Noooooooooooo!!!

The picture says it all - I don't even need to write a blog.  Yes, one of my fears this summer has become a reality.  LeBron James is entering free agency.

I couldn't care less where he ends up.  Cleveland, Brooklyn, L.A., Minnesota... I have no issues with any of them.  Personally, I think he'd be a good fit in Oklahoma.

No, the problem is the media circus that is already underway.  Yahoo Sports made a noble effort and put a World Cup score above the LeBron James free agency headline, but that won't last long.  Finally all the poser soccer fans can quit feigning interest in the World Cup, because who really cares if Uruguay or Algeria advances.  It's far more fun to speculate about the 10K possibilities for LeBron James.  I wonder if he's lined up a prime time spot with ESPN for the announcement yet.  I kid you not, I've already seen an article titled, "Here are the seven most likely destinations for LeBron James."  Wow, that's cutting edge journalism.  Don't put yourself out there!

The whole thing might send me back to a psychiatrist... the Brett Favre retire/not retire flashbacks are already kicking my ass.

Four Phrases that I Don't Like

I'm not saying that I have not been known to use these phrases myself.  Sometimes they just roll off the tongue so naturally that we're not even conscious of it.  But as I think about what they really mean, I wish that I didn't ever use them.

1.  IT IS WHAT IT IS.  I'm not even sure what the best translation is for this one.  It seems to be something along the lines of "It's irritating but there's nothing I can do about it" or "I'm not willing to do anything about it."  I think I hear this one so much because you can use it in basically ANY situation.  Because it's true: it is what it is!

2.  I'M JUST SAYING.  It's kind of a punctuation point at the end of a given opinion, and it adds a sprinkle of "You might not want to hear it but…"  So when you want to say something contradictory, offensive, or ridiculous, if you close it out with this one you'll be fine.  Ignorant people use this one A LOT.  I'm just saying.

3.  I DON'T MEAN TO BE A (fill in the blank), BUT…  The translation of that phrase is fairly obvious and funny when you think about it.  If you fill in the blank with "an asshole" for example, you are stating that what follows WILL make you an asshole.  So it literally means that you ARE meaning to be whatever you say you don't mean to be.  

4.  AT LEAST I'M HONEST.  Ah, probably my favorite.  This is the cop-out phrase of the decade, or perhaps the century.  It means, "I'm an asshole and I know it, and I have no filter, or I'm too lazy to consider my words before I open my trap, but I'm saying what's on my mind, and I'm trying to convince myself and you that that makes it okay."  An "uppity" version of this phrase is this one: "I'm just saying what we're all thinking."  When I see an ugly baby, I don't tell the parents, "Your baby is ugly as shit."  But I guess I could, as long as I followed it with, "At least I'm honest."

Maybe I'll have to write a follow-on blog of the hottest and most irritating catch phrases that I hear floating around the military work place these days.  I'm sure you guys have some sayings that get under your skin too.  It's not just me is it?

Nostalgia and the Architecture of a Mid-life Crisis

Holy Nostalgia!

The string of posts from Ed and Marc is interesting on multiple accounts, and holy cow has the nostalgia set in for our family! I’m condensing topics here for the sake of blog ease, so bear with me. There are a few angles here:

1. Are we getting old? The commentary veers towards two paths that both lead me to the conclusion that we definitely are getting old. First, there was no shortage of commentary about the amazing changes and similarities to when we grew up. Does that sound like our Father…yes! Recognizing and pointing out similarities and differences of a place (The 101) that we haven’t lived in for decades is a sure sign of aging. Second, there was this concept and embrace of the good ‘ol days. Once again, harkening back to a time long passed. Which brings me to…

2. Watching the aging process of our parents and grandparents has brought into focus for each of us (albeit in different ways) the vulnerability of our lives. There have been questions posed on the blog or conversations that somehow lead to what will happen when:
a. Mom and Dad grow older.
b. our Grandmas pass away.
c. our kids leave us behind.
d. we reach the final chapters of our lives.

We are all thinking in different ways about our legacy, how we have lived and will live out the middle and late chapters of our lives, and the role of others including God in those chapters. That is really heavy, heady stuff. It makes us feel older than the late 30’s – mid 40’s. Perhaps induced by a particular set of circumstances with the Grandmas, but it feels chronologically out of place to me. Mid-life crisis-ish?

