Baker Home Life

This American Life article on Baghdad Workers

2009-01-24T17:38:00.000-08:00

I am not a big fan of "This American Life". It is usually too crazy or too left leaning for my tastes. Today, though, there was a fantastic article on two guys who worked their way to Baghdad and started working. It is in Act 2. Listen to the whole thing, because it had a dramatic ending.

Oak Mountain - Mountain Bike Trail

2008-08-16T16:19:00.000-07:00

Had a great ride today, in Birmingham, Al, and thought that I would promo the park. Oak Mountain State Park is located near the intersection of I65 and I459 and is very accessible. The park charges a $3 daily entrance fee, but well worth it.

View Larger Map

The trail was built and is maintained by BUMP (Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers). Their trail map is located here and the club information on the trail is here.

I started at the North Trailhead and went counter-clockwise. This took me through the sections of the trail named Red Road to Cabin Road, The Chimneys, The Rock Garden, the Camp Road, Seven Bridges, Terrace Drive (Road), Mr Toad's Wild Ride, Foreplay and Johnson's Mountain. Due to time limitations, I returned to the road and returned to the North Trailhead (a mistake, by the way - all uphill). A very good beginner and intermediate ride. Johnson's Mountain has a couple of tough uphill sections, but the other sections were very fun and most were pretty fast.

In the past, I have have started at the North Trailhead and ridden clock-wise, up the Red Road and the BUMP Trail. The rise is a killer up the Red Road and the BUMP Trail is tough. This is the reason that I started counter-clockwise this time.

The next planned ride will be to start at the South Trailhead and ride up Johnson's Mountain, the BUMP Trail and the Red Road, then either road back to the South Trailhead or take the North to South Trailhead sections.

Kudo's to BUMP for a great riding trail!

An Eagle Ceremony for Jake Dovgan

2008-08-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Attended a great Eagle award ceremony for a scout, or whom I was Den Leader. The Scout is Jake Dovgan. He asked me to speak and I thought that I would attach my speech to give an impression of what a great scout this boy is. The ceremony was great with presentation of the Eagle Rank, presentation of special congressional letter from Congressman John Duncan's office and a great reception.

My speech:

Quiet Determination. As I pondered how best to describe Jake and my observations of him throughout his Cub Scouting, these words came immediately to mind. Quiet describes how he conducts himself and approaches the world.

In Isaiah 32:17, Isaiah writes….

The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quiet and confidence forever.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:11 we are exhorted to ….

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands

Jake you certainly embody this exhortation throughout your cub scouting, whether through attentiveness in Den meetings or leadership of activities, such as our many hikes through the Charit Creek area. I know that you will continue to carry the quiet of righteousness throughout your life.

Determination has certainly been reflected in your scouting career.

I recently read a biography on President Harry Truman, where, when facing continuous crises, his motto was to simply get the job done. No fuss. No expectation of accolades. Harry Truman said

America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to simply do the job at hand.

I saw these same characteristics reflected repeatedly, whether through determination in earning your Webelos swimming pin or in diligence to completing your scouting advancement. As Cubmaster for Pack 22, I saw your work as Den Chief as integral to the success of our pack and clear exhibition of determination to give back to the Cub Scout pack. I like sports quotes, so I picked this out. Vince Lombardi wrote….

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the
determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of
ourselves to the task at hand.

Jake you have certainly applied the best of yourself to the task at hand, in achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, with quiet determination. I congratulate you and I am proud to have been associated with a small part of your journey.

2008-08-01T08:45:00.001-07:00

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Cheekwood Mansion - Nashville

2008-07-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Got a chance to visit Cheekwood Mansion in Nashville, TN for an all too brief Saturday afternoon. A wonderful place and a credit to Nashville. The museum contains an art collection, where they were featuring a display on "The 8", american artists at the turn of the century, who defied conventional art wisdom of the time.

The grounds were also nice. Though hot, the walk around the gardens was cooling and fun. There are many garden sections and a person can find an area which they will like. I wish we lived in the Nashville area, simply to have a garden pass and be able to come and go for relaxation.

Cheekwood was a great place to visit.

