Weide Family Gathering

One of my favorite photos from the day.

My Bum Ankle

The gel cast that will keep me going the next six weeks.

Tuesday night, four of the five girls and I were on our way to Sortino's Pizza (Emily was at a friend's house) for dinner. On our way down the apartment stairs, Veronica asked me to carry her. Big mistake.

About three or four steps from the bottom of the second landing, I noticed Julia on my right and momentarily lost my concentration. Unfortunately, I couldn't see where I was on the stairs. In less than a second, I was tumbling forward.

The next thing I remember is rolling over on my back as the girls hovered over me. Lauren kept asking me if I wanted her to "call Dee Dee (Aunt Bridget)" while Veronica was rubbing my head. Olivia looked a bit shell-shocked and Julia just laughed. I kept saying, "just let me rest, girls, let me rest." That's because I knew I couldn't immediately get up. My feet felt like stumps.

I managed to hobble to dinner and put my feet up for the rest of the night. Sleeping was an exercise in futility, though. The next morning, with my right ankle still the size of a small tennis ball, Bridget drove me to the local "Doc in a Box" where I learned I had a high ankle sprain.

Smiling now, but the pain still hurts.

Vintage Veronica

A montage of Veronica's crazy antics at my apartment.

A Look Back On The Season

Lincoln – That wasn't so bad.

The talk I gave tonight at Bike Pedalers bicycle shop in Lincoln had a nice turnout (about two dozen people) was well-promoted (see advertisement above) and was well-organized (by Sean Craig) and moderated (by John Lefler Jr.).

It was nice to recap my fourth season in a photo slideshow and later through a question-and-answer session. The one question that stymied me a bit was one about how I have time for both family and work. The short answer to that is my "family" was stripped of me by no choice of my own and I am doing the best I can now to juggle work responsibilities with a visitation schedule that allows me to see my daughters as much as possible.

Thanks to everyone who attended and helped organize such a terrific event. You can watch the entire presentation on YouTube.

Tonight

This promises to be fun.

Waking Up To The First Snowfall

The view from my deck. The snow is already melting.
There's something almost romantic about the first snowfall of the season. I can recall quite a few over the years – whether it was when I was a student at Mount Michael, my freshman year at Kearney State College and even when I was a child growing up near 50th & Mason Streets.

How much of a surprise was this first snowfall? Well, the City of Omaha had to quickly mobilize a bunch of plow drivers because the forecast called for no accumulation, except on "grassy areas" overnight. When I woke up this morning, the snow had melted on the main thoroughfares but was still a slushy mess in my apartment parking lot. How much snow did we get? Well, from the looks up it, at least two inches.

Waking up to a fresh snowfall almost makes it easy to get out of bed. I imagine the girls are anxious to get out and play in the slushy mess. A couple of them have mentioned that playing in the snow in my apartment courtyard is one of their favorite memories of 2010. For me, all it took was this first snowfall to carefully eye that $300 airline ticket voucher and wonder when I'm going to book a flight to someplace warm.

The swimming pool doesn't look as inviting this morning.

Before nine o'clock, someone had already built this snowman.

Touring Aksarben Cinema

Jon and I try out the seats in one of the theaters.
Did you know theaters have a choice as to which movie trailers to show you? Did you know two weekends before Christmas is the second slowest weekend of the year for theaters?

These facts – and the location of all the restrooms – are just some of the things I learned during my late afternoon tour of the new Aksarben Cinema. Located in Aksarben Cinema, the 10-screen, all-digital complex opens Dec. 10.

Owner Bill Barstow and my sister, Bridget, enjoy the view.

First Snowfall Of The Season

They'll definitely have to plow the snow overnight.
Another winning forecast by local "weather guessers" who nearly unanimously agreed that rain would change to snow "between 1 and 3 in the morning" and snow accumulations of "about an inch" might accumulate "on grassy areas."

