Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Entropy & Order
We have had a definite summer mix of entropy and order in our household.
Entropy:
My work watch battery died. My casual watch band broke. The stores are always packed when I go to get them fixed, so I keep waiting for another time.
The Tivo that I got Celeste for Christmas didn't work as billed. It was not recording programs and was randomly resetting. We have gotten 3 replacement units to test (the latest seems to be working finally).
My cable modem stopped working together with cable TV. I could only get one or the other - in the middle of trying to test one of the replacement Tivo units!
The suburban needed new tires after we got a flat on a family outing.
The refrigerator was slowly dying, but gave us enough warning to go find a replacement.
The first replacement refrigerator had a leak in the freezer. It made beautiful ice sculptures, but that was not enough to offset our real need for a freezer.
The day that the first replacement refrigerator was delivered, our clothes washer decided that holding water was optional and dumped it all out on the floor. It gave us no warning, so we went appliance shopping again.
The second replacement refrigerator was obviously damaged, yet the retailer sent it to us anyway. The delivery guys were smart enough to show us the damage before unloading it.
The third replacement refrigerator and the new washer both arrived today. Both seem to work, but the delivery guys did some carving in the wood door jam to the kitchen as they moved the unit in.
I've missed some details, but that gives the general direction.
This is not a rant, but rather an observation that sometimes the bad luck cycles like to coincide. However, it's easy to forget the good things (i.e., the order) if you don't stop and think about it.
Order:
Bethany made it to Norway to visit Ina and family, stayed for more than 3 weeks, and returned as planned. Our webcam and cell phone communications allowed for daily contact as planned.
Bethany finished her Girl Scout Gold Award and we got to hold a nice party for her and her friend (they had "twin" projects at the same location) at the park where they did their project.
Celeste and I made it to our first no-kids getaway in almost 20 years last month. Hayley had a great time with Flying Van and family, Bethany was in Norway, and Andrew is still lives with Gramma in Costa Mesa.
Hayley has started summer Volleyball in preparation for trying out for the high school team. She is also moving into high school as a freshman and will join her sister at the same school for the first time in 5 years.
Hayley got a preview of being an only child while Bethany was away. It was good practice for when Bethany heads to college in a little over a year. She seemed to like it, although she did miss her sister.
Celeste and I had our first chance to see Andrew and his band perform recently here in Lake Forest. He has been working with them for a while, but it was the first venue that was close enough when the kids were busy for us to check it out together.
Entropy:
My work watch battery died. My casual watch band broke. The stores are always packed when I go to get them fixed, so I keep waiting for another time.
The Tivo that I got Celeste for Christmas didn't work as billed. It was not recording programs and was randomly resetting. We have gotten 3 replacement units to test (the latest seems to be working finally).
My cable modem stopped working together with cable TV. I could only get one or the other - in the middle of trying to test one of the replacement Tivo units!
The suburban needed new tires after we got a flat on a family outing.
The refrigerator was slowly dying, but gave us enough warning to go find a replacement.
The first replacement refrigerator had a leak in the freezer. It made beautiful ice sculptures, but that was not enough to offset our real need for a freezer.
The day that the first replacement refrigerator was delivered, our clothes washer decided that holding water was optional and dumped it all out on the floor. It gave us no warning, so we went appliance shopping again.
The second replacement refrigerator was obviously damaged, yet the retailer sent it to us anyway. The delivery guys were smart enough to show us the damage before unloading it.
The third replacement refrigerator and the new washer both arrived today. Both seem to work, but the delivery guys did some carving in the wood door jam to the kitchen as they moved the unit in.
I've missed some details, but that gives the general direction.
This is not a rant, but rather an observation that sometimes the bad luck cycles like to coincide. However, it's easy to forget the good things (i.e., the order) if you don't stop and think about it.
Order:
Bethany made it to Norway to visit Ina and family, stayed for more than 3 weeks, and returned as planned. Our webcam and cell phone communications allowed for daily contact as planned.
Bethany finished her Girl Scout Gold Award and we got to hold a nice party for her and her friend (they had "twin" projects at the same location) at the park where they did their project.
Celeste and I made it to our first no-kids getaway in almost 20 years last month. Hayley had a great time with Flying Van and family, Bethany was in Norway, and Andrew is still lives with Gramma in Costa Mesa.
Hayley has started summer Volleyball in preparation for trying out for the high school team. She is also moving into high school as a freshman and will join her sister at the same school for the first time in 5 years.
