Happy 50th Birthday, Allison! Celebrate the great 5-0 in style.

An Enjoyable Evening with My Kids

Andrew with a 9" bluegill

It's been a fun and restful Winter Break. Yesterday was a good example. After a good karate practice in the morning, Andrew and I went afternoon/evening ice fishing on Prior Lake. It was beautiful at dusk, the last pleasant day forecast before a chilly, single-digit cold front moves in for the next week. The fishing was slow, but we did catch a few sizable bluegills including the beauty pictured with Andrew.

Later, after a tired Andrew went to bed, Elizabeth, Jeffrey, and I had another one of our late night chats with topics ranging from the differences between the Spanish and French classes at EHS (the French ones go on field trips and watch many more films), France's ongoing failures at war, the weirdness of SES, the royal houses of the Holy Roman Empire, the gap between regular and AP classes, and Jeffrey's rant about the bugs in his new PS4 game Battlefield 4.

I love these ongoing, late evening talks with the kids. A couple of weeks ago, Jeffrey explained why integrating technology into his academic courses was usually a waste of time and resources. And, for the most part, he was right. He did think that teaching technology was useful, so my job would be safe in his world.

Thoughts on Trayvon Martin-George Zimmerman Case and the Stand Your Ground Law

George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Protests have been staged, both in person and digitally. Most have focused on race, but my thoughts have turned to the type of society/culture we are becoming.

So I will take leave from my Equity Team training (realizing, even as I do so, that it is a privilege that is afforded me) and take race out of the equation. Strip away, too, descriptors of gender, profession, motivation, age, and appearance. Consider the essence of the case and its outcome: an armed person may stalk and harass another person who, if he confronts and/or threatens that person, then may be legally shot.

Stand your ground. Just be sure that you're the one with the gun out first. Not guilty.

Karate Courage

Last Friday, at the Regional Qualifying Tournament, Jane Jasperson put on another in a series of courageous performances. Jane competed strongly in the women's kata. That she practices karate at all, much less performs so well, is amazing. Jane is battling cancer and has been for a number of years; because of the numerous tumors, she now can only compete in kata and practice in non-contact drills. Yet, during class, I sneak admiring glances at her strong stances and love watching her side thrust kicks and reverse punches, both accompanied by that crisp snap of the gi. Jane exemplifies living each day fully with intensity, determination, and grace.

I wrote the above paragraph over a year ago in April of 2011 but never posted it. Jane passed away this past July. Tonight, many friends and family gathered for a celebration of her life. The video slide show of Jane's life was beautiful and touching; the remembrances shared so heartfelt and eloquent. Friends spoke from her different circles of activities- the Sturdy Girls who canoed and camped with Jane, the Pilot Knob group who immersed themselves in Dakota language and culture together, the women of the Catholic church group who brought Jane into their fold and enriched themselves by doing so, the karate practitioners who taught, competed with, and learned from Jane, the support group of women with cancer who, like the geese flying in formation, lift each other up, and her family who shared in Jane's life and love.

I was not one of Jane's friends, only an acquaintance through karate, but I admired her greatly both for her friendly and humble demeanor and for the zest she had for life. After attending tonight's celebration, I realize that what I saw of Jane in her gi, practicing karate, was both a small slice of the woman and also the essence of her in all her endeavors.

I pray that Jane not rest in peace but that she find new rapids to run, new katas to practice, and old friends to greet.