It's probably actually the Mets year.

          My uncle passed away last night, the culmination of a long battle with brain cancer. The last weeks were hard...he deteriorated; first slowly, then rapidly losing all the elements that made him who he was. And he was a wonderful man, a wonderful father and husband, and a wonderful friend.

          But I sit to write not because I lost a beloved family member, but because I lost a great friend. A drinkin' buddy, a fishin' buddy (not that those two things were separate of one another), a man I always looked forward to seeing. I'm blessed to have spent so much time with him throughout my life; Friday nights at his parents and later my parents, and Saturday nights around the table at Mom and Dad's. He was a friend, and a good friend, of my Dad for almost 40 years and a huge part of why our family was always so close when I was a kid. My dad's best friend was my mom's brother. Unique, to say the least.

          The stories are many, and they're all sweet, or funny, or irreverent. They're aided by a shot of rye, a sip of bourbon, a cold beer on a hot day, a martini in honor of his father. He was a man who boiled down to three things: he loved his Mets, he loved his family, and he adored his girls. I can think of times, kicking back in the July sunshine with his boat swaying gently in the ocean, where he would get lost in stories of his daughters, his wife. We would be smiling and laughing anyway, but how he would beam when he spoke of them! The unspoken truth, however, was that he had four girls. He looked up to, admired, and loved his big sister just as much. What he came down to, and will continue to come down to, I guess, is not three things, but one. Love. Few and far between are the people who just want to love and care for people the way he did.

          He was a great conversationalist. He could, and would, sit and talk with anybody. I learned from him that the key to a great conversation is two fold: 1) there are two sides, and 2) it's all about asking questions. He would draw stories and jokes and personalities out of everyone he spoke to. You felt funny, and important, and interesting when you spoke with him.

I could tell a million stories of my own (in which my father plays Best Supporting Actor) about the man who taught me about baseball, the man who threw too hard for me to catch, the man whose rib I broke that one time (not my fault), the man who was generous and kind (and would never seek to be called that to his face), the man I saw Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park with, the man who was always quick with a kind word (generally disguised as a very transparent insult). The man I was lucky enough to call my uncle and my friend.

I just can't shake this image that climbed into my head last night. I can't help but feel that. somewhere, the great and powerful Bette Ann is hugging him and saying

"Ah, hell, Billy. It's too soon."

And she's exactly right.

Oh. Hey there.

Hey.

I’ve missed you, and it’s my fault.

It has been a crazy time in my life. Since last we spoke (May...MAY?!) my life has changed SO MUCH.

I left you in Tennessee last time, so I’ve added a summer in New Jersey, a move to Richmond, VA,  a brand new job and a marriage. All of those were wonderful, and amazing, and a ton of fun. I live near old friends and I’m making new. I married an amazing human being with such love for the world she lives in, such compassion and care for others that it blows me away everyday. We had a beautiful ceremony that feels like a blur because I was REALLY FOCUSED on not screwing up. We had a blast at the reception which included 10 different styles of craft beers from the places we have lived: Arizona, Louisiana, New Jersey and Virginia. I decorated (applied Colleen's ideas) the reception hall with Sean and Eric while Colleen picked up friends from the airport, and not only did I not screw it up, IT LOOKED AWESOME. I've been blessed enough to join a wonderful, welcoming family. I have lived some of the greatest times of my life since we chatted last.

I’ve struggled, too. I’ve left a job I loved. I’ve lived with the concern and struggle of not having a job (a very stressful handful of months that included interview after interview). I’ve moved twice in 4 months, one 2500 miles and one over 300. I’ve adjusted to a new home, a new routine, a school laden with technology. I’ve changed my way of doing things in the classroom to meet cutting edge educational practices and technologies while retaining what I think made me effective. I’ve seen my uncle’s health fail.

A word on that. My uncle, a man who gets as much credit (blame) as anyone for me being who I am was diagnosed with brain cancer in the spring of 2012. I firmly believe that his very existence makes this world a better place. Cancer really sucks.

I’ve had days where I’ve come home on fire with excitement about my students, and their progress, and their successes, and days when I’ve been unable to do much more than sit on the floor.

My biggest mistake, in all of this, was not taking you all along for the ride. I have lived the highest of highs in my life so far, and struggled through some deep valleys. Consider this my promise to take you along with me next time, and not just tell you about it afterwards.

"Alligator bit smoothies"

Day three: Ridiculous

A ten hour drive from Amarillo to Houston. LONG. I took the doors off the cat cages to allow them room to move and stretch…Red slept under her blanket, as usual, and Palo napped on my lap for a while before he went off to sleep in his box. They’re handling the crazy of the move very well.

We discovered an In N Out in Dallas, so of course that’s where we stopped for lunch. For dinner, we went to Taco Cabana (I wish I was kidding) and stayed at a Baymont Inn hotel in Houston. Well the first room was flooded…which might be nicer than the second room. The second room…just generally gross. But it’s one night, and you make due.

Observations from the road:

1.       Never again, Baymont. Never again.

2.       Never again, Taco Cabana. Never again.

3.       Cows. So many cows.

4.       Tons, also, of horses.

5.       Some deer? I guess.

6.       The changing landscape from the Texas Panhandle to Southeast Texas.

7.       Texas. It’s far too large.

Song of the day:

                Summer Girls, LFO.

Tomorrow: 351 miles and 5 hours and 46 minutes to New Orleans, Colleen, and two relaxing nights.

New Orleans:

My car is cleaner than it’s been in years, from the open skies of New Orleans, and I thoroughly enjoyed the rain. Sick and tired of Texas, it was a relief to get to New Orleans and to see Colleen. It always is. Too short this time…but only 9 weeks to go. It was a blast meeting Colleen’s friend Heather…we all had a great time together.

A quick summation:

What a great time. Jambalaya. Crawfish. Oysters, both raw and charbroiled. Walking the French Quarter with Colleen, Sean and Heather. Alligator sausage with andouille sauce. Enjoying an evening on the fly by the Big Muddy, and getting caught in a downpour. Hiking the Barataria Preserve in an epic downpour while listening to the Pig Frogs (HogFrogs) and watching the snakes and alligators. Walking the French Quarter with Sean and Heather while Colleen gave a presentation, and ducking into the nearest establishment when the skies opened up. Live music in the French Quarter on Thursday night and live music at the Jolly Inn in Homa on Friday night.  Ridiculous conversations. You think Sean and I are bad? Throw in Colleen and Heather and see what happens. It was fantastic.

Palo being really fancy and making everyone love him. Red doing some of her highest class hiding.

Road kill alligators. Weird. 

It’s a city with fantastic charm, and one I haven’t gotten a chance to explore enough.

Tonight, I sit in a hotel room in Kingsport, Tennessee after driving close to 700 miles through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. The cats are really handling this chaos well, but I can tell it’s beginning to stress them out.  Tomorrow we finish out the drive, 580 someodd miles, 9ish hours and Beachwood at the end of the day.

Song of the day:

Mashup of “Fancy”, “Happy”, “Turn Down for What” and “Talk Dirty to Me”. And the entire mix Colleen made of 90’s tunes that started our day. She didn’t give us the play list so every song was “….OH I REMEMBERTHIS ONE!”

One more day. Then Mom can try to steal my cats.

RedScare!

Day two closes on us finding a sweet room in Amarillo. I had booked rooms the other day, and this one, while out of the way (not as far east as an identical hotel) is fantastic. Currently, Sean is giving Palo a ton of crap for being a cat and cleaning himself on the table while Sean tries to write. And at least Red has climbed out from under the box spring, where we couldn’t find her. It seemed like she had disappeared. RedScare, Amiright?

We drove through the Petrified Forest this morning, a winding bumpy road that leads from Rt. 180 to I-40, and set us up beautifully for the ride to Amarillo from Holbrook. Except Palo gets carsick. He tried to warn us too, becoming more active and noisy in the box before he threw up. Poor guy. I gave him some water and threw out the old clothes he was sleeping on, and he rebounded quite nicely.

Highlight of the day: Albuquerque’s anti-DWI logo looks something like a bat of sorts. Which lead to a long conversation about how bats could be used to prevent or arrest people driving under the influence. Suffice to say it was ridiculous and I laughed, very hard. Also, we couldn’t find any tacos in New Mexico. Really, NM? You dropped the ball.

Observations from the road:

1.       Rocks that used to be trees!

2.       A man walking down the side of I-40 dragging a cross over his shoulder.

3.       The cross had a wheel on it

4.       A man with a bike sitting on the ground in the shade of an overpass on the side of I-40

5.       Big Texan Steakhouse (again)

Song of the day: Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind

Tomorrow:  600ish miles to Houston, TX. 

I ain't got a dime, but what I got is mine

So the first night of Sean and Mike’s crazy roadtrip has fallen. We made it, over the last several days, from Las Vegas to Bullhead to Havasu to Bullhead. Today, we headed from my (former) apartment to the Grand Canyon to Holbrook, AZ. This is Sean’s first time out to this side of the country, and definitely not my last. It’s weird to be gone…like when I left New Jersey the first time. Tons behind me, but tons ahead, as well. 

After we finally finished packing, we drove to the Grand Canyon. The cats had settled down (Red having finished her sad solo aria) and the drive was smooth. When we arrived at the Canyon, we clearly couldn’t leave the cats in the car….so out they came. Sean carried RedCat in the small airport carrier I have, and Palo…well…I carried him. In my arms. He was leashed, but I carried him. People stared. At least one pair of tourists took his picture. A pair of British tourists asked me if he was “pedigree”.  He let a 4 year old girl pet him. Now Palo is settled in next to me on the hotel bed. They’re resilient little critters.

Observations from the road:

1.       Prairie dogs!

2.       Tumbleweeds

3.       Mule deer

4.       Pronghorn

5.       2/3 of a coyote

6.       A squirrel standing on his hind legs in the middle of the road asking to be hit by a car

7.       Guy with a parakeet on his shoulder

8.       A parakeet on a guy’s shoulder that was eating McDonald’s French fries.

Song of the day:

Rick. Freaking. Astley.

Thanks for coming with me again. I’m glad to have you all along.

Tomorrow brings Amarillo, TX, the Big Texan Steakhouse, and another hotel stay. I like hotels because they have beds, which my apartment did not this weekend.

"with 10 miles behind me, and ten thousand more to go"

To whom it may concern:

                I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your trust in me. You took a chance on an East Coast kid, and gave him an opportunity to sink or swim on his own merits. I like to think that I swam (more like I did in the 100 Fly or the 200 IM and less like I did that ONE time I attempted the 500 freshman year). Unfortunately, life is such that continuing here at Mohave Valley Junior High is not a feasible option for me, and I will be moving on from my 7^th Grade Language Arts position after this school year. I hope that you will accept this as my resignation, effective at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

                To swim, in this sense, has been more like a swim meet or a relay than it has been an individual event. Surely, what I do in the classroom is individual in the sense that I am the one in charge of the atmosphere and the content at any given moment. But, in reality, I am never the sole voice in the classroom. What I am, and what I do, is greatly influenced by the wonderful people I’ve had the opportunity to work with.  Our 7^th grade team has been so supportive, so helpful, so open with one another. That discourse, and suggestions from experienced teachers, and group thinking about how to deal with challenges we face on a daily basis have helped me to grow both personally and professionally. Any and all of my success can be directly attributed to two things: hard work and the lunchtime combination of problem solving and blowing off steam that we did every day. From the very bottom of my heart, I thank you for that Miller, Price and Stobbs.

                I can remember my interview with Ms. Stahl, when she asked me what I wanted in an administrator, what I thought was important for people in charge. I asked for support. And I have received it in spades. I know that I came here with a lot to learn, and I know that I am leaving here with at least as many, if not more, questions about how to be better at my profession. I can stand tall knowing that those questions are different ones than I arrived with, and that I have come a long way in my two years in Mohave Valley.

