Tamara's Blog

A Black Belt at 10

Earning a black belt in martial arts is a phenomenal accomplishment. At any age. But last Saturday, I went to a Taekwondo black belt ceremony for Nicco, my 10-year-old nephew. And the crowd - especially his family - went wild!

I guess this makes up for the fact that he doesn't care much for baseball like his Aunt Tam. See for yourself. (Note: The photo you're about to see is still one of my all-time favorites.)

Of course, the celebration wouldn't have been complete without an amusing Nicco-ism. As he stood there with his new black robe and pants on, I asked him, "So no more whites? You get to where your black robe all the time now?" Nicco responded: "Yes, and the great thing is that my mom doesn't have to work so hard to get the stains out!" A son who knows his mom all too well.

So here we have Nicco trying to put some serious black belt moves on me. I'm clearly frightened by the "attack." If only he could stop laughing so hard. That's our Nicco!

Congratulations Nicco! We're all very proud of you and this amazing accomplishment!

My Oh My! Dave Niehaus, the Blue Angels and More!

What a day it was at Safeco Field yesterday! Despite the Seattle Mariners dismal season this year, yesterday was a day to celebrate - and celebrate we did.

Check out these highlights and pictures:

1. Dave Niehaus was honored as Coopertown's latest Hall of Famer (click to enlarge first picture)
2. Edgar Martinez was there to present Dave with a crystal microphone on behalf of the players
3. It was Seattle's annual Seafair weekend, so during the game, we got to see the Blue Angels in action (click to enlarge second picture)
4. I went to the game with Dina, Henriët's mom - and we had the most delightful time! She's a hoot!
5. The sun was out!
6. The Mariners WON against the Baltimore Orioles - 8 to 4! And the crowds went wild...

My oh my! It was a good day indeed.

Baseball is the Best Game Ever

As Seattleites patiently await for some sign of excitement from our major league baseball team, we can all check out this great video from Improv Everywhere - the folks who get out there and make a scene.

This video is called "Best Game Ever." For this scene, Improv Everywhere turns a little league baseball game into a major league event. The players, coaches, and parents don't know what's happening. They worked with the league commissioner to get the kids' names and access to the field to setup their equipment before the game. NBC Sports also worked with them to get the jumbotron and the Goodyear blimp. Enjoy!

Blowing the Dust Off This Blog (cough, cough)

Hello again! It's been awhile - actually a long while - since you last heard from me. The last time we chatted, I asked you all to participate in a survey for a school paper - and WOW! - the response was tremendous. THANK YOU! I'll post the results from the survey later this week so you can see for yourself. Interesting stuff.

Much has transpired in the last few months, so in the spirit of pithy headlines and snappy descriptions, here's the Top 10 headlines in my life:

1. I went Mac.

   And will never go back. Yup, I bought a 24" iMac for personal use and I love it! I still have my Dell laptop, which I'm using right now to write this post. Seems that Microsoft Windows Live Writer (the best blogging tool out there!) doesn't work on a Mac...whaddup?!

2. Noetix no more.

   In April, I said an emotional goodbye to my employer of 7 years (actually 17 years if you add in its parent company). It was weird leaving the "family nest," but my friends and colleagues sent me off with a suitcase full of hugs and well wishes.

3. New job, same roots.

   I've returned to my roots working for a consulting company, but I'm not a consultant. Check out the press release on Forbes.com to see what I'm doing now. It's really kewl.

4. School's in session.

   I took last quarter off to ramp up on my new job, work on Semper Vita (see #5), and give my eyes a break (that's a story for another day). My break is now officially over. I start class again. Today. The doors open at 8:00 AM. I love summer school...I love summer school...I love summer school...

5. Semper Vita is in its 9th month.

   If you've talked to me in the last two years, you've probably heard me mutter something about "Semper Vita." Well, next week, the interim website for Semper Vita is rolling out, so now you'll be able to learn what all the fuss has been about. Stay tuned for more.

6. My Seattle Mariners, my oh my!

   The team really sucks this year. We're in last place in MLB. They just "let go" of all the top dogs who've allowed us to fall into this deep hole. There's still ~90 games left - plenty of time for a worthy comeback. Go Mariners go!

7. Another blog on ConversantLife.com.

   I have been invited to be a contributing blogger on ConversantLife.com - a site devoted to connecting faith to news and culture. I'll be approaching the conversation from a technology perspective. Stay tuned for that announcement too.

8. Jeannie releases her first book.

   My good friend, Jeannie Keneley, released her first book this month. It's called Beyond My Yesterdays: A Woman's Journey from Darkness to Light. Go check it out on Amazon.com. Congratulations Jeannie!

9. I'm changing my picture. Finally.

   I got a slough of pictures taken recently, so I can finally switch out my "peephole" picture in the banner of my blog. You will soon see that I really do have hair - actually, it's pretty long now. I'll switch it out this week.

10. Coming up.

    This week, watch for: survey results for the Eli Stone paper (mentioned earlier), a video on how to say Thank You to our troops (it's great!), a recent report on the current vision of the American Dream (times have changed), and a link to a visual diagram that explains why Barack Obama is able to decline participation in the public financing system. If you like pictures like I do, you won't want to miss this one.

Wear Your Gear on Mariners Monday Declares the Mayor

It's official. Seattle Mariners fans. Wear your gear on Monday as we begin a 3-day homestand against the LA Angels. The Mariners are HOT! right now, so now is the time to show your true Mariner colors!!

Here is the release statement:

Aug. 27 is "Mariners Monday"

Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) - 2:16 PM PDT Thursday, August 23, 2007

To support one of the most important homestands in recent Seattle Mariner history, Mayor Greg Nickels has proclaimed Monday, Aug. 27 as "Mariner Monday."

The Mariners, currently second in the American League West division, open a three-day homestand against the division-leading Los Angeles Angels in a series with postseason implications.

On "Mariners Monday," team officials are urging Seattle residents to wear Mariner caps, jerseys and T-shirts, as well as Mariner blue items, to work and school.

"We'd love to see a sold-out Safeco Field filled with Mariners Blue for that crucial three-game series with the Angels and give the Mariners a true home-field advantage," said Chuck Armstrong, Mariners president and COO, in a statement.

Source:

The United Countries of Baseball

As we get ready to head into the most exciting part of the MLB season, I wanted to post this great baseball map image. Click to enlarge.

Thanks to Matt (from my Fuller cohort) who forwarded this to me. A quick Google search revealed that this map is posted all over the Web and it seems to originate from the Niketown store in San Francisco. You gotta love it!

Days 14 and 15: More Theatre and More Baseball

Last night, my cousin and I went to see Jersey Boys in downtown L.A.  "Oh, What a Night!" best describes this Tony Award-winning Broadway musical about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. Their story was brilliantly told through song and dialogue.

The Four Seasons' most popular song was "December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)." This song has always captured my attention because that is the month I was born. Now that I've seen the song acted out, there is no confusion in my mind about what prompted that song. Oh my. Ignorance is was bliss.

Baseball in San Diego

Today, Jill Dyche picked me up in Pasadena and we cruised down to meet Ron Powell and his family at PETCO Park in San Diego. I had to chuckle when I saw that the Padres were playing the  Houston Astros. This was my third baseball game this week - two in Los Angeles and today's - and this was the third time I was seeing Houston play.

An added bonus was when they put Mike Cameron in to pinch hit for Gary Maddux. For those who've been tolerating my love for baseball will know that Cameron was my all-time favorite when he played for the Mariners.

It was a great game. The Padres won 5-3. Thank you to Ron and Jill for the invite! And yes, Scot, I wore my Ichiro jersey. Proudly.

Day 11: Fuller Students Go to Dodger Stadium

After an brutal illuminating discussion about Midrashic hermeneutics and epistemological capitulation yesterday, 20 of us from my Fuller Seminary MAGL cohort piled into cars and headed to L.A. for a night with the Dodgers.

It was great fun for all! The weather was great, the Dodger dogs were tasty, and the Dodgers actually showed up and WON the game - breaking a 4-game losing streak (and just a plain bad few weeks).

