Sights of 2011 Holidays

Although mostly rainy, we did manage to get out and about the Seattle area.  The Seattle Sheraton had its annual Gingerbread House display to raise funding for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  On the flight to Seattle, we took in the sights from 30,000 feet to spy Crater Lake, Mt. Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier.  Although Christmas evening dinner was the height of food smells and sights, we sampled small and large bites at:

Locol Barley & Vine in West Seattle where Chuck had a gig playing jazz adaptations of tunes by local grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden to name a few as part of a keyboard, drums and bass trio; the atmosphere was local, the food was good (we sampled kale chips, a beet salad and a spicy corn and chicken chowder), and the music was a hit;

boom noodle at the U Village (which is no longer the U Village that I remember from my days as a kid going to the Village to bowl); while walking to the place from where we parked a horde of young men only wearing underwear crossed our path (didn't get this photo);

Red Mill Burgers in the Magnolia area; drive by this place several times as it is near where our relatives live; we first heard about this place on a show on the Food Network; the burgers and fries were terrific;

Kaname Izakaya in the International District that we visited for Happy Hour and consumed way too much food, the idea was to go and eat a little bit of this and little bit of that off their Happy Hour menu; we continued onto order ramen, soba and donburi; the food was good but the service was a little off;

Blue Star Cafe & Pub in the Wallingford district that must have one of the largest selection listing of scrambles and omelets known to humankind; I think I already know what I'd order for the next 10 times that I visit; not only is the menu large so is the establishment itself;

Stell's Burgers and More across the street from Seattle Pacific University is another place that we drive by frequently but had never tried; we tried the gyro sandwiches and Greek fries and were pleasantly surprised; the pita bread used for the sandwiches were warm, light and fluffy;

Old Mill Cafe outside Sequim where we stopped on the way back from our visit to the Olympic Game Farm; another stop being the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and Spit (could see Canada across the way!);

Getting to the Olympic Game Farm included crossings of Puget Sound on the Washington State ferries.  In all the years going to Seattle, this was the first such crossing for our kids.

Mixed into this fun was two movies with the kids:  The Adventures of Tintin in 3D (we even convinced Ojiichan to see what was his first or second movie ever) and Arthur Christmas.  The parents had a movie night too and took in the latest Sherlock Holmes offering.

The Adventures of Tintin was at the IMAX theater at the Pacific Science Center which we visited a second time to see the exhibits.  Finally, we hiked over the Fremont district on two occasions - the place has really grown up to have an interesting mix of restaurants and eclectic shops.

But really for the kids the best times seemed to be when they were just hanging out.  They built forts with the bedding.  They built their own arcade and shops.  They played games and discovered a new favorite game called Forbidden Island that was actually based on the need for teamwork to succeed rather than on winning or losing.

Perhaps that should be the message for all of us in 2012 - let's succeed together.

Faces of 2011 Holiday

We had a memorable time with family over the holidays. The following is a compilation of our many faces from the holidays. The fish eye and other effects were the courtesy of our new camera. We played with many of the settings - perhaps too many of them. It was only on our return that we discovered that we had shot all of our photos in compressed mode using a lower resolution. And we thought that there was something wrong with the camera...

Happy New Year!!!

We rang in the new year this year, just barely filling our glasses before the end of the countdown to midnight.  Then it was back to a game of bowling on the Wii.

Christmas Dinner 2011

The menu included: lasagna, turkey, scallop casserole, soy chicken, corn casserole, green bean casserole, mash potatoes, sweet potato rolls, green salad, rice, homemade chow mein noodles, strawberries and pear...and for dessert: apple pie, pumpkin pie, ice cream and creme brulee.

Afterward, we had a friendly round of a white elephant gift exchange that included coffee, a stick of beef salami, CD of Christmas music, that Drew Barrymore smash "Ever After," a multitool, a note tablet, chocolate turtles, a magic set, an LED headlamp, UNO card game, chocolate candy assortment, a puzzle, and window crayons.

After the game, there was a round of friendly bartering where that Drew Barrymore fan (Tatsu) traded up for the movie by giving up his UNO game. Ryan surprised his parents by giving away chocolates for window crayons. Naomi to the surprise of some secretly coveted the LED headlamp - perhaps a new instrument to read in bed after "lights out." The three most stolen items for the night were: an assortment of chocolates, coffee and a stick of salami - who would've thought in Seattle.

Neil Young, Bob Dylan and others

Can you name all of the performers?

Bob Dylan and Neil Young

This apparently was from something called the SNACK concert at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco in March of 1975.

Life Imitates Art...Sort of

Watch this video first...



Now read these lines from the song "Highlands" by Bob Dylan from his Time Out of Mind album:

Then she says, “I know you’re an artist, draw a picture of me!”
I say, “I would if I could, but
I don’t do sketches from memory”

“Well,” she says, “I’m right here in front of you, or haven’t you looked?”
I say, “All right, I know, but I don’t have my drawing book!”
She gives me a napkin, she says, “You can do it on that”
I say, “Yes I could, but
I don’t know where my pencil is at!”

She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says, “All right now, go ahead, draw me, I’m standing right here”

Ethan and Friends

Ethan has been able to develop close friendships in elementary school, but now that part of his life is coming to a close as he will be heading off to middle school next year. The sad part is that the new face of education in a large school district has kids likely at different schools as they move from elementary school to middle school. Here's a picture of Ethan with some of his closest friends. From this group, perhaps one or two may end up at the same middle school as Ethan next year.

Go Bears!

The Bears are winding down their football season that has AT&T (home of the SF Giants) as their home field with Memorial Stadium under renovation. They have their last home game tomorrow against the Oregon State Beavers.

At their home game last week against the Washington State Cougars, they had Tony La Russa of the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals on their sideline sporting a Cal lid. He was on hand promoting his Animal Rescue Foundation located in Walnut Creek, California.

As he has announced his retirement from baseball, the words out that he's looking for a new gig. He announced that his first job offer was one to be an elephant trainer.

Wave Your Flag

This is a current favorite video in our household. It was the official theme song for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

CYO Falcons Cross Country Running

We had all three kids run cross country once again this year. They each showed improved throughout the just completed season. The CYO program is through our neighborhood Catholic church/school, St. Francis.

Cross country running is somewhat less time demanding compared to other sports. First, the season is relatively short. There are two practices per week and there's one meet per week with the meet usually running about an hour and a half.

Ethan and Ryan ran in the 1st through 5th grade division while Naomi ran in the 6th through 8th grade division. Depending on the course the kids run any where from just under a mile to a little over a mile. Their meets this year were in Oakland, Danville and Alameda.

Here is a write up about cross country running by Matthew Keenan of the Kansas City Star that was placed in our kids' end of year packets.

