Merry Christmas 2009

Well, here it is mid-December again and we (and by we, Marla means I) have missed our Christmas card mailing deadline. So once again I turn to the power of the Blog (you see I really maintain it all year for this one posting that someone other than Kev, Glen and JP might actually might read). I am not sure what that actually says about myself, Kev, Glen and JP but that is a topic for another posting. Anyways here it goes, the reason you all have high speed internet, The Lewis Year in Review.



2009 has been a great year for us. We did a lot of running as a family, Marla and I did several races and both Graeme and Connor took part in their first "official" race during the labour day classic. Connor had a great race sprinting his way through the 1 km kids run and Graeme finished 8th overall in 5 km run.












Graeme and Connor had a lot of fun in soccer (Marla had an awesome time coaching Connor's team, just ask her sometime). Graeme is still playing basketball and Connor has decided he is a tennis player. Oh to be young again, when through unstructured play and the absence of scorekeeping, anyone can feel like Roger Federer or Steve Nash.
Graeme and Connor both had a fantastic year in school and have really enjoyed Grade 5 and 2 so far this year. Connor has become the "serious" student, even if he is a bit of a stalker. (We are trying to explain that making one card for your teacher is cute, making 30 is a illness.) We (and again here, by we I mean Marla) spend our time telling Graeme the get out his homework and Connor to put his away. Seriously, they are both loving school and doing great. We are continually amazed that they can speak and read in both French and English, however, we are bracing for the day they start to talk back in French and we have to go look what they said before so we can figure out how upset we should be. Marla and I has also had a great school year. Lots of the same old same old but it has been fantastic.

Of course the best part of work is holidays and 2009 was another in a string of best years ever. We returned to Sayulita and it was awesome, went back to our friend Val's place on Gabriola and it was awesome and we had a hot, hot summer at the lake and it was awesome! (If you have a chance when a heat wave hits your province make sure you are on an island somewhere.) It is actually kind of ironic that Marla and I enjoy our jobs so much but we really, really enjoy when we are not working.

The only real concern Marla and I seem to have is the pace at which time seems to be passing by. Funny how for a great part of your life you wait for time to pass to get your driver's license, finish school, get a raise etc. and then you have kids and it is like the fast forward button has been pressed. The boys are just so much fun that every year brings a little bit of sadness that they will never be that age again (not to mention that we will never be that age again). The consolation so far has been that every new year has really been better than the last so we are hoping that trend continues for a while.
With 2009 coming to a close the outlook for 2010 is looking good already. The ski season should be awesome with a ton of snow already, our holiday to Sayulita is already booked for March, Marla and I heading to Boston in April for the Boston Marathon and before you know it we will be into summer vacation. (Again, not that we don't like our jobs, we just really, really like when we are not working.)

We hope that this Christmas season finds you all healthy and happy and that 2010 is a great year for all of you. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Love the Lewis'

PS. If you really have some time on your hands this holiday season and would like to check out some more photos visit our flickr site here.

Raising Men

With two young boys I often think about the type of men I hope they grow into. (A combination of Archie Andrews, Thomas Magnum, Bobby Orr, William Wallace and Leonardo Davinci comes to mind.) As my boys grow older it comes clearer and clearer to me that I cannot shelter my children or control their social, emotional interactions as there are just too many influences out there and eventually they will find my boys. My hope is that my wife and I have provided a set of core values that guide our children's actions and provide a framework to lean on as they navigate the murky waters of adolescence. The closest thing I can provide as a parenting strategy is the following poem by Rudyard Kipling.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

The meaning of Minutes

This past weekend I ran in the Kelowna marathon. This was the culminating race of my running season and I was aiming to run a personal best time beating my previous 3:19 mark.

It was a chilly day, -10C, in Kelowna which made for a cold start but ended up being very nice to run in. My plan was to set out on a 3:10 pace and see what I had left in the last 10 kms for a push to 3:06. I had a great race and held a steady 3:10 pace for 30kms but when I looked for another gear at around 32kms it just wasn't there. I was still happy as I was cruising on my 3:10 pace and feeling good. At the 40 km mark things went sideways as the course kind of disappeared and we were sent down a wrong road and ended up running over a 1/2 km too far. I finally crossed the finish line in 3:15, which I was very happy with, but I was confused as to what had happened since I was on pace for 3:10 right up to the last 2 kms.

In the end there were several problem with the course, including the two leading runners getting lost on the course and having to drop out. Since the race the running discussion boards are filled with some very upset people, especially those who missed their Boston Marathon qualifying time by seconds. As a result the organizers are looking at trying to adjust people's times to reflect the extra distance run. Read about the issues here.

This has gotten me thinking about how powerful things in print can be. I must admit, I would like them to adjust my "official" time to reflect that there was a screw-up but really whatever they do will be a rough estimate that I could do myself. So why do I care if they change it? I can probably do a better estimation myself so why can't I just tell people that I was around 3:10 or 3:11 and leave it at that? Why does that feel like cheating but if they change it in print it feels more legitimate even though I know that no matter what is done the time will not be a true marathon time. It is weird that after running for 3+ hours a few minutes would make a difference. I am happy with a 3:15 time but I am also disappointed that my finish line to finish line race was compromised after months of matching kms to seconds. I am more disapointed that it actually matters to me.