Hayley got a preview of being an only child while Bethany was away. It was good practice for when Bethany heads to college in a little over a year. She seemed to like it, although she did miss her sister.
Celeste and I had our first chance to see Andrew and his band perform recently here in Lake Forest. He has been working with them for a while, but it was the first venue that was close enough when the kids were busy for us to check it out together.
Labels: Andrew, Bethany, Family, Hayley, Ina, Scouts, Vacation, Volleyball
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Pearson International Airport
Things have been very busy for me since the cruise. The week after the cruise I was in Montreal visiting my current customer. This was followed by a week of preparing for another prototype review for that customer. This week, I am in the Toronto area at another office for the same customer. However, I hope to find more time for blogging again.
Since it has been a while, this post will cover a lot of ground.
Andrew has been playing with a couple of bands and starting to make some money here and there. He is a lead singer and plays guitar and bass guitar. His band has had a couple of out-of-town trips with the most recent to Arizona where they played at a bar and Utah where they played at a wedding. Celeste had a chance to see him play at a local bar/restaurant near home while I stayed home with the girls.
Bethany has started the SAT/ACT testing process. You can definitely tell a motivated teenager when they are willing to PAY to get up early on a weekend and take a grueling test! She is especially looking forward to getting out of school. The day after her last final, Beth is off to Norway to visit Ina and her family for three weeks!
Hayley has continued playing volleyball. She moved up a level and has real coaching instead of just me now. Her skills have definitely improved with her specialties being serving and setting. Hayley is about to graduate from 8th grade and become a freshman at the high school.
Hayley and I went to see the latest Shrek movie last weekend while Bethany was taking her SAT Subject Tests. It was fair, but not as good as the first one IMHO.
Hayley continues to be my last hope for playing my board games. Bethany is not into them at all, Andrew will play some when he is around, and Celeste will only play a few. Hayley has really enjoyed quite a few of them and occasionally I pull out an old classic. The most recent classic was Battle Masters. This is close to minatures, but still on a game board. Granted the game board is around 4' by 5' and with lots of cool plastic pieces to move around (knights, orcs, archers, beastmen, etc.). We pulled aside the dining room table to have room to play and kept it around for the weekend. Lots of fun pulling out the old stuff!
As I write this, I am in the Toronto area for work. I am outside of town without a car since my hotel is across the parking lot from my customer. I can see downtown Toronto in the distance from my hotel room, but no time on this trip to visit. I've posted some pictures from there. Also, when I checked in they were out of regular non-smoking rooms. Rather than moving me to smoking (Yuck!), they upgraded me to a suite with a Jacuzzi and Sauna. Despite all of my trips to Finland, I have never tried a sauna. I did try out the Jacuzzi, so maybe I have to give the Sauna a try tonight. Maybe. I posted some pictures of that too.
I did take a nice walk last night and found a local geocache. I was disappointed to see the the geocoins that were supposed to be there were not. However, when I read the log today I see that a new geocoin was dropped off. If the rain stays away, I may go get that one.
My hotel is very near Pearson International Airport, so I can see planes in the final approach to landing from my room. The hotel is soundproofed nicely, so it is cool to watch. This is obviously a very international destination. Here are some of the airlines that I can remember seeing from my hotel this week:
* Air Canada
* Jazz
* Continental
* United
* American
* Korean Air
* LOT (Polish Flag Air Carrier)
* AlItalia
* Lufthansa
OK, that is enough for now. I'll try to post shorter blurbs more often for a while!
Here is the Toronto skyline as seen from my hotel window:
This is the jacuzzi and sauna in my hotel room:
Here is the jacuzzi in my room when I prepared it for use:
I found a geocache in that small tree behind me:
Since it has been a while, this post will cover a lot of ground.
Andrew has been playing with a couple of bands and starting to make some money here and there. He is a lead singer and plays guitar and bass guitar. His band has had a couple of out-of-town trips with the most recent to Arizona where they played at a bar and Utah where they played at a wedding. Celeste had a chance to see him play at a local bar/restaurant near home while I stayed home with the girls.
Bethany has started the SAT/ACT testing process. You can definitely tell a motivated teenager when they are willing to PAY to get up early on a weekend and take a grueling test! She is especially looking forward to getting out of school. The day after her last final, Beth is off to Norway to visit Ina and her family for three weeks!
Hayley has continued playing volleyball. She moved up a level and has real coaching instead of just me now. Her skills have definitely improved with her specialties being serving and setting. Hayley is about to graduate from 8th grade and become a freshman at the high school.
