Congrats, Dodgers!

Hello, friends!

On August 27, 1993, I officially became a St. Louis Cardinals fan. My dad took me (and maybe my little brother?) to a Cardinals game vs. the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. In extra innings, the Cardinals scored 1 in the top of the 10th and Brett Butler was thrown out by Tom Pagnozzi in the bottom of the 10th for the final out. The crowd groaned, my dad and I (and maybe my little brother?) cheered, and I was officially hooked. 

Growing up a Cardinals fan in Southern California meant that all I heard about around town was the Dodgers. Which means, all I heard about in my house was how the Cardinals beat the Dodgers. There was the 1985 NLCS (go crazy!). There was also the fact that the only time I ever got to see the Cardinals play was against the Dodgers (fun fact: The Cardinals are undefeated at Chavez Ravine when I am in attendance). As far as I was concerned, the Dodgers were the Cardinals' greatest rival, and I hated their guts. 

Then, I moved to St. Louis for school (Go Bears!) and I learned that the Cardinals and the Cubs is the REAL rivalry. I got to see more Cardinals games against more opponents. Sports talk radio was now dominated by Cardinals talk. It was (baseball) heaven, and my hate for the Dodgers grew to distaste, which eventually grew to ambivalence. 

Why does all this matter? Last night, the Dodgers won the World Series, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 to take the series in 6 games. The last time the Dodgers had won the World Series was 1988 (The Cardinals have won 2 since then). Watching the game last night, knowing that the series could be over, I thought that I would be rooting hard for the Rays, extending the Dodger title drought for at least another day, and possibly another year. Imagine my surprise when I found myself more or less ambivalent to who won. If you asked me point blank, I probably would have said I wanted the Rays to win, but when Julio Urias threw that final pitch for a called strike 3, I was happy for the Dodgers. I didn't expect that. 

So, congrats, Dodgers fans! You're world champions. It was well deserved. Enjoy this championship, coming from a Cardinals fan who, at the very least, isn't pissed that you won. =0). 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

World Polio Day!

Hello, friends! 

When I first moved to Columbia, MO, all those years ago, one of the first things that I did was join the local Rotary club. At least part of that reason was because I needed to meet people and build networks when as I was living in a new place. But, I also new that Rotary was going to be my jam, as opposed to the Elks, the Optimists, or any of the other service oriented clubs because of my history with Rotarians. In high school, I was part of the Interact Club, which was the high school version of Rotary. The Garden Grove Rotary Club funded by Eagle Scout Project too. I've always had a soft spot for Rotarians. 

One of the favorite things that Rotary does, apart from community service, social events, and wonderful conversations from interesting people, is their dedication to the eradication of Polio. 

Polio is a virus that attacks the spinal cord and can lead to paralysis, among other symptoms. In the 1950's, a vaccine was developed and the world was changed. In 1985, the year I was born, Rotary took up the cause of eradicating polio. Earlier this summer, the WHO announced that Africa was officially free from wild polio. Currently, Iran and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world that still have wild polio. This is, in no small part, because of the work of Rotary. 

Saturday is World Polio Day! If you have some time, watch this video about Rotary's history in combating polio and consider giving to the End Polio Now fund. 

Drop to Zero-Polio Plus from Joe Meyer on Vimeo.

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

COVID Prayers

Hello, friends! 

Tuesday morning, I woke up with a tightness in my chest and some body aches. I didn't have a fever but decided that self-isolating and getting a test done was the right call, just to be on the safe side. 

COVID symptoms are really hard to diagnose. On Monday I went to the dentist and was sitting in a position that wasn't very comfortable. When I got out of the chair, my neck definitely hurt. Were the body aches because of my body being out of alignment, or COVID? I am an asthmatic and have athletically induced asthma. Monday evening we went on a walk and I was running a bit with the kids. My allergies have also been active. Are those reasons I had some chest tightness, or is it COVID? It's hard to say. 

If I did get COVID, it'd be from 1 of 4 spots. I ran errands on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, so it could be from any one of those places, although I was masked up and everyone else I saw was wearing a mask too. It could have been Ezra's soccer game on Saturday, as he and I were the only ones wearing masks (Thaliea and Megan were wearing their masks on a different field because Thaliea had soccer at the same time) but that was outdoors and besides the kids (I'm assistant coach) I wasn't interacting with anyone else. 

Another hard part of this whole scenario was the decision of whether or not to get the test. I could have easily chalked my symptoms up to being out of alignment and the running but then I run the risk of infecting others if I do actually have it. On the other hand, the test I took yesterday takes between 1-3 days to get results and I couldn't get a rapid test until tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, so I'm isolated downstairs, Meg is running solo, and Ezra didn't go to school today in case I am COVID positive. 

So, that's where we are. I'm feeling much better today and will know sometime tomorrow at the latest if I'm COVID positive. Until then, please pray for me, for my family, and for all those who continue to deal with the uncertainty of life during a pandemic. 

Have an excellent day!

~Adam

Back to School (Part 7): Day One (Again)!

Hello, friends! 

Who's that good looking boy enjoying his first day of in person kindergarten? Why, I believe it's Ezra! 

After one false start, a few weeks of completely virtual learning, and days of anticipation, Ezra was finally able to attend school. He'll be going into class every Thursday and Friday, as well as alternating Wednesdays. Here are a few takeaways from everyone's first day:

- Ezra LOVES it so far. When Megan and I picked him up, you could actually see the glow on his face. He was so excited and wouldn't stop talking all the way home about all the things he did. To be honest, the excitement started as soon as he got up. There was no trepidation from him when he walked into the building. The boy was ready. 

- Kindergarten is hard work. Ezra's school provides breakfast and lunch but Ezra doesn't have the normal snacks that he does when he's at home. As soon as he got into the car, he CRUSHED the snack we brought him. He also ate all of his dinner in record time. Apparently, all that learning and playing burns a lot of calories. 

- Thaliea is a big winner too. Except for one spot during resting time when she was crying because she missed her brother (a somewhat normal occurrence), Thaliea did great. I think she enjoys only having to share the sitter with one brother instead of two. As soon as Ezra got home, the two older kids were kind of inseparable, which was pretty cute. 

Of course, we're only one day in and things could change at any moment. Still, we're thankful that Ezra had a good first day and is ready to go back. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam