barry saderson

flood

In 1992, Nickelodeon Studios buried a time capsule. I remember it well because I was a big Nickelodeon fan. Double Dare, can it be beat? I always thought I would be really good at that game because I would hate more than anything to be slimed and would do everything in my power to prevent it. Like answer questions about dinosaurs. I know a lot about dinosaurs.

So Nickelodeon buries their time capsule with the intention of unburying it on April 30, 2042. 50 years later. Come to find out that the orange bomb like thing they buried filled with green slime, Gameboys and whatever else was cool in the early 90's was pulled out of the soil 10 months ago. My math may be a little rusty but I'm pretty sure 50 years have yet to pass. Worst time capsule ever?

Close but not quite. When I was 8 or 9, between reading Hardy Boys and Boxcar Children books, I buried a time capsule across the street in the woods; which, were more like a gathering of trees that hadn't been chopped down by some Hudsonvillian needing fire wood. So, I gathered up some valuables. Baseball cards, marbles, books, notes to my future self and put it all in a shoe box. A cardboard shoe box. Cardboard. That stuff made of hard paper.

I buried it and then 2 days later got impatient. I unburied so I could unearth the treasures Past Josh left for Future Josh only to find a sopping wet mush of paper memories and marbles.

Looking back, Past Josh should have buried an etched piece of metal telling Future Josh "Hey! Dummy! Don't do this again."
-----
3 days ago it rained a lot in Chicago. Flooding and power outages were everywhere. Water poured into our basement. We store stuff in our basement. Shoes, luggage, golf clubs, and a cardboard box filled with journals, notes, pictures, love letters.

a spire begins?

According to the Tribune, the Chicago Spire has set a date for construction to begin finally with hopes to have things moving along "in a few weeks." This seems to have been in the news since I moved to Chicagoland and it is not surprising that there has been plenty of controversy and criticism surrounding it. I for one am in favor of the "drill bit." Chicago has always been on the forefront of modern architecture (Millennium Park, Soldier Field being recent examples) and this will only add, not detract, from its skyline. Plus, I kind of like buildings that look like blue twizzlers.

iPhone envy

The iPhone comes out Friday (duh) and sadly I will not be getting one because a) I am cheap and b) most of my friends and family are on Verizon (kind of goes along w/ point a). In the past, I used to make phones out of cans that also fed me beans so even though this phone might do everything, Mr. Jobs, if it does not feed me dinner I'm not budging.

If you are thinking of switching, though, but are stuck with another plan Wired offers some tips because it is going to be SO uncool to be walking around with your razr and only making phone calls.

Ready for an IPhone? Tips to End Your Existing Cell Contract

Let me know if anyone has any luck with the last one.

a chocolate tree and a wedding

Over the weekend, Brooke and I went to my high school friend Aaron's wedding in Grand Rapids, MI at the beautiful Frederick Meijer Gardens (apparently The Thinker is there, totally missed it). Aaron and Mary a great couple and the wedding was wonderful. They live in Seattle, are physical trainers, have a rat terrier named Cody and met at Calvin College. Aaron's biceps are the size of my face. Half of the slideshow photos were of him doing flips and handstands in fields and on cliff edges. The rest of us friends were intermixed into the photos as well but were easily mistaken for small saplings. My muscles cower in his company.

We sat with our friends Becky and Josh (as well as N8 and Jefe). Becky and Josh are doing something very cool soon, traveling the country from city to city, starting in NYC. Becky is a nurse and will join a traveling nurse program. Josh is a singer songwriter and will do his singing and songwriting thing all over so keep an eye out. According to Becky..."It's nice because Josh is portable." Stream his album here.

Saderson was dogsat by the GrandDogParents and ate a total of zero walls. Progress! We went out to brunch with my family Sunday morning after Mars Hill and met my Grandpa there too. Apparently, Grandma just got a speeding ticket. Driving a golf cart. She must have hit the NOS.

small space, nice fans, Tuesdays on HGTV

Last month, we sent a request to our landlord asking them to install ceiling fans in our bedrooms, and yesterday we finally had them put in. The small things in life are sometimes the most satisfying and it is a great improvement over the previous light fixtures which looked a lot like tiny blue spaceships from a 10 year olds bedroom.

