Gorgeous Day Here-7 Left...

It is sunny, comfortable, and likely the day that I need to get serious about getting this place put in order. We leave a week from tomorrow, and the place is seriously trashed in the wake of weddings, visitors, and a quick departure. Add in the movie schedule, and we are starting to get seriously pressed for time.

Not to worry, because there is a finite amount of work to do, and four hands with which to do it, but the imperative towards inertia, combined with what I will call busy fatigue for lack of a better term (burnout?), means that it will be awfully tempting to just look away from the pile and think, "I'll get to it later." Nice thought, but not too practical under the circumstances.

There is also shopping and shipping that needs to take place, and the careful planning of packing for our return to the village. All in the next several days. Hmmm...

Bad (?) Habits That Will Need To Be Eliminated Shortly

1. Staying up late (it's 1:37 right now);
2. Sleeping in...probably tomorrow morning;
3. Goofing off all day...

The Story So Far...

So, here we are, fans, back in the loving bosom of our three dogs after our week of fun and adventure in Wisconsin and points south.

Last Thursday, we braved the flattest, calmest seas that I have ever witnessed on Lake Michigan so that my darling bride would not be seasick on the legendary SS Badger. For you Alaska folks, the Badger is the midwest version of the Alaska Ferry system. Four hours after our departure from Ludington, we were pulling into Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in a driving rainstorm. We were on our way to Wausau, Wis., by way of Green Bay.

The night before our departure, we got to spend the night with our friends Jason and Tammy in their lovely house in Whitehall. That, in turn, followed a nice visit with Ella Parker and her fiance, Don, in Allendale. It was just a visiting kind of evening. Many thanks for the hospitality of our friends.

Back to Wisconsin. We stayed in a big waterpark hotel that seemed to be populated largely by financial planners. I would have thought that after the excesses of Wall Street and its minions, that they would be wearing burqas for anonymity, not polo shirts with company logos. Oh well, someone must manipulate the markets...

Friday found the two lovebirds strolling the quiet streets of downtown Wausau. We found a cool whitewater kayaking area right next to the business district. There was nothing to do but watch folks shoot the rapids and play in the waves. It made me miss the old whitewater days. In the evening, we attended a Wisconsin Woodchucks baseball game, highlighted by Leinenkugel beer night and fireworks after a ten-inning struggle (unfortunately, the visiting team won).

Saturday marked the wedding celebration of our co-workers and friends Sara and Eric Jung. We got to see some friends from Alaska, and a good time seemed to be had by all. By the way, I can safely report that fresh cheese curds do indeed squeak when you bite into them....

On Sunday, we visited with gracious host and NRLTN fan Bob Lipak in the great city of Milwaukee. It reinforced the impression that I have formed on a couple of previous visits that the city is a very nice place to visit and live in. On Sunday evening, we pushed on to Chicago, where I spent the next two days playing professional development ace, while my bride played tourist. I did get to enjoy the downtown setting and the fabulous Chicago skyline and lakefront in my free hours.

We got back this morning, and have already visited the Traverse City Film Festival to see our first two movies of the week. We want to thank everyone for being so gracious and friendly over the past week, and to enjoy as much time as we can with all of our friends and family before we leave.

There is much to be done...

Well, well...

I'm just looking around here, and the place looks sadly neglected. No posts, no pix, not a lot to say.

Part of that is because we have been busy, and part of that is because we have been doing a lot of vacation things. Nothing says "deep thoughts" like "went to the lake today..."

Of course, one might argue that the thoughts expressed by yours truly are not always that deep anyway, and one might have a very good point there.

We got back around midnight from our fun trip to Wisconsin and Chicago, and I plan to write about it later on today. Right now, we have to go ransom dogs from the vet, and get off to the Traverse City film festival for a noon showing. We have eight films to view between now and Sunday.

More this evening about catching up and about the big trip back to Bethel to begin the next school year...

Well, I've Gone And Done It Now...

My launch into the waters of marital bliss came yesterday afternoon at about 4:25 p.m. So far, so good. Much intense preparation went into the operation, as this was a self-catered affair. It was great to have most of my family in attendance. For those who weren't able to make it, we missed your presence but we understand that exigencies exist. There are gobs of photos out there and I will post some as soon as I have some that are in reasonable working order.

In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who attended and made it possible, including Ann Urse (without none of this would have been possible); her swell kids Anthony and Nikki; Ron and Debbie Odette and Roger and Sharon Evens (without whom my bride would have not been possible); my parents Hershel and Virginia Hicok (without whom I would not have been possible); TJ the DJ, who played a fantastic set of music for our dancing entertainment; Andrea Wallace Pahl, who made the ladies look beautiful; her mom Susan, who officiated at the ceremony (and did a great job); Reuben Peterson (who did all kinds of stuff, including producing a great set of photos within 24 hours of the event); Barbie Valdez (who brought great flowers that she grew and great cake that she baked); Montel O'Connor (the matron of honor); our ace lifeguards Mckenzie Coy and Cally O'Hagan; our crack bartenders Carol Weidman and Monique Churchill; Stan Fawcett (who graciously provided most excellent shrimp); Keven Evens and Mike O' Hagan, who gave heartfelt and kind toasts; and of course, my sweetie, Chelsea Hicok. Welcome to the family, girl! Of course, thanks go out to everyone who graced us with their presence and love at the wedding and made it all such fun.

We are getting ready to sail across Lake Michigan in a few days, where we will go to attend the party for Eric and Sara Jung, the other pair of Napaskiak newlyweds this summer. They were kind enough to attend our gathering, and it was a lot of fun to get the crowd applauding for Eric as the coach of our state championship basketball team.

Now that the weding is done, it will be time to begin preparation for our return to Alaksa in a few weeks. But first, it will be time for the annual Traverse City Film Festival, which takes place next week. We have our tickets, and I cannot wait to see what surprises will be in store!

A Quick Update...

Very busy with plans and vacations and such right now. Besides that, I am not doing anything all that fascinating. My plan is that posts will begin to pick up next week and on into our return to Alaska, which comes on August 6. I am getting excited to return...

4th of July-Traverse City, and other random Silliness...

Hoo-ah! It's the Fourth of July!

Three long nights-lots of fun. Pix from July 4th in Traverse City in the morning.

Teacherspeak...

Or educationese, if you please. I am currently mired in the Slough of Despond (you can google it) while wrestling with the often impenetrable language of my new adopted profession. I am trying to submit evidence of my vast competency to the agency that has licensed me for the moment (I hope). Every time that I do this, or read a treatise on the latest thought in education, I come face to face with the jargon that often substitutes for clear statement of purpose and goals.

Every businesss has its interior language for its initiates. The law was certainly no different. But it seems to me that education has a particular obligation to express itself in terms that can be understood. We are constantly trying to increase involvement of parents and community members. We cannot hope to do it unless we can explain what we are attempting to do in a way that they can understand. But, nearly every time I open a book or read an article, I see the same mumbo-jumbo.

The legal community has embarked on a plain English campaign for the past thirty years. I will not try to suggest with a straight face that it has always succeeded. I do know that it is presented as a standard to which we as attorneys should aspire. I have not seen any evidence of a similar movement in education. Maybe I have just not been around enough.

In happier news, I am currently studying a new classroom management technique called CHAMPS. That book is a model of clarity, and is very helpfully written. Maybe we could get those guys to propose some language adjustments for the rest of the education establishment...