Over the years my kids have played all the sports. At last count the number was nine...but only with the sport they picked last - cross country- did I gain an epiphany about what I - and they - had been missing. It's the sheer simplicity of a sport that has the complexity of putting one foot in front of the other. A sport that celebrates something you can do for a lifetime no matter the weather. A sport removed from parent politics, coach substitutions, or relying on a portly man with a headset calling an ill-advised fake punt that costs the game. Where the word "bench" never crosses anyone's lips. Where spectators cheer most loudly for those who finish last. A sport where the competitors are challenged to improve their last, best time.

Naomi won the Spirit Award for the 6th through 8th grade girls on the team. There wasn't a specific race that was mentioned, but for me she showed incredible spirit at her last race in Alameda when she ran when she easily could've opted out because she was getting over a bad cough. This was probably the toughest race she has ever run, but she fought and finished the course.

See if you can find Naomi, Ethan and Ryan below.

Or how about here?

Ninja Soccer Highlights

Ryan completed his first season of soccer competition in the Mt. Diablo AYSO U8 Division.  His team, the Ninjas, were a good group of 7 and 8 year old boys that all got along quite well with one another.

Ryan is playing competitive soccer for the first time this year. He's playing in a Under 8 Division of the Mt. Diablo Soccer AYSO. His team is the Ninjas. Ryan says he came up with the team name.

Lyrics for Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki
Kyu Sakamoto

(Words by Rokusuke Ei, music by Hachidai Nakamura)
- released in Japan as "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I Look Up When I Walk)

ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
omoidasu harunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru

ue o muite arukou
nijinda hosi o kazoete
omoidasu natsunohi
hitoribotchi no yoru

shiawase wa kumo no ueni
shiawase wa sora no ueni

ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru

whistling

omoidasu akinohi
hitoribotchi no yoru

kanashimi wa hosino kageni
kanashimi wa tsukino kageni

ue o muite arukou
namida ga kobore naiyouni
nakinagara aruku
hitoribotchi no yoru

(whistling)

-----------------------

Translation:

I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Remembering those happy spring days
But tonight I'm all alone

I look up when I walk, counting the stars with tearful eyes
Remembering those happy summer days
But tonight I'm all alone

Happiness lies beyond the clouds
Happiness lies above the sky

I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone

whistling

Remembering those happy autumn days
But tonight I'm all alone

Sadness hides in the shadow of the stars
Sadness lurks in the shadow of the moon

I look up when I walk so the tears won't fall
Though my heart is filled with sorrow
For tonight I'm all alone

--------
The story goes that the song was written by Rokusuke Ei when his heart was
literally broken by a Japanese actress, Meiko Nakamura.

Two Versions of Sukiyaki

Here's the original:


Here's a version used for a Suntory commercial that includes Tommy Lee Jones singing:

Kids on Bikes!

I think we broke a record for spontaneous bike riding on our street today!  We had kids on bikes with and without training wheels, scooters and even a motorized four wheeler.  This totally unplanned!

After this, our kids got so jazzed we went on a bike ride on the canal trails in our county through Concord and Walnut Creek.  We rode past Heather Farms, near John Muir Hospital, past Arbolado Park and underneath Ygnacio Valley Road before returning home.  The ride included a crossing of one major signalized intersection in a bike lane and two other mid-block crossings.  We even got a complement for safe biking from another biker on the trails.

Go Bears!

This is for you John...

http://www.yahoosportsradio.com/shows/rivals/jeff-tedford-7229/

Be Gentle, Kind and Beautiful...

... yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically.

The following is an article from on-line Shine from yahoo!

Is earning a black belt on your life list? Then this elderly woman in San Francisco just might be your ultimate hero.

Just two years before her 100th birthday, Sensei Keiko Fukuda has become the first woman to achieve a tenth-degree black belt—the highest rank in the martial art and combat sport Judo. Fukuda is now one of only four living people who've earned the tenth-degree (or dan) black belt. To put the accomplishment into better perspective, throughout history, only sixteen people have ever achieved this honor.

Fukuda began practicing Judo in 1935 and is the sole surviving student of its founder, Kano Jiguro. At her teacher's urging, she learned English to help spread Judo internationally.

During a time when getting married, building a family, and becoming a housewife was the norm, Fukudo bucked tradition, opting out of marriage to pursue the martial art.

"All I did was Judo...this was my marriage," Fukudo reflected tearfully to the San Francisco Chronicle. "This is when my life destiny was set. I just never imagined how long this road would be."

She described the Jiguro’s school, known as the Kodokan, as "old-fashioned and sexist about belts and ranks." In fact, an edict that prevented women from achieving any higher than a fifth-degree black belt kept Fukuda at that level for thirty years. She was finally elevated to sixth dan in 1972 when a woman's division was created.

Fukodo said she approached Judo and her life with the intent to "be gentle, kind and beautiful, yet firm and strong, both mentally and physically." Fukuda says this kind of beauty is decidedly not external. "A compassionate soul is inner beauty," she explained to the paper. "I believe this is true beauty...All my life this has been my dream."

Dream realized, the 98-year-old Sensei Keiko Fukuda continues to teach Judo three times a week at a woman's dojo.

Before You Move to Seattle or If You Already Live There

For those of you thinking about moving to Seattle or already living there check out this link.

Aaargghhhhhhhh!

Ethan: Here's what I look like when I have a bad hair day!

Ethan: Here's my surprised look!

Nuttin' but the best...

We had a simple birthday celebration for Naomi. This is the way it is when you have a good swim birthday.

With swimming into its final stretch with league and city championship meets going on, there's very little time for anything else including birthday celebrations. We'll do something more substantial for Naomi later.

Here's a short video from part of our celebration.

One Year Later...

It has been exactly one year today now since our dear friend John Komaru passed on. Life has gone on, but certainly it has been different without him. We still think about him often and from time-to-time his name will come up in conversation.

One of his colleagues yesterday at John's former engineering firm sent out a very nice email. The email simply stated "All – just take a moment today to remember John Komaru. His unfortunate death a year ago tomorrow was a shock to us all. I still think about the good times we had on the 237/880 project and how John brought so much to our team. He was a good friend to us all and a skilled professional." ~ Jack Tone

In another recent conversation, we were talking about our backgrounds. One person mentioned that she is now a chief deputy in her agency but does not have a college degree. She was able to get to where she is because of a unique state program to train people who have no formal engineering education to become engineers. I shared John's story with the group. His undergraduate degree was also not engineering related, but he did graduate work in an engineering field. John persisted to pass the Engineer-in-Training test, which admittedly is probably the harder exam because it covers subjects spanning a wider range. Following this he sat for and passed the professional civil engineers exam. I always greatly admired John for this achievement.

I understand that John was also remembered at the Institute of Transportation Engineers conference that was held last week in Anchorage, Alaska.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, we were able to visit John at his resting place. Here are a few photos from our visit.











The following are places where donations can be made in John's memory:

Cal Opportunity Scholarship
http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/donate.htm

Friends of Rollo
http://www.friendsofrollo.com/

American Heart Association
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

As Good As a Golden Goal

This goal was not the game winner, but it was as good as a golden goal.

