This game has seen major leaguers the likes of Barry Bonds, Tom Seaver, Dave Winfield, Bob Boone, and Rick Monday play in it. Current A's player Bobby Crosby has played in it. So has former A's player and current Yankee Jason Giambi.
This year marks the 102nd time for this game that starts at 10:30pm and usually finishes around 2am. The sun is to "set" at 12:47am, but the game will go on without lights as has been the tradition since the first year the game was played to settle a bar bet by a man from San Francisco. The game has grown to where it is now televised around the world by Internet.
Most people don't associate baseball with Alaska, but the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are one of the most successful amateur teams around. They've won six National Baseball Congress (NBC) titles over the years, and they've been runner-up another six times. Their last title was in 2002. In the early 70s, the Goldpanners won back-to-back-to-back in 1972, 1973 and 1974. And they aren't the only Alaska Baseball League team with an NBC title. Other champion AK teams include the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Mat-Su Miners, and Kenai Peninsula Oilers.
The Midnight Sun Game has been tabbed as the #8 ultimate baseball experience by ESPN, on this list with baseball experiences like visiting spring training (#3 on the list), visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown (#2 on the list), and an evening at Fenway Park (#11 on the list).
The current manager of the Panners, Tim Gloyd, sums up the long daylight that is summer in Fairbanks best in a recent article on Yahoo! Sports. "Your mind doesn't comprehend it at first," Gloyd said. "You may be sitting at Denny's, just talking, and next thing you know it's 3:30.
Having been born and raised in Alaska, the long summer daylight experience is not new for me. I remember playing our version of stickball in our yard well past 11pm on some summer nights. These games would usually start in the middle of the day and continue through dinner with people leaving for dinner and returning to join in the game. We would keep score and I remember scores that ran into the 100s for just one game.
On a trip to Alaska with Dorothy several years ago, we had the same experience mentioned by Tim Gloyd above. It never got pitch black dark, just a very dark blue hue. We were just sitting around talking getting caught up with friends after arriving in Alaska. Before we knew it, it was 3 or 4 in the morning.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
The Last Day of School!
Here's what Naomi has to say about her last day of 2nd grade:
The last day of school was very busy.Miss Andrews put lots of old crafts and writings in bags for us.We got to watch a video.We went into the office and gave her a book with writings that my class wrote.Then we went into Miss Catalini's room.In Miss Catalini's room we got to watch cartoons and eat pan cakes.When we got back to the class room,Miss Andrews gave flowers to the parents that helped.We played two different games Zip-Zap and The Boss.At The end of school I couldn't carry all the stuff I needed to take home.My mom had to help.When I went out I knew she would come to my swim meet.I had fun that day!
The last day of school was very busy.Miss Andrews put lots of old crafts and writings in bags for us.We got to watch a video.We went into the office and gave her a book with writings that my class wrote.Then we went into Miss Catalini's room.In Miss Catalini's room we got to watch cartoons and eat pan cakes.When we got back to the class room,Miss Andrews gave flowers to the parents that helped.We played two different games Zip-Zap and The Boss.At The end of school I couldn't carry all the stuff I needed to take home.My mom had to help.When I went out I knew she would come to my swim meet.I had fun that day!
Monday, June 11, 2007
I Love Me!
Every child thinks he/she is at the center of the universe. This video is from the summer of 2006 on our trip home from Seattle. We were near the end of our drive home and Ryan decided to express how he really felt.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Riddles, jokes, and giggles - Part 2
Here's another installment of giggles, this time brought to you by Naomi and Ethan.
Q1: What do you call a stolen yam?
Q2: How do you fix a broken pizza?
Q3: What do you call a joke book about eggs?
Q4: Why didn't the hotdog star in a movie?
Q5: What do you do when you run out of ranch dressing?
Q6: Where do sheep go to cut their hair?
Q7: How do you ask a horse what his/her name is?
Q8: What does a lion say when he's mad?
Q9: What does a riddle say when it hits its funny bone?
Q10: Why didn't the dino cross the road?