Hayley and I went to see the latest Shrek movie last weekend while Bethany was taking her SAT Subject Tests. It was fair, but not as good as the first one IMHO.
Hayley continues to be my last hope for playing my board games. Bethany is not into them at all, Andrew will play some when he is around, and Celeste will only play a few. Hayley has really enjoyed quite a few of them and occasionally I pull out an old classic. The most recent classic was Battle Masters. This is close to minatures, but still on a game board. Granted the game board is around 4' by 5' and with lots of cool plastic pieces to move around (knights, orcs, archers, beastmen, etc.). We pulled aside the dining room table to have room to play and kept it around for the weekend. Lots of fun pulling out the old stuff!
As I write this, I am in the Toronto area for work. I am outside of town without a car since my hotel is across the parking lot from my customer. I can see downtown Toronto in the distance from my hotel room, but no time on this trip to visit. I've posted some pictures from there. Also, when I checked in they were out of regular non-smoking rooms. Rather than moving me to smoking (Yuck!), they upgraded me to a suite with a Jacuzzi and Sauna. Despite all of my trips to Finland, I have never tried a sauna. I did try out the Jacuzzi, so maybe I have to give the Sauna a try tonight. Maybe. I posted some pictures of that too.
I did take a nice walk last night and found a local geocache. I was disappointed to see the the geocoins that were supposed to be there were not. However, when I read the log today I see that a new geocoin was dropped off. If the rain stays away, I may go get that one.
My hotel is very near Pearson International Airport, so I can see planes in the final approach to landing from my room. The hotel is soundproofed nicely, so it is cool to watch. This is obviously a very international destination. Here are some of the airlines that I can remember seeing from my hotel this week:
* Air Canada
* Jazz
* Continental
* United
* American
* Korean Air
* LOT (Polish Flag Air Carrier)
* AlItalia
* Lufthansa
OK, that is enough for now. I'll try to post shorter blurbs more often for a while!
Here is the Toronto skyline as seen from my hotel window:
This is the jacuzzi and sauna in my hotel room:
Here is the jacuzzi in my room when I prepared it for use:
I found a geocache in that small tree behind me:
Labels: Andrew, Bethany, Blogging, Family, Games, Geocaching, GPS, Hayley, Ina, Movies, Rob, School, Travel, Volleyball, Work
Monday, June 15, 2009
A lot is happening, but not much worth posting...
Life has been really busy, but it is hard to make it interesting enough to post. Here are a few notes nevertheless.
Volleyball Season came and went. I had a lively bunch of girls that made a pretty good team, but we had an ok season. I don't have stats, but we were right around 50% on our win:loss record. The important thing is that I am pretty sure that the girls had fun.
Celeste had a birthday last week and we celebrated yesterday. It was a low key day with all of the kids around. We helped her do some work around the house, played some games, saw a movie (Night at the Museum 2).
Work is busy, but not overly so. My European customers are getting ready for the July/August vacation season. They sure seem to have the right idea about vacation time over there! Even the newest employees get somewhere around 3 weeks of vacation per year plus a ton of holidays.
I took a day trip to Arizona last week to see a customer. That trip reminded me that I am very lopsided on my international vs domestic travel. In the past 2 years I have travelled to 2 US customers (Arizona, Texas) and a whole bunch of international customers. For the foreseeable future, that will remain the same. My next planned trip is to Finland in September. The international travel has been an interesting turn in my career. It takes extra travel time that would have been much more difficult when the kids were younger. I have enjoyed the chance to see some parts of the world that I would not otherwise get to.
School gets out next week for the girls. Hayley gets out a day early since the 7th graders start a day early for orientation to the new school (7th grade is the start of Middle School here). That means helping with final homework and studying for finals. However, it also means that my mornings will be my own again instead of helping get ready and driving kids to school!
I'll try to dig up some interesting stuff (at least stuff that I find more interesting) next time.
Volleyball Season came and went. I had a lively bunch of girls that made a pretty good team, but we had an ok season. I don't have stats, but we were right around 50% on our win:loss record. The important thing is that I am pretty sure that the girls had fun.
Celeste had a birthday last week and we celebrated yesterday. It was a low key day with all of the kids around. We helped her do some work around the house, played some games, saw a movie (Night at the Museum 2).
Work is busy, but not overly so. My European customers are getting ready for the July/August vacation season. They sure seem to have the right idea about vacation time over there! Even the newest employees get somewhere around 3 weeks of vacation per year plus a ton of holidays.