                Leaving here is both exciting and sad for me. If there is one thing that I have known since my first day here it is that my students deserve better than they often get. My kids are great kids. They make me proud to be their teacher more days than not with their humor, intelligence and resiliency. Many of them face extreme challenges on a daily basis and rise above them. I see it daily in the classroom or in athletics. I coached three seasons, not for me, but for the kids. I had never coached volleyball. I had never coached basketball. But if I didn’t this year, who would have? My kids deserve the chance to be involved in after school activities, to learn from one another through athletics and clubs. I’ll admit that I love sports. And that I think there is a lot of value in being a part of a team because of the life lessons you can learn from winning and losing (too campy? Too bad).  I am proud of the strides each of my teams made as they learned to work and play with one another and be supportive of one another.

                So that’s why it’ll be difficult. I have great coworkers who are great at their jobs and better people. Great support from good people in administration. Fantastic students who I really feel like I did my best for, both in the classroom and on the court/field. Students and athletes who I learned a ton from. This place has impacted my life and changed it. Even in leaving, a part of me will stay here. 

But moving on is also something I am looking forward to. I am going to marry a wonderful human being before I turn 29. My next tax return will reflect a move (or two) a marriage and a new job. Part of marrying Colleen means we get to live in the same state (at least). I am long since tired of the separation in our geography. One of the things I love most in this world is Colleen being happy, and she has totally kicked ass and taken names during her time in Louisiana. I could not be happier about her enjoyment and happiness at gaining experience and working with and for amazing people. I am excited about our future.

So my life is changing. Zxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (thanks, Palo, that was helpful).  I am not big on change. This is one that both terrifies me and excites me. It’s hard to walk away from a career and a community that I respect and appreciate. It’s hard to walk away from people I care a great deal about. It’s hard to walk away from what is a burgeoning softball program at MVJH.  But it is far harder to stay. The distance from my family. The distance from Colleen. We hope to have a family. It is far, far better to raise them in proximity to our families than here.

I don’t want to be another adult who has walked out on these students. I want them to know that I gave them 100% of what I had while I was here. I believe in them.  It has been my pleasure to teach and coach them, to maybe learn them something about what an East Coast attitude is. To set an example with a New Jersey work ethic.  So thank you, students and parents. Thank you, administration and coworkers. Thank you, mom and dad and Colleen for your endless support and encouragement. I am very, very lucky for all of the love and support that has gotten me through my two years in the desert.

While the circumstances of my life lead me forward and onward from the desert, know that I deeply appreciate all that it has done for me. So, cheers. Raise a glass. Lift a longneck. I appreciate you far more than I can express.

Sincerely,

Mike Hennessey

115 degrees. Ummmm...Nope.

While I will post a specific “moving on” related entry later this weekend, Colleen’s great description of things she sees/loves about south Louisiana got me thinking about things I’ll miss in Arizona. My time here is growing short quickly (Dad says I’m so short I can’t see over my shoelaces), and while I am excited to head back east and see what that brings, (the same state as Colleen, maybe? Please?) there are things here I’ll miss. So, in no particular order:

1.       Roadrunners. They’re ridiculous, and Price seems to be a roadrunner whisperer of sorts (see: that time on the golf course when he called one and it came).

2.       Baby quail. THEY’RE SO LITTLE

3.       7% humidity being a lot

4.       Being able to see from the mountains to the other mountains

5.       The way the desert smells after it rains

6.       Being able to drive 27 miles in 27 minutes

7.       The amazing scale of the west. Everything is just farther away from everything else

8.       The relative proximity to so many national parks

9.       Burritos (baby burros. Ha! That one’s for Colleen)

10.   Burritos (the food. Carne Asada.)

11.   Making jokes like “If you made a wrap out of a baby burro, would it be a burrito burrito?

Things I will not miss:

1.       115 degrees. Nope.

2.       “But it’s a dry heat” Still hot. Also, that’s like asking someone from New Jersey what exit they’re from…mildly amusing the first time, then it gets old fast.

3.       The lack of greenery

4.       Everything that lives here wants to kill everything else that lives here

5.       115 degrees. Still nope.

As an aside, boy did Red Dead Redemption nail the look of the desert.

350 hours until Opening Day!

Maryvale!

Over the last two days, I had another fantastic baseball experience. Planning to spend two days in Phoenix to enjoy three Cactus League games, I left Saturday morning and arrived at Maryvale Baseball Park to enjoy the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. This was a park we didn’t go to last year, so it was nice to walk around a new ballpark (they’re all great, just varying degrees of great). I enjoyed a brat (it is Milwaukee’s home park, after all) and a beer, and hung out by the Reds bullpen. We had pretty solid success with that last year (re: Brock’s conversation with Bronson Arroyo) and this year was pretty great also. I got to watch Aroldis Chapman warm up! He was like 8 feet from me! Also, I said this to a few people, namely Colleen and my Dad, but watching major league players toss baseballs to kids is never not the best thing ever.

Aroldis!

After that game, I was going to check into the motel I had booked and then head to the Dodgers and White Sox. Well…the hotel was, um, sketchy? I didn’t feel comfortable staying there, so I cancelled my reservation (and got refunded) and figured I would head down to the night game and then head back to Bullhead.

The night game was sold out.

Oops. Headed back to Bullhead and was home at a reasonable hour last night. Score one for a great experience at Maryvale and disappointment elsewhere.

This morning, I drove up to Las Vegas to see the Mets and Cubs play at Cashman Field, where the Las Vegas 51’s play. The 51’s are the Mets AAA affiliate, and I was struck by the ballpark. The Phillies A affiliate in Lakewood play in a nicer facility. The walls were high (to combat winds? Because they didn’t want to spend the money to grow grass to have a berm in the outfield? Because Vegas?) and not padded, and the park only sat about 9,000 fans.