What made it even more fun (at least for me) is that 6 people in our group had never been to a baseball game before! I learned pretty quickly that trying to explain the "simple facts" of baseball is not all that simple. Whereas some of our cohort's theologians can speak fluent Theology-ese (while I have to Google every other word), you can put me at a baseball game where I speak fluent Baseball-ese, and the conversation seems to balance out. 

Meet the 13th MAGL Cohort

Here are some pictures from the game. Click each photo to enlarge.

• Group shot at the end of the game
• Joan and Nancy enjoying their first baseball game
• "Crazy" Englishman Dave waving Old Glory
• Yours truly enjoying a 3-run homer

Days 7, 8 and 9: From L.A. to Seattle and Back

Henriet and I managed to "lose a day" over the weekend - even though we never left the Pacific time zone. We were scheduled to fly back to Seattle on Saturday. That was going to give me one day to get things sorted and repacked so that I could fly back down to L.A. Sunday afternoon.

However, when we arrived at the airport late that afternoon, we learned that the Customs computer at LAX had failed. It impacted over 20,000 travelers - including Henriet and me. Our flight got canceled, so we flew out on Sunday instead. Henriet wrote about our adventure on her blog on Monday. Apparently, we participated in a history-making moment at LAX.

Unfortunately, I missed my flight back down to L.A. on Sunday, so I rescheduled for Monday AM. This, in turn, caused me to miss the first half-day of my new class at Fuller Seminary - The Biblical Foundation of Mission - but my professor was gracious and my group quickly caught me up at lunch.

Dodgers Stadium (and Larry King) That Night

This week, I'm staying with my cousin in Pasadena. It's close to Fuller so it works out well. On Monday PM, I went with her and two coworkers to Dodgers Stadium. It was great fun!

We sat a few rows behind the Dodgers dugout. Larry King sat close by. The four of us ended up on television as we sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. Almost 50,000 people were there to watch the Dodgers lose. Again.

When we got home, we watched ourselves on Tivo. :)

Days 1, 2, 3 and 4: Hollywood Bowl, Angels Stadium and Fuller

Last October, I flew down to Pasadena with my friend, Henriet. She was attending a 2-week intensive class at Fuller Theological Seminary, and I was just coming down to burn some vacation time.

Ten months later, Henriet and I have flown down again to Pasadena. This time, it is for me to attend a 2-week intensive class at Fuller Theological Seminary and for Henriet to audit a 1-week course with Reggie McNeal.

At the Hollywood Bowl with Jill & Evan

Henriet and I flew into LAX on Sunday afternoon. We picked up our rental car and drove to the Hollywood Bowl to meet two business colleagues, Jill Dyche and Evan Levy, to watch Reba "wash that man right out of her hair." If you recall, I was just in Grants Pass last week with Jill.

Jill & Evan had invited us to join them at the Bowl to see South Pacific starring Reba McEntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell. We had a wonderful time. Thank you Jill & Evan!!!

After the show, Henriet and I had the opportunity to drive back to LAX because Henriet's bag had decided to take a different flight than us. We arrived in Pasadena around 1:00 AM at the Fuller Guest Center.

The Angels Stomp Out the Red Sox

On Tuesday night, we went to an Angels vs. Red Sox game in Anaheim. I wore my Ichiro 51 jersey. If you were an Angels fan, it was an exciting game. The Red Sox played well through the 4th inning and then went MIA for the rest of the game. The score was 10-4. It was sad.

We had pretty crummy seats (topmost row in outer left field upper deck), but we were rewarded towards the end of the game with the fireworks show from Disneyland. All we had to do was stand on our seats and watch. Should I mention that the air quality was so poor that halfway through the show you really couldn't see the fireworks because of all the smoke and residue?

We got home late that night because Henriet decided to take a side tour towards Riverside. She was just looking for an excuse to drive fast.

Oh, Yea, and We're Going to School

Henriet has been writing about her class this week - about her instructor and about our red convertible. She's been able to keep up with her blog during class; I obviously haven't. :)

It's been great fun getting to meet my cohort and the instructors. We've s pent most of the time getting to know each other this week, telling our stories and learning more about Fuller and the program we're in. We have some amazing people in the group. I get to tell my story on Friday. I still need to make one up.

More later.