Soccer Madness Begins

We've been preparing Jesse for this day - the first day of soccer season 2014. This will be Jesse's second year playing soccer, and we have been eager to see how it would go down. Would this be a repeat of last year, where he was as likely to spin in circles as he was to chase the ball? Or would he be a lean, mean, ruthless soccer machine?

We warmed him up by taking him to a few of Redeemer's home games (side note: they won the city championship - GO ROYALS!). Jesse, however, seemed more interested in wrestling with my legs than in the soccer games, so we figured that maybe this year would be a lot like last year in terms of his soccer competitiveness.

However, Chrissy had a feeling that things would be different this year. After all, she reasoned, Jesse at nearly five years old is much different than he was last year. (And this is the truth. I'm trying to think of some of the things he does now that he would never have done before. He swims by himself in the pool, albeit with a life jacket. He takes an occasional shower. Sometimes he puts his face in water - but never completely over his head. He makes his own toast and butters it, too.)

So almost-five Jesse is a new boy. The old is gone, and the new has come. How would this impact his soccer game?

Well, let me tell you, as a proud parent. Jesse listened and followed instructions pretty well (at least, he was trying). He chased the ball around. He kicked it a few times. He didn't steal it from his own team, even when he could have. He even got frustrated that he hadn't scored.

I was so proud. Jesse from last year would have been lucky to recognize the existence of the soccer ball. One year really does make a lot of difference.

Jesse, visualizing his team winning the World Cup. Notice the fire smouldering in his eyes.

Robyn made sure we stayed hydrated, and she took her job very seriously, going so far as to shower me with water and squeak angrily if I delayed in partaking of her sippy cup at any given moment.

Look at him hustle. We were pretty proud.

So, another big day. It's really awesome to watch these kids grow up and transform in front of our eyes. I think it would be a really good thing for all our kids to get involved in team sports, simply because from teaching, I often see how the seasoned athletes take constructive criticism really well - with determination to get better and improve. I think that's a really positive skill for a young person to have.

At any rate, for today, we're just glad that Jesse had a good time. He wanted to organize a big soccer game before bed (and every night before bed, he tells us), so it sounds like we're making good progress.

Until next time...

Friday Evening = Emotional Healing

Not that we Vances need any kind of psychological therapy after a busy week. No siree... we handle things just fine... apart from the occasional weeping and the staring vacantly into the distance. :)

To be honest, despite the incredible beauty of spring, May is typically a hard time for our family. I am never more busy and more tired than I am at the end of this month, and of course, with the loads of marking and work I put in at the end of a typical day, Chrissy receives less help than usual as well. That's why Friday evening, with its promise of a weekend to come, is like a little taste of heaven in advance.

This photo makes me feel peaceful and thankful. Bring on the weekend.

A spontaneous outburst of deafening cheer enlivens our weary souls at supper (and for the next ten minutes afterwards). 

Robyn likes to give the most affectionate little embraces as she pulls your face towards hers, using any available hair as leverage.

The weekend holds such promise. Let the healing begin!

Until next time...

Beach Supper = Awesome

Few things can match eating a gluten-free salami sandwich  (made with Hellman's Real Mayonnaise and three hefty slices of salami) on the beach with one's fam. This is especially the case if a) nobody drowns, b) the ratio of minutes crying to minutes not crying is at least 1:5, and c) the seagulls and other avian life do not attack.

These conditions were fully met this evening, so our beach outing was superb. Looking back on how our beach visits went last year, Chrissy and I were impressed by the kids' independence this year. Yes, Jesse was cold, Janna freaked out at a bug, and Robyn filled her diaper with an impressive collage of material twice, but for the most part, the kids had a great time running around, chasing seagulls and swimming. 

Chrissy and I even found ourselves able to have a conversation for a few minutes, which was so unexpected that we hardly knew what to say, except that we were both having a good time.

This is one of those pictures that seems to defy captioning. What can I say? She was walking around in a funny way with her pants around her ankles. Sometimes this happens?

Part 1: Emergency

Part 2: Rescue

Beach babes. For Robyn, the indignation of being immobilized by her life jacket is fully offset by the cookie she has been given to consume. Give and take.

All together, this was a great evening. Kudos to Chrissy for planning and prepping everything. And best of all, there was nearly no clean up when we got home since the kids hadn't eaten supper at the table. All we had to do was run a bath, comfort Janna (who had fallen out of the van), toss the kids in bed, and sweep up some sand.

Looking forward to more beach madness in the days to come.

Until next time...