The party area and field at Cashman

But the Mets brought mostly starters to the desert including David Wright, Travis d’Arnaud, Curtis Granderson (who struck out…Mets fans need to get used to that) and defensive whiz and center fielder Juan Lagares and the Cubs brought a lineup filled with guys trying to latch on and top prospects. So I can say I’ve seen the Mets play this year (AAA jokes, anyone?) and seen some of the top prospects in the Cubs organization, including Javier Baez and Kris Bryant.  And I scored a baseball! Mostly because I was alone in my section. Bearded guys always lose out to kids.

 

So it wasn't what I had planned, but it was pretty great anyway. Some observations from the road in no particular order:

1.       Two tumbleweeds

2.       A plastic bag blowing around that blew right into a trash can

3.       A guy facetiming and driving

4.       Someone parasailing out the back of a pickup truck on a dirt patch off the highway

I got a cap!

Last year was more fun, because these things are always more fun when you have friends to share them with. But I’m pretty pumped I got to do it again. 

"Slowing Down driving in...

I can finally breathe again"

        -Jason Aldean (Water Tower)

Had an opportunity to be home for a crazy, whirlwind of a tour of a weekend. It was a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a really beautiful wedding (and a couple great parties!) and continue the research that Colleen has asked me to do at the last two weddings we have been to:  watch it not with a critical eye, but with an eye toward our own party that is now roughly 8 months away.  Considering how many weddings she has been to since college (10+) and how many I have been to in my life (4) it’s easy to see why I need to pay a little extra attention to the details! Especially if I am going to be of any use for the next several months of planning. 

The weekend started off with Katy picking me up at the airport, and an immediate trip to Pats and Genos Cheese Steaks in Philly. We bought one cheesesteak from each place, cut them in half and had a taste test. I can’t swear to it, but I believe Pat’s won in my mind. Then we acquired Katy’s cat, Yeti, and headed to Beachwood. Yeti spent at least part of the ride on my shoulder like a parrot.

A brief stop home and then a trip to Malvern, PA, for the rehearsal and party, and wedding.  A truly fun and beautiful ceremony, and a couple of fantastic parties later, it was back to Beachwood.  Colleen went to celebrate Julie’s wedding shower with the female portion of the family, and I was lucky enough to spend time with Dad, Smithbauer, Morgen, and Mr. Byrnes, drink some Yuengling and eat some meat on a stick. That evening, we got a chance to look in on the hall where our reception will be held, and were thrilled with it. The owner was flexible, helpful, excited about what he does…really a great opportunity for us.

The final day of my trip home was Monday. I got to take my favorite (almost) 7 year old to school. It started simply enough, Morgen letting me in, and a quiet 45 minutes before it was time for Jay to wake up.

Then his door was locked. And he was reluctant to help me open it. I played his “look for the lock thing” game for a minute, and we had a five minute back-and-forth about whether he would let me in.

Then he decided to let me in.

By slamming the door open and tossing himself on the bed. My man has 13 year old girl DOWN. Once he realized I was not his brother, it was like a switch flipped. He was fantastic.  He showed me his Cub Scouts Merit Badge. He showed me his Pinewood Derby trophy. He showed me the Batman stuff that Grandma and Grandpa got him in New York. He got dressed and brushed his teeth and we got him off to school on time.  I also got to have a lovely lunch with Colleen, her Grandma, Gram, and Aunt Mary Ellen. Then it was off to the airport and back to Bullhead City.

Another airport goodbye with Colleen, a 2:15 AM arrival time, and a negative report from the substitute made today a challenging day. But a productive softball practice and two happy cats at home made it a positive one.

Looking forward to the next trip back. 

Prepping to start Quarter 7 in AZ

A whirlwind of a break is coming to an end with me on the couch in front of the NFL Playoffs. The apartment is clean, two cats are asleep, and I’m refreshed and ready to start the third quarter, and all the schedule changes and challenges that will go along with it.

Break started with a trip home, a ride from Sean and Morgen and a stop at Amy’s Omelet House in Cherry Hill. That afternoon was fun as family and friends got together and ate pizza and had some cold beers at Mom and Dad’s, then we went to the Office Lounge and the Toms River Diner.  That catapulted me into a few days of working at The Candle Shoppe again, a couple of Wawa Gobblers (!!) and several Porkroll Egg and Cheese sandwiches from Bayside Bagel in Silverton.

Christmas Eve was a blast; watching Jayden and Ryan play together is really what Christmas is about. Prior to the party, Colleen and I helped Jayden paint birdhouses for Grammy, Julie, Katy, Grandma, and his mother. He was a riot, telling Grandma when she walked in that “Don’t worry about these, Grandma, these are just for random people.” This was after he pointed out that it would be “awkward” if Grandma walked in while we were painting hers.  He also read me a book. He’s getting so big!

Christmas Day was wonderful, too. Colleen and I spent Christmas Morning at Mom and Dad’s, which included some AWESOME hot sauce on the tasty egg thing that Mom made. Then we spent the rest of the day with her family, which was great. Her family is wonderful, wonderfully welcoming to me, and we were able to share lots of laughs. I even got to help out in the kitchen, as Colleen and I helped prepare dinner.

Then, for reasons unknown to me, we got onto the longest flight of all time (it just would NOT END) and landed in Vegas again on the 26th…and didn't get into the hotel until late. Though standing in line for the shuttle to take us back to my car in the Economy Lot was amusing, it also took forever. We spent the night in Las Vegas (which included our neighbors in the hotel coming in at ? o’clock screaming the lyrics to What Does the Fox Say?) and then drove the six hours to Salt Lake City, Utah. There was a time change we forgot about, and we stopped extra times because we were both exhausted, so the trip effectively took 8 hours, and because of various other delays we lost out on naptime prior to the rehearsal dinner for Patrick and Hilary’s wedding, which was a lot of fun.

The wedding day saw Colleen off early for bridesmaidy things, and me with a four hour marathon of Bar Rescue. Cool. I even got it together enough to walk across the street to SubWay for a pastrami sandwich (any port in a storm, folks). The wedding ceremony was very nice, and afterward, I wound up in a college bar in downtown SLC with another boyfriend of a bridesmaid while they did pictures. OK! The reception afterwards was a ton of fun, really a great party, and I got to spend it with good people. Colleen set me up with a few of her college friends while she was occupied. It was a fun time.

