A Father Worries.

Today, Evalyn traded her remaining Halloween candy for a comic book. I need not worry about it in the house any more. Let me explain.

Every parent worries about their children. From the moment we knew we were expecting, until my final breath, I'm certain it will be there. I worry about my children's friendships that are formed and the struggles they will go through with them. I worry about them finding partners in this world that will love and respect them the way they should. I worry about them figuring out their place in this world, knowing that it is a journey that they must make on their own, with me and Brooke only as a supporting cast.

These are mostly worries that I can only help in guidance and have no real control over. This will fully manifest itself in the coming months (and years) as we walk down a path of controlling my daughter's seizures caused by her Childhood Absence Epilepsy. Evalyn was diagnosed a little more than a year ago after a visit to a pediatric neurologist in La Crosse. In what now seems like a chasm in the lack of information given to us by both the doctor and his staff, we were asked, "Which drug would you like to start her on?" We were shocked. Many of these drugs efficacy sits around 50% in controlling seizures and had not been told anything about the drugs including side effects (which we knew from Brooke's access to scientific papers/studies), effectiveness, and what happens if it doesn't work (they up dosage and then move on to another drug). After a discussion with the neurologist, we walked out of his office angry and thinking time would also heal this. (He answered a question, "What if we don't treat it with drugs?" by saying, "She will most likely outgrow this by the time she is 10-12.")

Over the past year we have come to recognize Evalyn's seizures not just from seeing her physically (her eyebrow twitches) but also from her breathing pattern changing. One of the best way to describe Absence seizures is from Wikipedia (I honestly cannot believe I am quoting Wikipedia)...

"The hallmark of the absence seizures is abrupt and sudden onset impairment of consciousness, interruption of ongoing activities, a blank stare, possibly a brief upward rotation of the eyes. If the patient is speaking, speech is slowed or interrupted, if walking, he or she stands transfixed; if eating, the food will stop on his way to the mouth. Usually, the patient will be unresponsive when addressed. In some cases, attacks are aborted when the patient is called. The attack lasts from a few seconds to half a minute, and evaporates as rapidly as it commenced."

 I have seen all of these and slight variations of this. My worries for her become compounded now in many activities that she partakes in. She loves to climb and is damn good at it. As her (and our) best friends have pointed out, it is her skill. I would worry about her loosing her grip or footing on a Jumbo Mast Net (very little though as 1. she is good at it and 2. I'm a dad) but now I worry that she'll have a seizure in the middle of it or while swinging hanging upside down by her legs. Bike riding? It will take a lot of courage...on my part though, she lacks none. Swimming? Never without someone being with her. Is it a life of worry that my wife and I will carry until she (possibly) will "out-grow"
her seizures?

We hope not. Within a couple of weeks, we will be headed down a shared journey of a changed diet. Through two main studies, (one from University College London and the other Johns Hopkins), we see equal or better efficacy rates from use of the ketogenic diet, the Modified Atkins Diet, or the Low
Glycemic Index Treatment compared to the epileptic drugs. We do not know yet if this will work. We do know that it will not be easy and will demand a very disciplined child and parent. We understand that this is not just "going on a diet" or even making dietary changes for better health. There is no "cheat days." You do this and do this right or don't do it at all.

To make things easier, Brooke and I have decided to journey with Evalyn. We will be restricting our food carbohydrate intake as well to the levels recommended for us. Candy bars. Gone. Chips and crackers. Tossed. Milk (yes milk). To be replaced with whipping cream. Bread? 1 slice carries her daily carbohydrate limit. Fruit. Someday it will be added back in. We are talking eggs, bacon, low-carb vegetables, artificial sweeteners, vitamin and mineral supplements, and lots of water. We don't know if this will help or not but we sure hope so. Thanks to a recent article in the New York Times written by Fred Vogelstein, you can read what one family goes through with epilepsy and using diet (and drugs) to help control it. 

Evalyn seems to take all of this in stride (and even with some excitement at how much whipped cream and olives she'll get to eat, exclusively of course) that I can't imagine myself being able to do. Today, I am filled with lots of hope that this is the beginning of change in her life.

So...Today, Evalyn traded her remaining Halloween candy for a comic book. And I've never been prouder.

Why I'm a Democrat

I've been pondering this very statement for most of the past year. Thoughts peaked in August when a conservative friend of mine asked it directly and I have been trying to make a more coherent answer of it.