3. I think my perspective on this broad set of topics is quite different from you guys because I experience them with greater frequency than you both. I am here so I see Mom and Dad, I see the Grandmas, and I hear more details of the mundane. To be clear I’m not judging, but the periods of time between visits likely amplify the changes to you as well as your reactions to them. Originally when discussing these topics with each of you I felt a shallowness in my thoughtfulness around these issues. But as I’ve thought more about the topics, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve had more ample opportunity to digest these topics in small bites than either of you, which serves to dampen the strength of my response and in a relative sense amplify yours. Perhaps that explanation serves only to make me feel better about myself. But I think there is a difference there.

What does it all mean? When you figure it out let me know.

And Then Mortality Punched Me Right in the Mouth

Ed, you beat me to it on your post.  I was actually considering writing an article on the very subject, but I wasn't sure if it would be too sensitive.  But now that it's on the table, I'll throw out some thoughts.

As I put it to Jennifer when we got back from Iowa, I felt like our trip this summer had me run smack-dab into mortality.  At our ages, I don't think many of us spend a ton of time thinking about death.  Our friends would call us morbid and weird.  It's not something that you bring up at B-Dubs over some spicy garlic chicken wings and a Shiner Bock.  "Ain't nobody got time for that!"

It was tough seeing the Grandmas, and it always is.  Grandmas Strempke was saying the same kind of things when we were there.  Jennifer told Grandma she needed to quit saying that stuff because it upsets Dad (understandably so).  But she's 99, and what does she have left?  She can't hear well, and she can't see well either.  Her body is worn out, and she can't do anything that she enjoys anymore.  When you're 99 I guess there isn't much prospect of "getting better" either.  As much as I intellectually understand her saying that, nobody is comfortable hearing someone that they love so much say that they want to die.  It just feels wrong.

Our sweet Grandma Birchard is healthy as a horse, but she's mentally gone.  That's different from Grandma Strempke, but equally difficult.  It pains me, and I'm sure it does the rest of the family.  We don't want to lose Grandma, but in some sense we've already lost her.  To say that you hope somebody will die sounds incredibly cruel, but as is the case with people who suffer in a long battle with terminal illness, sometimes when the passing comes it's sad, but at the same time somewhat of a relief.  Does any of this make any sense?  

Jennifer and I have said for a long time that we hope that we go together before we get too old.  Maybe there will be a carbon monoxide leak and we'll just go to sleep and never wake up.  Maybe it will be a plane crash.  I don't know.  But I'm not going to lie - I don't like the prospect of growing old.  I'm okay will passing in the night when I'm 75.  The aging process scares me to death.  We don't have any kids that are going to take care of us when we're old.  We're trying to plan for that now, as crazy as it sounds.  

Our Mom and Dad are absolute angels for the way that they've taken care of their mothers through the years, and the way they continue to do so.  I don't know how they do it.  I can hardly walk out of the nursing home without tears in my eyes.  It's an emotional train wreck every time that I visit.  I can't imagine the emotional toll that it is taking on them.  And that's the next step in my thinking on our mortality, thoughts about our parents and their care.  That's a conversation that isn't appropriate for a blog.  Where did the years go?

A Response of Everest Proportion (not really)

I enjoyed your post Brad.  You understand far more about mountaineering than I ever will.  I know you've read a good deal about it, and you've done a bit of it too.  Most of my comments are made with little or no substantiation, so let's get that out of the way right away!

The concept of risk in life is a little murkier than I think you make it out to be, but it's a discussion worth having.  We've all heard the stories about things like a fear of flying, although statistically there is a much higher likelihood of dying in an automobile accident than a plane crash.  But I think things that are high frequency seem like less of a risk, because the risk is due to a long-term engagement.  Climbing Mount Everest is a high amount of risk squeezed into a short time frame.  That makes it easier for the general public to point a finger at and say, "Why would you do that?"  I'm not disagreeing with the amount of risk associated with the other things you mention (like obesity), but no one is going to die within a few days of eating a donut.  I guess a better way to put it is immediate risk vs. cumulative risk.  Cumulative risk, although equally dangerous in the long run, doesn't look as ugly as the immediate risk of dying in a snowstorm in the next seven days.  Everyone is praising Tony Gwynn today, but no one is talking about the fact that he died of salivary cancer associated with chewing tobacco use.  The cumulative risk caught up to him.

