December

On Monday, I will become the father of 3. Wife has a scheduled c-section for 12:30pm. I will go to school for the first block, then have a sub for the last as we are in the operating room. The only "tough" thing about it is that it will be the start of Finals Week, and I would like to be able to review with that class. Instead, they will get a worksheet to take them through the semester.

Reviewing the past month: I was able to referee 3 playoff games, 1 as the white hat in a Division 4 game, 1 as the Back Judge in an 8-man semi-finals (I was really there to give an unbiased opinion of the other 4 guys. They need some help with their mechanics), and Head Linesman on a Division 3 Semi-finals. All three games went smoothly. Well, sort of. We ended the first game with 42 seconds still on the clock as a player on the losing team was injured and it looked like paramedics would be needed. And in the D3 semi's, the home team was getting beat and started being a little "chippy", and the coach (on my sideline) thought it was our fault. That is one I still don't get. How is it our fault!?!? We called the things that needed to be called, and his players (and coaches) couldn't stop talking trash. I am convinced that well coached teams don't get into those kinds of situations because the coach knows how to diffuse all that garbage.

Looking forward to the Christmas Holiday to play with our new baby!!

November

Brrr... It's cold here. Looking like La Nina weather pattern will cause us a cold but potentially dry winter here in the High Desert.



Thanks to the CTA for sending me the money they took from me that wasn't used on representation. This year it was $353.05! That's a boatload of money that they steal, er, extract from teachers salaries to do non-uniony things. Considering they do not represent my interests in politics, I am MORE than happy to be an agency fee payer. Thanks to the CTEN for helping me with that.



Saw a post on yahoo/youtube of a football play that the ref's kicked. Back Handsprings are not illegal. These ref's were, well, not thinking.

Baby #3 is on the way. As of today, all things are a go for a Dec. 13 c-section. Thank you Lord for the possibility of a term baby!

God's Will and My Desires

Have you ever stopped to think about the difference between God's Plan for your life, and YOUR plan for you life? When I was 17 years old, I thought I knew exactly what God wanted for my life and it was exactly what I wanted for my life. To go to college, play on the soccer and baseball teams, major in Chemistry, become a teacher and coach, get married, have 2 kids (a boy and a girl) and live happily ever after. Well, quite a few of those came true, some were obviously not from the Lord, and some started well and fizzled (using the "my plan").

Today, I am 37 years and 17 days old and I have realized that God's will is SOOO much bigger and better than my plans. I was able to play sports until I decided to stop, am teaching Chemistry, coached for a few years (and do not regret either starting or quitting!) and have been married to the most amazing woman for just over 11 and a half years. My kids have been an example of God doing his thing. I have 2 girls, and a third on the way. And I am definitely happy. Actually, I would use the term Joyous as it better describes my attitude.

However, I started this post to get to this portion: the state of the State of California is troublesome. The State is facing financial ruin, has too many social programs to support on dwindling income (i.e. tax revenue), and the school systems are taking a beating, both financially as well as in the court of public opinion. BUT, teachers cannot be the only ones responsible. I will be the first to admit there are a few horrendous teachers, but those few do not represent the greater population of teachers. I can only judge the teachers I know from what I know about them personally from working with them, and what I hear from other students. I would say only 2 or 3 at my school would I NOT let my children sit before in class. But that is a digression that I will leave for another post...

So, who is responsible for changing the landscape of education? The Parents and the Students themselves. I asked some of my friends what needs to be done to 'fix' education. The best response included "require students/parents to pay for repeated classes (failing grades or lost credits)." I believe he also included "more vocational training" because some kids know early on that they will not be going to college, and might choose to go in a different direction, a direction that they feel they can be successful on. Why can't the bureaucrats and politicians see that vocational education is a positive for everyone? Teachers of those trades/crafts will have students that actually have an interest, teachers in 'academic' settings will have students that are motivated to compete with the others in that area, and the business sector will have workers/apprentices that have been somewhat prepared for taking a job in those industries.

As hinted toward in the title of this post, I have a strong personal desire to move out of California. But I know that as of this writing, that is not what God has in store for me. I have just over 18 months to finish my Master's degree. I KNOW without a doubt that God will show me exactly what He wants me to do when that time comes. Until then, I continue on the path He has been showing me.

OH MY!

Can someone explain why I even have a blog if I am not going to post in it? I always say I am going to be more diligent but just find other things to do instead.

I really enjoy reading other peoples blogs (especially the ones that I agree with) and keeping up with sports. So, until I have more down time (i.e. finish my Master's Degree), I am left to post rarely and at least say I have a blog.

I do need to get a few new pictures to post one of these days...

Spelling

Interesting spelling in the last couple of days:
To cause awe in someone: "fassinate"
A liquid being emptied into another vessel: "pourd"

There were others, but I have already "fergottin."