I remember my very first voting experience. It was 1988. I was nine years old. Our elementary school had a mock election between Ronald Reagan and Michal Dukakis. I don't remember who won, but I know that I cast a ballot for Dukakis. And why wouldn't I? Like most kids, I absorbed my parent's political associations. I have continued those associations over the years but for my own reasons and not my parent's. I have voted for members of multiple parties over the years. I voted for Jim Leach and still cannot believe he was swept out in the fallout of the latest Iraq Military Engagement. I voted for Sen. Grassley and cannot believe how he has changed over the years (or perhaps I'm more vested in ongoing politics). I also cannot look past many of the greatest achievements, in my mind's eye, over the past 100 years that Democratic representatives have been a part of. But my roots run deeper...

Although nearly 200 years old, I consider myself to have a political belief system that stems from the Democratic-Republican Party's ideals of democracy. One of the most important beliefs of this is at the core of republicanism (notice the small "r"). It asserts that people have unalienable rights that cannot be voted away by a majority of voters. (Forgive the poor notations...John Phillip Reid, Constitutional History of the American Revolution (2003)) Unalienable rights are those that endowed upon us and cannot be subject to any changes in law. Furthermore, I still believe in the fight of privilege, aristocracy (and now more likely plutocracy) and corruption within society and our government.

I'm not naive to think that these have been solely Democratic Party carrying banners. Hell, even when the party was formed in the 1820s and 1830s, the standard barer for the party employed and encouraged the use of the "spoils system." Party issues ebb and flow. Republicans used to be pro environment. Democrats where pro-slavery. I may not always be a member of the Democratic Party, but I am now as I can easily identify my own beliefs with those the party continues to put forward at their local, state, and national levels. I don't agree with everything the national party agrees with.

That said, here we go:

I believe that whenever the rights of any of our citizens are threatened, the rights of all are endangered. I think (and hope) that those in the Democratic Party take seriously the obligation to preserve, protect, and secure basic constitutional and civil rights. That we have a government that consistently and fairly serves and protects all people. I believe that government should assure equal access to opportunity and guarantee the unimpeded right to vote for all U.S. citizens.  I fear, much like Jefferson did, that unlimited expansion of commerce and industry would lead to the growth of a class of wage laborers who relied on others for income and sustenance. The workers would no longer be independent voters. Romney has urged business leaders to pressure their employees on how to vote. This is merely one example of many.

I believe that our military forces should be sufficient to defend our country from attack and should be deployed for that purpose only. Preemptive attacks by our military should not be an option, and any military action against another country should be preceded by a Congressional declaration of war. I vehemently disagree with President Obama's use of Drone Strikes in which a mere 2% of those killed are terrorists. An unchecked military is one of the greatest threats to our democratic-republican livelihoods. It is now a financial, job-creating behemoth. We all remember President Eisenhower's line of warning about the military industrial complex. But what many of us forget is the next line...

"We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together."  -President Dwight Eisenhower, Farewell Address to the Nation, 17 January, 1961.

I believe that the government needs to continue its stewardship of our land and resources. In so doing, the United States should be leading the world in new energy technologies. Oh, we are picking winners and losers now? The U.S. government always has and always will. That is the nature of government. The stewardship of land and resources has far more implications to many future generations than the dollar amount that I pay for a gallon of gasoline (which the U.S. cannot influence if we truly believe in the market).

I believe (and I cannot believe that this sort of statement even needs to be said) that women have the right of choice. No "qualifiers."

I believe in a progressive tax code that ensures people pay a fair share to their ability and regardless of income source. Every person has a right to food, shelter, health, employment, and education. It is unfortunate that not every person can obtain all of these things on their own doing but this is the world we live in. We are to aid and help our fellow citizens. As the majority of us cannot help each other on our own, I do believe it is our government's right to expect us to.

I am proud of the achievements that the U.S. government has made and passed on to its citizenry. These include, but are not limited to, NASA spin-off technologies (i.e. freeze drying, water purification, artificial limbs, transparent ceramics, solar power, etc...), major works projects (i.e. Interstate Highway System), and GPS.

I'm proud to be a member of a party that brought us the Civil Rights Act, fair labor standards, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Head Start, and OSHA. 

These are merely a few thoughts from the evening. I am a Democrat. Things change, but I don't seem them changing for a while.

