Movies 2018

1. Jumanji (theater)
2. Step Sisters
3. The Day We Met
4. Battle of the Sexes
5. Eddie the Eagle
6. Cruel Intentions (re-watch)
7. Pretty Ugly People
8. I, Tonya (theater)
9. Welcome to Me
10. Downsizing
11. Can't Buy Me Love
12. Happy Anniversary
13. Atomic Blonde
14. Kingsman: The Golden Circle
15. Pitch Perfect 3
16. A Mighty Team
17. Miracle (re-watch)
18. Star Wars: Rogue One (re-watch)
19. Star Wars: Last Jedi (re-watch)
20. Life of the Party
21. The Post
22. Wish I was Here
23. Like Father
24. Game Night
25. Ready Player One
26. I Feel Pretty
27.Groundhog Day (re-watch)
28. Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society
29. A Stupid and Futile Gesture
30. Looney Tunes: Back in Action
31. Solo
32: Irreplaceable You (napped through most of it)
33. Serenity (re-watch)
34. Back to the Future (re-watch)
35. Rough Night
36. NY Minute
37. Christmas with a View
39. Crazy Rich Asians
40. Ocean's 8 (airplane)
41. Tag (airplane)
42. ????? (airplane)
43. Christmas Prince II
44. Dumplin'
45. Notting Hill (re-watch)
46. Waiting
47. La La Land
48. All Roads Lead to Rome

I suspect a couple didn't make the list. I, Tonya and Crazy Rich Asians were my standouts. Tag and Dumplin' were the most pleasant surprises and Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society and Irreplaceable You were the duds.

Books 2018

1. The Passenger
2. Turtles All the Way Down
3. The Punch
4. The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
5. Sourdough
6. The Coaster
7. Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between
8. Everybody's Fool
9. A Wrinkle in Time (re-read)
10. Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood
11. Two Hours: The Quest to Run the Impossible Marathon
12. The Girl from Everywhere
13. The Westing Game
14. Artemis
15.  Be Frank With Me
16. The Punch Escrow
17. Version Control
18. Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn-- and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
19. Invincible Summer
20. Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are
21. High Fidelity (re-read)
22. Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
23. Lawn Boy
24. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
25. The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.
26. Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give
27. I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
28. Seabiscuit: An American Legend (re-read)
29. The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye: A Lisbeth Salander Novel
30. All the President's Men (re-read)
31. My Name is Venus Black
32. George Lucas: A Life
33. The Death of Mrs. Westaway
34. This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us
35. Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline: The 7 Basic Skills for Turning Conflict into Cooperation
36. My Heart and Other Black Holes
37. The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
38. Show and Prove
39. Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping
40. The Mouse and The Motorcycle (re-read)
41. The Hobbit (re-read)
42. The Time Traveler's Wife (re-read)
43. The Best of Adam Sharp

I dipped heavily into my personal library, re-reading 7 books this year that I'd read previously. Stand outs on the list include: Sourdough, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O and the portion of Version Control about autonomous vehicles. I am also thankful for the recommendations of others which lead me into some interesting books. Happy reading.

Books 2017

1. Horrorstor
 -The Mark and the Void- did not finish
2. Commonwealth
3. The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047
4. The Bookshop Strikes Back
5. The Magician's Assistant (re-read)
6. Selection Day
7. How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly's Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life
8. Dark Matter
9. Super Extra Grande
10. The Book of Lost Things
11. Behold the Dreamers
12. The Mysterious Benedict Society
13. Britt-Marie was Here
14. The Nest
15. Utopia for Realists: Why Making the World a Better Place Isn't a Fantasy and How We Can Do It
16. The Wonder
17. The Sun is Also a Star
18. All the Birds in the Sky
19. Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business
20. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
21. The Driver
22. The End of Advertising: Why It Had to Die, and the Creative Resurrection to Come
23. The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko
24. Animal Farm (re-read)
-Gentle Discipline: Using Emotional Connection-Not Punishment- To Raise Confident, Capable Kids- did not finish
25. Into the Water
26. The Reminders
27. How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success
28. The Summer Before the War
29. Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
30. Every Anxious Wave
31. In the Company of Sherlock Holmes: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon
32. Quicksand
33. Midnight at the Electric

Movies in 2017

1. Star Wars: Rogue One (theater)
2. Man Up
3. Wet Hot American Summer (re-watch)
4. Sully
5. Passengers
6. Edge of Seventeen
7. Office Christmas Party
8. Ricki and the Flash
9. The Fundamentals of Caring
10. Sausage Party
11. Star Wars: Rogue One (re-watch)
12. Last Night
13. Beauty and the Briefcase
14. Beauty and the Beast
15. It's Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong
16. 13 Going on 30 (re-watch)
17. Founder
18. Geenberg
19. The Circle
20. Christmas Prince
21. Finding Santa
22. Christmas in the City
23. Wilson (1st movie watched on a cell phone)
24. Keeping up with the Joneses (phone)
25. Going out in style (phone)
26. 12 Dates of Christmas
27. Christmas Inheritance
28. El Camino Christmas
29. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (theater)

The year in movies was notable for Netflix, the first through third movies watched on a plane on a phone and the only 2 movies in a theater being Star Wars. Star Wars: Rogue One was so nice I saw it twice. I have no idea what Christmas movie during the binge watch was the worst. I also watched some of Love Actually while setting up the Christmas tree and many Netflix shows.

A good week for championships

After taking a cup at Wildwood on Sunday, my weekly rec league team took our 4 or 5 seed and turned it into a Cinderella story.  The details are already a little fuzzy, but the longer the evening wore on, the better we got at frisbee. By the time all the brats were gone, we were amazing. 

In the semis, we jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Despite a few throwaways, our offense was comparatively clean and moving the disc. The defense was awake and pressuring the other team. We weren't getting D's, but we were taking away the first few cuts and forcing Ochos to consider other options. Not wanting the lead to grow too large, we dropped a couple discs and the Ochos got it into the endzone. They started getting smarter about taking advantage of match-ups, but we kept playing our game which actually was (finally!) dump swing on this fine summer evening and we traded points and took half at 8-4. I'm not sure how others felt, but after half it felt like time was standing still... We kept doing us (in the good way!)  and the Ochos got anxious and took a few deep shots, fortunately Beeby was there to crush their hopes and dreams. Tim was breaking marks, Patti was getting open and we kept nursing our 4 point lead. It was either the end of semis or start of finals, but we just kept moving the disc and waiting for openings. Patient offense made a huge difference.  Everybody was contributing and nothing was too flashy. Maybe we gave one back, but I think the score ended up something like 11-8.  

