and by the time i got home from work, David was running around like normal.  The only tough part for his mom & dad was watching him get wheeled off without us by his side.

We thank everyone for their prayers and concerns.

Marvin vs. Terrell

In my brother's blog, he wrote a recent post about the relative performance of Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens, two superstar wide receivers in the NFL.  This is my arena, my wheelhouse, so i decided to look deeper into the numbers. 

The crux of his argument was that the two WRs have played for different types of offenses.  But are those differences more than nominal?  He claimed that Owens' teams threw more to their RBs and TEs, a claim easily checked, but only by dorks like me.  In their 10+ seasons, here's what i found:

Marvin's teams averaged only 2% more passing attempts, generating 5% more pass completions and 7% more passing yards.  And it was true that the RBs/TEs were less involved on Harrison's teams, but only to the tune of 5% less.  If that was close to the margin of difference between the two players' statistics, I'd say The Calvinator has a point.  Instead, Harrison has logged a whopping 27% more receptions than TO, and 16% more receiving yards.

So, not even counting the possibility that Marvin's team threw to their WRs more because of Marvin, and certainly not even counting the turmoil that seems to follow TO, this is a no-brainer.  Marvin has had the better career.

Earthquake!

This past week, Winston-Salem was hit by some earthquakes.  The first happened in the middle of the night Tuesday.  It woke me up.  My immediate thought was that this was what i expected an earthquake to feel like, but i dismissed that notion and figured it was just one of those big-sky thunder-rumbles you hear.  The long, rolling percussive effect when thunder seems to be taking up the entire sky.  We were expecting rain that night, so it had to be thunder.

I was back asleep within seconds, and would not have even remembered the episode.  Didn't give it another thought until Julie asked me later that afternoon if i knew that we had an earthquake.  So i was right!  Must have been an instinctive notion, my sub-conscious discerning that the rumble was from the ground up, not from the sky down.

It only measured 2.8 on richter, so my west coast friends may scoff.  These are noted only for their novelty, not for their impact.  No damage at the house, but there was reported damage at the mall stores.

Later that day, in primetime, we felt another rumble, also a 2.8.  It freaked out the kids, and they didn't want to be upstairs by themselves.

Emily's Wish List

A couple of mornings ago, Julie & i found this list posted to our bedroom door, on a large yellow post-it note, with a red sharpie title of "My Wish List" and in black sharpie, a numbered list of things she apparently wants for Christmas and/or birthday.  I post as is for your amusement, not as a shopping guide for relatives.  I provide links for greater understanding.

My Wish List

1.  heelys

2.  gift card to clars

3.  gift card to limited 2

4.  Grap altoy's

5.  15 dollers

6.  Purple & Green walls

7.  gift card to bilda bear

8.  Jump rope

9.  Goody outfit

10.  dream Life

11.  New shose

12.  tiger electronic

She closed with a big heart symbol at the bottom.  To my knowledge, Emily has not said a single word about her list to Julie, and i know she hasn't said anything to me about it. 

Camping with Jackson

Jackson has joined the Cub Scouts, as an entry-level Tiger Cub, in Pack 942 hosted by Calvary Baptist.  Last weekend, they had a Parent/Son Camporee out at Raven Knob, the Boy Scout campground for this area.  We caravaned out there on a gloomy Saturday morning, with the threat of all-day rain, nippy temps, and a brisk October wind ahead of us.  Being novice campers, Jackson & i were especially worried.  Well, Dad was worried, but the Tiger Cub could only think of all the fun he would have with his fellow Tiger Cub pals.

Everyone set up camp, pitching their tents on whatever flat plot of land you could find.  Saturday ended up being a wonderful day of good weather and lots of fun activities for the kids.  The Tiger den went on a hike through the woods and the mud.  They made terrariums (little flower squares in a sawed-off 2-liter soda bottle) for their moms.  We did the kangaroo hop (a sack race).  Jack did the indoor climbing wall, and did it well.  Then he got to shoot a BB gun for the first time.  Two hits on the target out of five shots.

Back at camp, the scoutmasters cooked chili and peach cobbler for dinner, then we went back to assembly at the big ampitheater for fun & awards & such.  Before it started, they piped music over the speakers, and when Macarena came on, a bunch of kids, including Jackson, ran down to the front lawn to dance around.  They kept dancing through several more songs, including YMCA and Sweet Home Alabama.  It was quite funny to watch a frenetic lawn-full of white, suburban little boys attempt all the dance moves they've seen on TV.  The running man, the robot, the Charlie Chaplin, hip-hop freak moves, etc.

After a campfire with s'mores, we all retired to our tents.  Before midnight, the rains finally came.  And they came and came all night long.  Heavy, torrential rain.  At least that's how it sounds under a small tent, with a tiny rain flap.  It didn't take much rain before i realized that our tent was leaking.  After that, i couldn't get much sleep, worried about disaster.  Water was seeping in along the walls where our gear was touchingthe sides, along the zippered front whereour heads/pillows lay.  Jack's pillow was wet.  The bottom foot or so of my sleeping bag was soaked, causing me to lay in a fetal position all night.  Please God, we pleaded, let the rain stop.