"No society can make a perpetual constitution or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs always to the living generation." Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, 1789.

Just Like Gene Kelly

My 4 year old daughter is currently in a dance class learning both ballet and tap. A couple of weeks ago she and my wife found The Nutcracker and Swan Lake online and enjoyed a few clips. Yesterday we scoured the internets for information about ballet.

• Did you know that ballet is a French word derived from the Italian root balleto? My daughter found it interesting that even though ballet originated in Italy during the 1400s ("600 years ago??? THAT'S almost the same time as the dinosaurs!"), we use a French word for the dance.

This brings us to today. After a week of no screen time (she lost it for spitting), the first thing we did was watch clips of Gene Kelly. We watched clips from Singing in the Rain, An American in Paris, Ont the Town, Anchors Away, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and I Like Myself. This was all for seeing someone tap dance. She loved every single one of them. And if you've never watched I Like Myself, she and I HIGHLY recommend it. It's amazing watching someone tap dance on roller skates. During this point the following conversation took place...

Me, "Man, there really isn't anyone any more that can sing and dance like Gene Kelly."
Brooke, "He was funny too."
Me, "That's right! I can't think of anyone that does all three." (10 seconds pass) "Oh wait. Justin Timberlake does all three."
Brooke, "Does he dance?"

Cooking Tips

I am, as you know, the homemaker in this household. I cook, bake, clean, do laundry, and basically get the household up and running and out the door every morning. If it were the 1950s, this would be me in pink.

In order to keep such a calm demeanor, I've found and followed a few kitchen tips over the past 4.5 years. I thought I'd share them with you. In no particular order

• For making Vegetable Stock: Have a gallon freezer bag at the ready and whenever you cook with the trinity of vegetables (carrots, celery, and onions), place the scraps and skins in the bag and stick it in the freezer. When the bag is full, place in stove pot (minus the bag of course), add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. No wasted veggies.
• Prep is king or queen. I don't do it near enough, but make sure you do as much as you can the night before or earlier in the day. Most lunches can be ready to go straight out the door in the morning and dinner is less stressful then (esp. with kiddos). Which leads us to...
• Have a plan for the week. Sit down 1 night of the week and figure out what will be consumed. It makes prep easier. It makes grocery shopping a cinch (no more bringing home what you don't REALLY need to eat). And in the end, again, brings less stress. But, things don't always go according to plan. So...
• Have a go to meal that is quick (30 minutes or less) and easy to do. Mine you ask?
• Breakfast: Cold cereal if you want it otherwise I still with Cottage Cheese, Fruit, and Walnuts.
• Lunch: Lunch meat sandwich with baby carrots/sweet peppers.
• Supper: Tofu Stir-fry. I make a soy-honey glaze for the tofu, use a frozen pepper stir-fry mix for the veggies, and ramen noodles. It takes about 25-30 minutes (with much of the time being spent on pressing the tofu).
• Pie weights: Don't use coins. Go buy some dried beans and make a tinfoil wrap with them.
• Quinoa: Want a little crunch to it? After rinsing (takes away the bitter taste), toast it in a frying pan on the stove with a little olive oil until the moisture has evaporated.
• Never try a new recipe with guests? I disagree. I love to experiment most often with food when I'm cooking for others.
• Get your kids in the kitchen with you as early as possible. No matter the age, there is something they can do. And don't forget...
• SAMPLE as you go. My daughter is a chronic "Tester" in the kitchen. I'm okay with it most of the time...until she tells me that she "Just neeeeeds to test what the brown sugar tastes like." I'm pretty sure it is the same as it was the last five times. Now get your fingers out of there.

Nosepicking

I admit. Our family is pretty lax with the whole nose picking rule. We are a very firm "No eating the boogers" household however.

Supper tonight was a classic then...

                    Mom- "E, do you need a tissue?"

                    E- "No mom." Finger buried to the hilt.

                    I get up to get a Kleenex at my wife's asking to see E pulling out a booger and ready to put it in her mouth.

                    Me- "E, let me remind you the rule in the house. You can pick your nose, but you can't put them in your mouth."

                    E- "Okay Daddy." As I walk by...

                    Mom- "DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE WITH THE LETTUCE!!!"

                    E- "Why? That isn't a rule."

No, dear child, it is not...we'll be administering rule changes this evening though.

Preschool Potluck

A Stay At Home Dad musing...


