An Injury....Ouch!

Seems like every time I decide to blog, it is because I've done something stupid.  This time is no exception.  Trevor and I were at my parents' house today and I was pitching a wiffle ball to Trevor and Christian, letting them swing the bat, have some fun and take verbal abuse from me about how I was striking them out, ha.  Shawn got home and Trevor asked him to join me and play a game against our sons.  Of course I wasn't going to back down from a challenge, especially not a silly little wiffle ball challenge.  So Shawn and I batted first, we decided on a 5 run limit.  Shawn and I got 3 outs per inning and the boys got 6 outs.  The first two innings proved productive for the batters as the score was tied 10 to 10 going into the third.  With two outs, four runs in the inning already and me at bat, I smacked that little plastic ball a country mile...or about 20 feet.  Not wanting to get our last out I took off a bit too aggressively and pulled or tore something in my left calf, of course I ran all the way to the base anyway and Shawn scored on the play.  We reached our 5 run limit and I sat behind home plate as the "catcher" as Shawn got the boys out (8 outs in one inning) before they scored their 5th run.  We won!  But I am limping around like an old man.  My calf is bruised, I don't know how though, I was just running, nothing hit me.  Yep, I'm old.  I know it.

Out Of Shape

Well, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but I thought I would let you know that I am out of shape.  Yes, I know it's hard to believe but I have proof.  Trevor's little league team had an optional batting practice on Saturday and because they had so few kids show up, I grabbed a glove and volunteered to shag some balls in the outfield....ha...first mistake.

I was looking good and feeling good...well, actually I was looking fat and feeling fat, but that really is beside the point.  I was ready to show my athletic abilities and impress the youngsters with blinding speed and grace.  In the infield I was like a wall.  Nothing could get through me, as long as they hit it straight at me.  Moving seemed to be a luxury that I all of a sudden couldn't afford.  When did this happen?

A stronger hitter was at the plate so I trotted back to left field.  Completely out of breath from the short trot, I settled in and awaited my first test.  Did I mention that the wind was blowing about 30mph that day?  A few swings later the batter sent one to deep center field.  My mind said, "Go!  You can get that one easy."  I took off, headed straight into the 50 mph wind.  At first I thought this would be a routine catch but why was I moving so slowly?  In a split second I realized I was no longer a player, but an over-weight dad just there to re-live my youth through my son, but it was too late, I had already committed to the catch and everyone could see me going for it.  With a new-found determination I decided that I had one last catch in me so I ran...and ran...and ran.  When I had gone about 10 yards I realized that the 60mph wind was actually helping as it curved the fly ball towards me.  I ran on...  And ran...and ran...and ran... Ten more yards and all of a sudden I couldn't breathe...no matter, just open wide and let the 75mph wind fill your lungs with fresh air!  Ten more yards and I stretched out my glove to make the catch!  Yes!  The marathon was over!  I slowed the big rig down with a little help from the center field fence.  I didn't turn around right away...didn't want to let everyone see that I was out of breath, red-faced and unable to stand up straight.  I took a deep breath and turned around to see that no one had even watched my outstanding effort.  The pitcher was throwing another ball, the batter was ready to send it my way, and the other kids had their backs to me in anticipation of the next swing.

Oh well...

I guess I made it look too easy.

I reached into my glove to retrieve the elusive culprit that caused my near heart attack and it was then that I realized that I must really be out of shape.  

The ball was not in my glove!  I hadn't made the catch after all!  In all the huffing and puffing, stumbling and bumbling, and running...well at least jogging...I had somehow missed it!  I must be past my prime...

or maybe it was the 100mph hurricane that was holding me back.
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Fire Alarm!

Gena called me at work on Monday and told me that Trevor was in the Principal's office because he had pulled the fire alarm at his school.  Wow, that's not good.  Surely there is a reason why he would do something so stupid. 

Trevor's explanation was that he had looked at the alarm and the small glass safety bar was missing and the lever was pulled at a 45 degree angle and slightly crooked.  He was standing by another boy and said that the alarm didn't work.  The other boy told him to pull it and to prove it didn't work, Trevor put two fingers on the bar and intended to push down, but before he could apply much pressure, the lever fell the rest of the way down and the alarm started sounding...ooops.

The principal told us it was a "level 5" incident and because of this Trevor was assigned a required 20 days of AEP.  AEP students are not allowed to be on campus and can not participate in any after-school activities, including his first ever Christmas Concert for band and the performance of the Juinor High One-Act-Play, which Trevor was one of only two actors to receive an all-star-cast award for in the competition...bad news for sure.

Gena researched the handbook and found a definition of a fire alarm to read..."the student must knowingly initiate the false report."  In other words, in order for it to be considered a level 5 incident, the student had to know that his actions would cause the alarm to sound.  Obviously this did not apply in this case since Trevor was trying to prove that the alarm was not working.  If he believed the alarm lever was in working order, he never would have pulled it.

