kate :: ultrasound

This baby's got a great profile. And in 3D, she's gorgeous, like her mother.

quote

"You're pretty insightful for a guy with an earring."
~Larry Van Liew (@ Caramba)

admin response

This is from a letter that is being to be sent out to parents and an announcement that was read over the intercom by Principal Dobbs. I was glad to hear her voice on the matter, and I appreciated how she handled it in her speech, as well.

We think it is important to share the following information with you. Several rumors have circulated by text message, email, and phone regarding a possible situation to occur at Deer Valley High School on Friday, April 20.

Yesterday, it was brought to our attention that a student made inappropriate comments at school given the content of current national events. The Glendale Police Department investigated and a district threat assessment was performed. The school and Glendale Police Department completed a thorough investigation.

Deer Valley High School takes all such information seriously. Therefore, we have put in place measures to ensure your students’ safety and are practicing all of our campus security protocols. Several district administrators will be on campus in addition to an increased police presence.

We want you, as part of our school community, to be informed and understand that campus security and, in particular, your student’s safety is a primary concern. To report information on threats or dangerous situations, contact the school or district’s Safe School Hotline 623-376-3262.

Other than the Hotline, where Dobbs said for the students to talk with teachers or with herself about things they were concerned about or information they had, this was exactly what she read over the intercom. I was very pleased with her handling of it, and I told her myself. I am glad to be at Deer Valley. Boulder Creek's incident was not handled as well.

dvhs threat

Rumor has it that there was a threat spouted off by a DVHS student that April 20th (aka four twenty, the anniversary of Hitler's birthday and the Columbine shooting) would be a "great day," and not because of pot (since 4/20 is "pot smokers day"). He said this during his history class, where they were watching a documentary on what happened at Columbine. Students told me that "he was showing everywhere the Columbine shooters made mistakes" and "said that he could fix them." This threat was proactively responded to by the DVHS administration who immediately got Glendale PD involved to investigate the rumors. They found the rumors to be "unsubstantiated." The following is what Barbara Dobbs (DVHS Principal) sent to the DVHS staff:

On Wednesday morning information was forwarded to administration regarding a student who had made some inappropriate but general statements about this Friday. Some students in the class felt uncomfortable and reported the comments to both staff and parents. We immediately followed our protocal and had Glendale PD involved. As it turns out, there was no basis for concern but we wanted to be proactive rather than reactive.

Please don't initiate conversations regarding this BUT if your students talk about "a student here threatening the school on Friday", please let them know that what they heard is unfounded. That the administration and police have thoroughly investigated and found nothing.

Thanks for helpiing us (all of us!) get through this week! Keep the information coming and we will keep you posted if other issues surface.

So I have not brought it up, but students have, and I have responded in suite. This is weird to think about. I still plan on coming to school tomorrow, but I know plenty of students aren't going to risk it, and I believe their parents have the full right to keep their children home. We'll see how many come. Another strange thing is that Boulder Creek (my school last year) had a threat about yesterday, also involving a school shooting (which made the news last night). Time for Christ to return? I'm ready.

va tech shooter

Please forgive me if this picture is too disturbing. This is Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year old South Korean native, who was the Virginia Tech University shooter, who killed 32 people and himself this past Monday, April 16, 2007. He sent pictures of himself with text and video describing his feelings of being persecuted. He went off on Christians and the affluent. MSNBC was mailed this "manifesto" by Cho on Monday between his two killings (he killed two in a dorm, stopped, mailed this, and then killed 30 more in a classroom). MSNBC is not releasing all of the video, for some of it is too graphic and "distrubing," according to NBC President Steve Capus. Cho used a handle on the USPS Express package he sent: Ax Ishmael. What it means, no one is certain.

interesting meeting

Whelp, you wouldn't normally think that going with your wife to an ultrasound would give you the chance to see James Jones in person, but today it worked out that way. We had just finished getting the ultrasound done to see if Kate was still doing well and was on schedule, and she is. Kate seems to be completely healthy, is head down, and has dropped. Amy is ready for the pregnancy to be over, especially now as she is starting to get sick and a lot more emotional than normal (I love my wife). Aidan wasn't as big of a pain as he could have been, so that was a plus, as well. Gotta love that kid. BTW, have you seen his recent pictures below? Just a plug. Then, on our way out of the doctor's doorway, Suns forward James Jones and his wife were getting out of their Hummer H3 with a Florida license plate to go into the same office that we were leaving. It took me a second to place who he was, but we said hello to each other and went our own ways. Amy said I should go back in and get his autography, since I probably wouldn't have another chance like that again, but I refused. I said that he was with his wife and I should just let him be with her. Truth is, I was probably more afraid that he was just someone who looked like Jones. Oh, well. It is a cool story to tell. So, Amy's alright, Kate's fine, and I said hello to James Jones. Not a bad morning off from work (since I took a "family sickness" day to go with Amy to the ultrasound).