Although I understand your point about the revenue stream provided to Sherpas, it's not air tight.  There are people groups all over the world that do things to make money because of the need for revenue.  It doesn't mean that they would choose to do it otherwise.  Migrant farm workers, prostitution, sweat shops… do they provide money that the workers wouldn't otherwise have?  Of course.  Does it happen in countries with corrupt governments?  Of course.  But I don't think that it necessarily makes it okay.  I'm not saying the Sherpas are like unwilling prostitutes.  I'd like to think that's not the case, but I don't think the revenue argument is necessarily the best.

In the end, tragedy is tragedy.  Whether or not climbing Mount Everest involves a great deal of risk, I don't think anyone should turn an uncaring shoulder to the victims and their families.

The Circle of Life

This blog post was also prompted by my recent trip home.  During our brief stay in Oelwein we were able to see both Grandmas.  It was both satisfying and depressing, all at the same time. 

Satisfying because it was great to see both Grandmas since we hadn't seen them in quite a while.  Grandma Birchard looked intensely at us, smiled occasionally, and while she has been mentally gone for a number of years her visual appearance hadn't changed much since our last visit.  Grandma Strempke, by contrast, had changed physically quite a bit.  She appeared much older, less mobile, and is losing her senses, bit by bit.  But when I sat close to her good ear and good eye I could have a conversation with her that I would have been able to have 10 or more years ago.  Very good head.

Depressing because they are both in a place that this a staging area that is the precursor to death.  And in Grandma Strempke's case, she has stated openly that she is ready to die.  Hard to imagine that due to the marvels of today's medical capabilities that someone can outlive a desire to do so. 

Which left me with one very big question. Is timely death one of the greatest gifts that God can provide? 

Going back to my conversation with Grandma Strempke she said she didn't understand why she was still here.  My response was that God has a plan, and that it wasn't her choice.  Her response was that she knew that but if she knew what the reason was for her still being here that she would do all she could to remove it.  Crazy huh?

It reminded me of a scene in one of the Grumpy Old Men movies where Jack Lemmon's father says "I sometimes think that God forgot about me".  In the end, he dies peacefully and much as he would have wanted his life to end. 

I sure hope the same will be true for both our Grandmas.  Right now, the staging area for death where they are currently living their lives doesn't seem very fulfilling, and yet, may very well be the best alternative that this life has to offer. 

Would be interested in comments from my brothers in this regard.  If we are lucky enough (or unlucky enough) to live as long as our Grandmothers is this the best we can hope for?

Back to my answer to Grandma Strempke, you have to believe God has a plan. 

The House Where We Grew Up

When I was back at Mom and Dad's house a couple of weeks ago, I decided to walk around the house a little bit and take pics of things.  I'll try to explain why things spurred me to snap a pic of them.

What can I say.  I apparently don't have a creative bone in my body, because my entire "industrial arts" career revolved

  
around me recreating things that Ed already made.  The spiral lamps were relegated to the basement long ago.  Ed's is on the right, and mine is on the left.  I think mine is shinier Ed.  I win!  I'm not really sure whether this stand is the one that Ed made or the one I made.  I couldn't find a second one, so I'm not sure what happened to it, but I'm 99% sure that it was another copy-cat job. 

Some of Ed's handiwork is still lingering AND functional on the main floor!  If I'm not mistaken, the knife holder was your

 work, I'm guessing circa 1980.  And how about that awesome shelf, cleverly constructed in the shape of a grandfather clock?  Artistic genius!

I took this picture because to this day when I look up and see it, all that I think of is nerf basketball.  It may have been a wall at one point, but whenever it was knocked down, I'm so thankful that they left a backboard for us!

The energy that it takes to run this freezer every day could probably power the entire city of Parker, Colorado.

Parkside Elementary.  Need I say more?  Somebody wore that shirt 35 years ago!

 

Is this a load-bearing chimney?  One whack with a sledgehammer and that entire thing would come crumbling down.  And yet, there it stands.  How did Santa fit through there?

Any guesses on how many times each of these pieces of wood have been stepped on?