The other semi had been a one-point game, but when the finals started, we picked up where we left off. They tried to hurt Beeby after we were up 1-0. He landed hard on the ground and had to come out. Not to be deterred, we pressured on D and moved the disc on O and we were up 4-0 when Shiny called a time out. We threw a zone at them and saw immediate results. We punched in 4 more as their desperation grew and took half 8-0. Shiny was getting pretty upset and pick calls were rampant, but our reinforcements arrived (Yay Carley!) and we came out of half and kept rolling. Big Nate got a lay out D and then grabbed the score. We were up 10-0 before Shiny got on the board. They went nuts with the score 10-1. They had a couple nice breaks after that to get a few more. Gravy/Plantaris/Kate hauled in a deep shot near the front of the end zone, called a time out and set up the iso for Mel. With a little over the top break high-release, we kept marching toward our destiny. I think we closed out 15-6 (maybe?) and then the championship grilling was on!

Good times. Thanks Stink!

Wildwood #11- Dressed for the occasion

There's no recap from last year's 3:1 division, Boardwalk Treats road to the cup, but there are a lot of pictures. This year I'm short on pictures, but I thought I'd try to jot down a few memories.

Broaddus, Johnson & Associates were named after a long-ago joke stemming from nickname confusion. Despite comical beginnings, our play was no joke. We took our portion of the 2:2 division with force. We were barely challenged during the weekend, but we had a blast. There's less flying around than their used to be. I'd like to credit improved throws and improved throwers, but I should probably also credit the passage of time. I did have one layout bid, but the disc glanced off my hand.

The drive up from DC was full of traffic as usual, but being with friends made it just perfect. We once again landed at the Caribbean Hotel where we introduced a new wrinkle and grilled out dinner by the pool. It was delicious and took about as long as waiting for a table with a group of 11 (or 14).

Rain and wind were forecasted for Saturday. The wind showed up, but we seemed relatively protected by the pier. One team did comment that we seemed to defy physics and I think that was a testament to the previously mentioned throwers. It's hard to judge talent after going 7-0, but our DC elite women played like elite women (read: freakin' awesome) and the rest of us can hold our own, or at least we could this weekend. The rain circled and sprinkled, but thankfully never arrived. The closest a team came to us on Saturday was something like 15-8. I made it my goal to get on the field with everyone and I met that goal. My mind could have used more playing time, but my body was probably good.

We grilled again Saturday night and enjoyed being together. Many of us even skipped the beer garden, something that's become a strong tradition in the last few years. Times are changing? Somebody suggested we skip Wildwood and just vacation together. It has some appeal, but probably not the same draw. The Ultimate is still important and holds a special place in my heart. I skipped the party at the Bolero and was lamenting the fact that I hadn't run in to any old friends based on those evening choices. Sunday morning, down the steps came two friends who'd moved away from Colorado 3 years ago. We chatted a bit and realized that a finals match-up was possible (imminent?).

We rolled through quarters like we were living in a laundromat. I loved playing with everyone, but Jessie was amazing. She was just this calming force and as soon as I got the disc, I wanted to give it back to her. We had a bit of competition in semis, only winning by 4 and then faced off against my friends and former teammates in the finals. They had small numbers and talented women, but we had large numbers and more talented women. We turned on some focus and crushed that team from Charleston 15-4. It almost ended on a 2 point thumber from AJ, but when that came up just short, I got another chance to play. I took a pass from Sam, turned up field and fired a shot to the streaking workhorse Stills who laid out for the win.   The cup was ours (or our fearless leader's). Jessie and Stills were named MVP and I apparently picked up the nickname of Old Man Sprinter.

That's cup #3 for me in Wildwood #11. I totally dig that place, at least on the last weekend in July. I totally dig these people... probably any weekend they'd let me.

Books 2016

1. Slade House
2. The Gift of Failure- How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed
3. Mr. Timothy
4. The Shadow of the Wind
5. Go Set a Watchman
6. The Roald Dahl Omnibus- Perfect Bedtime Stories for Sleepless Nights
7. A Guide to the Beasts of East Africa
8. Gold
9. The Secrets of Happy Families- Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More
10. One False Move- A Myron Bolitar Novel
11. In Other Words
12. All the Light We Cannot See
13. Trigger Warning- Short Fictions and Disturbances
14. The Bone Clocks
15. Circus Mirandus
16. We Were Liars
17. Station Eleven
18. One More Thing- Stories and Other Stories
19. The Life and Death of Sophie Stark
20. Willful Creatures- Stories
21. Unbecoming
22. The Two of Us
23. Night Film
24. Scarcity- Why Having Too Little Means So Much
25. A Man Called Ove
26. The Grownup
27. The Boys in the Boat- Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics
28. Life Moves Pretty Fast- The Lessons We Learned from Eighties Movies
29. A Girl Named Zippy
30. The Happiest Toddler on the Block
31. The Heart Goes Last
32. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She‘s Sorry
33. No Bad Kids- Toddler Discipline Without Shame
34. The Underground Railroad
35. Home (Myron Bolitar #11)
36. The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo
37. The Poser
38. The Woman in Cabin 10
39. Hag-Seed
40. No Man‘s Land
41. All the Good Parts
42. In a Dark, Dark Wood
43. I‘mThinking of Ending Things
44. Seinfeldia

Movies 2016

1. Paper Towns
2. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
3. Pixels
4. Pitch Perfect 2
5. The Last Five Years
6. Jurassic World
7. Ant-Man
8. Star Wars The Force Awakens (theater)
9. Trainwreck
10. Avengers, Age of Ultron
11. Field of Dreams (re-watch)
12. The Martian
13. Talledaga Nights (re-watch)
14. Intern
15. Chappie
16. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
17. Are You Here
18. A few Best Men
19. Hunger Games, Mocking Jay Part III
20. The Big Short
21. Room
22. St. Vincent (re-watch, re-cry)
23. Sisters
24. Spotlight
25. Spectre
26. White House Down (not in order)
27. Star Wars The Force Awakens (re-watch)
28. How to be single
29. The Age of Adaline
30. The DUFF
31. Deadpool
32. Adventures in Babysitting (re-watch)
33. Zoolander 2, The Magnum Edition
34. Wreck-it Ralph
35. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
36. Mike and Dave need wedding dates
37. Popstar
38. Ghostbusters- Answer the Call

1 move in the theater, 5 movies watched a second time. I also watched several TV shows including Master of None and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. 