We are now blessed to have a family of 4: Myself, wife, E and M. E is enjoying herself immensely in her second year at the Northeast Iowa Montessori School. She has been attending full days and we have just seen her mind continue to flourish in the Montessori environment. Every year that have two potlucks, beginning of the year introduction and end of the year goodbyes. Last night was the fall potluck.

These gatherings serve three great functions in my mind

• Allows the parents of the kids that play all day together to meet
• Gives parents the opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with another adult
• Gives parents the opportunity to have any conversation with another adult that isn't their S.O

Additionally, it is a chance to eat great food. After taking stock of our deep freeze careful consideration, my wife we decided to make Cheddar Corn Chowder. I found a recipe on the Food Network's site.

Now, although I cook nearly every meal in the house, I am notoriously bad at judging how much food a recipe will make. I am not naive though. If the recipe states it serves 4, I assume it serves 6-7. I will also run a recipe by my wife just to see what the quantity will be. This isn't necessarily the smartest thing to do as we are equal peers at food quantity judgement. Let's not forget that if you've ever made ANY soup, there is always lots of it left over.

This recipe will yield "10-12 Servings." Those servings must be feeding 10 teenage boys. Although I cooked it on the stove, I carrying it in a crock pot (6 qt) to serve at the potluck. This 6 quarts was but a quarter of soup that I made. On they way home, I mentioned that I'd give some to our neighbor. E began crying in the back seat. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"I don't want you to give the soup away. I reeeeaaaaaally like it."

2012 September 23, Polling

I fielded 3 calls this evening. The last one my wife saying, "Don't you take that call."

 For those of you that haven't received or haven't accepted one of these calls (which I highly recommend) they usually go along the lines of...

Are you a registered voter?
Do you work for a political party, candidate, newspaper, or media source?
What is the likely-hood of you voting in the November Presidential, State, and Local election? (options given)
Whom are you leaning towards and is that strongly or somewhat?
Have you heard of this politician? Do you have a positive or negative opinion? Somewhat or Strong?
Then they get into policy...What is the most important issue heading into this election (huge list read that it is hard to keep them all in mind when deciding that they really expect you to already have one in mind)
Questions about individual candidates
Demographic questions.
Thank you and have a good night.

A few points. Words and phrases mean everything. How these questions are phrased, you can near instantly know which ideology is conducting paying for (through a third party/research group) the poll. The questions are sometimes meant to push you in one direction or another. A recent example of this is a phone call I took about a week ago that was very insistent on using "ObamaCare" over and over through negative questions. Both sides do it, this is merely the most recent one I remember (besides today).

So on to the show:

1st call; It was focused mostly on the Iowa House race between Michael Klimesh and Roger Thomas. It took me a while to figure this out as the research caller did not pronounce Klimesh or Thomas (with a Th in "the") correctly. Once it got going though it was interesting and deceptively dirty. I was given statements about Thomas' voting and what that negative implications of his action is and then asked if I was more or less likely to vote for him. After the 4th statement, I asked a few questions of my own and found that these were merely "Hypothetical" statements to gauge the voter response. Awesome. Had I not asked any questions or been informed about Thomas' voting record, I can see how I could be easily swayed by such polling. Dirty, dirty, dirty move.
Both sides do it, just not the liberals this time. This poll was clearly payed for by a conservative group or Republican Party itself but run through Mountain West Research.

2nd call; Polling again done by Mountain West Research. This time it focused mostly on the 1st CD race between Ben Lange and Bruce Braley This was a pretty mild and straightforward poll. The most notable part of the phone call was the questions about agriculture. They wanted to know if you knew who Bill Northey is (the State Sec. of Ag). They asked what percentage of your household income was from agricultural work. It was also surprising that they wanted to know what the last thing you heard about both candidates. Mine being Braley was upset that Boehner sent Congress home without passing a farm bill and that Lange was recently endorsed by the Farm Bureau. Very odd for a poll.

3rd call; I was lucky enough to answer this one and it isn't a poll, but is political. I sat in and listened to Mitt Romney's call in Town Hall. For starters. This was pretty cool. Romney was on the phone answering questions. The first one I caught was from Doug in Dubuque. To paraphrase Doug, he said that there is a lot of Romney support but people want (and I presume need) the details to his plan for creating jobs, middle class taxes, and health care/insurance. It was a long, but good question to find out specifics. Romney's response was to direct Doug (and anyone else listening) to purchase his book online for the answers. This shows one of two things to me. Romney either is naive to think that people will actually spend the time to read his book 6 weeks before the election and has no real idea of what sort of media world we live in now in which information is expected near immediately. OR Romney knows people won't go and read it if they already haven't so he can "get away" with answering in this way in order to still not be specific, be vague and general. There were also questions about Social Security and Medicare but this first response is what I remembered most.

