The Final Countdown

The big day is exactly 30 days away.

I think we're in good shape. Erica plans to still attend. I hear that is the most important part.

Just a few details to seal up, and we'll be walking down the aisle. We're both very excited. Be sure to check out our wedding web page link on the right side of the screen.

I Don't Want to Play This Game Anymore

As many of you know, I spend my summer evenings clad with mask, protective gear, and tens of faithful fans cheering. No, I don't work security for Major League Soccer, I am a little league umpire.

This is my third year umpiring, and although it is sometimes exhausting, I love it. It's a chance to be outside, participate in the game I love so much, and be active in the community. I umpire 4-5 nights a week. I have become friends with many of the parents in the community; they even know me by name. Many games come and go. People cheer, some even jeer. Every once in a while, I umpire a game that is truly unique. Case in point, last night's game.

It was a "kid pitch" game, so the players are 9 and 10 years old. They benefit from a greatly extended strike zone (nose to toes, 8 inches off the plate), and usually play pretty sound baseball. Last night's game featured 7 kids hit by the pitcher--five of which fell down and cried at the plate, the catcher getting hit by a bat and falling to the ground, and one kid face planting into the dirt as he rounded second base. It was a circus, and I was the ringleader. One kid flopped like a fish out of water on home plate after getting hit. Another was certain he needed x-rays. Another was ready to trade in his glove and never look back. I had some reservations about letting the game continue due to the safety of the players. Nonetheless, the game lasted only 4 innings, ending due to a mercy rule, 17-4.

I told Erica that it's funny to watch these kids sometimes. They have all the coolest gear, wear eye paint, give intimidating looks to one another, and put up a tough guy front, but when something bad happens, I, like many others, am reminded that they are indeed kids. They cry, throw tantrums, and want to quit. All part of growing up I guess. Isn't that what baseball is all about, anyway?

May Showers Bring Many Presents

Even though it's been unseasonably warm here in southwest Ohio the last few weeks, it's shower season in the lives of Matt and Erica.

The Kettering Foundation, a place known for celebrations, recently threw Erica and I a wedding shower and sent us home with many well-wishes and gifts. Here are some photos from the event:

We were the gracious recipients of a mixer, two margarita sets (for Erica, of course. . . j/k), a yogurt/ice cream/sorbet maker, bakeware, and waffle maker. Jokes were a plenty at the event, as is usually the case whenever I get put on the spot.

They say that you have to love your family because you don't get to choose them, and I agree. In many regards, the same applies to co-workers. You don't really get to choose them, either. We are so fortunate to be blessed with so many wonderful people in our lives, including the great people at the Foundation. Even if I could choose them, I wouldn't change anything about them. Well, maybe that weird guy in accounting. But that's neither here nor there. Just kidding.

Two more showers this weekend. My family's side and her family's side. Stay tuned for updates!

Race Conversations

I've been fortunate enough to be privy to a lot of race conversations over the past few years, which have challenged me to be more critical and understanding of the world around me. I've taken in a lot, with a lot left to learn.

One thing that continues to bother me is how you can always count on people who are having conversations about race to say some variation of the following:
"Well, I don't care if they're black, white, green, blue, or yellow..." Why the "green, blue, or yellow" part? I haven't seen anyone resembling those colors outside of Cartoon Network. So why do people inevitably tag this on to the end of their race statements?

I have a theory.

I think people like to avoid the real issue of racial tensions between blacks and whites in this country. There's a multitude of research that clearly shows that people don't like to face tough issues about race, and when they are forced, they sometimes do so in superficial and inauthentic ways. I've watched the trend of adding other colors to people for a long while, but I've never put a whole lot of thought into it. Using this technique, people are able to put forth a persona that they are indeed deeply engaging in matters of race, without really talking about anything. Take for instance, major league baseball pitcher Curt Schilling's recent comment on Barry Bonds chase toward the all-time home run record, the most hallowed record in all of sports:

"And I don't care that he's black, or green, or purple, or yellow, or whatever. It's unfortunate... there's good people and bad people. It's unfortunate that it's happening the way it's happening."


The fact of the matter is Barry isn't green (except in this doctored photo), purple, or any other shade of the rainbow (remember ROY G. BIV, kids), he's black. And the all-time home run record chase is deeply entrenched with race issues, specifically around African-Americans.

I challenge you to watch for this trend in conversations about race. And, if you really feel ballsy, ask the person what they mean by "blue, green, yellow." I suspect his/her answer will be surprising.