2016 by the numbers

• 43 books or about 14,600 pages, down from previous years, but still up from DC years. Favorite was Slade House.
• 38 movies, Star Wars was the best and only one I saw in the theater, but I also enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph
• 1, 236 holes of disc golf in 67 rounds at 21 courses (10 courses new to me).
• 1 5k Turkey Trot in 21 05, 1 other trail race
• 1 family trip to Wisconsin, 1 family/work trip to California
• 2 family trips to Kentucky
• Lots of work travel, with at least 7 states and a district visited for work, none new though it was nice to see friends and family in South Dakota and Iowa
• 2 family camping trips in primitive camp sites
• over 7,972 photos taken, at least 1 every day 
• Year 3 of Pedal the Plains completed
• 0 weddings attended- the streak of at least 1 per year since 2001 is over. 
• Roughly 1,800 diaper changes, though I probably did less than half of those

2015 by the numbers

Using last year as a guide, but again with fewer logs:

• 62 books read (down about 4 from last year) or about 21,000 pages (down about 2,000 from last year)
• 45 movies watched (a couple more in theaters, but down about 60 movies overall)
• 2741 holes of disc golf in 153 rounds (up, up) of disc golf at 21 different courses (12 courses I'd never played before), although most rounds were at Johnny
• First disc golf tournament: Spring Fling at Bird's Nest, finished 37th out of 54 in the am division.
• 3 aces: Hole 10 with Buzz at Expo(1/17), Hole 8 at Johnny with KC Aviar (5/25), Hole 5 at Interlocken with Warship (10/10)
• 18 rounds of disc golf random draw doubles mostly with Winter Warriors
• Unknown meals of pizza, but reasonable and similar numbers to previous years
• 1 5k at about 20:03
• 1 pair of Hokas that I still haven't run much in
• 1 job application
• 0 job interviews 
• 1 childhood home emptied, 1 piano acquired
• 1 family camping trip to RMNP
• 1 fourteener hiked- Mt. Quandry
• 1 new child and many corresponding firsts
• 2 road trips- Sand Dunes and Arches National Park
• Lots of work travel, at least 17 states and a district visited, none new
• 3 foreign countries visited- Netherlands, Belgium, France
• 2 weddings attended- New Hampshire and Texas
• 1 Ultimate tournament played- Wildwood
• 1 season of spring league (rough) and 1 game of pickup Ultimate
• about 198 miles of bike-riding across the plains of Colorado in 3 days, including my first century since about 1997

Books 2015

1. The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty
2. On the Road to Find OUt
3. The Last Girlfriend On Earth
4. Wayfaring Stranger
5. The Good Luck of Right Now
6. The Rosie Effect
7. Not That Kind of Girl
8. Loop Group
9. District Comics
10. Leaders Eat Last
11. The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation
12. Mr. Mercedes
13. Dataclysm- Who We Are*
14. Murder In Georgetown
15. US
16. French Revolutions: Cycling the Tour de France
17. Funny Girl
18. NurtureShock
19. Le't Explore Diabetes with Owls
20. Sharp Objects
21. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
22. Stardust
23. My Life with the Walter Boys
24. All Joy and No Fun: The Pardox of Modern Parenthood
25. Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris
26. The Ocean at the End of the Lane
27. The lost continent
28. Americanah
29. Treasure Island!!!
30. The Cold Dish
31. Everything I Never Told You
32. Death Without Company
33. The Newlyweds
34. The World of Post Secret
35. The Half Brother
36. Year of the Dunk
37. The Martian
38. The Target
39. Modern Romance
40. Excellent Sheep
41. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing
42. Memory Man
43. Wait for Signs
44. Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior
45. The New Breed: Understanding and Equipping the 21st Century Volunteer
46. Any Other Name
47. The Bookseller
48. Hell's Corner
49. Egg & Spoon
50. Code Name Verity
51. The Girl in the Spider's Web
52. The Wild Things
53. When to Rob a Bank... And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
54. Michael Jordan: The Life
55. Career of Evil
56. Guilty
Save As Draft- DID NOT FINISH, did not enjoy
57. Black Box Thinking: Why Most People Never Learn from their Mistakes
58. The Opposite of Spoiled
59. Rogue Lawyer
60. Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son's First Year
61. Serafina and the Black Cloak
62. Girl on the Train

The Martian was my highest rated and I enjoyed it immensely. I have fond memories of Funny Girl, NurtureShock, and Americanah as well. Save as Draft was the biggest loser and The Idea Lab was the biggest disappointment. Not a bad year for reading though. It's nice to live close to the library.

Movies 2015

1. Maze Runner
2. Let's Be Cops
3. St. Vincent (theater)
4. In a World
5. The Promised Land
6. Lucy
7. Swingers (re-watch)
8. This is where I leave you
9. X-Men: Days of Future Past
10. Big Hero 6
11. McFarland, USA (theater)
12. Boyhood
13. Horrible Bosses 2
14. Birdman
15. Whiplash
16. Shawshank Redepmtion (re-watch)
17. ?
18. Goodfellas (re-watch)
19. Atlas Shrugged Part III
20. Dear White People
21. What If
22. Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
23. Foxcatcher
24. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
25. Wild
26. The Imitation Game
27. The Hundred Foot Journey
28. The Wedding Ringer
29. Inside Out (theater)
30. Focus
31. Creep
32. They Came Together
33. Rewrite
34. Tomorrowland (theater)
35. Willy Wonka (outside, rewatch)
36. Aloha
37. Back to the Future II (October 21, 2015 re-watch)
38. Still Alive
39. While We're Young
40. Project Almanac
41. Laggies
42. Spy
43. Love Actually (re-watch, per tradition)
44. Spectacular Now
45. The Cobbler

I'm way down on movies compared to previous years. More TV shows, more work, more other stuff. That's four in theaters, up from the previous couple years, especially by percentage of movies watched. St. Vincent and Inside Out were probably my favorites. They are way too many that I remember nothing about. Six I'd watched before.