Maggiano's Italian Restaurant - Nashville

2008-07-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

My wife and I got a chance to have a free night in Nashville and found a great restaurant. Named Maggiano's and located in the Vanderbilt area, the restaurant had great food, great wine and a family atmosphere. The portions were good and the waiter was especially good! I recommend it highly!

Traffic - looks like an interesting new book

2008-07-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

An interesting new book is be promoted, related to the causes of behavior in traffic situations. USA today had an interesting review and NPR's Fresh Air had a short interview with the author, Tom Vanderbilt. Among the thought are Mr. Vanderbilt's support for "zippering", as I have discussed in a previous post, and support for traffic circles, which I like.

In addition to these areas, he delves into the psychology of what causes different driving behaviors in different people. Looks like a good read. Ordered my copy from Amazon today!

The Teton's Trip

2008-07-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

We pulled the "Great American Vacation" with a trip from Knoxville to the Grand Teton's National Park for the last two weeks. Absolutely beautiful and relaxing. We stayed at Coulter Bay Campground. Hiking, fishing, canoeing, swimming, all done. The highest recommendations possible.

Two and a half days driving from Knoxville to the park, so a long haul, but well worth it.

We took a day trip to Yellowstone and could have spent the whole time there (except for the crowds). Fantastic.

A Great Summer Day

2008-05-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here. Today is a great day. We started with baseball games, to finish the KYS season. A loss for the Mets and we are in the lower bracket for the tournament next week.

Following the games, a little light yard work, refurbishing the pond, with new fish, a new filter and new plants. Colleen got to pick and name a new fish, classically called "Goldie" (very original).

The kids spent two hours at the pool and Dad got a two hour afternoon nap. The pool was newly cold, which won't last. Two weeks from now, the water will move from cool to tepid to bathwater warm by August. The nap was a classic warm, laying in the sun, in-and-out sleep, with the radio lightly going with classical music.

We grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner, with fresh corn on the grill. A great dinner for a great day. The simple satisfaction of a day restfully spent. The night closed with flashlight tag with the neighborhood kids in pack, while we eagerly await the fireflies.

Knox Catholic wins TN State Soccer Championship A/AA

2008-05-25T17:14:00.001-07:00

Knox Catholic won the Tennessee State Championship for soccer, beating CAK (5 time state champs) 3-0. Good coverage for the game at the following links:

WBIR Coverage.

Knoxnews.com article.

WVLT TV Sports Extra.

Life Lessons - The fine art of water-balloon tying

2008-05-25T14:19:00.001-07:00

A great afternoon, heading into summer. I spent a few minutes this afternoon passing on a crucial life skill to my sons. Most dad's would pass on business skills, discussions of the opposite sex, or fighting arts. Today, though, I transcended all these more mundane topics and passed on the fine art of how to tie a water balloon. A skill much used in the summer months at our house, this crucial skill is slowing dying in the U.S., I am afraid. More water balloons, anyone?

NPR misses with the Body Farm report

2008-05-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

NPR had an article today related to the Charles Manson ranch near Death Valley, and in the article referred to the Oak Ridge National Lab Body Farm. As a proud Tennessee alumni, I was unhappy with the inaccuracy of the reporting. NPR is usually better about checking their facts and relationships, especially when they themselves have reported on the Body Farm in past articles. The Body Farm, started by Dr. Bill Bass, is associated with the University of Tennessee, not ORNL.

Knox Catholic heading to the State Soccer Playoffs

2008-05-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Knox Catholic is heading for the state soccer playoffs this week. Games Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday (as long as they keep winning). I believe that the most serious competition will be CAK out of the loser's bracket. We have to see about another split soccer weekend this weekend!

Good luck Catholic!

Severe Weather - Knoxville

2008-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Maureen and I drove through the area of severe weather in Knoxville. Evidently, a microburst rolled through Knoxville. We drove through the Rocky Hill area and Northshore and Papermill area. At Aubrey's in Papermill, we noticed cars up to the door in water.

The creek at Northshore and Baum Drive (in front of Sacred Heart) was running at the bridge in front of the Cathedral and over the bridge at the Chancellery Office.