Naomi actually was the one who typed in the last 4 riddles. Her first blogging!
(scroll below for answers)
A1: A hot potato.
A2: With tomato paste.
A3: A yolk book.
A4: The roles weren't good enough.
A5: You buy more ranches to make the dressing (Ethan's own creation).
A6: At the baaaa-ber shop.
A7: You say,"What's your naaaa-me?"
A8: "I'm roaring mad!"
A9: "I feel funny."
A10: It was the chicken's night out.
Q1: What do you call a stolen yam?
Q2: How do you fix a broken pizza?
Q3: What do you call a joke book about eggs?
Q4: Why didn't the hotdog star in a movie?
Q5: What do you do when you run out of ranch dressing?
Q6: Where do sheep go to cut their hair?
Q7: How do you ask a horse what his/her name is?
Q8: What does a lion say when he's mad?
Q9: What does a riddle say when it hits its funny bone?
Q10: Why didn't the dino cross the road?
Naomi actually was the one who typed in the last 4 riddles. Her first blogging!
(scroll below for answers)
A1: A hot potato.
A2: With tomato paste.
A3: A yolk book.
A4: The roles weren't good enough.
A5: You buy more ranches to make the dressing (Ethan's own creation).
A6: At the baaaa-ber shop.
A7: You say,"What's your naaaa-me?"
A8: "I'm roaring mad!"
A9: "I feel funny."
A10: It was the chicken's night out.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Brake Lights to Clogged Speakers
Ethan is convinced that he will grow up to be an inventor. He has the right characteristics. He's always asking how things work. I asked him to help me change a burnt out brake light bulb. He learned how the brakes light up with just a tiny little bulb. I let him be the one to verify which light was out. I let him step on the brakes while I made sure the light was working once again.
Later the same day...
Our new computer came with a wide screen monitor that has speakers built into the monitor. The monitor was part of a package with the computer. In theory this sounds good, but the speakers in the monitor are quite underpowered and tinny sounding. So I connected the speakers from our old computer to the new computer. Upon hearing the new sound, Ethan asked, "are these speakers (pointing to the now disconnected speakers on the new monitor) clogged?"
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
This is a Mother's Day greeting to our obaachan. However, I think it portrays a universal message of love and enthusiasm that can only be expressed by children.
Memories of NBA Basketball on the Radio
I remember listening to the NBA basketball championships the two years back-to-back where the Washington Bullets played my Seattle Supersonics. I listened to the games on shortwave radio with my dad in our home in the Aleutians. In the 1977-78 series, the Sonics lost to the equally surprising Bullets in a close but strange series where each won on the other's court, and had the Sonics being forced to only one game at home to start the series due to scheduling conflicts. Later in the series, the Sonics played a game in the Kingdome because their home arena was being used for a convention. Even though they had over twice the number of fans on-hand, playing in the enormous Kingdome did not offer the same home court advantage and they went on to lose the pivotal game four match-up. I remember complaining about how unfair it was that the series had a strange 1(s)-2(w)-2(s)-1(w)-1(s) format and the Kingdome move, which probably had an impact on the series outcome not benefitting Seattle. Even though the Sonics were going to be home for game 7, I for some reason did not feel good about the Sonics' chances. It was during this play-off run that Dick Motta made popular at least in sporting circles the phase "the opera isn't over until the fat lady sings." I remember being heartbroken after the Sonics' game 7 loss.
The following year both teams I think were favored to win their conferences or at least contend for the title unlike the year before when both were surprise teams. I think the Sonics had some close calls in their conference series (especially against the Suns with Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams), but they made it to the finals to find the Bullets waiting for them once again. This time the Sonics dominated the series and won in 5 games. To this day, this championship is the only one that the city of Seattle has had in one of the three major professional sports. There's even a web page devoted to the 1978-79 Sonics.