I took a day trip to Arizona last week to see a customer. That trip reminded me that I am very lopsided on my international vs domestic travel. In the past 2 years I have travelled to 2 US customers (Arizona, Texas) and a whole bunch of international customers. For the foreseeable future, that will remain the same. My next planned trip is to Finland in September. The international travel has been an interesting turn in my career. It takes extra travel time that would have been much more difficult when the kids were younger. I have enjoyed the chance to see some parts of the world that I would not otherwise get to.
School gets out next week for the girls. Hayley gets out a day early since the 7th graders start a day early for orientation to the new school (7th grade is the start of Middle School here). That means helping with final homework and studying for finals. However, it also means that my mornings will be my own again instead of helping get ready and driving kids to school!
I'll try to dig up some interesting stuff (at least stuff that I find more interesting) next time.
Labels: Bethany, Family, Hayley, Volleyball
Thursday, April 23, 2009
A post to catch up on everything
We got home from vacation which went very well. I'll have to post more about that another time.
Back at home, work is very busy. My customer in Sweden is in the process of going live on our software. That means very long work hours at unusual times right now. However, it should be behind me by the middle of next week.
I'm still finding time for family even with the work. Last night I took Andrew, Ina, and Hayley to an Angels Baseball game. The Angels lost, but it was still an exciting game. Lots of hits and the score kept going back and forth. Unfortunately, the Angels were on the "back" side at the end of the game.
Tomorrow we are taking Bethany and her Girl Scout troop on another college visit (have I written about that? Need to check.). We are driving up to UC Santa Barbara. Between the drive and the on-campus time it will be a very long day. The girls need lots of hours to apply to their Gold Awards, so that is a good thing. However, it also means a Friday away from my projects so I have to figure out how to keep everyone busy when I have very little way to communicate with them.
Volleyball season started last week. Hayley is doing it, but Bethany has gotten to old for the league. I am coaching Hayley's team again. They picked their team name: Fergilicious (need to confirm that spelling). I told them that it could not be a dull name and it had to be family-friendly. Beyond that, it was a team vote. The name Caliente Loco (Crazy Hot) came in a close second.
I'll close with a couple of pictures of Hayley from the end of our vacation. We are at my aunt's house. The house is by a private runway and has a hangar attached to it. For car fans, you can appreciate this. My aunt has owned a Shelby Cobra since 1972. It is in great shape and is often taken to car shows. For those that are not car fans, this is a very expensive car by a renowned designer and is personally signed by that designer (see the "glove compartment" area in the photo showing the dash). The girls had fun taking photos in the car and in the (not seen in this photo) airplane that is also in this hangar.
(by request) ... and now you're all caught up!
Back at home, work is very busy. My customer in Sweden is in the process of going live on our software. That means very long work hours at unusual times right now. However, it should be behind me by the middle of next week.
I'm still finding time for family even with the work. Last night I took Andrew, Ina, and Hayley to an Angels Baseball game. The Angels lost, but it was still an exciting game. Lots of hits and the score kept going back and forth. Unfortunately, the Angels were on the "back" side at the end of the game.
Tomorrow we are taking Bethany and her Girl Scout troop on another college visit (have I written about that? Need to check.). We are driving up to UC Santa Barbara. Between the drive and the on-campus time it will be a very long day. The girls need lots of hours to apply to their Gold Awards, so that is a good thing. However, it also means a Friday away from my projects so I have to figure out how to keep everyone busy when I have very little way to communicate with them.
Volleyball season started last week. Hayley is doing it, but Bethany has gotten to old for the league. I am coaching Hayley's team again. They picked their team name: Fergilicious (need to confirm that spelling). I told them that it could not be a dull name and it had to be family-friendly. Beyond that, it was a team vote. The name Caliente Loco (Crazy Hot) came in a close second.
I'll close with a couple of pictures of Hayley from the end of our vacation. We are at my aunt's house. The house is by a private runway and has a hangar attached to it. For car fans, you can appreciate this. My aunt has owned a Shelby Cobra since 1972. It is in great shape and is often taken to car shows. For those that are not car fans, this is a very expensive car by a renowned designer and is personally signed by that designer (see the "glove compartment" area in the photo showing the dash). The girls had fun taking photos in the car and in the (not seen in this photo) airplane that is also in this hangar.
(by request) ... and now you're all caught up!