Then it was back to Bullhead, lunch with Paul and Robin, and a stopover at Price’s. Colleen was supposed to leave Wednesday morning…another quick turnaround in a break full of them. Somehow, her flight was switched to Friday, which allowed her to be there when we picked up our new cat. 

Really a good break, but an exhausting one, and the fact that I got a couple of extra days with Colleen at the end was fantastic.  Back for a quick trip in February to celebrate another wedding. Can’t wait!

Pondering a Po Boy

So this one came to me sort of randomly. A list of the top sandwiches I’ve ever had. 

I guess the first thing that this requires is a definition of the word sandwich. Does a wrap count? No, I think it does not. Do tacos count? No, not unless they’re wrapped like a wrap…which would make them a wrap, no? Sandwiches, I think, require bread. 

Next: is this a list of best sandwiches in general, or specific sandwiches? I think it needs to be a hybrid. Do homemade sandwiches count? No. Do hamburgers count? Also no. I think they’re a different breed.

So without further ado:

1. Peace Maker Po Boy Sandwich, Acme Oyster House, NOLA: Fried oysters, fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and tobasco mayo. Traditional Po Boy roll.  It was wonderful on every level to sit at the bar at Acme Oyster House, drink a local brew, and enjoy this fantastic sandwich with Colleen.

2. The Vermonter, Noonie Deli, VT: Ham + cheddar+ green apples+ honey mustard+ homemade bread= sandwich of my dreams. This was #1 for a very long time on my list, and then New Orleans happened. 

3. Purple’s Pleasure, Noonie Deli, VT: Turkey, Bacon, Tomato, Red Onion, Avocado, Jalapeno Peppers and Cheddar melted with Lettuce and Garlic Basil Mayo, homemade bread…another fantastic work of sandwich art from the Noonie Deli.

4. Porkroll, Egg, and cheese on a bagel: This New Jersey classic deserves a spot in the top five no matter what else happens…this is the one that stays no matter how great the next sandwich is. Find it at your local 24 hour diner!

5. Cheese Steak, Jim’s on South Street, Philadelphia, PA: because you order it “Wiz/wit” and you need a million napkins to keep yourself clean as you eat it and walk down the street.

* While Jim's continues to reign supreme in my mind, Pat's is a very close second. It probably knocks everything down a peg below this, but I can't discount the deliciousness of L Gormet, so Pat's stands as a cheesesteak related footnote of mmmmmm.

6. Smoked Sausage Sandwich, Mighty Quinn’s BBQ, Manhattan, NY: When you walk in, you’re immediately taken with the smell of smoke, and you know you’ve got real barbecue.  The sandwich is made on rolls that come from down the street, its substantial, the sauce is fantastic, and they serve beer.

7. Pulled Pork BBQ, Pigman’s Barbecue, Kill Devil Hills, NC: While the quality of the meat isn’t up to snuff with High Cotton, their easy style and killer hot Carolina Barbecue sauce puts them over the top. That, and the tradition.

8. Pulled Pork BBQ, High Cotton BBQ, Nags Head, NC: Their BBQ sauce leaves a little to be desired, but the meat is tender and delicious. They do so well on their meat, and on their hush puppies and barbecue beans, that the lack of a proper Carolina Barbecue Sauce can almost be overlooked...almost.

9. Italian Sub: A real one. On a real sub (or hoagie, I guess) roll. No nonsense, no pretty boy crap, just lettuce, tomato, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, oil and vinegar.  Hot peppers optional.

10. Almost anything at L Gormet, Beachwood, NJ: A little out of the way place that does FANTASTIC work with food.

NOLA

South Louisiana is a world away from Mohave County, Arizona.

Southern Louisiana Christmas...Shrimp, Crawfish and Crab!

My journey east began with the usual drive up to McCarran Airport in Las Vegas, and I got there plenty early, parked, breezed through security, and found my gate.

Time for a reward! You know what’s a good reward? A beer. So I went and had one…and that’s where I met the Comic from Calgary (who legitimately finished jokes/sentences with “eh”) who made friends with the guys on either side of him. I was one of them. He bought a round…or two…and told jokes. We laughed quite a bit, and then he left. I managed to find my gate again, find my seat, and nod off for the short flight to Houston, Texas. There, I found my gate, napped, boarded, napped, and then got to see Colleen!

That first day, we wandered the French Market, ate some Jambalaya (which was awesome…just a first salvo in the “please try everything here” battle I was about to undergo), and got to talk to Jayden on the phone.  We also went down to Jean Lafitte National Park's Barataria Preserve and walked along the bayou for a while. It is a neat little park, changing from forest to wetlands to a floating grassland. It reminded me, in various places, of Blue Spring State Park outside of Orlando, Florida and Payne’s Prairie (Payne’s Prairie…Payne’s Prairie…PAYNE’S ****ING PRAIIRIE) State Park, also in Florida.  Mostly, I took it all in and enjoyed the HELL out of being with Colleen, which was far too long in coming. I am in Arizona working hard, and she is doing wonderful things with and for wonderful people in Louisiana, but the being apart part of this isn’t easy.

Selfies on the banks of the Mississippi

The next day was Thanksgiving! I love Thanksgiving…it’s always been the day we celebrated my birthday at home, but mostly I love to cook with my parents (mostly drinking beer and cooking duck with Dad outback) and spend the day with everyone. So this one was weird…being away from the family also going out to eat. We went to Arnaud’s in the French Quarter, and while I was thinking about preserving the duck tradition, I figured…you’re in Louisiana. Get seafood! So I asked our gracious, too kind hosts what they recommended, and wound up with sheepshead (it’s a fish, I promise) Meuniere. Goodness gracious. I keep dreaming about that fish. We also had these little puffed potatoes that were light as air, and Shrimp Arnaud which was served cold with a “creole remoulade”. The meal finished with two fantastic desserts…but what stood out most was the kindness of Colleen’s host family. I met many, many kind people while I was in Louisiana, and it is really wonderful to know how many great people Colleen has watching out for her!