I armed myself with this knowledge and talked to the principal...he disagreed.  He said Trevor knew that pulling the lever would cause the alarm to activate.  In other words he was calling Trevor a liar.  Not a good idea.

The AEP hearing was set for the next morning at 8:30am.  I took a day off of work and Trevor and I arrived at the principal's office on time.  The principal then asked why we were there when the hearing wasn't until Thursday...I basically called him a liar and strongly suggested that he call whoever he needed to call to make it happen now.  He made a few phone calls and sent me home to wait.  He called at about 10:00am and said he was able to get the AEP officer to agree to a meeting at 11am.  Trevor and I returned and told the story to the AEP officer who "thought about it" for a few minutes and then agreed with the principal...why are people so stupid?

I found out in a round-about way that because Trevor is a teacher's kid, they are both trying to cover their own rear-ends by proving they do not give favors to anyone.  So in other words they are giving him the maximum punishment because they want to make an example or prove a point...again, stupid.

I left the principal's office and headed straight to the Superintendent's office where I filled out the paperwork required to start an appeal of the AEP hearing.  Unfortunately I have no idea when I will get a call back on that and Trevor has already served two days of suspension and he started AEP today.

I never thought the hair-brained and hard-headed politics of some administrators in Van Vleck ISD would become any part of my life, but if the Superintendent proves to be as closed-minded as the first two yahoos then you just might see me in front of the school board, possibly with a lawyer.

People who think they are in power can be so stupid.

Dad's Staples

Well, here is a picture of dad's bald head with multiple staples in it. Isn't it beautiful? He looks like Frankenstein.

Let it Snow...

The weather called for possible snow flurries today...of course I didn't believe them. At work in East Bernard I heard some of the kids in the halls saying they saw some flakes falling. I figured they were just wishing they saw some. When I drove home from work I saw a few flakes in Boling. When I arrived at the house, there was snow! Wow! Not a lot, but enough to cover the items outside with a nice blanket, or maybe a thin sheet of white.
The trampoline held the snowflakes the best. The cold air passing above and beneath kept them from melting too quickly and they were able to accumulate enough for Trevor to make a snowball and throw it at me, ha.
I know it was nothing like the snow of 2004 when I was in Iraq, but at least a few flakes fell.

Holes in the Head

For those of you who may not already know, my dad has Parkinson's Disease. He was diagnosed years ago and has undergone many treatments and has tried all kinds of prescriptions. Some of them helped some of them didn't. Some of them made him sick and others did nothing at all. His latest trip to the hospital was today, and this time he was getting holes put in his head. Yes, you heard me correctly...holes...drilled through his skull, and wires inserted into his brain. Scary.
Before he went to surgery they screwed some futuristic apparattus to his head which ended up leaving its own holes in his skin. I told him he looked like Darth Vader when Luke took his helmet off in Return of the Jedi, ha.

Of course they shaved his head and made him look like uncle Larry, or Shawn. Mom didn't like the shaved look. After the surgery they brought us his hair in a plastic bag...that was weird.
The bandages on his head made him look like he had horns...funny stuff. Next week they are going to run wires from his head, under his skin to his chest and implant two pacemaker-like devices that he can control himself. But the good news is the surgery went fine and he is doing great.

A Tree Grows in the Tech Office

Yes, Christmas time is here and what is Christmas without a Christmas Tree?
Amber Karasek was kind enough to give us her old Christmas Tree and a box of ornaments.
Brandon decided to tackle the task of putting it all together, so naturally I couldn't pass on taking a few pictures.
O, Christmas Tree... O, Christmas Tree... How lovely are your easy-to-assemble branches.
It took a little while, but all's well that ends well and our new Technology Christmas Tree really rocks!
Well, maybe not rocks, but it is a Christmas Tree.

Trevor, An All-Star!

The O. H. Herman Middle School participated in this year's One Act Play competition today at Palacios High School. Five schools presented five different one act plays to be judged and critiqued before the day was through. Trevor portrayed the leader of a small team of inept burgulars trying to rob a clothing store. Their heist was dismantled by a group of department store mannequins, when they came to life and fought the thieves. Trevor did a remarkable job and out of approxmately 100 students, he was awarded one of only ten all-star cast medals! Who would have imagined that Trevor could be so dramatic?!?

Sports Banquet

Saturday night was Trevor's sports banquet for his football league. He received a trophy and we all ate chicken spaghetti. It was actually pretty good, ha.

Trevor The Pirate

This Halloween, Trevor dressed as a pirate. He raided mom's costume closet and threw together a fine looking outfit. He didn't go trick-or-treating because it was the night of his first junior high dance. He met his friend Kelly Bacon at the dance but only danced with her once. He ended up dancing with many different girls and wanted the dance to go on forever. That's my boy.