2008-05-09T19:22:00.001-07:00

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A Major Defficiency in Auto Web Sites

2008-05-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am in the market for a new car, as I have a 16 year old soon-to-be licensed driver. Don't get me started on the insurance costs..... Anyway, with a large family, I have special requirements (at least five seats). As I have scanned and scanned new and used car web sites, I have not found, on a single site, how many can fit in a car. No listing of number of seat belts, no listing of number of passangers, nothing. I have looked in the build section, in the specifications, on the front pages, nothing. I challenge the web site designers and marketers to fix this greivous deficiency.

Traffic Circle Suggestions for Knoxville

2008-04-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

I have written in the past about traffic circles. I have two additional intersections which would benefit from traffic circles, where traffic needs to kept moving and in general is low to moderate pace of traffic. The first is at the intersection of Gleason and Gallaher View. This intersection is usually low traffic, but backs up tremendously during rush hour and on Saturday mornings. The shape of the intersection is also odd, which could rectified or fit into the traffic circle design.

View Larger Map

The second intersection which could benefit from a traffic circle is the intersection Cross Park Drive and Park Village Drive in the Cedar Bluff area. Traffic backs up during early morning and late morning rush hour.

View Larger Map

Both these intersections are four way stops and suffer from the "Stop Sign Menace", where you have drivers who are too impatient to wait their turn and double-pull into the intersection and suffer from drivers who do not monitor whose turn is is to go through the four way stop. A traffic circle is the best option for these intersections.

Are you a good steward?

2008-04-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

I was asked this question yesterday and it had a profound effect on my thoughts for the last 24 hours. "Are you a good steward?" In both a religious and secular sense, this question brings quick clarity. A steward is a person who controls assets and makes decisions for those things which do not belong to him. Your goal as a steward is to continually improve those assets which are entrusted to you. The status quo is not acceptable for a true and good steward.

"Are you a good steward?" This question strikes quickly to any issue facing where a person spends their time. "Are you a good steward?" Am I spending my time as I should, with my work, home and family life? Am I giving guidance to my children? Am I doing all that I should to help my work colleagues? Is my attitude correct in all relationships? There are a host of questions which are generated when this question is applied.

Are you a good steward? I am still working to answer this question.

Mu Alpha Theta for Marty

2008-04-20T18:06:00.000-07:00

Marty was inducted into Mu Alpha Theta, high school math honor society, this afternoon. Short but good ceremony for both Mu Alpha Theta and National Honor Society, held at Knox Catholic.

Zipper in merging situations

2008-04-12T11:08:00.001-07:00

I heard the zipper term from a European colleague of mine. The definition is that, during merging situations from two lanes to one, that cars alternate in merging. What a great concept for the United States. There are too many situations where the signs for merging indicate that a merge is required 1-2 miles down the road. All the traffic comes to a screeching halt and the merging process starts way to early. The entire lane that is being merged is empty, and a lot of road capacity is wasted.

What is worse are those individuals who feel the need to enforce this premerger behavior, by getting in the merging lane and going as slow as possible. Then there are the people who will swerve into your lane as you pass, to intimidate you, and creating a dangerous situation.

Now we have highway signs that indicate "Start Merging Now", two miles before the merge occurs. Not only is is crazy, but the state governments are supporting it. Let's use common sense, some merging civility (see previous post) and also use the highway capacity. Zipper together and keep the traffic moving.

Traffic Notes - Blinker On, Let them In

2008-04-12T11:07:00.000-07:00

Given that I just posted re: slow traffic keep right, this may seem like a weird post from me. This is my little stab at the rude world. If a person is active enough to turn on the blinker, they will get an entry into my lane. It does nothing for the world to let the person sit in the left lane and block all that traffic, when a little southern hospitality will go a long way to keeping the traffic moving. I see this all the time in highway merge situations and daily in the Cedar Blufff area, as people feel that they need to police the mergers. If they then add a hand wave, it is a double-bonus. So turn on your blinker and merge.

Traffic Notes - Slower Traffic Keep Right

2008-04-12T10:51:00.000-07:00

My recent post on the Cedar Bluff traffic caused me to think about general rules of driving. These thoughts are sure to stir controversy, as driving skills are right after religion, sports and operating systems in inflaming mass public passions. See an example at www.knoxvilledriverssuck.com, a page that I disagree with for most of the information. So, flame on....