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Three Perspectives

Let's be honest. The 4pm to 7pm hours are among the hardest in the day. Chrissy and I have both exhausted our limited supply of energy and enthusiasm by this time. (I think if I were looking after as many kids as Chrissy - WHILE PREGNANT - my energy would be gone by 9am.)

However, kids don't seem to lose their energy. In fact, their energy seems to have some sort of tragic, inverse relationship to ours, whereby they gain energy as we lose it. Maybe they actually steal our energy. At any rate, I found myself lying prostrate on the floor this evening with two children sitting on my face. They had clearly gained the upper hand.

I am thankful, then, for Chrissy's gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. Did they give us more energy than the kids? Absolutely not. However, they brought us joy. Also, they threw the children into such a spontaneous and violent sugar high that we couldn't help but laugh, relax, and enjoy the show. Here is the GF chocolate chip cookie experience from three different perspectives.

Perspective #1: The GF chocolate chip cookies call, siren-like, to the hungry and weary Vance family.

Perspective #2: Chrissy smiles, basking in the warm glow of her gluten-free creations.

Perspective #3: The chocolate chip cookies have a subtle effect on the unsuspecting toddler.

Well, time to crash.

Until next time...

The Vance Fam Gets its Game On, and Two Tremendously Important Firsts

The wonderful school at which I work, Redeemer Christian High School, currently has a stellar girls soccer team - they have just entered into their playoffs as the first-place team in their division. The Vance fam has dedicated itself to cheering on this team - we would really like to be one of those families that cheers on our team on a regular basis. So, Chrissy decked out the kids in the colours of the Redeemer Royals - blue and gold - and shipped them off to today's home game.

Also of note today is the fact that we have two tremendously significant occasions to celebrate. First, after more than eighteen months, Robyn is finally heavy enough to face forward in her car seat. I have serious social reservations regarding both rear-facing car seats and car seats in general, so I am thrilled to finally have Robyn facing the right direction during our van excursions. Secondly, Janna randomly figured out how to pedal her tricycle today, after months of showing no interest in this at all. I was sitting in my "child monitoring chair" out front, when suddenly I heard this small voice call out, "Daddy! Look at me! I'm pedawingghghghgh!" (Janna likes to add a gutteral, German-like "achgh" to the ending of most words. Do you know the sound I mean?)

At any rate, it was a day of multi-faceted pride.

Go Royals! Jesse is utterly unable to restrain his enthusiasm. Good job with the school colours, Chrissy.

Robyn basks in the ability to partake in van society now that she's not randomly facing backwards. Silly vehicular regulations. I'd like to know what it does to a child's sense of personal identity to be placed in a backwards-facing position for the first year-and-a-half of their lives. What does that communicate to a child, I ask you?

Janna nonchalantly rests for a moment after strenuously peddling more than five feet in five minutes. Note the excellent form in the positioning of her feet.

A tiring day for all, but a good day. Praise God!

Until next time...

The Politics of Ketchup

There are only two kinds of people: those who like ketchup on their eggs and those who have yet to become enlightened. Like any household, the Vance homestead is sharply divided across this bottomless chasm of ideological difference. On one side sit Janna and I; on the other sit Jesse and my otherwise-refined bride.

Robyn was the question mark. I am happy to report that she has joined the light side of the force.

Robyn takes a moment to reflect on her first encounter with ketchup on eggs.
(Then she gobbled them down like champ.)

Janna has long been acclimatized to the combination of ketchup and egg, to the point where, upon being served eggs, she will stare at me expectantly until a goop of reddish awesomeness has been deposited on top. This look on her face says, "Thanks for making the world right, Dad."

Jesse rebelliously munching on naked eggs. Note that the overturned bottle is certainly a gesture of unapologetic defiance against all the is right and good in the world.

It pains me to say that Chrissy shares in this unnatural resistance to the very natural and pure combination of egg and ketchup. She fails to see the incredible symbolism in the red comb on top of the rooster's head.

Ah, well. She just made me gluten-free pancakes, and I love her.

Good night everyone!
Until next time...

Saturday, 8am to Noon

Man, time flies by. Just a few weeks ago and Jesse was telling me that he never wanted to take the training wheels off his bike. Now he's begging me to go on bike rides, which is pretty much the best thing ever.

I have been waiting for this for five years.

Of course, I didn't actually remember the camera during the bike trip. That would be have been too organized, too "Chrissy Vance", if you will. I did, however, remember Jesse, which I still count as a minor victory.