Partying like it's 1985

By going to bed early?

The Royals won the World Series last night. I checked Twitter on commercial breaks, devoured the Internet stories, liked all my KC fans' Facebook posts, and reveled in the joy that my hometown won its first championship in 30 years.

My mother spent the rallies group texting with her friends. This is not my grandfather's transistor radio. Times have changed.

The things I like about this year's Royals are a lot like the things I liked about last year's team. They seem to be having fun. They have a great deal of confidence. They play good baseball. What I realized though, as we traveled deeper into the playoffs, is that the narratives that I read and heard from the announcers didn't always play out. Maybe KC did want it more, but haven't plenty of teams who have wanted it more lost?

And yes, they are a good contact team, but at least one of the Mets hurlers managed to strike them out in bunches so perhaps the "you can't strike these guys out," was closer to hyperbole. They appeared to be a good defensive team, but hyperbole appeared to strike again when viewers were told that these Royals just don't make mistakes. They made several, but they timed them better and found ways to get out of the jams.

The one that does appear to make sense is that these Royals were clutch. Maybe it couldn't last forever, but during this post-season run they were. They were pretty incredible after the 7th inning, and heck they had a guy come off the bench after a month to hit in a run. That's good stuff.

I can complain about the narratives, but as I think about it the narratives in my head don't add up either. I still believe in the announcer's jinx. "He hasn't hit a homerun in X days." I think it's going out when they say it about the bad guys. I could believe in the Royals heartily, but still couldn't quite believe that last night or even the night before that was going to be their night. I kept it quiet, perhaps a superstition of my own, a narrative I tell myself when I'm rooting on my teams.

This victory seems important somehow. Maybe not as important to KC as last year's near-victory which seemed to restore Kansas City's swagger, but like something the city needs. They've needed to believe and these past couple years have brought them together. It's another narrative, but KC was ready for something to be proud of. I'm proud to be connected. I wish I hadn't lost my Royals cap.

Slam

A little sample of my slam poetry from this morning (with appropriate credit to Rudy Francisco):
I was born with jaundice.
I hear that makes me yellow
but I have no idea if I've stayed that way.

I'm still learning to age gracefully.
I'm often going in places where I should be stopped.
I'm often stopped in places where I should be going.
I was born with bird legs
and I've been trying to fly ever since.

Wildwood: Dad Jokes edition

After 2 years off, one for a move and one for a lack of movement (read: torn ACL), it was time to return to the biggest beach Ultimate tournament in the world in Wildwood, NJ.

I'd been excited for months. My physical therapist had helped me prepare a plan going into the weekend that I'd hoped would get me ready for a return to Ultimate on sand. That plan reminded me of a few forgotten lessons about athletic endeavors: have a goal, make a plan, get after it. And a few lessons I have not forgotten: doing something consistently matters, a workout buddy is a big help, missing a day here and there isn't the same as quitting.

The plan was low on Ultimate, but I'd tried to get in some throws the week leading up to the fun.

Friday morning arrived, I was back in DC, and Wildwood was upon us. Yee-haw!

The drive up could have been a highlight most weeks of the year. Sam was at the wheel, dodging cars and seeking the fast lane, Matt was riding shotgun spreading his cheer while Kyle and I shared the backseat. Good conversation was abundant and the game of Trees was a another reunion with an old friend. The highlights had just begun.

In a dangerous first (for me), we arrived at the hotel in daylight with time to kill. The early start did wonders for our spirits and as more of the Dad Jokes team assembled including Stills and Alan, we headed to the beach. What started off as a game of catch became keep away. We couldn't help ourselves. Only dinner could coax us off the beach and back to the other spirits already obtained.

After a rowdy-ish Mexican meal served by an Eastern European waiter and a long walk to and from the Bolero for a spot of dancing, we retired to our hotel to continue enjoying one another's company.

Night became day and sleep became loud knocking on the door. Early morning accusations of a late night ruckus were waylaid. We managed to separate fact from fiction and our team from the team staying in the motel in the rooms below us. Thankfully, we were allowed to stay with some provisional (and some impossible?) warnings.

That stirring start not-with-standing, we arrived to the familiar scene of field upon field stretched out on the beach as teams in wild colors arrived slowly trudging through the sand. We were pink and blue. We were Dad Jokes. What time is it? Time to get a watch.

The players that would make up this team were a collection of talented and fun individuals that Sam once again pulled together for our 3-1 run through the beer division.

Sam- Our captain (for the 7th year- I've made 6?) assembled the team and dominates her match-ups. She's quick and her grabs out of the sky with the Wildwood coasters in the background are forever etched in my mind.

Bucky- Coached by Sam, she was a defensive workhorse, wanted crowd assistance for her layouts, and applied sunscreen on the regular. When she wasn't getting cited, she was such a positive intense presence.

Jessie- A silent dynamo. She was everywhere. Her throws were gorgeous and they just complimented the smart way she played every aspect of the game. She was quiet as advertised, but her game spoke volumes.

Press- The ukulele-playing Dad-joke generating athletic spark-plug. We counted on Press to take on some big match-ups. He relished the challenge, won more than his fair share and then found the endzone with some great vision.

Stills- He's protected our country from under the sea and finds a way to come out on top. His mastery of the hardest throw in the game can't match the mastery of his own motivation. The man can work and the man can score.

Alan- Battling back from an injury that has hobbled his dance moves, Alan made the most of his time in the sand. His throws are poetry and we leaned on them heavily. He did what it took on defense using that deadly combination of heights and smarts. He took Dad Jokes into creepy uncle jokes many times during the weekend, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kyle- With a host of dad jokes of his own, Kyle came ready to play. He was masterful in playing within himself, but thrilling when it turned out that within himself included his special float and layout scores for days.