Rule One: Slower traffic keep right. - this used to be the rule of the road. You would actually see signs for it. It was enforced. A good summary for keeping right is here. I won't repeat all the points, but will add that slow cars in the left lane should honor the five second rule. If a car is behind you for more than five seconds, pull over and let them pass. The capacity boost to our roads will be huge.

Beg Week - Oh No!

2008-04-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

This week has been the infamous "Beg Week" on WUOT-FM, the local Public Radio Station, happing now twice yearly. I understand the need and contribute, but I still find the continuous stream of banter annoying. These two weeks of the year are the times that I catch up on my sports radio listening, pop music, you name it!

In addition, it always sounds like their goals are never met. I have an idea for them. Offer the listeners that, if the goals are met for one of the hours, that the cheerful banter will be ended and the regular programming will return. This would drive a lot of listeners to rush to the phones.

Ok, rant over. Support Public Radio!

Our own little version of New York

2008-04-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

I have, for years, thanked my lucky stars that I had the short commute, low traffic environment of Knoxville, Tennessee. Lately, though, I am seeing more and more that we have our own little version of New York City in West Knoxville. I drive daily from one end of the Cedar Bluff "zone" to the other. Starting at Kingston Pike and ending at Knoxville Catholic High is a joy. Between the traffic lights, the red light cameras, traffic merging, Starbucks turns and Cedar Bluff School traffic, the transit time is murder and the southern politeness is out the window. Now I am as aggressive as the next guy, but I will let someone with their blinker on and a legitimate reason to merge, into my lane.

I do not travel downtown, often. Nor have I experienced the New York, San Fransisco or LA traffic very often. Nevertheless, I feel justified in asking, "What are the plans for this Area?" This could be a classic overdevelopment situation.

BTW, lunchtime is no better. Pictures to follow.

Knoxville Traffic Circles

2008-04-07T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am interested to see the continued development of traffic circles in our area. I am a big fan of them, as they keep traffic moving through intersections at low or medium traffic densities. Two circles which I have seen, which did not seem to be reported through the local media, consist of the circle at the intersection of Gleason and Wesley Park Rd. While not appearing to be tackling a traffice problem, it is attractive nonetheless.

View Larger Map

The second circle is at the intersection of Concord Road and Northshore, and this circle solves a major traffic problem. Turning left from Concord onto Northshore was a nightmare, especially after work. The traffice circle solved a lot of traffic movement problems.

View Larger Map

Below are a couple of links to additional traffic circles that are positioned in North Knoxville, though I have not experienced them.

WBIR link

Old North Knoxville Organization link

To close, I love the use of traffic circles. I have not, historically, seen a lot of them used in the United States, though they are popular in Europe. I am glad to see they are becoming an increasingly used tool in the hands of traffic planners.

Downtown and Historic Lenoir City, Tennessee

2008-04-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

In a happy driving mistake, I stumbled across the downtown area of Lenoir City, Tennessee and drove through the historic district of older and restored homes. Definitely a happy accident. The downtown appears to have remained alive, through the growth phases and the efforts by the homeowners to restore homes was evident. The area was very attractive. I am glad to see that retention of the town center has been possible and hope that it will continue.

District Pinewood Derby

2008-04-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Charlie participated in the district pinewood derby today. The car was competitive, but we were a tenth of a second too slow for the top three slots. Well run race and a lot of fun. A short video of the event is on YouTube here.

I love rain in the spring

2008-04-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

I love the rain in the spring; it means that soccer and baseball are canceled for tomorrow. Sorry to be so happy when sports are canceled, but this will make two saturdays, back to back. It has been months since both my wife and I and all the kids are in town. Last weekend, we built one full rock wall for our landscaping and improved a second one. (pictures hopefully coming tomorrow). Same for this weekend. Only one activity, the district pinewood derby for Charlie!

The wall built (part of 3 tons of stone). The wall improved.

Catholic Soccer 1-0 win over Bearden

2008-03-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just home from a great soccer game. Crisp spring evening. Knoxville Catholic v. Bearden. Both regional and state power teams. Well played by both teams, and physical. The field was miserable, though, after a long tough weekend of soccer in the Bearden Invitational.

Catholic scored in the 57th minute. Kosta Nassios passed ahead to Tyler Gibson. Gibson laid a perfect inside pass to Ricardo Martinez, who finished very strong in the back net. Both teams had opportunities to score. Catholic built more plays forward, but Bearden's strong and accurate North-South passing worked well to give them opportunities. A very close match and well played and well refereed.