I remember pretending to be Downtown Freddie Brown in make believe games with my brother and other friends in our porch where we used a 5-gallon bucket as the basket. We would play games of horse and even play 3-on-3 games in this 8-foot by 8-foot area porch with bodies crashing into walls and cabinets. Other players that I remember from these Sonics teams include JJ (Johnny Johnson, whose son is now a guard for Stanford), Jack Sikma, Lonnie Shelton, Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster who was actually traded for Lonnie, Gus Williams, DJ (Dennis Johnson), Paul Silas, Wally Walker and their coach Lenny Wilkens. I even remember the players from the Bullets: Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Bobby Dandridge, Kevin Grevey, Mitch Kupchak and Greg Ballard come to mind. I don't think that I would've remembered this if it weren't for our listening on the radio. Compare this to this day and age, where usually by the next year most people cannot even name the two teams that were in the previous years' finals.
So as a tribute to those long lost days of sports on the radio I found the following video clip. Enjoy.
The following year both teams I think were favored to win their conferences or at least contend for the title unlike the year before when both were surprise teams. I think the Sonics had some close calls in their conference series (especially against the Suns with Paul Westphal and Alvan Adams), but they made it to the finals to find the Bullets waiting for them once again. This time the Sonics dominated the series and won in 5 games. To this day, this championship is the only one that the city of Seattle has had in one of the three major professional sports. There's even a web page devoted to the 1978-79 Sonics.
I remember pretending to be Downtown Freddie Brown in make believe games with my brother and other friends in our porch where we used a 5-gallon bucket as the basket. We would play games of horse and even play 3-on-3 games in this 8-foot by 8-foot area porch with bodies crashing into walls and cabinets. Other players that I remember from these Sonics teams include JJ (Johnny Johnson, whose son is now a guard for Stanford), Jack Sikma, Lonnie Shelton, Marvin "The Human Eraser" Webster who was actually traded for Lonnie, Gus Williams, DJ (Dennis Johnson), Paul Silas, Wally Walker and their coach Lenny Wilkens. I even remember the players from the Bullets: Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, Bobby Dandridge, Kevin Grevey, Mitch Kupchak and Greg Ballard come to mind. I don't think that I would've remembered this if it weren't for our listening on the radio. Compare this to this day and age, where usually by the next year most people cannot even name the two teams that were in the previous years' finals.
So as a tribute to those long lost days of sports on the radio I found the following video clip. Enjoy.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Shampoo! Shampoo!
Sometimes what kids hear is more enjoyable than what is reality. During a slideshow of our trip to San Diego, a picture of the world famous orca from Sea World flashed on to the screen. "Shampoo!" yelled Ryan.
Of course, we're talking about Shamu. There are points in the Sea World show where the audience is encouraged to chant, "Shamu! Shamu!" to get the big orca to make a big splash. I think it would be immensely more entertaining to hear and see a stadium full of people chanting, "Shampoo! Shampoo!"
Of course, we're talking about Shamu. There are points in the Sea World show where the audience is encouraged to chant, "Shamu! Shamu!" to get the big orca to make a big splash. I think it would be immensely more entertaining to hear and see a stadium full of people chanting, "Shampoo! Shampoo!"
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Goooaaaallllll!!!!!!!!!
FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi scored a goal reminiscent of Maradona's famous goal for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup. Messi's goal was in a Spanish Cup semi-final match on April 18, 2007 against Getafe.
The video below shows a side-by-side comparison of the two goals.
The video below shows a side-by-side comparison of the two goals.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
World Thinking Day
Naomi's Girl Scouts troop along with others in the area celebrated World Thinking Day earlier this year. Each troop was able to select a country to share information about with the other troops. Naomi's troop selected Thailand.
The purpose of World Thinking Day is to celebrate girl scouts all over the world. Every February 22nd, the girl scouts from around the world think of each other and give thanks and appreciation to their sister scouts. At World Thinking Day, each girl scout in Naomi's troop received her World Trefoil Pin to show that she is part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (aka WAGGGS). The pin is a golden trefoil on a blue background representing the sun shining over all the children of the world.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Swim Season is Here Once Again
Here's a picture of Ethan with one of his instructors taken last week.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The Cats of Mirikitani
My sister told me about this documentary called "The Cats of Mirikitani" that is being screened in the Mission District of San Francisco April 27 through May 3 at the Roxie New College Film Center.
