The Reverse Peephole

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2011-08-12T14:44:00.006-04:00

Forget the lockout, the real football players began the 2011 season this week. Thankfully the heat & humidity were lower than they have been.

The Real Jersey Shore

2011-08-02T18:59:00.003-04:00

Karen & I are at my in-laws beach house in Belmar, NJ for the week for some R & R. We found a dog friendly beach in Manasquan right across the inlet from where we got married. It was Maddie's first time swimming. She had fun.

Before & After

2011-07-14T13:14:00.003-04:00

The heat slowed us down, but we finally finished the front steps. They now match the back deck.

Happy 2nd of July

2011-07-03T17:06:00.001-04:00

While the rest of America was gearing up for the celebration of America's independence from Great Britain, we were busy celebrating another great date in American history, the 2nd of July. What's to celebrate on July 2? How about this:

1777: Vermont becomes the 1st American territory to abolish slavery.
1881: Charles J. Guiteau shoots & fatally wounds President James Garfield.
1890: Congress passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to limit monopolies.
1908: American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is born.
1932: Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's fast food chain, is born.
1947: Seinfeld co-creator Larry David is born.
1961: Writer Ernest Hemingway died.
1962: The 1st Wal-Mart store opens in Rogers, Arkansas.
1973: Actress Betty Grable died.
1986: Actress Lindsay Lohan is born.
1993: Actor Fred Gwynne, best known for his role as Herman Munster, died.
1997: Actor James "Jimmy" Stewart died.

Much like the 4th of July, the 2nd of July is celebrated with the 2 F's: friends & fireworks. Here are some videos of us getting into the spirit of the 2nd.

Fireworks Clip 1

Fireworks Clip 2

Note: Safety was of the utmost concern for us. We had a hose nearby, did not drink alcohol while lighting the fireworks off only between sessions, and 2 of us are New Hampshire College graduates.

Note 2: I apologize but there is no video or pictorial evidence of my gymnastics routine with sparklers. Gotta wait until next year's 2nd.

Keith Detjen: Stanley Cup MVP or Race Car Driver?

2011-06-19T10:00:00.004-04:00

Another sports championship for Boston, which over the last 10 years has become title town. I'm in hell. Or can I use it to my advantage? As Karen & I walked into our local Dunkin' Donuts for our morning iced coffee yesterday, a guy pushing a baby carriage looked at me and jokingly said, "Hey Tim, I thought you were supposed to be at the parade?" The reference was to Tim Thomas, the Bruins Conn Smythe winning goalie. He thought I looked like him. I said, "My beard isn't as bushy, & even though I am a goalie I'm not as good as him." Karen had no idea who Tim Thomas is, so when she got home she Googled him and said, "You kinda do look like him." She posted a comment about it on her Facebook page and instantly got responses. Our neighbor posted, "Every time we watch the Bruins I say to my husband, 'Keith looks like Tim Thomas.'" Personally, I don't think I look like Thomas. Instead, I think I closer resemble another athlete that people have told me I look like. Dale Earnhardt Jr. You decide.

Keith "Larry David" Detjen

2011-03-19T16:08:00.004-04:00

I am officially one step closer to becoming my idol Larry David. I already have the ornery attitude. I already have a general disdain for all that is human. Like Larry, I at times lack social awareness & sensitivity in order to defend my opinion. And now, like Larry, I will drive a Prius. After 4 hours of negotiating, Karen & I made our 3rd large purchase as a married couple. We are now the proud owners of a black 2011 Toyota Prius. Our carbon footprint is getting smaller. Pictures will be posted after we pick it up later this week.

The $125,000 Question

2011-03-18T16:44:00.012-04:00

With state after state confronting massive budget problems, several governors have been looking to extract whatever they can from public employees like teachers, going after benefits packages and guaranteed job security that unions have won for them. But would teachers be willing to give up those protections for a chance to earn a lot more money (CBS News)?

I have been working in academia, both as a teacher and coach, for almost 8 years now and it is from that experience that I would guess most teachers would answer "no" to that question? If the number one complaint of most teachers is their salary, then why would I say that most teachers would not be willing to give up "protections," especially job security, in order to earn more money? The answer is simple. It is because most teachers are not good teachers and need the job security and pension that unions have won for them to ensure that they can keep being bad teachers.

American students rank 25th in math and 21st in science compared to students in 30 industrialized countries. By the end of 8th grade, US students are 2 years behind in the math being studied by peers in other countries. 68% of 8th graders can't read at their grade level, and most will never catch up. The national high school graduation rate is only 70%, with South Carolina having a low of 54%. Poor education, and in the case of dropouts, a lack of education is a financial drain on American society. Dropouts from the class of 2007 will cost our nation more than $300 billion in lost wages, lost taxes and lost productivity. Dropouts contribute about $60,000 less in federal and state income taxes. Each cohort of dropouts costs the U.S. $192 billion in lost income and taxes. A lack of education is one of the strongest predictors of criminal activity. A dropout is more than eight times as likely to be in jail or prison as a high school graduate and nearly 20 times as likely as a college graduate. Each year, the U.S. spends $9,644 per student compared to $22,600 per prison inmate (broadeducation.org).

Are teachers solely to blame for the above statistics? Absolutely not. Personal accountability of students as well as parental influence have to be examined, however if a company was underperforming where does the CEO look to place blame first? Ineffective employees. I believe it is time for America to start to run our entire education system, kindergarten-college, like a business. Institute better teacher performance review systems throughout our schools. Make teachers EARN protections like tenure and pensions. Get rid of the bad teachers and PAY the good ones.

This is exactly what one New York City school is trying to do. The school is called "TEP," which stands for "The Equity Project." TEP is a charter school that is publicly funded, but privately run. The school was founded on the premise that attracting the best & brightest teachers and holding them accountable for student success is the essential ingredient to a school's success. The school also understands that in order to get the best teachers, just like a business you need to pay them, and pay them TEP does. The school's teachers earn $125,000/year, more than double the national average, and triple the national mean. When school founder and principal, Zeke Vanderhoek, was asked why he pays his teachers that much money, his answer was straightforward. "Because they're worth it, because teachers are the key, and if we can pay them this with the existing dollars, why aren't we doing it?"

Does simply paying a teacher more money mean he/she will be a better teacher? Absolutely not. "I don't think paying people more makes them a better teacher. You take a mediocre teacher, you double their salary, nothing's gonna change. So, if you wanna attract and retain talent, you have to pay for it. And that is ultimately how student achievement will be impacted," says Vanderhoek. So how does Vanderhoek know if he is hiring quality teachers? Because he is directly involved in the hiring and assessment process of all teachers at TEP. To find the best teachers, Vanderhoek launched a nationwide talent search that's been called the "American Idol" of education. Thousands of applicants sent in resumes and those who made it to the final round had to spend a day trying out in front of a very tough crowd, Vanderhoek and the students. What was he looking for in the candidates during the detailed interview process? "Their ability to produce some evidence that the students in their classrooms move from point A to point B. In order for students to demonstrate that growth, they have to be into it. And so the teacher has to be able to engage students. The difference between a great teacher and a mediocre or poor teacher is several grade levels of achievement in a given year. A school that focuses all of its energy and its resources on fantastic teaching can bridge the achievement gap."

How does Vanderhoek afford to pay TEP teachers $125,000/year? By running the school like a business with harsh performance reviews and proper budgeting. The higher than usual salaries come with higher than usual expectations, and unlike most schools, those who don't meet Vanderhoek's standards will be shown the door. There is no tenure. In fact there are no contracts. The teachers work at-will, meaning they can be let go at any time for not performing to the high expectations of their high salaries. Budgeting is also a key element to being able to pay the high salaries. The school survives on public funding alone, and Vanderhoek is able to pay his teachers well by reallocating resources. There are no state-of-the-art facilities, in fact classes take place in trailers. And the money that would go to pay for an assistant principal, reading specialist and other staff goes into teachers' salaries. But that means the teachers and Vanderhoek have to do those jobs as well.

Vanderhoek is not the only person who believes that schools need to spend more time and money on seeking out and keeping quality teachers. Most people who study education reform believe that the key to improving education is with better teachers, and that starts with figuring out who the better teachers are. The traditional way that school districts go about finding quality teachers is by looking at a teacher's academic & cognitive qualifications like the degrees & certifications that a teacher has earned. Guess what? Researchers have found that credentials like test scores, graduate degrees, and certifications, as much as they appear related to teaching prowess, actually are bad predictors for teaching success. Jacob Kounin, an educational researcher, believes that he best way to tell a quality good teacher from a bad teacher is through a measurement that he calls a teachers "withitness." He defines "withitness" as a teacher's ability to communicate to his/her students and command the classroom. Kounin believes that the only way to determine a teacher's withitness is by watching a teacher in action.

The best model for determining a teacher's withitness, and therefore determining who will make a good teacher and who won't is the same model that the financial services field uses to determine who make a good financial adviser and who doesn't. Ed Deutschlander, co-president of the North Star Resource Group, puts his new-hire candidates through a 4-month "training camp." During the camp the candidates are asked to act like real financial advisers. Deutschlander says, "they should be able to obtain in the 4-month period a minimum of 10 official clients. If they can, then we know that person is at least fast enough to play this game." The candidates that make the cut through the training camp are then hired as apprentice advisers. From there, Deutschlander believes that it takes 3-4 years to see whether someone can make it as a full blown financial adviser. By that time, Deutschlander says that only 30-40% of the apprentice advisers will make it.

The apprenticeship model that Deutschlander and the financial services profession uses can be applied to the teaching profession. Using this model teaching candidates would be rigorously evaluated on their actual performance, and tenure would not be routinely awarded. Apprentices would get apprentice wages, but when good teachers are found they should be paid well. Why? Because we want good teachers to stay and because the only way to get people to "try out" for what will now be a high-risk profession is to offer those who make the cut a healthy reward. Ed Deutschlander believes that it takes 100 interviews to find 1 quality financial adviser. In addition, he spends large amounts of money to figure out who has the particular mixture of abilities to do the job well. "If you are willing to to make that kind of investment and show that kind of patience, you wind up with a high-performing financial adviser," says Deutschlander. Critics say this method won't work in education. Taxpayers won't want to pay the costs associated with trying out several teachers to find one good one. Teachers' unions have been, and will continue to be resistant to moving away from the current tenure system. Well, maybe the critics are right, it won't work for the teaching profession. What then, does it say about a society that devotes more care & patience to the selection of those who handle its money than those who handle its children?

The NFL: Modern-Day Slavery?

2011-03-18T14:09:00.002-04:00

In a recent interview with Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was asked his opinion about the NFL labor situation. Peterson said, "It's modern-day slavery, you know?" No Adrian, I don't now and neither do you. On July 29, 2007 Peterson signed a contract with the Vikings that will pay him $40.5 million over 6 years. His guaranteed signing bonus for the contract is worth $17 million. I saw the documentary Roots. Kunta Kinte didn't make that kind of money.

This is just another example of a young, uneducated, misinformed kid using controversy to make a point. The irony is, the 'point' that Peterson has is shared by many Americans. Most Americans feel that we are underpaid, and financially taken advantage of by our employer. Unless of course you worked for Ben & Jerry's (1). However, comparing the NFL or any employer for that matter to slavery is an egregious error in judgment, and as an African-American Peterson should know better. Peterson was close though in his description of what it's like to be an employee in 2011 America, he just used the wrong words. As an employee he, and the rest of us, is not a slave, rather an indentured servant. We sign a contract and are bound by the terms for a specified time in exchange for payment. No more, no less. We are Billy Budd and our employer is the HMS Indomitable (2).