For race results click here.

Update:
I have just received an email that my time has been adjusted according to IAAF standards and my "official" time is now 3:12:30. After all is said and done it is somewhat less satisfying knowing that it was the result of some calculator work and not speed work but I'll take it.

Poking and Proding

I was recently asked to speak to the teachers at South Kamloops Secondary School about "what I do" in the classroom. Now "what I do" is nothing new or particularly unique. It is not even stuff that lots of other teachers aren't already doing. So why would I be asked to speak? Good question, the best answer is that the principal is a friend of mine and he knows I can talk on and on about educational practice and theory once I get going.

Originally I was asked to do a "short" session for the staff. This quickly turned in "Oh by the way, we've set aside the whole day for you". I must admit when I found out that I was expected to be the entire day's pro-d for the staff of a large very accomplished school I was a little anxious. Not nervous or afraid I couldn't fill the time, like I said I can talk and talk and talk, but I thought about how I would react to listening to some guy I didn't know talk at me for an entire day on "what he does". Considering that I am`a fairly harsh critic of poorly done pro-d this concerned me.

With the help of some friends, over beers in Barkerville but that is another post, I designed what I thought was a pretty solid mix of personal testimony, educational theory, professional reflection, practical examples and hands on activities. I had a mix of digital material to illustrate and entertain, I had samples of student work, I had templates and highlighters and discussion material and inspirational quotes and examples of research. It was all coming together.

Upon arriving at South Kam I walked into the library and to my horror looked upon a tiny overhead screen with rows upon rows of chairs set up in a lecture style arrangement. No speaker's table or podium just a space in front of the chairs for me to stand and talk. Ok, this would be a challenge but I was used to rolling with the punches as if you learn anything as a teacher it is nothing ever goes according to plan. I hooked up my computer to the projector they provided, it didn't work, so soomeone quickly went to retrieve a new projector. Again, no panic, if you present enough you are used to these small glitches. I tried to hook up my laptop but no wireless and the ethernet cord they had was too short. No problem, I could do without the internet it would just remove some of the more dynamic elements of my plan. Once the new projector arrived the same helpful person ran off to find me a longer cord. Excellent, I am back on for internet use. The new cord arrived and I quickly discover no connection and no one knew the proxy settings. Internet back off unless I use one of their laptops so I quickly transfer my files. Teachers are now arriving and it is time to start and my plan is already unravelling.

We all know as teachers once class starts you can't sweat the samll stuff as you just have to get on with things. I must admit despite the challenges of the seating and technology arrangements I started off on fire. Nice intro, good jokes, it was a tight 20 mins, of course the first session was an hour and a half. During my intro it also became clear that using the laptop, which was attached to a pedestal like tower with the projector, would require me to turn my back on the audience every time I used it. When I did bring something up the screen it was so small that you couldn't really see it anyways so I decided to abandon much of the visual element of my presentation. No problem, I could talk them through the examples and get to the first activity, an exercise in developing common language and understanding. When I turn it over to the staff they were fantastic. They dove into the exercise and generated some great discussion but it also become clear to me that some of my other activities were going to be very awkward without tables to spread out material and work on. No problem it was coffee and I had time 15 minutes to adjust.

During coffee I quickly revamped the order of my presentation, cutting out the examining school practices activity in order to get straight into reflecting on classroom practices. No problem, this was a solid midstream adjustment.

Well, what happens when you zig? Someone zags. Once we started up again I asked for any questions or comments and the rest of plan went out the window. People began asking very specific questions related to my classroom practices and school structures. People seemed to want to know how "it worked". As a result the next hour and half saw me lay my educational soul bare to be examined by a bunch of strangers.

Lunch finally came and I was really exhausted from what was for me a very mentally active morning. After lunch I was scheduled to do an hour session on using technology to end of the day. This is something I have done dozens of times for many different schools but once again I was faced with the fact that the tech and room issues were essentially going to result in me "talking to" the group about using technology with very few examples and no opportunity for hands-on. I waded in and did the best I could to try and give some practical applications for technology but by this time I was really tired of talking so I imagine they were really tired of hearing me talk. The staff, however, was great and at least feinted interest well.

People have asked how the day went I really can't answer that. I wouldn't say it was bad but it wasn't anywhere near what I wanted it to be either. It was a surreal experience to spend hours taking about your individual educational ideals and practices and be questioned on them. I take pride in the fact that I could provide answers and I hope that at a minimum the staff at South Kam saw me as a person who has thought about what and why his classroom is the way it is.

I would like to thank the staff at South Kamloops as they were an unbelievable audience, much better than I could have been sitting and listening for that long. My friend always brags to me about how great his school and his staff are and he is right their professionalism and passion is obvious as I hope was mine.

By the way, a little advice. Never facilitate and entire day of pro-d and then immediately get in your car and drive 6 hours by yourself. There is just way too much time for reflection.