Alright, there you have it...will I keep this up? Perhaps. Will the DNC poll me again like they did Friday? Probably not. Let me know if I should keep this up though, dependent on the phone calls.

Political Polling? Me Likie

So, as I was informing how the political polling went today on Facebook, it occurred to me, "I have a blog...I should blog about this."

I love receiving phone calls. "Unknown number." Damn right I'm picking that thing up. I suppose it might have a little to do with my lack of adult conversation throughout the day. Most of it is spent talking to myself newborn son. The responses I get are good with coos, giggles, and happy gasps but not the at the intellectual level I'm hoping for.

Every four years, being from Iowa, my phone lights up. It usually stops in January but this time around, Iowa is in play and actually means a little electorally. I think these phone calls are great, personally, for a few reasons.

1. I like reading about a poll in the paper online and thinking to myself, "Hey, I'm one of those percentages."
2. Based on my responses, I can have an actual say in how these races are run. Once you go through one of these and realize what the pollsters are actually asking, you can influence them a little (minutely) if you choose.
3. Like I said before, I get to talk to a grownup, even if it is just question/answer format.
4. I like politics. This is a neat side of them.
5. Deep down, it makes me feel important to some extent.

As for me, I'm pretty forthcoming and honest with my answers. I have a hard time saying I'm "Positively going to vote" for someone or choose "1" or "10" on a scale of 1-10 my opinion of said political figure and/or situation. There are positives and negatives to every side/person/position.

If you care to go on this little ride, I'll let you join me with a mere 6 weeks until the phone calls stop for three years.

Baby Names

Brooke and I have been going over family names, trying to find something that we like and flows together well. Evalyn has heard us a few times and we've included her a little into the conversation, sometimes serious, sometimes humorous on our part. Here are three snippets from talks just from tonight...

Brooke- "Evalyn, can you think of any names that you like that would be good for the baby?"
Me- "Yeah, like Nutella?" (She had Nutella for a snack today for the first time and had just said that she likes the name)
Evalyn- "Two things would have the same name, THAT'S strange." (Coming from the same kiddo that just two months ago, thought we should name the baby "Tater-Tater.")

A few minutes later...

Me-"What about Chrysanthemum?" (We all like the Kevin Henkes' book)
Evalyn- *indignantly "No one in the world is name Chrysanthemum!"
Brooke- "So what is a name you do like?"
Evalyn- "Evalyn."
Wait...that would mean two things with the same name, right?

Earlier in the evening in the middle of a name brainstorm...

Me- "What about Mort or Morty?"
Brooke- "Only if I give birth to an 80 year old man."
2 hours later
Me- "How about Gertrude?"
Brooke- "I like Gertie."
Me- "Ohhhh...so an 80 year old woman is ok."

Wish us luck.

Manipulation or Exasperation?

"There's not enough sticks in this town!" -Evalyn in a sad and indignant voice.

It all began on a walking trip downtown as a family on Sunday. As we headed out the door, Evalyn immediately jumped into the snow. Digging holes with her hand, her new favorite winter activity, she said that she needed a stick for snow digging on the way to the Oneota Co-op. The past couple of walks to school have included Evalyn gathering sticks for me to carry that she can use at some undetermined time later. On Sunday's trip, she found some sticks just on the other side of the sidewalk that she wanted me to carry for her. I said, "Honey, I'm not carrying these sticks the whole way to downtown from our house. You can find some other ones in the park (right across the street from where we live) when we walk though it." Her response? The opening statement.

4 Questions, 1 Page

Picking up the pace a little bit, we are going to check out page 95...

IF you could cancel forever a single thing you have to do every day other than your job, what would it be?

Since my current job is homemaker (yeah that's right) that takes nearly all of household stuff out of the running, I feel as though I'm left with stuff I do out of love and affection for my wife and child and things I do for myself.  That said, there is only one thing that comes to mind: Brushing and Flossing My Teeth.  If I could cancel this (and still maintain teeth and gum health) I would.  I rarely have make the time (I know it only takes 3-5 minutes) to do it in the morning before getting everyone out the door and then I have to do it when I return.  I eat breakfast and my mouth is minty fresh.  Epic!

