State of Mind

The other evening (Darryl could probably give you the exact day and time), I said something I don't think I have ever said before - "I'm bored."  Darryl looked at me in shock, and I very quickly retracted my statement.  "I mean I'm bored of Facebook."

"Too late," he said.  "I'm writing this one down."

"I'm bored" is my "Top Three" list of statements that drive me crazy, along with "I can't."  (I do realize that's only two - although counting is hard, I still know the difference between two and three.  I need to leave room for another statement that doesn't come to mind right now that might annoy me more than those two.)  "This is boring" is a variation that makes me almost as crazy.  Perhaps you find it boring, but that doesn't mean it is.  (Unless you are talking about staring at the computer screen for several minutes, just waiting for something new to happen on Facebook - that can legitimately be called boring.)

It is my opinion that boredom is a state of mind, and one that an individual is completely in control of.  You choose to be bored.  There are an infinite number of things that a person can think of, and probably almost as many that one can do.  (The two sets may even have the same cardinality - we'd have to determine a few things first, and many of you would likely find that boring.  That's ok.  We math geeks know better.)

How many kids have told their parents that they were bored, only to hear back, "In that case, there are plenty of things I can get you to do - wash the dishes, clean the bathroom, clean your bedroom..."?  My kids seem to very quickly become un-bored after hearing that.

Teachers hear it from students (or see it in their faces) many times.  This is not only hard for the teacher to prevent, but the very nature of school makes it difficult for students to break free.  I always did, but not always with the greatest results, and it definitely didn't promote others' learning.  Once when talking to a friend in class, the teacher stopped and asked me what he had just said, which I repeated, almost verbatim.  He quickly recovered and informed me that just because I could talk and listen at the same time, it didn't mean everyone else could too.  However, although it may be more difficult, I still believe a person can choose to not be bored.

So, the next time you are tempted to say you are bored, engage your mind instead.  I bet Da Vinci was never bored.

My Labour Day Football Rant

I love football.  I'm not talking about that wussy 4-down, 100-yd field stuff they play south of the border (though I have learned to tolerate the game).  Real football, Canadian style.

I love the Bombers.  For as long as I can remember, I have been a die-hard fan.  When I was young, we would sit in my grandparents' living room, cheering the Blue on.  My family all cheers for the Bombers.  My sister used to record the games she had to miss because of work - off the radio.  My aunts have season tickets.  My kids cheer for the Bombers.  Well, except that one.  But that's another story for another day.

Every year on Labour Day weekend, Winnipeg travels to Regina to play the Riders in the Labour Day Classic.  One week later, they come here for the Banjo Bowl (lovingly named for a comment made by our former kicker stating that people from Saskatchewan were banjo-picking inbreds, and the name stuck).   The rivalry between these two teams goes about as deep as any can.  For most people it's just a lot of fun.  For some, it's WAY too serious, as will be seen.

As much as I love my Bombers, I know that the Riders are favoured on Labour Day weekend.  Doesn't matter that our record was 7-1 and theirs was exactly the opposite.  Doesn't matter that we have "Swaggerville" - the toughest defence in the league.  We haven't won there since 2004.  They're playing on home territory.  Their fans are loud.  Very loud.  And to top it off, their favourite coach just returned home.

However, enough of the background.  Yesterday, my Bombers lost to the Riders.  As you may have guessed, I wasn't surprised.  I was barely disappointed.  We had to lose again at some point, and I'd rather it was now than in the playoffs in a couple of months.  There are a few topics that have come up regarding the game, though, and I'll share my view here.

1) The Bombers fell apart.

They did.  The offence didn't execute.  Swaggerville was not there in full force.  Our special teams were anything but special.  Honestly, I didn't think Saskatchewan was anything extra-special yesterday, either.  Yes, they had a few beautiful plays (hats off to Getzlaf for two beautiful TDs, and Dressler for a fantastic catch for another 6 points), but really, they simply played good consistent football, something we failed to do.  Instead, our players let emotions get the best of them, and instead of playing in a disciplined manner, they slaughtered themselves.

2) The reffing was one-sided.

I didn't have the best view of the game (without cable, the best I could get was iffy online streaming through BlogTV - tsn.ca only covers Friday games), but from what I saw, this appeared to be somewhat true.  There were definitely calls that should have been made against the Riders that were not.  But once again, there was a lack of discipline on our side that will always lead to one-sided penalties.  And it's not like we lost by a couple of points (the only way poor reffing can actually be considered a true factor).  We lost 27-7.

3) Our discipline sucked.

Really, this is what it all came down to.  As they said on CJOB after the game, you have to play the same way whether you are winning or losing.  I'm sure that the Riders were throwing plenty of jabs at our players, both physically and verbally.  I don't doubt that there were cheap shots and cheap talk that went unnoticed.  But we all know how it works - the one who retaliates is the one who gets caught.  For most of the season, the Bombers have either been winning or in a close match, and have kept penalties down to a minimum.  But apparently if you combine an intense rivalry with a losing score, some of our players can't keep their heads on their shoulders.  I know it's an emotional game.  I know what competition can do to you.  But if you cannot keep your cool, you have already beat yourselves.

