Something both boys did this weekend I wanted to report on, but this morning I don't really recall. Ry's back into wearing his baseball uniforms most of time, with frequent changes. He wore his St. Michael's crab boy shirt all weekend, too.
Ry wants to play all the time, sometimes in catcher gear (even though there's no catcher in TBall), sometimes batting, sometimes catching. He' been tossing the ball on the side of the house and catching it off the wall. One of his favorite teams is now the Cardinals, because he has a baseball card with a Cardinals player. He's also learning the names of cities (and states) who have teams.
Jackson spends time on the internet, mostly apps or Disney.com or YouTube, as I reported a few days ago. He watches for Ariel to appear on Talk or Skype, and reports she hasn't been on for a week. I enjoy playing catch with him, something he didn't do a lot of until Rylee showed an interest. They even play together. We had a great game of chess. He's a very clever player and sees the board quite well.
They both had games on Saturday, and they both did well. Jackson had some good hits and played good defense. The play is much more sophisticated this year. Ry is showing some advanced talent at TBall with fielding, throwing and hitting. Based on our recent games of catch, in which he consistently catches the ball with his glove up, I'm anxious to see how he does in the next few games. The team batting cage practices are helping Jackson, and we've got to find his "magic" batting glove. We took in an Isotopes game on Saturday night, courtesy of a friend who had extra suite tickets. Sunday was a day at the pool. It felt like summer, but less crowded. Some of Jack's friends from cub scouts were there, so that was fun, too. I made some tri tips I had marinated and froze, and we watched Home Alone 3 for the nteenth time. (One of Jack's favorites.)
It rained off and on this weekend. We spent about an hour cleaning up the playground at Ry's preschool.
I got my domain fixed up so we can share a private webpage for a shared calendar, etc. and Jackson can have a place to publish web pages. I can also create email users and addresses at the domain name, and I've begun to develop that, too. (It might have had more success a couple of years ago, but we'll see where it goes.)
Monday, April 19, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
collections
Ry is clever about the things he's interested in. I appreciate how he organizes. When it's legos or bakugans, he will find, on his own, an empty bin so he can put them all together and then he'll find a special place to put the bin. He constantly goes through his stuff, stacking the cards together or placing the lego creations in a row to gaze upon and consider. Baseball is the big thing now. For a week, he had his uniform all laid out for his first game. Then when we bought new cleats, he folded everything and put it all in the shoe box. Two days ago, he found a pail and he filled it with all the baseballs we have so he could take it wherever he went. When he's not using them, the pail goes in the same spot in the garage, next to where the bats and other sports gear are stored. (He's the only one who gets that the bags and bins in that corner of the garage are just for sports gear.) Last night he found an unused backpack and put his batting helmet, fielder's glove, batting gloves, and a ball inside and put his TBall bat in the water bottle holder on the side. At yesterday's game, he got a pack of baseball trading cards and now he's absolutely fascinated by them. He likes to figure out what team the player is on, his position, and, of course, what he's wearing. I said we'd get more cards. He's a character.
Speaking of characters, Jackson had a good year in cub scouts and is already up to speed in the minor machine pitch II league. His head is in the game and he's excited. I always say Jack enjoys the social aspect of sports, but when he's playing he's energetic and competitive. Tonight's his last religion class at the Catholic church, and cub scouts will also wind down for the summer. I just fixed some applications and mail for my internet domain and, of course, Jackson is the first to start exploring it. I'm glad. I suspect he will be publishing some great internet stuff soon. He and Ariel have been videochatting, and now he's got me on Skype. Cyndi looks to him for all her computer programming needs. YouTube is replacing tv. Besides Phineas & Ferb episodes, the boys watch homemade videos of domino setups being toppled, often very elaborate, often made by a child, often revealing pictures, often set up like a Rube Goldberg machine. Other popular videos feature Lego Star Wars figures with the child's dialogue acting out scenes. In fact, Jackson has made some videos like these already, on the handy Flip camera, along with some interviews he's recorded.
Chris is visiting Ariel. I talked briefly with her. She was working hard as usual. Chris was going to a climbing gym and then they were going to meet in Manhattan via subway for dinner and then a talk & social gathering with folks from Science Friday. That just sounded cool, I thought. Ariel is quite excited that Terra is expecting.
Cyndi and I were just talking about the baseball season. It ends by Memorial Day. Then it looks like it'll be swim team for the summer, soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter. A second soccer season begins in the early spring, and then baseball again. This year I'm not coaching in any official capacity, but I've been out there for Ry's TBall, prepping the field, getting the batters on deck, coaching first, coaching in the field. Pretty basic stuff. Fun to watch. Ry's got an arm, by the way.
Got to go pick up Jack.
