A dark day in Gopher Men's B-Ball History

March madness has always been a fun time for sport enthusiasts. High school state tourneys for basketball and hockey...along with the NCAA basketball tournament. I still remember staying up 15 years ago to watch the classic Apple Valley vs. Duluth East hockey game that went into numerous overtimes with David Spehar being the scrappy star of the tournment. Yes...there seems to be a buzz in the air.

It was about this time in March 10 years ago when allegations were leaked to the Pioneer Press and MN Daily (student paper) that someone was paid $3000 to write papers and complete assignments for some stars on the men's b-ball time. Talk about the timing...the team was about to play in their 1st round game of the tournament. What I remember most was the gloomy mood on campus. Major dissapointment. Embarrassment. Shock. Self-imposed sanctions by President Yudof and NCAA sanctions on the team and Coach Haskins were severe but simply the right thing to do.

Some possible lessons learned by everyone: some people do get away with cheating. but when it's exposed that a high profile team has compromised on academic integrity...the consequences are tough and unfriendly.

I would say that most people approved of Yudof's course of action with the team. Time has passed. The team image is now improved and morale is good with Coach Tubby. Go Gophers!

it's friday!

we wish you a happy friday. it's been a good and interesting week for us. Curt has been keeping busy with business at Gear West. Christine is recovering from her sensory overload with the happenings at school. There is lots to learn about the family structure or culture of a society just by observing kids in a school.

spring is just around the corner! with daylight savings this weekend it just feels like things are on the up and up! time to dig out the shorts and sandals!

Once: Falling Slowly

This weekend we saw 3 movies: Gone Baby Gone, Vantage Point, and Once. We, especially me, fell in love with Once. It's a semi-musical based in Dublin. The songs are amazing. The movie is amazing too. One of the songs won an Oscar. Check out the performance by the two actors/musicians. Be inspired!

Week 2 Training Update

I know it's still too early yet, but all of this marathon training is like a parallel to my development as human being. It's a journey with lots of ups and downs.

Thoughts on week 2: I'm in a routine now. Not quite enjoyable. Feeling a bit worn down, tired. This week demanded some mental toughness. My right calf is a bit tender, my right thigh is fatigued.

Mileage for this week: 27 miles (includes a 5 mile tempo run and a 10.5 mile long run at a 8:57 pace). Saturday's long run seemed hard. Windy, cold, and icy conditions. Sunday's 5 mile recovery run turned out to be a situation where I wanted to push the pace and I did. It's a vicious mental game. I should have taken it easy. Goals for week 3: Find the pleasure in training, be grateful, and be more committed during the week.

the end.

Addiction to Girl Scout Cookies and Knowledge

on friday 3 boxes of girl scout cookies were delivered to my classroom by a fellow teacher, mom of a girl scout who I ordered cookies from. thin mints, peanut butter patties, and carmel delights...mmmm.

I am super grateful for where I am at. I'm content, but careful not to settle for mediocrity. It's so interesting. Thoughts about theology, living out a faith in a postmodern world, feeding into personal creativity, and relationships and love are starting to come more into focus.

I had some time on Saturday to meet up with my friend Regina. I attended part of a discussion led by an author of a book that is about to be published. He's a former Bethel Seminary professor now living in Norway. Anyway, a lot was spoken about food, sex, and money. Most of what was shared I simply took in and am in the process of processing. It takes me awhile to figure out what to do with information. It's like I have to send it through so many of my personal filters before I can confidently do something with it.

Anyway, on a somewhat related tangent...I like it when people are authentic. I like it when people share opinions even if it may be offensive...as the listener sometimes we have to investigate the deeper layers and ask more questions to understand. I think it's possible to speak truth when both speaker and listener understand that there is shared commitment to preserving each other's inner being.

The Karate Kid

Curt has a funny post about training with the Karate Kid. check it out. there's a link to the right.

happy friday....

Pictures from Curt's swim meet

Getting ready to do his flip turn with Duane assisting with counting laps

Curt waiting to swim last event

The U of M aquatics center

Quality time with Curt is what refuels me after an intense week of work. It's something that I crave. We have been lucky to have lots of shared time together. It's nice to relax, talk, and to just...be. We just naturally like to create moments where we slow the pace of life down to soak things in. We are hoping to keep this value even when kids and family enter into the picture.

Last weekend was no exception. Lots of "soak time" enjoyed by us, but we did manage to venture to the U of M campus for Curt's swim meet. It was quite enjoyable in that Curt was able to gauge his fitness at this time in the training season, I had fun watching and hanging out, and it was amazing to watch his friend Duane swim the backstroke. Duane is an animal in the water. I can't explain it.

After a carefree drive around Dinkytown we picked Burrito Loco as our lunch dining destination. Our burritos were appetizing, but paled in comparison to burritos by Chipotle. It was something in the seasonings, I think. Anyway, wonderful to be back on the campus. Go Gophers!