The game was marked by the return of Joey Delarosa, goalkeeper for Catholic, who played very well, though not 100% back.

Life of a goal-keeper parent

2008-03-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

The life of a parent of a goal-keeper is too stressful for me to keep up with. My son, Marty, got the nod for starting keeper for our team (Knoxville Catholic) in the local Bearden tournament this weekend, when our starting keeper was sidelined with a foot injury. While I am proud of my son's ability, but would like to have warning next time.

My wife texted me during the first game of the tournament and indicated that our son had started. I immediately blew out of work with a short word with my boss. After three games this weekend, I now have no fingernails left.

One of the other parents summed it up best with "Marty played well. No mistakes." The goal-keeper position is one of the positions where every mistake is clearly visible and usually results in very bad for the team. I need to check into fingernail implants, I guess....... Prayers to our starting keeper for a swift recovery.

Dallas Cup 2008 - Wrapup

2008-03-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Day four and five finally led to the recover of soccer. Novo Brazil lost to Guadalajara 0-3 in a good game, but the fast and slicing Mexican team had a good crossing game. On Day five, Novo Brazil won against FC Milwaukee 1-0, as the Texas wind returned to influence the game. Time to return to Memphis for Easter. A good week in Dallas for Novo Brazil. Two good games played and improved overall.

Dallas Cup 2008 - Day Three Update

2008-03-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

The rain is coming down in buckets, as they say in Texas. Games and activities for today are canceled. More details to follow. Practice and the Mavericks game tonight.

Dallas Cup 2008 - Day Two Update

2008-03-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Day two of Dallas Cup 2008 is ending with one of the best soccer games we have witnessed. Today's game pitted Novo Brazil against the Texas Longhorns, in the U14 bracket. The game began horribly for Novo Brazil, with a goal scored by the Texans in the first minute. Novo Brazil rallied and played extremely well the remainder of the game, with the game equalizer early in the second half. There were opportunities for the win by both clubs, but neither team could gather enough to score a second goal. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Kudos to the referees and to the parents of the Texas Longhorn team. Both were excellent.

Tomorrow's game at noon CST will have Novo Brazil playing the FC Milwaukee team. Will be an exciting game, with the level of competition great!

More pictures at flickr. Further updates tomorrow.

A quick video survey of Tornado Damage in Jackson

2008-03-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

On our way to Dallas Cup, we stopped at my parents home in Jackson, TN. Their property was subject to tornado damage, during the tornado on February 5, 2008. My brother had indicated the extent of the damage, but until I had a chance to see the damage, it was difficult to understand the scope. I took still pictures and some video of the area, to give some level of the damage. The pictures are after logging activity has started, so it is not of the original damage. Nevertheless, the scope of the damage is clear.

Southern Cooking

2008-03-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

On our way to Dallas Cup (see blog entries), I got a chance to stop and see my parents for a few minutes. We had an early southern dinner of pinto beans, collared greens, pork tenderloin, rolls and milk. I am partial to good southern cooking (as evidenced by my girth). Enjoy.

March Madness - Again

2008-03-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year, March Madness. That time of year which is combination of fan feeding frenzy on basketball, combined with what has to be one of the best long term marketing strategies of all time. Let's address the last point first. The NCAA Basketball Program has done a great job of combining a great game, emotionally connected fans (in the extreme), television, intensity and that most American of things, a single Champion Team! I admit my addiction and revel in it.

Now on to the details re: this family blog. My older sons have whooped me, no doubt about it, for the last "few" years (I have lost count). Each year we fill the brackets and debate. The job gets easier and easier with the availability of electronic brackets available from ESPN, Yahoo, CBS Sports, etc. We use Yahoo!, as I have been a Yahoo! user since the beginning of Yahoo!. See our group at this link (may not be visible until Thursday). This year, I am true to my team and have Tennessee going all the way. They had better amp-up the defense, but I have faith and hope that they can do it!

The trick, as most bracketologists know, is to pick the early upsets and the length of the upset runs. We shall see how far we go!

