Halloween Total

 

We ended up with 74 kids..... about average. 

The first year we were in this house (like 14 years ago), we had over 100, but 70 is closer to the average now.

Anyone beat 74?

Go do this!!!

 

For the second straight year, Sari and I got to participate in an anti-bullying, self-awareness event at the High School in town.  It is called "Challenge Day" and it is run by a group from southern California.  If you ever hear about it coming to your town, get involved.  They need adult leaders from the community to make it work.  It is a powerful day.

I was absolutely shocked at what some of those kids are going through and what they have had to endure.

I was also shocked to see the "Big tough guy" in my group, who would not talk about anything at the beginning of the day, open up and tell us what he is scared of and how he really feels.

I was shocked that the pretty, smiley girl who sat beside me, within an hour, was bawling and talking about how hard things are at home... how her parents' marriage is on the rocks and how lonely she feels (I would never have guessed any of that by looking at her at the start of the day).

I was shocked too at how close I felt to a bunch of 15 year old grade nine kids at the end of the day.


In many ways, the caring, the openness, the love and the compassion felt like what I think church should feel like (but too often doesn't).

People - no matter who they are, how old they are, how "put together" they look - all need love and support... maybe more than you will ever realize.  You can be the solution to that problem just by really caring and daring to get involved.


This video was shot somewhere else, but it looks exactly like our day yesterday.

If you ever get the chance, go do it!  You will be glad you did! (Or - just start doing it.  You don't need a program to care about each other)

The most Terrifying 15 Minutes of my Life... or "Why I feel more like a Pippus now than I ever have"

The "Career Ed" group at the High School is creating a video to be used by  the "Southeast Cornerstone School Division" (and possibly province wide).  They are asking people from various walks of life to come in and talk about their careers and how they got to where they are now.  Questions included things like....

When you were a teenager, what were your dreams for your future?

Who helped you get to where you are?

What obstacles did you have to overcome and how did you overcome them?

What advice would you give to a teenager considering their future right now?

I was asked to be one of the participants, so I went to the Comp at 1:45 on Wednesday afternoon to do my interview.  When I got there, the nice lady who was doing the project with kids took me down to the "TV studio" and got me set up.

The studio itself looked like something that you would see at a hockey rink when they do interviews with players.... black backdrop.... lots of lights.... three cameras.... only instead of standing for the interview a single chair was placed in front of the backdrop.

I sat in the chair.... they hooked up the mic..... turned on all three cameras..... turned on all the studio lights..... and then turned off all the rest of the lights in the room.   Like all of them!   All I could see was this.....

Well that is not exactly true.... I could also see the red "recording" light on the camera right in front of me, but other than that..... nothing! 

Then - out of the blue (or in this case - the "black") came this voice..... "When you were a teenager, how did you imagine your future?"

"Well.... ummm.... I am not much of a dreamer so..... "

"Who helped you get to where you are?"

"Well .... gosh .... there were lots of people. (Gulp!) Like the preacher from my home congregation.... he was really nice and ......"

"Do you still keep in contact with him?"

"Umm - ya sort of.... by email and such at least.  I see him once in a while but...."

"Where does he live now?"

"In Kentucky.... but I am not sure where exactly and....."

"How long have you been in Estevan?"

"22 years"

"What did you do to get here?"

"Well - I am not sure.... I just sort of kept doing the next logical thing and it kinds of worked out that I came here for the summer and I guess I am still here"

"What have you learned about yourself that you did not know previously?"

And on and on it went..... It was THE MOST bizarre feeling and it was a little terrifying!

Now some may think, "You stand up and talk in front of people all the time, how could that have been terrifying?"    The thing is, most of what I do is not taped.  Once it is over, it is over.  There is no evidence of how badly I did, or how stupid I sounded.  Here there were THREE cameras recording every little thing and that makes it scary!! Recorded images don't go away!

Sari still laughs about the cable TV show I did as a 19 year old preaching intern in Moose Jaw.  I used to sit in this cheezy studio and do my weekly sermon for broadcast the next week - and (25 years later) Sari still busts a gut thinking about that tape much less watching it (Though I did get recognized one time b/c of that show.  I was at the Mac's store on 9th ave in Moose Jaw one morning and this teenage boy came up and said, "Hey - I know you!  You are that dude with the cable show.  I saw you on there yesterday!"  Then he shook my hand and left...... He was SUPER excited to see me.... so there SARI!!)  :)

As for the "being a real Pippus now" part:   My joke about my family is always that my mom's side is religious and my Dad's is anything but..... In fact, we don't have family reunions on the Pippus side, we just get together whenever there is a parole hearing.   :)

Sitting in that chair, under those bright lights, with someone firing questions at me.... I felt strangely at home.... as if my Pippus DNA was perfectly tuned for this experience!   However, I really had to fight the urge to say, "Ya know what?  It is none of your business how I saw my life as a kid, or what I do now!!  Where is my lawyer????" but I didn't.   I do feel closer to my uncles and my cousins now for having this experience though.