Sewing Adventures

I think I enjoy working with my hands. But sometimes what I have visually in my head doesn't perfectly transfer to my fingertips. Curt has been very supportive in letting me tear apart and redesign all of his old racing T-shirts. I have a secret dream of making a line of wearable, funky t-shirts. After a bit of introspection, I think I do have the ability to transfer what I musically have in my head to my fingertips. I think my study of music and the piano when I was younger helped me in different areas: gave me a feeling of accomplishment and taught me discipline. I hope that all of my students are able to find an outlet where they get a sense of accomplishment and learn about discipline.

Study on Love

Eros, phileo, and agape...3 greek meanings for love. each a bit different. it seems like 2 (eros and phileo) depend on cirumstances and the situation. eros and philia can be a "shifting, changing" type of love. this would explain why some couples fall in love, marry, fall out of love, then divorce?

agape= a willful love, a spiritual, abstract love
phileo= spontaneous love; affectionate

i would say that it's possible for an agape love to have characteristics of a phileo love, but the converse isn't always true.

I would like to read The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis.

gummy bears and agape

gummy goodness

i haven't had a gummy bear for awhile since I finished off my 6 pound bag of them. a bit of withdrawal issues? yes. but it's good that my body is being detoxified from all of the gummy goodness. go gummy bear!

a more serious thought for the day: what is the nature of love? can it be described metaphysically? do we have the intellectual capacity to fully understand it? i'm trying to examine these 3 components: eros, philia, and agape. the easiest one for me to grasp right now is agape...love a person feels for mankind or love of God for mankind and mankind for God. the most perfect kind of love. other than that i'm a bit confused.

answers to a questionaire

3 responses to 3 questions:

1. Describe a meal you've enjoyed lately.

Curt-Baked ziti
Christine-Turkey burger with guacamole and fries

2. What is your favorite kind of berry?

Curt-Blueberry
Christine-Raspberry

3. Describe what you like about your husband/wife?

Curt-sweetness, cuddliness, quirks, dance moves sometimes, how i feel around her
Christine- sweetness, his laugh, puts in honest effort for everything, rational, and how i feel around him

the end.

Week 1 Training Update

I just have one more run to finish on Sunday and then I can say I've completed week 1 for training. It was a good week. The plan is take everything day by day, week by week. Here are my stats:

Total Mileage: 28.25 miles (which includes 1 hill workout and today's 'long' run of 10.25 miles at a 8:57 pace). Today I was thankful for the glorious weather. Very comfy. Lots of happy people and their dogs out around the Mpls lakes. No wind.

Prior to this week I put in this weekly mileage during January: 17, 20, 14, 20, 12, 21.

Training is quite the humbling experience. I have a lot more running ahead of me (gulp).

Bon Voyage!

Mina is off to Korea for a year to teach kids English! You are so ready to take it all in! May you have mighty protection during your journey. Wishing you a fire in your belly and stillness in your heart. Keep it real, yo, like you always do!!!! Peace...

1st official week of training

It's a bit nerve wracking. This week marks the 1st official week of Grandma's marathon training. It's nothing big, but Curt has me doing a hill workout on Thursday (my 1st ever) and a 10 mile run this weekend! I am focused, but also very intimidated. At the same time I am grateful for being able-bodied. It's a blessing to run free.

Yesterday we shampooed the carpet with a rented machine from Rainbow Foods. It was kind of slick. Kind of gross to see the murky water come out. And I watched the new Knight Rider. Cheesy! A short appearance by David Hasselhoff and Kit the Car were the only redeeming things about the show. Curt really likes the Knight Rider theme song.

Today I join many other Minnesotans in our disgust with the weather. It's such a bummer to go from 30 degrees to 0 degrees. Argh...trying to stay optimistic. Spring and all it's goodness is just around the corner....

3-Month Well-Marriage Check-up

We are happy to report that newlyweds Curt and Christine are progressing very nicely. In fact, not to boast or anything :), in all areas of marriage development they score well above their age level. Here is the report:

Compatibility: This proves to be an area of strength for the newlyweds as they continue to daily live with shared values. Being nice to people, making a difference, and putting in a good day of work keeps them going. They score in the 98th percentile for this.

Communication: Verbal and Non-verbal communication exponentially develops everyday. New terms of endearment for this month: "honey bunches of oats", "honey bunny", "hunkalicious", "husband", "wife". It's amazing how the vocabulary grows everyday. For non-verbal communication: passing gas without reservation, a wink here and there, a pat on the butt, and plenty of hugs demonstrates appreciation for each other. They score in the 65th percentile for this.

Diet and nutrition: They are still drinking 1% milk and flossing daily after the dentist's strict orders. Curt continues to amaze Christine with his delightful stir fry. And a first for Christine...enjoying pumpernickel bread! They score in the 50th percentile for this.

Physical growth: Unfortunately, not much to report for this. In fact, Curt appears to be shrinking with the early stages of his triathlon training. But Christine has noticed a slight increase in muscle mass and weight gain. Running more consistently, eating more, and not dealing with a wedding has allowed for all of this to occur. They score in the 10th percentile for this.

Some favorites for the newlyweds this month: American Idol, sleep, sipping tea, and Christine's sewing machine.

Areas of concern: an onset of separation anxiety partly due to Curt's new employment at Gear West which keeps him away on the wknds due to retail hours. But Christine's ability to adapt should kick in making this a non-issue.

It's been a great 3 months as kindness, love, and humor prevail!