Jimmy Mirikitani was born in Sacramento in 1920. His family returned to Hiroshima (where several perished in the atomic bomb), but he returned to the U.S. at 18. When WWII started he was interned at Tule Lake. Through the course of events, he landed homeless on the streets of NYC.
My father John was born in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington outside Seattle in 1929. His older brother's American name was Jimmy. My father with his family returned to Okayama before WWII. He returned to the U.S. on his own after WWII. Eventually he was drafted by the U.S. Army and served some of his time in the military in Japan. Through the course of events, he landed in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska where he would spend most of his adult life. Now retired, he lives outside Seattle.
One of my carpool partners recently said, "fate is whatever happens to you; you can't control it."
I suppose this is one explanation.
Jimmy Mirikitani was born in Sacramento in 1920. His family returned to Hiroshima (where several perished in the atomic bomb), but he returned to the U.S. at 18. When WWII started he was interned at Tule Lake. Through the course of events, he landed homeless on the streets of NYC.
My father John was born in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington outside Seattle in 1929. His older brother's American name was Jimmy. My father with his family returned to Okayama before WWII. He returned to the U.S. on his own after WWII. Eventually he was drafted by the U.S. Army and served some of his time in the military in Japan. Through the course of events, he landed in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska where he would spend most of his adult life. Now retired, he lives outside Seattle.
One of my carpool partners recently said, "fate is whatever happens to you; you can't control it."
I suppose this is one explanation.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Play Ball!
Baseball season is here! Ethan's playing in the Peanuts Division of the Continental Little League of Concord and Walnut Creek. His team is the Mets.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Stats Redux - March 18, 2007
Here's an update on stats first posted in November 2005, updated January 2006, June 2006 and October 2006.
Price of Gas: $3.13 per gallon (has fallen a few pennies over the past week, but still near an all-time high; election season must be over; saying that it's due to changing of blends)
Price of Milk: $2.99 for hormone free milk at Trader Joe's ($0.30 price drop since June 2006, but no change since October 2006)
Bridge Toll: $4 as of January 1, 2007 on all Bay Area bridges except Golden Gate Bridge (first month remained at $3 for FasTrak users; FasTrak now available at retail outlets like Safeway and Costco)
Today's High Temperature: 72 degrees F (overnight low of 48)
Dow Jones Average: 12,110.41 (up 162.71 since October update of these stats); and over 1200 since first 2006 trading day
Shopping Days to Christmas: 281 days including Christmas Eve (there are web sites that have this stat, believe it or not)
Dinner Tonight: Carnitas burrito for me, enchilada plate for Dorothy, 2 older kids had rice and bean burritos and the little one had a cheese quesadilla
Average Commute Time: still over an hour (in a 2-person carpool MWF and a 3-person carpool TuTh)
Cost of Area Homes: the median price rose just 0.3% from $618,000 to $620,000 in February 2007; but the number of homes sold slipped by 7.9% to 6,305 for the 9-county Bay Area (the lowest volume for any February in 11 years)
Movie Ticket: $9.50 ($6.25 matinee); still NetFlix customer too, but cut back to one movie at a time recently (just haven't had time to watch the movies that we had)
Time with My Kids: testing the world of Tee-ball with my oldest son; trying to just keep up with our 2-year old who is testing boundaries; and helping my daughter with her math homework
Price of Gas: $3.13 per gallon (has fallen a few pennies over the past week, but still near an all-time high; election season must be over; saying that it's due to changing of blends)
Price of Milk: $2.99 for hormone free milk at Trader Joe's ($0.30 price drop since June 2006, but no change since October 2006)
Bridge Toll: $4 as of January 1, 2007 on all Bay Area bridges except Golden Gate Bridge (first month remained at $3 for FasTrak users; FasTrak now available at retail outlets like Safeway and Costco)
Today's High Temperature: 72 degrees F (overnight low of 48)
Dow Jones Average: 12,110.41 (up 162.71 since October update of these stats); and over 1200 since first 2006 trading day
Shopping Days to Christmas: 281 days including Christmas Eve (there are web sites that have this stat, believe it or not)
Dinner Tonight: Carnitas burrito for me, enchilada plate for Dorothy, 2 older kids had rice and bean burritos and the little one had a cheese quesadilla
Average Commute Time: still over an hour (in a 2-person carpool MWF and a 3-person carpool TuTh)
Cost of Area Homes: the median price rose just 0.3% from $618,000 to $620,000 in February 2007; but the number of homes sold slipped by 7.9% to 6,305 for the 9-county Bay Area (the lowest volume for any February in 11 years)
Movie Ticket: $9.50 ($6.25 matinee); still NetFlix customer too, but cut back to one movie at a time recently (just haven't had time to watch the movies that we had)
Time with My Kids: testing the world of Tee-ball with my oldest son; trying to just keep up with our 2-year old who is testing boundaries; and helping my daughter with her math homework
Conversations with Kids - Part VIII
Naomi: Why should we exercise?
