The Year Recapped

Procrastinating again; so here are some recollections of highlights for the latter part of the year. As we wound into summer Patrick and Nathan did their usual three-week trip to Camp Highlands. It was Patrick's last year as a camper. In 2015 he'll be a counselor in training. Chris, of course, couldn't do camp since he now has a full-time job.

After they got back from Camp we did our usual drive out to Castle Park - again without Chris, who had to stay home and work. We were joined there by Jamie who we had fly out for a break. He was able to play golf and tennis with Patrick and Nate and visit with his grandmother and Uncle Da-Da.

While I was in Castle Park I set up Nathan's electronic drum kit in Ernie Kelly's garage and went over to practice the 'picnic tunes' each day. It was quite a nice part of a routine that included jogging, swimming and bike-riding with Marth. After we got back it was a brief three weeks before I drove back to Chicago for the annual picnic routine - this time in my car rather than the van. It turned out I had a business event (with FARE) in the days before the picnic gig. So I went out earlier and first stayed out at Hyatt Rosemont and then moved to a hotel off Michigan Avenue downtown where we had the conference. And then stayed at Dan's for the weekend. The 9th Annual Neighborhood Picnic was another success, thanks to everyone who pitches in for it. I contributed the video cameras -- one of which was toppled by some over-hyper little urchin. With a few exceptions, my songs and performances came off relatively well. I'm coming to gauge both the selections and scripting better each year -- and balancing out literal and spontaneous interpretations. And so I'm also enjoying it more.

Shortly after returning, I switched jobs; leaving FARE and starting with the National Patient Advocate Foundation. In many respects it's a bigger job with a bigger organization (on paper). But even though it was smaller, FARE was a much more professional organization. NPAF is racked by an institutional structure and personal legacy issues that have stifled it's growth, professionalism and even competence. And it's much too dependent on drug company money. On the boys; Nathan was selected to be in The Immortals - the Loudoun Music Instruction's top band made up of the most dedicated and talented students. We had to debate some time whether to pursue sports or make this very sizable commitment. Nate essentially made it himself, realizing that now in high school he'll have limited ability to make it in the sports teams. And he can still pursue tennis and do some intrumural basketball. He was also selected by Loudoun Valley Jazz Band, which means that both he and Patrick are in it. We are extremely proud. As part of his drama class, Patrick and the other students competed in the Virginia Theater Association against 50 other Virginia high schools with an original play called "The Trial of Ygor".....and won first place!! They are now going to Chattanooga in March to compete in nationals -- though we have to find ways to raise quite a bit of money to support it. Otherwise, Patrick decided against doing the big fall drama production at school -- which was the Addams Family. He felt it was a little too 'cartoonish' and hasn't been getting along with the drama director (and neither have many of the other kids and their parents). So he decided to do community theater, in a production of Oliver. He played the Artful Dodger and did a marvelous job (see video). His grandmother and Uncle Dave came out to see it and were justly impressed.

Patrick also loved the directer, Karla Louis, who runs a theater production company. So when she asked him to be part of a Christmas Pageant, he jumped at it - performing "Let It Snow" as part of a large and touching production. For Christmas we had Jamie come out for about a week and it was nice to have him here for the holidays.

About The Books

I just added some 'recent reads' on the right and they are not all I've read recently. Usually I try to stick to a regiment of one 'serious' book - history, biography, social commentary, etc., followed by a fun, fiction book. Sort of like having a meal and dessert. Since most of my books are from the Loudoun Library and checked out on my iPad, they have a 14 day limit. Some of the serious books can be such a slog that I don't get through them that quickly. In which case, I don't highlight them. On the other hand, I whip through some fiction books so quickly and voraciously that I don't list them either. In particular, I've become a huge fan of Lee Child's Jack Reacher series and read almost every one. But it would be an embarrassment of gluttony to admit that.

Legally Blonde

Early last month Loudoun Valley staged Legally Blonde, with Patrick playing Warner, the jerk boyfriend. It was a wonderful production and helped solidify Patrick's commitment to drama.

Monocle Reunion

Time flies -- for good and ill. A few months ago I got together with the 'ol Dixon crowd at our traditional watering-hole, the Monocle. They included Charlie Smith, Wade Nelson, Katie Lamb-Heinz, Maria Petaros and Paul Stilp. A warm, but restrained evening. We're not as wild as we used to be.

Trying to Keep Up

The year is already flying by. Jamie had been out for Christmas and the New Year. He's now taking some classes in Oakland and finding an academic/career path for himself. With Martha's help, Christopher landed an apprenticeship with a HVAC company and he's doing marvelously well at it. He gets up early every morning and is out the door by six thirty. If he keeps it up he'll rise in the ranks, make some very respectable bucks and have a solid road ahead of him. It was because of this new job that we had to leave Chris behind when Martha, Patrick, Nate and I went to Park City, Utah at the end of February.