Snow in Late June?

On where, on where can this be? Check it out! This is a snow drift almost as high as the building. The picture was taken on our recent road trip.



Take a guess! We'll post the answer in a future entry.

Clover's Home

Clover will be three years old this fall. For those of you who have never seen her home, here are a couple of photos.

She's upgraded her home once courtesy of Dorothy's ingenuity, She definitely has plenty of room in her current digs.

Here's an aerial view of her palatial home.


Here's a close up of Clover in her sleeping room.

Debris from Japanese Earthquake Tsunamis to Hit West Coast

The experts are saying that debris from the Japanese earthquake tsunamis will eventually hit the west coast of the U.S. It's just a matter of time. We've bookmarked a site called "Beachcombers' Alert!" that can be found under our Links that has information on this subject. Check it out.

One of Us

Traffic

3-Way Street from ronconcocacola on Vimeo.

We Was Flocked!

We awoke to a flock of flamingos on our lawn one morning.



They were everywhere!



Yes, that's right. We had been flocked! This is a school fundraiser.

Drug Relapse

Edgar Hansen on the Northwestern talks about a close friend and crew mate who missed "shove off" due to a drug relapse:

Shame
Guilt
No Dignity
Remorse
Lost
Sounds like someone coming off a relapse

Cal Bears Baseball - Team of Fate?

Cal Bears baseball was on life support earlier this season due to the university budget cuts. Although the program has been reinstated because of fundraising and generous gifts from alumni, it seems that the team is still playing as if these are their last games.

The Bears don't seem to care to do things the easy way. In the regionals at Rice University this past weekend, the Bears promptly lost their first game to Baylor with their ace pitching. This meant that to advance to the super regionals, the Bears would have to play their way out of the losers' bracket in the double elimination format. They proceeded to advance by beating Alcorn State and Rice only to find the undefeated Baylor Bears waiting for them. In this double elimination format, the Cal Bears would have to beat their brethren Bears from Baylor twice to advance.

The Bears won the first game 8-0, a game that was not a must win game for Baylor. In the nightcap game for all the marbles, the Bears again with their ace on the mound promptly worked themselves into a 7-1 hole. The sun seemed to be setting on the Bears' season. No amount of fundraising would help them this time.

But due to a series of fated, fortuitous events that included...

1. With the Bears still down 7-3 to start the 8th inning, the first Bears quietly were retired, arguably two of the Bears' better hitters.
2. That's when the Bears sprang for a single and a home run to quickly make it 7-5.
3. But in the top of the 9th, due to 2 errors on one grounder, Baylor gets one run back to make it 8-5.
4. In the bottom of the inning the Bears get a lead-off single, a crack in the door.
5. The next Cal player hits a perfect double play grounder that goes through the legs of the Baylor infielder. More fate?
6. Now the Bears have runners on 1st and 3rd.
7. Next batter hits another ball that has double play written all over it.
8. To start the double play, Baylor throws to 2nd base for the first out; but as Baylor starts the second throw to 1st for the double play, the Cal runner on 3rd breaks for home.
9. Baylor catches this and charges the runner headed for home to get him into a rundown. Being that Baylor was up 3, the correct play for them would've been to complete the double play and let the Bears score their one run.
10. So the rundown ensues, but Baylor makes another error by forgetting to cover home plate. Cal gets a gift without getting the 2nd out recorded against them. Still 8-6 Baylor.
11. Cal scores another run to get to within one run.

The Bears find themselves in the situation in this video:

Weeds Rule!

Yes, Ryan played a weed in the first grade school play. He wanted to be a weed and his wish came true. One of the rules was that the kids could not ask for a part. The teachers decided who was going to play which part.

The play "How Does Your Garden Grow" is a play that the first grade class does each year at our school. The weeds are always boys. Probably not too many girls if any at all who want to play the part of a weed. But the weeds usually steal the show because they get to do a rap song during the play.



Ryan played the role of the stubborn weed.

Uncle Chee's 70th!

Happy Birthday Uncle Chee!

Ryan: Who's Uncle Chee?

Me: One of Mom's uncles.

Ryan: Oh...

Me: Remember Tyler? He's Tyler's Ojiichan.

Ryan: I think I remember Tyler.

Me: I think when you see him you'll remember who he is.

One More Human Totem Pole

Here's a silly human totem pole!

Human Totem Pole!

In the day time and at night!

Who Can Go Higher Ojiichan?

A once in a lifetime photo?

Ryan: I wonder how high I can get in this swing?

Ojiichan: Watch how high I can get!

Ryan's Family Circus Trip Through Lawton Park

Ryan scooters down a path....
.....up the path.....then down a path...whoa, that was too fast....have....to....bail out!
Push the scooter over to the playground....
.....drop scooter and helmet.....and run up the slide!
Scoot through the play set over to the climbing ropes....bounce, bounce, bounce.....
.....keep talking to oneself....and hop, hop, hop.....
......through the second play structure to jump off....ooofffff.........
.....Mom, I'm thirsty!

Clover Gets Nails Clipped

The one activity that Clover is not fond of is getting her nails clipped. Dorothy is the nail clipper in our home. Here are a few photos from today's nail salon session.

Dental Visit and Ebisu

Dorothy and I had a chance to get away from the kids for a short while today. It didn't matter that this was only made possible because we had a dental appointment in San Francisco and Dorothy's sister was able to watch the kids for us. After the appointment, we sampled a trio of edamame, maki sushi, chirashi shushi, and shioyaki salmon at one of our favorite restaurants in the City, Ebisu. We actually tried to get a table at Hotei which is a noodle restaurant owned by the Ebisu owners just across the street from Ebisu, but the place was full. If your appetite is for ramen or other noodle dishes, then Hotei should be your destination. Ebisu does not feature much in the way of noodles. The one new item for us was the trio of edamame which featured the usual salted edamame, and then two variants: togarashi lime edamame and lemon garlic edamame. Our usual use of togarashi is on udon or other noodle dishes so having it on edamame was a first. The lemon garlic edamame reminded us of eating garlic fries. Thumbs up from us!

Mission San Francisco de Solano

In California, one of the subjects covered in fourth grade is the history of California missions. These missions were significant in the early history of what is now California. The establishment of these missions led to missionaries being sent to California by the Spanish government and forever changing the state's history.

The teaching of this part of California's history in schools has not been without controversy. Critics have pointed out that in instances the teaching has been sanitized of some of the less palatable elements of the relationship between these new Americans and the Native Americans. Missionaries converting the natives to Catholicism using techniques viewed by as being overly coercive. Natives attacking missions and then suffering for such actions.

General Mariano Vallejo was responsible for establishing Mission San Francisco de Solano in what is now Sonoma, California. Later in life, Vallejo played a key role in the conversion of California from a Mexican district to a State, including naming of the counties in California.

It turns out that Mission San Francisco de Solano would be the last of the 21 missions established in California. It was also the only mission that was established after Mexico's independence from Spain. It was the last mission established because of the secularization of the missions.