Well, the rain changed to snow a little after 6 p.m. and, by the time Bridget, Jon and I left Rock Star Burger, there was nearly an inch of snow already on the ground. If it keeps snowing like this as long as the rain was forecast, we'll easily have three or four inches by morning.

I wonder if these people even have a scraper in the car.

Frightening Faces: Part IV

Emily at Midtown Crossing.

Julia, before "Back to the Future."

In Case You Missed It: BTTF

Veronica got a "boost" at the movies.
Not mentioned in my earlier post about our trip to Midtown Crossing to see "Back to the Future" last Friday was the "boost" Veronica got that night.

When we arrived, it was quickly clear that Veronica's swivel chair at the theater left her a bit shy of seeing over the tall counter in front of her. So we contacted the wait staff by pressing the call button (pictured at right) on the counter. The traditional "taller" tool – a phone book – was a no-go, we found out. (Do they still print phone books?)

But the server didn't give up. She returned a few minutes later with a plastic cover used to keep food warm. The three-inch boost it gave Veronica was just enough to do the trick.

This plastic cover gave Veronica's butt a boost.

Fun With Shaving Cream

Veronica (left) and Julia got the ties and shaving cream out Saturday.
The girls were looking over the 2009 Christmas letter last weekend. One of the things that stood out to Julia was a photo of her, Emily and Olivia wearing my ties and reading magazines. What made the photo funny was the fact that they had shaving cream on their faces. (See the photo by downloading the Christmas letter in the upper right navigation panel.)

It wasn't long before Julia and Veronica came up to me wearing shaving cream (not necessarily on their face) and ties. I'm glad I can provide cheap entertainment.

Big Helpers

Unseasonably warm weather meant the patio was a workplace.
Having five extra hands around the apartment really helps when it comes to getting things done. That was certainly the case today when I threw a pre-season pizza party for my basketball team.

I needed to communicate to any parents who didn't check their e-mail that we had moved the party from the apartment clubhouse to Godfather's Pizza. That's where Lauren came in, making a nice sign (see below). Emily and Veronica were my "advance team" who put the sign up (they both initially started walking to the clubhouse without the sign and tape to put it up.

Later, Julia, Veronica and Olivia took it upon themselves to update the large wall calendar that hangs in their room. By the time they were finished, nearly every day had something listed on it.

Lauren went all out making this sign.

A Trip Back In Time

The post-movie shenanigans.
It was July or August of 1985 when I last saw "Back to the Future" on the big screen. The movie premiered in July and was a huge hit of what was a blockbuster year at the box office. Consider some of the other long-standing flicks (that I like) which debuted that year: "Fletch," "Rocky IV," "Spies Like Us," "Jewel of the Nile" and "Witness."

Having seen "Back to the Future" countless times since that summer – but always on a small screen – I jumped at the chance to see it in a movie theater. The timing was perfect, too, as the girls would be with me on the 25th anniversary of the date Doc and Marty went back to 1955 (Nov. 5). The only questionable part was the showing time: 11 p.m.

I laid out a plan that would involve the girls taking a nap from 7:30-9:30 p.m. and even bought the tickets in advance (it ended up being a sellout). Bridget (pictured at left) and Jon also got tickets – and I ended up selling the extras to five UNO students who were waiting outside and not thinking they would get in.

Only Lauren and Emily didn't take naps. Julia told me taking a nap "was fun" and only Veronica had a hard time waking up. But once we were out the door and headed to Midtown Crossing, they were all wide awake and ready for the flick. Midtown Crossing has "CineDine" - which is a great way to eat "real" food while you watch a movie.

Olivia and Julia ordered funnel cake sticks while Lauren opted for a small popcorn (which looked more like a large). Veronica had cookie dough candy and pop. The 45 minutes we waited for the movie to start went by quickly and soon the ticking clocks that open the movie were up on the silver screen.

I noticed quite a bit of things and sounds that I didn't catch on to when watching the DVD (or, in my case the VHS) copy of the movie on my TV. The girls loved it – and all five of the girls stayed awake the entire movie.