Not only did our players beat themselves out there yesterday, but they set a terrible example to those who are up-and-coming.  You don't like the interception?  Body slam the guy who caught it.  A guy gives you a cheap shot?  Start throwing punches.  Thankfully LaPolice doesn't take that kind of crap.  I sure hope he can get the message to keep it calm through those thick skulls, because if we play the same way next week, we may as well start picking banjos.

Life with J, My Innovative One

I was enjoying my morning shower when I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"  I heard some mumbling, making it clear that it was my 3-almost-4-yr old on the other side.  "I'm sorry, sweetie.  I can't hear you."  Some more mumbling, then silence.  Deciding that there was no crisis, I continued enjoying my shower.

A few minutes later there was another knock.

"Yes, honey?"  I turned the shower off so I could hear better.

"I did it all by myself."

"What did you do all by yourself?"

"I put chocolate milk in my cup."

"You did?"

"Yes."

At this point, all sorts of images popped up in my mind, but I decided that any catastrophe that was going to take place had already happened, so there was no point in panicking.

When I got out, I thought I would survey the damage.  To my surprise, not a drop had been spilled, and the milk had even been put away.

All the mess that there was - just the chair that he used to get his cup from the cupboard.  :)

I have learned that I have a very independent and innovative son.  Here are some of his recent adventures:

At camp when I didn't get him food when he was hungry.  I think he went for chocolate chip cookies, but couldn't get them.  Seems he decided that a box of Cheerios was a close second.  By the way, when I asked him if he was sleeping, he said, "No, I'm dead."

What I found in the kitchen this morning.  Note the peanut butter lid on the counter, but the lack of the jar.  I went on a search to find this...

It seems that peanut butter tastes great right out of the jar.  I took it away and made him a sandwich instead.

He can also load and play Lego Star Wars on the PS3 all by himself, including choosing levels and characters.  I imagine if we taught him his password for Webkins, he would be able to get on there on his own as well.  He has been known to escape the yard to go across the street to play at the park.  Stools and chairs are tools to reach what others don't feel like getting for him (or in some cases, don't think he should have).

Yes, life is an adventure with him, but I can't think of any reason to have it any other way.  After all, it's this kind of thinking that will take him places.  Look out world...

Being a camp Health Officer is Just Like Being a Mom

1) They only come see you when they want something.
2) A Band-Aid can cure all.
3) By the time you have done what you need to do at mealtime, everyone else has already finished eating.
4) You go to bed every night hoping and praying that there won't be a knock at your door.
5) You know that the moment you close and lock the bathroom door, all hell is going to break loose.

The biggest difference?  There are a lot more kids...

Maybe They Should Have Done the Math First...

This appeared on the sidebar of my Facebook page a couple of times today: "Jennifer Lopez lost 32 lbs. of belly fat in just 1 month by following these 2 simple diet secrets."  Usually I don't even pay any attention to those things, but since it came up at least twice, somehow it stuck in my head.  Then I started doing the math...

I looked up some stats on good ol' J-Lo.  She claims to be 5'6" and 120 pounds.  So let's say she was 160 pounds.  Now the "average" female is 25-31% body fat.  If your body fat percentage is higher than 32%, you are considered overweight (depending on which chart you read).  I've never considered Jennifer Lopez overweight, but let's go with 30%.  (I would sooner think she fits in the "fitness" category, which is under 25%, but we'll be "generous" here.)  30% of 160 is 48 lbs.  This means that she would have had 48 pounds of fat spread out over her entire body.  And at least 32 pound of that was belly fat?  I'm sorry, but I've seen her figure - her fat is NOT focused around her belly.  So now she has 16 pounds of body fat at 128 pounds.  That would put her at 12.5% body fat, which would mean all she had was essential fat.  (Even a female athlete should have at least 13% body fat.)  I've seen pictures, and she looks much healthier than that.

Now if they wrote, "Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins and between the day they were born and one month after, she lost 32 lbs. from her abdominal area" well, I might believe that.  After all, you lose about 20 pounds just giving birth to one child - within a few hours.  So if you want to do what she did, go get pregnant with twins.

Oh, and by the way, if you want to lose 32 lbs. of body fat, it will take you at least 4 months, and it won't all be from your belly.  But don't worry - you likely don't have 32 lbs. to lose there anyway.

The End of an Era

At my very first triathlon (a try-a-tri), after I registered I was given a wristband with my number on it, and also had my race number written on each limb.  At the end of the race I turned the wristband in, but wore my numbers proudly for a few days, claiming I couldn't wash them off.  Really, I just wanted to tell everyone I had completed my first triathlon.  ;)

My second triathlon was a sprint distance.  I still got a wristband and body markings, but now my black wristband had two little white tabs Velcroed onto it.  I had to turn one in after the swim and one before heading out on the run so that I could get my split times.  This way I knew how long each leg took.  Although I didn't know it at the time, Kevin and Anita Miller were busy in the background, calculating everyone's time by hand.

