He was skating toward the puck full speed at center, didn’t see the other kid coming…BOOM, full on collision. Got right back up and played the puck.

A couple minutes later, he’s going after the puck and plows through some kid on the boards. Almost [...]]]> So, Michael is becoming quite the aggressive hockey player.

He was skating toward the puck full speed at center, didn’t see the other kid coming…BOOM, full on collision. Got right back up and played the puck.

A couple minutes later, he’s going after the puck and plows through some kid on the boards. Almost scored on a rebound, too.

Keeping in mind that he’s playing with mostly 9 and 10 year olds, he’s really holding his own and making his Daddy proud!

Lol, wish I had tape on that hit….

This last development is going to be troubling. Used to be we could just close the door [...]]]> It’s so fun watching little Emma learning new things. She’s now able to walk/run(albeit very stiff-legged), she points to things she wants or places she wants to go, and as of this morning she can use doorknobs.

This last development is going to be troubling. Used to be we could just close the door to a room we were in and she was stuck in there with us.

Now she’s got access to the whole house and we’re going to have to worry about keeping her more safe cause she can’t just be corralled by a closed door.

Oh well, like I said, it’s really fun watching her learn to do things.

I’m glad Michael is playing with the older kids, it will really give him a [...]]]> Michael and David are both playing hockey this season. Unfortunately, they’re not able to play on the same team. Michael is playing in the 10 & Under age group, David is playing in the 6 & Under age group.

I’m glad Michael is playing with the older kids, it will really give him a chance to see what skating and playing are all about. David gets to play with kids his age and since this is his first hockey experience, it’s really well suited for him.

And David LOVES his coach. I’ve worked with Coach Kyle quite a few times at the rink helping out with the Saturday programs and he’s got a great demeanor for teaching the kids the game and really tries to get involved with the kids on a personal level.

I’m coaching Michael’s team. We’ve got 11 kids on the team and they all seem to be really nice kids. There’s a couple kids who think they’re already playing as well as Alex Ovechkin and don’t need teammates. They’ll start ‘getting it’ as the season wears on. I’ve got the kids learning a pro-style offense that demands the kids spread out and utilize the pass. They’re picking it up surprisingly quickly and are trying to apply it as best they can during the games.

He took his first huge hit during the practice the other night. He was playing with the scout team [...]]]> Michael started playing tackle football this fall. He is starting at center and is really getting the hang of snapping, blocking, tackling and all the other stuff that goes into being a good football player.

He took his first huge hit during the practice the other night. He was playing with the scout team returning kicks, the ball came right to him, and as he went to take his first step with the ball he absolutely got nailed.  He cried for a little bit, took a couple plays off, then came back in and four straight plays in a row went after the guy who’d laid him out.

I was very impressed with the way he handled the whole thing.  Of all the ways he could have reacted after taking a huge hit like that, I’m absolutely shocked, amazed, and proud that he did what he did. It could not have been more perfect for him.

That’s the kind of aggression that will really help him become a good player in the future.

Michael turned into a really talented hitter.  He’s a left-handed hitter, thanks mostly to his [...]]]> Michael had a really fun season playing baseball this spring. I had a lot of fun as the head coach of his team. We had a really fun group of kids and parents, too, which made things really nice.

Michael turned into a really talented hitter.  He’s a left-handed hitter, thanks mostly to his comfort level of using a left-curved stick in hockey. There were a few times when he hit it to the fence.  I was really happy with how he improved as a fielder and with his throwing technique.

Be sure to check out the Videos page for more videos of him playing:

I use the word experience over movie here, because really that’s what it boils down to. As a straight movie, not seen in 3D, the story is fairly average and played out.

As an experience, however, it measures up beyond anything I’ve ever seen or experienced [...]]]> So I’ve seen Avatar. It’s an incredible experience.

I use the word experience over movie here, because really that’s what it boils down to. As a straight movie, not seen in 3D, the story is fairly average and played out.

As an experience, however, it measures up beyond anything I’ve ever seen or experienced in my life. This is the future of movie-making and it is an incredible future, indeed.

I am hopeful that this will usher in the era of actual hologram, full-sensory,  movie-going experiences.  The technology is almost there.

Already video games and real world objects are able to be controlled by simple strap-on helmets. It is not that big of a leap to reverse that technology to transmit signals received from headset to the body’s nervous system to simulate the experiences of the movie.

I can’t wait!

A couple months ago(not sure how long exactly), I was manhandling some boxes around the basement. A heavy one dropped and I went to catch it. I’m not sure exactly if the box fell [...]]]>
No, this post is not about anyone with anger issues giving anyone else the single finger salute.

A couple months ago(not sure how long exactly), I was manhandling some boxes around the basement. A heavy one dropped and I went to catch it. I’m not sure exactly if the box fell on my finger or if the box hit my finger straight on in the classic jam-your-finger way.

For the first week or so I just thought it was a bad jam or possibly a slight fracture. Either way, I figured there’s nothing a doctor would be able to do about it other than taping it up and letting it heal. So, that’s what I did…just tried to let it heal.

To present, there’s absolutely no change in the way my finger moves or looks. I can only bend it a certain amount, and it definitely won’t straighten out to more than about 120 degrees. If I tag it right, snag it on something, or grab something wrong, you’ll hear my scream-like-a-little-girl routine.

So, I got x-rays on it, and the doc is referring me to a hand specialist somewhere near my office in Springfield. I’m sure they’ll have to open up the finger and remove some scar tissue to clean it out and then fix it.

I really don’t mind any of that, I just want it working normally again. So I can press the zero key on my keyboard again. LOL

Visited Pittsburgh this weekend. It was a really nice trip.

We brought David along for this one. He got to eat at Primanti Bros Restaurant, Eat’n Park, and Jay’s Sports Bar.

Jay’s is a unique restaurant. It actually overlooks the Penguins practice facility at the Iceoplex at Southpointe. There is [...]]]>

Visited Pittsburgh this weekend. It was a really nice trip.

We brought David along for this one. He got to eat at Primanti Bros Restaurant, Eat’n Park, and Jay’s Sports Bar.

Jay’s is a unique restaurant. It actually overlooks the Penguins practice facility at the Iceoplex at Southpointe. There is an entire row of tables about 10 feet up from the ice where you can sit and eat and watch hockey.

I’m pretty sure David’s favorite part of the trip was either jumping between the ‘ho-tail’ beds or swimming in the ‘ho-tail’ pool.

Apparently, my hosting company was running a fire drill and accidentally set off the fire suppression system.  This, in turn, hosed about 20 servers or so.  Took a while to get things back up and running as you can imagine.