Dallas Cup 2008 - Day One Update

2008-03-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

Novo Brazil is in the Dallas Cup 2008 in the U14 bracket. We arrived in Dallas, TX today, after a two day transit via Jackson and Memphis with family visits. The drive from Knoxville to Jackson, then Memphis was full of rain. The drive from Memphis to Dallas was flat. Dallas Cup is one of the premier tournaments in the country and the team is happy to be here twice in the last three years. We have a tough pool play, with games against Texas Longhorns, FC Milwaukee, and CD Guadalajara. Early evaluation of the Longhorns team are that we can be competitive, but will have to play very well to win.

Day One was interesting. There were two supergroup games and the Opening Ceremonies for the teams playing in the tournament. Supergroup game 1 had San Paulo v Andromeda, TX, with Andromeda winning handily 5-2. Supergroup game 2 pitted Liverpool v Bosnia. Liverpool dominated with a 6-1 win. The opening ceremonies were also very interesting, with all the teams congregating on the Main Pizza Hut Stadium field, for a meet and greet.

More photos at flickr.

Volunteerism - A Call to Leadership

2008-03-12T18:25:00.000-07:00

Volunteers are the lifeblood of scouting. First and foremost, the efforts that the parents make to bring their scouts to the meetings and help with advancement through the ranks is awesome. The Den and Pack leaders organize the activities and bring together everyone to achieve the learning and leadership development which is the heart of scouting. The scouts themselves make the efforts to ensure the learning is not in vain (though it may not seem this way, at times). The energy and drive from all is what makes scouting possible. It is very fulfilling to be a part of this in a leadership role.

Cub scouts is truly blessedwith a great group of parents, leaders and, most importantly scouts. Leadership in scouts is fulfilling as an exercise in leadership and as an exercise in teaching our young men. I ask all to truly consider leadership in scouting and in all activities where this dual opportunity exists.

Charlie wins the Pinewood Derby

2008-03-08T16:38:00.001-08:00

Today we held the annual Pinewood Derby for Pack 22. After an exciting race, Charlie won for the entire Den and Pack. The Pinewood derby is a delicate balance between the scout and the father (generally). The balance between the child learning and what they are capable of accomplishing needs to be honored. The competitive nature of the event can also bring out a lot of Dad interference (no news here....).

Anyway, we have a great organizer for our Pinewood Derby, in Dr. Sam Maynard, who helps with test track setup, great advice for all participants (and dads). We work hard to keep the competitive element to a minimum.

Since he is in 2nd grade, I had him design the car layout. I cut the wood with the bandsaw. He painted and we put the wheels on together. I will leave it to you to judge whether we had a good balance or not.

With that said, though, I am happy with Charlie's win.

Water Rights Dispute - More Reporting

2008-03-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

There has already been a lot reported on the Great Georgia Water Grab (see knoxnews.com and other sites for information). The attempt by Georgia to move the Tennessee border also made more national news as an also ran by Georgia in its fight with Alabama and Florida. The story was on NPR this morning at the following link.

The radio story related to Georgia's continued 20 year fight for water with Alabama and Florida. Its nice to see that they are fighting with others, as well as Tennessee. Conservation is the first key.

knoxnews stories:
Water War story
TN Lawmaker response
Sam Venerable commentary
"They're Idiots" Story
Venerable "Too Late"
Bredesen response to Georgia
Chattanooga Response

there are other stories on knoxnews.com, but thought this was enough to get started.

The Soccer Season, Anew

2008-02-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

Time for another soccer season to begin. I was quickly reminded this past weekend of how quickly we forget the skills required to survive in the travel soccer quagmire. The rules and checklists are:

Plan most Friday nights for driving
Pack your cooler and groceries with beer (first and foremost), bagels, bananas, ham and cheese, snacks, gatorade
Always check voicemail, then check it again 10 minutes later for updates
Pray for rain, so you do not have to play the 7 am game.
Check into the hotel and pray more for something other than the Bates Motel
Check voicemail again
Pry your child out of bed
Show up for the game, on-time (bring a book, you are one hour early)
Cheer (positive only for the kids, no coaching from the sidelines)
Lunch at an acceptable deli sandwich place
Show up for the game, on-time (book or paper, again)
Cheer
Dinner at an acceptable restaurant (no fried foods)
Repeat once (miss church most times)
Drive home

Here we go again. Hope to see my wife in 7 or 8 weekends.