Ethan along with the other fourth graders visited Mission San Francisco de Solano. The field trip included sketching the mission, a visit to the barracks, a visit of the mission, lunch in the town square, and a short walk to Vallejo's home. The interesting aspect of the field trip was that Ethan's class only saw one of the other two classes just once until the end of the field trip when it was time to re-board the buses.

The songs in the slide show below are "El Album" by Aterciopelados (a folk band from Columbia) and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day. Enjoy!

2011 Little League Opening Day

After a hiatus from baseball, Ethan is giving baseball another try. His team is the Double A Cardinals. Ethan is playing at the level where the players are pitching to each other for the first time. This means that there are many walks and lots of runs scored.

Ryan is playing for the first time and his team is the Single A Nationals. Ryan's league is a coach pitch league which means that your coach pitches to you. There are no walks, but there are strikeouts.

The league runs to about mid-June. Below is a little slide show of the Opening Ceremonies for the league with the Mayor on-hand to throw out the first pitch. Let's play ball!!!!

Family Dinner

We had a nice night out with Dorothy's sisters and some of their family at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in the area, 3 Brothers from China.


This was the first time for some of us to meet the newest addition to the family, Kalista!


Cheese!


Kalista making the rounds to visit everyone!


Checking out Naomi's sketching!


Ryan ate so much that he decided to do some push ups to work off the food!

2011 Pinewood Derby Car Races

KokuaJapan

Came across this web site set up by a San Francisco law firm to raise funds to aid the victims of the earthquake in Japan:

KokuaJapan.org

Kokua means 'help" in Hawaiian.

The following are other notable donations:

Taiwan - $38 million through televised fund raisers
Tadashi Yanai (president of Uniqlo) - $12.2 million (cash and goods)
Coach (fashion house) - $5 million
JPMorgan Chase - $5 million (through various charities)
Toyota - $3.75 million plus donation drive through North American plants
Nissan - $3.75 (through Red Cross and other donations)
Honda - $3.7 million
Walt Disney Company - $2.5 million
Boeing - $2 million (through Red Cross)
Wells Fargo - $1.5 million (through Red Cross and other charities)
Gree, Inc. - over $1.5 million
Mixi, Inc. - over $1.5 million
Starbucks - 100 million yen plus donations
Ichiro - 100 million yen (about $1.23 million)
Hyundai - 100 million yen
Sandra Bullock - $1 million (through Red Cross)
Demi Lovato - $1 million
SM Entertainment - $900,000 (through Red Cross)
Sutter Health - $500,000 (through Red Cross)
Red Cross funderaisers at Angel Stadium and the Rose Bowl - $250,000
Google - $250,000
Lady Gaga - $5 bracelets raised $250,000 in 48 hours
Mazda Foundation - $150,000 (through Red Cross)
Microsoft - $100,000
Telus - $100,000 plus matching funds (through Red Cross, Salvation Army and UNICEF
Seattle Mariners - $100,000 to match donations by their fans and front office
New York Yankees - $100,000 (through Red Cross and Salvation Army)
Eric Schmidt of Google - $100,000 in matching funds
Pacific Software - $70,000 in donations and matching funds
Oakland A's - $1 for every ticket sold for April 3 game against Mariners plus other fund raisers
San Francisco Giants - $12,500
Medefile International, TEMPTU, Clint Eastwood/Warner Bros., Charlie Sheen, Creed, Hanae Mori Parfums, Jewelry for a Cause, Afterzine, Artist James White, Made With Japan, Steven Alan, Rebecca Minkoff, Theory, American Eagle Outfitters, Karmaloop, Gap Inc., Bergdorf Goodman, Brroks Brothers, Forever 21, H&M, Gilt City, Natori and Josie, Zero, Alexis Bittar and other designers and celebrities are making donations through the sale of merchandise.

Big Game Win for Bears

Ethan got to experience his first Cal game against Stanford yesterday. Although it wasn't the biggest crowd of the season, Haas Pavilion was rocking just the same. After all, it was Stanford in the house. It was fun to see Ethan's reaction to seeing the Stanford tree for the first time. He thought that it was goofy, especially that the mouth that was attached to the tree looked ready to fall off at any time.

The Stanford band was their usual obnoxious self, playing barely recognizable tunes that became less frequent as the game wore on as it became apparent that there would be very little to cheer about for the cardinal-clad. Most of the empty seats were arranged around the Stanford band giving the band a halo-like effect. Even the Stanford fans who were nearby chose to distance themselves from the seats closest to the band probably to prevent premature deafness. Although we were on the opposite side of Haas from the band, each time the band would strike up Ethan would put his fingers in his ears because it was too loud.

The Bears broke out to a 10-2 lead and never looked back to cruise to a 74-55 win. When the Bears started to clear out their bench, the lead had grown to 28 points. Here's a link to highlights from the game, including a fastbreak layup (starting at about the 1:17 mark of the video clip) that must've brought a smile even to Coach Montgomery. Pass, pass, layup with not a single dribble over half court. This was like one of those drills run in practice with no defenders.

On senior day, the Bears faithful said good-bye to three seniors in pre-game ceremonies. Markhuri Sanders-Frison and two team managers. The Bears lose one key player, but will be adding at least 4 new faces, including two players who are currently redshirting. Although the Bears are not loaded with blue chip recruits like some schools (Arizona, UCLA and Washington come to mind in the Pac-10) and usually are undersized and less athletic compared to their opponents, having the best Pac-10 coach on our side of the court is a big plus. The players part in this is that they have figured out how to play as a team with great chemistry and no hint of personal agendas. The Bears are a very good college team in every sense of the word "team." Looking forward to more Pac-10 hoops next year.

For Fans of Shawshank Redemption

Shawshank Redemption
Writing to a Dramatic Purpose
by Bill Johnson
http://www.storyispromise.com/shawshan.htm

Shawshank Redemption is a film that points out once again a fundamental truth of storytelling. That by clearly setting out and writing a story around a dramatic issue like redemption, the storyteller sets in motion both a plot -- what the main character must do to gain redemption -- and a deeper story issue – whether adversity can lead to redemption.

By potently and vividly resolving and fulfilling its promise, the story offers a vivid story journey around the transforming power of adversity.

The story begins with its title, which suggests the story's promise. The title, then, is written around setting out the point of the story, not hiding it. By quickly setting out the story's promise, the storyteller can begin developing drama over the story's outcome. Will the main character here gain redemption? To delay the presentation of this issue risks weakening the story to create a distant plot revelation.

Music lyrics, 'If I didn't care... would I feel this way. If this isn't love, then why do I thrill."

This song is a set up for an introduction to the main character, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins), and his inner feelings. The lyrics are ironic when we discover his inability to express his feelings, and the repercussions of that failure. Knowing the situation the main character confronts as the story opens, the storyteller choose a song that makes a pointed reference about him. The song and its lyrics are an integral part of the story, just as every element of a well-told story has a discernible purpose. Writers weaken a story when they try and construct it from details that only have a vague association with the dramatic context of the story.