I was so proud of Jackson, because he never complained.  Not once.  I know his pillow was wet, and he had to be uncomfortable, and i kept expecting him to whine, but he never did.  It wasn't until he got up and found all of his clothes were soaked that he got upset.  We had to just pack up and go home, skipping the Sunday morning Vespers service, because the Scouts were supposed to wear their uniforms and Jackson was stuck in his pajamas.  Plus, i was just exhausted and frustrated by it all.

On the drive home, we heard the song "Praise You in This Storm", by Casting Crowns.  I know it's about a metaphorical storm and not a literal one, but we thought it sounded like our theme song of the day. 

"I was sure by now that you would have reached down, and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.  But once again, I say "amen", and it's still raining."

Jackson probably summed it up best, when he remarked sweetly and without an ounce of sarcasm, "that's OK, it's not like it's the end of the world."

Jackson in 1st Grade

This is the school photo for Jackson in 1st grade. I'll add the others when i can find them. Emily had to re-take hers, so we don't have it yet. Caroline's is around here somewhere, but she's not here to help me find it.

Photos of the new A4

Finally Got a New Ride

After more than 9 years with the Sebring convertible, i finally decided on a new car.  Well, new to me anyway.  Got a 2003 Audi A4 Cabriolet (i guess that's German for convertible) from a dealer down in Charlotte that specializes in off-lease, single-owner, high-end vehicles. 

It's silver with a black top.  Just over 30k miles.  The bigger, 3.0 liter engine.  Pristine condition*. 

It's the car i really wanted all along, which is probably why i could never make up my mind of what to get until i figured out the solution of getting a used one.  We had dabbled with a new Saturn Aura or a Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible, which led me to consider the new Volkswagen EOS hardtop convertible.  I finally concluded that, because i drive so few miles, my best bet was something a few years old with moderate mileage.  Let someone else pay for the new car depreciation, and i can still drive it for several years with few worries about degradation.

* "Pristine" was the term Julie used to describe the car to Emily & Jackson (they were with us when we bought it).  On our way home, we stopped at the rest stop close to Winston and then the car wouldn't start**.  Emily, who is reading a book on the Titanic, chimed in, "that's just like the Titanic.  They said it was unsinkable and it sank.  And you said this car was perfect, and it's not."

** It wouldn't start because the security system detected a key that didn't belong to the car.  Or so it thought.  The 2nd keyfob had apparently never been programmed for this particular vehicle, and that mucked up the system.  When we left the dealer, it started fine because the 2nd key was tucked away in the center armrest console.  I had popped it in my pocket at the rest stop.  I made a frantic (well, you know me, it wasn't really frantic) call to Julie to come back to the rest stop to help me or pick me up, as the case might have been (she had taken off in the Suburban first and didn't notice that i didn't follow, because of a bad wreck on the entrance ramp back to the highway - this is all classic chaos theory).  Then a frantic call to the dealer.  The guy there is the one who figured out the problem.

I'll post photos in the next entry.

The Memory Lane of Atlanta Highways 120 & 9

This weekend, i drove to Atlanta & back for my Windsor (we still call it that even though nobody works there anymore) League fantasy football draft.  Since Phil has moved to Florida, i now have to make the drive, 5 hours each way, by myself.  I left home around 7am Saturday, arriving in Marietta in time for lunch with Shane Jones & David Ayers at Wild Wings, sitting outside at the "tiki bar".  Shane also brought his son Stephen

The Hyatt at Windy Hill, where i normally stay for these weekends, was inexplicably sold out, so i booked a room at a Wingate close to where the draft would be held.  After lunch, i drove from Marietta to Alpharetta, through old Roswell, to the hotel.  This is the route i drove hundreds of times when Julie & i were dating.  So it was a hot afternoon (top up, it was so hot) jaunt down memory lane

The QT on Old Canton & 120, for a late night Diet Dr Pepper.  East Cobb Church of Christ, which we visited a few times.  That new (new when we moved away, anyway) fancy shopping center.  East Hampton subdivision, home to a swim meet & a place to see Christmas lights.  The movie theater where we saw Sixth Sense.  The strip center that used to be anchored by a toy store (or was it a KMart?), where i bought Candyland for Caroline.  Holcombe Bridge Road, where a mile or so east would be Brookwood Grille, site of our first date.  Crossville Road, where a mile or west is Van Gogh's restaurant, a wonderfully romantic dinner with the pre-ordered & personalized dessert.  North Fulton Hospital, where Emily Grace was born

Roswell town square park area - some sort of art festival.  The stoplight at Willeo Rd, at the bottom of 2 big hills, where i almost wrecked the U-Haul as we moved Julie's stuff into my house.  We ate at that Chili's and shopped at that bookstore & a dozen other places.  The church that was on that one prime corner, cleared to make way for a ritzy office park.  The twists & turns & lane shifts that i expertly navigated on a daily basis to set records & personal bests (a minute in the car is a minute i'm not with Julie), still latently mapped in my brain.

It all reminded me of the wonderful time we had together inAtlanta.  Memories that are the beautiful hardwood floors carpeted over by time, life, and fatigue.  These journals, in all their forms, are my way of keeping the carpet peeled back