My "Little" Goalie

This is so cool.

My youngest, as we all know, is a roller hockey player. He's only been playing for a year and a half and he's pretty darn good.

Yesterday, he was at an open practice time, called a Skate and Shoot.

Well, there was an adult league game after the Skate and Shoot, and one of the adult goalies no-showed.

My son plays both floor and goalie and oh my goodness, he had all his goalie gear with him. (Like that's a surprise to any hockey parent!)

So guess who was the goalie for the adult team last night! And they won!!

Check him out!

Blocked the shot!!

Last shot of the game!! (Hear the buzzer in the background?)

National Treasure - One and Two -- A Fun Ride

Well, lets see.

If you're looking for a historically accurate movie about the Declaration of Independence and the men who signed it, Knights Templar, and Free Masonry, you'll be sadly disappointed.

But if you're looking for a crazy fun ride that rides a roller coaster of improbability to a satisfying conclusion, then you'll really enjoy these two movies.

As usual, I thought the first one was the better of the two.

However, they were tied together nicely. I thought it was pretty fun that their lives weren't perfect despite finding the huge treasure in the first movie. I liked the twists of Ben's parents' lives. I also liked the parts about Riley's personal life, that was pretty funny.

It was a fun ride, very enjoyable as long as you relaxed and went with the flow of the movie. I wasn't bored at all.

Rated: Good

(Yes, I bought both DVDs and am looking forward to the 3rd movie.)

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Now, I do want to clarify something about these movies.

The Masons are not a secret society with a huge hidden treasure or any other madness. Nor are today's Masons connected to the ancient Knights Templar. Yes, it was fun in the movie, but it wasn't real. (Remember, just because you read it on the Internet, it doesn't mean it's true!)

A couple of interesting websites for you:

http://web.mit.edu/dryfoo/masonry/

http://www.masonicinfo.com/nationaltreasure.htm

And some words from my old friend, Eugene Goldman:

http://www.mastermason.com/BrotherGene/

108 In February!

Wow, he'll be 108 in February!

Who?

Frank Buckles, the last known World War I veteran in the US. He'll be 108 in February. I wish I could meet him, he sounds like a tough old guy. First he served in WWI and then was captured in 1941 and spent WWII in a Japanese prison camp. Dude is a tough man.

Whew... You should read the article, I can't do it justice.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/30/MN8G14MFAO.DTL

He makes me think of my grandfather. Grandpa was in World War I. My mother has his hand-written diary, written in pencil at night. He served in France.

That was the second time he was in the Army. The first time he was with the party that surveyed Glacier National Park. I'll have to ask my mom for another copy of the Thanksgiving Dinner menu from his service days. It had the menu, and on the other side it had all the men's names that were in his company.

I'd like to gather copies of all those things, put them into a book about my family.

Grandpa went on Ahead many years ago.

I miss him. It's been a long time, I still miss him.

Honestly, we didn't talk much. He was old and kinda deaf and mumbled. He was a gentle and generous man, but you know, he was tough as nails too. He and my grandma were the last homesteaders in Oregon. They came all the way across the United States from North Carolina to settle in the "Wild West".

I wish I had known him better.

There are a lot of things I wish for.

In the New Year, I really need to make a point of documenting more of what my mom tells me. We've already lost so much of our family history, of our heritage.

The students who are preparing the documentary about World War I are providing a valuable look at our past.

I think I'm jealous.

And dang, I can't get over it. Frank Buckles will be 108 in February.

Wow....

My Library Idea

I wish that I had more time to read.

I probably spend too much time with my nose in my books, or on the Internet.

But I LOVE to read.

Once upon a time, I considered having a private library.

I thought of something like a homework library which would stay open from 3pm until 10 or 11pm. I'd have a few computers for use by students, it could be contracted with the school or private membership or even a minimal charge for daily use.

Maybe even have a few tutors or community type classes available.

The whole idea was this: Your child informs you at 8:30 at night that they need to finish a report that's due TOMORROW!

What to do?

You take that child to my study library, drop him off. He has books, reference materials, Internet access and a printer available to him. It's quiet, he's not driving you crazy with questions you can't answer. There's no TV, no distractions for him.

You pick him up at 11pm and if he didn't have time to completely finish his project, he at least has enough materials and the work he's already done burned to a CD and a hard copy in hand. With that, he can beg the teacher for another day to finish up.

It's a thought. As much as I love books, it would be fun. Another excuse to buy more books!

It's a thought...