Odyssey of the Mind - The Tournament

We finally had our Odyssey of the Mind (OM) Tournament last weekend. It was the culmination of all of the kids hard work. They did a great job, but had a little bit of a let down. They built a great tower. They learned from their prototype and made some improvements. One of their observations of the prototype was that it looked "messy" because some kids used "too much glue" (can you see the foreshadowing yet?).
The kids got all checked in and then had to wait an extra 15 minutes because the previous teams had gone through so quickly. It was good that we waited as some parents barely made it there in time. They got set up and started their skit (Oh yeah there is a creative part of the score, not just how much you tower can hold). They decided to put the big weight on first. So the 45 lb weight went on. Almost as soon as it was set, the tower buckled. The kids kept their composure and finished the performance, but we clearly disappointed. In their quest to be "neat" they did not put enough glue at the intersections and it failed at them rapidly.
Although I was concerned about this, the rule prevented me from telling them. I asked them questions to try and get them to figure it out, but they went with what they had. It is all part of the learning process.
Overall OM was a great experience for me. The parents all told me that they kids enjoyed it and that they appreciated it. Some of them wanted to know if I was coaching next year. Even the friends that I talked into judging enjoyed it.
I highly encourage it for kids of all ages.

Bailout Funds Part II

I don't often read the comic Zippy the Pinhead, but I did today and am glad I did. Here is a link to today's strip. It sums up perfectly my view of the bailout funds.

Purim

Today begins Purim. It is the standard Jewish story -- they tried to kill us, they failed, let's eat - with a small twist. In this story, the hero is a heroine. Esther shows great courage - physical and spiritual - to save her people. It is one of the harder right vs. easier wrong tales. She probably could have lived a very comfortable life as the Queen even if the plot to kill the Jews had come to fruition as her heritage was a secret from the King, but she chose to put it all on the line (literally) to save her people. It is a lesson we could all learn from for today.

USMC Accountability

For those of you who did not read the news about the Marines firing 4 leaders and discipling many others over the Hornet crash in San Diego a few months ago here is a link. This is the kind of accountability that I would love to see the Air Force start displaying. It was focused, timely and public.

God bless the Corps.

Enough of Winter

It is now official. I have had enough of winter. Of course, my kids are excited to possibly have one more snow day before the season is out, but I want it to be over. I want spring. I want to go back out side. Can someone make that happen for me?