We were also able to banish our old floor fan to the basement, hopefully never to see the light of day again. It is amazing how much room we now have in our 11' by 7' bedroom. Room for cartwheels, somersaults, putting on a pair of socks. Now, instead of feeling a like a closet it feels like a big closet. With a ceiling fan.

maybe bedtime should be 8pm

I poured orange juice on my cereal this morning.

11: thou shalt not hit orange construction barrels

A couple of days ago the Vatican issued a new set of 10 commandments. Now, instead of the whole "don't covet or steal" stuff, they address a bigger problem in the world: driving. I must say that this is a vast improvement over the outdated ones Moses carried around. This is the web 2.0 generation, not the "let's carry around stone tablets" generation.

Today, I took a business trip to Decatur IL . Decatur is about 3 hrs from my office and to get there one must take I55 much of the way. I have taken the trip several times now and it never ceases to amaze me how incredibly boring corn fields are. Sure, it is beautiful in that "sea to shining sea" kind of way but mostly it is just a lot of green. Broken up by the occasional field of green beans.

Thankfully, for entertainments sake, there were plenty of folks on the road who apparently forgot (or just TOTALLY ignored) their copy of the 10 commandments of the road...sinners. First, a car ended up in the ditch after forgetting to check the blind spot. Everybody was safe but the blue car did mow down a sign like it was a weed.

Then, closer to home, we heard a strange thumping sound. Behind us, a brand new silver Nissan Maxima smacked right into an orange construction barrel (in a Hummer, tempting. In a Nissan, stupid). And the barrel, instead of bouncing off, was stuck to the front of his car like a squashed cicada.

It was likely not bouncing off because this guy kept speeding up until, in a moment of pure genius, he slammed on his breaks sending the barrel into the middle of the highway behind us; ticking off plenty of motorist who I doubt had their commandments list on hand reminding them that driving "shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm."

reflecting on the year

I am in the midst of a relaxing and rejuvenating summer vacation but I was thinking about my students this morning. I have spent the last year teaching in an intermediate instructional classroom. My students were a wonderful group and I am lucky to have many of them again next year. Last year was easily the most challenging year of my life thus far. I had no idea the exhaustion I would experience mentally and physically. In many ways it was also the most gratifying experience. They really are an amazing group of students who helped to build a wonderful, supportive environment in the classroom. Here are some of my sweet students!

Basketball at Recess

The Whole Class

Lined Up

how to entertain oneself

Step 1: Get Dog
Step 2: Get Kong
Step 3: Dog + Treat in Kong

a family weekend in california

Josh and i just got back from being in California for five days. We spent two days in Pasadena, celebrating Tracy's graduation (congratulations master), and the last couple days in Santa Barbara. I haven't been on a family vacation in years and this was Josh's first time on a Leman family vacation. It turned out to be a wonderful time to reconnect. We started with burgers at The Counter in Santa Monica. If you haven't been, and get the chance, it's a must do. I've never been to such a trendy and upscale burger joint! Tracy is a proud graduate as of last Saturday. Josh and I are not-so-secretly wishing for Tracy to return to Chicago! We stayed at a lovely boutique hotel in Santa Monica called Hotel Andalucia; another place that I would highly recommend. They have a fabulous roof top deck where evening cocktails were served. We had a great time enjoying wine from the region in their beautiful hot-tub and in front of the outdoor fireplace. We ended the trip with visits to three wonderful Santa Barbara wineries, Daniel Gehrs, Carhartt, and Beckmen. Here are some pictures that highlight the trip, enjoy!

A Fuller Grad! (Master Leman)

I love the faux Presidio!

Tasting at Beckmen

Beckmen Vineyard