Thankfully, my beautiful and intelligent wife met us at the park, and she did bring the camera. And while I regret that I didn't get any excellent shots of her in action, I think these three shots do capture the essential quality of this park visit.

To put it mildly, visiting the park is a much more joyful experience now than it used to be when the kids were younger. Now, our kids basically entertain themselves, apart from the occasional push needed on the swing or the occasional rescuing Robyn from oblivion as she clambers around the structure. It was much different when Jesse and Janna were younger; then, they pretty much demanded our attention the whole time, weeping often. I'm not sure exactly what has happened to bring us to this relative state of paradise, but I'm guessing that it's a combination of the kids just getting older and Robyn just being a trooper.

It's nice, whatever it is.

Not that we don't still have our fair share of drama. Here, Janna has spotted a mosquito. Everyone reacts differently. Janna FREAKS OUT, making a sound that resembles Gollum gagging over and over again. Jesse goes into fight or flight mode and launches himself at the vicious insect, seeking to save his hapless and victimized little sister. Robyn grabs the metaphorical popcorn and twists around to enjoy the show.

Look at this guy. He can start and stop on his own now. We actually biked about 5km, to the library and back. (Unfortunately, I forgot my library card. The librarian looked sympathetically at me as I explained our plight, then said that she'd be glad to look up my account if I had any other identification. Then, seeing my blank stare, she suggested I come back later.

Clearly, I am lost without Chrissy.)

At any rate, Jesse did great on his bike.

Janna looks off into the distance and sees her arch nemesis ambling towards her. All is lost. There is no escaping Robyn when she's excited.

All in all, it was a good morning. The rest of the day - not so hot. I could tell stories of how I locked myself out of the school office, delaying my arrival at home for about half an hour and wreaking havoc on the mental and emotional stability of the household, but... let's just focus on the positives, shall we?

Sheepishly yours,
Until next time...

Misc

In the life of every daily blogger, there are days where the photos and life events just don't flow. This was one of those days.

Actually, the kids and I did go swimming together, but unforgivably, I forgot to bring the camera (so I can't actually prove that this event took place).

I figure, once a week or so I'll likely post a "Miscellaneous" entry, where I'll put a few random pics up from the week that didn't make it into the daily stories. So, with no further ado...

"Young Genius Reaching for Light Switch"

"Green Leaves Swish Noisily in Wind"

"Strange Family Pretends to Swim in Living Room"

(This was from tonight. I felt guilty for taking no photos on our swim trip, but I see now that this does not quite compensate.)

Time for date night with the beautiful Chrissy Vance.
Until next time...

iMovie = Cheesy, but Awesome, Vignettes

This past September, in keeping with my effort to become a runner, I purchased an iPod for some tunes on the go. However, iPods now have nice cameras, so this also opened the door to endless photo and film projects.

All of the following videos were taken this past fall and edited with the iPod version of iMovie. The result: cheesy, but awesome, greatness. For comparison purposes alone, these vignettes are worthwhile to show the difference that eight months can make in a family.

(Janna)

(Robyn)

(Jesse)

(Chrissy)

Time flies by, doesn't it? And what will things look like eight months from now? 

With anticipation,

Until next time...

Comin' Home from Work

Let's put it plainly - coming home from work is an intense situation. You'd think that dealing with unpredictable teenagers all day would prepare one for entry into a small-family scenario at 4:00pm. However, dozens of teenagers could not match the energy and enthusiasm of my three children playing outside, not to mention the several miscellaneous youngsters that roam our neighbourhood.

Usually Chrissy gives me a look that says, "I'm glad you're home. I was about to go crazy."

I shoot her a look that says, "Wow. I'm already overwhelmed, and I've only been here for ten seconds."

Then she shoots me a look that says, "Ha, ha! Well, I'm going inside to get dinner ready. Have fun and try to keep the children alive."

I may shoot her wild, desperate looks at this point, but she doesn't see them because she is quickly moving inside, laughing softly to herself (in my imagination, at least).

Jesse definitely caught me off guard, today, with his latest fashion find. Ironically, he was more embarrassed over his sweet Angry Birds T-shirt than the 3D glasses he was so casually sporting.

(What a great kid!)

Katie decided to come hang out with us. I tried to get a nice stop-motion shot of her twirling her hair, but in the end, the wind up was the coolest shot because it looks like she was suddenly struck by an intense moment of inspiration. 

Our major milestone of the day: Robyn has learned how to sit on a basketball. Apparently Jesse worked with her on this for quite awhile. She perched here for several minutes with various expressions of satisfaction on her face. 

