Family and Friends

Beth, pride, and The Gators

My daughter has been been accepted by the University of Florida. I am bursting with pride. As Yoda might say, “A proud father I am.” I admit it’s a touch misleading though. Beth is just finishing ninth grade. She is not graduating early and she is not enrolling with the freshman class at UF next fall. She will be dual-enrolled in college courses next year, but they won’t be at…
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Important Stuff

Help out a good guy

My friend Richard is having surgery. A pituitary tumor (it’s all in his head), unending migraines, and a body that doesn’t play nice in general, does not pave the road to financial stability. A hospital stay isn’t going to help. So do me a solid. Help my friend with a donation. You’ll get some good reading in return – a collection of short works donated by his friends…
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Family and Friends

Adam's got wheels

Adam has two speeds: sprinting as if for his life and “this is as good a place as any to lie down and die.” I asked him yesterday on our evening skate: “Why do you have to go so fast Adam? You’re not afraid of me are you?” He didn’t answer. He didn’t have enough air in his lungs for speech. I think it’s his way of competing and I hate to admit…
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Kitchen Sink

Falling down

I learned a hard lesson on the asphalt streets of Florida when I was young. It involved a skateboard and a steep hill for Florida anyway. Come to think of it, there might have been a bike and a hill at some point. Damn! There was that time with a sled, a hill, and an icy road too. Put it this way: I know road rash when I see it. Memo to self: you are not a quick learner. Keep that in mind the next…
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Family and Friends

Breaking!

Those of you who know about my skating probably thought this post was going to be different. In order to satisfy your blood-lust, I’ll tell you: the thumb still hurts. There! Are you happy now?!? No, the true purpose is to announce a friend’s new book, now available at Amazon. You already know from my hobbies that my judgement is gold, so go pick up a copy or three. AND, if you…
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Kitchen Sink

This is where I live

Here’s a little something someone threw together to show off life in Dunedin (shot downtown). Half the video is devoted to credits, so don’t be intimidated by the length. It’s nice to know there are a few quirky places in Florida (like my home town)… that it’s not just beaches, strip-malls, swamps, and theme parks. Note Casa Tina at about 1:30 in – one of our…
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Wellbeing

Tight with my right

I don’t know who started the “all thumbs” saying, but I’ve got a few phalanges to pick with them. The last couple days have taught me something: if I was all thumbs I could conquer the world single-handedly! I’d forgotten how attached I was to my right thumb. You’d think it would be hard to forget, dangling from your index finger like Ringo on the Beatles&#8217…
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Family and FriendsWellbeing

Canadian Cold

I’ve never had any reason to dislike a Canadian before this weekend. Looking at the averages, they still come out ahead in the overall likability rankings, but Saturday night was still disappointing. I’m telling my friends at work I’m coming down with a Canadian Cold. Knowing my travel habits (I have none), this invites a simple request: “explain yourself kind…
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Family and FriendsTravelWellbeing

Worth it

Parenting is hard. For some, this is obvious. For others suffering denial, this is a sign of a severe character flaw. For a blessed few who’s beatification awaits them at their death, who’s names will be remembered in song and psalm for all time, this is an inconceivable truth. God did us this one favor – he made these people rare. This is not to say parenting is without its…
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Wellbeing

Breaking things

I had an embarrassing moment a while ago. I’ve had lots of embarrassing moments, but I’ve decided to limit this post to the one. We were taking Adam out for a practice run on his Christmas skates, and I laced up mine to show him how it was done. But I didn’t get very far. Instead of gliding down the driveway, leaning into an exhilarating tight turn onto the sidewalk, and powering…
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