Ethan: Because it's good for our health?
Naomi: Yeah, but also because it's good for every body. Get it? Every body!
Ethan: Because it's good for our health?
Naomi: Yeah, but also because it's good for every body. Get it? Every body!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Cell Phones
If you're in the market for a new cell phone, here's a site that you should check out before shopping.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
A Day with the Kids
With Dorothy out with the flu, I was charged with watching the kids.
Up and At'em - wake up the two older ones for school and go take a shower...out of shower and washed, but kids are still on bed (Ethan) or in bed (Naomi)...play "throw the clothes" with kids to motivate them to get dressed...Ethan out to eat a quick breakfast of cereal, milk and breakfast bar...Naomi joins the breakfast roundtable
quick wash up and brush up...get vitamins on the way out the door...Ryan wakes to catch us leaving; I take him crying to Mom...arrive by foot at school; we talk about the phrase "friend or foe"...hug goodbye with kids; Naomi and Ethan hug each other too...back home again
Ryan's Tumbling Class - class of about a dozen kids...Ryan's in the parent participation class...actually that's a good name for the class since I think I participated more in the warm ups than did Ryan (his idea of stretching is to bounce around like a pinball)...teacher says, "why is it that the kids perform better when the dads are around?"...I ask him if he wants his snack (a granola bar); his answer is "no"
Shopping for Printer Cartridges - we make a Staples stop...Ryan asks, "why are we here?" about every 2 minutes...we buy our cartridges and leave...when in the car, Ryan asks for the granola bar and asks, "why are we leaving?"...anyway, I learned that Ryan's favorite word is "why?"
Pick Up Ethan at School - we take the stroller to pick up Ethan before lunch...before we head out Ryan manages to grab a rice cracker snack to take with him...I tell him that he has to share with Ethan...we arrive at the school and Ryan asks, "where's Ethan?"...I tell him that we're a little early...actally we're the only ones in the courtyard area wich surprises me; I thought there would be a few parents milling about, but not a soul and it's only 10 minutes early...we go and sit on the bench by the giant pine tree...Ryan surprises me with this zinger, "Dada, why is there poo-poo in the tree?"...I had no idea what he meant until I look up... the tree has large dark brown, cylindrical pine cones in clusters...oh, what must go through the mind of a nearly 3-year old...Ethan comes out with his class, gives his teacher a leg hug and runs to us... we walk home with Ryan holding onto his rice crackers (he does share them with Ethan when we get home)
Make Lunch for the Kids - play with the kids...check work email and phone messages at work and make some phone calls...make lunch from leftovers...continue to play with kids and keep each other occupied
Pick Up Naomi at School - Take Ryan to school hoping that he falls asleep...success, he nods off in the stroller just as we're arriving at the school...Naomi turns the corner walking with Katrina just like the last time I picked her up (they must be best friends)...this time she spots me and seems to say something like, "there's my dad over there" as she shoots me a sideways glance...Naomi is very chatty talking about the gross boys...we arrive home and Ethan and mom are playing Labyrinth
Take Naomi to Choir Practice - Ethan and I take Naomi to choir practice...we get there right on time, but again I realize that "on time" is actually early...Ethan and I wait in the car for the 75 minutes...I do some work and read about 25 pages of "Totto-chan" by Testuko Kuroyanagi...Ethan works on homework that is due on Friday (he gets to where he is about two-thirds complete)
