Bleacher Steps #1 (318/366)

TIME:  8:36 PM
PLACE:  Away Basketball game
SUBJECT:  Looking down the bleacher steps

Away basketball game this evening.  I’ve been seeing the variations in the bleacher steps at all the different schools.  I feel a photo theme coming on.

Vertical Flight (304/366)

TIME:  7:33 PM
PLACE:  Junior High gym
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy – jumping

Wow.  That boy can jump.

(He didn’t block the shot, but his opponent didn’t make the basket either)

View From the Bleachers (299/366)

TIME:  8:09 PM
PLACE:  Junior High
SUBJECT:  Gym

Basketball season has begun.  MonkeyBoy made the 8th great team.  Therefore we will be spending many evenings here in the coming weeks.

Gymnasium (024/366)

“The moment I felt sure I had everything under control would invariably be the moment right before the principal called to report that one of my sons had just driven somebody's motorcycle through the high school gymnasium.”

Mary Kay Blakely (20th century), U.S. journalist, essayist, author and mother. American Mom, prologue (1994).

TIME:  5:02 PM
PLACE:  A junior high school.
SUBJECT:  Metal Gymnasium letters

MonkeyBoy had his first volleyball game at a rival junior high school this evening at 5:00pm.  (They won.)  I was a little late getting there from work.  And once I arrived, I was then even a little later because before I went inside, I stopped to take a photo of the metal letters spelling out G-Y-M-N-A-S-I-U-M on the brick wall outside.  Yep, I’m mother-of-the-year.  Well, anyway, I am excited because now it’s still light out at 5pm.  Yippee!

Mascot (340/365)

 
Goof:  What exactly do you have planned for us?
Homer: Well, I get up and dance, and I spell out the name of the city,
all to the tune of `Baby Elephant Walk'.
Goof:  Ah, Mancini.  The mascot's best friend.


Homer and the Capital City Goofball plan their strategy, The Simpsons. ``Dancin' Homer.'' Written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs. Aired 8 November 1990 

TIME:  6:48 PM
PLACE:  Junior High Gym
SUBJECT:  Raider – the Junior High Mascot

MonkeyBoy had his last basketball game of the season tonight.  Both his team and the 8th grade boys won their final games.  There is a holiday tournament coming up and then the season is finished.  To be honest, I’m looking forward to the next couple of months without any practices, games and all that kind of running about.

Cornered (296/365)

"It doesn't matter who scores the points, it's who can get the ball to the scorer"

Larry Bird (American, NBA basketball player and coach, b1956)

TIME:  3:55 PM (Saturday)
PLACE:  Basketball tournament
SUBJECT:  MonkeyBoy

About 10pm this evening I realized that I hadn’t taken a photo today.  And I decided that I didn’t feel like scrambling to do so either.  So I’m using one from yesterday’s basketball tournament.  Here, MB has the ball and is being pressured a couple of players on the opposing team.  He managed to get the ball to player #3 (he’s coming in on the left) who was able to make a basket.  Nice pass MB.

Donkeys Have The Floor (090/365)

 
“That which is called firmness in a king is called obstinacy in a donkey”

John Erskine (American Educator, Novelist and Musician. 1879-1951)

TIME:  8:32 PM
PLACE:  High School
SUBJECT:  Donkey Basketball

My niece’s high school held it’s annual Donkey Basketball Game this evening.  The senior girls take on the senior boys in a fundraiser for the Student Council and yearbook.  Girls make one point if they hit the rim of the basket and two points for making a basket.  Boys score two points only if it goes in.  Several teachers also participated.  Last year, the fundraiser brought in $1,500 for each group.  Many years ago, when I was a senior in high school, I attempted to ride a donkey and play basketball – let me tell you, it is not easy.

Gym Ceiling (049/365)

 
“Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling?”

M.C. Escher (Dutch graphic artist, 1898–1972)

TIME:  7:07 PM
PLACE:  R--- School Gym
SUBJECT:  Ceiling

DramaQueen had a basketball game tonight.  I have found that I get really stressed out when I watch my kids play.  I have to look away from the court to calm myself down.  This was my view of most of the game…except for when I was looking at StellaDella and telling her that she needed to quit wiggling around on the bleachers, or when I was looking for the Webkinz that she dropped.  Our school lost another game, 11-0.  Two more games to go, I hope the girls win at least one this season – it would make them so happy.

Wake Me When It's Over (125/365)

 
"Every kind of music is good, except the boring kind.”

Gioacchino Rossini (Italian, Composer of opera, sacred music and chamber music, his best known works include "The Barber of Seville" and "William Tell", 1792-1868)

TIME: 7:38 PM
PLACE: Junior High Gymnasium
SUBJECT: Mom's hands covering StellaDella's ear

DramaQueen plays the clarinet, and Monkeyboy plays the alto saxophone in their grade school band.  Tonight was the spring concert at the Junior High school.  My Dad even joined us for the big event.  StellaDella was less than impressed with the quality of the playing.  She told me that it was too noisy.  She did declare however that she was going to play the cymbals when she got in school - "Those banging things" as she called them.  She was very wiggly and restless throughout the evening's entertainment.  We had to visit the restroom twice.  About three-quarters through the concert, she laid her head on my lap and asked me to cover her ear so she didn't have to listen to the music.  As my hands and lap were full of SD tonight, I did not get to take many pictures.   Luckily, HandsomeHusband brought his camera and therefore, gets all the credit for this photograph.  He is my guest photographer today. Thank you so much for the picture honey, you really know how to help a girl out-love ya!

Hooked on Books (120/365)

 
“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.”

John Locke (English Philosopher who made great contributions in studies of politics, government and psychology. 1632-1704)

TIME: 6:43 PM
PLACE: St. Paul's United Church of Christ gym 
SUBJECT: Books

Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes.  I hope I didn't sound too ungrateful in my post.  I am very thankful to have hot water - I just wish it didn't cost so much! 

Tonight I went to an annual hospital book bazaar that is held where StellaDella attends Mother's Day Out.  I didn't have my camera with me, so I had to resort to my cell phone to take my photo for today.  That is why the quality of the picture is not so good.  But, I did a few adjustments in Photoshop and I think it ended up being acceptable.  This book bazaar is a four day event and has thousands upon thousands of books.  I ended up purchasing a 1977 city directory for our town (for genealogy reference), some retro craft books, a couple of fiction books and some magic books for MonkeyBoy.  Tomorrow, every book is half the marked price and on Saturday, for $2.00, it's all you can stuff in a grocery sack.  I look forward to attending this event every year.