Labels: Andrew, Bethany, Hayley, Ina, School, Scouts, Vacation, Volleyball, Work
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Volleyball: Undefeated? Almost...
We wrapped up our Fall Volleyball season today. Last Saturday we had 3 wins, no ties or losses. Today we tried to achieve an undefeated season.
At practice on Tuesday, Hayley was feeling cocky. One of the other coaches mentioned that we had no losses. On our final day we had games scheduled within our own site only, so we were playing that coach's team. Hayley decide to place a bet on our game with his team. She wanted to bet $5, but the coach only had $1 to put on the line.
Game day arrived today.
Game 1 was a win. A good start for the day!
Game 2 was our downfall. The other team was short a player, so Hayley switched teams for that game. We play to 25, but the winners have to win by 2. The game was back and forth throughout with some of the best plays that we have seen all season. The teams both played hard, but in the end the other team prevailed with a 27 - 25 win.
Game 3 was the money game. The best player at our site, hands down, is on the team we played here. He is the son of the coach that bet with Hayley. It was a good, friendly rivalry. It really came down to this: they had one excellent player and a bunch of average players. We had a team of above average players that work well as a team and are willing to hustle.
Game 3 was a win, and Hayley proudly accepted her $1.
So our team ended up with a season of 20 games broken down as 16 wins, 3 ties, and 1 loss. Hayley ended the season with no losses and an extra $1!
At practice on Tuesday, Hayley was feeling cocky. One of the other coaches mentioned that we had no losses. On our final day we had games scheduled within our own site only, so we were playing that coach's team. Hayley decide to place a bet on our game with his team. She wanted to bet $5, but the coach only had $1 to put on the line.
Game day arrived today.
Game 1 was a win. A good start for the day!
Game 2 was our downfall. The other team was short a player, so Hayley switched teams for that game. We play to 25, but the winners have to win by 2. The game was back and forth throughout with some of the best plays that we have seen all season. The teams both played hard, but in the end the other team prevailed with a 27 - 25 win.
Game 3 was the money game. The best player at our site, hands down, is on the team we played here. He is the son of the coach that bet with Hayley. It was a good, friendly rivalry. It really came down to this: they had one excellent player and a bunch of average players. We had a team of above average players that work well as a team and are willing to hustle.
Game 3 was a win, and Hayley proudly accepted her $1.
So our team ended up with a season of 20 games broken down as 16 wins, 3 ties, and 1 loss. Hayley ended the season with no losses and an extra $1!
Labels: Bethany, Hayley, Volleyball
Monday, October 20, 2008
Volleyball, Week 4
I'm beginning to sense a pattern.
Week 4: 3 wins, 1 tie
The funny thing is that it is a different group of girls each week. The team officially has 6 players. We play 4 on the court at a time. However, one has had to drop for the season and each week we usually have one or two missing. Last Saturday two of the girls were taking the PSAT test at school (including Bethany). That left us with 3 players. As we have done in the past, we rotated in a player from another team that had extras. They sent us a different player each game. Despite having a "cold" player on the team, the girls were still able to perform well.
The first game started slow, but when they were down by 8 points they seemed to get motivated. We ran out of time and ended the game at 26 to 26 (games are to 25, but you have to win by 2 points). The other games were all clear wins.
Week 4: 3 wins, 1 tie
The funny thing is that it is a different group of girls each week. The team officially has 6 players. We play 4 on the court at a time. However, one has had to drop for the season and each week we usually have one or two missing. Last Saturday two of the girls were taking the PSAT test at school (including Bethany). That left us with 3 players. As we have done in the past, we rotated in a player from another team that had extras. They sent us a different player each game. Despite having a "cold" player on the team, the girls were still able to perform well.
The first game started slow, but when they were down by 8 points they seemed to get motivated. We ran out of time and ended the game at 26 to 26 (games are to 25, but you have to win by 2 points). The other games were all clear wins.
Labels: Volleyball
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Volleyball Season Update
We are in the middle of the Fall Volleyball seaason. Between Girl Scouts and business travel, I am missing a lot of the season. We only play for 8 weeks which goes by very fast. Each week, we practice once (Tuesdays) and play once (Saturdays). I have missed 2 Saturdays and (including the upcoming week) 2 Thursdays. Hopefully I will make the rest, but that is a 25% absentee rate.
As with last season, I am coaching the team with Bethany and Hayley. You would think that the team would be demoralized and play poorly with the coach gone. The first Saturday was just practice - no games. That one doesn't count. However, let's review yesterday. The team had 3 wins and 1 tie for the day. Last season when I missed a game they had 4 wins and no losses. I guess I should not let the power of being the coach go to my head!