Where do I stand on the NFL labor issue? I don't know, and I don't care. I have way better things to do than waste my time or brain power thinking of an opinion about whose right in a quarrel over money between billionaires and millionaires. The owners, with or without the team that the own, are rich enough, and the players, despite taking part in a violent game that risks their long-term health, are compensated handsomely. Just how handsomely? The NFL's average player salary in 2009-10 was $1.896 million, with a median of $790, 000 (USA Today Salaries Database). The top 25 salaries in 2009-10 were allover $12 million, with the highest being Philip Rivers for over $25 million (USA Today Salaries Database). Obviously for employees to make that kind of money the business must be doing well, and the NFL is really doing well. The NFL had a revenue growth of 43% from 2006-09 (Forbes), and generated $9.3 billion last year which is roughly equal to the Gross Domestic Product of Macedonia (Fortune). The future continues to look bright. The following statistics come from a collaboration between Sports Illustrated and Fortune, and are listed in the Scorecard article on page 16 of the March 14 issue of Sports Illustrated. ESPN pays the NFL $1.1 billion per year for broadcasting rights, and NBC pays another $650 million. Nike just paid $1.1 billion to land the official apparel sponsorship. Verizon pays $720 million to be the league's exclusive wireless provider. Anheuser-Busch pays $1.2 billion to be the NFL's official beer sponsor. As employees of a seemingly thriving industry, do the players deserve to have a percentage of this trickle down to them?

If yes, then all money made in this country by all businesses should end up trickling down to teachers. Fact: companies can't make money without employees. Fact: employees can't have the skills necessary to work for companies without teachers. Teachers educate students into knowledge workers (3) and provide them with the information and skills necessary to add value to the workforce. It is next to impossible to own a business without some form of formal education, as it is next to impossible to work for a business without some form of formal education. However, the problem for teachers is that we work in a non-revenue generating industry, and our salaries reflect that. The highest paid K-12 teacher is currently a high school teacher with a median salary of $43,493 (payscale.com). The lowest paid K-12 teacher is an elementary school teacher with a median salary of $40,451 (payscale.com). Comedian Chris Rock, while discussing the discrepancy in earning between whites & blacks, joked that if Bill Gates were to wake up one morning with Oprah Winfrey's money he'd jump out of a window. What would Adrian Peterson do if he woke up tomorrow morning and was told that he would be paid the equivalent of a public school teacher to run with a football?

But Keith, in America you have freedom and one of your freedoms is career choice. I love this argument against teachers that complain about low pay. Sure, we are free to choose our careers. But what if every American decided that teaching salaries were not worth it and decided to do something else? How does a society prosper without this profession? It doesn't. Adrian Peterson and every other NFL player for that matter could decide that they are not compensated fairly and could choose to do something else. The NFL would fold and life would go on. If every teacher decided to do the same thing, institutionalized academia would fold and life would not progress forward. In a civilized society, teachers are a must. A lot of other professions, especially professional athletes, are not.

To read further about the NFL labor dispute check out the following articles:
The NFL's Labor Dispute: Answer to Key Questions
Game Over: Should the NFL Show Players the Money?

*Stay tuned for my next post where I will address the real problem with America's education system, not underpaid teachers but rather underperforming teachers.

1. When Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry's they instituted a wages policy that stated no employee's rate of pay shall exceed seven times that of entry-level employees. In 1995, entry-level employees were paid $8 hourly, and the highest paid employee was President and Chief Operating Officer Chuck Lacey, who earned $150,000 annually. When Ben Cohen resigned as Chief Executive Officer and Ben & Jerry's announced the search for a new CEO in 1995, the company ended the seven-to-one-ratio policy.

2. Billy Budd is a novel published in 1924 by American author Herman Melville of Moby-Dick fame. The novel tells the story of Billy Budd a seaman who is impressed into indentured servitude aboard the British Royal Navy ship the HMS Indomitable.

3. Knowledge workers are individuals who are valued for their ability to act and communicate with knowledge within a specific subject area. They use research skills to define problems and to identify alternatives in an effort to influence company decisions, priorities and strategies. The term was first coined by Martin Feregrino in 1959.

The Press Box

2011-03-18T10:45:00.003-04:00

My friend Chris just launched a new blog about current sports topics. I added it to my Shout Outs list on the right hand side. Check it out, and click on the banner ads while you're there to help a brother make some money.

Twitter

2011-03-17T23:38:00.002-04:00

I'm officially a 21st century asshole. I'm on twitter. Now, every time something pops into my mind you can know about it. Enjoy. Check the right hand side under Shout Outs for my twitter address.

Bruges, Belgium

2011-03-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

When I get completely fed up with everyone and everything Bruges, Belgium is where I want to go to live my remaining years in peace. That time is getting close. The President of our faculty union weighed in on my mass e-mail response (see below post), with none other than an e-mail. Ya gotta love it. Here is his response and then my response, after I first called him to try and have a man-to-man chat.

Keith,

The issues being discussed are central to our lives as faculty members at Franklin Pierce. I'm sorry to see that you're very first public comment after 3 years here is a loud "leave me out of it." If you have nothing better to say, just delete the emails without reading them, rather than give proof to the theory that you have no investment in being here.

Rich,

I just left you a voicemail thinking we would have an adult conversation about this however there was no answer. I take complete exception to your statement "...give proof to the theory that you have no investment in being here." I urge you to speak to any number of faculty members that you want to and ask them what they think about my commitment to this institution. I believe the overwhelming response you will get could be summed up with the word "dedicated." I also challenge you to find faculty members that spend more time in their office, more time serving as advisors to student clubs/organizations, or more time attending as many of the voluntary workshops and meetings regarding institution issues than me. Finally, and most importantly, I urge you to ask our students about my lack of investment in this institution and their education. I believe they would have a different opinion.

Sorry for the mass e-mail but.......

2011-03-11T12:18:00.003-05:00

I, thank God, do not work in a traditional corporate environment. I do not have to, as described in the movie Office Space, "...sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day...filling out useless forms...and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements." I do however work for an organization, which means just like those of you in corporate America, I have to deal with assholes & their asshole behavior. Academics could be the biggest assholes of all. I have come to the conclusion this week that most professors are completely out of touch with reality for one of two reasons:
1) They are 800 years old and can't be in touch with reality.
2) They are in denial about reality and wish it could be like back when they were young in 1856.

The absolute worst part of the work day, for anyone, I believe are the litany of mass e-mails that are sent about absolutely nothing. Some jerk comes up with what he/she thinks is a great idea that needs to be shared with everyone, or some jerk has something to tell someone but decides that everyone must know. I had a question for our Dean the other day, and to get the answer I did something revolutionary. Something that no one would have thought to do. Something that will be written about in business communication textbooks some day. I picked up a phone and called him. 25 seconds later my question was answered.

As I sat at my desk today, that resides in an office thank you very much, I received another mass e-mail. The fact that it was a mass e-mail annoyed me, what was written in the first line got my blood boiling. The opening read: "Dear Colleagues, Sorry to clutter your in-box..." You're sorry to clutter my inbox? Then don't! I decided I only had one course of action. That's right. A "reply to all" response. Below is that response.

Everyone,

If I only had a dollar for every mass e-mail I have received over the years that began with some form of "I really hate sending mass e-mails but...." by now I'd be able to buy the Yankees away from the bumbling Steinbrenner brothers.

I'm really not interested in being part of some passive/aggressive e-mail war, so please leave me off the distribution list. Thank you.

Midterms

2011-03-10T15:41:00.003-05:00

Spring Break is next week so that means two things. 1) I got to hear from a bunch of teenagers all week about how much they are looking forward to some time off from their "stressful" lives. 2) I got to take my anger out on these said teenagers all week by giving extremely difficult midterm exams!

Student: "But professor, we never went over the topic being asked in Question 87."
Me: "So."
Student: "So that isn't fair."
Me: "Where is fairness mentioned in the syllabus for this course or the syllabus for life for that matter?"

I do however try to balance out the difficult questions with a chance for the students to earn some extra credit at the end of the exams. Extra credit questions on my exams are usually based on current events or my favorite topic of all....me. Let's see how you would have done on the extra credit questions I asked this week.

-Next week for St. Patrick's Day I will drink one of my favorite beer drinks, a Black & Tan. A Black & Tan is comprised a stour or porter beer mixed with a pale ale beer. The most common Black & Tan mixes Guinness with what English pale ale?
-In 2006, what ice cream company introduced the flavor "Black & Tan" in honor of St. Patricks' Day?
-Sunday is my birthday. Hold old will I be?
-I am not the only famous person born on March 13. Actor Emile Hirsch was born on March 13, 1985. Emile starred in the film adaptation of one of my favorite books. What is the name of the movie/book?
-Who will win this weekend's ACC Tournament: Duke, North Carolina, Other?

Wrestling

2011-03-06T11:03:00.003-05:00

The curtains officially closed on the 2010-11 wrestling season last night at the New Haven (Connecticut) City-Wide Field House. Two of my wrestlers qualified to compete in the All New England tournament which was comprised of top wrestlers from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island, & Connecticut. In the 10 year history of the program we have only had one wrestler finish in the top 6 at the tournament. Last night we had two. Our 140 pounder finished 6th after being disqualified in his final match against the Vermont state champion from Mount Anthony for an illegal slam, and our 152 pounder finished 5th after getting a last second take down in his final match to avenge a loss to a tough Norwich, CT kid from earlier in the tournament. Finishing top 6 at this tournament earns both wrestlers "All New England" distinction. Check out a recent article that the Goffstown News did about the team.

Goffstown News Article

Proud To Be A Masshole

2011-02-24T15:10:00.002-05:00

Fuck off America, we're wicked smaht!

America's Smartest States

"Best Day Ever"

2011-02-22T19:51:00.005-05:00

In the movie City Slickers, while driving cattle across the plains of New Mexico the main characters discuss the "best day of their lives." They agree that weddings, births of children, etc. cannot count because those are the obvious best days. According to this criteria, I hereby nominate winning the New Hampshire Division 2 State Tournament on Saturday the best day of my life. Below is a link to a highlights video from the final round of Saturday's tournament. If you're not into wrestling, fast forward to the 7:52 mark and check out my reaction after our 145 pounder won in what is the greatest end to a wrestling match ever.

New Hampshire Division 2 State Finals

New Hampshire Division 2 State Champions

2011-02-20T08:08:00.003-05:00

Click Here To Read The Union Leader Article

Puppy Bowl

2011-02-06T15:53:00.002-05:00

Who needs hours upon hours of pre-game with Terry Bradshaw to get you ready for the Super Bowl when you've got the Puppy Bowl featuring the Bissell Kitty Halftime Show!

Show Me The Money

2011-01-25T21:34:00.002-05:00

"In South Korea teachers are known as 'nation builders.' Here in America it's time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect."

President Obama, State of the Union Address

Finishing Touches

2011-01-24T20:17:00.004-05:00

With the Jets officially done, it's now time to focus on pitchers & catchers. In anticipation of the upcoming baseball season, the basement got a lighting upgrade.

Snow Bunny

2011-01-12T19:39:00.002-05:00

According to the local news, we got about 20 inches of snow. According to my body after shoveling all day, we got about 200 inches (1). Shoveling snow was not the only excitement of the day. With Karen's car already in the shop getting fixed after her accident last week, apparently my car missed it so much that it decided to join hers. As I was moving the car to shovel the driveway I noticed fluid leaking from underneath. I think it's break fluid (2). I think I'm leaking antifreeze because I'm running hot. Here's a simple arithmetic word problem for you to solve. Karen & I had 2 cars. Take away Karen's car. Then take away my car. How many cars do Karen & I now have? The dog was oblivious to all of this and enjoyed the day (3).