Private Speech

2008-02-21T06:30:00.001-08:00

I put a blog entry in my business blog that relates the private speech, which impacts business, personal and work-life balance. Thought that I would link it here.

The Creative Process

2008-02-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

Had some interesting thoughts and personal revelations, this past weekend, on the creative process. You always hear the phrase that art is for the artist. I never really and truly understood this until working on this blog, youtube video and flickr photos. These creative outputs (you can judge the level of creativity :-)) are fun to work on, even when no-one reads the blog, reviews the video or looks at the photographs. I enjoy the output, for the sake of the output.

Anyway, it is late in the day for too many deep thoughts.

The Surf Slide

2008-02-18T17:55:00.001-08:00

A totally fun post. A subset of our family visited Williamsburg this past President's weekend. During the trip, the kids and I (Maureen was back in Colonial Williamsburg) went to a water park at the Great Wolf Lodge in the area. They had one ride which mimic'ed a surf ride that was an absolute blast. No great pictures to share, but a wild ride. Great for the thrill seeker in you.

Marty makes Varsity Soccer Team

2008-02-13T18:55:00.001-08:00

Good news for Marty. He made the varsity soccer team as a sophomore. His position is backup keeper. The current keeper is a Senior.

This was an interesting choice for him. He could play junior varsity and start or play varsity and ride the pine for the season. In the end, he chose to get the exposure to the higher level of play available at the varsity level (at least in practice). It is much better to be the small fish in the big pond.......

I am having interesting emotions as a parent. We have always supported our children and left the decisions like this to them. I am proud that he made the right choice. I am also happy that he has made the varsity, even though I would be perfectly happy supporting him in JV. We will see if there are opportunities for him to play.

Added material - Interesting Ritual for Knox Catholic Soccer. New members get their hair cut in weird ways, then have one day of practice and then buzzed. Marty looks really weird now.....

Tim on All-KISL Team

2008-02-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Tim, our second son, for a starting spot on the All-KISL team for basketball. Tim plays point guard for the Sacred Heart Eagles and had a great season, along with the whole team! Great job, Tim.

Conversations with Children and Employees

2008-02-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

I am struck by a comparison between children and employees. As a parent, there are often conversations which are difficult, but required. The purpose is, through love, to help your child see the need to correct actions or change on-going behaviors. As a manager, the same conversations are required, at times, with your employees. Though love is not the usual reason given in a business situation, it should be the same motivating factor.

Reversing the comparison, the same rules for a manager, when holding these conversations, holds true for the conversation with a recalcitrant child. Calm, yet firm, conversation is the method, with just enough emotion to express the seriousness of the situation. Establishing the position of judge is crucial, and examples of behavior or changes in expected output are also required. Having a solid action plan is essential. Lastly is follow-up, with clear rewards or consequences.

I have found that these conversations with employees are far easier, as the emotional connection is more distant. I also, though, firmly believe that these conversations are far more important with your children. The long term emotional exposure is far greater.

Charit Creek Lodge

2008-02-04T17:47:00.000-08:00

Charit Creek Lodge. The name and place houses a collection of experiences for me, both good and bad. I have had some of the most wonderful experiences and at least one of my worst mistakes in personal relationships. Much like life overall, it is an amalgamate of all of these experiences in my mind.

This weekend, we had another Cub Scout trip to the Lodge. The Cub Scout trips are the usual genesis of a trip, as we have had a group visit the lodge for the last eight years. Another great trip this weekend. The most memorable part for me was the clarity of the night sky; stars, satellites, meteorites, the Milky Way. It was absolutely beautiful and not too cold for the viewing.

As for the mix of memories and experiences, the visit to Charit Creek has always been welcome. The absolute best experience was the trip where the temperature was below ten Fahrenheit and had been for over a week. The creek was well frozen over and the scouts and parents had a great time skating on the ice. For Tennessee, it was a unique experience.

This same trip also led to one of my personal mistakes, the kind that you relive in your mind and wish to relive for real. One of the other father's and I had a run-in, after the trip. Suffice it to say that I handled the situation poorly and damaged a relationship. More in another post, at another time. It is funny how often the best and worst situations (at least in your own mind) are juxtaposed.