Ok, despite the fact that coming home definitely necessitates an immediate cup of coffee, it is certainly a joyful reunion. Two of my children gladly cover me with affectionate embraces, and by pretending to have hurt feelings, I can even squeeze the occasional hug out of Janna.

Awesome.

Until next time...

THE BLOG CONTROVERSY

Controversy has never been something we've avoided here at Apartment 1004, but I must admit that it is usually constrained to the content of the blog material (ie., Janna randomly wields a butcher knife; chaos ensues). This evening, however, I had my first "blog fight" with my wise and beautiful wife over the editorial decisions surrounding this publication. As she has threatened to revive rival blog "Vance Palace Tales" in protest, I must at the very least acknowledge her wildly divergent opinion on where tonight's post should have gone.

Which I will do at the end.

First, my vision:

A Straightforward Tale of Great Joy

This story is a very simple and straightforward one, as foreshadowed in the heading above. We came, we saw, we barbecued. 

Meet the protagonists of this story: miscellaneous goopy chickens. Not much too look at, are they? Never fear. They are about to "rise from the ashes," so to speak, and transform into something much more glorious.

(Chrissy failed to appreciate the inherent nobility of this transformation. "That's gross," she said.)

Behold, the goopy chickens are already transforming into a eye-watering, heart-rending example of purity and goodness.

The transformation is complete. The goopy chickens have become an example of culinary beauty, an architectural wonder, and a practical means to feed a hungry family. Amen.

Feeling satisfied, I leaned back in my chair and exhaled slowly, already anticipating the joy my post would bring to the hearts of my thousands of readers.

"Seriously?" I hear. "Those are the pictures you're going to post? But you have two really cute photos of the girls right there."

I patiently explained that we post many cute photos of the girls, and that what the world really wanted to read was a redemption story about chicken.

Chrissy was unconvinced. "How about one photo of the chicken?"

Offended, I argued that one photo was more of a chicken "moment" than a chicken "story". I needed more character development than that.

This is where the threat to revive the rival blog was introduced, so in order to take the upper road and avoid a full-out blog war (which nobody wants), may I quickly introduce the alternative vision for tonight:

The Personalities of Our Children Caught in Three Random Photographs

These were just three random photographs that Chrissy happened to take today. Admittedly, they do a pretty good job of capturing the budding personalities of the Vancelets.

Robyn, standing on the couch, with a look of inexplicable enthusiasm on her face.

Janna chats away with Nana, likely lamenting about the ants that have recently been terrorizing her. 

Jesse, with an intimidating-and-indefinable expression on his face. I'm really not sure what to make of this, but this is the side of Jesse that people don't get to see so often.

 Well there you have it? Who wins? I mean, it's really not a contest. Come on, guys.

(But really, it was the chicken, right? Right?)

Argumentatively yours,
Until next time...

How to Cut Down a Tree With a Handsaw, plus Small Group Members Bask in BBQ Greatness

How to Cut Down a Tree with a Handsaw

Note: It is actually impossible to describe the following adventure with only two photographs. My illustrious blog readers will have to use their imagination to fill in the gaps. 

1. If you must dramatically alter a tree in your yard, it is best to use a chain saw or reciprocating saw.
2. If you have neither of these, find three ruggishly attractive men and have them attempt to pull the tree down. 
3. If this fails, give them a hand saw and let them go at'er.
4. Wait for two hours. Hope for the best. If you hear giggling, don't worry. This is how it sounds when men, handsaws, and treeish destruction come together.

Our idea: Cut the base of the tree while pushing it really hard. Eventually it will fall over.

(As you can see, I am pushing the tree really hard in this photo. It was very difficult to avoid snapping it like a twig, but I managed alright. Matt was diligent in providing tactical ground support.)

We found it helpful to stand on Paul when necessary. Later, Steph pointed out (to our chagrin) that there was actually a ladder directly behind Paul. You can even see it in this photo. But really, I found Paul to be the much more reliable option.

Later on that evening, the two small groups converged for a BBQ of epic proportions at the Pavey residence. A fantastic time was had by all, but we must acknowledge here that we deeply miss you, Potter fam. 

These group shots are necessarily dramatic. These are some pretty great people, though. It is crazy to think that at the first Pavey BBQ, only two couples were married, and no children had yet been born.

Good times. Now to bed.

Ruggishly yours,

Until next time...

Dandelions Take Over Ottawa

It was one of those beautiful, not-raining days in Ottawa. For the first time in my life, I understood why people take the time to actually pick the dandelions out of their lawns.