This season, there is a lot of help which makes a difference too. Another dad is helping when he can (like yesterday) and he has some good volleyball experience. Also, one of the big sisters is an assistant coach when she is available. Finally, Celeste and family know the game well after so many seasons and provide good support from the crowd.
In this league, we don't have playoffs so we don't track standings. It's all played for fun - and it is fun. However, unofficially the kids do keep track. Here are our standings so far this season:
Week 1, 2 wins
Week 2, 3 wins, 1 tie
Week 3, 3 wins, 1 tie
There are 3 game days remaining. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully my return next Saturday (the day after returning from Finland) will not upset the record!
As with last season, I am coaching the team with Bethany and Hayley. You would think that the team would be demoralized and play poorly with the coach gone. The first Saturday was just practice - no games. That one doesn't count. However, let's review yesterday. The team had 3 wins and 1 tie for the day. Last season when I missed a game they had 4 wins and no losses. I guess I should not let the power of being the coach go to my head!
This season, there is a lot of help which makes a difference too. Another dad is helping when he can (like yesterday) and he has some good volleyball experience. Also, one of the big sisters is an assistant coach when she is available. Finally, Celeste and family know the game well after so many seasons and provide good support from the crowd.
In this league, we don't have playoffs so we don't track standings. It's all played for fun - and it is fun. However, unofficially the kids do keep track. Here are our standings so far this season:
Week 1, 2 wins
Week 2, 3 wins, 1 tie
Week 3, 3 wins, 1 tie
There are 3 game days remaining. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully my return next Saturday (the day after returning from Finland) will not upset the record!
Labels: Bethany, Hayley, Volleyball
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Multi-Faceted Volunteer Day
As I sit here procrastinating due to some work that I need to get done, I am catching up on blogs and reflecting on my day. Thinking back to this evening, I covered a lot of volunteer ground.
4:30pm - Arrived home from work to prepare for the evening's activities. Spent time reviewing a homework assignment with our Exchange Student from Norway.
Group: EF Foundation
5:00pm - Left the house to coach my daughters' volleyball team.
Group: US Youth Volleyball League
6:30pm - Dropped the girls off at home, picked up Celeste & a friend to drive to Anaheim for Girl Scout "Older Girl" leader training.
Group: Girl Scouts of America
9:45pm - Arrive home to continue the work that I was not able to finish earlier when I left early for volleyball, etc. I have a demo with my customer from Sweden early tomorrow morning and I have to make sure that everything is ready to show!
Lee / Tina / Shoo (probably a large percentage of my reading audience!): Sorry that I missed our WoW session tonight. I forgot about the training that I had to attend to become an official Girl Scout leader.
Not exactly solving the world's social problems, but doing my little part to help others when and where I can. I know that most of you reading this have similar stories. What are your favorite volunteer organizations?
4:30pm - Arrived home from work to prepare for the evening's activities. Spent time reviewing a homework assignment with our Exchange Student from Norway.
Group: EF Foundation
5:00pm - Left the house to coach my daughters' volleyball team.
Group: US Youth Volleyball League
6:30pm - Dropped the girls off at home, picked up Celeste & a friend to drive to Anaheim for Girl Scout "Older Girl" leader training.
Group: Girl Scouts of America
9:45pm - Arrive home to continue the work that I was not able to finish earlier when I left early for volleyball, etc. I have a demo with my customer from Sweden early tomorrow morning and I have to make sure that everything is ready to show!
Lee / Tina / Shoo (probably a large percentage of my reading audience!): Sorry that I missed our WoW session tonight. I forgot about the training that I had to attend to become an official Girl Scout leader.
Not exactly solving the world's social problems, but doing my little part to help others when and where I can. I know that most of you reading this have similar stories. What are your favorite volunteer organizations?
Labels: Exchange Student, Family, Scouts, Volleyball
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Volleyball Season is Over, Santiago Fire revisited
Volleyball season ended last Saturday. The team played 2 games and won both. While there are no official tallies in this league, we know that we ended the season with 9 wins and 5 losses. Not a bad season!
We prepared and handed out a team photo collage page for each girl and a photo CD for the season. Hopefully that will give the girls some good memories.
One of the girls volunteered to hold a pool party after the last games. We went over there and they have an awesome yard for entertaining! The parents got to sit in the shade under an outdoor ceiling fan while the girls played basketball and volleyball (guess they didn't get enough) in the pool.