1. Fuck home ownership.
2. Fuck car ownership.
3. Yay dog ownership!

28

2011-01-04T22:18:00.003-05:00

Singing cards were all the rage tonight at Karen's 28th birthday. Either Maddie has a fear of cards that sing or she just isn't a fan of really bad 60's music. Karen's best birthday present? It's a tossup between the Soda Stream maker and getting rear-ended this morning.

Random facts about the number 28:
-The atomic mass of silicon & nickel is 28.
-The curing time of concrete is 28 days.
-The period of Saturn's revolution around the sun is 28 days.
-Except in a leap year, the number of days in the shortest month (February) of the Gregorian calendar is 28.
-The number of dominoes in a standard domino set is 28.
-The maximum number of games that a team can play throughout the NBA & NHL playoffs is 28 (no league has ever had a team play that many games.).
-The lowest uniform number that has not been retired by any MLB team is 28.

Christmas Toy

2011-01-02T12:19:00.002-05:00

Santa brought me a new iPhone 4. Here's the first video.

First Snowfall

2010-12-21T07:40:00.002-05:00

Ignorance is Bliss

2010-11-12T13:13:00.003-05:00

The woman I teach with is retiring after this year. I am in the process of leading a search committee to find her replacement. When I arrived at my office this morning, I decided to enjoy my cup of coffee while reading our online newspaper. The following post caught my eye and my anger. It is written by a faculty member here who believes the school places too much emphasis on sports. As you will read in the last paragraph, he fears that this overemphasis on athletics is carrying over into academia by way of the program that I teach in. I disagree with a lot of what is written below. His accusation towards athletes regarding 2 recent sexual assaults here on campus is unfounded and dangerous. Have we not learned anything from the Duke Lacrosse case? What I most disagree with however is his indictment on the Sports & Recreation Management major. A major that he has no knowledge about the curriculum. Following the copy of his post is a copy of the e-mail that I sent him in response.

His Post:

Been a while since I last wrote. It has been a very busy semester, what with four courses, service on a governance committee, and a number of tasks in service to the faculty union, the Rindge Faculty Federation. Thankfully, classes are generally going well, and I am especially fortunate to have a strong group of students in the Honors section of American Experience. Chingachgook will not be forgotten!

Athletics, the dominant program here at Franklin Pierce University, also continues to roll along, with their myriad sports info personnel (more than the total serving the rest of the University), the grad assistants, and all the other perks that go along with being a Division II powerhouse. The only thing missing is student enthusiasm. For example, ask the average student and they haven’t attended any games or matches and care even less. Even recent playoff matches appeared poorly attended, especially given many there were faculty, visitors, and students on other athletic teams. But the myth persists that Athletics provides us news coverage and an identity, even if the latter is non-existent here on the Rindge campus. I always imagine it as a façade, a “Potemkin village” (go ahead and Google it). The only sport at present that students seem to get fired up about is rugby—a club sport, one pushed by students, and one not yet featuring a large contingent of scholarship athletes. In other words, kind of like a Division III sport. Wait until it becomes a scholarship sport-the enthusiasm will die away.

Here’s a few more recent items to consider. Today I had to explain to students in my first-year seminar that athletes get to register for Spring classes one day before non-athletes. I always feel odd having to announce that, since it is so patently unfair. Supposedly athletes are unable to get classes at times convenient to their practice and training sessions, so their needs trump those of all other students in their class-year. That was a decision made by the Administration years ago, without consulting faculty, no evidence presented as to the need, and no consideration of alternatives. One can only wish Academics had as powerful an advocate as the Athletic Director!
There have also been recent rumors of sexual assaults, possibly involving athletes.

Just today (Tuesday, November 9) there was an announcement confirming the reporting of two sexual assaults, though of course no further information was provided. Now, unless a victim or direct witness comes forward to press the allegations, little can be done by the University. What is both saddening and maddening is the seeming unwillingness of administrators to even address what might be a serious problem. The goal is to always prevent such assaults from ever occurring, but if they do occur, we need to be certain everyone knows how to proceed. Yet it is only today that the agenda for our monthly faculty meeting for the first time even raises issues involving sexual assaults, reporting, etc. How many staff or faculty receive formal, extensive, and relevant training on these issues? When were the last such formal training sessions held? Do coaches and assistants receive any such training? What about athletes themselves?

Then there is the Clery Act, with its requirements for disclosure of crime statistics, reporting, and maintenance of a public crime log. Who are the parties responsible for ensuring FPU’s compliance? Have they been trained? I know concerned faculty pressing on this issue, but they tell me they have received virtually no support and nary an encouraging word from the “powers that be.” Without formal allegations, it is easy to claim there is no problem, but isn’t the point of all these laws and trainings to raise awareness and to PREVENT any such occurrences? So can we finally get some serious work done on this at Franklin Pierce University?

Lastly, a notice went out today announcing new faculty positions, one of which is in Sports Management, a thriving major here at Franklin Pierce University and Athletic Camp (FPUAC). Although an academic program, the position mandates that as first priority after teaching major courses, the applicant “establish working relationships with the Athletic Department, student athletes and related personnel.” In fact, this takes precedence over such ‘mundane’ activities as teaching in Gen Ed, advising students, or contributing institutional service. So, is this program to be an arm of Athletics? Why must this faculty member privilege athletes among all students? We recently hired a new faculty member in Psychology—did the job description mandate close work with University counseling services? Will the new Accounting professor be required to work with the Business Office? No, so this is unique. Athletic coaches already have access to their student-athletes academic records, as they are listed as co-advisors along with academic faculty. Are the next steps already in motion to make an academic program the direct subsidiary of Athletics? My claim that FPU is a university attached to an athletic program was meant in jest—is it now to become a reality?

My Response:

I just read your latest blog entry, and instead of posting a comment to it, thought I would instead pass along a direct comment to you. Let me first start by saying that in spite of having the word "sports" in the name of the major that I teach in, I am in agreement with a lot of what you say in your newest post as well as your previous post on 9/23. In fact, I turned that post into a written assignment for my IC101 class. The class' theme is "sports and society" and we just finished up a unit where we discussed the role of sports in education (at all levels but especially higher ed). I had the students read your post and then write a reaction paper to the question, "Does FPU overemphasize athletics?" It made for a great discussion.

As for your newest post where you make reference to the inclusion of the faculty member establishing relationships with the Athletic department in the job description, I do take umbrage to your comments. Your quote that you embed in your post states, "the applicant will establish working relationships with the Athletic Department, student athletes and related personnel.” This is only a fragment of the entire sentence. The entire sentence reads, "This faculty member will establish working relationships with the Athletic Department, student athletes and related personnel, teach in the University's general education curriculum, advise students, contribute to institutional service, and maintain a program of scholarly/creative work in Sports Management." The duties/responsibilities listed in this sentence are in no particular order of importance. The faculty member will be asked to take part in all, including the "mundane activates such as teaching in Gen Ed" as you say. I believe the inclusion of Gen Ed is important. I am currently teaching two I&C courses.

Why include establishing a working relationship with the Athletic department in the job description? Because experiential learning is a vital component of the higher education experience that directly correlates to getting a job after graduation. Not 100% of course, but it does greatly increase the student's chances. This is a reality. Industry professionals, when hiring college grads, want to see application to the theory they learned in the classroom. They don't want to just see that the student took a sports facility management class; they want to see that they accumulated some work experience in the field. This is not just in Sports Management. This is in all majors. In your post you ask, "We recently hired a new faculty member in Psychology--did the job description mandate close work with University counseling services?" It should have. "Will the new Accounting professor be required to work with the Business office?" He/She should. Another reality is that we are located in Rindge. It is extremely difficult to incorporate experiential learning with sports teams/organizations because there are not many near here. That's where the Athletic department comes in handy. I read an article a few months that cited a statistic from Monster.com that stated 40% of the class of 2010 received job offers after graduation from companies they had interned with during college. It is extremely important that we expose our students to the industry. The difficulty is that the industry is not close to campus. Our Athletic department is.

You ask, "Are the next steps already in motion to make an academic program the direct subsidiary of Athletics?" Absolutely not. The work we do with Athletics is so minimal compared to the work we do outside the University. In fact, just this past weekend we volunteered at the Manchester Marathon. Not so we could turn our program into a direct subsidiary of the Marathon, but so we could get the students working experience and a networking opportunity.

If I come off as defensive, or maybe offensive depending on the tone you read into my written words, it's because I am. I am truly proud of the work that the program that I teach in does to help the students not only learn about the sports industry but also the work we do to put the students in the best position possible to succeed in life after Pierce. Yes we are a "sports" major, but we are a sports business program. We are not teaching our students to be coaches or professional athletes. We are teaching our students to become administrators and front office personnel. We can talk about these professions until we are blue in the face, but at some point we have to get the students out there so they can see how what they read in textbooks and what we lecture in class actually applies to the industry. We do this many ways, and yes one of the ways is through our own Athletic department.

I'd be happy to sit down over a cup of coffee at some point to not only discuss this, but the other concerns you bring up in your posts, many of which as I stated above I find valid. I believe the goal should not be to push athletics and academics further away from one another, but to instead bring them closer. Are we as an institution (coaches, professors, administrators) doing a good job of that? Absolutely not. But I do believe it can be done. So, let's work towards getting it done.

Baba Booey!

2010-11-06T13:42:00.005-04:00

You know you got a pretty good wife when her idea of a Friday night out is waiting in line to get Gary "Baba Boooey" Dell' Abate's autograph. Gary's book, They Call Me Baba Booey, came out this week so he is on a promotional tour which brought him to Boston this weekend. Last night he was at the Brattle Theater on the campus of Harvard of all places. For those of you who are not Howard Stern fans and do not know the Baba Booey story, here's a summary.

The "Baba Booey" nickname originated on The Howard Stern Show on July 26, 1990, after Gary told a story about his prized collection of animated cels. In the course of discussing a Quick Draw McGraw cel he might purchase, he misstated the name of McGraw's sidekick "Baba Looey" as "Baba Booey." The name has stuck ever since.

Halloween Party?

2010-10-28T12:32:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure if an expected turnout in the single digits constitutes a party, but whatever you call it I'm looking forward to our 2nd annual Halloween gathering on Saturday night nonetheless. I'm equally looking forward to the next party/holiday gathering/Bar Mitzvah/etc. that Karen & I go out of our way to attend.

Monument Park

2010-10-11T08:49:00.002-04:00

The retired numbers are up, now we just need to figure out how we're going to replicate the monuments.

Playoffs?

2010-10-06T14:36:00.005-04:00

Here is my new post for the blog I write for the school newspaper. In case you haven't been checking it out, click on "12th Man" over to the right under Shout-Outs.

If you’ve ever had me for a class, you would agree with the following statement about yours truly: I am, most of the time, a glass half empty, skeptical, conspiracy theorist who dwells on the negative. In fact, during the first class of every semester instead of discussing what I did over break, I discuss the things I did NOT do since the last semester ended. So in the spirit of me, I give to you the top 10 reasons why I am not looking forward to the MLB playoffs.

10) Must win games. Let’s get something straight, the only “must win” game in the playoffs is an elimination game. I’m sick of listening to announcers and analysts talk about how after a team loses game 1, they now must win game 2. Unless MLB changed the playoff format and 2 wins constitutes a playoff series, then that game is a very important game but it is not a must win.

9) Joe Buck. He sure isn’t his Dad.

