“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any
direction you choose.”
Dr. Seuss, “Oh, The
Places You’ll Go!”
At
James’ eighth grade graduation ceremony, the Discovery Charter School staff
read “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” (1990) – a great choice and the final Dr.
Seuss book before his death. WReminding
readers that “there is fun to be done”
and “magical things you can do,” Dr. Seuss
cautions them to “step with care and
great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.” These lines gave me a chuckle: “And will you succeed? Yes! You will,
indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed).”
James with Dave, Toni, Jimbo, and Tom
Among
the 19 graduates honored during the outdoor program were the twins Savannah and
Shelby Daily, granddaughters of Porter Acres softball teammate Sam Johnston,
and Jayden Matthews, grandson of former Gary mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher,
looking dapper in a white blazer and cool hat. A mainstay in the band, glee club, and school
musicals (including “Seussical”) for three years, James won the Outstanding
Music Award. I was pleased to introduce
my namesake to my political hero. James
thanked me afterwards. Friday the class
was off to Great America, so they’ll miss a visit from Indiana School
Superintendent Glenda Ritz. Both Discovery Charter School and Principal Ernesto
Martinez were honored recently.
Richard Hatcher with daughters Ragen, Renee and Rachelle
Hatcher
hopes IUN will host a summer seminar on “Civil Rights – Then and Now,”
comparing and contrasting 1960s struggles with present police-community
relations. He expressed outrage at New
York police disrespecting Mayor de Blasio after he admitted ”giving the talk”
to his biracial son on how to react – respectful and compliant - if stopped by
cops. WTF? I’ve given the same talk to my sons. When in office Hatcher’s relationship with
city police was at times rocky. One of
his least pleasant duties was an annual review of the force; some cops didn’t
bother to hide their animus against him. Lake County Sheriff Roy Dominguez had
similar problems from holdovers loyal to John Buncich. At one point Lodge 125 of the FOP (Fraternal
Order of Police) even expelled Dominguez – talk about petty.
Alissa
and Miranda flew to Paris from Dublin and are having a ball. Miranda latest Facebook posting includes 67
photos, many of Le Tour Eiffel.
Rachel
Hartman’s journal discussed being an IUN student, doing field experience in
Hobart, and planning a surprise party for her dad.
March
4: As the Hobart students waited for
school to end, some girls played a version of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s”
games that have taken the market by storm. They took turns as the security
guard against various animatronics. I could hear sounds that mimicked the game,
as well as giggles, from the corner of the room. At home I watched YouTube videos about the
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” games. They had a very creepy ambience as well as
many heart-stopping jump-scares.
March
14: My dad’s fiftieth birthday is coming up, so I talked my brother into coming
with me to the party store to prepare for a surprise party. We bought a piñata,
several joke gifts, and quite a bit of candy. Since I’m planning the whole
thing, I told my brother that he needed to take a day off from work. He said
that he’d have to talk to his superior, a person who doesn’t like such requests
unless it’s important. Getting a specific
day off will be like pulling teeth.
March
25: I was up past midnight last night, so I wanted to send my dad a birthday message
while he was working the nightshift to brighten up his day. I changed the
lyrics to Anna Kendrick’s “Cup Song” about missing me when I’m gone and sang it
to him. I fell asleep before I got a response back. My field assignment was changed at the last
minute. I was to assist the music teacher and given a clarinet to show students
and have them try to play. It was a very long day. My voice went hoarse, and I had a migraine by
lunch, plus I heard SpongeBob references all day. To add on, this instrument
shrieks loudly if too much air is sent into it.
March
26: I got up early to go over everything about the party at my dad’s girlfriend’s
house. My brother got the day off, along with his girlfriend. I went an hour
before them because I had to pick up food and the cake, decorate, and shop for my
dad’s second birthday present. My brother and his girlfriend finally showed up,
and helped me pick out the last gift. We
returned, and my dad’s girlfriend called him, making an excuse that her water
pipes were leaking so he’d come to her home. When he got there, instead of entering
the house; my dad started tearing off the skirting around her home. His
girlfriend had to yell at him to come inside. When we surprised him, he wasn’t
all that happy. He ranted and raved about having to get his tools and head out
back outside to fix the skirting, then came back in just as grumpy as earlier.
At dinner he didn’t eat much or open his piñata. The mood did lighten up as the night
progressed, but it still wasn’t what I planned.
“Five Nights at Freddy’s” and the “Cup Song”
were new to me. I have always hated
surprise parties, waiting endlessly for the guest of honor who, often as not,
are not surprised, or if they are, then not pleased.
Andrew
Glidewell is hooked on flag football, fishing, and the video game Destiny. An employee at Cabela’s in Hammond, he gets a discount on fishing rods,
reels, lures, and other gear, clothing and footwear. Andrew has also worked at Krazy Kaplans
Fireworks. His journal mentions women’s
Ultimate Fighting bantamweight champ “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey, a 2008 Olympic
medalist in judo featured recently in Rolling
Stone and quoted as saying: “I
think it's funny when people think that because I'm a female athlete that I
must be a lesbian. And I'm like, ‘No, I love men so much that I beat the fuck
out of girls for a living, just to take them all out.” A
2014 New Yorker article stated:
Rousey is nothing if not expressive. She smiles often, squinting
so tightly that her eyes disappear. She cries easily, a girlhood habit she
never outgrew. And before each fight she glares at her opponent as if she were
getting ready to put a permanent end to a lifelong feud. After the fight, she
is all smiles again, and usually unblemished.
Here are excerpts from Glidewell’s journal:
March 1: I put gas in my truck, a chore because the tank is
messed up. I have to pump slowly, so
getting 20 dollars worth in the tank is time-consuming.
With 40 dollars in gift cards earned as a bonus for signing
customers up for a Cabela’s Club Visa card, I got a hat and stuff for the new
tackle box Trisha recently bought me. I
picked her up from work and we went to my grandparents’ house for Mexican
food. My grandma makes the best tacos,
tostadas, rice, beans, and salsa.
March 17: For St. Patrick’s Day Trisha’s mom dyes all the
dinner food green. Trisha and I went to
the marina by her house and made a few casts, hoping to get lucky and catch a
fish or two. It was very windy,
especially by the lake. We didn’t catch
anything, but, as I always say, a bad day of fishing beats a good day of
anything else. We went to my Aunt
Kelly’s. She was born on St. Patrick’s
Day, so it’s always a fun party.
March 25: Trish and I took my grandpa to Quaker State and Lube for
wings since grandma had friends over for dice.
When we got back, she asked me to take her place while she took dessert
out of the oven. I had several hot rolls
that allowed her to finish second and win ten dollars.
March 27: Burger King brought back chicken fries, so I had to
get some.
March 29: WrestleMania 31 had amazing twists and turns. The best part was when The Rock brought Ronda
Rousey, his co-star in Furious 7, out
of the audience to confront Stephanie McMahon and Triple H.
April: We are all athletic in my family, so, it being a
gorgeous Easter, our day consisted of wiffleball, basketball, and ultimate Frisbee.
Uncle Tom pulled out a map of Leech Lake in Minnesota, where we fish over the
summer, and pointed out places should check out in our boat.