A few years later, there was new excitement - a race (I believe it was Riding Mountain, but I may be wrong) introduced chip timing.  Chip timing had been used for some time in the Manitoba Marathon, but this was a first for MB Triathlon.  Goodbye to remembering little white tabs in the middle of the race.  Hello more accurate results (or so some thought).

However, other things have come along with this technological advancement - lost times and slow time posting, for example.  I'll never forget seeing a friend visibly upset after a Riding Mountain race because her time was gone.  She had completed the race, but there was no record of it.  (They were able to "dig" through the computer and find her results eventually.)  I've seen times messed up because someone crossed the mat at the wrong time, and it was difficult to see what was supposed to be where.  Oh, and if you didn't stay after the race to see your results, forget about finding out until at least a day later, because they simply won't be posted yet.

On the other hand, Kevin and Anita had results posted at the race almost instantaneous with the last person crossing the finish line, unless something went awry.  Kevin came up to me at one race and asked me for my times (I had been keeping my splits with my watch).  It turned out that they had a rookie in the timing crew and someone had pushed the button too many times, registering an extra time.  Within minutes, Kevin had gathered enough information to find the false time, and they were on their way.  No lost times.  To my knowledge, next to no wrong results, and nothing that went unfixed.  Oh, and if you didn't stay after the race to see your results, they were posted on the Tri MB website that afternoon (unless the Millers did not happen to have access to the Internet where they were - then they were up as soon as they did).

Kevin and Anita have been doing race timing for years.  Years and years.  Understandably, they are done.  They don't want to haul the equipment around to every race.  The challenge of getting accurate timing has been met so many times that it doesn't really present a challenge.  They want to race, not time.  Chip timing (though I can't say it's really better) is the new era.  I get that.  At the same time, I sure will miss the quick, accurate results that they have provided consistently, race after race, year after year.  I'll miss the "human touch" of what they do.  Thanks Kevin and Anita for your many years of service to the triathlon community.  Job well done.

The only thing I won't miss is those darn little white tabs...

Consequence-Free Violence?

Last week I watched Slumdog Millionaire for the first time.  I had known of its rating before watching it, but I was still somehow a little surprised when I saw the "R" after the movie was over.  I thought back over the storyline and concluded that it must have been given that rating because of the violence and perhaps the little bit of sexual content as well.  Then I wondered, "Why did the rating surprise me?"  I quickly realized that I was comparing it to other movies, mostly geared towards tween- and teenagers, that in many ways are equally violent.

What made the violence in Slumdog Millionaire different than the impaling of the Green Goblin in Spiderman, or the many battles in Harry Potter?  I don't know that it was any more graphic; however, it was more real.  You don't watch the images of the Bombay Riots and think, "Oh, that could never happen."  Maman disfiguring children so they are worth more to him as beggars (blind singers get more money) turns your stomach and makes you question how humanity can be so cruel.

On the other hand, many PG and PG-13 type movies are rated such for "comic book style violence."  We're not talking about Spidey throwing a punch with a "POW!" in a balloon over the image, though.  It has become full-on violence.  And it is almost celebrated.  Violence solves problems because the good guy always wins.

There's a line in The Incredibles that comes to mind here.  Helen has gone to the island to save her husband, and the kids have stowed away in the jet.  After the plane is shot down and they have made it to shore, she hides Dash and Violet in a cave, telling them to stay out of sight and not be afraid to use their powers.  "You know the bad guys in the movies?  Well, these guys are not like those bad guys.  They do not care that you are children.  They will kill you."  Of course, the kids don't get hurt, and once again, the good guys win.  When Syndrome is sucked into the jet engine because of his cape, it doesn't bring up much emotion.  In fact, none of the violence really does.  But the line is true of the real life bad guys - they really don't care about the children.  They will use them, maim them or kill them - whatever suits their purpose.

Compare to Slumdog Millionaire when Salim kills Maman at point blank.  Rather than an emotionless scene, I remember thinking, "What choice did he really have?"  There was no other way to be free of Maman, though he swore he would leave them be if he spared him.  Was there any way they could trust him?  Not likely.  The police were almost as corrupt as Maman, so going that route wasn't an option.  It still didn't leave a satisfied feeling - more of an empty, hopeless one.

They say exposure to violence can make kids more violent.  I'm sure there is truth to that; however, perhaps it is the almost consequence-free violence that is more at fault.  The stuff that doesn't really happen except for in the movies.  I'll be honest - I let my kids watch those movies.  I am selective, though, as to which ones.  There are many that my 10 and 12 year old kids watch that are still forbidden to my 8-yr. old.  They get frustrated because their friends have seen movies that they haven't.  Of course, I'm more ok with that than they are, hoping that when they are parents that they will understand.

Having said that, I made my son watch Hotel Rwanda after getting sick and tired of hearing him say that he hated his sisters.  I decided he should see what real hate was.  He wasn't quite 10 years old.  The movie impacted him though.  He saw that hate and violence were real, and the consequences devastating.  I'm not saying we should all make our children watch such movies, but maybe letting them see little glimpses of what true evil can do rather than filling their heads with "fun" violence would do a little good.