purple wins

I had started in the bottom right corner, ended up taking on the 33rd ranked player in the kdice world (he was blue) and beat him. I moved into teal, and then brown attacked me. Brown had been friendly the whole game until then, so I said "tisk, tisk, brown," and then proceeded to take his lands. I only got one land before he flagged (everyone else already had) to surrender. I gained +45 to my level, but am still under 1800 with Valorin. Pseudo is also still under 1800, but I plan to soon rectify that for both screen-names. w00t!

just a couple more

Do you think I'm cute?

Gotta love the hair, Alfalfa!

even more bath time fun

What a smile!

Aidan just loves to play with his water people.

He also loves to play to the camera.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

more bath pics

Check out my teeth!

Bath time is fun!

It's small, but it works.

Gotta love that I love to laugh!

aidan bath time

I'm not sure why you're invading my privacy.

I guess it's alright. I'll kinda smile.

Actually, I'll pour on my baby-charm.

In the immortal words of the baby from Dinosaurs: "I'm the baby, gotta love me."

sixty-one and twenty-one

The Pacific Division Champion, #2 seed clinching Phoenix Suns (61 - 21) came out to play, but the Clippers (40 - 41) came out for their season's future. The Clippers keep their playoff hopes alive with a win over the Suns tonight. They have to win their final game against the Kings tomorrow to possibly make it, also needing the Warriors to lose one of their last two games (though they won tonight against the Mavs). The Clippers, as the Rockets had done the night before, demolished the Suns on the boards, 49 - 37. They got 20 offensive rebounds. The Suns only shot 43% this game, unlike the night before, but only lost by 4, 103 - 99. Not the way we wanted to end the season, but it was a great season. The Suns' record is the franchise's 3rd best record. Five players for the Suns in double figures, but no double doubles, even though Nash dished 12 dimes (since he only scored 6 points). Nash just needed to sink two more freethrows and he would have done something that only 2 other men have done in the NBA: over 50% for field goals, 45% for 3-pointers, and 90% for freethrows. He ended with 89.8% for his freethrows. So close. Another record was at stake tonight, other than the wins and Nash's percentages: Raja Bell was third in three-pointers made this season at the beginning of the night. He needed 5 to over take the top spot. He hit 4, tying Gilbert Arenas for the #1 spot for 3's made. Stat kept his wits about him over the past couple weeks, only picking up a total of 15 technicals this season, staying away from dreaded #16, which would have been an automatic one-game suspension. Now that it's playoffs time, the technicals get reset. The Suns will either face the Los Angeles Lakers or the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. I think the Suns would prefer the Mavs to face the Warriors, since the Warriors have beaten the Mavs every game they played this season. We just need to watch ourselves with rebounding and we should be able to take on the Lakers no problem. We don't need another 7 game series with them, but we have a better team than we did last year, so we should be fine. GO SUNS!

sixty-one and twenty

Whelp, the Rockets (52 - 29) stopped the Suns (61 - 20) from getting to a 63 win record this season, which would have beaten every Suns team previous. The only reason the Suns lost was that the Suns allowed 19 offensive rebounds and 31 second chance points. We lost the rebounding category by 15 boards. If the Suns would box out and get some defensive rebounds, there'd be no stopping them. Something to work on for the playoffs, startin Sunday. 30 points for Stat, 27 points for the Matrix, 15 for both Jones and Nash (double double with 15 assists, also), and 14 points for Barbosa. They shot 57%, but still lost. Dang rebounding. The Suns have one more regular season game, and that against the Clippers (39 - 41). Should be a win against this sub .500 team. GO SUNS!

va tech shooting

The students at VA Tech got more than a scare today. 33 dead, 29 injured, but the death toll could still go up. Today marks the most deadly shooting in US history. I don't know what to say...Christ, come back soon. Bush's response.