8) The Yankees not winning the World Series. Listen, I’m a die hard Yankees fan. Deal with it. I grew up during the Steinbrenner era of Yankees baseball. Anything short of a World Series championship is considered a disappointment, and when you add to that the fact that the team has a $200+ million payroll, a playoff exit is not just a disappointment it is a failure.

7) The Yankees winning the World Series. The Yankees have become rap music. Even to the biggest fan, they are indefensible. They are the football captain winning homecoming king. They are James Cameron winning another Oscar. They are Donald Trump striking oil. For the right price, I’m convinced that MLB would just sell them the Commissioner’s Trophy and forego the formalities of playing for it. And, the Yankees would pay for it by raising ticket prices.

6) FOX/TBS. The late management guru, Peter Drucker, believed that companies need to stick with what they do best. When it comes to broadcasting, the Fox network needs to implement this strategy and stick with televising karaoke competitions instead of sport competitions. TBS, the other playoff network, somehow has taken what Fox does horribly and manages to do it worse.

5) Red Sox fans. Yes, I know the Sawx (insert your own imitation of an obnoxious Boston accent here) had a wicked bad season and are not in the playoffs, but that doesn’t mean the Nation won’t do something to annoy me from now until the World Series is over. And stop crying about Randy Moss.

4) The butchering of the National Anthem. Can Obama please pass legislation that makes it a crime, punishable by death, to allow anyone in any way affiliated with American Idol from performing the Star-Spangled Banner? No one will ever, ever do a better job than Whitney Houston. Play the tape and then play ball.

3) Hearing Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind” every time a game being played at Yankee Stadium comes back from commercial break. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the song, it’s just that with every commercial to game segway I hear the song turning into the 00’s “Who let the dogs out?”

2) 8:37 pm EST first pitches. Thanks MLB for selling your broadcasting rights out to networks that only care about one thing: sponsorship dollars. The hell with the 6th grader in Cincinnati who is about to “watch” his/her Reds in the playoffs for the first time, we need our corporate sponsor logos & commercials on during prime time.

1) Baseball in general, not just the playoffs, is so damn boring without steroids.

Deck Update

2010-10-03T18:43:00.002-04:00

Unlike the Yankees, we were pretty productive this weekend. We painted the trim & bench supports on the deck, and planted some mums. We found a nursery nearby that sells mums on steroids. They're huge!

The Onion Videos

2010-09-24T12:31:00.003-04:00

The Onion is great place for news satire. Here are some of the funnier videos.

WARNING: Strong language. Probably not suitable for work. Unless you work at a really cool place.

Lazy Students

Fat Shaping (For Uncle Fred)

Red Sox

Yankees Vacation Stadium

Grizzlies On The Gridiron

2010-09-20T19:35:00.002-04:00

Below is a link to pictures from our 28-18 win over Souhegan High School last Friday. What the pictures did not capture was my outstanding offensive play calling.

Football Slideshow

Aunt & Uncle...Again

2010-09-20T07:56:00.004-04:00

After a long, stressful 2 week stretch, finally some much needed good news and reason to celebrate. My brother-in-law & his wife made Karen & I an aunt & uncle again when they welcomed their second daughter. Katherine (Katie) Therese English was born last Tuesday morning weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces. That wasn't the only baby news we got last week. My friend since kindergarten, Steve, and his wife Yulia made us unofficial aunt & uncle when they gave birth to their first child Saturday night. Elliot Wolfgang Goggi entered the world already full grown, weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces. In order to keep up with all of this parenting, Karen & I decided to officially adopt the groundhog that lives in our backyard. Add another chair at the Thanksgiving table for Haverhill Hank Detjen.

A Hero Is Laid To Rest

2010-09-18T07:15:00.004-04:00

Phil was laid to rest with full military honors Thursday night in the New Hampshire Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen. The funeral procession began in New York where his funeral took place, went through Vermont and then into New Hampshire. He was led by the Patriot Guard Riders, an organization that attends the funerals of members of the United States Armed Forces to shelter & protect family members of the deceased from protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church. This despicable group believes that the deaths of American troops in Iraq & Afghanistan are divine retribution for America's tolerance of homosexuality. The Patriot Guard positions itself to physically shield the mourners from the presence of the Westboro protesters by blocking the protesters from view with their motorcade, or by having members hold American flags. Thankfully, this was not needed at Phil's service. It was a very peaceful and touching tribute. People, many of whom never knew or met Phil, lined the streets with signs and flags to show their appreciation as the procession made its way through the center of Goffstown and into Boscawen. It was an overwhelming site. The entire day was clear & sunny, until about 5 minutes before Phil arrived at the cemetery when a steady, light rain began to fall. After the service, the Goffstown community gathered at the high school to share stories, and memories of Phil. I have enjoyed working in the school district for the last 6 years, but have never been as proud to be part of this small community as I was Thursday night seeing the tremendous support that community members provided for Phil's family. Below is a link (it takes a couple seconds to load) to a short news video recapping the procession and service. Please, don't be fooled by what is said by the reporter at the end. Governor Lynch's actions at the burial service were nothing short of shameless and in poor taste. I will be working on a letter that will be sent to his office to let him know that the burial service of a fallen hero, or anyone for that matter, is not the place to campaign.

News coverage.

The 12th Man

2010-09-14T13:33:00.003-04:00

I was asked by the editor-in-chief of our school newspaper, The Pierce Arrow, to be a contributing blogger. Every 2 weeks I will write a column that will be posted to the online version of The Pierce Arrow about current sociocultural issues going on in the sports industry. You can link to my blog from this blog under the "Shout Outs" section over to the right. Enjoy.

The War Hits Home

2010-09-08T19:41:00.009-04:00

Last night I found out that a former wrestler of mine was killed in combat in Afghanistan. The Department of Defense informed the office of New Hampshire Representative, Carol Shea-Porter that Corporal Phil Charte was killed sometime on Monday while supporting combat operations in the Helmand Providence in Afghanistan. Phil is the 12th service member from New Hampshire to die in the war in Afghanisatn. He was 22-years-old.

Phil joined the Marine Corps in June 2007. In fact, his recruiter picked him up on graduation night and brought him to the airport. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. Phil was promoted to corporal on June 1, 2010. His military honors include: the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, & the National Defense Service Medal.

Before his sophmore year in high school, Phil moved from New York to Goffstown, NH where he became a standout member of our wrestling team. Phil was an integral part of our 2005-06 state championship team. In addition to sharing in the team success that year, he also had success of his own, winning the 135 pound individual state title. During the 2006-07 season, Phil's senior year, he served as team captain.

Phil & I connected through the bond that we shared as a result of growing up in the NY area. New Yorkers and New Englanders definitely have their differences, and the street tough mentality that Phil brought to the mat was something that I could relate to. I could also relate to his competitive nature and his disdain for losing. After losing a match (Phil did not have many losses), he would storm off the mat & find a quiet place in the school to be alone. After giving him time, I would track him down & sit next to him as he cried. The tears, as I knew all too well, were from the pain of competition.

The last time I saw Phil was a little over a year ago. I had a chance to give him a hug and tell him how proud I was of him. Like he had done so many times after I congratulated him after a win, he said to me in his soft spoken, polite voice, "thanks coach." Now it's my turn. Thank you Phil for being a hero.

Summer 2010 Quiz

2010-09-07T13:23:00.007-04:00

It's a tradition in all of my classes on the first day to take a quiz based on events that took place while the students were away on break. I then follow the quiz up with a rant on the importance of keeping yourself informed and educated on world affairs in order to take part in democracy. I'm not sure which one the students hate more. 77 students ranging from freshmen to seniors took this semester's quiz based on events that took place from the beginning of May to the end of August. Out of 10 questions, the average number of correct answers was a 2.73. The high score was an 8. Let's see how you do.

1) On July 11, what country won its first FIFA World Cup title with an extra time goal; the latest game-winning goal scored in a FIFA World Cup final game?

2) On June 26, what country eliminated the United States from the 2010 FIFA World Cup; the same country that eliminated the US squad from the 2006 World Cup?

3) On July 27, Tony Hayward announced that he would be resigning as CEO of what company, effective October 1?

4) Released in the United States on June 18, what film became the highest-grossing animated film of all-time worldwide making over $1 billion?

5) On August 9, flight attendant Steven Slater made waves when after an altercation with a passenger he exited the plane via the evacuation slide. On what airline did this occur?

6) On August 23, what pop music star whose birth name is Stefani Germanotta, dethroned Britney Spears as “Twitter Queen” with more than 5.7 million followers on the microblogging site?

7) On July 8, Lebron James announced in an hour long ESPN special called “The Decision” that he would be signing with the Miami Heat. Proceeds from sponsorships of the special generated more than $2.5 million for

8) On June 18, the music album Recovery was released and became the summer’s most successful album topping the Billboard chart for 7 weeks and selling more than 2 million copies. What artist released the album?

9) On May 23, what celebrity was not fired and instead won the 3^rd season of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice?

10) On August 29, what television show won the Emmy Award for outstanding comedy series?

Learn 'Em Good

2010-09-03T15:04:00.005-04:00

The summer is over (1), and another academic year has started at Franklin Pierce. We kicked off the 2010-11 school year with 2 time honored traditions. The first took place on Saturday during freshmen move-in day when faculty & staff members lined the parking lots to help the college newbies carry their belongings up to their dorms rooms. It seems like every year I pick the cars carrying the students living on the top floor on the dorms. After the students moved in, the academic year officially kicked off with our Convocation ceremony. Convocation is an academic ceremony where the faculty, dressed in their academic regalia, gather to welcome the start of a new academic year.

1. You wouldn't know it with this relentless heat.

The Kiss

2010-08-21T21:41:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I got my last tattoo. Thanks to a tax refund from Uncle Sam, I was back in the seat today. Six and a half hours down, several more to go. It's an art reproduction of Gustav Klimt's painting, The Kiss.

Renovation Realities

2010-08-15T21:13:00.005-04:00

With this deck construction under our belt, Karen & I are ready to star in our own HGTV home renovation show. The only thing left to build is a set of stairs.

Maddie Videos

2010-08-08T21:34:00.000-04:00

2010-08-08T21:33:00.001-04:00

2010-08-08T21:33:00.000-04:00

D.I.Y. Deck Building

2010-08-08T17:52:00.009-04:00

It took all day, but all the deck boards are finally screwed down. Now I just need to add the stairs and built-in benches.

Bar & Deck Updates

2010-08-03T21:23:00.010-04:00

The cards are down, now we just need to put them under glass.

When I last posted, the framework was done. Since then we started laying the composite boards.

Sweat Equity

2010-07-14T07:37:00.009-04:00

Last summer was the bar (check back soon for a bar update), this summer is a deck off of our basement sliding door. Unlike the bar, this time we had an expert (my neighbor Keegan) as the project foreman. Phase 2: lay down the composite decking & custom built-in benches.

Threesome

2010-07-10T10:35:00.007-04:00

Karen & I pulled dog sitting duty this weekend for our neighbors two labs (Bailey & Bella). Not exactly the threesome a human guy hopes for, but being the only male dog in the group Bailey (brown) is enjoying the attention.

The Decision

2010-07-07T09:21:00.002-04:00

Log on tonight at 7 PM ET to read my decision on what I will be eating for dinner tonight. Among the front runner choices are: chicken if I feel like going Southern, turkey burgers if I feel like a more healthy west coast choice, and Gorditas if I'm in the mood for a more international flavor. Perdue, Jennie-O, & Old El Paso will sponsor the big announcement. All proceeds will go to the Human Fund, a charity whose slogan is "money for people."