Speaking of characters, Jackson had a good year in cub scouts and is already up to speed in the minor machine pitch II league. His head is in the game and he's excited. I always say Jack enjoys the social aspect of sports, but when he's playing he's energetic and competitive. Tonight's his last religion class at the Catholic church, and cub scouts will also wind down for the summer. I just fixed some applications and mail for my internet domain and, of course, Jackson is the first to start exploring it. I'm glad. I suspect he will be publishing some great internet stuff soon. He and Ariel have been videochatting, and now he's got me on Skype. Cyndi looks to him for all her computer programming needs. YouTube is replacing tv. Besides Phineas & Ferb episodes, the boys watch homemade videos of domino setups being toppled, often very elaborate, often made by a child, often revealing pictures, often set up like a Rube Goldberg machine. Other popular videos feature Lego Star Wars figures with the child's dialogue acting out scenes. In fact, Jackson has made some videos like these already, on the handy Flip camera, along with some interviews he's recorded.
Chris is visiting Ariel. I talked briefly with her. She was working hard as usual. Chris was going to a climbing gym and then they were going to meet in Manhattan via subway for dinner and then a talk & social gathering with folks from Science Friday. That just sounded cool, I thought. Ariel is quite excited that Terra is expecting.
Cyndi and I were just talking about the baseball season. It ends by Memorial Day. Then it looks like it'll be swim team for the summer, soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter. A second soccer season begins in the early spring, and then baseball again. This year I'm not coaching in any official capacity, but I've been out there for Ry's TBall, prepping the field, getting the batters on deck, coaching first, coaching in the field. Pretty basic stuff. Fun to watch. Ry's got an arm, by the way.
Got to go pick up Jack.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
News about Ariel and the boys
Ariel has been very busy this semester at the NYU SHERP. She's got the coursework, of course. Some audio projects. She's had some recent pieces published online. I've linked to some already. The last one was posted on the webpage for the Natural Resources Defense Council. I found one at TheScientist.com, called Technicolor Doo-Doo, that got a couple of positive comments. She's editor-in-chief of the webzine ScienceLine. Here's a link to her author's page at ScienceLine. She's been interning with the NPR show, Science Friday. (I think I have that right.)
She just accepted an internship, beginning May, with the IEEE Spectrum Magazine, a print magazine that also has online blogs, webinars and other multimedia content. Wikipedia says IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is
an international non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity. It has the most members of any technical professional organization in the world, with more than 395,000 members in around 150 countries
and says
IEEE produces 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, publishing well over 100 peer-reviewed journals.
About Spectrum, it says the IEEE describes it as
the flagship publication of the IEEE, explor[ing] the development, applications and implications of new technologies. It anticipates trends in engineering, science, and technology, and provides a forum for understanding, discussion and leadership in these areas
and says
IEEE Spectrum has a circulation of over 380,000 engineers worldwide, making it one of the leading science and engineering magazines. It covers a wide variety of technical issues and advances in computers, communications, and electronics. As a general magazine, the articles attempt to be accessible to non-specialists, though an engineering background is assumed.
Ariel is also happy because it's a paid internship in NYC and, because it's international, there's a chance to travel, too. And, they've already told her there's a staff position maybe in the fall. (She's not done with SHERP until the end of the year.)
Oh, and there's another nice bit of news: Chris is visiting for a while, starting Monday. I think he's done with active duty and there's some talk he may join Ariel next fall. They may move to another part of Brooklyn near Prospect Park, which Ariel describes as a small Central Park. I don't remember if she mentioned Prospect Heights, which is nearer to where she is now in Williamsburg. It looks great and still a short trip to Manhattan.
These days have been crazy with the boys. We signed them up late for baseball. Cyndi and Jackson decided that Jackson should sign up afterall, and I thought Rylee could sign up, too. So, sure enough, a Saturday over a week ago, we all went to the little league fields for a super-late registration and I asked about Rylee, too. When they said there was room for Ry, everyone was happy.
Rylee is on the TBall Dodgers, and Jackson is on the Minor Machine Pitch II Rockies. It's been a whirlwind of getting them on the teams, figuring out practices, getting uniforms, and all. Rylee went to his first practice last Saturday. Jackson went to his first practice (about 5 minutes of batting cage practice) yesterday. And they both have games at 1 p.m. this Saturday. (There's also warm ups, pregame batting cage practice, pictures, more uniform pieces and gear to pick up, and all the little extra fees--all Saturday.)
Jackson, I think, will do well. I talked to the coach and it sounds like they're where they were at the end of last season, and with the league a bit unorganized this year due to some ongoing construction at the fields Jackson hasn't missed much. He'll catch up, I'm sure.
Rylee couldn't be more excited. He's still not 5, but it really wasn't a problem to sign him on a team, and it turns out there's some familiar children's, and parent's, faces with that team. At his first and only practice--and of course he wore Jack's cleats, Jack's old baseball pants, along with the new Dodgers shirt and cap--he fielded all the grounders with none going through his legs, threw straight and hard, and hit the ball square off the tee.