quote

"Not about how to do church, but how to be the Church."
~Jamie Self (ncc sm pastor)

grandma van's obituary

Mildred Marceta Charles Van Liew of Phoenix, AZ, 100, was born in Grand Haven, Michigan on February 27, 1907, the third of 12 children. Mildred grew up in the Fremont, Michigan area and graduated from high school there. She married George C. Van Liew on June 14, 1928, and they birthed four sons, the first of whom died in infancy. With their remaining three sons, they moved to Arizona in 1947, purchasing a grocery store in Mesa, Arizona where they served until 1952 when they founded Van's Mobile Homes, aka Van's RV Trailer Co., now in the Sun City area. Mildred was a vital part of the business until the late 1980's when she retired. Son George C. Van Liew, Jr. is deceased, son David A. Van Liew resides in Seattle, Washington, and son Paul E. Van Liew resides in Phoenix, Arizona. Mildred is also survived by two brothers, fourteen grandchildren, thirty-three great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Visitation will be held at Palmcroft Baptist Church, 15825 North 35th Ave., Phoenix, Arizona, Friday evening April 20, 2007, 6:30 P.M. until 8:30 P.M. Funeral Services will also be held at Palmcroft Baptist Church, Saturday morning, April 21, 2007, 10:30 A.M. According to Mildred's desire, in lieu of flowers, please forward any memorial gifts to Harvest Foundation, P.O. Box 2670, Phoenix, Arizona 85002. The Van Liew Family is proudly being served by Phoenix Memorial Park and Mortuary, 200 West Beardsley Road, Phoenix, AZ.

From: http://www.legacy.com/AZCentral/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonID=87215212

student quote

"Do kangaroos live in Africa?"

~R.S. (Period 3)

student quote

"Do cheetas eat kangaroos?"

~R.S. (Period 3)

incredible comeback

I wish you could see a video of this game, just sped up a bit. This was a great one. The red and I had truced early on, he had me cornered, so he let me break free. We got beaten back, were down against two other truced players who had major dice stacks (purple and yellow). Red said that I came back from a 2 to 1 dice differential. Not sure if it was that large of a difference, but it was an incredible game. Probably the most fun I've ever had playing kdice to date. It's just too bad I didn't even get a screen shot (only because I screwed up and copy/pasted within this post instead of creating the picture of the game first). Oh, well, I've probably put up enough kdice pictures lately, but this one was a good one.

sixty-one and nineteen

The Phoenix Suns (61 - 19) came out like they owned the place. The only team in the NBA that they had not beaten was this Utah Jazz (49 - 31) team. Each of their 3 previous encounters, the Suns had let a 16, 8, or 15 point lead slip away as the Jazz came back to win each of those games. Not this time. The Suns got the lead, kept the lead, and made it look easy. Stat and Nash both earned double doubles. Stat had 14 points and 11 rebounds to Nash's 13 points and 18 assists. Barbosa ended up scoring 28 points, the game high, which was also the amount of points that the Suns demolished the Jazz by. The Suns scored 30+ points in each quarter, except for the third, where they ONLY scored 28. The Final score was 126 - 98, an incredible show of strength by the number two seed clinched Suns (since the Spurs lost to the Mavs today, the Spurs are now three games behind the Suns and cannot catch them). D'Antoni was so satisfied with the lead that he cleared the bench in the last 3-5 minutes of the game. It was a fun game to watch, and it made me proud to see that the Suns can defeat every team in the NBA, and with flare. Gotta have the flare. The Suns' next opponent is in Houston taking on the red hot Rockets (51 - 29) who've won the last four games and 7 of their last ten. We've won 5 straight and 8 of our last ten, so we are better...heh heh. The game starts at 5:30pm AZ time tomorrow. There is only one more game left in the regular season after that, and we take on the struggling LA Clippers who are just about out of the running to make the playoffs again this year. GO SUNS!

two more wins

Now both Valorin and Pseudo are over 1700.
Man, I spend way too much time doing this.

two kdice wins

Here are two wins with, yes, Teal. I was surprised, since I normally lose with this color, but I won today with Teal on both Pseudo and Valorin. I finally got to play with MbdM (Matthew du Mée), who originally introduced me to kdice in the first place.