Chloe is going to be in Odyssey of the Mind (OM). Her teacher recommended her for it and we think it is a great outlet for her. From what I know about OM it’s more about creativity than intelligence. She’s already showing us how smart she is, but I really want to cultivate other aspects as well. Soccer helps with her athletics – her hand to eye and foot to eye coordination. Her schoolwork is helping her to grow mentally. She loves to read and she's getting very good at math as well. This will help her to grow creatively and socially.
Adding another commitment to her schedule brought up a topic of conversation for us. Salvacion and I agreed that we are going to limit Chloe to two extracurricular activities at a time. We don’t want to stretch her too thin and we want her to learn not to over-commit. Right now, she will be allowed to do OM and soccer (although the current soccer season is almost over). We don’t want activities to conflict with each other because then she won’t get the most out of either. It also frustrates the others involved when someone is less than fully committed.
I always wondered what they did in OM and I learned a little bit about it from a buddy in high school. He is the one that told me it was more about creativity than intelligence. It made sense. They are given problems to solve and they try to come up with creative solutions. They try to think "outside the box." Salvacion may end up being the coach for Chloe’s team. The coach really only helps organize things – sort of keeps the kids focused and on track. We’ll see how Chloe likes it.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
360 Degrees
My Xbox 360 died last week. I decided to play a game after being home with a headache all morning. I was finally feeling better that afternoon (though not 100%) after sleeping most of the morning and eating some lunch. I didn’t feel like doing much else and didn’t want to go back to bed.
I turned on the machine and started playing some Tiger Woods 2008. After about 20 minutes the screen got very pixilated and the color was off in areas. My first thought was that the TV had gone bad and I was almost ready to panic because it isn’t even a year old yet. After calming myself I decided to try to figure out the source of the issue.
First I tried changing the TV to regular television mode and everything looked fine. The local HD TV station looked crisp and clear with no problems. The TV itself was OK. Good, but what could it be? I went back to the input from the Xbox and it still looked the same. I played one hole of golf that way thinking it might correct itself, but it didn’t (and I didn’t score well with the odd screen). I tried turning the TV off and letting it sit for a few seconds. I thought that might reset something. It was still the same once powered back up. At that point I knew it was either the Xbox or the TV’s input.
The next thing I thought to do was get out of the game to try changing the video display settings of the Xbox. I did just that, changing the settings to 1080i and even 720p. Still the same, so I changed it back to 1080p. Next I thought I should try powering down the Xbox and powering it back up. If the problem persisted, I figured I could try the other component input on the TV (if I ever buy a HDMI cable I’ll switch to that type of connector). When I tried to turn on the Xbox it came up with an error message on the screen and a single red light around the power button.
Panic and frustration really set in at that point. I had no idea what E 74 error code meant, but I knew I didn’t see three red lights (red ring of death). Red ring of death is a free repair at least, but I didn’t have that and I thought I’d have to buy a new Xbox (which we really can’t afford to do). I didn’t know what to do. I tried powering down and back up, but got the same results. It was toast.
Remembering that Mike’s machine died on him I started to call to ask him questions about it. Then I thought maybe I should check out what the error message actually meant first. After getting online over dial-up I found out the E 74 error is basically equivalent to the red ring of death and gets a free repair within the extended 3-year warranty. I felt a little better knowing we wouldn’t have to shell out any money. I started the repair request process, printed the shipping label, packed it up and got it ready to go.
Now I’m just waiting to get it back. It’s already fixed according to the online status. The service was quicker than I expected, so hats off to Microsoft on this one. I’m just waiting for the 360 to make a full 360 and return to me.
I turned on the machine and started playing some Tiger Woods 2008. After about 20 minutes the screen got very pixilated and the color was off in areas. My first thought was that the TV had gone bad and I was almost ready to panic because it isn’t even a year old yet. After calming myself I decided to try to figure out the source of the issue.
First I tried changing the TV to regular television mode and everything looked fine. The local HD TV station looked crisp and clear with no problems. The TV itself was OK. Good, but what could it be? I went back to the input from the Xbox and it still looked the same. I played one hole of golf that way thinking it might correct itself, but it didn’t (and I didn’t score well with the odd screen). I tried turning the TV off and letting it sit for a few seconds. I thought that might reset something. It was still the same once powered back up. At that point I knew it was either the Xbox or the TV’s input.
The next thing I thought to do was get out of the game to try changing the video display settings of the Xbox. I did just that, changing the settings to 1080i and even 720p. Still the same, so I changed it back to 1080p. Next I thought I should try powering down the Xbox and powering it back up. If the problem persisted, I figured I could try the other component input on the TV (if I ever buy a HDMI cable I’ll switch to that type of connector). When I tried to turn on the Xbox it came up with an error message on the screen and a single red light around the power button.
Panic and frustration really set in at that point. I had no idea what E 74 error code meant, but I knew I didn’t see three red lights (red ring of death). Red ring of death is a free repair at least, but I didn’t have that and I thought I’d have to buy a new Xbox (which we really can’t afford to do). I didn’t know what to do. I tried powering down and back up, but got the same results. It was toast.
Remembering that Mike’s machine died on him I started to call to ask him questions about it. Then I thought maybe I should check out what the error message actually meant first. After getting online over dial-up I found out the E 74 error is basically equivalent to the red ring of death and gets a free repair within the extended 3-year warranty. I felt a little better knowing we wouldn’t have to shell out any money. I started the repair request process, printed the shipping label, packed it up and got it ready to go.
Now I’m just waiting to get it back. It’s already fixed according to the online status. The service was quicker than I expected, so hats off to Microsoft on this one. I’m just waiting for the 360 to make a full 360 and return to me.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Nationally licensed
It is official. I received my certificate in the mail and am now a nationally licensed coach through the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). I have my National D License.
The course was good and I learned a bunch from the staff. I made a few friends, even if they are long distance. I got my certification and now I'm thinking about the next step. The next step is the USSF National C License.
The C course is a serious commitment. I think it is 7-10 days and costs a little over $1000. I'm not sure how that's all going to work out yet, but the club may foot the bill if I sign an agreement to coach for them for a couple years following.
I can't take the course until next Summer/Fall anyway because I have to hold the D for at least a year first. So, I have some time to think about it and work out the details. I don't know where this is going, but it feels right.
The course was good and I learned a bunch from the staff. I made a few friends, even if they are long distance. I got my certification and now I'm thinking about the next step. The next step is the USSF National C License.
The C course is a serious commitment. I think it is 7-10 days and costs a little over $1000. I'm not sure how that's all going to work out yet, but the club may foot the bill if I sign an agreement to coach for them for a couple years following.
I can't take the course until next Summer/Fall anyway because I have to hold the D for at least a year first. So, I have some time to think about it and work out the details. I don't know where this is going, but it feels right.
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