Next we come up on street lights; a quiet night. Another contrast to what will soon be happening.

We move into car, a man listening to the same song that opens the story. Who is he? Andy. What's he doing? The questions arise naturally.

He puts something in his lap. A gun. He loads bullets into it, drinks. He needs courage. Question, courage to do what? The questions here multiply. The song, coupled with the gun and drinking, suggests Andy is tormented by his feelings and is readying himself to do something about them. As a character, he is dramatically ripe. Ready to act as the story opens, not just thinking about taking action. If he were still thinking about acting, he would be a static character no matter how dramatic the situation around him.

Cut to Andy being asked a question at a trial about his conversation with his wife; that his wife asked for a divorce. He was very distraught at the time, but as he testifies, he appears calm, cool.

His wife, it comes out, was having an affair with golf pro. Cut between Andy in car and the trial, where he appears cool, unfeeling.

Andy calmly insists he didn't kill wife and her golf-pro lover, but the DA insists he was on the scene, had a gun. That the gun he insists he threw in the river was never found.

Is he innocent?

We see Andy get out of car with gun. Walk toward house.

DA talks about people being shot eight times. So gun had to be reloaded. A crime of passion.

We see Andy's wife and golf pro making passionate love.

Judge sentences Andy to life in prison, consecutive terms.

Cut to bars sliding open, a man entering a room. Andy? No, it's Red (Morgan Freeman) in for parole hearing. He's asked if he's rehabilitated. He's very agreeable, says that he's "a changed man. No longer a danger to society."

Cut to: 'Rejected' being stamped on his parole form. The scene gets right to the point. No one buys that Red is rehabilitated.

He returns to the prison yard at Shawshank prison. This naturally frames a question, will Red ever change? Ever be ready for parole?

Red walks up to see view in yard.

Through a voiceover, Red explains he is a con who can get anything for anybody. "A regular Sears and Roebuck."

We hear siren, see prison van approach. Question, who's in the van? By withholding that information, simply showing the approach of the van and the fuss about its arrival, a small revelation is set up about who's in the van.

We come up over roof to 'see' prison. This visual image is suggestive that we're going to be allowed a full view of this world. Even the camera work here, then, speaks to a dramatic purpose in the story, becomes another element in how the story is presented.

Men in the prison yard move with purpose toward the van and the arrival of new prisoners. Why are the men excited? The audience is set up to anticipate something.

Guards and cons alike await new prisoners, lining up to see them.

Door to van opens; guard comes out, then others. Finally, Andy comes out.

It quickly comes out that the cons like to torment the new arrivals.

Andy is shy, wears a suit. He's really out of place in this new, harsh world. By showing how out of place he is, a question is naturally generated: can he survive here? What will happen to him in the coming days? Minutes?

Red takes bets on which new man will get beat up first, will be broken.

Red, "I didn't think much of Andy... my first impression of the man."

The story will change the impression of Andy for Red and the audience. Red is set up here as our guide in this story, a guide to the world within the walls of Shawshank.

Andy looks up at the formidable walls as he enters prison. This is to let the audience more fully experience this moment. It also becomes a sly commentary on the inner fortress walls Andy must surmount.

We meet Captain of guards and the Warden. Rules are spelled out for the new prisoners.

Rule # 1. No blasphemy.

One guy wants to know when they'll eat. Captain cusses him out and hits him while Warden looks on. The audience is being shown that Andy has entered the abyss.

Naked men are hosed, deloused.

Men are taken into prison naked and put into cells. It's meant to degrade, and the moments are set up for the audience to experience, to feel the degradation of these men.

Red narrates what it all means, how many men break down and cry their first night. The question, "Who's it going to be?" Who's going to cry first? That's what the betting in the yard was about. Red has bet that Andy will break first.

Red narrates, remembering his first night in prison. Red, the "boys always go fishing with" new men. The cons bait the new men.

Fat man, a new prisoner, cries out plaintively, "I don't belong here."

Cons jeer him.

Fat Man, "I want my mother." Con, "I had your mother; she wasn't that great."

The fat man can't stop pleading that he shouldn't be there. A con in a cell quietly pleads with the fat man to shut up. The Captain brings the fat man out and beats him senseless with a club.

We're shown the brutal immorality here. That the real evil is with those running the prison.

Red narrates that he lost cigarettes because Andy didn't break that night, that he never made a sound. This is another step in our journey to take in the full measure of Andy as a man.

Morning, men walk along cell block and into mess hall.

Where will Andy sit? What will others do? He sits by himself. Picks maggot out of his food. An old man asks for the maggot. Andy gives it to him. Will the old man eat it? It turns out the old man has a baby bird in his coat.

The bird becomes a continuing character in the story, not just a momentary effect in this one scene. Great stories layer their effects, build on them, develop them, deepen their impact, in small moments and large.

A happy con comes in; he's won cigarettes from the bet about who would break first.

Andy listens to conversation, that fat men received no medical treatment. Andy asks his name.

Con, "What the f--- do you care? Doesn't matter what his name was, he's dead."

Andy is listless in shower. Another man asks, "Anybody get to you yet?" He's offering protection for sex. Question, how will this turn out?

Red narrates that it took Andy a month to speak to someone... and that someone turns out to be Red.

Andy still maintains his innocence.

Red, "Rumor has it you're a cold fish... think your shit smells sweeter than most."

Andy asks Red to get him a rock hammer.

Red thinks he might want it for a weapon. Boggs (the prisoner who spoke to Andy in the shower), wants Andy for sex, according to Red. Red tells Andy to grow eyes in the back of his head. Andy says he won't use the rock hammer as a weapon.

Will Red get it for him? They agree on ten dollars as the price.

Set up of question, pay off. One way to draw an audience through a story is to raise a small question at the beginning of the scene and resolve it by the end of the scene. Questions can also be set up to play across scenes, or through the body of the story, its plot, character goals.

Red tells Andy the rules. If he's caught with the rock hammer and mentions Red, he'll never get him another thing... gum, anything.

Red, "He strolled... like he had on an invisible coat that shielded him." Question, will he be able to keep that shield?

Cut to laundry room. Black man sticks something in shirt. It gets to Red. He gets rock hammer and realizes it can't be used to escape or as a weapon. Or so it appears.

Old man who fed maggot to baby bird delivers book with hammer to Andy.

Andy sent to basement area. Other men surround him. He's beaten by three men, including Boggs, and, we assume, raped. We have an answer to that question of what would happen to Andy.

Red, "Prison is no fairy tale world."

Red talks about Andy showing up with fresh bruises. That sometimes he fought them off. Red continues that this went on for two years, that it might have eventually broke Andy, but something happened.

Question, what?

Cut to Warden talking about new license plate factory needing volunteers. Andy and others volunteer.

Red smiles that he's called because of bribe. Andy is on detail as well.