Back to the good (I am a hopeless optimist), Charit Creek Lodge and the Big South Fork area will always represent this mix of real life experiences, with the good and wonderful experiences far outweighing the one's you wish to relive and redo. The Lodge bunkhouse, hiking and visits with good friends are great.

Randomness and Life

2008-02-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

I am always fascinated by the view of life as a random machine. By this I mean that many factors of life are exposed to random effects, which can leave us feeling like small particles suffering from Brownian motion. Life's many aspects can be viewed as a string of independent (or dependent, based on your beliefs) probability functions.

In the view on success, education, clear thinking, and prudent behaviors all simply increase the probability of success. They do not guarantee it. Evidence to these facts is available. Observe simply that there are a lot of smart, talented people who are not remarkably wealthy nor overtly successful. Also observe that there are people who are successful who are not remarkably bright. Randomness works both ways. Now, taken over the entire spectrum of humanity, the probabilities are spread and show that successful people are usually bright and unsuccessful are usually not, but that simply reinforces the probability viewpoint.

Randomness in life also is manifest in the actions and interactions of our lives on the planet. The car wreck, exposure to sickness, choice of small action which cascade to disaster all can show the interaction of randomness with our lives. The positive of this randomness is shown in avoidance of tragedy.

I have to say that I am most certainly not negative on the random effects in life. I truly believe that, without the random interactions and their effects on life, we would live in an exceedingly boring existence. I encourage us all to recognize the randomness as valuable, do our best to work through the negative effects, make the best of our situations and keep chugging. What else are we to do?

The Best Commute

2008-01-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

I have the best commute. 10 minutes to detox from work. 10 minutes of NPR.

Going to work, I see the Cumberland Mountains. Coming home, I see the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains currently have snow and the air is clear all the way to North Carolina.

I pass Sinking Creek and the Marina. I cross the hill to my exit and see Fort Loudon Lake through a gap in the hills. Three lights later I am turning for home.

I have the best commute.

The Rise of Conformity

2007-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

We are wrestling with conformity this week. I am now "queer" in the teen vernacular, because I am taking video for YouTube and publishing this blog. "None of my friends want to see this....." Any creativity out of the norm is not acceptable. Oh well. Surf this out with the rest of the phases, and maybe they will get interested in the cross between technology and creativity that this blog represents.

I finally understand YouTube

2007-12-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

I have wondered for years what all the buzz was about re: YouTube. I have now put two very simple movies on YouTube, linked them to the family web page and used it. Developing the movies was actually fun, even though they are simply family movies. When I placed them on YouTube, I thought that no one else would look at them. Both movies have over 10 views in two days. It is very seductive to think "Who is viewing these movies of a birthday and a travel short." In addition, picking random videos to view is fun. It is a small piece of your world or theirs.

The two movies are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvSiuV5nx_4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xXupfn9mo4

No promises on quality.

Death of Books

2007-12-20T17:32:00.000-08:00

We are in a fight; a fight for our lives. The death of books is at hand. We fight constantly with our children, especially one of them who shall remain unnamed. We have to pull them away from electronics of all sorts. This includes movies, computers, gamecube, gameboy, PSP, PS2.... The list goes on and on. The electronics is dominating, and simple pastimes (LIKE READING) are going by the wayside.

I know, I know. Many people would say that "You are writing this blog on a computer", "You were just playing internet chess"..... I still find time to read. A good book, a glass of wine, a comfy chair.....

Ok, Rant over. Back to my chess game on Yahoo.........

P.S. - Saw an interesting NYTimes article (via twitter link) that I thought was interesting, as related to my original post.

Soccer at Disney

2007-11-23T13:29:00.001-08:00

Help!

We are stuck at Disney, with five children, for Thanksgiving. Thanks for Nickelodeon and ESPN.

At least the Thanksgiving Dinner was better then last year. Last year, at Disney, we had TGI Friday's for Dinner. No offense to the chain, but it sucked to have Thanksgiving there. This year, we at least had dinner with my parents, at a nice seafood place.

I at least understand the attractiveness of Florida. Most of our past visits were made in the Summer. Fun at the beach but very hot (July). Our trip was heaven. 65 degrees, ocean breeze, good books, sunny, Grandma with the kids.