On the way home, we drove by "Brite Ideas" – which has a very colorful showroom that's lit up with tons of Christmas lights and decorations. All the girls thought it was cool that they were awake at 1:15 in the morning. When we got back to my apartment, they popped in "Back to the Future II." But only Olivia made it to the end. She said she went to bed after 3 a.m.

Getting Veronica to bed afterward was easier said than done.

Lauren said she was getting tired toward the end.

What's He Doing Up There Dad?

While he was up there, the guy cut a bunch of cables.
Around four o'clock this afternoon, KMTV tweeted something to the effect that a guy was on top the water tower in Papillion.

It sounded intriguing, so, an hour later, the girls (Julia, Olivia and Veronica) and I turned on the local TV news to see what was going on. Sure enough, there was a guy up on the water tower. So, after picking up Emily and Lauren, we decided to swing by and see the commotion. But when we rolled up on the Papillion water tower at 84th & Highway 370, there was nothing going on. Who knew Papillion had two water towers?

The one this guy was "leaning" on was near 6th & Washington in the downtown area. We drove by, saw a bunch of streets blocked off by police and the guy walking around on the catwalk. We decided to eat at the local Runza, then did one more drive-by (it was dark now) and saw him up there still cavorting around. One of the girls asked if he was getting cold. All of us wondered what he was doing up there.

When we got back to the apartment, we tuned in to a live internet feed of the event, which explained he had climbed down at one point and asked for a U.S. flag. But when police wouldn't give him one, he went back up. The girls also asked me if police would go up and get him if he didn't come down. And more than one wanted to know what he would do if he needed to use the bathroom.

About four minutes after we got home, the TV stations broke in to say the guy had voluntarily climbed down. Apparently, no one knows why he decided to climb the water tower because he doesn't speak English.

He spent a good portion of his time yelling at police, too.

Race Across The Sky 2010

The second edition of "Race Across The Sky" premiered tonight.

It's not easy making a documentary about the same subject two years in a row. In the case of "Race Across the Sky," the top competitors are usually the same, the course is the same, the weather was the same (in 2009 and 2010), etc. So I was expecting "more of the same" when I went to see this year's edition of the movie.

The great thing about seeing "Race Across the Sky" was the fact that my mom won tickets from BicycleRadio.com. She says she never wins anything. But that wasn't the case this time. We enjoyed the movie at Midtown Crossing (I saw the first "Race Across the Sky" at Film Streams this summer) with about two dozen others.

Another neat thing about seeing the movie "live" was the pre- and post-show panel moderated by Dave Towle. When he first appeared on the screen, my mom asked me if I knew him. (Of course!)

Way To Go, Lauren!

Lauren shows off her First Honors certificate.

Don't Soak In Water

This little creature was made by Lauren (out of sugar).
Tuesday afternoons are a busy place around my apartment. Around 3 p.m., I fire up the glass carriage (actually a mini-van) and head down to St. Mary's of Bellevue to pick up the princesses. Recently, I have not been able to pick up Lauren right after school because she has "Wits Clash" practice. So the routine has been to pick up the other four girls and head over to see Aunt Jean.

The stop to see Aunt Jean is a quick one, as we have to pick up Lauren by 4:15 p.m. Then it's back to my apartment for a snack, the changing of clothes and homework. And it's the latter that really consumes a lot of time and energy. Today it was Veronica whom I spent the most time with, as we made our way through the "Rosary Book" – which shows students how to pray the rosary. Lauren was working on history, Julia was working on a family tree and Emily was doing something that required her to use the computer. Or at least that's what she told me. Olivia only needed her agenda signed (which means her work was completed), so she helped take down the Halloween decorations in the hallway.

Speaking of Halloween, Lauren presented me with the unusual artwork pictured above. It's made entirely out of sugar, but it's not too fragile. When she gave it to me, I told her the first thing I'd do with it was "wash it off" so it was nice and clean. I don't think she picked up on that because any contact with liquid is going to turn that head into a pile of sugary mess.