Random Fodder » Family

How to Get to Heaven

Novac — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:03:40 +0000

In a car ride together yesterday, Dylan started asking me about what happens to "bad guys" when they die. Thus began a brief but interesting discussion regarding theology.:

Me: Do you remember from Sunday School what you need to do to get to heaven?
Dylan: You have to die!
Me: Oh, true . . . but there's something else you have to do before you die.
Dylan: Uhh . . . I don't remember.
Me: What do you have to ask Jesus to do before you die?
Dylan: Give you lots of money? That's what you have to do.

So there you have it. Apparently someone needs to pay more attention in Sunday School. Of course, this is the same kid who made two finger puppets in Sunday School and insisted they were Anakin and Luke Skywalker.

The Theology of Portable Toilets

Novac — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:45:51 +0000

I took Dylan into a portable potty during one of Sebastian's soccer practices. He was extremely curious about the entire setup: The makeshift urinal, the disgusting blue liquid, the lack of a sink, etc. During our visit into the porta-potty discussion inside the overheated unit, this conversation took place:

Dylan: . . . and what is that pipe next to me?
Me: The pipe coming out of the part that you are pooping in?
Dylan: Yeah, that pipe that goes up.
Me: That's for ventilation, to let the gas and fumes go all the way up and out.
Dylan: Does it go all the way to God?

So, when was the last time you witnessed to someone in a single-unit portable toilet?

Sebastian Goes Rappelling

Novac — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:30:22 +0000

I have been wanting to do a geocache called Acrophobia. In order to find and log this particular cache, you have to rappel down over a cliff next to a waterfall, and the geocache is set into the side of the cliff. The cache owner, BigWhiteTruck, is nice enough to set up all the ropes, train you, and help you rappel safely to the cache and then to the bottom of the cliff. I was excited about doing this, so I set up a group outing where we would meet BigWhiteTruck and do the cache. I asked Sebastian if he wanted to climb down a cliff and I really expected a response along the lines of "Very funny, Dad." Instead, he nodded his head and said "Sure." Two months later Sebastian, I, and 13 others went to the cache and rappelled down the cliff!

Take a look as Sebastian (a.k.a. RicochetInfinity) rappels down the cliff:

We are all so proud of him! After we did it, he really just wanted to go up and do it one more time!

Sebastian Plays the Fire on Ice Tournament

Novac — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 17:15:04 +0000

Sebastian played his second and last tournament of the year as his team wrapped up the hockey season during the first week of March.

Though Sebastian did not get any goals this time around, he did have one great breakaway and did a great job on defense and as goalie. Against other teams this year, Sebastian did not allow a single goal when he was playing goalie!

Here is the footage from the March 1 tournament game:

Sebastian is excited about starting up soccer soon and is really looking forward to getting back in hockey this fall!

Sebastian's First Hockey Tournament

Novac — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:53:33 +0000

Sebastian and his hockey team played their first tournament in Camillus' Shove Park on Sunday, February 22. All the kids were quite excited to be participating.

The Midstate team started out with a warm-up skate followed by a pizza party. After that, they hit the ice for four back-to-back games against each of the teams. The half-ice games were 20 minutes running time, meaning they did not stop the clock for whistles or goals. Every 2 minutes, the buzzer sounded and teams make a line change. Essentially, each skater got two 2-minute shifts per game.

In his first two games, Sebastian made a great defensive effort. As you'll see in the video, Sebastian comes out from nowhere to check a would-be shooter. He also played as goalie for two minutes, but his defense did a great job and didn't allow even one shot on goal. In his last game, he finally got on the scoresheet with two goals in one shift. With the pressure of scoring lifted, Sebastian started playing more aggressively and almost scored a third goal, but time ran out. At the end of the tournament, each skater received a trophy.

There was no official scoring for the event because this is the non-competitive Tyke level, but Sebastian's team finished the tournament with a 2-1-1 record.

Sebastian Practices on the Crunch Home Ice

Novac — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:18:49 +0000

Sebastian's hockey team had a chance to play on the Syracuse Crunch's home ice on January 31. After the practice, they headed downstairs for a pizza party and then enjoyed a Syracuse Crunch game that night.

Sebastian scored a goal and had another good shot on goal. He played goalie and didn't let a single goal in!

Sebastian and his team had a great time during the practice and at the game later that night.

Missing Dad

Novac — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:06:48 +0000

After a few months of doing "all right" in respect to my dad's death, I just had a bout of missing him tremendously. My dad loved music, and back in the day (late-70s through the mid-80s) he listened to a lot of what we now call "classic rock". It wasn't until until the alternative rock music that he embraced the "music of the time" and as a non-fan of 80s music I had to agree. Dad was always listening to music — in the car on the radio or cassette deck, in the living room on the radio or record player, in the backyard with his speakers blaring out his bedroom windows.

I obtained a playlist of the "Top 500 rock songs". Dozens of these songs bring distinct and vibrant memories of my childhood, riding in the car or sitting in the living room and listening to music with my dad . . . Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Joe Walsh, The Eagles — listening to these songs again, I can hear him in the background, singing gleefully at the top of his lungs, unaware and uncaring of how badly he sang. He tried his best to sing well, but you could just tell that he was more concerned with enjoying the music and having fun.

Who knew that Roadhouse Blues would one day bring me to tears?

Sebastian's First Hockey Game

Novac — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:10:04 +0000

Sebastian's hockey team played their first "game" against the neighboring Camillus Cougars. I put the word game in quotes because there weren't referees or even face offs after every goal.

The Midstate teams did well against the Cougars, allowing just a couple goals and scoring plenty. Sebastian scored two goals on his first shift! On his second shift, he played the goaltender position (also a favorite of his) and blocked every shot that came his way.

Great job, Sebastian! We're all so proud of you!

Sebastian Returns to Hockey

Novac — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:48:55 +0000

Sebastian continues to go to physical therapy twice a week to build strength in his legs and ankles and also to improve his balance, all of which are good but below where they were before he went to the hospital for 10 days due to transverse myelitis.

On January 10, Sebastian returned to hockey practice, entered the rink, turned around, and gave me the thumbs-up. Mid-way through practice, he was moved from the lower skill level (IP1) to the higher skill level (IP2), so it was clear that he would be able to continue playing hockey without much problem.

The following day, Sebastian practiced with the IP2 kids and they played some scrimmages. In this video, you can see Sebastian making a couple goals (including one with a feigned shot). After the goals is some footage of some good shots and several other defensive plays Sebastian was able to make.

So as you can imagine, we're even more proud of him with his recovery since he has gotten back out there for hockey and is giving it all he can!

43 More Things — 2009 Edition

Novac — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 03:07:30 +0000

2008 has come and gone, and 2009 brings with it a new set of 43 Things to do. How did I do this past year?:

7 goals (16%) were completed successfully.
8 goals (19%) were abandoned.
28 goals (65%) will be carried over for 2008.

What goals have I chosen for 2009? 28 goals have been carried over, 14 new goals have been added, and 1 goal from 2006/07 has returned:

* A new goal for 2008.
‡ A renewed goal from before 2008.

You can always view my current list and past accomplished goals at 43 Things or on my own 43 Things page here.

Here's to the new year. May I accomplish at least some of these important 43 Things. And here's hoping you are able to accomplish your goals, too!