While cons works, Captain talks about how a brother died with money and he's only getting $35,000, and the government will take most of that in taxes.

Andy looks off at something. What?

Andy walks toward the Captain. This sets off a reaction by guards. Will Andy be killed. What's he doing? He tells Captain he can keep money if he trusts his wife enough to give her the money. The Captain is outraged. Will Captain kill him? Andy, an ex-banker, explains that he can set it up so the Captain gets to keep most of the money if he puts it in his wife's name, and he wants three beers each for the work crew for the advice.

Captain goes along.

Cons get to drink ice cold beers.

Red, "We felt like free men."

The audience gets to experience this great victory with the men.

Andy has a strange smile. Big question, what's he smiling about? He refuses beer. Red believes Andy did that to feel 'normal' again.

Andy plays chess; Red hates the game. This comments on how Andy will eventually get out of prison, one move at a time, in a game that takes 20 years to play.

Andy needs rocks to carve chessmen.

Red comments that they are becoming 'friends.' Andy wants to know why he's there. Red's in for murder, the 'only guilty man in Shawshank.' Red knows who he is. Question, who is Andy?

Andy gets up. He carves something into wall with rock hammer. Question, what?

Cons watch movie.

Andy asks Red to get him Rita Hayworth. A poster? What?

Andy leaves. He's attacked again in the movie projection room.

Man takes out knife. He threatens Andy for oral sex. Andy refuses and is beaten senseless.

But now the Captain has something invested in protecting Andy. Boggs, the con who's been raping Andy, spends a month in solitary for the latest attack on Andy. When he returns to his cell, the Captain waits for him. He beats him into a wheelchair as a broken cripple. The Captain is sending a message that Andy works for him now, and he won't tolerate him being abused.

Cons decide Andy is someone to respect. They go out to get him rocks for chessmen.

Man finds a rock, but not right one. It's petrified horse s---.

Red gets in a shipment. It includes a poster of Rita Hayworth.

We now see walls of Andy's cell. It's covered with pictures.

Con mops. Guards come along for sweep of cells.

Captain, to Andy, on your feet. They trash his room, possessions.

Warden comes in. He's pleased that Andy reads Bible. Andy's favorite passage about being ready for Master's appearance.

Captain finds chessmen.

Warden disapproves of Rita poster, but he allows it.

Warden, "Salvation lies within." True words. It lies within Andy.

Andy then is taken to see Warden. Warden asks him if he wants to work in Laundry.

Andy is reassigned to Library. We see raven who was baby bird when first met, with Brooks, the old man in the prison.

Brooks doesn't know why Andy has been assigned to be his assistant.

Captain brings in guard who needs help with Trust. Andy, here, is not a con; he's a man. He sits across from guard as his advisor.

Brooks relates in mess hall how guard shook Andy's hand. Andy wants to get new books. Can he get funds? Another question that will play out across several scenes.

Andy asks Warden for funds. Warden says he'll mail letters. Will he? What will the letters accomplish?

Andy continues doing financial services. Does tax returns...first year, half the guards, then everyone, then guards from other prisons.

Red narrates Andy needed staff... which turns out to be Red.

Red, "And still, he kept sending those letters."

One day Brooks the old man goes crazy, pulls a knife. Andy tries to talk him out of killing Heywood.

Then it comes out that Brooks must kill someone or be released.

Red tells the others why Brooks wants to stay in prison, that it's the only life he knows. Some cons don't believe it.

"These walls are funny. First you hate them. Then you get used to them. Enough time passes, you depend on them."

"They sent you here for life... that's the part they take."

Will this happen to Andy?

Brooks tells 'Jake' the raven he's free.

Brooks leaves prison. He doesn't know what to do.

Brooks on bus, on city street. Sad music plays.

Brooks, narration, "I can't believe how fast things move on the outside." Cars are everywhere; everyone hurries.

He gets room in a half way house and job as bag boy. He worries about Jake. He thinks about robbing store, but feels he's too old. He's afraid all the time. He decides to leave. But where will he go? What will he do? He does something with knife in ceiling of his room. Question, what? Brooks then hangs himself.

We pick up his thoughts via his last letter being read by Andy.

Andy finally gets books. They are addressed to him.

He also gets a check for $200 to buy more books. His letters have brought in a donation. A guard smiles in spite of himself. Guard, "Good for you, Andy."

Andy, "It only took six years."

Andy has a moment of joy. The man who didn't appear to feel is learning to openly feel. It's a significant advance for the story. The moment is presented in a way the audience can fully experience it with Andy. He has taken another, inner step toward redemption.

Andy finds record, opera. He plays it.

He picks up key. Locks himself in room.

He plays opera music so everyone in prison can hear it.

Moment becomes transcendent as prisoners listen to music.

Everyone is shocked, everyone.

Everyone stops what they are doing.

Red narrates joy of moment, even though no one understood opera music. "Every last man at Shawshank felt free."

Andy is sharing his new feeling of freedom, sharing it with the other cons and the story's audience.

Warden demands Andy open door, demands Andy turn off music. Andy turns it up.

Captain breaks in after telling Andy, "You're mine, now."

Andy gets two weeks in solitary, in 'the hole.'

Andy tells others he took music with him in his head into the hole. He's teaching the others to transcend, sharing the experience with the audience by talking about it.

Andy, "That there are places... they can't touch."

Red, "Hope... is a dangerous thing... can drive a man insane."

The story is now on a new track.

Doors open into parole hearing. For who? Red again.

Red runs through his same routine of being changed. He's more thoughtful about it now. He's been in prison for 30 years, Andy ten. Question, will Red be paroled?

No.

Andy gives Red present. Harmonica.

Men are lined up outside cells for searches. Red sends Andy a new poster. Of who? Marilyn Monroe over the grate, her dress billowing up. The poster helps the audience track the passage of time.

Red looks at harmonica. What will he do? He plays it.

Andy writes two letters a week for new books. Finally, he gets $500 for new books.

A wall comes down, a metaphor for what's happening as Andy needs more room for books, as Andy expands his inner sense of freedom.

Men label books. Dumas is Dumb-ass.

By Kennedy's assassination, library has Hank Williams records and is best prison library in country. Andy is changing what exists within the high, thick walls of the prison.

Warden proclaims rehabilitation outside prison walls; that prisoners will work outside of prison. Warden is now older. That also let's the audience naturally track time passage. The new system is meant to save money, but it allows warden/guards to skim money from different projects. Warden/guards, then, are showing themselves as the real criminals.

Warden accepts bribe to not let prisoners build highway, and Andy keeps books for Warden.

Warden has wall safe behind religious message. It's where books are kept. Andy is getting a few gray hairs now.

Andy tells Red there's a river of dirty money running through prison. Red is concerned that it will lead FBI to Andy. Question, what will come out of this? Andy explains he has created a phantom person on paper with birth certificate, driver's license, etc. to collect money. Andy, "I was an honest person. I had to come to prison to become a crook."