IF you had to go tonight to be tattooed, where on your body would you have it done and what image would you select?

I have had this conversation with many people and my answer has never changed.  My tattoo wouldn't take up most of my back.  It would be of the sandy beaches, ocean with waves breaking, and the sun setting on the horizon.  A few birds in the air.  Some ocean cliffs on the side.

IF you could realize a dream that you have had while asleep, what dream would you pick?

Okay, I rarely wake up close to my dream state and when I do, I never write them down.  I can only remember a couple of my dreams but there is one that was recurring and enjoyable. No, not the zombie dream from when I was 12 and they cornered me and a friend at the Monticello Post Office. It was when I was 8-10 years old but would totally enjoy it just as much if it were to happen with me in my 30s.  It starts with me and my cousin Nathan playing together outside at my grandpa and grandma's farm in Monticello.  We run around, chasing each other with sticks.  Nathan decides to run into the old milk house to escape.  I follow him but the milk house is different than it has ever been before on the inside.  It is a long corridor that I would say is approximately 100 yards.  The hall had a weird glow to it and on the other end a door.  We ran down the hall, opened the door, walked through and we were in the milk barn in McGregor, IA at his house (70 miles).  How awesome was this.  We used it a couple of times to make sure it worked.

Then we thought, "If there is a magical transport in this door, we need to check other ones at Grandpa's.  We go back and look in his pump house.  It is really more of a room than a house, but its where the pump brings the water into the house.  Anyway, we open the door and inside is this huge, red, glowing egg.  We are a little freaked out at first.  Then Nathan decides he wants to see what is inside and takes a hammer to it and knocks a chip off.  The chip turns into an egg itself and then hatches.  Out comes a flying dragon.  We some how are able to split the egg in two and we both have our own dragon. From there, the dreams went in different directions but this is how they began.

Dream Works or dream stealers?

What adventures we had.  We were able to play together any time we wanted either by hopping on our dragon or going through the magic tunnel.  It was awesome. I'd have fun with my cousin again.

IF you could choose only one color and one image for your country's new flag, what would it be?

Well, I'd have to go with blue and one white star.  For a reason, I'd offer Charles Thompson's, Secretary of the Continental Congress, explanation of the meaning of the Great Seal.  "Blue...signifies vigilance, perseverance, and justice.  The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial."

Lost time for "IF"

IF you could firebomb any store or business, which would you do it to?

Now, I suppose I should assume that along with this question is the presumption that "and get away with it."  OR is the question just assuming that the people reading and answering it are not morally deficient when it comes to firebombing.  Because, I am fully capable to firebomb a store or business at this moment, I just choose not to.  I also can't believe that I would pick a business based on the Quaker principle of bearing witness - the idea that seeing wrong-doing with our own eyes creates a moral responsibility to inform others and take action.  Certainly this isn't the type of action meant to be taken.

And is it just one business?  Why couldn't it be along the lines of financial institutions via Tyler Durden?

In the end, I cannot say I would firebomb any store even if a. no one was hurt and b. I'd get away with it.

Waxings of a 3 year old

Philosophical conversation with my daughter: "What happens if my head grew on my head?" 
Me: "Would that be a plus like having a hollow crest for a Parasauralophus?" 
E: "I could grab things." 
Me: "Would your hand get cold in winter?"
E: "No.  Put on a hat."
Me: "What about your head?"
E: "No.  Put on a hat."
-I grab a stocking hat that Brooke knit me with my left hand while placing my right hand on top of my head.  It covers my hand but not much of my head.
Me: "Does that work?"
E: *laughing "Daddy, if we had hands on our head, there would be a glove spot on our hats to cover it (meaning hand and head)."
-What I hear: "dad, we'd have that figured out.  Duh!"

Me: "Oh.  Yeah, there probably would be."
E: "Now what if our hands were connected to our legs and feet connected to our arms.  It would be hard to juggle."

What a delightful mind I was privy to today.  I love her.

Page 53

Randomly turned to this page to answer a few questions...not sure if I'll roll this into one post yet or not.  We'll see.



If you had to inhabit the body of someone you know personally while keeping your own mind, whose body would you take?

