In February, yeah, I'm slow with the updates sometimes, my team and I flew to North Carolina for the regional Academic Bowl competition. As I've stated before, it's one of the things I most look forward to during the year. I feel like I actually make a difference, though that's hardly the case. The students compete. My job is to make sure they show up for their matches on time, know the rules, and follow them. Typically, a stern talking to the first day is all it takes and my work is done! 

This year was no different. I was impressed by how well our students handled themselves, especially in contrast to some other teams that were there. I won't drop any names of course, but not every school displayed the same positive attitude and respect that our students portrayed. Wins and losses fade; character endures. 

The highlight for me was when the students took it upon themselves to practice and study between matches. The other coach and I had been preaching, telling, showing, practicing, and encouraging them all year, but sometimes you have to see for yourself. And once they did, they took off with it! I was especially proud when we returned to school after competition, the team wanted to continue to practice for the remainder of the year so they would be better prepared for next year!

We had to say goodbye to one of our students, as his 4 year eligibility is up (students can only compete for 4 years) and though his positive attitude and contributions will sorely be missed, I think we have the making of a good team for next year! 
​
Tennessee School for the Deaf, here we come!

Does anyone else get restless when they haven't traveled in a while? Wanderlust I guess it's called. I get an itch if I haven't gone anywhere in a couple of months, even if only for a weekend. October seemed an appropriate time, otherwise, I'd have to wait until at least November and travel with everyone and his mother trying to be with family for the holiday. 

I was chatting with a friend in Colorado and it worked out to pay a weekend visit. Greeley, Colorado here I come!

We took a day trip to Boulder, pause: if you're in the market for herbs (aromatherapy, tea blends, essential oils and such) Rebecca of Rebecca's Herbal Apothecary & Supply is good peoples. She knew my friend so we took a tour of the place. Very cool. And she signs. Unpause: spent the night in Denver and had breakfast in Golden. 

While in Denver, we attended an anniversary party at the Mercury Cafe and did some swing dancing! I was reminded how much I miss partner dancing. I probably went once or twice a week, every week, for 3-4 years or so. Even when student teaching in different states I found a place to go. But since the move to Atlanta I may have gone two dozen times and I'm closing in on 6 years here. The schedule is different, the vibe feels different...but, I need to get back into it. 

I need to add a tab for writing that goes further than my travels and when I do, maybe I'll revisit Colorado, but I'll definitely revisit Colorado! Boulder was awesome, I wouldn't mind spending more time there, and I owe a couple of dances at Mercury! 

Doing the baseball trip in June rather than July was just a bit unnerving. There wasn't much of a break between school being out for the summer and departing for Florida. Thus far, I think I prefer the trip in July. It provides something to look forward to a little later in the summer and is a nice break. As it stood this year, I didn't even get into summer mode good before I had to depart.

Miami was first and though the scenery was great, the rest was pretty disappointing. We stayed across the street from an outdoor mall and there were always people milling about. Shops, kiosks, live music, and lots of people watching. It was all very blasé. The highlight was Häagen-Dazs ice cream which, admittedly, would be a highlight in many places. 

No matter, we're here for the baseball! And we were very close to being the only ones. That's hyperbole, but Marlins Park was at least half empty for Saturday's game and most of the fans seemed to be rooting for the Mets! Yikes. Sunday's game was a little better in terms of numbers, but at least 40% of the fans weren't supporting the home team and my buddy would probably say it was closer to 60%. There is no home field advantage in Miami. 

Speaking of fields, why are they playing baseball inside in Miami? A domed stadium which they keep closed something like 80% of the time. It's unnatural. Didn't look like they had turf, so at least the grass was real, but indoor baseball may be the second most grievous of all baseball sins trailing only the DH. 

We flew into Minneapolis and within ten minutes we both knew this leg of the trip would be much more enjoyable. There was just a different vibe in the air. I'm sure Miami suits many, many people just fine. And if we'd found a hole in the wall where I could have gone salsa dancing, I probably would have been ecstatic. But as it stood, Minneapolis seemed much more inviting. 

Even despite this imposing structure waiting for us when we disembarked. 

We were pretty close to the middle of downtown and could walk to take the metro anyplace we wanted to go. We took in a few local establishments, tried some food, and had a grand ol' time! Our second day there, we made our way to Minnehaha Park, not to be confused with Minnehaha Falls in Georgia. After lunch with a colleague, I was able to take a quick tour of the Metro Deaf School and chat briefly with their staff. Good group of people they have there. 

Of course, we were here for baseball and to see the Florida Marlins take on the Rochester Red Wings, um, I mean, the Minnesota Twins. A little AAA baseball humor. Rochester, dah, Minnesota pulled it off and got the win! In the battle of the stadiums, it wasn't close: Target Field trounces Marlins Park. 