Another Celebrity Look-alike

2010-07-06T17:00:00.002-04:00

I have to try to find a way to parlay this innate celebrity look-alike ability of mine into a profitable business. Here we have Netherlands soccer star Wesley Sneijder, and Aruban murder star Joran Van der Sloot.

Celebrity Look-alikes

2010-07-01T15:08:00.004-04:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but to me watching the confirmation hearing of Supreme Court Justice nominee Elena Kagan has been a lot like watching an episode of King of Queens. Minus Carrie & Arthur, of course.

Lost.....Yup

2010-06-02T21:44:00.002-04:00

Karen & I just ended a 6 year odyssey. The series Lost started when we first started dating, and last week it ended. Since we were in Aruba when ABC aired the series finale, we DVR'd it & watched it tonight. I was an avid Lost fan for the first 4 seasons, but then the show got out of hand & I started to tune out. I "watched" all the episodes, but under protest. Tonight, I felt compelled to finish what I started, so like a programmed robot I sat here for the last 150 minutes (not really, because we fast forwarded through the commercials) to finish my 6 year journey with Jack, Sawyer, Kate, Hurley, Locke, and the rest of the assholes. And now that it's over I can finally give my opinion. Fuck you JJ Abrams, Damon Lindelof, & Jeffrey Lieber. From this point forward I'm sticking with HGTV programming.

One last thing. Where the fuck is Walt?

Aruba Dushi Tera (Aruba Precious Country)

2010-06-01T21:03:00.000-04:00

"There is a tale that the island people tell, don't care if it's true 'cause I love it so well. Jolly Mon sing for his supper every night; the people fed him well 'cause he treated them so right."

As BP continued to fumble through a solution to the oil spill disaster, we were just glad that we were in the Caribbean Ocean & not the Gulf of Mexico.

The gang at the beach.

I have decided to follow in my idol's (George Costanza) footsteps & become a Marine Biologist..

Just like John Locke, I have no desire to leave the island either.

The girls had a spa day, so the guys decided to have lunch at an authentic Aruban restaurant.

To our surprise, our waitresses looked very familiar. Damn!

The Belgians sure know beer.

The California Lighthouse, located on the northwest tip of the island, is named after the steamship California, which wrecked nearby on September 23, 1891.

Chris & Karen enjoying the Caribbean weather.

All out of Captain & Cokes, the only thing left for Keith to do is wait for the sunset.

There were plenty of iguana friends that greeted us every morning right outside our hotel room.

The last night on a Catamaran cruise.

Changes in Latitudes, Changed in Attitudes

2010-05-30T18:11:00.013-04:00

"These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes nothing remains quite the same. Through all of the islands and all of the highlands, if we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."

To celebrate our first year of marriage, Karen & I are with friends for the week on the "happy island" of Aruba. In the movies Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner's character, Ray Kinsella, proclaims that Iowa in Heaven. Apparently he had never been to Aruba. First some Aruban history, then some pictures of what we've been up to so far.

Aruba's first inhabitants were the Caquetios Indians from the Arawak tribe. Fragments of the earliest known Indian settlements date back to about 1000 A.D., as do the ancient painted symbols still visible on limestone caves found at Fontein, Avo. Pottery remains can still be seen at the Museum of Archaeology.

Centuries later the first Europeans landed on Aruban shores. Spanish explorer, Alonso de Ojeda, is thought to have arrived about 1499. The Spanish promptly exported the Indians to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where they were put to work in the copper mines.

In the 1400's and 1500's, adventurers traveled throughout the Caribbean in search of wealth & treasures. According to legends, one of the treasure islands was named "Oro Ruba," which means "red gold." Now known as Aruba, a colorful history of pirates and gold prospecting has shaped the island's history.

In 1636, near the culmination of the Eighty Years' War between Spain & Holland, the Dutch took possession of Aruba and remained in control for nearly 2 centuries. In 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, the English briefly took control of the island, but it was returned to the Dutch in 1816. Today, Aruba remains within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, but it functions independently.

Karen & I on the beach near the resort we are staying at.

Sitting under the Divi-divi, a tree that is native to the Caribbean.

Karen & I re-enacting a Corona commercial.

Is Karen booing A-Rod, or the fact that even in another country she can't escape the Yankees?

Karen & I standing outside of the restaurant, Pinchos.

A Caribbean sunset.

Sleeping Beauties

2010-05-01T06:53:00.002-04:00

A Tradition Continued

2010-04-18T11:05:00.008-04:00

Opening Day 2010 had a little bit of everything. Typical opening day weather: sun, drizzle, wind. The Yankees receiving their 2009 World Series Rings. The return of 2 Yankee favorites: Hideki Matsui & Gene Monahan(1). Capitalism(2). And most importantly, a Yankee win.

Freddy Sez(3): "Opening Day Today. Let's make 2010, the year of 28."

The real house that Ruth built. R.I.P.

Home of the 27 time world champions.

The most distinguishing characteristic of any sports stadium. The Yankee Stadium facade(4).

Godzilla gets his ring.

1) After spending 7 seasons with the Yankees, culminating with a 2009 World Series championship where he was named the Series MVP, Matsui returned to Yankee Stadium for the 1st time since leaving NY to join the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Gene Monahan, part of the Yankees organization for 48 years, returned to Yankee Stadium for his 38th consecutive Opening Day. Monahan has taken a leave of absence from his role as Head Trainer, to undergo treatment for throat & neck cancer.
2) Stay tuned for a future post about how capitalism ended an Opening Day tradition for my Dad.
3) Freddy Shuman (born May 23, 1925), better known as Freddy "Sez," has been a long time supporter of the NY Yankees. Freddy carries a frying pan with a shamrock painted on it, which he says "Brings 'em luck." Fans are encouraged to bang on the pot with a spoon to make noise.
4) The Yankee Stadium facade was an addition made by Osborn Engineering, when the owners of the Yankees asked that the stadium be given "an air of dignity." It originally ran around the roof of the grandstand's upper deck, and was made of metal although it was painted white in the mid-1960s. When the stadium was renovated in the 1970s, the upper deck was expanded upwards, and the support columns were removed. Without the columns to support it, the roof had to be scaled back, and the facade was removed. A smaller, concrete version was erected above the scoreboards and billboards behind the bleachers. In the new Yankee Stadium, the facade was replicated in its original position along the roof of the upper deck, although now constructed of steel painted white.

Hey Jesus, This Bud's For You

2010-04-04T17:03:00.008-04:00

We celebrated the holy weekend with the only way to truly make J.C. proud, by getting our hands dirty with some good old fashioned wood working. The bar inched a little closer to completion by getting stained & the facade permanently mounted to the front. All that's left is a couple coats of polyurethane and the baseball cards to be placed on the top under glass.

Up first, sealing the wood.

Then the stain.

The old man is ready for a break.

The bar wasn't the only thing to get stained.

Almost done.

A masterpiece!

Houseaversary

2010-03-28T10:26:00.013-04:00

One year ago Karen & I signed a document that read, and I quote, "For the next 30 years you will be Bank of America's bitches." As VP Biden would say, being a homeowner is a big f***ing deal, and we definitely learned that during the last year. A cranky water heater, a leaky roof, and growing grass were just some of the fun presents that our new home gave us. Here's a photo recap.

Spring Painting

2010-03-19T11:32:00.006-04:00

What's the difference between being 22 years old & 32 years old? Spring Break. While my students spent the week on cruise ships & beaches with views of sea swell color oceans & fresh mist color skies, I spent the week dipping paint brushes & rollers in sea swell & fresh mist color paint. Our guest bedroom is officially open for business. The going rate per night is a 6 pack of premium microbrew beer.

Happy 38?

2010-03-13T09:28:00.004-05:00

My birthday festivities started yesterday when I asked as an extra credit question on my Challenge of Business in Society class exam, "My birthday is tomorrow; how old will I be?" According to one of my students, I will be celebrating my thirty-eighth birthday today. To drown my sorrows, we headed over to the Tap for some birthday beer & a complimentary piece of birthday chocolate cake (1) last night. This morning I dined on birthday doughnuts for breakfast. We're heading in to Boston tonight to continue the birthday celebration, & to start an early St. Patrick's Day celebration.

1. After dropping approximately $1.2 million at the Tap over the last 2+ years, the free piece of cake was well deserved.

Indentured Servants

2010-02-25T12:49:00.003-05:00

I'm teaching a Small Business Management class this semester that has a focus on entrepreneurship. The 'teacher' side of me decided to create an assignment that will help the students learn about what goes into getting a start-up venture going. The 'hate working for someone else' side of me decided to use the students to set me up for life after teaching.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION:

My name is Keith Detjen, and I am an independently wealthy businessman looking for a new investment. However, with the volatile economy, investing in the stock market is no longer a sure bet, and with my poker & blackjack skills—or lack thereof—a trip to Las Vegas isn’t either. So instead, I’ve decided to invest my money in an old fashioned, can’t miss American product. Beer! The way I look at it, a good beer has to be a good investment. The problem, however, is that being a self-proclaimed beer connoisseur, I realize that there just aren’t a lot of good beer companies out there. So, that’s where your group comes into the picture. Instead of investing in an existing beer company, I want to start my own microbrewery. Now, having had a lot of experience starting many successful business ventures and having taken a small business management class at Franklin Pierce University with a really smart, and good looking professor, I understand the long hours & hard work required to be an entrepreneur, and I am at a point in my life where I would rather spend my time playing golf and vacationing than writing a business plan for a start-up business. But you are not at that point in your life yet so I will hire you, for a small fee (or a grade in that handsome professor’s class) to write the plan for me.

ASSIGNMENT FORMAT:

In groups of 4 members, a business plan will be created and presented in class. The business plan will be based on a start-up microbrewery business that will be located somewhere in the United States. Your group needs to decide on a name and a location for the microbrewery. You should base the plan on an initial $250,000 investment from me. If this is not enough start-up capital, then you will need to figure out how to procure more money. The content sections of the business plan should be similar to the sample business plan found in the textbook starting on page 639 (see format on back page). As your group moves forward completing these sections during the next 2 months, you should plan to set up meetings with me to discuss your progress. This will ensure that my investment will not be wasted, and neither will the tuition dollars you are spending to take this class. I will evaluate all 5 groups’ business plans & presentations and select one to back with funding. This is NOT an assignment that can be completed the night before it is due. High quality of work is expected. Just like in business, this assignment is a competition. May the best team win.

Basement Update

2010-02-24T17:45:00.008-05:00

It's been a while my friends. Teaching 5 classes and coaching wrestling has kept me busy. Wrestling will be ending soon, and when it does you can expect more frequent updates. After all, thanks to that crazy place called America, I have a lot to comment on. Until then, enjoy some pictures of the progress that we have made on the basement.

Sleepin' Slideshow

2010-01-02T10:50:00.005-05:00

Teacher Of The Year

2009-12-11T11:46:00.004-05:00

On my resume, under the "strengths" category, I list my uncanny ability to send the world's best passive/aggressive e-mails. Here are 2 examples from this semester that were sent to some of my best & brightest students.

October 16

The club will be meeting today, Monday 10/16, at 4:15 in MH 102. The same time & place that it meets every week. Why don't you actually come this week & check it out? Seriously, how great of an idea does this sound: be active in a club that will actually provide you with opportunities to better your chances at getting a job when you graduate. You know what a job is, right? The thing that you go to 5 days a week that pays you money so you can buy stuff. Who am I kidding, you're not going to go. It will get in the way of all the other better stuff you have to do like: pick your nose, stare at your dorm room ceiling, eat shitty cafeteria food, go to one of the zero really cool places to hang out in Rindge, etc. Yea, I guess now that I think about it there really is a lot of other stuff to do instead of caring about your future.

