One Step at a Time

The old wooden stairs crewmen in anticipation as Zack pulled and tugged, twisted and strained. The nails held the metal stripping firmly in place.

"Dad, I can't get this one."

"You're doing a great job, Zack, just keep working it."

The stairs to our basement had been covered with 1970's vintage linoleum floor covering for the 11 years that we had been in the house. It finally time to take it off.

I think I got it, Dad!"

"That's it, son, nice and easy."

Like a baby chick about to hatch, the aluminum retaining strip holding back forty years of foot traffic finally relinquished under the force from Zack's pry bar. He held it up triumphantly, like a trophy, and shook it.

"Yes! We did it, Dad. We did it!"

Empty Excitement

The room said summer, packed-up, waiting. As I looked around, I revelled in the pregnant excitement of a new school year. New beginnings require new approaches, a blend of how things have been and how they are with the limitless possibility of what will be.

On Tuesday, Room 504 will be full of the best students anywhere, and the room will come alive with possibility. We will learn and grow together in a community, the only way to be. I am excited. It's time to get set up.

Welcome Back, Teachers and Staff!

"Welcome back, teachers and staff!"

Mr. Morawski was standing in the middle of the BCS media center looking out at a sea of familiar faces. There was Mrs. Roberts, just back from her campsite on Lake Fica. On the other side of the room was Mr. Brown, who rode his Harley-Davidson to school, taking advantage of the clear summer weather. At the back was Mr. Whitmer, talking about his trip to Guatemala.

"This year is going to be our best one yet!"

Mr. Morawski's enthusiasm was contagious. The teachers and staff were back at BCS.

Mr. J's Icebucket Challenge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI0ov0lKsUA&feature=youtu.be

Teddy Cruises Woodward

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Hi everyone! I'm Teddy Joseph and since today is Dream Cruise, you can find me out on Woodward Avenue cruising around and hanging with my peeps. 

My family is actually in Toronto on vacation, but I'm staying home in Royal Oak with our cousin Mark. What an exciting day!

Water, Water, Everywhere

As I was leaving my house to go to a funeral in Cleveland, Ohio yesterday, the rain was falling. As my friend drove down I-75, the rain was falling. Wow, there sure is a lot of rain coming down, I thought.

My first clue that something was awry was when I received a text from Mary Beth that informed me that Zack and Nick's grandparents' basement had flooded. Uh-oh, I thought. There really is a lot of rain. The next text I got, let me know that Zack and Nick's aunt's basement was flooded. Not only was it flooded, but the water was spewing backward up through the toilet. Oh, and it was sewage water. Poop water, to be specific.

Eek, I thought. This sounds pretty nasty. Then came the pictures. That's a lot of water, I thought. Grandparents, aunt, who would be next?

Our ceiling's dripping! came the next text from my wife. Here it comes, I thought. If trouble comes in threes, was this the third? Fortunately, our damage was very minor compared to the first two houses. What a storm! On the way back from Cleveland, a trip that normally takes two hours and 45 minutes, took four hours. Streets became rivers. Freeways turned into canals. Walls of water swallowed up cars and trucks.

The rain was falling yesterday. A reminder, if nothing else, of the power of nature. We are not in control, as much as we'd like to think we are. A lot of rain adds up to a lot of water. Water is powerful. It affects us, every day. Sometimes in ways we can't anticipate.

Disciplined Reading and Writing

I am the kind of reader who needs discipline. No,not "punishment" as discipline is often confused with. I need discipline - a daily regimen, a protocol, a way, a habit. I thrive on order, structure and schedules. Within that structure, I can be creative and productive.

I know that if I literally set my phone to 10 minutes and read a book of my own choosing for 10 minutes, then I will read for 10 minutes. I know if I do the same with a teacher-book or job-related reading I will get it done. If I set my timer to five minutes (like I'm dong at this instant) I will write for five minutes a day. 

Now, this is a bare minimum - not very much reading and writing, in my opinion - but it's better than nothing, which is what happen when I don't plan and schedule my time. Ordered time. Discipline. It works for me.

The Beholder in Charge

So, last night we all watched a movie as a family. As the boys get older, they want to watch movies that are not necessarily appropriate for them, in my mind. Of course, they think they are old enough to watch practically anything. "I've heard every swear word that exists so many times" or  "I've already seen movies that have that in it, Dad" are familiar refrains.

My concerns are several. First, even if you have heard it, seen it, done it, said it, etc., that doesn't automatically mean you should have or should continue to be exposed to that kind of language/behavior. Second, Mary Beth said something meaningful last night, "Once you see something, you can't take that image back. It is burned into your brain forever."

As a parent, it is my responsibility to keep my children safe - emotionally and physically. Part of keeping them safe means that I set limits on what they can say and do. This is not easy, and the rules are somewhat gray. What kind of adult-content is appropriate for kids to see and what isn't? When is something edifying or offensive or just plain stupid? These decisions kind of get to the nature of art itself, and may be in the eye of the beholder. In this case, as the parent, I am the "Beholder in Charge" and I make the rules. Tough job, sometimes.

Kickin' it Old School

When I was in Florida for a week, I had no internet or laptop, so I wrote in a composition notebook, just like back in the day! Here are some examples from my writer's notebook. See if you can read any of it;

Diving with the Buddha

I went diving with the Buddha. "What?" you may ask. Well, as anyone can plainly see, Zack and I are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean hanging out with a statue of the Buddha. There are smaller satues on either side, but the Buddha is the closest one to the camera.

There are a lot of things I like about this picture. There are many stories I could write relating to this event. Here are a few story starters...

The yellow tail grouper darted in and out of my line of vision...

The bubbles from my mouth seemed to block the lens as I waited for the picture to be taken.

Even if could talk, I'm not sure what I would say 20 feet below the Atlantic Ocean off a reef called "Victory".

The peace sign flashed clearly through the blue-green sea.

I never thought I'd be taking pictures with my son, or anyone else, with an air tank on my back on the bottom of the sea.

"Everything's better, when it get's wetter, under the sea."

Back from the Deep!

What a trip! I haven't posted in over a week because Zack and I were in the Florida Keys SCUBA diving. 

I will post pictures as soon as possible. The chance to dive in the ocean was the trip of a lifetime for us. We saw so many fish and undersea plants all around the many different reefs we dived. We made a total of 11 dives, including one night dive.

We stayed at the Florida Sea Base, which is part of the Boy Scouts. We stayed in air-conditioned dorms, which was very fortunate, because it was 90 degrees and very humid every day. It was so hot, that just being outside made me tired.

I have so many stories to share from this trip to add to the stories I already have from my Japan trip. I am a lucky man to have been able to travel to all of these amazing places.