Varun- Though he shared the Texas connection of several on the team, Varun looked at home in the sand. His give and go cuts were things of beauty propelled by his speed. His throws were sweet and his decision-making top notch which showed up especially well when he was hounding opponents on defense.

Matt- With his piercing blue eyes, Matt flies through the air with the greatest of ease. If a disc can be caught, I want this guy going for it. The knee brace didn't appear to slow him down and it was very meaningful to once again get to share the field with one of my all time favorite teammates.

Joining this cast of characters and warming up a few dad jokes of my own, we found our first opponent "Definitely Not Cops". They had one man who towered over the rest at about 6 foot 10 inches. When they chose to use him, we couldn't stop him. Luckily for us, we hung around and pulled out the win. The team was learning about each other and we were happy to get a win.

From there, Saturday was mostly a cruise. We had a few lapses, but our movement was smooth. There was always a dump and the cuts went mostly unchallenged. After going down 2-0 in one game, we were soon up 9-2. Personally, I felt like I couldn't find my footing on defense. I was mired in sand and aging legs, but it didn't seem to matter. We had a good day, notching wins against teams that didn't get closer than about 5 points. The women of our opponents were totally overmatched and if there was one dominant man, there usually weren't more, so we could keep them in check. We played in the surf between games, told dad jokes, and avoided melting by staying in the shade. We counted on Alan to win the lag and then counted on disc movement to wear down our opponents.

We spent Saturday evening in the beer garden, munching pizza in line, playing an epic game of Trees somewhere in the crowd, and just enjoying the scene. Saturday night had more ukulele, but even less of the rowdy-ness. The motel may have been watching, but after a long day, we lounged, talked, and Bob Dylan-ed our night away until sleep came easily.

Up on Sunday and spread out in various directions, we came back together on the field and readied our weary legs. It's been a long time since I've had a Sunday and doubts were creeping in as my body creaked to life. I don't remember a lot about our first game, the quarterfinals. It was a bit more of a battle. Things were close in the middle. Alan probably snuck in a 2-pointer despite the fact that his dogs were barking and he thought his day was nearly done. It felt a little more like Sunday. Throws weren't quite as crisp, defense seemed a little closer. Mine included. This may have been the game where I finally made a play on defense. I snuck around a guy and tipped one away. Dad Jokes worked their way back up the field and I cut toward the endzone. Press saw it and zipped an inside out flick in my direction. I was on it for a step and then the sand bogged me down. Buoyed by the d, I jumped into the air and came down with the disc with a thud for a score. Bookends? Oh, yeah. Stills claimed I hadn't lost a step, but I declined his charity this time.

We closed out the game and moved on to the semi-finals. My mind is mostly a blur here as well. I don't remember playing poorly against the team from a minor planet. Things were a little chippy, some stall calls, some disagreements about moving the line, but I don't remember where the game slipped away. I got another d poking away a dump throw, but before I knew it the score was 10-6. We snagged a score as the horn blew to make it 10-7. We could prolong the game if we scored, but time was definitely running out. Someone remind me how this went down, but we got the disc back on a turn and punched in a score. Now, we had to pull, get the disc, score two points and that would keep the game going.

We got the D near our goal line, but that meant we had to work the disc back down the field so we could throw the full-field two-pointer. Most everyone was turned around now as we worked back toward their endzone and turned the disc. They gave it right back when they weren't sure which way they were going. We again worked the disc toward their endzone. Two points was our only way forward. Scoring anything else would have ended the game with a loss. We got the disc down the field and had Jessie's flick set up for our two point try. Jessie got hand-blocked. It all happened so fast that it was almost too stunning to realize. The other team poured back in to score. They only had inches to go. I'm told a foul may have been called on the throw, but that disappeared. Instead Jessie got a D by knocking it away from the girl who had just hand-blocked her. The disc was ours again and we were in good position to take another shot at a two pointer.

Varun raced down to the other endzone and set up on the left. My defender and his defender gave him a little space by camping out near the middle of the endzone. I stayed back as Jessie's dump. She sent the disc over to me. I eyed Varun and then saw Matt make his move down the right sideline. He was headed for that corner. I can only imagine that my glance at Varun froze the defense for just a split-second. Matt's man was giving chase. I wound up and threw a somewhat high release backhand across my body. With no mark, this was an easy throw to get off, but there wasn't much room on the other end. The throw headed toward the back corner. Some thought it was moving too fast and would go out of bounds. I don't even know if I was one of those people.

The two defenders from the middle of the endzone moved toward the disc, Matt expertly used his body to shield them. Matt's defender went up as well, but the disc was already past him. The disc seemed to slow right near the back of the endzone. Matt went up and grabbed it and the other team was stunned. Neither Matt nor Varun realized I'd made the throw. We were all thrilled, but not done.

We had to play d again. It was now universe point. We got the disc and with a man in a loincloth bearing down on him, Kyle laid out for another clutch grab (Edit? Perhaps the lay out came after the contact, based on photo evidence). It looked rough, but Kyle came up smiling. We had pulled out the victory and moved on to the finals.

It felt like we were a team of destiny then, but destiny can be fickle. After a tied joke-off, we won the lag. We battled well in the first game, utilizing the Alan to Sam connection for 2-pointers in thrilling fashion, but came up a bit short something like 6-7. We dominated the second game with an early 2-pointer and rolling ahead to something like 7-2.  The final game was to 5. The other team's men were fast. There was nowhere to hide except in their occasional miscue, but our destiny ran out. Early in the game to 5 a disc about to score glanced off our hands. The other team, grabbed it and sent it down the field for a 2 point score. We recovered a few points, but in a game to 5 we couldn't find an answer for their athleticism.

We were disappointed, but happy to be together. They say, 'it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game'. I've struggled with that all my life, but this was a reminder that they might be on to something. I'm so proud I got to take part. I'm so happy my body let me play. I'm so pleased to make new friends and reunite with old ones in these battles that go on and on for as long as I can get away with it.

Until next year!