Andy sees that what he's doing also got library, helped prisoners get high school diplomas. He's learning all is not black or white; that to be wise is to discern the real nature of what is good and evil.

Sirens sound. We have a new kind of cons coming into the prison, young punks. Prisoners from a new generation. One is Tommy Williams. It's 1965. He gets in with Red's group. He's in for two years.

Andy suggests he should learn a new profession, based on his convictions. Andy's now an old con. And tells Tommy everyone in Shawshank is innocent. Tommy has wife and baby on outside. He asks Andy for help, but Andy calls him a loser.

Andy teaches Tommy his ABC's, teaching him to read.

Red narrates that Andy helps Tommy in part to pass time now that he's built a library.

We see chess set, a few pieces short of being complete.

Andy gets a Raquel Welch poster. We're watching time pass through posters.

Andy times Tommy taking a test. Tommy flips out because he knows he failed test.

Red tells Tommy that Andy is proud of him. Red tells Tommy Andy is in for murder. Tommy's face turns somber. What?

Tommy tells about a cell mate in a different prison, Elmo Blatch. Twitchy, strung out guy who talked all the time. He told Tommy about working at a country club. It turns out Elmo did the murders of Andy's wife and her lover. The golf pro woke up and gave Elmo a hard time, so he killed both of them.

Now we have an answer to a question that began the story, did Andy kill his wife and her lover? But now we have a deeper, more pressing question. What will come out of this?

Warden then tells Andy new con was making up the story. Will the Warden help Andy considering how much he needs Andy around?

Andy calls Warden obtuse, which upsets Warden.

Andy says if he gets out he'll never mention Warden, which sets off Warden, who puts Andy in hole for a month.

Prisoners now know Andy is innocent. He's been in prison 19 years.

Tommy gets his degree. Moment is drawn out. Red, looking at it, "Well, shit." Then guard opens hole. He tells Andy, "The kid passed. C+ average."

Andy smiles. Even in the hole, he's a free man.

Captain pulls Tommy off mopping detail to talk to Warden. But it happens in a dark cage. What will happen? What does he want from Tommy? He offers him a cigarette. "We have a situation here." (A line from Cool Hand Luke). Warden wonders what is the right thing to do. Is he being serious? Will Tommy swear before a judge and jury? Tommy says yes.

Warden looks up toward someone behind Tommy. Who? Shots ring out. Tommy is shot dead.

Door to hole opens. Warden tells Andy Tommy is dead.

Andy tells Warden to run his own scams. Warden threatens Andy will do the hardest time there is. Warden, "You'll think you've been fucked by a train."

We are seeing the face of evil. Just when it seemed Andy might gain his freedom, he's thrown deeper into the abyss. Again the progression here is natural, unforced, but what led to this moment was constructed from the beginning of the story.

Warden adds another month to Andy's time in hole because of his insolence.

Lights go out, just as they go out for Andy in this dark night of his soul. Question, will the lights ever come on for him again? For anyone in this situation?

Cut to Andy alone in yard. Is he broken? Red sits beside him.

Andy, "My wife used to say I'm a hard to know... I loved her. I just didn't know how to show it is all. I killed her, Red... I drove her away. She died because of me... the way I am."

This is a potent, deeply felt revelation.

Red, "That don't make you a murderer. Bad husband, maybe."

Andy talks about being in path of tornado. "I just didn't expect the storm would last as long as it has." He asks Red if he thinks he'll ever get out. Red assumes it will only be when he's old and crazy. Andy says that if he gets out, he'll go to Mexico, that, according to the Mexicans, the Pacific Ocean has no memory. He'll open a hotel on the beach. Story question, will he get this? We now want Andy to have his dreams. He says he could use Red's help if he gets such a place. Red doesn't think he could make it on the outside. That he's an institutional man.

Red tells him to let go of his pipe dreams.

Andy asks a favor if Red gets out. That he go to a hay field and an oak tree where he asked his wife to marry him. "Promise me, Red, if you ever get out, find a rock ... there's something buried under it." Andy won't say what.

We now have a new plot element to track the advance of the story.

The other cons are worried about Andy. He asked someone for six feet of rope. Is he going to hang himself like Brooks?

Cut to Andy working on Warden's books.

Warden has him doing his laundry, shining his shoes. Then Warden tells Andy it's good having him back.

Is Andy broken? He takes out shoes and shines them. The shoes are a significant part of the story's plot now, but that's not apparent at the moment. Every moment of this story plays across different levels, has different meanings according to different contexts.

Andy walks along cell block. Red watches him. He sits alone in his cell.

Red, "I've had some long nights in the stir." He's worried about Andy, that wondering if Andy would kill himself was the longest night of his life.

Will Andy come out of his cell?

No. Is he dead? Guard looks in cell. "Oh, my Holy God." What does he see? We don't know. We here sirens. Andy probably took Warden's shoes.

Guards look at a checklist. He was checked in at lights out. Warden is livid. He brings in Red. He wants to know what Andy told Red.

Warden taunts Welch poster. Warden throws chess piece that goes through poster. But it's supposed to be a solid wall. He rips it down. Andy has escaped through hole in wall hidden by poster.

Cop cars go down road.

Red, "In 1966 Andy Defrense escaped Shawshank Prison." He'd worn down his rock hammer in twenty years of use.

Flashback to Andy first realizing he could get through wall.

Red, "All it takes is pressure and time."

Shot of Andy dropping rocks in prison yard.

Back to last night with Warden. Andy sets out a duplicate set of books and takes real books with him. We see him buffing shoes, looking at Warden's suits. Nobody noticed Andy wearing Warden's shoes as he walked to cell block.

Andy looks at Raquel. He takes off prison clothes. He's wearing Warden's clothes. He takes his chess pieces and crawls through tunnel.

He exits into crawl space and climbs down with package hanging from his feet via rope. Andy waits for lightning, and uses thunder to cover sound of him breaking into sewer pipe. He goes through sewer pipe, crawling through raw sewage, 500 yards. Half a mile.

He runs up creek, takes off shirt and laughs in rain and raises his arms to the sky.

Cut to Warden finding hole. Andy, wearing Warden's shoes, shows up at bank and withdraws money via the phantom 'man' he created. He'll be living abroad, he tells bank official. He asks they deliver package.

What's in it?

It comes out Andy went to 12 banks and withdrew 370,000 dollars.

Then a local paper gets call.

Warden reads headlines. Hears siren, looks at wall hanging about "Judgment coming and that right soon."

He finds a bible with a note from Andy, "You were right. Salvation lay within."

He then sees hole in bible where Andy originally got rock hammer. It now looks like Warden helped Andy.

Captain is served by arrest warrant. Red, "He sobbed like a little girl when they took him away." Warden loads gun. Points it at door (will he shoot at cops), then blows off the top of head.

Red gets postcard, blank, from Mexico. He knows Andy has made it to freedom.

Red, "Andy Dufresne, who crawled through a river of shit and came out clean."

Other cons talk about Andy and laugh.

