Category Archives: school

Friday Night Lights – Oklahoma High School Football – Go Team Go!!

As I’ve posted earlier Logan has moved over to another school. Things are going well and he has had to step up his game quite a bit but he has started settling in. Tonight we went to the school for its first football game of the season and to attend a tailgate party with the Head of School and tour the new weight room.

Logan is not a football player but we were seriously impressed with the new weight room. Seriously, a lot of equipment.

Things have certainly changed since I was in high school. And seriously, I am so glad!!

When I went to school, way back before the dark ages even started, there were no sponsors for the schools.

I love the slogan “In Jesus Name we Play”

Well, we ate our burgers and listened to speeches and then it was time to head out to the football field. The school has lots and lots of cheerleaders. I think that is a good thing. Maximum participation is my thing. You know when I was their age I thought the cheerleaders were so exotic and beautiful. Now they seem so young! Heather says that is because I am so old. She has a way of reality checking me. One thing that is the same is that cheerleaders really get into what they are doing. I think it is good for young people to get into what they are doing. Matter of fact, that is good for everybody!! Don’t ya think?

I like taking pics of people taking pics even if my pic is a fuzzy pic.

Whoa, what is that! It is a drone. These kind of drones have cameras instead of Hellfire missiles. Which makes it my kind of drone. I instantly updated my Christmas list right then and there at the game. Heather tore up the list.

And then the game started. I love football. It has been 43 years since I last attended at high school football game at good old Round Valley High School in Eagar, Arizona. I don’t know why those guys on the sidelines are hugging each other.

Logan’s school was playing a home schooled team. That is something else you never used to see. They played danged hard. I love watching a good game and there was lots for both teams to feel good about.

We left at half time. Bleachers have not gotten softer in 43 years but I have. We’ll be back.

New Stuff

I found a drone on Amazon for about $50. Check it out.

Here is a video of it in action.

Here is an example of the video from the $50 drone

The Drama Club’s Performance of Crazytown

Logan’s school’s Drama Club had their play on Wednesday, Jonathan Rand’s Crazytown. Crazytown is about a city where everything is just plain wrong, and backwards, and doesn’t make sense. Logan was in a couple of segments including the one below where he plays a sportscaster. I listened to him and his mother practice the lines for weeks and it was great to actually see what was going on.

His mother and I are of course very proud of him. He has worked hard at his craft and is much improved in how he moves on stage, using his voice, and realizing that he can fuss and fidget while performing.

He is switching schools to a much larger private school in the Fall and we hope that he’ll be able to perform in something there.

Logan and the rest of the drama club did very well and the play was well received. They had been practicing for sometime once a week after school and it was great to see it pay off.

Robotic Zombie Babies

I have a story to tell. It’s mainly a true story but once upon a time Logan and his band of merry co-conspirators were going to a Godzilla premier party last Friday night followed by a trip to the movies to see the film.. We were going to pick up Logan and his friend, well, we’ll just call the friend Doug. We were going to take them home so they could “hang out” as the kids say these days. Oh they were really looking forward to it.

Only thing is that when Doug come walking out of the school he has a baby carrier with him. Huh?? Oh, poor kid has been stuck with a robot baby for the weekend for his Social Skills class. Take a look at the baby.

Isn’t it cute? It comes with a diaper bag and instructions. It is a computerized baby that cries and needs fed and changed and in generally taken care of. Apparently there is a pretty good market for such babies for use by schools teaching about parenthood.

The baby was supposed to “go live” at 4 pm. That kind of put a damper on the hanging out. 4 PM came and went and not a peep out of the baby. It came time to drive to their friend’s house (we’ll call him Flynn) where the party was going to be. We all loaded in the car including “baby” and headed off to Flynn’s house.

5 PM came and still no peep, Logan and Doug started relaxing because they decided that Baby’s batteries were discharged. Well…

At 5:09 baby woke up. At first with that quiet muffled cry that baby’s get when they wake up. Doug and Logan looked at each other and had that look like they hoped that baby’s crying wasn’t going to get too bad. Baby proceeded to quickly go from a quiet cry, to a “Hey, is anybody out there? type exploratory cry.” To a “I’m really pissed off and I am going to kill somebody full throated howl.” Then either Heather or I said that they better take care of the baby.

