The DISSertation

I met with my advisor the other week and he had some constructive advice for my dissertation. He was concerned I was getting bogged down in too many narrow issues that wouldn't be very applicable to the real world. (I thought that was what research was about though) He suggested I take the weekend to think about changing direction. To paraphrase a comment from our meeting, "Well Jake, you can build a fantastic ski lodge in St. Louis, but what is the point? Who is going to come?"

I told Mary about the meeting and what my advisor asked me to do. She was livid. There are only a few times when I have seen that kind of fire in her eyes. Luckily, this time I wasn't the spark. She was walking around the house like she was looking for something. She kept saying, "I am going to call him! Does he know what he is doing?" She was looking for her phone. Thank goodness she didn't know his number. I imagined her calling up George Bailey style and bawling him out like Zuzu's teacher.

After Mary relaxed, a day or two later, (she still says she will never forgive him), we discussed options and I think we are going in the right direction. Things have really opened up and it looks like I will be able to collect data at my work. Oh yeah, that same weekend I got called into the bishopric. We think things are getting easier.

Super powers and the plan of salvation

As the kids grow, Mary and I are always thinking about how to help them understand the resurrection and plan of salvation. We had a really cool family home evening lesson about the monsters Death and Hell. Mike seemed to really connect to fighting monsters. It was a good lesson, but we worry about calls from Mike in the middle of the night about how hell is in his closet or death is under his bed.

We also look for those teachable moments (whatever those are). For example, a while back, Grandma got Mike and Jack a fish tank, which meant Mary and I got fish. At the fish store, Mike chose one blue and one gold guppy. He appropriately named them bluie and goldie. The great thing about these guppies is that they came with a death warranty. To be specific, they came with a limited death warranty. We set up the tank, slightly bypassing the time needed for the chemicals to clean the water. I mean they are fish. Fish are resilient. You can hook them in the lips and watch them flop around on the dry ground and once you put them back in the water they swim away like nothing happened. So a little tap water shouldn't hurt.

A day or so later, we found Goldie's lifeless body bumping up against the filter. Mike was devastated. Mary and I thought that this was a great time to teach him about death and what happens when we die. After a brief flushing burial, we went to redeem the death warranty and get a replacement Goldie. Here is where the limited part comes in. The fish lady asked me where the fish was. I told her we flushed it. She said I had to show her proof and provide a water sample. I had no idea that it took so much to get a replacement guppy. I said, "What was I supposed to do, put the dead fish in my pocket?" She nodded. However, after a bit of back and forth, she gave us a replacement, Goldie 2. As we were on the way home, I explained to Mike what happens to our bodies and spirits when we die. I thought my explanation was pretty good. It was clear and simple to understand. It even included the resurrection. I was really proud of myself and thought it would surely build Mike's understanding of the plan of salvation. At the end of my explanation, Mike said, "Dad, I want to be a superhero when I grow up." I was devastated.


By the way, Goldie 2 died the same sucking death as her predecessor.

No TV for a Week!

About a week ago our TV died. It was actually a slow death and we knew it was coming. Still, it is hard to prepare for something like that. We had spent so much time together and then one day ----------. We didn't even get to say goodbye. I feel terrible, the last thing I said to it was, "I am tired and bored of watching you." That was our last interaction.


Its demise first began with a small section at the top. For some reason, that portion was inverted. Basketball was funny to watch. With each shot, the ball would look like it was bobbing up and down. The first time I saw it I was mesmorized and couldn't figure out what I was watching. It was so funny looking that even Mary would watch games with me.


Needless to say, the small section slowly creeped down until about a fourth of the screen was partially upside down. Now everything was awkward to watch, especially sports. You could never tell who was winning because the scores were all backwards.


One time we thought we lost her prematurely, but Mary's determination found a way to bring her back to life. Mary rolled up her sleaves and went to work. She pushed buttons, unplugged and plugged cords back in with such tenacity. The whole time she was muttering, "I won't let you die, I need you too much to let you go now, I can't raise these kids by myself."


Unfortunately, this last time we were unable to revive it. Not for a lack of effort though. Mary can attest to that. We actually waited a couple of days before we could bring ourselves to remove its pictureless body. It did have sound and the kids even listened to cartoons for those couple of days - just to say goodbye. It was like we were going back to the radio days.


To be honest, part of me was a little glad to see it go. I told Mary, "This will make us smarter. We will read more and talk to each other more." She clearly disagreed and I soon got smarter and quit saying stuff like that.


A week went by with no TV. Then, Mary's friend loaned us an old TV they weren't using. They did warn us that it wasn't in the best shape. We only get a few channels that come in clearly - Food Network, C-Span, FOX News, Weather Channel, and BBC. We are now very informed people.



To end, we are grateful for the new TV. It has actually lead to some unexpected changes - we cook interesting things, know more about Australian parliament proceedings, discuss weather patterns, and laugh at goofy British shows. We are probably smarter with the new TV. Mary is still not buying it.

Mike's Art Show

The other day, Michael brought home an announcement that his painting "Symmetrical Guy" would be displayed in the school district's art exhibit. Mary and I were excited to go, even though we assumed his selection was random at best. When we got there, we were so surprised to see that his 'guy' was pretty symmetrical and that it looked like a guy. We couldn't believe this came from the kid who used to pitch a fit when asked to color or draw. Looking back, we can definitely see his development. Here are a few pictures to show his growing artistic ability. The last one, shows his brother's ability, which unfortunately tends to show up on anything other than paper.

Father/Son camp out

Mike and I had a great time at the Father/Son camp out this past weekend. We borrowed a tent and left Friday afternoon. We played tug-of-war and had a three-legged relay race with spoons and water. In the three-legged race, Mike and I smoked all contenders. Truthfully, I was the one who took the crown. Mike was in the side car. At one point, he tried to quit and almost started screaming; I may have been dragging him a bit.

The best thing about the camp is that I went to bed at about 9:30 pm. Even if I was laying on the hard ground, I was still laying down. Mary was great to pack Michael everything he would need - warm clothes, pillow, snacks, toothbrush, change of underwear, and books. Fortunately, we were on a father/son campout and only used the pillows and snacks. This was a dirty teeth, used underwear, and cold campout for us. A good time was had by all.

Michael loves Kindergarten

Michael started Kindergarten a few weeks ago. He really likes it. He loves PE, music, and art the best. He talks about his friends that he sits with and how some day he wants to ride the bus home. Michael's teacher is Mrs. Dixon. She is always smiling when we see her. This is her first year having her own classroom. She says that she loves Kindergarteners. We are so glad that Michael is so happy!

Even More Birthday Pictures!