He's proved that redemption can be won in the most hellish time and place.

Red misses Andy. "Some birds just aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are too bright." But the place is drab with Andy gone. Red, "I guess I just miss my friend."

Doors open. Red goes into parole hearing. Man at table, "Please sit down." Has Red been rehabilitated. He answers honestly this time. Red, "What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did?" Red talks about his honest regret. "I look back on the way I was then. A young, stupid kid who committed that terrible crime. I want to talk to him... Tell him the way things are, but I can't. That kid's long gone. This old man is all that's left. I gotta live with that. Rehabilitate is just a bullshit word... So stop wasting my time... I don't give a shit." He gets up.

They stamp form. Parole 'approved.'

Transcendent moment. A moment earned through a careful, thoughtful construction of the story's elements.

Red leaves prison, a free man because of what he's learned from Andy.

Red on bus.

Red in cheap hotel room that Brooks once stayed in. He sees words near ceiling, "Brooks was here." He gets job as bag boy at same grocery.

He asks Boss for break. Boss tells him he doesn't need to ask every time.

Red, "Forty years I've been asking for permission to piss... No way I'm gonna make it on the outside." He looks through window at guns. He wants to break parole.

"Terrible thing to live in fear... All I want is to be back where things make sense... where I won't have to afraid all the time." All that stops him is his promise to Andy.

Cut to Red in old field. He walks down field toward oak tree, taking off coat. What will he find at the end of this road? What will we find?

He finds tree in field, then rock wall. Then rock that is out of place. Behind it he finds box. Titanic lunch box. He opens it. Finds plastic sack. Within plastic sack is money and letter from Andy to Red, that Andy wants him to come to Mexico.

Andy, in letter, "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things... I'll be hoping this letter finds you, and finds you well. Andy."

Red leaves field. He is free now.

Red, "Get busy living, or get busy dying. For the second time in my life I'm guilty of committing a crime. Parole violation. "He's excited, the excitement of a 'free man." The audience shares his excitement.

Red, "I hope the Pacific is as blue as in my dreams... I hope."

Cut to Andy working on boat on water. He sees Red come up beach.

Pull back to allow men privacy of greeting.

Music swells.

End of one story, beginning of another.

The Shawshank Redemption is a story carefully constructed around its dramatic purpose. The full effect of this is demonstrated by the fact that nothing can be removed from this story without changing it in some way. In loosely, badly written or constructed stories, one can make wholesale changes in everything and not really affect the outcome of the story and the destination of its plot. Here, everything is finely detailed around its purpose, everything works to achieve an effect, to deepen the impact of the story.

This is also a story that earns its impact, that doesn't cheapen itself by offering an easy, feel-good path to redemption. Here, redemption is carved out of the stone walls of the prison, just as in life people must struggle to find and give meaning to their lives. Through internalizing the journey promised by this story, its viewers can experience that even the darkest abyss can be survived. That sometimes it's through surviving the abyss that we grow and discover who we really are.

©2000 Bill Johnson

BAFFLE 2011

This was the 20th year for BAFFLE, the Bay Area Fantasy Football League for Engineers. This is longer than the run that "Cats" had on Broadway. According to one site, the year that we started BAFFLE in 1991 was also the start of the modern Internet with a user friendly interface. Our initial foray into fantasy sports was decidedly user unfriendly to a certain extent.

We would pore over the sports section of papers on Monday mornings to try to estimate how our teams had fared over the weekend. We got pretty good at quickly perusing the box scores to estimate what we needed in the Monday night game to win or lose if we were so fortunate to still have players going. Tuesday was the big day if we were lucky enough to be able to download the official stats from the service that we used. I say lucky enough because the stats came over a dial-up connection to the one computer in our office that had a connection to the world wide web. It would take what now seems like hours to get the entire week's stats downloaded. Then there was the chore of printing copies of the results for all of the team owners. This was made possible by the efforts of our initial league commissioner, Eric Eby.

This year of BAFFLE was the first without our dear friend John Komaru. John was one of the original team owners in our league. That first year for some reason he and Mark Spencer decided to be co-owners. I remember them bickering like an old married couple during our first draft on which player to pick.

"I think we should pick this guy."

"No, I don't like that. We already have enough running backs."

I think they had Jim Kelly as their quarterback that first year. Kelly was a top quarterback with the Bills in the midst of their run of four straight Super Bowls. John and Mark came close to winning that first year, but lost out in the end to Bill Dietrich.

Two years ago, John, Mike and I were the only remaining team owners to never win in 18 years. As it turned out, Mike and John made the finals in year 19. Mike won. So John and I talked about one of us having to win in year 20. Although neither of us won this year, we wanted to make it so that John's name would be on The Eby, our BAFFLE champion's trophy.

The Eby


Here's a closer view of the lower righthand corner of The Eby. The picture is slightly blurry but it says:

Dedicated to the memory of

JOHN KOMARU
1962-2010

Go Cal Bears!



Finally, for those of you who might be interested here's this year's presentation by last year's winner to this year's winner, Peter Dwyer, yet another first time winner. There's always next year for the rest of us.



Peter mentioned that he was going to be donating his winnings this year in John's memory. If you're still interested in doing likewise, the following are the donation options designated by his family:

Cal Opportunity Scholarship
http://students.berkeley.edu/finaid/home/donate.htm

Friends of Rollo
http://www.friendsofrollo.com/

American Heart Association
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

Mosaic of Food

December 2010 Lunar Eclipse

The current Photo du Jour on our blog is a photo that we took in our back yard of the December 20, 2010 lunar eclipse that started just shortly before 11:30pm. The photo shows the moon after it had been totally eclipsed.

Naomi stayed up with us to watch the eclipse even though we had a 7am flight the next morning.

Seahawks Upset Saints

The Seahawks upset the Saints in a wild 41-36 back-and-forth game. At this point, each game that the Seahawks play this year is just gravy. It's a miracle that they are still playing. After all, the 'Hawks were but a 11-point underdog at home to the defending Super Bowl champs due to their 7-9 finish to become an unlikely division champ, one where each of their nine losses was by at least 15 points. Kudos to Eric Allen of ESPN for being the only "expert" anywhere who had picked the Seahawks to win the game.

The play of the game was the 67-yeard TD run late in the game by Marshawn Lynch, former Cal Bears star RB. Here's the link to the official NFL.com video clip of the his run in what is being referred to as "beast mode," perhaps a nod to a certain video game play mode I think.

Here's another clip from YouTube:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sound track includes the following:

"Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Grreen Day
Special Duet by Chuck Kistler on Bass and Naomi Emoto on Piano
"Throw it in the Bag" by Fabolous
"Alleluja" by Sarah Brightman
"Dynamite" by Talo Cruz
Jazz Medley by Jeff Busch Jazz Quartet
"Life in Technicolor II" by Coldplay
"I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas
"We Live for Love" by Pat Benatar

This is how we rolled out 2010 and rolled in the new year.