Oh, and there's still cub scouts and religion classes for Jackson.
It's a mix of play for the boys. Rylee keeps discovering toys and Jackson gets interested in them all over again. It was bakugans, that keeps coming and going, trains once in a while, skateboarding and bicycling is coming out again as the weather improves, and lately the lego kits are big. Jackson puts them together.
Jack is back online. There's a lot of YouTube, usually bakugans, Phineas & Ferb, kids making domino sculptures and then knocking them over. The flip camera is fun for them, too. They wrestle constantly. They play with the cousins or at the child care at the gym. Jackson has a lot of energy and a big laugh. Acts out funny lines from shows. Rylee has a good sense of humor, loves to make puns. "Get it?"
She just accepted an internship, beginning May, with the IEEE Spectrum Magazine, a print magazine that also has online blogs, webinars and other multimedia content. Wikipedia says IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, is
an international non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity. It has the most members of any technical professional organization in the world, with more than 395,000 members in around 150 countries
and says
IEEE produces 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering and computer science fields, publishing well over 100 peer-reviewed journals.
About Spectrum, it says the IEEE describes it as
the flagship publication of the IEEE, explor[ing] the development, applications and implications of new technologies. It anticipates trends in engineering, science, and technology, and provides a forum for understanding, discussion and leadership in these areas
and says
IEEE Spectrum has a circulation of over 380,000 engineers worldwide, making it one of the leading science and engineering magazines. It covers a wide variety of technical issues and advances in computers, communications, and electronics. As a general magazine, the articles attempt to be accessible to non-specialists, though an engineering background is assumed.
Ariel is also happy because it's a paid internship in NYC and, because it's international, there's a chance to travel, too. And, they've already told her there's a staff position maybe in the fall. (She's not done with SHERP until the end of the year.)
Oh, and there's another nice bit of news: Chris is visiting for a while, starting Monday. I think he's done with active duty and there's some talk he may join Ariel next fall. They may move to another part of Brooklyn near Prospect Park, which Ariel describes as a small Central Park. I don't remember if she mentioned Prospect Heights, which is nearer to where she is now in Williamsburg. It looks great and still a short trip to Manhattan.
These days have been crazy with the boys. We signed them up late for baseball. Cyndi and Jackson decided that Jackson should sign up afterall, and I thought Rylee could sign up, too. So, sure enough, a Saturday over a week ago, we all went to the little league fields for a super-late registration and I asked about Rylee, too. When they said there was room for Ry, everyone was happy.
Rylee is on the TBall Dodgers, and Jackson is on the Minor Machine Pitch II Rockies. It's been a whirlwind of getting them on the teams, figuring out practices, getting uniforms, and all. Rylee went to his first practice last Saturday. Jackson went to his first practice (about 5 minutes of batting cage practice) yesterday. And they both have games at 1 p.m. this Saturday. (There's also warm ups, pregame batting cage practice, pictures, more uniform pieces and gear to pick up, and all the little extra fees--all Saturday.)
Jackson, I think, will do well. I talked to the coach and it sounds like they're where they were at the end of last season, and with the league a bit unorganized this year due to some ongoing construction at the fields Jackson hasn't missed much. He'll catch up, I'm sure.
Rylee couldn't be more excited. He's still not 5, but it really wasn't a problem to sign him on a team, and it turns out there's some familiar children's, and parent's, faces with that team. At his first and only practice--and of course he wore Jack's cleats, Jack's old baseball pants, along with the new Dodgers shirt and cap--he fielded all the grounders with none going through his legs, threw straight and hard, and hit the ball square off the tee.
Oh, and there's still cub scouts and religion classes for Jackson.
It's a mix of play for the boys. Rylee keeps discovering toys and Jackson gets interested in them all over again. It was bakugans, that keeps coming and going, trains once in a while, skateboarding and bicycling is coming out again as the weather improves, and lately the lego kits are big. Jackson puts them together.
Jack is back online. There's a lot of YouTube, usually bakugans, Phineas & Ferb, kids making domino sculptures and then knocking them over. The flip camera is fun for them, too. They wrestle constantly. They play with the cousins or at the child care at the gym. Jackson has a lot of energy and a big laugh. Acts out funny lines from shows. Rylee has a good sense of humor, loves to make puns. "Get it?"
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Ariel publication
Here's another link to an Ariel publication.
I've been working on a private web page, but hope to continue posting here, too, and updating the web page. Google is fixing a problem with access to my domain apps for users. That should give Jackson more of his own page(s).
I've been working on a private web page, but hope to continue posting here, too, and updating the web page. Google is fixing a problem with access to my domain apps for users. That should give Jackson more of his own page(s).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