As it turns out, this home was literally on the edge of the Santiago Fire that I wrote about last August. We got a whole new perspective about the fire from them. The most interesting point was that the Sheriff Department came by and told them to evacuate. Then the Fire Department came by and said that they were short of people so they should stay. They did stay and put out a number of spot fires that started in their yard and neighboring yards due to flying debris. The firefighters made a stand in a gully behind their backyard when the main flame came by, so they felt safe.
They said that the fire smoldered back there for several days after the flames went by. They had to watch for new embers flying into the yards and watered a lot as a preventative measure.
If you look at the fire map in the link above, you will see a sort of upside down W in the lower right corner of the fire area. There is a push pin on the edge of that. That is almost exactly where their home is.
There were definitely signs that a fire came through when we looked at the hills behind their house. However, it is not the scorched earth that we saw right after the fires. The grasses have grown back and some other small vegetation is growing. However, there are a number of blackened trees dotting the landscape that stand as a reminder of the fire.
We prepared and handed out a team photo collage page for each girl and a photo CD for the season. Hopefully that will give the girls some good memories.
One of the girls volunteered to hold a pool party after the last games. We went over there and they have an awesome yard for entertaining! The parents got to sit in the shade under an outdoor ceiling fan while the girls played basketball and volleyball (guess they didn't get enough) in the pool.
As it turns out, this home was literally on the edge of the Santiago Fire that I wrote about last August. We got a whole new perspective about the fire from them. The most interesting point was that the Sheriff Department came by and told them to evacuate. Then the Fire Department came by and said that they were short of people so they should stay. They did stay and put out a number of spot fires that started in their yard and neighboring yards due to flying debris. The firefighters made a stand in a gully behind their backyard when the main flame came by, so they felt safe.
They said that the fire smoldered back there for several days after the flames went by. They had to watch for new embers flying into the yards and watered a lot as a preventative measure.
If you look at the fire map in the link above, you will see a sort of upside down W in the lower right corner of the fire area. There is a push pin on the edge of that. That is almost exactly where their home is.
There were definitely signs that a fire came through when we looked at the hills behind their house. However, it is not the scorched earth that we saw right after the fires. The grasses have grown back and some other small vegetation is growing. However, there are a number of blackened trees dotting the landscape that stand as a reminder of the fire.
Labels: Bethany, Family, Hayley, Volleyball
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Volleyball Season
I have been falling behind on my updates. I just noticed that I have not posted a single entry about the current Volleyball season. The girls both play in the US Youth Volleyball League which has 2 sessions per year: Fall and Spring. Each session lasts around 8 weeks, so it goes by pretty quickly. We have practice on Tuesday nights and then games on Saturday.
This season, the girls are at the same level for the first time. They are both on the team that I am coaching. It is a co-ed league for kids from 9 to 15. This is the 4th season for Hayley and the 3rd season for Bethany. We ended up with an all-girl team this time around. Our team name is the Purple Pandas of Pandemonium (or Panda-monium).
Anyway, we are coming up to our last game on Saturday. For the first time, we have a team party planned. One of the families offered up their pool for the party right after the game. We have had a winning season, but not a dominating season. However, the important thing is that it still remains fun. There are no playoffs with this league, so we will be done after Saturday until the Fall.
This season, the girls are at the same level for the first time. They are both on the team that I am coaching. It is a co-ed league for kids from 9 to 15. This is the 4th season for Hayley and the 3rd season for Bethany. We ended up with an all-girl team this time around. Our team name is the Purple Pandas of Pandemonium (or Panda-monium).
Anyway, we are coming up to our last game on Saturday. For the first time, we have a team party planned. One of the families offered up their pool for the party right after the game. We have had a winning season, but not a dominating season. However, the important thing is that it still remains fun. There are no playoffs with this league, so we will be done after Saturday until the Fall.
Labels: Bethany, Family, Hayley, Volleyball
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Fall Volleyball Season Results
Our Fall Volleyball season is over. I coached Bethany's team. Hayley was one age level down and had a team that did ok. Hayley had a lot of fun and wants to sign up again next season, so I would call that a success.
Bethany's team did very well. The league that we play in does not track wins and losses or have any playoff system. The goal is to play and have fun. However, that doesn't stop the kids from tracking wins and losses.