The no surprise 5k

It's been a long time since I've run a race. The ol' blog says March 2, 2014. It's been 489 days since I last raced. There might be a support group for that. It's been even longer since I raced a 5k, but I remembered it well.

At the Loveland Liberty 5k on this 4th of July, I let old habits guide me. I woke up ready to go with some nerves in my stomach. I arrived early and warmed up, sprinkled in a few of my favorite warm-up plyometrics, drank a little water, and headed to the start line.

My goal was to break 20 minutes. I've done a little training over the last six weeks, some hills, some weight lifting, some tempo runs and this felt like an attainable goal.

As I stood at the starting line, I had jitters and doubts. The doubts were seriously out-muscling the jitters. In honor of the 4th of July, the pre-start activities included The Star Spangled Banner. My doubts disappeared. It didn't matter if I ran fast. I got to run. There were a lot of things that mattered more than my time.

Boom went the cannon. A whole lot of runners exploded into their trot. I'd forgotten how slow casual races start. My pace wasn't going to be that fast, but it needed to be faster than that. At the first turn, I ran wide and started picking people off. I stayed wide for a quarter mile or so until I settled in behind a group of high school girls. They were wearing cleats and sounded like tap dancers. I sped up to get past them, but the alpha girl made her move at the same time. Tap, tap, tap, we raced on through the mile. I made another move and put a little distance between us, but the tapping wouldn't go away.

My ambition soon outstripped my training and the tapping grew louder. A small pack, now with only one tap dancer overtook me. I tried to stay in contact, but mile 2 proved to be a long one. I was pleased to remember that races take place all over, not just up front. I think I relearn this lesson every time. I surged a bit and caught a fading teen boy. I tried to encourage him to close the gap on the group that just passed him and come along with me, but my words seemed to have the opposite effect and he blew up and disappeared. I had only slightly better luck.

Nearing the final 800 meters, I looked up to see the green shorts and the flailing limbs of the tap dancer. I told myself to make a move. I knew I could overtake her. My body responded with a resounding two step surge and I made no progress.

800 meters turned into 200 meters and finally my mind convinced my body to surge. I closed the gap on the tap dancer, but was quickly running out of room. Tap dancer won the female division in 20:01. I crossed close behind in 20:03.

I was 17th overall, 3rd in my age division and have ample room for improvement. My oldest niece PRed and has closed the gap between us to under 8 minutes.

I have a goal that involves edging her out in 5k races all through high school. There are some naysayers out there, but all the best goals attract the naysayers, right?

March 29 and 30, Day 9 and 10

Day 9
We are nearing the conclusion of our trip. We lost an hour to French daylight savings time last night and couldn't get out the door before 11. After breakfast at a nearby boulangerie, I with my pain sportif and Clare with her pain au something, we walked along Canal St. Martin.

After walking breakfast, we discovered that Velobib, Velolib, the bikeshares wouldn't go for the chipless Americans. This was disappointing, though less so since it rained all day. We walked to Antoine & Lili with its cheery clothing and housewares and then pointed to 104, a Jen P. recommendation. We stopped along the way to snatch some quiche and then entered the warehouse, campus-looking cent quatre. I don't think we would have discovered this without the prompt, but it was enjoyable people-watching as promised. Youth abounded and much of that youth seemed to be practicing an art- dancing, singing, rehearsing a play. It was a neat space and we spent a good deal of time there. Clare returned for a nap and I returned for a refresher on where the heck we were now staying.

I then set my course to the Louvre. I was lost immediately, but followed signs to the Picasso museum, where I was scared off by the crowds. It's laughable now that I thought the crowds at the Louvre would be more manageable, but that was my plan. The Louvre was a Zoo-vre. I decided that milling about with thousands was not the afternoon I'd hoped so I made my exit on Rue de Rivoli. There a runner passed me. As I turned into the gardens, I realized that a run would be a fine thing to do. I wrapped my rain coat and sweatshirt around my waist, hiked up my new gray pants and began my jog.

I nearly left my hat behind, but jogged back to grab it from the ground. I circled the garden chasing other Louvre runners and then took to the streets with an eye on the Eiffel Tower.  I jogged through a maze and past a host of people out for a Sunday in Paris. I made it past the tower when I was passed by a man in a semi-marathon Paris T-shirt. I gave chase for a while, but wore out quickly. I crossed a fine multi-purpose bridge- top for trains, bottom for cars, bikes, and pedestrians. I walked up a hill, down the street to the Arc de Triomphe then down the Champs Elysee's to the Metro.

For dinner it was Italian somewhere in the 11th. Tomorrow is the last full day. It may include a visit to Eiffel. It probably will include a patisserie. Au revoir.

Reflections on Day 10 more than a month later
It ended like the others with sleep, but before that there was the Eiffel Tower. We went at night and I eagerly waited in line to go up. The line was long, but manageable. I merrily headed to the elevator after the security check and then as we began the ascent I was gripped by fear. Do I have a fear of heights? Why yes, yes I do. I shakily made it out of the elevator and slowly regained a bit of comfort as we took in the sights of Paris at night. Then, we headed up to the top. I couldn't even look out on the way up this time. I could only stare up and let discomfort bubble inside of me. We exited the elevator into an enclosed area and I felt mostly ok. When we climbed the stairs to go outside 276 meters above the ground, my legs felt heavy. I gripped my backpack, now on my chest, and slowly made my way into the wind. The view hadn't changed much from the previous level and I again found some level of comfort in my discomfort. Then the hourly flashing lights threw me for a bit of a loop, but I was able to partly settle down again. We identified places we'd been and places we hadn't. We celebrated Clare's birthday with a macaroon and then we made our way back down. We found other Coloradans in our elevator and then took the stairs down the last part. My fear of heights remained, but self-talk got me through. It was a strange visit to the Eiffel Tower, but it was at the end of a filling day.

There had been hot and cold chocolate at Angelina's, strange taxidermy at Deyrolle, and more wandering to shops like Artazart and Laduree for last minute gifts and souvenirs. We revisited a few favorites, at least in memory, and again munched on a few delicious French treats. I'm sure there was more enjoyed but mostly forgotten. It was a successful vacation, though worries of bed bugs would remain for a week or two. We were ready to return home, but will want to return.