Friday was my birthday, so it sent us back to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter for a walk and a sandwich at Acme Oyster House. We sat at the bar, had a Abita Amber and chatted with the oyster shuckers. Only in Louisiana! And I got to have the Peace Maker Po Boy sandwich…fried oysters, fried gulf shrimp, lettuce, tomato, and tobasco mayo…oh man. That is a top 5 sandwich (but that’s maybe another post).

Birthday breakfast!

After lunch and another walk through the French Market, we headed south to Grand Isle State Park. The area reminded me a lot of the southern part of the Outer Banks…the Rodanthe and south area. We ate dinner at…hahaha. What a silly night this turned out to be. From the wonderful lunch at Acme Oyster House to Rice-a-Roni cooked in a microwave and bad off-brand potato chips in the hotel room. Honestly? I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. We shared some beers and laughed a lot and watched Modern Family. It was a great birthday.

A gift from new friends.

Saturday found us wandering Grand Isle State Park, watching the terns and pelicans and dolphins play in the waves and enjoying an utterly glorious day. Sunday, I went to church with Colleen at her little Presbyterian Church in Bayou Blue. It was a lovely service, and the little sanctuary was filled with wonderful, welcoming people. The service felt very much like a welcome home for this wandering Presbyterian.

                               

After church, we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast with the pastors, walked through an art show, and then I headed to the airport. As sad as I was to leave Colleen, at least I got to come home to this:

Also…less than two weeks until I’m home!

Next travel stop...NOLA

The last few weeks have been both exhausting and exciting.

MVESD #16’s two week break at the end of September started with Mom and Dad’s Trip West. It was a ton of fun to hang out, to host my parents (weird) and to see Mom’s reaction to a lot of things out here…especially the scale. Everything out here is so much bigger, so much wider…you do have to see it to believe it. They went to Bryce and Zion as I finished up my Structured English Immersion class in Scottsdale, then we alternated between things to do in/around Bullhead (oh, another brewery?) and longer trips to the Grand Canyon and Death Valley. It was really a lot of fun, and I’m glad we planned it for the week we did…since the government went ahead and shut down the following week and we wouldn’t have been able to do half of what we planned.

The second week of break found me staying home as much as possible. The end of first quarter was tiring, as it saw me in and out of Scottsdale, up late for softball games in the league I joined, and coaching my tail off. That rolled right into the first week of second quarter, and then it was off to Phoenix again. Eric was staying in town for a few days, so I headed south and we spent an afternoon hanging out and generally having a good time. Every Phoenix/Scottsdale trip included a trip to Waffle House. The last one…well, shades of Toby Keith!

" And he called last night from South Carolina

He said I fallen in love with a waitress
That I met at a Waffle House diner.

He said the years seem to roll on faster
Than they did back when we were kids
Then we need us a break from the grindstone
That's exactly what we did.

We put in a phone call to Sonny
Then we stayed out all night long
We drank a few cold ones, then told a few old ones
And sang another verse to the song."

The song's called Nights I Can't Remember...Friends I'll Never Forget

Finally, and a little off topic...

As the volleyball season rolls to a close, and I begin prepping for boys basketball, now seems like a great time to reflect on the season that was. Coming into the season, I didn’t have the greatest volleyball IQ in the world, but I worked hard to learn as much as possible. We conditioned. We did drills. We learned how to play as a team, to bump and set and pass to one another to control where we hit the ball. Every player on the team improved, some growing into our best players after having little to no experience before this season. I am tremendously proud of my players for how hard they’ve worked, and how positive they’ve stayed, and how they never, ever quit no matter the score. We have won exactly one match. But we have only been blown out twice. We competed in every game, had chances to win in every game, and they grew from that experience. I have gotten used to losing (STR baseball, Presby softball over the last few years), but that doesn’t mean I love it. I have worked very hard to stay positive…7^th grade sports is about development, improvement, and laying the foundation for a winning 8^th grade team as they get ready to roll into high school. I have been very lucky this season, privileged, to coach a team of athletes who have chosen to come together and support one another, to help each other improve, throughout what has been a tough season.

Hats off to you. And thanks for the experience.

Such plans they have, Such Gods they have

Deep in this Nation of Heat- Joe Pug

So...I see a lot of those that I care about writing about their new experiences, and I felt the need to share this new school year with all of you.

This year has dawned to a kinder, gentler, Mr. Hennessey. I am way more relaxed and confident in the classroom, confident in my management and in my lesson structuring skills. Confident in my ability to hook my students when the need arises. Confident in my ability as a volleyball coach?

Sort of. I am learning along with my players, but I am looking for information and skills and drills. I know how to coach middle school kids, and I am learning the game. We will do well, because we have players who care, and they are having fun.

Also, I may do a billion pushups this season. I ask the players to do pushups when they forget basics (calling the ball, bumping to a teammate rather than directly over the net), and I told them that I would do them when they did things correctly...so many pushups at the end of the week! That excites me.

The first quarter is running down now...and a rough three weeks is ahead of me. The next three weeks consist of: a professional skills test, a weekend in Phoenix, 4 volleyball matches, and another weekend in Phoenix.

The thing I am excited about: My parents are coming out right after that last weekend in Phoenix, and Mom has all sorts of things planned. I am excited to show off the mountains and the sunsets, and all of the things that make Arizona wonderful. I am excited for the Grand Canyon, and a trip to Sedona, and the brew-pub tour that is sure to follow.

I am excited for Eric's trip to Vegas, and to go and visit him up there and spend some time with more family. I am excited for the various sports I will be coaching, and for this year in general. Colleen and I were talking, and talked about me moving into a leadership role as I grow older and gain more experience in my field. I am thinking that, since I will have to go back to school for a degree anyway, that guidance is the right way to go. I just want good things for my students, and having a position where I can focus on that is ideal. We will see where life takes me (NJ, LA, wherever else...), but I am really fired up about my life and where it can take me.