I think that brings the total to 19 current parks (plus Shea Stadium and the Astrodome):

1. Citifield - NY Mets
2. Fenway - Boston 
3. Rodgers Center- Toronto
4. PNC - Pittsburgh
5. Citizens Bank - Philly
6. Comerica - Detroit
7. Great American - Cincinnati
8. Progressive Field - Cleveland
9. Turner Field - Atlanta
10. Nationals Ballpark - Washington, DC
11. Rangers Stadium - Dallas
12. Camden Yards - Baltimore
13. US Cellular Field - Chicago White Sox
14. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
15. Miller Park - Milwaukee
16. Busch Stadium - St. Louis
17. Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City
18. Marlins Park - Miami
19. Target Field - Minneapolis

We may put together a spreadsheet comparing the different parks, but for now, I'd say: 

• Best Looking Ballpark: PNC or Kauffman (the waterfall was awesome)
• Best Fans: Camden Yards
  
• Best All You Can Eat Food: PNC or Turner Field
  
• Best Outside Stadium Ambiance: Wrigley (with along the water in Cincinnati behind it)

The adventure continues this week as my buddy and I knock off two more stadiums: Marlins Park and Target Field. That will be quite the change, flying from Miami to Minnesota, but the Rays were playing away and there were no other stadiums within driving distance. 

Plus, this way, we save a flight -- no need to head to Minnesota and back. 

Looking forward to see what the Miami nightlife will bring and hopefully grabbing dinner with one of my former teachers in Minnesota. 

This trip is normally the highlight of my summer so it worries me that it's occurring so soon. That leaves seven weeks of uncertainty! I'll probably make my way to South Carolina at some point, but other than that, I'm a leaf on the wind. 

 One of the things I most look forward to during the year is the Academic Bowl. I've coached since I've been a full time high school teacher - three years and counting thus far. If you know me (of course you do, why else would you be here) you know I love trivia and competition. I'll have to take a break from writing this to watch Jeopardy. The AB combines both. 

Students compete in a three round trivia contest against other schools/programs for the Deaf. This year we were in the Southeast Region, but next year due to reorganization of the regions, we'll be in the South. We competed against 15 or so other schools from Florida to Mississippi and up to Maryland. 

And we won. ... a match for the first time in at least four years! 

We were ecstatic! But, I get ahead of myself. The competition runs Thursday - Sunday. We arrived in Kentucky Thursday morning and in the afternoon the students were getting to know each other / breaking ice. In the evening, a coach from each team competed in the Coaches' Bowl where students got the chance to watch their coaches squirm as they tried to answer questions. 

I was a co-champion with a coach from the Maryland School for the Deaf. Proud moment, but I wanted overtime!

November brought with it a very strong need to get away. Very strong.

Sitting at Taco Mac on a Thursday, I pondered just how soon I would be able to get away.

Sunday, I booked a cruise. 

Drove to Port Canaveral on Wednesday, no flat tire this time, and was on board ship by Thursday. I spent Freeport on Serenity, the adults only area on most (mayhaps all) Carnival Cruises, but spent some time walking around and exploring Nassau. Friendly people and the overall atmosphere was anti-stressful. 

The weather was beautiful -- blue is one of my favorite colors to see in nature, be it water or sky. Light breeze. 

​It proved to be a well needed and well timed jaunt away. 

This is very much after the fact, but I went to Orlando in October. The trip was packed with all sorts of emotion and adventure, most of which I'm not going to write about right here. 

It's a tender spot, for more than one reason, but to gloss over it as if it never happened doesn't feel right either. 

Got a flat tire on the way down. Rocked some rainbow butterfly wings at the Pride Parade. Saw the sights at Universal Studios. 

And will probably never finish reading Harry Potter. 

June 28 - July 5 I spent some time at Alma de Mujer, Center for Social Change. It was a remarkable experience that I can't hope to recount here. Alma is 22 acres of a retreat center in Austin. People use the space for various reasons, including reconnecting with each other, the Earth, and the grandmothers. 

We used the space for our retreat, Teachers for Social Justice: Deaf Learners (TSJDL). 

A transcript of the above video can be found at the TSJDL website here. 

It was a remarkable experience. I know Social Justice (and Social Justice Warriors) can have a negative connotation, but it wasn't anything like the Twitter or Tumblr battles that come to mind when the term "social justice" is mentioned. I'm still processing everything from the Retreat, but I suppose my basic takeaway is something along the lines that identities are complex. We all have biases and privileges, as do our friends, our families, our bosses, and the people that write history books. Figure out what they are, why they are, and what we can do to enhance the equality. 

"Physician, heal thyself!" 
“Teachers cannot transform schools until they transform themselves.” – James Banks

So, if you've been following my baseball travels, which unless you happen to join them occasionally you do not, you'd know that I'm more than halfway through my goal of visiting all active MLB Ballparks. 

To date: 

1. Citifield - NY Mets
2. Fenway - Boston 
3. Rodgers Center- Toronto
4. PNC - Pittsburgh
5. Citizens Bank - Philly
6. Comerica - Detroit
7. Great American - Cincinnati
8. Progressive Field - Cleveland
9. Turner Field- Atlanta
10. Nationals Ballpark- Washington, DC
11. Rangers Stadium- Dallas
12. Camden Yards - Baltimore
13. US Cellular Field - Chicago White Sox
14. Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
15. Miller Park - Milwaukee
16. Busch Stadium - St. Louis
17. Kauffman Stadium - Kansas City

I've visited the Astrodome, but since they have a new one I have to go back. 