Go Yankees & Red Sox (Oh wait, they've already been eliminated.)!

December 11

I just came across some interesting information that I thought I would share with all you know-it-alls that think what we teachers say in class is made up. There are over 100 applicants currently applying for a job as Director of Recreation for Rindge (Yes, I said Rindge), NH. 100! And some from as far as Texas, to be the one lucky person selected to run the recreation programs for Rindge (Again, yes I said Rindge), NH. Could you imagine how many people apply for sport/recreation jobs in towns that actually have more streets than trees? So, what does this mean? It means 2 things:

1) The news reports talking about how tough the job market is are actually true. There is way more demand than there is supply for jobs, and for sport related jobs there is way, way more demand than supply.

2) If you are an upperclassmen & you have not been networking or building a resume to match real world application with classroom theory, you are f***ed! If you are an underclassmen & you have not joined the Sports & Recreation Club and are not looking for & finding ways to start building a resume, in a couple years you will join your current, fellow upperclassmen in the f***ed category.

You need to find ways to separate yourself from the clutter of applicants that is your competition. The best way to do this is to make industry contacts & get industry experience....now, while you are in college and before its too late.

Happy holidays!

"Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more."

2009-12-06T19:21:00.008-05:00

"Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no! We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here! We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap...hap...happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye! And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse!"

-Chevy Chase, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

This year Karen made me keep it tasteful, but next year it will be a full blown Griswold Christmas at the Detjen house. I'm talking inflatables, a lighted tinsel cactus & a Christmas flamingo.

Tis The Season

2009-12-06T11:51:00.005-05:00

Maddie & her friends celebrated the first snowfall of the season by playing fetch in our neighbor's backyard. I celebrated by shoveling the driveway.

Memo To Notre Dame

2009-12-05T22:11:00.003-05:00

Maybe sports can be about more than just wins & losses.

USC's #1 fan.

Global Warming?

2009-10-18T18:06:00.004-04:00

Either we have skipped over Halloween & Thanksgiving and are moving right into the Christmas season, or the Apocalypse is upon us.

Apple Picking

2009-10-11T11:08:00.007-04:00

Yesterday, we celebrated the Yankees dramatic Game 2 victory by going on our annual Fall apple picking excursion. This year we visited Smolak Farms, a 300 year old New England Farm in North Andover, MA. It was a beautiful New England Autumn day. The foliage is peak; the air is crisp, & the apples are ripe. Once again, Karen & I picked the high ones & Maddie was in charge of getting the apples on the ground.

Everything's Amazing & Nobody's Happy

2009-10-02T15:00:00.003-04:00

This is me in 15 years when I start balding & get out of shape. At least I'll still have my views.

Youtube Clip

Bar Building: Round 2

2009-09-06T17:06:00.005-04:00

We erected the Yankee Stadium facade today on the front of the bar. The pictures don't do it justice. It looks awesome in person. The plan is to stain the bar dark & use a lighter stain on the facade to make it pop. We also laid down some baseball cards on the bar top. We still need about 100 Yankees to fill in the rest of the top. So if you have any, send 'em over. I know the bartender real well & can get you a good deal on a brew in exchange.

People of Walmart

2009-09-05T07:54:00.001-04:00

Ever since Al Gore invented the Internet, there has never been a greater website than this.

People of Walmart

Wedding Slideshow

2009-08-26T13:34:00.001-04:00

Somehow I managed to go the entire summer without posting any pictures from our wedding weekend. To make up for the lack of pictures posted on this blog, I created a slideshow montage set to Coldplay's Yellow. For those of you that were there, enjoy reminiscing about all the fun we had. For those of you that weren't there, here's a taste of what you missed. FYI, the rehearsal dinner took place at St. Stephen's Green Publick House in Spring Lake Heights, NJ. The wedding ceremony & reception took place at The Brielle River House in Brielle, NJ.

Wedding Slideshow

Summer 2004 - Summer 2009

2009-08-25T12:38:00.002-04:00

Right about this time 5 years ago Karen & I ended our summer Oregon courtship as she headed back to California for her senior year at Stanford, & I went back to New Hampshire to continue my quest of becoming the greatest college professor that ever lived. A lot has happened since then. Two cats, a dog, a house, a wedding....take a look for yourself by clicking here. And turn your damn speakers on, there's a soundtrack.

More "I Do's."

2009-08-16T11:40:00.015-04:00

Karen & I attended our 3rd wedding (including ours) in the last 2 months on Friday night. The Marshall-Gross affair took place at the Searles Castle in Windham, NH. The Searles Castle was built by Edwards Francis Searles in 1915 to be a 1/4-size replica of the medieval Tudor manor of Stanton Harcourt in Oxfordshire, England.

After the newlyweds had their first dance it was time for everyone else to hit the dance floor.

It took 2 Jersey boys to show 140 New Englanders how to do the Apache.

The upside to having single friends is I can tag someone else in when I don't want to dance.

"Sweet Karen Lynne. Bah! Bah! Bah!"

D boys.

D girl.

Steve was representin'.

And by the end of the night the groom was feeling good.

Yankees vs Red Sox: May The Best Dog Win

2009-08-09T11:50:00.005-04:00

Now that Maddie's a year old, I decided it was time to have the facts of life talk with her. So we sat down & I said to her, "It's real simple, there is only 1 fact of life. The Yankees are winners and the Red Sox are losers. Since you are a Yankee fan, that makes you a winner." And with that lesson, Maddie entered the adult world armed with everything she needed to know. Yesterday, she put her new knowledge to the test and became part of the historical Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. DiMaggio & Williams. Munson & Fisk. Zimmer & Pedro. Madigan & Copley. Maddie had a play date with Copley, a Boston Terrier & an admitted Red Sox fan, as was evident by the Red Sox t-shirt he was proudly wearing when we arrived. After some intitial tension between the two, sniffing of private parts soon took over & their attention quickly diverted away from the gem CC Sabathia was pithcing & onto their toys. Like in Rocky IV when the Italian Stalion eased Cold War tension with his infamous, "If I can change, and you can change, the whole world can change" speech, maybe this play date between canines who once peed on opposite sides of the heated Yankees-Red Sox rivalry fence can bring us closer together as a Nation. Who am I trying to kid, the Yankees & Red Sox will never coexist in harmony and Maddie proved this to be true when as we left she turned around & barked to Copley, "The Yankees win. Thuuuuh Yankees win!"

D Boys Moving

2009-08-04T18:38:00.006-04:00

The dog days of summer are officially here, & sometimes boredom can set in during the August heat. There's one sure way to enjoy the final weeks of summer. Move! That's right, Ghetto Ass Moving struck again this week when my brother moved into a new apartment. Since 2001, I have taken part in an estimated dozen moves. Hell, I've moved 4 times myself (1. Hooksett, NH to Manchester, NH 2. Manchester, NH to Nashua, NH 3. Nashua, NH to Methuen, MA 4. Methuen, MA to Haverhill, MA). And every time it just keeps gettting ghettoer. Who needs a moving van when you have access to a 2001 Nissan Sentra with 175,000+ miles, a service engine light that is constantly on, no air conditioning, & a missing hubcap. Now that's ghetto ass. No straps or tie downs of any sort were used over the course of the 2 day move, & I am proud to report that the only casualties were a tea pot, a bottle of Windex, & our sanity.

I'm also happy to report that the indestructable Holland dresser survived another move.

More Bar Building

2009-07-19T20:39:00.019-04:00

The bar is about 90% done. I still have to build shelves in the back to hold glasses; it needs to be stained; the top needs to have Yankee baseball cards laid down & enclosed in glass; & a replica of the Yankee Stadium facade needs to be attached to the front. But who cares about all of that; you can sit at it and drink a beer right now & that's all that matters.

The base & frame went up pretty fast.

The D Boys contemplate the next move.

Chad's next move was a cold one & a nap.

Next step was support beams for the top.

And then paneling for the inside.

Bartender's shelf to mix drinks.

At this point the bar was really taking shape & looking good, but not as good as my mohawk.

Our first wood working project was a boat that we floated in the river at Duke Island Park. Twenty plus years later Pops is giving me the same advice about working with wood. Measure twice & cut once.

The drink rail getting nailed on.

We made the back to have shelf space for glasses on each side, & the middle large enough to hold a keg.

Finally time for a drink.

To be continued........

Barbershop

2009-07-16T18:04:00.009-04:00

I've been rocking the same shaved head with a 1/2" clip style for a while now, so I decided that it was time for a new hairdo. After contemplating my new quaff over large quantities of microbrew beer & turkey BBQ products, I decided to settle on a mohawk.

Chad played the initial role of barber.

But his unsteady hand was quickly replaced by my Dad.

His hair cutting experience up to this point has been edging my neckline, so I had my doubts.

At this point I was wishing we would have done this prior to him consuming a record amount of Budweisers (3).

But he quickly got the hang of it.

My Mom checked out his handy work & was pleasantly surprised how good it looked. He's got a shot to replace Cedric The Entertainer in Barbershop 3.

Ghetto Ass Bar Building

2009-07-09T22:41:00.009-04:00

Phase 1 of building the ultimate sports watching, beer drinking basement is officially underway. Pops & I started building the basement bar. The last time we undertook a father-son wood working project was my award winning 8th grade science project. We built a fully orbiting solar system. Kids skipped class just to get a glimpse of it (At least that's how I remember it.). We were able to get the base built & all the framework done. It should be fully functioning by the end of the weekend.

Back To Reality

2009-07-04T11:34:00.012-04:00

Yesterday, at 5:29 pm eastern standard time our Colorado vacation came to a screeching halt, and once again Karen & I had a first class view of the landing. It was bittersweet. On one hand, we loved the vacation so much that we didn't want it to end. One the other hand, it was costly. It will be good to get back to our house. I have a lot of projects I want to get done before the summer is over. First up on the list is building a bar in our basement with my Dad later this week. But before all that happens, how about one more Colorado post. Here is a highlight list of the week, followed by some pictures that have not made any of the posts yet.

-Flying for me sucks, but if I'm forced to do it, going first class is the way to go. Some of the perks included: skipping the long check-in lines at the airports, unlimited free alcohol on the flights, and packing an overweight bag that we would normally have had to empty some of its contents out if we were flying in steerage.
-Breckenridge is a place that anyone who enjoys the outdoors must visit. It does not look real. As we walked around I kept having two thoughts: 1) The crystal blue lakes and dark green trees seem as if they've existed devoid of human interaction and pollution. 2) The snow capped mountains in the background looked almost fake, as if we were in a painting that came to life.
-Staying in the Hotel Teatro in the LoDo district of Denver was the 2nd best hotel I've ever stayed in. The Sheraton in San Francisco was the best, but it was on my mother-in-law's tab & we are not quite ready to compete with her. At the Teatro we had turn down service every night, a tv in our bathroom, & never had to open the door into or out of the hotel ourselves. We were high rollers tipping singles every chance we had.

Karen posing in front of the Colorado State Capitol building. The building is located at 5,280 feet, exactly one mile above sea level.

Five years ago this month Karen & I met through the swoosh. We found a Niketown in Denver to commemorate our meeting.

For years I have seen Sonic commercials on TV, but have never actually seen a Sonic in person. That was until we found this one for a late night treat: a Sonic Blast!

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, CO is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains. It also hosted Stephen King as a guest & became his inspiration to write the novel, The Shining.

At an upscale dinner at Baur's in downtown Denver. I classed it up with a glass of red wine.

An elk grazes in the grass at Rocky Mountain National Park, & Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep hang out at the Garden of the Gods.