  This question can be taken two ways.  First, I'd only inhabit the body for a short period of time or second, I'd inhabit the body for the remainder of that body's life.
I don't think I'd pick a body other than my own.  It would be too "Like Father Like Son" weird.  Now, it can be a somewhat cool experience like "The Face Off" or "Vice Versa, but I'd be looking more for the experience of "Being John Malcovich.  Nothing long term for me, only short period of time.

  Then, who do I personally know?  The easiest place to look? Facebook.  But I know many more people than found there but, it's not a bad place to start.  But then I remember sitting down recently at a bar in Winona, MN with a few people.  They remind me of some wonderful adventures our friend Steven Devereaux gets himself into.  So, I know many of you don't know Steve, but I'd pick him.

If...taken from actual gathering.

So this past weekend I enjoyed spending time with a couple of close friends.  As luck would have it, I just so happened to be carrying my copy of If... with me (actually, I intended to do some blogging but just like taking college work home with me to do, I didn't do anything I aspired to do after everyone else went to bed).  We took a few turns and discovered a thing or two about each other we didn't know.  At the very least, it was fun.

On my 3 hour drive home today with a sleeping child, I had time to think about a many of things.  One thing that popped into my head was the answer to one of the questions posed just the night before.

If you could physically strike one person from your past (that you didn't), who would you hit, and where?

I had chosen an old friend of mine.  He was someone that I thought had changed for the worse.  I had just typed a list of grievances of the things in which I saw that he wronged either myself or someone I knew.   I have since removed this list.  I now realize that I erred more egregiously than he did.  In the beginning I celebrated some of his behavior.  As it continued, instead of calling out his shit, I allowed it to persist.  That is a bad friend.

As I decided that I would choose another to physically strike, I was left with two people in my mind.  First was my freshman year tormentor in high school, a senior.  I chose the other, my 19 year old self.  I'd probably punch myself in the gut (as opposed to my face), it would hurt my hand less.

Why?  I enjoyed my time very much as I "came of age."  TOO much.  Along with that punch I'd offer some wisdom to get my act together.  Yes, yes...I know the whole "If you were to change yourself you wouldn't have the life you do now..." bit.  That doesn't change the fact that I would have tried to prevent myself from being a screw-up for better part of 5 years.  Like I said last time, I wish I would have traveled more.  I wish I would have worked on becoming what I wanted to become when I was younger.  I also like to think a good punch to the stomach with some sage advice could have gone a long way.

Oh, one more thing.  If any of you reading these posts wants to answer the question I pose for myself, by all means, I'd love to see what you have to say.

If...part 3

4.  If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go?

This question brings to mind an idea that my daughter has developed as a way for us getting places.  After riding along with me on trips to our bank, Evalyn has decided that she wants to build a pneumatic tube system between our house in Decorah and her grandparents' house in both Winona, MN and Monticello, IA as well as her best friends house in Iowa City, IA.  She thinks she should be able to transport herself as quickly as possible to the three places and people she loves the most.  I think that is a wonderful idea.

But would I do the same?  See someone I love?  Probably not.  I've always wanted to travel and see the many wonders and cultures this world has to offer.  For many different reasons, I always put the idea of travel off.  I always thought, "I'll do it when I'm older."  So, I'm sitting here early in the morning and am reminded that I love to watch the sunrise.  Although it wouldn't be the same time anywhere in the world, I would love to be on a rooftop before dawn listening to muezzins issuing the call to prayer.   It would be in a city founded in the 7th Century B.C.E.  A city that has seen its fair share of rulers and ruling religions.  A bastion of architecture sits within its limits from Roman aqueducts and obelisks, through Byzantine churches and domes, to Ottoman mosques.  Surrounded by the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Golden Horn and divided by the Bosphorus, I would visit, Istanbul, Turkey.

I remember my first interest with Istanbul very vividly. My grandmother Loretta always found it important to have National Geographic for her grandchildren.  Having a subscription given to you as an 8 year old seemed to lead to very little bemusement other than the pictures.  As I became older, my fascination was held by more than just images.  Don't get me wrong, the spectacular photographs of places and buildings I couldn't even imagine drew me in, but the words held me.  The article was about The Grand Bazaar.  Glorious shots of covered streets filled with shops and people, I wanted to be there too.  My interest has only grown as my historical understandings of the city grew just as I have.  Although my first inclination at this moment would be to make sure I'm there for the sunrise, I would stay much, much longer. 

