The First Degree

Last night Evan received his first degree black belt.

This is something he's been working towards for a little over three years and required not only the commitment to attending classes two times a week, but in order to pass his test he needed to know his entire form (all 48 moves), half of a past form (23 moves), 2 self-defense moves, create and choreograph a demo set to music (he chose a dance mix of the Star Wars theme and performed it with his friend J, a classmate and fellow black belt), break 2 boards (they're plastic and graduate in difficulty according to a child's age), remember and perform forms for 2 weapons, AND write a one page paper on what he learned on the way to becoming a black belt.

Oh yeah, and keep up with his regular school work.

But Evan rose to the occasion and kicked ass, if I may say so. I think I was more nervous than he was - my hands were shaking during his musical form.He showed off his flying side kicks and broke his boards on the first try. He was so fast, I didn't even get a picture of him breaking the board with a flying side kick. Thankfully, another mom took pictures and is going to e-mail them to me.

Here's my boy with his brand spanking new black belt and his friend. His instructor liked their routine so much she wants them to polish it and perform it in front of their class at school. Evan and J are stoked.

On a side note, as a reward for sticking with Tae Kwondo when there were times he wanted to quit and for earning his black belt, Frank and I gave Evan a Nintendo DS (he's been saving his money to buy one for two years, I think). He was very surprised at first when he saw the box then he started jumping up and down.

And now I can't tell which makes him happier; the black belt or the gaming system.

Another Theology Question

Before settling down to sleep last night Flynn asked how many days until Christmas. When I told her she exclaimed, "45 days until God's birthday!" Then she ruefully added, "How many will He be?"

As in, how old is God.

I told her I didn't know the answer and that was a good question to ask one of our parish priests next time they came to her classroom.

I wonder what his reply will be and if our priests will start cringing every time my children want to ask them a question. Evan still hasn't gotten an answer regarding his query.

(I happen to like these questions. I want my kids to be able to inquire and educate themselves, even if those questions may seem weird or silly. It shows me that Evan and Flynn are using their brains and not just following blindly; that they are creative thinkers. I don't want that individualism quashed. I encourage it.)

My Black Belt Boy

Last Night

How to sing like a 5-year-old:

1. Expand your song repertoire of Hannah Montana and Jonas Brothers to include old standards like "Take Me Out To The Ball Game".

2. Sing the following lyrics:
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out with the crowd
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the ball game
'Cause it's 1,2,3 strike you're out
At the old ball game!

3. If at all possible, stand on the second floor landing in your house to sing. It offers better acoustics.

4. Sing as loud as you can. This is important.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 over and over and over.

*********
Before my son drifted off to sleep last night, he looked at me and asked, "Mom, is there a cure for the plague?" then without skipping a beat made an "OK" sign with his fingers, put them up to his eye and asked, "Can you see my fingers?"

Yeah, I don't know where that came from either.

*********
My husband and I take turns getting the kids to sleep. Sunday is traditionally his day to take Flynn to bed. We sit with our children until they fall asleep (don't judge and don't tell me we made a bad parenting choice - it works for us so back off).

Flynn fell asleep pretty quickly and I saw Frank leave her room (Evan and I were reading an Eoin Colfer book). Not too many minutes later, Flynn came in and somewhat demanded "Where's Daddy?" I escorted her back across the hall and told her Daddy was in the shower. As we entered her room she gestured to the spot on her bed where Frank had been sitting and said, "See? No Daddy! I was not all the way asleep when he left my room." She was kind of p.o.'d that her father dared leave her awake but settled down and was soon fast asleep.

*******

I'll just say that watching Death Proof has confirmed my belief that Quentin Tarantino is one strange bird who would probably benefit from some therapy.

Frank's review? "Well, that was disturbing."

And I think it was about an hour too long but Kurt Russell does a good creepy.

"La La La Can Only Take You So Far"

Sarah posted this today and I thought I, too, would share this kooky amazingly cool song by The Bedroom Philosopher. It made me smile and I hope it makes you smile as well. Please enjoy.

I Don't Have The Words

Words are evading me right now. I'm a jumble of giddy excitement.

Yesterday the people of this country made history; history we can be proud of.

My friend Denise forwarded me the following message from Michael Moore, so I'm going to reproduce it here:

Friends,

Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.

In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.

There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.

It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.

But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.

We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.

An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.

We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.

I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.

But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.

The Kitty and The Jawa, Halloween '08