Those Crafty Sox Fans

After a three game sweep of the hated Yankees by the beloved Red Sox, the Boston Globe ran this picture on the cover of the sports page.
Be sure to catch the subtle message the Sox fan is sending the New York fans with his left hand. Haha. Classic.

That Damned Rap Music

Don Imus' latest media circus has brought rap music into the public's condemnation. Many people claim that rap music, a multi-billion dollar industry that uses questionable language (the same language Imus was fired for using), promotes violence in its lyrics, and objectifies women, should be changed. Whether you think it's scapegoating or on-target, it's certainly something to think about.

As I was driving to work today, I was listening to rap music for whatever reason. What made this occurrence interesting was the beautiful juxtaposition of two songs that played one right after the other on XM's most popular rap station, The Rhyme.

The first song was, "Keep Ya Head Up" by 2Pac. It was recorded in 1993, and immediately became a very important song, as it conveys the burdens of the ghetto to the greater public. In particular, it talks about the disrespect for the female gender, particularly black women, that so many people exhibit. It later became a somewhat unofficial anthem for the streets, and a sounding point for those who believed in and stood up for women's rights. In many regards, it empowered a lot of people to fight against trends of oppression, misogyny, and bigotry. Here are some important lyrics:
"And when he tells you you ain't nuttin don't believe him
And if he can't learn to love you you should leave him
I think it's time to kill for our women
Time to heal our women, be real to our women"

This song reached #1 in 1993.

Then, the next song played was "Walk It Out" by Unk -- a song that is quickly approaching the #1 spot on the Hip/Hop charts. This song, as best as I can tell, is about dancing (I could very well be wrong here) and picking up women. Here's a little sample of the lyrics:

"I Threw My Head Back
Then I Froze Like Da Wind
West Side Walk It Out
South Side Walk It Out"

That's about it. Nothing positive, nothing uplifting. In fact, it was even difficult to listen to the whole song. I can't imagine anyone wanting to listen to that song.

I think that these 7 or so minutes I spent in the car were a great chance to stop and think about how much rap music has regressed in the last 14 years. I wish there were more messages from 2Pac, which sought to empower people to rise above oppression, rather than today's music, which seems to simply empower people to "Walk It Out."

NASPA/ACPA Joint Meeting

I just arrived home from the 2007 joint conference of NASPA/ACPA a couple of days ago. (It's not important what those acronyms mean, just know that it's a meeting of student affairs professionals from around the world.) With over 10,000 people in attendance, this was the largest gathering of student affairs professionals to date.

Much of my time was spent commuting on a bus between these two beautiful hotels, The World Marriott and the Gaylord Palms.I haven't had a chance to really process the whole ordeal, but I thought blogging about it might help spur some reflection. Here are some random notes about the conference.

(1) The people who planned the conference deserve a lot of credit. The logistics could have been A LOT worse. Trying to coordinate shuffling around 10,000+ people sounds as appealing as a dinner date with Glenn Beck.

(2) Al Gore is long-winded. He was the opening speaker, and all I can say was he must have been well-rested. Something else that dawned on me when he was speaking was how did he become funny? For a man who was notoriously dry, lifeless, and boring during his presidential campaign, he is very funny all of a sudden. Surely it isn't brought on by talking about global warming, because it's not funny. It's inconvenient.

(3) There are few better feelings in this world than being reconnected with old friends and colleagues.

(4) When ballpark food prices suddenly seems reasonably priced, chances are you're paying too much for food.

(5) Marriott beds are uncomfortable. I felt like I was sliding off a cliff.

(6) I further get the feeling that student affairs, in some regard, suffers from a bit of scholarly disinterest, especially amongst young professionals.

(That's Jen, Julie, Erica, Me, and Dave at Universal Studios)

(7) For the four days I was there, I felt like a hamster trapped in an atrium. We were more or less trapped in between these two hotels, which I liken to one of those giant atriums that you can put hamsters in (see below). That was what it was like in the hotels. A few cool things to do, but after the settling realization that you are trapped inside, and it costs $30 for a taxi to escape, it becomes a bit suffocating.

(If you look closely, you can actually see Dave presenting on Education City in Qatar in the upper right hand ball. It's also where hamsters like to relieve themselves after a long day of burrowing under cedar chips.)

(8) This was probably the first of many conferences Erica and I will attend together. She's a good travel buddy.

(9) Many of the educational session presentations are uninformative, boring, and haphazard. Some are very good, however.

(10) I'm glad to be home, even if it has been overcast for the last two days. Viva Oxvegas.