Colorado Beer

2009-07-03T19:40:00.014-04:00

Karen & I have done a lot on this trip, but we have not forgot our roots & doing what we do best. Drinking beer! Brewing beer is big business in Colorado. As Lloyd Christmas says in Dumb & Dumber, "it's a place where the beer flows like wine." According to The Beer Institute, the state ranks 1st in the nation in gross beer production producing over 23,000,000 barrels of suds each year. Colorado ranks 3rd in number of brewpubs & craft breweries with 92 across the state, including 4 of the top 50 brewing companies. In short, Colorado is a Holland dream.

The Tap missed us so much that it followed us all the way to Broomfield, CO & took over our hotel lobby bar.

Boulder Beer Company, Colorado's first microbrewery, was celebrating its 30th anniversary. We were happy to join the celebration. The buffalo wings were almost as good as the beer.

Walnut Brewery, Boulder's original brewpub, was my favorite place to drink on the trip. Besides the beer, Karen enjoyed the free WiFi service.

As I enjoyed my beer at Walnut, I also read over my new book: Getting Out, Your Guide To Leaving America. After reading the description of the book on its back cover Karen knew it was for me. Read for yourself. I don't see it. "Somewhere between the presidential election of 2000 (and its spooky 2004 repeat), 9/11, the War in Iraq & Hurricane Katrina, many of us lost hope in the redemption of the American political system or even the ability of our government to provide the most basic care for its citizens. The wall between church & state is crumbling, the two-party system seems hopelessly broken or an outright sham, and it's become harder to ignore the creeping apparatus of totalitarian control being erected around us. Before America comes crashing down upon you, perhaps its time to get out from beneath the clumsy giant."

This was a cool place we stumbled upon on our way back from the Rocky Mountain National Forest. Oskar Blues Brewery is located in Lyons, CO & is known for selling its microbrewed beer in cans, rather than bottles.

The Lazy Dog in Boulder is not a microbrewery, but it does serve a lot of local brews. I recommend the Fat Tire.

In downtown Denver there is a place with over 150 beers on tap. The locals call it the Falling Rock Tap House. I call it Heaven.

Boulder

2009-07-02T14:29:00.007-04:00

I've never been religious, so the notion that there is this paradise in the sky waiting for you when you die has always seemed a little outlandish to me. That was until yesterday when I became a believer that Heaven does exist. It's located high in the sky, 5,430 feet above sea level to be exact, and goes by the name of Boulder. The town of Boulder sits at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It is an artsy, college town that is home to the University of Colorado, the state's largest university. Due to the large presence of university students, Boulder's median residence age is 29 years old compared to the U.S. median of 35. Boulder's climate is typically mild & dry, and traditionally has more than 300 sunny days each year. Boulder is a very liberal town within a largely conservative state, earning it the nickname "The People's Republic of Boulder." Karen & I have fallen in love with the town & have decided we are going to move here. The only kink in the plan is our jobs back on the east coast & that damn house.

The view from our hotel room in Broomfield, a Boulder suburb.

Here we are at a scenic overlook on the way to Boulder. Check out our new shades! Honeymoon presents to ourselves.

Karen posing next to a statue of Ralphie the Buffalo, the Univeristy of Colorado mascot.

Folsom Field, home of the University of Colorado football team.

Colorado Baseball

2009-07-01T10:53:00.009-04:00

Unfortunately the Rockies are not playing at home while we are in town, but we did head over to Coors Field anyway.

We did get to see some baseball, and it was historic. Yesterday, we spent the day in Colorado Springs hiking at the Garden of the Gods (post to come). At night, we went to Security Service Field & saw the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Rockies AAA affiliate) play against the Portland Beavers (Padres AAA affiliate). There ended up being a lot of history at the game. For one, the Beavers play in Portland, Oregon where Karen & I met. We use to watch Beavers night games during the summer of '04 on top of our friend's apartment roof that overlooked the stadium. The other piece of history was a perfect game. Sky Sox pitcher Brandon Hynick pitched the first ever perfect game in Sky Sox history. The game was only a 7 inning game because the 2 teams were rained out Monday night & had to make up the last 4 innings of that game prior to last night's game, but as far as Major League Baseball rules go it counts as a perfect game. I've been going to professional baseball games since I was 5 & I've never come close to witnessing a perfect game so it was pretty cool.

Red Rocks

2009-06-30T11:28:00.013-04:00

We went hiking at the Red Rocks Park & Ampitheatre yesterday. The park is a mountain park located in Jefferson County, just outside of Denver, & is part of the Denver Mountain Parks system. At 6,450 feet above sea level, Red Rocks Park is located in a unique transitional zone where the Great Pains meet the Rocky Mountains. The park is known for its large red sandstone boulders that were formed over 290 million years ago. In addition to the hiking trails, the park is also home to an outdoor ampitheatre. The Red Rocks Ampitheatre is a geological phenomenon, as its the only naturally occurring, acoustically perfect ampitheatre in the world.

Driving into the park through a rock tunnel.

Karen standing in one of the many caves formed by wind & sand erosion.

The unique location of the park allows for plants & trees to grow alongside the boulders.

Who's way up there?

Karen!

On a clear day you can see the Denver skyline from the park.

The ampitheatre has played host to operas, choirs, & music bands. The Beatles played at Red Rocks on their first American tour.

All of the warnings about the wildlife had us channeling Bear Grylls for survival tips.

We've been getting around thanks to a Dodge Charger named Charlie II. The last time Karen & I rented a car we named him Charlie, so we decided to uphold the tradition.

I'm a pro at taking the couple shot.

Bye, Bye Breckenridge

2009-06-29T19:45:00.019-04:00

Karen & I kissed Breckenridge good-bye yesterday & made our way to Denver. Here is a recap from Phil's wedding over the weekend.

Karen & I kissing Breckenridge good-bye.

The girls kissing Breckenridge good-bye.

Karen & I outside the wedding venue. Check out the snow-capped mountains.

The boys outside the wedding venue. Honest, I wore a black sport coat.

TJ & Tara dancing. What a lucky guy.

Nacho & Diana having a staring contest. Another lucky guy.

Phil & Jenny's first dance.

Chad gave his 2nd best man speech this month. Once again, he brought the house down.

Chad & TJ hamming it up for the camera. Poor Tara.

Chad caught the garter & Katie caught the bouquet. I guess I'll be giving a best man speech soon.

Everybody clap your hands! FYI, those are not stockings that Karen is wearing. In honor of the king of pop, she went with the albino look.

Stay tuned for my post about our first full day in Denver. It involves rattlesnakes, mountain lions, & sunglasses.

Got Oxygen?

2009-06-27T14:08:00.011-04:00

The town of Breckenridge is located at 9600 feet above sea level in Summit County, Colorado. Breckenridge was formally created in November 1859 by General George E. Spencer. Spencer chose the name, "Breckinridge," after the Vice President of the United States at the time, John C. Breckinridge, in hopes of flattering the government & gaining a post office. Spencer succeeded in his plan, & the first post office located between the Continental Divide & Salt Lake City, Utah was built. However, when the Civil War broke out in 1861 Vice President Breckinridge sided with the Conferedates & the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge decided to change the town's name. They changed the first i to an e, & the town's name has been spelled Breckenridge ever since.

We ate dinner with Nacho & his girlfriend Diana at a cool spot called the Dredge last night. The restaurant is a 2 million pound floating replica of one of the largest & longest operating dredges in Breckenridge. The Dredge floats on the Blue River in downtown Breckenridge.

At a local bar called Cecilia's we toasted Phil, the groom-to-be, over a drink called a Surfer on Acid. The drink is comprised of Jagermeister, Malibu Coconut Rum, & pineapple juice.

It was a little too much for Nacho.

After a few cocktails, Chad decided it was time for Nacho to eat a cherry from his mouth.

Nacho, of course, obliged.

The Honeymooners

2009-06-26T19:36:00.009-04:00

OK, so I'm doing these posts in reverse order, honeymoon & then wedding. It's like the backwards Seinfeld episode. Karen & I are in Colorado for the week. We're attending a friend's wedding in Breckenridge this weekend, & then we will be spending the week in Denver & Boulder. I will try & update daily, or at least every other day, so stay tuned to find out about our adventures in the Centennial State.

I have a fear of flying. I'm like the white B.A. Baracus. To calm my nerves, my Mom got me some black market Xanax. I decided to instead go with my mother-in-law's advice for curing flight jitters. Booze! Before we even took off I downed a Vodka & Cranberry.

Karen ate breakfast, and I drank some more. This time, Vodka & OJ.

A view of Denver Airport from my first class window seat.

A view from our hotel room in Frisco, Colorado.

Husband + Wife = Beer

2009-06-17T17:36:00.004-04:00

Karen & I finally consummated our marriage, and by consummated I mean had our first drink as a married couple at the Tap. I'll be working on posting wedding pictures tonight, so stay tuned.

Just Married

2009-06-15T21:54:00.004-04:00

Some vows, a couple rings, and a kiss & with that Karen & I sealed the deal. There are many pictures to post & stories to tell, but I'm tired so you're gonna have to wait with baited breath. Until then, enjoy a picture of the Detjens' first night in their home (1).

1. Mr. Meowgi & Sissy Detjen officially boycott all family photos, but here's a recent one the snuggle bugs that you can enjoy.

Frisbee Pooch

2009-06-07T19:26:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday To Madigan

2009-05-21T09:23:00.000-04:00

Maddie turns 7 today (She's a dog dummy.). A lot has gone on in her first year. Birth, relocation, surgery, numerous car trips, relocation again...aaah the hell with it, let's let the pictures do the talking.

When we brought Maddie home she weighed only 7 pounds & was barely bigger than my Croc. She still sleeps with the Piggy every night.

With poses like this, she quickly became a star on the Reverse Peephole.

She doesn't like baths.....

but she loves ice cream.....

and her Uncle Steve & Uncle Chad.

She really likes the cats.

Unfortunately, they just don't really like her.

She likes going down the shore in the Summer, and picking apples in the Fall.

She even likes the winter, as long as she is wearing a warm sweater.

She likes to sleep.

But most of all she likes her new big yard (How 'bout them solar powered walkway lights?).

We lover her (How 'bout that ring?)!

Homeownership

2009-05-06T21:19:00.017-04:00

The last month has been a whirlwind. Karen & I closed on the house a little over a month ago, & from that point until last weekend when we officially moved in, we have been trying to own the home & not have the home own us (the house is winning). In just the 5 short weeks since the keys to our house were turned over to us, here is what I have learned about being a homeowner:
1) I know every single employee, including the janitor, at the Lowe's in Haverhill, MA by first name.
2) Grass grows pretty fast when a lawn care crew doesn't magically appear every week to take care of it.
3) Basements are scary at night.
4) Painting (not the Bob Ross kind) really sucks.
5) For the rest of my life my diet will only consist of foods that can be cooked on a grill.

I'm sure once we get a chance to sit down, take a deep breath, & enjoy the house I will realize just how great owning our first house is, but until then the boxes in every room, the living out of suitcases, & the 1 million things on our "list of stuff that has to get done now" has my anxiety at an all time high. But things are getting done & to show myself, and you, just how much stuff we have accomplished in the last 5 weeks, here is a photo recap.

We examined the work ahead of us.

We cleaned.

We taped.

We painted...

...and painted...

and Steve even painted.

Getting the old washer & dryer out was harder than we thought.

Ghetto Ass Moving in full effect. We fired ourselves after the move for using straps. How are straps ghetto ass?

After a full day of moving in unseasonably warm 90 degree heat, Chris was double-fisting at the Tap.