I'm pretty sure this hamper held multiple pairs of nightcrawler-smelling double-kneed jeans.

Where did this block come from?  HOW has it survived in the house all these years?  And WITH that hideous linoleum on the top.  Was that in the bathroom at one point?  God bless the 70s.

Do you think ANY of these games actually have all the pieces required to play them?  I doubt it.  If we played that Life game, I know I'd end up being a poor teacher again anyway.  Suckers.

If it's important, it's in this cabinet.  Change, tweezers, eye glasses repair kit, medication, vitamins, tooth picks… oh yeah, and vanilla extract.

I bet both of you guys can name at least two things in the right hand drawer!

I hope you enjoyed this… next time your home, take a spin around the house and snap some pictures!

San Antonio Spurs

It's been too long, I know.  Time to get back in the saddle.

I think everyone in the world - yes, the world (the Spurs are about as international of a team as you can get) - is happy that the Spurs closed out the NBA championship tonight.  Okay, everyone with the exception of dedicated Miami Heat fans.  I was happy to see them win, since I'm not a Heat fan.  I don't hate the Heat like I hated Boston's "Big 3", but it's very hard to root against the Spurs.

I'm no expert on excellence - Brad, you can fill us in on those books - but who can argue with the success of the Spurs organization?  I'll just plagiarize from Wikipedia:

"In their 38 NBA seasons since 1976–1977, the Spurs have captured 20 division titles. They have made the playoffs in 24 of the last 25 seasons (since 1989–1990) and have not missed the playoffs in the 17 seasons since Tim Duncan was drafted by the Spurs in 1997. With their 50th win in the 2013–2014 season, the Spurs extended their record for most consecutive 50+ win seasons to 15 (the 1998/1999 season was shortened to 50 games because of a lockout and based on their win percentage of .740, would have easily surpassed 50 wins in an 82-game season, and thus extend the record by 2 more seasons)."

That's just ridiculous.  They've only missed the playoffs FOUR times since becoming an NBA team, and in their 38 NBA seasons, they've won the division title 20 times.  Ridiculous.

I like them because of their style, or should I say, lack of style.  That's unusual because for a long time I've been a person who has said that I like watching the NBA because of the crazy offenses, dunks, 3-pointers, etc.  I don't watch the NBA for defense.  But I appreciate a team that can just play, and I mean the entire team.  I recently read an article in Sports Illustrated about the Spurs, and it addressed the fact that the Spurs offensive set doesn't change when the stars sit down.  They run the same offenses, regardless of who is on the floor.  They run the pick and roll the same whether it's Duncan and Parker or Splitter and Mills.  If you step on the floor, whether you're a starter or the seventh guy off the bench, the expectation is the same. 

I like that the Spurs have done things differently.  They don't make splashy trades.  They BUILD - not buy - but build.  They rest their starters.  They don't care about whether or not they are playing the Thunder on prime time television on a Friday night, or the Bobcats on a Wednesday night on ESPN the Ocho.  If the starters need rest, Pop gives them a rest.  When everyone else is trying to figure out a rotation in November, Pop is thinking about May and June.  

I watched the end of the game tonight to see how the Spurs team would react, and I wasn't disappointed.  They are a class act.  They didn't go crazy in the middle of the floor.  They hugged and congratulated the Heat.  I like watching Tim Duncan, because he SPEAKS to almost every opposing player.  I don't know what he's saying, but I'm pretty sure that it's not as simple as, "Nice game."  Then he bear hugged David Robinson and found his kids to hold.  Manu Ginobili hugged his wife.  Tony Parker hugged Avery Johnson.  Pop sat on the bench and tried to compose himself, then spent some time talking with Pat Riley.  During the trophy presentation, I wondered if Parker, Ginobili, and Duncan were even there.  They were in the back, letting the younger guys revel in the moment.  The Spurs owner sounded like a normal guy, was gracious, thanked the players, the coach, and his wife.  Man, that team is like a big family!

So yeah, it's good to see the Spurs win.  You hardly see them in the headlines, because usually headlines don't talk about good things, only the bad.  They were so close last year, and that kind of loss would have devastated most teams.  But it motivated the Spurs.  Is that a good sign of excellence Brad?  If you're betting on the Raiders this year, I'll take your money!