#1's Speech

#1 has been practicing for a speech contest all week. She did not do well compared to the winning kids, but boy are we happy with the progress she has made this year and last since being at this school as opposed to the previous private school. You have to wonder why parents would pay so much more money to be in that other school when this school clearly is better with the 3-R's.

Education is the foundation our kids need to have an advantage later in life. I don't want them to finish early though. I want them to develop the social skills necessary to be successful in college. Those skills are necessary to survive the intense pressure of mid-terms, finals, term papers, partying, social/peer pressures. They have to be well rounded not just academically, but socially, with sports, and with music. I hope we are giving them all the opportunities to excel in all areas of their education.

#1 and #2 both appear to be ahead of the curve in each area.

#2's Soccer Day

The day we left the video camera at home was the day #2's team the "Ninja's" won their soccer game 11-0. #2 became the first player to score and went on to a natural hat trick with two assists by the game end. So much more fun to watch when they win.

#2 finished with 3 goals and 2 assists including one from the end line immediately next to the goal with a lateral kick across in front of the goal that his team mate Alex buried home.

Matthew finished with 3 goals.
Jarrod with 2 goals.
Spencer with 1 goal.
Alex with 1 goal.
Mitchell with 1 goal.
Hunter was awesome even without goals.
Harrison couldn't be there but he sure missed alot of fun.

All of #2's and Matthew's goals were break aways from mid field. #2 has started kicking the ball harder just this week and realized he could run as fast as he could kick. The other boys were hard pressed to keep up once he was in front.

Many near misses, including one on the cross-bar by #2 that bounced all the way back to him and several just outside the goal to the left or right by many Ninja's.

So much more fun to watch when our son puts the ball in the net. Last week was tough to watch with two kids on the other team that were faster and more skilled than everyone of the ninja's. But they did only win by 2 goals by the end of regulation.

We took several of the boys to a clinic last night for 1 1/2 hours. Well worth it. All four boys that were there picked new skills and put them to use on the gridiron Saturday morning. Kicking on the both left and right feet, plus inside and outside of the foot kicks. Clearly made there game more controlled and #2 employed that with the kick across in front of the opposing teams net yielding a score with Alex.

Alex is the best player with foot coordination but is also the smallest. Matthew is the most agressive. #2 has been naturally gravitating to defense last fall and this year but broke out of his defensive shell in this game. I think the scoring gave him new found confidence and he has a great hockey celebration he does every time he is involved with a score. Fun to watch. #2 is also the best kicker I've seen on any of the teams but without any agression has been slow to follow up on his strength until today. During practice Coach Dennis was trying to get the boys to play to the net. Following the ball with the initial kick to the net. #2 was nailing the ball with smooth hard kicks, frequently in the air, that the other boys worked hard to get out of the way from.

S0 much more fun to watch.

End the Filibusters

Last I checked it was a simple majority to confirm judges in the Senate. Years ago, the Republicans were able to muster a majority to force 60 vote majorities to end debate on judicial nominee's. This was a tactic to prevent the likes of Ruth Bader Ginsberg from being confirmed. But alas, the Republicans were too dump to prevent an NOW and ACLU attorney from getting on the Supreme Court. Now we are paying for it with some of the recent decisions that defer to the World Court.

This has to end. We need more conservative judges throughout the country. We need to dilute the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by spliting it in half. We need judicial reform and we can achieve it by removing the filibustor rules for the rest of President Bush's term. Wow, we could place as many as 3 supreme court justices and hundreds of federal judge posts that are vacant could be filled in quick fashion.

Then target:

Flag burners.
Christian haters.
ACLU.
NOW.
Environmental activism that prevents refineries from being built and raising our gas prices.
Tort reform - limit trash lawsuits and attorney fees as a result of the trash lawsuits.
No more rewards for peoples own stupidity (buring myself with a hot cup of coffee? GONE.)
Animal rights kooks.
Leftist judges (dilute their power).

I can't wait for this to happen.

But of course, I'd probably have to listen to the nonsense ramblings of the idiots that think ending the filibustor is going to far unless of course it allows the Ruth Bader Ginsbergs of the world to assert their judicial activism on the rest of us.

Tom Delay Attack Dogs

I have to wonder why the Demoncat Party takes such interest every time there is any perception of ethics violations of a House or Senate Republican. Maybe they know so much about not having ethics they can immediately spot the potential impropriety?

What exactly did Tom Delay do that irks the Demoncats? He employed his wife and daughter as part of his re-election campaign. Big deal. Jerry Lewis in California has employed his wife for about 10 years as his Chief of Staff and no one said anything about that.... even though he is a Republican. There is no ethics issue here. There is only an opportunity for the DP to seek revenge by smearing a good and successful conservative law maker. The MSM loves this smear campaign and serves as the stick with witch unsubstantiated and unproven allegations can be made without fear of retribution. After all, the liberal law makers are just repeating what they whispered into the ear of the Old York Times who in turn printed it. Since they printed it, it must be true. WRONG.

Makes me sick to my stomach.

Curved Block Walls

Putting together a curved block wall, underneath a staircase, is an experience every political commentator must experience. A curved block wall is sort of like the walking pneumonia. You'll never figure out how it will look until you are finished. Could turn out to be no big deal or could turn out to be the death of your block wall efforts (tear it out and start again). I think ours is something we can point to as an accomplishment.

Top 10 April Fool's

1. Sure - we can get another cat/dog/gerbil for the kids.
2. I really enjoy watching Desperate Housewives.
3. Elvis was sighted trying to visit Terri Schiavo.
4. Senator John Kerry was seen negotiating with the Afghan opium tribal chiefs for a new ketchup brand - the new slogan - "just one dab on your fries and your hooked..."
5. Kim Jong IL of North Korea wants to try out for American Idol. His whole nation will "vote of die".
6. The French Government recently voted down an attempt to allow additional overtime hours beyond 187 hours per year beyond the 35 hour workweek. No fooling. They only work 35 hours per week. No wonder they surrender every time they are invaded.
7. The kids forgot it was April Fools Day. I didn't hear the same april fools joke all day over and over and over and over and over.
8. The LA Kings can win it this year.
9. The LA Lakers can win it this year.
10. The LA Dodgers can win it this year.

The Pope

Okay. Okay. Okay. So I was wrong and it is even a bigger deal now that he died on April 2nd. Funny how the NY Times can't find any favorable quotes for the pope's history. Even funnier since they consider him part of the vast right wing conspiracy.