Mirror Image

Admit it we are fascinated by look a likes, why else would that Cher impersonator turn up so many places, seriously not that many people are into Cher. While some people resemble others there are some that are freakishly similar. Take Andy Roddick and Stiffler (Seann William Scott). I actually have a hard time separating the two they look so similar. The entire time I watched the Wimbleton final this year I kept watching for Roger Federrer to throw out a comment about Stifler’s mom to throw Roddick off his game.


Then there is the just the plane old creepy morphing into the same person. Like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson or Dianna Ross or Farrah Fawcett. Yes, Farrah Fawcett! Seriously check it out, the bone structure, the hair, the eyes and they both mysteriously die on the same day, coincidence??? Makes you wonder if Michael was lightening his skin or if Farrah was darkening hers. The proof will be if Ryan O’neal becomes involved in the custody case for the Jackson 3 (Paris, Prince and the little Tito).



I know we have all wondered either secretly or aloud who we look like, hoping that people see a link to the Brad Pitts and Christy Brinkleys (I don’t care how old she is she is still hot) of the world. As for myself here are some of the people I have been told I look like, I’ll let you be the judge.

What I am reading

I am now on holidays looking for a good book and it is tough as I have recently had a good run of interesting reads.


Once a Runner is the legendary running novel by John L Parker and a must read for runners. First published in 1978 Parker sold it out of the back of his car at races from which it gained a cult following and critical praise . It was just republished this year so I grabbed a copy and was not disappointed. Once a runner is an enjoyable bit of fiction and a motivating read for anyone interested in running. It was pretty cool to get a glimpse into the psyche of the 70s running scene as Parker himself was an accomplished runner and sprinkles his book with real world characters, especially those from the hardcore the South Florida running community.


The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann recounts the tale of Percy Fawcett, the renowned explorer who went missing in 1925 while searching for the mythical city of El Dorado. Percy Fawcett is an interesting character and really the last of a dying bread of old school explorers (Apparently Indiana Jones was inspired by Fawcett so he is Ok in my book). The book describes Fawcett’s legendary ability to survive in the jungle and his dogged determination to explore the Amazon while also recounting the many failed attempts over the last century to discover what actually happened to Fawcett and his two companions. Grann provides a great deal of insight into Fawcett, as he gained access to private family documents, as well as an interesting bit of background into the Amazon. Grann keeps the story moving and you constantly find yourself amazed that Fawcett survived as many expeditions as he did. A great story of exploration and mystery that leaves you thinking that there is still more out there to discover.


Born To Run by Christopher McDougall is one part anthropological study of the Taraumara of Mexico, one part fitness self-help manual, one part human anatomy lesson all tied together by the crazy characters and culture of extreme endurance running. I enjoyed this book much more than I anticipated as McDougall keeps the story moving by focusing on the interesting array of characters he meets while trying to unlock the mystery of pain free running. Yes, I know it sound like an incredibly lame premise for a book but it really becomes quite an interesting story of self-discovery and the limits of human endurance while keeping a sense of humour and never getting bogged down with spiritual, soul searching rhetoric.

I have now switched to some fiction and have started Elephant Song by Wilbur Smith. My wife says it is was one her favourite novels so it seems like a good beach book.

1st Rant of Summer

My family and I have officially hit the road for a trip down to Gabriola Island to kick off our "vacation" portion of our holidays. As we stopped off at my parents house on the way I sat down to relax, read the paper and clear my mind of projects, household chores, schedules and appointments. With a clear and unburdened mind it suddenly hit me as I read about the new harmonized tax to be introduced in BC.

I @#$#%&! hate business. Not the average Joe trying to provide a service or product and make a buck but the business that our government talks about benefiting from every new policy that screws over the consumer. The type of business that seems to think you are a lesser human being if you are an employee. The type of business that thinks that gouges in the good times and then wants concessions in the bad times.

I mean come on, we are in the worst economic downturn in nearly a century and our government decides this is a good time to increase consumer taxes through the HST because it will provide some saving to businesses. I am sure that is a nice consolation to the guy who just lost his job at the mill. The upside is he really won't be affected by having to pay an extra 12% next time he is out for dinner since he doesn't have any money to eat out anyways.

Here's an idea to help businesses, reduce consumer taxes to encourage me to spend more.

My wife and I play the game. We went to university so we could get good jobs, we bought a house, buy RRSPs, pay into our pension, pay our bills on time and shop local when we can. However, as we are faced with dropping real estate values, disappearing investments and a pension plan that most likely is a mirage our government decides it is a good time to nail us with some more taxes to help support "business" through some hard times.

I would simply like a little more effort put into solutions to help business that don't include Gordo sticking his hands in my pockets.

Ahhhh....... Summer

Well, I find myself midway through the third week of a ten week summer and I am almost done my summer projects (at least the must do ones) to go along with a steady diet of food, drink and socializing. The best part is that we really haven't even started what we would consider our holidays, we just haven't been working. It has been so relaxing that I really don't have anything to write about but in the effort to at least keeping the appearance of this blog being up to date I thought I should post something. So below are a couple of pictures of one of our cabin squirrels doing his best humming bird impression and then testing out the guarantee on my father-in-law's squirrel proof bird feeder.