This year, we hit St. Louis and Kansas City. 

St. Louis is an amazing city and I must go back! One could easily spend two days or more exploring Forest Park; we only gave it a day. You can enter most (every?) place free and there is a $2 trolley that will take you all over the park. I recommend the trolley. We ended up walking from the Metro Station to the Science Museum, a scant 2 miles or so, but it was bloody hot and the trolley would have afforded us more time. We didn't even touch the history museum. 

Aside: did you know that if Barbie were an astronaut, her suit would be hot pink? You know, cause she's a girl. 

Joe Buck's Restaurant near the stadium had delicious food and tasty, cold beverages. I was impressed. The views from the Gateway Arch were fairly awesome. It was a lot of hurry up and wait to get to the top, but I'm glad we went. St. Louis staple Ted Drewes Frozen Custard was placed on the agenda by a friend and did not disappoint. 

As for the game, the Mets outlasted the Cardinals on Sunday in an eighteen inning affair! Extra baseball and  a win? Yes, please! 

A return trip is definitely in order. The drive to Kansas City, however, I could do without that. Long, flat, and boring. 

Our hotel was across the street from "the K." The full of energy desk clerk recommended a few BBQ spots (went with Big T's). Kauffman Stadium is one of the most unique I've seen and I've seen a couple. The water fountains put it over the top. 

Driving back twelve hours sucked. Podcasts, books on CD, and chatting on the phone helped the time go by, but next time I think I'm flying. 

Been a very long time since I've updated this here travelog ... yep. Long time. 

I could make different entries for my various excursions this summer, but that seems like more work than I really want to do, so I'll give a brief rundown here, maybe include a picture or two at some point, and hopefully will be better about updating in the future. 

Random quirks: 1) while our resort was nice, it had a much different vibe than the place next door: Temptation. I won't go into too many details other than to say it was adults only, topless-optional. Next vacation is booked! I kid, I kid! 2) the Cancun airport doesn't open until about 5am. If you are booking a flight that early from Cancun, you are doing it wrong, but there you go. 3) Deaf World is small! If you are Deaf or work with Deaf, you already know this; for you hearing people not in the know - find a Deaf person. Then find another Deaf person across the country with seemingly nothing in common. Wait five minutes and you'll be surprised how many mutual acquaintances will shake loose. One of the employees of the resort was Deaf and we communicated with gestures, fingerspelling, and a smattering of ASL and LSM. Before the week was out, we'd met a Deaf couple. One half was from Rochester, my home town, and the other was from Atlanta, where I live now. And of course we knew many of the same people. 

Arrived in Baltimore Thursday night. Driving in Baltimore is a BEAST. My buddy warned me, but I just was not prepared. Lots of cities have street parking. Lots of big cities have parking on both sides of the street, making the thoroughfare in between them narrow. But only Baltimore in my experience has people that just walk out in the middle of the street, paying no mind to on coming traffic, crosswalk or no crosswalk, green light or no green light, at random intervals. In a fifteen minute span we witnessed no less than three individuals popping out into the middle of traffic -- cars had to brake or swerve around them to avoid running them down. I didn't hear one horn. A person that would cross a street whereever in the middle of traffic probably won't be deterred by a few decibels. 

That aside, B'Mo was a good time. Spent some time at Fells Point. Saw two baseball games at Camden Yards, ahem, Oriole Park. Hung out with cool friends I see entirely too infrequently. 

Speaking of baseball - I've been to games in twelve of the active thirty MLB Parks (plus Shea):

1. Citifield - NY Mets
2. Fenway - Boston
3. Rodgers Center- Toronto
4. PNC - Pittsburgh
5. Citizens Bank - Philly
6. Comerica - Detroit
7. Great American - Cincinnati
8. Progressive Field - Cleveland
9. Turner Field- Atlanta
10. Nationals Ballpark- Washington, DC
11. Rangers Stadium- Dallas
12. Camden Yards - Baltimore

There is something special about Camden Yards. I'm a Mets fan and try to see them when possible, but I've supported the home team, the away team, the National League team (a pox on the DH), and the team for whatever city I've happened to be in at the time, but Baltimore has some of the most engaged fans I've ever witnessed. The seats were awash in orange with an overwhelming majority of fans in team colors. Most people were paying attention to the game and the place erupted at any play that went Baltimore's way, from the early innings on. It's one of the loudest parks I've been in and it doesn't matter if it were a simple groundout, a doubleplay, or a homerun in the bottom of the second. I have no idea how the Orioles are doing this year, but the majority of the ballpark gave them their undivided attention for three hours. I didn't see that anywhere else I've been on a scale that large. Impressive. 

Left Baltimore this afternoon, ::grumble, grumble traffic. grumble, grumble tolls:: and arrived in Brooklyn for more friend-hangingout-with-ness. No plans for the morrow, Tuesday might check out the MoSex. By Wednesday or perhaps Thursday I should be headed back down South.