It was our first trip west to ski and despite the warmer than usual weather, we had a wonderful time. Patrick has already been the lead in a school play - The Crane Wife - as a lead character. He's also done his first Shakespeare; A Midsummer Night's Dream - and is now in the high school musical, Legally Blonde. He just did an interesting p.r. stunt at Dulles Town Center to build attention to it. He continues to advance on the piano and has now gone through two more teachers trying to find the right direction. Nathan went through a season of basketball - house league - and they won the 'championship' though it was colored by a ball hogging player who was the coach's son. He's since started ice hockey where he's struggling. He's never done it before. It's cost us some big bucks, so he better stick with it. He's also doing lacrosse and is part of a team with all his buddies. He's also been invited by his music teacher to become part of The Immortals - the premier band in the school. He's torn because it would take a lot of time and compromise his sports. It's his decision, but we've been trying to point out that in high school his sports opportunities will be more limited. So maybe becoming a better drummer is something he can aspire to. Marth is now in Florida with her mom and the boys and I are being decadent for a few days.

A Year's Transitions

November 3- 2013 - In a nutshell - to catch up. Most of the last few months I've been adjusting to the work regiment; getting up earlier, plodding through the 'to-do' lists and getting used to the people at the office, the people in the community and defining my role. Much of that has been building an agenda and an advocates network. We recently had great success with a bill that passed both chambers and is now being signed by the President. And we've had great success with state "stock epinephrine" laws. I'm now planning campaigns on restaurant legislation, EMS bills and, somewhat hesitantly, on airline rules. My comfort level, confidence and ambition have been taking hold in the last few months and been a welcome transition. Patrick's performance in Urinetown was remarkable (see videos) and was capped off with a trip to the Kennedy Center for the Cappie Awards -- at which Loudoun Valley scored numerous awards. Over the summer the boys went off to Camp Highlands - Chris as a counselor and Patrick & Nathan as campers. Chris had an incident as the leader of a trip going down a waterfall in the dark. And Nathan had a miserable expedition in soaking rain. But otherwise they had a gas, as usual. Martha and I took advantage of the 'kid-free' time to book a trip to Costa Rica at a resort on the Pacific side. Other than an snorkeling excursion and a trip to a local town for some shopping we didn't do much - which was the whole point. Jamie only pursued his western odyssey as far as San Francisco. Warren came home and Jamie has attempted to set up a life there. It's clearly been a struggle, but Mimi has joined him there and we're immensely proud of his courage and determination -- and his growing maturity. He just came back for a brief visit a couple weeks ago and we had a nice visit. We're especially encouraged by his commitment to get back to school when he gets settled. He's now doing seasonal work at UPS which will hopefully turn into something permanent. Chris is now working at both Pump It Up and at Nick Greer's restoration shop. That keeps him relatively busy - though we are now having to help him manage his money. Since the incident with my aunt's car, he needs to save up enough to get another to relieve us -- especially Martha -- from having to juggle his needs with our schedules. Patrick latest drama production is The Crane Wife - a Japanese folk tale in which he plays the lead again. It's a one act - 45 minute play with a very interesting story. (see rehearsal video) Last weekend he spent in Reston at a competition and the LVHS drama team took fifth in a field of 40 with this play. Not bad. He's continuing 'zero period' at 7:30 to accommodate jazz band and musical theater, taking piano lessons in Winchester at Shenandoah Music Conservatory, working at Pump It Up on the weekends and skateboarding whenever he can. On that last item; he's damaged his ankles so much, he's now going to physical therapy. While Patrick was away on this Reston weekend, Martha and I stole away to an inn in West Virginia. It was a little odd in that it was close quarters - but novel. And it gave us a chance to go on a beautiful hike to a mountaintop. Slowly we're also redoing our family room. We've had the fireplace redone with stone (Canaan Valley!) and bought some new furniture -- though making decisions on it is a grind. In the process of this updating, most of our older stuff has moved in the basement, where the kids now have a tv/couch hangout pit. And I've moved the drums around, set up a desk with computer near Nate's kit, along with drum mikes so he has a great recording setup! In late August I went back to Chicago for the 8th annual Neighborhood Picnic. I finally bought myself an acoustic kit (DWs no less!) - and did it through Dan at the Drum Pad - so I was able to pick them up at his house and play them for the Picnic. I'd practiced enough that I acquitted myself adequately -- though I still screwed up plenty. (see videos). My aunt has managed to get out of Lexington and into her own apartment in Lake Zurich. We helped her a little financially and Mary and Jack are giving her a hand where they can. She's looking to have an operation on her eye and eventually drive again -- but the real test will be whether she's able to discipline herself and avoid some bad habits.

Normally I don't comment on the books to the right -- and normally I'd include them only after I'd finished them. But on "God & Stephen Hawking; Whose Design Is It Anyway" I put it down at about one-third read. His angle is countering the arguments of Stephen Hawking and science in general, that hints at any question of God. So I'd expected some intriguing, thought-provoking arguments. But I was thoroughly disappointed. When I finally got to "God is a person from whom natural law comes" I couldn't take it anymore. Clearly he is too invested in the mythology. Beyond that, his arguments seemed sophomoric and his tone is snide and condescending. Hawking has nothing to worry about. I'm glad I only spent five dollars on the book.