Also, a lot of my positivity comes from this little critter that now lives in my apartment with me. I promised Brock that I wouldn't blow up Facebook with pictures and posts about my cat, Red, but I do love her. She is such a pleasant little critter to share space with, and she likes to be near people, and she is a love. I like how she greets me at the door when I get home, and how she races in to hop up on the bed in the morning when I wake up. I just can't imagine one of Mom's cats still liking people after being in a tiny box for 13 hours (including a flight)...other than Rose. She would probably forget that she had been in a box roughly five minutes after she was removed from it. Bottom line here is that Colleen has given me another wonderful gift, and I cherish that.

It is really nice that I get to look forward to work everyday, and that I get to play golf semi-regularly. Tomorrow will be the third time I've played since coming back, and what I have learned is two things: 1) stay long in my swing, and 2) make sure there is beer on hand.

Golf is a wonderful thing. Looking forward to playing with Dad and Smithbauer again.


UPDATE:

Here is something that always inspires me...Thanks to Taylor Mali for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsOVK4syxU

"Let's write it while we still got time"

The last week of summer was packed with all sorts of excitement. On my final Monday home, Sean, Blazak, Morgen and I went to New York to see the Yankees play the Royals.  We headed up to the city early to explore Manhattan…specifically the Strand bookstore, in all of its enormous glory. Floor upon floor of books, a ton of neat rare books.

But that wasn't the important part. We started out hungry, so we hit Mighty Quinn’s BBQ.  When you open the door, the smell of smoke wanders out and drags you inside. Pulled pork, brisket, smoked sausage on buns that clearly are made there or nearby. No store bought stuff here. And they have a great selection of brews on tap. I enjoyed a smoked sausage sandwich, an Allagash Black stout and a Founder’s IPA. There’s a place I’ll go back to.

After lunch, and after the bookstore, we headed off to McSorley’s. A place that needs no introduction, this Irish pub has sawdust on the floor and you have two options for beer: light or dark. Both are spectacular.

After McSorleys, we stopped at one more Irish pub, enjoyed another local brew and a little Jameson, and went to the Stadium. As beautiful as ever, but a little palatial. We got rained on, but stuck out most of the game, and got a Derek Jeter bobble head give away. That item now sits on my desk at school.

On Wednesday, I took Jayden fishing. We caught sunnies at Wells Mills Park, had a hotdog and a rootbeer at Stewart’s. I do love spending time with that kid.

I seem to have a habit of hiding big news at the bottom of posts. My announcement that I was staying in Arizona this year comes to mind, as I hid that in a previous post. This news, I suspect, is no exception.

When Colleen was out west, we went to Petrified Forest National Park…there are rocks that used to be trees there! While we were there, we bought a couple pairs of earrings made from petrified wood.  While I was home this summer, I dropped one pair off at a jeweler to have one made into a ring. I could not believe how difficult it was to find someone who would mount a piece of petrified wood! It has a hardness akin to diamonds, but so many places wouldn't touch it…big ups to Blaine’s Jewelry Box in Brick for taking on the challenge. And for doing a badass job.

 So, on July 9^th, I took Jayden up to camp to play (and give him something to do while mom had her surgery).  While he was off having a great time, Colleen and I sat on the fishing dock, and I offered that rock (formerly tree) back to her.  Now, she wears it on her left hand.

I just want to go through my life announcing that I’m crazy about her... but we are both fairly private people, and she is generally much more understated than I am. So let me just say how happy I am that I make her happy, and that she’s made that promise to me. I am the luckiest guy ever.

One final note…I brought a little tabby cat back to Arizona with me. She is a very sweet little critter, and has been very nice to have around…except for when she broke loose from her carrier and almost escaped into the airplane.  I managed to catch her, unstring my left shoe, and tie the carrier shut. Since then, she’s been great.

In which I explain the first half or so of my summer

“God what am I supposed to do? There’s more than miles in my rearview”

                                -Brantley Gilbert

It’s been a helluva ride this summer. I had planned to try to fit my entire five week trip back to New Jersey into one post, but it proved impossible. Too many things happened! I’m back in Bullhead now, the meetings finished, the classroom prepped, and ready to go for another year of 7^th grade!

So…here we go. In order (mostly) of how they happened.

1.       Sean, Morgen, and Brian came to get me in Philly, and we stopped in Cherry Hill for breakfast at Amy’s Omelette House…Fantastic. Recommended.

2.       Bacation! (In Jayden’s Parlance)

a.       So good to see everyone, spend time with Eric, drink beer and smoke cigars with Dad, enjoy Colleen’s brews (and time with her), play with Jayden, meet Jeanine, and make a beer zipline. Oh yes.

      A beer zipline. Dad’s idea, actually…we cut the top off a wicker tiki torch,  wired on a bottom, made a handle, and strung a line from the top deck of the Bacation house to the pool deck. Voila! Beer carrier!

b.      Jayden

                                                               i.      Buries Colleen in pillows on the couch and declares “When Uncle Mike comes back he will say ‘MY BABY IS GONE’” Where does he come up with this stuff?

                                                             ii.      Nails two holes in one playing Mini Golf. Legitimate holes in one. Took him for ice cream, of course!

                                                            iii.      Hides from Jeanine and declares that he’s “allergic to girls who laugh more than Colleen” (he did eventually make nice.)

c.       Cigars on the deck with Dad and Eric! Spent the week grilling dinner and smoking cigars and drinking beer with Dad and Eric. One night, after dinner, Dad said “Give everyone a drink and a cigar and it levels the playing field. Everyone’s an equal.” What a statement. It’s nice to see my relationship with my dad change into a friendship. He’s a good friend! We sat out on the deck after dinner most nights, the three of us, joked and laughed as friends and as family. What a wonderful thing!

d.      Colleen’s Brews:

                                                               i.      A killer Black IPA

                                                             ii.      An even better Heffeweizen. Wow. What a brew!

