Well, out involvement in the state bowling tournament is over. Austin came close to qualifying, but fell about 25 pins short. He bowled well today, but this is state and sometimes well isn’t good enough. He started with the fifth game with 4 strikes (which really got us excited) and the opened in 5th fram (he actually did this about 3 times where he would strike in at least the 3rd and 4th frame and then open the 5th.)
The second game was a little rougher. Austin couldn’t find his line after several adjustments and he never really got into a groove. He had one double (9 th & 10th) but that was it and he ended with something around a 177. The third game went very well for him. I beieve he had a clean game or something close to it end the morning.
In the afternoon we started on a reall rough pair and again Austin had a hard time finding his line. As we moved to the next pair, Austin moved in to play up the 3rd arrow and get a little hook at the end. This worked pretty well for a while and is how he finished most of the day.
‘So, we ended with a 1206 (which is respectable) but he didn’t make he cut. It has been a fun weekend. We went over to the Cahokia Mounds which was actually more interestijnng than I would have thought. For dinner tonight we got a bloomin’ onion (which I didn’t realize was made by a bloomologist) and pizza from a local restaurant, Fortels, which is very goof.
We then went swimming and played some Mario Kart. All in all, it was a fun but disappointing day.
Good Thing: Austin bowling consistently all six games. This is what we are going for.
So, as many of you know, all of the 1st – 4th year teachers in Lake Zurich have been told that they will have no job next year. This is the case because the school board is anticipating a 4 million dollar deficit next year and they are releasing as many teachers as possible so that they can have flexibility when they start cutting programs and increasing class sizes. I get this policy on some levels, but it leaves me in a bad place. I just wish they would have taken the time to be a little more thoughtful about the process. Half of the science staff had been let go and I can’t imagine that was necessary.
What really makes me sad is that I am now going to have to go out and apply for jobs. When I am offered one of those jobs in the next few months, I am going to have to take because I need a job in order to take care of my family. So, won’t be able to tell a job that is guaranteed to me to wait until LZ figures it out in April, May, or even June. This really starts to get to me because of the time and effort and really parts of myself I have given to that job. I don’t work at half speed and I really have put myself into that job and I feel like I have been dumped.
But, in all honesty, the part that makes me the most sad (I actually even cried a little because I was so sad) is that I will most likely not get to see the bowling team through next year. I always told myself that minimally I was going to see one class through bowling to try and get the program established and then decide what I wanted to do. I got lucky and the group I have right now is amazing. I never thoght I would feel this close to a group of students, but then, BAM, it happened. There are times when I want to wring some of the necks, but I am really going to miss the fun times we have had.
I really worry that when I get to my new job, that I am going to be relunctant to get that attached to the people there. I hope I don’t end up that way, but that is how I feel right now. I felt like I finally found a district where I had a place and role. I was coaching, teaching, working with technology and then the rug got pulled out from under me. I would like to think that I will be back there next year, but I have no idea and have to proceed as such.
There are people who are worse off than me in this situation, and I wish the district could have gotten their money right the past couple years so that they would have had the reserves in place to handle this. Oh well…
got RIFfed. 
http://tinyurl.com/bm8aod
Posted in General 1 year, 1 month ago at 12:18 am. 1 comment
Today was the bowling sectionals hosted by Lake Zurich High School. We went in with high hopes and we left a little disappointed. We had beaten every team there at some point during the year, so we thought we had a good chance. We have a team with no seniors, so we have youth on our side, but that can also work against us. We lost two of our best bowlers this week because of discipline issues as well. Those two really abandoned their team with their actions, and we could have used them today. The day started off okay for us, but Vernon Hills opened up with a game around 1148. This left us in a little bit of a whole, but it should have been climbable.
The second game we picked up the pace a little, but Loyola Academy and Deerfield were bowling out of their minds! Loyola (who we soundly defeated about two weeks prior) bowled their first 1,000 game of the year that day, and they did it often. I don’t know what got into Deerfield, but they were bowling better than I had seen them all year. We bowled fairly consistently for the first 5 games and where hanging around all day. We never really had that amazing game that the other top schools had, but we never really had a let down. Tony came through big time which was especially impressive because he is a freshmen. Steve did good until game 5 when he lost some steam on the dry lanes. Austin of course did amazing and is going to state this weekend. He kept his calm about him all day and didn’t panic as the lanes broke down.
Afterward, I tried to talk to the guys, but I didn’t even know what to say. I wasn’t mad at them, but with all of the other issues surrounding my involvement with the school, I was very sad with what happened and with what the future holds for my involvement with the team. The kids have been very supportive and they are a good group of guys. The team dinner we had on Friday was very nice and I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.
So, Austin, Luke, & myself will be heading to O’Fallon, IL this weekend to watch/help Austin bowl his way through state. I am very happy for Austin and it will be a fun trip. (It will also give me a good chance to use my new webcam to talk to Isaac and Gina.) In the grand scheme of things, it was one day of bowling and it certainly doesn’t erase a great season of bowling, but it would have been nice to end the season on a high note. Now, I have to work out an off-season plan to try and make sure the bowlers get better.
Posted in LZHS and Share 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:30 pm. Add a comment
Isaac has now been out of womb just as long as he was in the womb.
Here he is with his nebulizer to help recover from his recent illness.
Posted in Issac 1 year, 1 month ago at 1:00 am. Add a comment
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/us/13physics.xml PK
Posted in Physics 1 year, 1 month ago at 9:07 pm. Add a comment
I thought this graph was especially interesting.
I guess the media finally has something useful to focus on. 
Posted in General 1 year, 1 month ago at 10:16 pm. Add a comment
Bowled and is now announcing basketball watch for me tomorrow CN100.
Posted in Bowling 1 year, 1 month ago at 5:48 pm. Add a comment