What is Blogging?

So, not like anyone really reads my blog, but I thought I would write a few notes today.

Oldest is sick and we think she might have contracted pink eye. Again. This is like 3 times in a year. Crazy. I think she rubs her eyes a lot because of allergies and then it becomes conjuctivitis. The mommy took her to urgent care tonight. Hope we get some med's to keep her healthy.

Youngest is sick too, but her laryngitis is getting better and she should be fine by Wednesday or so. I hope so because...

My parents are coming to visit!! They get here Tuesday afternoon and then we will go to my sister's for a 75th birthday party for my Dad on Friday! I love that guy, and am soooooo blessed to have him still around to experience our joy of our daughters. Mom too, of course, and I really look forward to spending some time with them!

Umpiring has been a blast. I haven't had very many zany plays, and all the weird stuff I have gotten right (one call albeit delayed, but still got it right.) I only have 3 more games this regular HS season, then I will call American Legion Baseball for a few weeks in the summer. I really enjoy the baseball more, but with Wednesday Bible Study at the house, that makes it tough to work on Wed's which is when most of the leagues play baseball around here.

Everytime I post on here I say I am going to post more often and then I don't, so I won't even say it this time. But on a brighter note, only 4 weeks of school left! I am looking forward to summer this year, moreso than last years.

March

For the first time in years, I do not have a "March Madness" pool going. I filled out a bracket on yahoo or something, but I have watched ~10 minutes total of basketball this first weekend. Wild...

I have begun in earnest my "Ball and Stick" umpiring. I call it that because they are the same game, played with slight modifications for each sport. Yet the Non-Testosterone version is very acrimonius towards the one with the bigger field. I have to have a totally separate uniform for Softball and the patch signifying that I am indeed allowed to be on the field has to go in a different place. The problem is I don't want to sew the patch in place because Baseball umpiring leaders, being gifted with a full brain, will allow you to use the light blue shirt when it gets hot but the patch goes in a different place (BB = Left Breast Pocket, SB = Left Sleeve.) Ridiculous. If they would both agree to the same place, then I could use velcro, but alas, I am going to have to buy another shirt if I want to permanently attach either. Lame.

So, in my first 8 games, I had exactly ZERO controversial plays, mostly because I worked with competent partners, had decent teams (well, except for the 2 JV Softball games that had maybe 8 total players that had played before), and I knew what I was doing. Then, in game 9, I finally had an incompetent partner. His strike zone was too high and it led to some cat-calls from the stands. And we had a crazy play, but we got it right. An infield fly rule pop up, and the runner from 2nd collided with the Shortstop. We called the batter out for the infield fly, and the runner out for interference. Pretty sure that was right.

I am really enjoying the umpiring, but not the missing out on hanging with my girls. I don't get home until after they have eaten (or are eating) dinner, and I have less time to play with them. I am trying to do bath time and bed time on these nights because I want to be with them!!

Spring break this week. I have quite a few things to get done both for school and for my Masters Degree. Would be nice if the people I e-mailed would respond with my survey questions!! I might have to go knock on some church office doors! AND, the wife and I are headed to Rancho Mirage for a night away from the girls. That will be nice.

Catching Up

Well, it's been over a month since I entered anything in my blog. Must be that forgetfulness that my wife keeps reminding me of. I tend to leave the light on in the garage when I come back in, and just a little while ago, I got my youngest a cup of milk. Then I proceeded to leave the container on the counter... for 45 minutes. What a dork.

I have been a big Chargers fan for as long as I can remember. Their choke job this season might have pushed me into looking into becoming more involved in "High Level" Football officiating. When I get done with my Masters Degree, I would like to effort to advance into the NCAA ranks, and who knows - maybe someday into the NFL. But, that is at least 3 years away, so I just keep doing what God has called me to do.

This spring I will be officiating high school baseball for the first time. I played from when I was 6 until I was 28, coached it for 8 years, and now I go to the "blue" side. I didn't like that I had to buy over $600 worth of equipment, but that will be made up within the first 6 weeks of the season. I am also going to umpire softball, but learning those rules might take a bit more time. I really am excited about the opportunity.

Finally, I am in the process of losing 20 pounds by May 28. On January 4, I was at 205. I plan on being below 185 on that date. If I pull it off, I win $25 from a buddy who said I can't do it, and I will look the way I would like to going into summer. I don't want to be an old, flabby dad for my girls. As of today, only 3 pounds down, but I need to kick in my old metabolism. Stop eating so many "junk" snacks, and make sure I exercise. The other minor problem to this is that I have a small umbilical hernia. I will be calling my doctor regarding that this week.

That's it for now. I hope to update weekly during baseball season about what I am learning, and any weirdness that happens.