Anyway, apparently the teacher was happy with the interview (She was telling others how well it went) so I guess it was ok.....

At least I didn't end up in jail!  :)

Funny Motorcycle Article

If you have a bike, you will get this.  One of my favorite lines..... 

"Touching someone else’s motorcycle is pretty much on par with stealing a hug from the Queen: It doesn’t matter if you understand why you’re not allowed to do it, you just don’t do it."   :)

From Cycle World, by Peter Jones.... 

The Natural Law of Motorcycling Why you never, ever ask to ride somebody else’s bike

 Ps.  Jerms... I commented on your comment on the last post re. Peter Egan.... if you did not see that, go have a look.

A love/hate relationship at its finest

At times, I hate the internet!!!    (Can you actually say that while using the internet to broadcast that message???? Is there some sort of "Internet Screening protocol" that will flag this post and then send the "Internet police" to my house in the middle of the night, so they can kick down my front door, haul me out of bed and take me to some unknown "nerd location" where they will stick me under a bright light and keep slapping my face until I take back all the nasty things I have ever said about the internet??? We will see I guess...... If you do not hear from me after this post.... tell my motorcycle that I loved her!)

Anyway, twitter, Facebook.... the Kardashians.... need I say more????  The internet can be the greatest waste of time ever invented!! And then.......

One time, about two years ago, in Minot, I bought a book by a guy named "Peter Egan". Egan is a writer for "Cycle World" magazine and this book (called "Leanings") is a collection of his CW articles. It was great! I LOVED that book so much that I have read it three times already (and - no - not, as my kids suggested, because I did not understand it the first few times... ha, ha, ha!) :(

Well, Egan has another book out there, cleverly entitled "Leanings 2" (Creative dude, no?). For more than a year, anytime I am within 100 miles of a bookstore, I stop and ask about it and no one ever has it. Lots of copies of the older book, but none of the new one.

Enter the internet.... specifically Ebay and "Plumcircle" (whatever that is) in "West Mifflin, Pennsylvania". Btw,West Mifflin is way better than "East Mifflin" - you don't want one of those, trust me! (I am not sure what that last bit means... so you can just fill in your own blank there).

Brand new, hardcover, book.... cover price: $28.95 Cnd..... delivered to my door, shipping/taxes/etc in..... $12.53!!!!

 $12.53!!!!!!

How can I stay mad at you, internet, when you bring me cheap motorcycle books???

I can't!

I LOVE YOU!!!!!! :)

(Until you bring up Chris Brown and Rhianna.... or Ellen again.... then you are out!)

A trip, an adventure and a bedtime

The trip was driving Katie and a bunch of her friends to their soccer regional playoff game in Weyburn.  Sari was going to do this, but then could not go, so I got drafted.  Let me tell you, if you have not spent three hours (2 "trapped" in a vehicle and another in a restaurant) with 5 giggly teenaged girls... you need to give it a try.  It was loud... there was lots of singing to the radio.... laughing was plentiful.  The girls lost their game and soccer season is now over, but they had a lot of fun.... and I had a fun time on the last big road trip.


The adventure.... yesterday we went to Rafferty Dam and ran around throwing rocks in the water and generally exploring.... here are some shots.

And the bedtime.......
I put my motorcycle to bed for the winter after 7779 kms this summer. That is not a big year for some people, but for me it is huge. A trip to the Black Hills with Lenny. A trip to Dauphin. Up to Regina.... out to Carnduff and all over the place.... it was a great summer.

It has begun......

 

 So our annual "Winter Scrabble Challenge" has begun....... over the course of the next 6 months or so I will be keeping you informed (because I know you care) regarding our overall record which currently stands at.....  

Tim 1    Sari 0

As a side note:  I was going to describe for you all the attitude with which Sari lost.... however she told me that if I posted anything about her actions and/or her conduct during the final few moments of the game... well - lets just say that she made clear that I would regret it.   

So.... I am not going to mention anything about it..... you can ask her yourself.  :)   

(And please note that you can leave any questions, comments or even suggestions on how she may lose more gracefully in the future in the comments section below)   :)

 

She is everywhere

Sari is in the paper again..... the picture above was on the front cover.... click here to see more.

Radio story by Sari

The paparazzi won't leave her alone.... the radio station called today wanting an update on the breakfast program.  See the story here