Then it was hilarious, Doug was trying to hold the baby but didn’t quite know how to do it, and was yelling for Logan to find out what to do and Logan was scrambling through the diaper bag looking for the instruction book.

Baby was getting louder and louder, Logan was saying “Oh gosh, Oh gosh.” Doug was trying to hold the baby in different positions. And I was being really helpful saying stuff like “Don’t worry guys, Flynn will know what to do!” and then just grinning to myself. Doug and Logan reminded of me of new parents of a baby.

Eventually the instructions were found and the baby’s button pressed and it calmed down. We got to Flynn’s house and the baby was quiet but Logan and Doug were totally worn out. Flynn didn’t know what he was getting into but Flynn’s parents were looking at the now sleeping baby skeptically. I was just wondering if they were going to try and take the baby to the theater.

So we left wondering what was to happen, glad that it wasn’t our problem.

I’m sorry to report that the baby got left in the car during the movies. Is there a DHS for robotic babies? They did better than I would have though. I would have left the baby at the house. Apparently the babies are computerized so that the teacher can download a file and find out just how well or badly somebody treated their baby.

We were just glad that Logan had done the alternate assignment that was a report on the costs of having a baby. We all got our sleep.

Have you had to take care of a robot Baby?

Heather on Video

My wife, Heather (the wife formerly known as Sweetie) is on a video produced by our son’s School: Town and Country School here in Tulsa. Check it out.

I’m just really proud of her is all I can say. I also think she needs her own television show with some major sponsorships. Let me know if you want to help.

School Outing at Firey Trails

Friday night our son’s school had their annual Fall outing at Firey Trails a meeting place way out in the woods west of Tulsa.

Son always likes it. It wasn’t cold at all. In fact he told, I’m really hot. I said take your jacket off dude. Oh yeah he said. Sometimes I wonder?

Bill, the man who is here, there, and everywhere, cooked the hot dogs and later told stories at the camp fire.

It wasn’t explicitly a Halloween event but some students showed up with costumes. This young man wanted to make sure that I got the teeth in the photo.

I forget what this young man is supposed to be. A superhero of some sort no doubt.

The medic for the Wolverine. I innocently asked who is the Wolverine. That led to a long involved discussion that I just couldn’t follow about the Wolverine and his superpowers and the relationship to other superheros.

Hot dogs, chips, chili, fritos, cookies, cake, pop. All the basic food groups. You have to have a well rounded meal.

And of course smores. Here one of the dads shows the youngin’s how it is done.

Amazing how the vibes change from year to year. Sometimes the students are full of energy and halfway wild with lots of drama. Friday night the mood was mellow.

Of course the hayride is the can’t miss event. Especially the last ride of the night. Upper classes only and it gets attacked by the Seniors. Lots of noise during the attack. Three pairs of glasses lost.

For the moms the big event was one young man with a guitar who wanted to play a song for his girlfriend on the bridge. Of course he made the mistake of saying that that was what he wanted to do. The moms were all swooning and falling all over themselves. I was proud of him, he is figuring out this girl thing early. (Some of us never do.) (Note I had permission, if “knock yourself out” is permission, from the young man’s mother to photograph the event.)

Another year at Firey Trails in the books.

A Little of This and a Little of That

Our young man is getting all grown up. I used to call him SuperPizzaBoy. It doesn’t seem to quite fit any more. He is growing into a young man. I’ll have to think of a new nickname for him.

(He is kind of handsome I think.)

He is a busy guy. A sophomore in high school now. He also does chess club and the lego club at school and singing lessons, and other stuff also. He has a full schedule so he has to budget his time to make sure that everything is done. This past weekend is a good example.

(Around and around we go. If the weather is good he rides outside, which is much nicer)

He has to get up early, get dressed, have breakfast and after a fast stop at Starbucks we drive 36 miles one way to therapeutic horseback riding. He has come a long way and is getting more comfortable all the time with his horse.

(He has a great sense of humor, most of the time.)

We drive back into town and then he changes, has lunch and then we head to his weekly Improv Comedy class. This past weekend was a double dose as he had to go back in the evening for their first show.

He loves improv and is pretty good at it. I’d find it really tough. There are guidelines to improv but you really have to be on your toes and think fast. Two things nobody has ever accused me of doing.

(Take a bow kids for a job well done. The adult leaders also, talk about a handful!)