Each week that we play another site, there are 4 games. We had 3 weeks of tournaments and 1 week in the middle where we just played the other teams from our site. For the tournaments, our team had 11 wins and 1 loss (4-0, 4-0, 3-1). For the intersite games, we went 1-1. Our only tournament loss was to another team from our site. We never lost to teams from another site.
I can't really take much credit as coach. I made sure that they did some basic things like talk to each other and I made sure that they had fun and supported each other. The rest was all them. I guess you can call it a "get out of the way if they are having fun" coaching method.
Hayley says that I have to be her coach next time.
Bethany's team did very well. The league that we play in does not track wins and losses or have any playoff system. The goal is to play and have fun. However, that doesn't stop the kids from tracking wins and losses.
Each week that we play another site, there are 4 games. We had 3 weeks of tournaments and 1 week in the middle where we just played the other teams from our site. For the tournaments, our team had 11 wins and 1 loss (4-0, 4-0, 3-1). For the intersite games, we went 1-1. Our only tournament loss was to another team from our site. We never lost to teams from another site.
I can't really take much credit as coach. I made sure that they did some basic things like talk to each other and I made sure that they had fun and supported each other. The rest was all them. I guess you can call it a "get out of the way if they are having fun" coaching method.
Hayley says that I have to be her coach next time.
Labels: Bethany, Hayley, Volleyball
Monday, May 14, 2007
Volleyball
Last Fall, I wrote about Hayley and our first foray into youth sports. Now both girls are participating in the same local Volleyball league. Both of them are having a blast! It's great to see them look forward to Tuesdays (practice) and Saturdays (games) so much.
I'm helping Bethany's team as an assistant coach, so I don't get to see Hayley play much. However, what I see and hear looks like both of them are having fun AND doing well.
I'm helping Bethany's team as an assistant coach, so I don't get to see Hayley play much. However, what I see and hear looks like both of them are having fun AND doing well.
Labels: Bethany, Hayley, Volleyball
Monday, November 06, 2006
Hayley & Volleyball - 1st Season Over
Our family's first youth sports season is over. It went great! Hayley made it to every practice and game. I made it to every game, but only 2 practices. Hayley may not make it to the Olympics, but she did very well. She pushed herself on skills -- especially on the overhand serve. She was a good team player, although it was frustrating for her when her teammates did not play as a team as well. Despite that, the team did well together and seemed to have fun.
This was a good family event too. Once the real games started (we never kept score, but we did play against teams from other parks) the rest of the family and the Grandmas came out to watch. We had one Saturday rain-out, but otherwise the weather was on our side.
Bethany enjoyed watching so much that she wanted to sign up. The next league starts in the Spring and we will be there with two girls on the court!
This was a good family event too. Once the real games started (we never kept score, but we did play against teams from other parks) the rest of the family and the Grandmas came out to watch. We had one Saturday rain-out, but otherwise the weather was on our side.
Bethany enjoyed watching so much that she wanted to sign up. The next league starts in the Spring and we will be there with two girls on the court!
Labels: Hayley, Volleyball
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Hayley & Volleyball
We are not a sports family. However, Hayley is the most physical of the kids and it seems like the sports outlet will be good for her. At a recent Girl Scout event, Hayley had a chance to learn and play volleyball. She liked it so the coach that taught her gave us links to the US Youth Volleyball League.
We signed Hayley up for a fall volleyball league. It started last week Tuesday. Yesterday was the first practice that I got to go to (I am an Asst. Coach and First Aider for our group). Hayley had a lot of fun and seems to be doing well. It is a 4 person co-ed team. One boy didn't show up due to a conflict, so we had one boy and two girls. I think I had the best workout since I was chasing balls while the other coach was helping them with drills. This is not a complaint -- I need the workout time! Maybe this will be better for me than for Hayley.
The last game is right around Halloween, so this isn't a big committment on our part yet. If it goes well, then it might lead to other sports for our family.
We signed Hayley up for a fall volleyball league. It started last week Tuesday. Yesterday was the first practice that I got to go to (I am an Asst. Coach and First Aider for our group). Hayley had a lot of fun and seems to be doing well. It is a 4 person co-ed team. One boy didn't show up due to a conflict, so we had one boy and two girls. I think I had the best workout since I was chasing balls while the other coach was helping them with drills. This is not a complaint -- I need the workout time! Maybe this will be better for me than for Hayley.
The last game is right around Halloween, so this isn't a big committment on our part yet. If it goes well, then it might lead to other sports for our family.
Labels: Hayley, Volleyball