A bientot.

Day 7, March 27 and 8, March 28

The night's sleep was rough but we made it last. After a slow start we grabbed Metro and headed to Notre Dame, took some pics, searched but failed to find pont zero, and then wandered over to Shakespeare and Co. It was an excellent bookstore, but we resisted making a purchase (this time). From there we cruised the Jardin du Luxembourg. It was nice to see flowers blooming. Ah, springtime in Paris or something to that effect. From there it was on to the Pantheon where Foucalt's pendulum isn't (due to construction) and a stop for snacking quiche.

Wander and eat. That was the theme of today. We cruised the 6th Arr., Clare's phone died, we got lost and hungry, stopped off for some samiches (unofficial French) at some famous guy's boulangerie. They were not amazing. Neither was my orange Fanta. Remind me to avoid that tomorrow. We headed back by the hunchback's house and on to ile St. Louis. We stopped at first Bertillion ice cream dealer we could find. It looked seedier than I remembered, but there was a line and then an angry French proprietor and then a relocated line and then delicious sweet ice cream. It turns out Bertillion has overtaken the ile with dealers at nearly every entrance. My pistache was excellent though. Clare liker her tiramisu to the tune of pretty good.

After ice cream, we headed home for an afternoon nap. Post-nap we cruised the Champs-Elysees, took a jog to the ? Arr and had dinner at a creperie L'Atlier. I had an ok galette (grammelet?), a tasty cider and a superb butter and sugar crepe. We then took a walk on the Seine, passed by the art projected on the Royal Palais and returned by Metro to our un peu maison. A bientot.

Day 8
Fully embracing this schedule, we didn't roll out until about 11 AM. We headed to some shops on Clare's list in the 3rd. I was desperate for a pain au chocolate, so we snagged one before going to Musee Carnavalet- gratuie- a museum of the history of Paris. I found the decimal clock to be particularly interesting. As part of the revolution the rebels(?) devised a system of time in increments of 10. The clockmakers had a fit. I need to do more research on this. I also especially enjoyed the paintings of Paris in the winter. Fighting museum fatigue, we had a 2 PM brunch at la boehme.It was tasty, especially my carrot ginger soup and our almond cake dessert. We hit a few more shops including for tea at Mrage a Freer's and BHV which was teaming with people. We took a brief rest by the Seine, but Clare needed more. She left me at Hotel de Ville where I waited about an hour in line to see the photoreporter Photo Magnum exhibit. There were about 15 photos for each decade or so in Paris. Many were of people, powerful portraits, but some were of events and a few had strong diagonals and use of dark and light that were just amazing. I couldn't even put my finger on what made a lot of the photos great.

I returned to the apartment and Clare dramatically announced that we needed to leave because of bed bugs. Apparently the last guest had bits. Air BnB refunded money and asked that we get a hotel. The host was very concerned and generous. We laundered some and got out of the 10th. Clare had expertly located a hotel in the 11th and we walked over. We've gone from a tiny apartment to a room about the size of our bedroom at home. I'm seeing the benefits of Air BnB more clearly now, but I'm hopeful I will like this bed and shower better. Maybe the bed bugs will be a false alarm too. One can hope.

We had a late dinner at Cafe Gaston. I had a Bramble French. It was gin-based. I've decided that gin tastes like old ladies. I had duck. Clare had lamb. She was quite pleased. We then sprung for another dessert with Tom and Donna (Parks & Rec) flair. It feels a bit like we the walls are closing in here at Motel de Matello, but I think I can make it work for 3 nights. Here's hoping.

P.S. Espresso at brunch; Giant colon tour with a translator before noon.

Day 4 to Day 6- A metaphor for life?

Day 4: When Brian C. says, "Visit the Sex Museum," you visit the sex museum.

We started the day early biking in bike rush hour traffic and then standing for about an hour to get into the Anne Frank house. The line just kept growing while we waited. The house and the words from the diary are dramatic and powerful, but the crowd is sizable and at times made it hard to focus.

From Anne Frank, we wandered a bit and finally settled on some snacking croissants. We ate and walked, every bit an American, back to our bikes which we then rode confidently to the sex museum. The museum was as advertised, odd, amusing, and not terribly informative. My biggest takeaway was that not that much has changed, well, ever. We had lunch at the Pancake Bakery. It was something we could agree on. Clare tried poffertjes and I stuck with pannekoekn. Yum.

After lunch it was on to the red light district. It was about 2 PM on a Tuesday and the vibe was still odd. There were packs of men roaming the streets. The red-illuminated windows were lower and more prevalent than I'd expected. I found it odd that most of this took place in the shadow of a church. Clare started a short list of what women in the windows were doing, some smiled and flirted, many were texting, one was eating a banana, some seemed to avoid the windows and others just stood there. It was all very strange and left me with many questions. None I was prepared to ask.

From the district we returned to our bikes and tried to outrun the rain. We stopped in a cool screen printing shop and then went home to nap. We napped into the evening and had a night at our faux-home including Clare walloping me in a game of cribbage.

Tomorrow is it. I feel like there is so much still to do, although there's only a few things I really plan to do. A metaphor for life? my own lack of ambition? Perhaps Van Gogh will know.

Day 5/ March 25: I did not want to wake up today. I'm not sure what is going on, but I didn't get up until 9:45. We hopped on our bikes in some classic grey rainy Netherlands weather. We hightailed it to the Van Gogh museum and hardly had to wait in line. The museum was crowded, but well organized, yielding insight into Van Gogh's process and outlining his life. We had lunch at nearby Mem's (or Allen's if I'm reading the signs)- paninis and teas before walking around the neighborhood called Pip. We finished Pip off at FOAM, the photography museum.

The first exhibit was enjoyable, memories of flashbulbs, the photographer used large sections of black or white in his compositions. The other exhibits were interesting in theory. Post-FOAM, we shared a croquette at Holtkamp, said to be the best. It did not disappoint. It was like eating a delicious stew in a fried bowl.