3.       Week Three:

a.       One big thing happened in week three. Smithbauer got a call from his doctor. The cancer seems to have been…I don’t want to say defeated…but maybe put on the mat. The chemo and radiation did what they were supposed to, and while he continues to take treatment, and will continue, the prognosis is spectacular. When we heard the news…we partied. Oh how we partied. Great news for a great man!

4.       Mission Trip, Wood River Junction, RI

a.       Drove a van full of middle school kids. Didn’t kill anyone.

b.      Learned I’m out of practice with the 24 hour nature of the trip, but enjoyed it.

c.       Drove a van full of middle school kids. Didn’t kill anyone.

'Cause nothin matters in the whole wide world...

Well. What a three weeks this has turned out to be.

From National Parks and family to Spring Training and Phoenix to Vegas last night and Colleen on an airplane today. I'm writing this from my apartment, oddly quiet and dark in comparison to what I've become accustomed to over the past three months.

Exhausting would be a good word to describe how today went...in fact, when I saw my boss and she asked how I was, I told her "Awake. And that's just going to have to do for today." She laughed, which I appreciated.

Today was a tough day, up early, dropping Ms. Earp off at the airport, and heading to work sans breakfast. Thankfully, there was some granola in a mason jar in my classroom to munch on, and my handy Keurig to pump coffee out into my brand new Spring Training Arizona 2013 coffee mug. After work, it was softball practice and then home. I was missing Colleen all day, but it didn't hit me until I walked in tonight. It was kind of like Brad Paisley's "Fishin Song" (conveniently done in Camden, NJ)...except not as hilarious. And I'm genuinely excited for Colleen to be home with her family and friends, to be going back to a job she enjoys and another job she loves, and for her exciting news about New Orleans and the opportunities that exist there. So mostly it was like that song in that he realizes that when he gets home it'll hit him that she's gone.

But Colleen isn't gone with a capital G. She's just elsewhere. And we have a relationship that can confidently support the divergent geography that we currently share.

Hey. Ain't no thing. Just a very, very long day full of granola, coffee, and dirt from a softball field.

OH. And a sub. A real one. From Jersey Mike's...we found one in Vegas.

I walked into the sub shop and asked for a whole # (I don't remember). The kid behind the counter looked at me like I'd walked in, removed my pants, and thrown them in the air. So another employee took over, made the sandwich with just a few confusing questions (HOW HARD IS IT TO MAKE A SUB?!). As I paid out, I told her that the questions confused me...back east, you walk in, tell them "half a #4" and in 2 minutes there's a sandwich in front of you. She explained that she was from Camden, and that she gets it.

Ate the sub for lunch...split it with a coworker. Needless to say, it was a hit, a real sub made on correct bread and in proper fashion. I'm overly excited about this, yes, but there just aren't any good sub places out here. It's not a thing.

Another reason to want to come back east, and another reason to be excited about the summer.

I've decided to stay here for another year. Arizona, while trying, has treated me well, my coworkers are great, and I'm lucky enough to be doing a job I love. I wish it were closer to home...there are a lot of things about the east coast that I miss, including family and friends, and porkroll, and subs.

(At least I listed you all before the food...but be honest, you'd miss those things too.)

11 weeks until I'm home...

The 8 year old inside me screamed!

Spring Training. Usually just known to me as the end of the "Long, dark, nightmare of the soul" that is that time between the Super Bowl and the beginning of baseball again. This year, however, we went. The eight year old inside of me was jumping around all over the place. And it was glorious.

After a week of travels that involved some great National Parks, some great company, and ended with new tires (heh heh, oops) we headed south to the Sonoran Desert and the land of saguaros. Those things are crazy! They're all over the hills, and as you get closer to the city of Phoenix, they dot the landscape along with Joshua Trees next to the highway. After we arrived in Phoenix, we checked into the motel, went and had some Waffle House (!!) and then stopped to grab some beverages at a gas station. Coming out of that gas station, my car would not start. An hour and a half and a new battery later, we were ready to go.

We went to a night game our first day in town to see the Rockies play the Reds at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. It was awesome; major league players in a minor league setting, like Lakewood. We spent $8 for lawn seats, bought a beer and walked around the park, finally settling behind the Reds bullpen to watch their starter, Bronson Arroyo, warm up. As he began to throw, we got into a conversation with him. Personable, funny guy. Brock wound up getting a ball tossed his way as Arroyo went to the mound to begin the game. Neat stuff.  Since we didn't move our location all night, we were still behind the pen when Arroyo drove a double off the center field wall. This caused another round of conversation about whether or not the relievers would hear the end of his double. As it turns out, it's a good thing it wasn't Mat Latos who got the hit.

The next day was two ball games. The first game was at Hohokam Park in Mesa for the Cubs and Rangers. We spent some time walking around the park before settling into the grass in right field for the duration of the game. They had 24 oz PBR for 10 bucks! What fun. The second game found us in Peoria for the Giants at the Mariners. By this point we were totally exhausted from all of the sunshine from the afternoon and an all-you-can-eat stop at the Waffle House, but it is always awesome to see Major Leaguers giving baseballs to kids at every opportunity, which happened abundantly all week.

Wednesday found us thankful for only one baseball game. Dustin left before we headed to Surprise for the Dodgers at the Royals. Keeping up with this game was a little confusing because both teams chose to wear blue. Perplexing. During this game, we found out via the internets that Dodgers third baseman Hanley Ramirez will miss the first 8 weeks of the season. Go WBC!

Thursday was our final day in Phoenix at the Days Inn. We checked out and went to see the White Sox play the Brewers at Camelback Ranch. During this game, we watched little kids get the best baseball experience they could ask for...baseballs tossed liberally into the crowd, autographs by many established Major Leaguers as they exited the game, a great lawn to roll down.

It was incredible to see Major League players interact with fans, sign autographs, and just generally enjoy their work in such a setting. The weather was perfect, the venues small and cozy, the prices totally reasonable. While I imagine that going to Florida to see the Yankees or Mets would be more exciting (since I'd have a dog in the fight, so to speak) the fact that everything in Phoenix is a half hour from everything else makes it a great opportunity to see many new players, parks, and teams.