 

If...Questions for the Game of Life, Part 2

Many of the questions require little thought.  Many of them demand much.  I plan on forging through the book and letting you explore my own thoughts with me.  I will promise to you (my few readers) to be as honest and truthful as I am able.  We continue...

2.  If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select?

3.  If you could spend one whole night alone with anyone in history, who would you choose?

So for starters, both of these questions can only be answered after you decide what you will be doing during that whole night: Cooking (Antoine Careme, Julia Child, or Ming Tsai), Conversation (Socrates, Catherine de Rambouillet, Gertrude Stein, or Bill Moyers), Religion/Theology (Jesus Christ, Martin Luther, or Dalai Lama) or Carnal Delights (Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Cleopatra, or Kate Winslet).  These are but a few topics and few people that could take shape throughout an evening.  There is also politics, the sciences, history, war, comedy, sports, literature, and music.

The Millionairess

As I write this, my mind continues to come up with new ideas, new people to talk to and learn from.  If I choose Careme, can I even understand what he has to say about the French cooking he is developing?  I do not speak French.  If I select Sophia Loren, do I get the 1960 The Millionairess or the 1995 Grumpier Old Men Loren?  Would she even partake in such an adventure? 

Would I make a choice only to be rejected?  Why does it have to be someone famous?  Couldn't my evening be equally fulfilling spending it with a friend or a family member?  This last question gets to the point of what I am feeling right now.  So...

2.  If I could spend one evening with anyone in the world who is currently alive, it would be Jeff Shehan, a.k.a. Junior.  Of all the friends that I have had throughout my life, this is the one I miss the most.  Something happened between us that caused us to drift apart.  I admit I failed on my part more than once with reactionary sentiments and blinded loyalty.  He was one of my best friends and one of the best people to have been a part of my life.  The evening would be spent with quick apologies on my part and wanting to know what he's been up to.  Reminiscing would obviously take place, but I would hope that any conversations we had would end up with us continuing on into the future.  I have allowed many relationships throughout my life to languish and cease and this one I regret.

3.  Anyone in history?  This question really begs you to pick someone of historical note.  Do I meet a "hero" only to be disappointed?  I think I would choose a polymath.  Imhotep, Archimedes, Al-Jazari, Leonardo da Vinci, any of the Ninja Turtles, Albert Schweitzer, or Rowan Williams would all be great choices.  However, I would have to choose someone that also is connected to my love of American history and politics and select Benjamin Franklin.  I would enjoy an evening playing chess (losing most likely) and conversation.  One evening would not be enough to discuss (or listen to in my case) the insight on so many topics in which he is well versed.

If...(Questions for the Game of Life)

We all know this book.  It was found its way into homes across the country being used at dinner parties, family gatherings, and intimate settings.  First published in 1995, it produced two additional volumes (500 new questions and for the Game of Love) as well as seven spinoffs.  I remember my own experiences with the book and having fun with my friends and finding things out about my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) that were enjoyable and insightful.

Many of the questions require little thought.  Many of them demand much.  I plan on forging through the book and letting you explore my own thoughts with me.  I will promise to you (my few readers) to be as honest and truthful as I am able.  We begin now.

"If is the ultimate book about fantasy.  Each of its questions is meant to spark and tantalize the imagination...We imagine in order to learn, to understand, to strive, to attempt, to predict, to avoid, to correct, to describe, to solve.

Of course, implicit in every question is "why?"...[and] we share the ability to travel together the unpredictable journey of the imagination, which leads us through the wonderful game of life."

1.  If you were granted one wish, what would it be?

One wish huh.  Talk about taking a snapshot of the moment.  I know this is certainly a wish that has changed over time from being a young kid wishing for $1.00 so I could stop by the convenience store on the way home from Sacred Heart School so I could play video games, to an age of wishing I had the courage to go up to the girl I liked.  It would seem to me that one of the most malleable answers would be to this question.  Do I wish for myself?  Do I wish for others?  Who benefits and is it at the expense of anyone else?

It may seem cliche' making a wish for my child/ren but that is what I would do.  I would wish that no matter what, my children be truly happy in their life.  Why?  Well, there are many reasons why but I think it is best summed up with the idea that if they are happy, every thing else must be going well for them.  Nothing else would make me happier.