We returned to our apartment, but all my sleep must have left me with energy. I wandered again through Westerpark, the gas works, and circled back through neighborhoods. I decided walking is good when you want to explore at a slow pace, but biking is good to cover more distance when your direction is clear(er). Clare will vouch for this since a bus nearly ran us off the road today. Our left turns need work, but I remained amazed of biking in Amsterdam.

I had takeaway shoarma for dinner. It wasn't as good as I remembered, but the place I remember seemed fancier. We leave tomorrow. I'd like to return to the Netherlands, but I'm not sure I need much longer in Amsterdam.

Day 6:  We woke up early and took efficient public transit to Amsterdam Centraal. There we waited for our train to Brussels that was a train to Paris. Poof, we were in Brussels. We cruised by the Grand Palace, had some seafood at the recommended Nordeeze (not bbq). I had shrimp croquettes. They would have been amazing without the shrimp. Clare had fried mussels (in Brussels). She was pleased.

From there we pointed our peckers to Mannekin Pis, but were waylaid by waffles. We chose leige with Belgian chocolate. Ooh la la. I could have had waffles for days. Notice a theme?

We joined the hordes at Mannekin Pis. I knew it was small, but I still remember being considerably more amused at age 6. More amusing these days were the references- Mannekin Pils, Mannekin Bis(tro)and Mannekin Frites complete with peeing fry logo. The rain was falling and Clare elected to return to the station. I hated to wait so long for a train, so chose to wander Brussels. This didn't really pay off except I found a great playground with various levels and rooms. Also, I got lost several times. For a while I used bikeshare maps to navigate, but then had to turn to Clare's phone. It's good to get lost and have the heart racing now and again.

Poof, we're in Paris. Our studio apartment is small, but should be suitable here in 10 Arr. The traffic is loud now, but will hopefully settle. We've headed out to cruise the canal and discovered a wonderful bookstore, Artazart. I wanted several items that I will probably resist- pinhole cameras, satchels, and some neat design books. We then landed at a cafe, Cafe Marine and ordered drinks although we really wanted dinner.

I made a triumphant return to Pelforth Brune and then played the game of 'catch-the-waiter's-eye'. After losing a while, I found my confidence (in a Brune?). I asked about dinner, we ordered and ate delicious rabbit and then I asked for the check. Perhaps I made up for my bumbling in Amsterdam. My French isn't conversational, but my hunger was serious.

The Quinquennial Celebration- Spring- Day 1-3 - March 21-23

We flew from Denver to Iceland. The flight wasn't bad. I knocked out 3 movies: Birdman, Whiplash, Shawshank Redemption. They got better the closer I got to Iceland. We were in Iceland with the sunrise, but only had time for a pit stop before it was on to Amsterdam.

I struggled on that leg of the trip, but finally got a few winks. We arrived starving and tired; ate wraps and drank smoothies at an airport store and boarded a train to Central Station. After a little searching we then boarded a bus to our AirBnB apartment near Westerpark. It's a cute 2-room join on the third story. The bathroom is a closet, but there's plenty of room otherwise. We're getting comfortable.

Clare took a nap; I wandered a bit. Ask me about the Polyp Party. No, don't, it's a carnival ride shaped like an octopus. I returned for a short nap and then we headed to the old gasworks for dinner. Our first choice place was busy and we were too spent for inquiries, so we moved on to Pizza Pazzani. The meal tasted good in its averageness. We felt guilty about our lack of Dutch, although everyone has been very accommodating of our English. A few Dutch phrases have come to mind, but I lack the confidence to wield them. Perhaps sleep will help. Let's go find out.

Day 2- March 22
At about 3 AM it seemed that sleep might be used up, but this proved untrue. We finally got up at 8. After sprinkles for breakfast, we began a modified reverse walking tour of Jordaan. We passed the long lines of Anne Frank, popped in the Cheese Museum, window shopped and took photos of shudders, canals and bikes until lunch time at the Screaming Bean. After lunch we rode some trains out to Maarn where Jolieke and Pim met us at the station .Wis and Bart were still napping, but we soon scooped them up and all headed to the Amersfoort zoo. Pim learned to say "I want to show you the lions," but was otherwise unconvinced that we could not speak Dutch. We looked at animals, slid on slides, and rode the train. It was an enjoyable afternoon with good company and good catching up. We had pannenkoeken at Jagershuys. If I'd been there (and I suspect I had), like the zoo, it had probably been remodeled in the last 30 years.

J took us through Doorn and for a quick look at my old house. The yard had been re-done and it looked as though Theo was long gone (he is), but from the outside the house looked very much the same. It failed to stir many memories; a bit of badminton, a time locked in Becky's room, but I was still pleased to see it. We returned to Jolieke's for tea and then headed back to our temp home in Amsterdam. It will be good to see them all again in July when they visit the states. Almost 15 years without a visit, now 2 in 1 year. Life is funny.

Best Pim story: Pim gave us licorice and stroop wafels. J said Pim wanted to eat the licorice, but she was able to explain that we couldn't get it in the states. Pim now thinks that all his suitcases for their holiday should be filled with licorice. This seems pretty wise to me.

Day 3- March 23
I woke up dead today. If that wasn't jet lag, I don't know what is. Once Clare got me going, we headed to catch a boat- a canal boat. We toured the city by waterway, eventually stopping for club sandwiches at Homemade. We boated on back toward home. I took out one of the apartment bikes and set my course for Sloterpark disc golf. It took 3 trips around the block, but I finally found my way. At least until I got lost again. Despite my troubles, the bike ride was heaven. It's amazing that cars yield, that there are bike traffic jams, and that there are so many good bike paths. It's like a dream.

I had a tough time navigating the disc golf course, but managed to hand on to my disc and only skip 4 holes. There was no one on the course. No one. People stared at me in awe. They had no idea what I was doing. The course was ok, ignoring the difficult to follow layout, but narrow in a lot of places. I could have used a guide and some more familiar discs (not the Roc).

Once finished I headed home on the glorious bike paths and into bike rush hour. C made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner after a frits snack. We took an after dinner walk to get some Amsterdam-at-night photos. We capped off the evening with Stoelen, some sort of apple croissant-like treat. Tomorrow we're going to try to beat or brave the line at the Anne Frank Huis.