Shop and Pick Up Dinner on the Way Home - we get take-out at a Chinese restaurant that we've never visited before...we also shop for milk and ham as requested by Dorothy and on impluse buy jello, salami and a couple other items...stand in the 15 or less items behind someone who has well over 30 items (I think they were counting the 10 yogurts as one item)...finally we're home for dinner, washing up, baths and bed time to get ready for a new day
Up and At'em - wake up the two older ones for school and go take a shower...out of shower and washed, but kids are still on bed (Ethan) or in bed (Naomi)...play "throw the clothes" with kids to motivate them to get dressed...Ethan out to eat a quick breakfast of cereal, milk and breakfast bar...Naomi joins the breakfast roundtable
quick wash up and brush up...get vitamins on the way out the door...Ryan wakes to catch us leaving; I take him crying to Mom...arrive by foot at school; we talk about the phrase "friend or foe"...hug goodbye with kids; Naomi and Ethan hug each other too...back home again
Ryan's Tumbling Class - class of about a dozen kids...Ryan's in the parent participation class...actually that's a good name for the class since I think I participated more in the warm ups than did Ryan (his idea of stretching is to bounce around like a pinball)...teacher says, "why is it that the kids perform better when the dads are around?"...I ask him if he wants his snack (a granola bar); his answer is "no"
Shopping for Printer Cartridges - we make a Staples stop...Ryan asks, "why are we here?" about every 2 minutes...we buy our cartridges and leave...when in the car, Ryan asks for the granola bar and asks, "why are we leaving?"...anyway, I learned that Ryan's favorite word is "why?"
Pick Up Ethan at School - we take the stroller to pick up Ethan before lunch...before we head out Ryan manages to grab a rice cracker snack to take with him...I tell him that he has to share with Ethan...we arrive at the school and Ryan asks, "where's Ethan?"...I tell him that we're a little early...actally we're the only ones in the courtyard area wich surprises me; I thought there would be a few parents milling about, but not a soul and it's only 10 minutes early...we go and sit on the bench by the giant pine tree...Ryan surprises me with this zinger, "Dada, why is there poo-poo in the tree?"...I had no idea what he meant until I look up... the tree has large dark brown, cylindrical pine cones in clusters...oh, what must go through the mind of a nearly 3-year old...Ethan comes out with his class, gives his teacher a leg hug and runs to us... we walk home with Ryan holding onto his rice crackers (he does share them with Ethan when we get home)
Make Lunch for the Kids - play with the kids...check work email and phone messages at work and make some phone calls...make lunch from leftovers...continue to play with kids and keep each other occupied
Pick Up Naomi at School - Take Ryan to school hoping that he falls asleep...success, he nods off in the stroller just as we're arriving at the school...Naomi turns the corner walking with Katrina just like the last time I picked her up (they must be best friends)...this time she spots me and seems to say something like, "there's my dad over there" as she shoots me a sideways glance...Naomi is very chatty talking about the gross boys...we arrive home and Ethan and mom are playing Labyrinth
Take Naomi to Choir Practice - Ethan and I take Naomi to choir practice...we get there right on time, but again I realize that "on time" is actually early...Ethan and I wait in the car for the 75 minutes...I do some work and read about 25 pages of "Totto-chan" by Testuko Kuroyanagi...Ethan works on homework that is due on Friday (he gets to where he is about two-thirds complete)
Shop and Pick Up Dinner on the Way Home - we get take-out at a Chinese restaurant that we've never visited before...we also shop for milk and ham as requested by Dorothy and on impluse buy jello, salami and a couple other items...stand in the 15 or less items behind someone who has well over 30 items (I think they were counting the 10 yogurts as one item)...finally we're home for dinner, washing up, baths and bed time to get ready for a new day
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