Well, this last weekend hit us hard as it drew to a close. After going to Plant City for a golf tournament and taking top prize, Josh and I figured it would be good to share the spoils with the women and took the ladies out for dinner on our gift certificates. Wait times at the door pushed us being out until close to 10:30-11:00PM ... too late for the little man. And at about 2AM it hit ... Melissa and Joe both caught the cold bug. That first night Melissa took Joe the first half of the night - catching a glimpse of sleep only during his short dozes ... and then he and I cuddle the second half so that Melissa could actually sleep a little. Last night Joe decided to cuddle with me most of the night - waking often but nothing a little soothing can't calm ... I must say he is a little trooper. No runny nose or sore throat is going to keep him down and if we were not cleaning his nose he was running around like nothing was wrong - and today he looked back to normal ... now if only Melissa can recover :)

I ... well, I am still reeling after shooting a 64 on Saturday. That is 8 under par ... and that just rocks my world. True, it was a best ball tournament which meant each shot was taken from where the best of our 4-person team could place it. But, we played well as a team - with no one person holding us back and no one person standing out. We all hit a could good long balls, a few fairways, and our putting just rocked. We stepped off the 18th green thinking we left at least more 5 birdies out of the course. But our one eagle shown bright on the second hardest hole of the course putting us in top place ... then they modified the scoring to even out the field ... taking away our worse hole (a par 5) we still came out in front shooting a modified-59 ... second place was 66 with a modified 60.5 (took away a hole and a half). Sweet ... and with my sweetheart buying me a pair of golf shoes I am set for some good times! If I only don't get sick...

The Backlot Theatre

While it had been ages since we had been in contact with Gabriel, when Krishen and Davin asked if we knew a good hair stylist we knew who to call. While, yes, Mike was still cutting hair in the area ... we also were informed of a theatre production going on that evening. So...

Melissa, Joe, Patricia, and myself got to enjoy an excellent performance by the students of Richard Milburn Academy. Under the direction of theatre instructor Gabriel Ortiz, musical director Kregg Edwards, and set designer (school security officer) Ernest Lovely, the eleven students put forth an incredible performance on inner city life, "Beats on the Streets of Life of Death" (read the review by the Bradenton Herald).

Starting with a collection of poems written by the students themselves, the play slowly took form as the poetry was melded into the voice of the "hip-hop" generation. Discussing topics such as drugs, shootings, pregnancy, jail, death, and war ... we slowly began to see some of the dynamics facing teens here in the states. Things that are only seen in the major cities back home are even prevalent in the small towns of the US.

Melissa put it best as she stated that while growing up she discussed and spoke about the topics of teen pregnancy (before and after) but those issues seemed so small when compared to wondering if your brother, sister, mother, and (if your lucky enough to have one) father is going to make it home that night.

The topics were real, the actors were real, and the director (and teacher) himself pulled himself out of the inner streets of L.A., so this play carries a lot of impact. It was one of the best theatre pieces I have seen in a long time. Speaks to the time, the place, and the culture ... what theatre is all about.

Congrats goes out to all the high-school students, and we all wish you the best of luck as you undertake the next challenge in life.

Queen of the North

The BC Ferry Queen of the North ran aground and sank this morning of the coast of BC. All 102 people were rescued from the choppy waters with a few sustaining minor injuries.

The 125 meter (410 ft.) vessel is apparently completely submerged about 135 km from Prince Rupert.

This is truly the unthinkable accident for BC Ferries. I suppose when you manage one of the largest ferry fleets (37 vessels and 47 ports) in the world you are bound to run into problems ... but this is the second major incident in 2 years. Glad to hear that the training and preparations for these situations was successful in saving lives.

Resource links: CBC.ca and Canada.com

Update:
It now appears that a couple may now have perished in the accident. While we do hold out hope that Shirley Rossette and Gerald Foisey of 100 Mile House, B.C. made it to safety, as some passengers are reporting, authorities have yet to locate them. Our fingers remain crossed.

Saturday, Joe and I had the morning to ourselves, Melissa had headed downtown with friends to checkout "the market". So we hung out a little at home before grabbing the soccer ball and heading across the street to play in the field. We had a blast kicking the ball around, playing in the sand/grass, and trying to stay away from the ant hills.

Now with Saturday mornings a scheduled time off for mom, we just need to figure out what to do next week. ?

Left: Powerbook G4 -- Right: MacBook Pro

I have a new work machine ... so this weekend has been spent playing, transferring, and cleaning as I make the transition to the new MacBook Pro. The 2 Ghz Intel Core Duo processor with 2 GB of RAM should do me just fine ;)

And since this is the machine I want to purchase for my next machine, this should be a good demo to work off of. I have not pushed it hard yet, but my biggest concern is the battery life. I am hoping the never rev takes care of that, but so far ... I am extremely happy.

Hello, it is very nice to meet you

Gui (or Guiomar) made her appearance last week, just as Luis was scheduled to go home. Which has been sad for all of us. It was a blast having him here for a visit. He is great for Patricia - I approve (though I doubt she would listen to me anyways!)

Luis, come back again soon.

So, the grandparents are back on the plane and headed home. It was a great visit and we are really going to miss them. Joe was really starting to build that special grand-parent bond that I think is so important.

To the moon!!!!

I came home last night and Joe was grown up and moved out ... or was it in ... gah! He and grandpa had some fun and built a little castle (or rocket ... or ... well ... imagination right!).

Dad just could not help being a kid again

This past Sunday afternoon Joe and I both experienced our first ball game. Major league spring training is in town and we caught the "home team", Cincinnati Reds, take on the visiting Tampa Bay Devil Rays. (Yes, I know that seems a little off ... but this is where the Reds spend their spring days.)

As Melissa said, "Is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon". It was very relaxing, the sun was shining, and the most excitement came from Joe getting into an ant hill. (Those little buggers) It actually was not bad, only a couple bites - but he did end up being the one and only streaker of the ball game.

The 7-1 blow-out by Tampa Bay was stemmed by a 4 run-comeback by the Reds in the bottom of the 9th. We had a couple stolen bases, at least 3 home runs, and some great catches to make for an enjoyable experience.

Oh, and the World Baseball Classic is coming up ... so we will have to keep an eye out for how Canada does. They are pooled with US, the heavy favorites, but with luck they will make it into the playoffs.

Yesterday we enjoyed a little excursion to Plant City to enjoy their annual Strawberry Festival. It has been something I have been wanting to check out for the last couple years - and with my parents in town and Patricia and Luis in tow we made the trek. The festival was sort of in-between the Stampede and the county fair we saw a couple years ago. We felt fully intrenched in rural america, with the fair rides going and food stands everywhere.

There was several craft spots, pig races, puppet shows, and some livestock displays to keep us entertained. We wandered around checking out the different shops and exhibits and enjoying different strawberry treats ...

Chocolate covered strawberries weren't enough - they wanted it all

Joe trucked along with us enjoying the outdoor air and the crowds of people - he really is a people watcher.

For note: sand does not taste good

After I finished a long week of daily trips to Tampa ... Friday was a day off and we took advantage. Time for the beach and some play time in sand.

Grandpa caught the attention of the birds

We all had a great time