Until the basement gets furnished, this is my favorite spot in the house.

Come on over and visit, but abide by the #1 rule of the house. Maddie is watching to make sure you do.

Yankees Summer Vacation Stadium

2009-04-14T22:36:00.004-04:00

An Opening Day ticket at the new stadium cost me $100. I wonder what opening day tickets to the vacation stadium will cost?

Watch.

March Comes In Like A Lion & Goes Out Like A Tick

2009-03-21T17:04:00.007-04:00

To celebrate the Vernal Equinox(1), and the first weekend in a long, long time with no snow on the ground, Maddie started her training. I'm determined to make some money off this dog, & the only way to do it is to turn her into one of those competition dogs. First up on her training regiment is Frisbee catching. We will next progress into agility for the obstacle course, & then the long jump into a swimming pool. In related "never a dull moment" news, a nice early Spring day in the dog park soon turned into a visit to the Summit Place Hospital where Dr. Detjen had to perform emergency tick removal surgery. As she came back to me with the Frisbee I noticed what looked like a corn kernel on the back of her ear. When I couldn't flick it off, I knew it must be a blood sucking parasite, so we went back to the apartment where I operated(2). After a few minutes of struggling with the strong bugger, I finally removed it & sent it to it's grave(3). After, we had fun bath time.

1. An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time, when the centre of the Sun can be observed to be vertically above the Earth's Equator, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year, the first days of spring and fall depending on which hemisphere you are in.
2. I'm using artistic license to build up the drama. Really what happened was I pulled the tick off with a pair of tweezers.
3. Toilet bowl.

March Madness

2009-03-21T10:31:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again. After not following college basketball, at all, for the last 4 months, I like a lot of you suddenly turn into a self-proclaimed Dick Vitale and attempt to prognosticate the NCAA men's basketball field of 64. I hate basketball, but I love March Madness. The first 2 days of the tournament is the best sporting event, including the Super Bowl(1), of the entire year. These 2 days typically fall when I am off for Spring Break, so from noon till 5:00, and then again from 7:00 til midnight I feverishly cheer for the teams I have picked, yet have not watched once all season. I sit on the edge of the couch, with my Digger Phelps highlighter (no matching tie) to track my winners, and yell at the TV. Villanova's close call with American on Thursday night had me yelling so loud that the dog got scared & spent the rest of the night hiding from me. I had 27 wins in the first round, including correct upset calls of #11 Dayton over #6 West Virginia(Bob Huggins teams can't lose enough), #12 Arizona over #5 Utah, & #12 Wisconsin over #5 Florida State. I took a big hit with Wake Forest getting upset; I had them knocking off Louisville, but my Final 4 of Michigan State, Memphis, Villanova, & North Carolina is still in tact. I have Memphis knocking off UNC in the championship game. Of course, like most years(2), in a few days the tournament will turn into an above average sporting event when all of my Final 4 picks are out & I slowly lose interest in the tournament. At least when this happens I can switch over to that other edge of your seat, nail biting March sports event. The World Baseball Classic.

1. The Super Bowl beats March Madness only when the Giants are ruining the Patriots undefeated season.
2. My best March Madness bracket was in 2003 when Carmello Anthony led Syracuse to a National Championship, & me to a $200 victory in the SNHU mailroom pool.

13 = 31

2009-03-15T10:33:00.005-04:00

For all of you paraskavedekatriaphobics(1) out there, 2009 is a year you'd like to soon see end. That's because 2009 will bring three Friday the 13ths. February brought the first; Friday was the second, and November will bring the last. Three Friday the 13ths in one calendar year is a rare occurrence. It last happened in 1998, & it won't happen again until 2015. Having three Friday the 13ths in one year is not only rare, but it also can't be beat because that's the most our Gregorian(2) calendar can contain (Incidentally, it is also impossible to have a year without one.). It just so happens that my birthday was on one of the Friday the 13ths in 1998; it was on one of the 2009 Friday the 13ths (2 days ago), and it will occur on one of the Friday the 13ths in 2015. All told, my birthday has occurred on a Friday the 13th five times so far (1981, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2009). I'm fine with it, because unlike a lot of hotels, apartment buildings, hospitals, & triskaidekaphobics(3) I have always embraced the number 13. Besides being my birthday, it was my go-to sports number; it was my college graduation day, and soon my wedding & subsequent anniversaries will occur on the 13th. So why all the hostility towards a dumb ass number? Well, here are some reasons to knock off all this "unlucky 13" nonsense & finally give the smallest number with eight letters in its spelled out name in English its props.
-The Great Seal of the United States contains 13 olive leaves, 13 arrows, and 13 stars.
-Some of the greatest sports figures of all-time have worn #13: Dan Marino, Wilt Chamberlain, Mats Sundin, Kristine Lilly, Alex Rodriquez.
-In Jewish tradition, a boy becomes a man at age 13.
-Roger Clemens pitched his 4,000th strikeout & won his 300th game on Friday, June 13, 2003 (I was there).
- A "baker's dozen" is comprised of 13 items.
-There are 13 guns in a gun salute to US Army, Air Force, & Marine Corps Major Generals.

This past Friday the 13th brought my 31st birthday, & marked the 3 month point until our wedding. Unlike last year's fanfare for reaching the big 3-0, this year's observance was marked with a quiet celebration over drinks & dinner with friends at my favorite restaurant, The Tap(see pictures below). I got some great presents: cologne, a Yankees dartboard for the basement, a Yankees beer stein, a green Mark Teixeira shirt that will work well for Tuesday's festivities. But, the best present came from our mortgage broker who informed us that he was able to get our interest rate down to 5% which will save us $79/month & $28,000+ over the course of the loan from the original deal. Of course we will put the monthly savings to good use. It will be invested...in great microbrew beer for the basement beer fridge. 31 crept up on me a lot quicker than 30, mainly because 30 is such a huge birthday that as it approaches you start to think about the impact leaving your 20's has on your life. For me, the impact was monumental. I got engaged, adopted a dog, & bought a house. When you're a 31 year old college professor, 31 can make you feel like you're still in diapers one minute, & ready for the retirement home the next. When I'm around my grey haired colleagues, 31 is greeted with an, "Oh, you're still a baby." When I'm around my students, 31 is greeted with a, "Wait, does that mean you were born in the 80's?" When I have to confess that it was really the 70's, they then ask, "So, were you in Vietnam?" All in all, being a 30 something hasn't been all that bad, but it certainly ain't the same as being a teenager. For that reason, I came up with a new way to say my age. It's a way to let people know that my age doesn't depress me, but it does kinda piss me off. The US Census lists middle age as 35 to 44, so I'm in the clear there, but then again what the fuck does the US Census know. As of 2008, the average world lifespan average is 66. In golf terms, I just teed up on the 8th hole. That's not bad, but it does kinda suck. Enter my new age scoring system. From now on, when asked the question, "How old are you," I will answer, "Thirty-f***ing-one!" The best part of this new age scoring system is that it can be adjusted to apply to every decade of your life after your twenties. Like, when I get to my 40's I'll answer the age question with, "Forty-motherf***ing-one, two, etc."

1. Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the clinical term for a person that has a fear of Friday the 13th.
2. The Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar that Pope Gregory XIII ordered the Catholic Church to adopt in 1582. It is an arithmetical calendar that counts days as the basic unit of time, grouping them into years of 365 or 366(leap years).
3. Triskaidekaphobia is the clinical term for having a fear of the number 13.

Karen & Diana toast my birthday with a St. Patrick's Day weekend festive green beer.

Chris & I celebrate over corned beef & cabbage and with a Triskelion Barleywine-style Ale. The beer has a 10.3% Alcohol By Volume. Most beers are in the 5% range. I was a little sluggish yesterday morning.

Laura makes fun of me for being Thirty-f***ing-one, & Steve looks over the Tap's new beer menu.

Stan contemplates the menu, & Chad contemplates the fact the the Thirty-f***ing-somethings are coming for him.

Three more months & we'll have another reason to toast.

2008-09 Goffstown Grizzles

2009-03-08T17:57:00.001-04:00

The book closed on another wrestling season yesterday in the gym at Mill House High School in New Haven, CT, where the New England Wrestling Championships(1) took place. Timberlane High School (Plaistow, NH) successfully defended their New England Championship title from last year, and our very own heavyweight, Tom Foote, capped off a spectacular season by becoming Goffstown High School's first New England placer when he captured the Bronze medal. This season was a success on many fronts. The team had success. We went 12-2 during the regular season, & claimed a second place finish at the New Hampshire Division 2 Team State Championships 2 weeks ago. Individual wrestlers had success. Seniors Nick Wheelock (135 pounds) & Tom Foote (285 pounds) each claimed individual state titles. We had 7 wrestlers (130: Kirby Holmes, 135 Eric Moran, 140 Nick Wheelock, 152 Caleb Cejka, 171: Josh Devriendt, 189: Nick Francoeur, 285: Tom Foote) qualify for the all-state meet, called the Meet of Champions(2), last week. Four of those wrestlers (130 pounds, 171 pounds, 189 pounds, 285 pounds) placed top 6 at the tournament to claim All-State honors. As a coach, I had success. The head coach who I have been working with for the last 4 years stepped down this season, leaving me as the go-to-coach to teach wrestling technique. I think Coach Henning(3) would have been proud.

The end of the wrestling season is always bittersweet. On one hand I will enjoy getting some of my free time back. Spending 12+ hours on Saturdays in gyms throughout the state of New Hampshire is exhausting & doesn't leave me much time on weekends to spend with Karen & the pets. I can also say I am looking forward to going to bed on Friday nights & not having to set my alarm for the first time since mid-December. On the other hand I will miss the guys. Not being an athlete anymore(4), coaching has been a great way for me to to get my competitive fix. As an athlete sports were always able to get my competitive juices flowing, but after high school I became detached from competitive sports. The last 4 years coaching has filled that competitive void. But as much as I like and will miss the competition, I love & will miss even more the team commeradery. The best times, for me, about being a coach are the times spent with the kids off the mat. Small things like: hanging out in the coach's office after practice; killing time in the bleachers between matches on long tournament Saturdays; dodgeball games to break up the monotony of a long & grueling 4 month season; sending text messages the night before a big match to calm nerves. There are few things in life that have the ability to invoke commeradery like sports can.

1. Top qualifying wrestlers from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Connecticut competed.
2. The state of NH divides its high school wrestling programs into 2 divisions depending on school size. Each division has a state championship followed by the Meet of Champions where the top 6 placers from each weight class at the Division 1 tournament & the top 4 placers from each weight class at the Division 2 tournament compete against one another.
3. My youth wrestling coach from 2nd-6th grade.
4. Golf & men's league hockey does not qualify me for athlete status in my eyes.

Wrestling Pictures

2009-03-08T17:28:00.013-04:00

The team gets psyched up for a match.

The wrestlers line up for introductions.

Zach (103 pounds) looks to get us started off with a win.

Eric (135 pounds) goes for the pin.

Caleb (152 pounds) gets his hand raised after a win.

Josh (171 pounds) breaks his man down.

On Senior Night Nick (140 pounds) pays respect to his Mom who passed away earlier in the season.

Tom shows that even big, bad heavyweights are momma's boys.

Sometimes the guys (Skippy, 112 pounds) listen to Coach Detjen.

Sometimes the guys frustrate Coach Detjen.

The seniors & the coach share a final laugh.

Professor Turned Rockstar

2009-02-20T16:18:00.003-05:00

Once again the campus online publication, The Exchange, has done a profile on me. I fully expect Sports Illustrated or ESPN The Magazine to be next. Check it out here.