The show was great. Many of the kids have been together for several years. They are really a lively and energetic bunch and can be very funny.

(Poor kid, he has a Dad who just has to try all the Hipstamatic combos)

Today, we got up and went to church. After lunch son had some homework to do. He doesn’t find geometry near as much fun as I do, but he is getting good at writing papers for his English class.

(How much farther Dad! About 20 minutes Son! That’s what you said 20 minutes ago!)

And then for a little outside time. We ventured up north Tulsa to Oxley Nature Center and hiked the Northern Woods loop for an hour and a half to get a little fresh air.

(How come teenagers don’t like lily pads?)

He doesn’t like near as much as his old man does but he indulged me.

(They don’t like the sun shining through trees either)

We saw a deer and enjoyed the silence. We didn’t see anybody else the whole time we were there.

(Poor kid, his Dad dresses like such a dork.)

And then home, and some video game time, dinner, a chore or two and the day is used up.

He is a busy guy and his Mom and I are really proud of him.

Our World – The Prom

I’m kind of slow, I graduated from high school in the early 1970’s but this year I finally got to go to the Prom.

(for all you smart alecks out there, I am smiling. I’m very expressive you know.)

Of course it was SuperPizzaBoy’s Prom, but hey a prom is a prom right!

SPB didn’t really want to go but his mother talked him into it. Mother’s know best as a friend of mine put it.

Sweetie went because she was in charge of the food. I went because I didn’t want to spend the night home alone.

SPB started out in good shape, all tucked in and buttoned down. He checked out the chips and dip first.

The other kids started out a little slowly also. The girls looked very nice in their prom dresses.

Things slowly heated up. When Psy’s Gangnam Style started up, SPB couldn’t contain himself any longer. He loves that song. If you have not heard of it, count yourself lucky.

Things heated up rapidly after that.

Until everybody was fully into it. He was totally into it. Totally untucked and wrinkled and I don’t think his mother minded a bit.

Then a little rest while the King and Queen of the Prom were crowned and recognized. SPB and I left soon after that. He and will be back next year!

My advice is to not wait 40 years until after you graduate to go to the Prom. What is your advice?

Our World Tuesday

Sweetie and SuperPizzaBoy on Television

Guess What! SuperPizzaBoy’s school, Town and Country School, here in Tulsa moved into some spacious new digs over the summer. Everybody is under one roof and we have lots of extra room to grow. Town and Country School is a private school that specializes in kids that have learning differences such as ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome. SPB has been there since Third Grade and the school has been a life saver for him and other children.

Channel Eight here in Tulsa showed up last week to do a story on the school. Sweetie (aka Heather Bates) was interviewed. While she is talking there is video of SuperPizzaBoy doing his rarely seen academic act.

KTUL.com – Tulsa, Oklahoma – News, Weather

I’m so proud of everybody. The Head of School has provided a big dose of leadership doing the move and afterward. Of course at small private schools everybody has two or three jobs to do right.

And being the wicked witch at Halloween is one of them. Of course a smile like hers gives it away.

And here are the two stars of the show!

Do I need to get them an agent?

High School Hayride

Fall is here it is time for SuperPizzaBoy’s school to have their annual hayride.

They found a place way out in the woods. No bars out here, literally, no updates, no nothing, whazzup with that?

You can update your status with one of the camp dogs. Friendliest critters you’ve ever met.

Warm up around the fire.

Go feed the goats. Hungry little buggers.

Play some volleyball maybe?

How about some high spirited boys?

Load up, everybody face in, don’t get in or out, no horseplay!! Adults have been making and kids breaking rules forever.

After a dinner of dogs and chili, try out some smores. Everybody has their own technique. Mine is the best. No, make your own!!

Time for some spooky stories!!

Time to clean up and go home. Another hayride on the books.

Annual Hayride

It’s time for the school’s annual hayride.

You don’t want to miss it. Come feed the goats!

Hang with your friends around the campfire.

Have some smores. Yummy.

Listen to a scary story.

You don’t want to miss the last ride of the night. No you don’t. It is special! Lots of room for everybody, pack in tight. Any parents want to go? Hop in!

The last ride of the night is the most fun.

The Seniors make sure of that.

Come back next year!

Happy Halloween

YogisDen.us

Welcome to my world