Rob's family

When all is said and done And you’re old(er) and gray The kids are off on their own The house is quiet night and day. “Will they ever come back?” And while your heart may be sinking At the thought of a lonely life This is what your kids are thinking... The bad ones: Who cares about family game night? I’d rather have a night out with my friends. You couldn’t make me spend a week on vacation with you for anything. I’ll never miss a business trip to Hawaii for you. I’ll cancel my meeting when pigs fly and I’ll skip out on dinner every other weekend. I’ll come back to visit, does never work for you? When will I forget you? A little more every day. Family, tradition, love? No, I need work, money, luxury. Who cares about the good ones? The good ones: Who cares about work, money, luxury? No, I need family, tradition, love, a little more every day. When will I forget you? Does never work for you? I’ll come back t

I'm avoiding scooping myself by posting this a week late.  This story first appeared on Mike's blog - http://mikenmitch.wordpress.com/damn-good-recipes/ Camping is a study in contrasts. It's 75 degrees with a light zephyr and the sun setting over the hill vs. 48 and misty, fog on the water and I can't get the damn fire started for coffee. It's the perfect spot on the water where the girls can frolic naked because there's no one for a mile or more vs. bugs so thick I have breathe through my teeth for fear of swallowing them. All of those events have happened to Mike and me (and our four girls) over our 12 years of camping - which is why I feel particularly qualified to do a study on camping cooking - Mike vs. Rob. Mike brought his A game this year and I made sure I didn't bring hot dogs. Dinner on the first night is a good example - Mike cooked. We had fancy trout with scrambled eggs and burnt butter for the main course. He cooked over an open fire usin

Each girl made me cry today. Gretchen wrote me a poem (below) and Melinda a photo video collage with her playing piano for the background soundtrack. My Dad He looks best in his robe patterned in plaid. That is my dad. I’d never have a reason to call him a bother. That is my father. If I ever wanted to play golf, for sure he’d be my caddy. That is my daddy. If I ever gave him a suggestion, he’d never say “Nah.” That is my da. When I feel sad, he is always there. That is my père. He tells stories even better that Aesop. That is my pop. He never ceases to make me happy. That is my pappy. ~Gretchen

Coleman stories transcend generations and even (occasionally) family. My buddy Mike took a 12 hour drive with three teenage girls last weekend to see the opening for a movie in a niche Sci-Fi genre.  We were close to the end of the line, so they spent the night here.  Mike's been writing a blog about cooking his way through a cookbook (a la Julie and Julia) and part of the evening was filled with him sharing some of his cooking conquests and failures.  One of his recent exploits had been Reuben sandwiches totally from scratch (like he bought saltpeter to pickle the brisket).  As it turns out, one of the ingredients of a Reuben sandwich is sauerkraut.  Mike doesn't actually like kraut, but it was in the recipe, so he made it from scratch (twice) and made really tasty sandwiches (I understand).  Never one to throw things out, he brought the leftovers (kraut, not cornedbeef) 300 miles to his good buddy Rob. You see, Mike has listened to me tell Coleman stories since our se

First 10 mile run tomorrow. I'm feeling good, but a little worried about over stressing my body. I've switched to Nordic Tracking a couple days a week because running lots seems to bother my left hip. As I write I'm realizing that documenting my life this way is a bit narcissistic. Oh well - a little spoiling of myself is ok, and you are all family, so you'll likely forgive me. View Larger Map

I've been consistently running for just more than a year now.  Over the winter, I cross country skilled when there was snow on the ground and nordic tracked when there wasn't.  Both of those are much easier on the knees and hips.  In late February, I started running again and over the last month have ramped up to 20+ miles a week. I think I'm going to do this. I found a ten week schedule that's a bit lighter in training than I want.  I'll let it be my guide, but I'll not be a slave to it.  Based upon my "long" runs, I'm just finished week 3 (six miles yesterday).  Seven more weeks put me running my half marathon at the end of May. I start my 42nd year this week - I like this as a goal for me.  It seems reasonable - doesn't include the stress a whole marathon seems to carry with it.

It's spring break in Chicagoland.  The daily high all week has been in the low 30s.  Snow once; rain three times.  Great spring weather. Necessity is the mother of invention (and boredom is the father of creativity)... Melinda (and just yesterday Gretchen) have discovered that with a digital camera and some simple software they can make stop motion videos.  Below are are couple samples of what they've built. I think it's great that this sort of activity no longer requires a BS in Computer Science to make - that it's really available to anyone who has the interest.