Entirely disregarding the ongoing horticultural invasion, the Vances set off to enjoy Tanglewood Park.

Robyn dodges the 'lions to the left and right, while Chrissy heroically risks her life to offer refuge from the wild and untameable growth.

Janna, with a warlike cry, violently decapitates one of the invaders by swooshing down from above in her attack harness.

Robyn prepares to wreak vengeance on the attackers as she launches down the emergency chute.

Fortunately, we made it to and from the park unscathed, apart from a mild case of the sneezes. The battle, however, is far from over. As everyone who has ever owned a lawn knows, you never really defeat the dandelions. They always come back...

Ominously yours,
Until next time...

JANNA. DON'T BE SCARED.

One of the many things I admire about Chrissy is her ability to respond to our children's needs in the middle of the night with grace, patience, and coherence of thought. It is certainly not unusual for her to get up to attend to their (ie. Janna's) immediate crisis, and while I know she is tired, she is very soothing and kind, reasoning with the children (Janna) gently and explaining that no ghosts, shadows, or spiders will actually bring harm during the night.

While I have plenty of good intentions as I fall asleep each night, rarely do I wake up when one of the kids is crying at night, much less make a meaningful contribution to our family during these times.

Unfortunately for everyone, for the past two nights, Chrissy has been sleeping in the basement to escape the heat, leaving me as the responsible adult upstairs. I have no idea if anyone woke up crying two nights ago (I certainly didn't wake up!), but last night was a different story. The following recollection is a vague and blurry memory, but I'll give an accurate account to the best of my ability.

At approximately 2am, I experienced the strangest sensation of being slowly tugged to consciousness. For a long time I resisted this feeling with all my might, but the tug was relentless, prodding and pulling at me until I had to admit that I was awake. It was then that I noticed the shrill and ceaseless screaming that I realized had been going on for quite some time. I pondered the unique timber and cadence of this shriek before gradually identifying it as Janna's voice. Then began a long and dramatic mental and physical struggle to remove myself from the bed.

With incredible effort of will, I finally managed to fling my limbs far enough to escape the dastardly allure of nocturnal comfort. I blindly stumbled toward the door, desperately attempting to open my eyes and feeling my way toward Jesse and Janna's room. I bluntly introduced my face to their door, bursting it open with the force and sound of an explosion, which quickly silenced the shrieking as Janna looked towards me with wild fright.

I felt the need to say something fatherly and reassuring to allay her innocent night-time fears, but my mouth was not yet working, and I had only just managed to partially open one eye. Nevertheless, I knew that this was an important moment and I needed to be tactful, so I opened my mouth and half-bellowed,  "JANNA. NO."

Janna responded with a stunned silence.

Pleased with myself for so eloquently handling the situation, I turned and staggered down the hall and into bed, plunging immediately into the sleep from which I had not fully woken up in the first place.

Almost immediately, I again experienced the familiar and heart-rending tug of being wrenched into consciousness, and this time the screaming was even more insistent than before. Again I waged war with my mind, body, and soul to fling myself out of my beautiful, warm bed and into the darkness and danger of the hallway. Perhaps, I reflected abstractly to myself, I needed to be even more nurturing than before, more like Chrissy. As I bumbled loudly into her room, Janna looked up at me with tears in her eyes, and wailed, "Daddy! A spider!" I paused in the doorway and tried to open my eyes. Fighting with all my might against the sleep that was still holding on to me, I searched for the words that would make it better for her and bellowed, "JANNA. DON'T BE SCARED."

I can't remember what happened after that; I have vague memories of feeling satisfied and climbing back into bed. At any rate, Janna didn't wake me up again. In case you're wondering, I do feel appropriately like a horrible person looking back at this, and I don't recommend this particular parenting strategy to anyone. Most of all, as I look back and remember the nearly superhuman effort it took me to be so uniquely useless in the middle of the night, I have a special respect for Chrissy, and mothers everywhere, who actually get up with their kids many nights of the week, often more than once.

It hardly seems possible.

Janna woke up again at 6:45am shrieking in terror because of another evil spider. This time, I was able to respond in a slightly more appropriate way, inviting her down to tell me about it. "It was a dirty, dirty spider," she informed me.

"Janna!" I admonished, "that isn't very nice! How would you feel if someone called you a dirty, dirty kid?" Janna found this question quite funny.
(What a great girl. I think she forgives me.)

Chrissy is the real hero of the story. She definitely gets tired too, but she keeps going with tremendous fortitude and grace, even at five months pregnant and while watching a ridiculously busy household of children.

Impressed,
Until next time...

Family Friends

I firmly believe in life-long friendships. I love the idea of making friends with people under the expectation that I will eventually be on good terms with their grand kids, that I will help them move six times (and vice versa), and that we should eventually bear witness to each other's greatest joys and sorrows.

I've probably just freaked out all of my current friends. Oh, well. Now you know.

So with that in mind, I entirely feel like our good friends the Guindons have fulfilled and surpassed all of my relational expectations for a stellar friendship. I met these fine people in the late nineties, when we all lived in Prince Edward Island together and attended First Baptist Church in Charlottetown. Marcel and Tamara, and their children Aimee, Julia, Sarah, and Nicholas were close friends of our family, but they moved right around the time that I left for university.

Fast forward to 2007, and I was excited to find out that the Guindons were living just outside of Ottawa, less than an hour from where I was living as a student (while engaged to Chrissy, who was working in New Brunswick). In typical Guindon fashion, they picked me up, fed me my first decent meal in months, and provided some much needed encouragement in the middle of the dark Ottawa winter.

Skip ahead a few more years, and Chrissy, baby Jesse, and I were treated to a delicious meal by the Guindons and their now-teenage kids. We were impressed by their love and generosity, and by the beauty of this land known as Marionville, just outside Russell and Metcalfe.

Four years later, and they have not just invited us for supper, but have actually taken ALL of our kids for DAYS at a time on several different occasions. They even initiate this and set up the next date themselves. For any of you who have kids, you know that one of the most precious gifts anyone can give you is time away from said kids. The Guindons have been very loving in this regard, and we have deeply appreciated it.

Sarah is officially the "Vance Baby Whisperer." Robyn will cling to very few people, but Sarah has certainly made the cut. (I have not made the cut yet, but I have high hopes for the future.)

Tamara, giving Robyn her first Mohawk. Note Julia washing Janna off in the background. Nobody asked Julia to do this; she just did! I hope our kids will be able to take that kind of initiative in the future.

Great family. Oh, our kids. 

"Blessed" seems to be the key word in this blog. We are totally blessed to have such awesome people in our lives. Much love, guys.

Until next time...


Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 

And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 
(Colossians 3:12-14)

Wednesday

Chrissy says that today feels like summer. I agree, but even more, I think that today feels like a Wednesday. That means that you are so tired that your soul feels like its about to slurp out of you and hit the floor, but somehow you are only halfway through the week and need to be remarkably social and productive for three more days.

What better way to deal with that somewhat painful reality than to write about it?

(Side note: I encouraged my students today to write for the fun of it this summer. They smiled at me tolerantly.)

This is what the Vance household looks like on a Wednesday in May.

Supper time. Robyn has terrorized Chrissy all day and now wields her ice-cream utensils like ninja swords. Note that Robyn pulls off eighties hairstyles like nobody's business. 

Janna, meanwhile, was overjoyed to be on a date with Aunt Katie. She was thrilled to go out without either of her siblings, and quickly made an itinerary for Katie that involved fast food restaurants and shopping opportunities. 

That was a long day! Alas, I have just remembered that I need to finish an Economics test.

Until next time...

The World We Know (in HDR)

Ever step outside at 5:45am to walk your dog and notice how the world is a lot more beautiful than it usually looks? Of course, we've all had this moment. It has to have something to do with the brisk fresh air, the contrast of the brights and the darks in the sky, and perhaps also the inherent promises of a new day and beginning.

At any rate, as I was staggering around outside a couple of days ago, I was struck by the beauty of the sun starting to cut through the clouds. Like any good media arts teacher, I hauled the poor dog inside (he didn't seem to share my enthusiasm for our surroundings, except to try to pee on them frequently), set up my tripod, and starting snapping photos like an inspired madman.

Here are some of the results. For those of you who aren't aspiring amateur photographers, they are High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos, which means that they combine three different photographs - one overexposed, one underexposed, and one with perfect exposure - to create one super photo that generally contains far more detail than we can see with the human eye. They look a little trippy, and they're not for everyone, but I thought they did a decent job of capturing the beauty of the world we all know but often take for granted.

Sun rises in Court 3.

Craig Henry Drive at 5:45.

The grass is definitely greener on the other side of the road.

Admittedly, I'm not always attuned to the aesthetic charms of the landscape when I first wake up in the morning. I'd like to get a little better at noticing things. Maybe that will be another project for this summer.

Until next time...