May the, well, you know

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ...

Ah, there's no phrase quite so evocative. But allow me to finish.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ... I saw Star Wars for the first time. Now, that's the original Star Wars, a.k.a. A New Hope or Episode 4, which was the first one made. And I have to say, it completely blew my mind. I was about 12. Some friends of ours invited me over one Saturday afternoon to watch this movie. At the time, I hadn't really read anything set on another planet or starring anyone other than a human except maybe The Chronicles of Narnia. Star Wars completely floored me. The cantina scene, with its myriad species, the members of the Rebel Alliance, the 'droids - I was overwhelmed. I walked home that afternoon with my mind buzzing. I remember sitting in church the next day replaying some of the scenes in my head. Sorry, Pastor.

The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi concluded the story. In a quite satisfying manner, I might add. When I heard that George Lucas was telling the backstory in Episodes 1-3, I was excited. I, like every other Star Wars fan, wanted to know why Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side. Personally, I was disappointed. The films themselves were clunky and rather dumb. Part of that, I think, came from knowing how they were going to end. Everyone knew Anakin became Darth Vader, so there was no tension. As a viewer, I couldn't root for Anakin at any point because I knew he was going to go bad, and that made it harder to watch.

And then, when I heard the story would continue with Episode 7, I was pleased. I've played out my own post-Return of the Jedi stories in my head. The characters I created didn't appear in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, though. Alas.

The Force Awakens is familiar - from the opening scroll to the final credits. A desert planet, a green planet, 'droids in the sand, trying to blow up the enemy's main weapon, learning to trust new friends - it's all there. It was good to catch up with old friends and see what they've been up to. And it was fun to meet new friends and get to know them.

As the first film in what I'm guessing will be the third trilogy, there's a lot of introduction and exposition. It takes time to get to know characters, and that slowed the pace of the story a little bit. But that's not necessarily bad. It'll save time in the next two films. We've got a new trio of heroes - Rey, Finn and Poe. We've also got a new villain - Kylo Ren. I'm guessing there's some sort of connection between them, although that hasn't been stated yet.

I liked the new characters. Each of the hero three has their own strengths and has to trust the others to fill in their weaknesses. We've gotten to know Rey, a desert scavenger, and Finn, a disillusioned soldier, a little more than Poe, a rebel pilot, so I'll create my own character profiles for them. I don't mind.

Kylo Ren is a little more of a mystery, though. We know who his family is, but we don't yet know what happened that drove him to the dark side. Maybe he was just rebelling against his destiny or something. And now, we're wondering, can he be saved? What is he truly capable of?

The characters are currently separated (as of the end of the movie), similar to The Empire Strikes Back. Is that a deliberate nod to the original trilogy? I don't know. I have my own theories on what may happen, but I'm not going to share them here. At least not yet. I'll just savor the enjoyment of this latest installment to one of my favorite film franchises.

(hum the Star Wars theme here)

Happy New Year, everyone!

'Twas the night before Christmas

I could go on with the poem, I suppose, but I won't. We know the gist of the story - Santa comes to a house, leaves presents and departs with the phrase "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night."

That's all well and good, but Santa's not the point of Christmas. Nor are the presents, the reindeer, the sleigh, snow, the Grinch, Charlie Brown (although Linus presents the real meaning of Christmas) or any Hallmark holiday movie.

Christmas is just the beginning of the story. The child born in the manger, Jesus, was the Son of God. He came as a human baby and grew up just like we did, but He knew what He was going to be when He grew up. He knew He was to be a sacrifice, giving up His life to provide salvation from sin. I can't imagine what it must have been like for Him. After being in heaven for eternity past, He came down to earth like one of His creations. He spent the next three decades or so as a man and then died, becoming the spotless offering God required. And then He rose from the dead, completing the offering. Amazing and awesome!

So, as Christmas Day approaches, remember its true purpose. Take a moment to thank Jesus for what He did. And God bless you.

Of programs and paper

The Christmas program is in the books, and I'm relieved. I was the drama director again this year for our church Christmas program. That meant I got to choose the program, figure out who was going to play which part and how to divvy up lines for more people, deal with the inevitable issues, conduct practices and try to keep children age 5-18 focused.

We presented "A Christmas Discovery" this year. It's a story of an archaeology class that uncovers a nativity scene and learns what it means. While it wasn't a newly published program, some of its lines felt very timely, which was why I chose it.


I thought the kids did a good job. They remembered lines where they needed to, and the entrances and exits of the readers went as smoothly as they could. They even sang out although they really hadn't during practices. All in all, it was a good night.

And now for something completely different ...

I said I'd ask about posting my column about my DC trip, and I was given permission. So, here's what I wrote for the Seward County Independent and any of our other papers that ran it.

by Stephanie Croston
scroston@sewardindependent.com

    The ink is faded and barely legible on the Declaration of Independence. But you can still see the faint remains of John Hancock’s signature.
    The Constitution is still readable, as is the Bill of Rights, although both are written in script that many people can’t make out any more as we’ve grown more accustomed to typed fonts.
    The lights are dim in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, preserving the 200-plus-year-old ink and paper, but they’re bright enough to see what you’re there for.
    But all three documents are still available for people to look at. I’ve wanted to see them for some time and, on a Thanksgiving trip to Washington, D.C., I finally had the chance.
    I was with a group of 15 other family members, including nine under the age of 13, so I didn’t get to spend as much time looking at these priceless artifacts as I really wanted to. I guess I’ll have to go back. But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.
    The three documents are housed at the National Archives. The museum doesn’t allow photographs, which makes sense because they’re so old. We waited for about 20 minutes to see these treasures. Even though the queue is pretty long, it does move quickly. The large group is divided into smaller groups so everyone has a chance to see. I thought that was a good idea. It definitely cuts down on the crowding in the Rotunda where the three pieces of American history are.
    I tried to read some of the paragraphs, but I didn’t want to keep the other people waiting. So I kept moving, in awe of the thought, desire and determination that went into these documents.
    One of the first documents we saw upon entering the National Archives, though, was even older. One of four original copies of the Magna Carta, yes, the very same Magna Carta you learned about in world history, is at the Archives.
    This document, originally written in 1215, was revised over the years, and the copy on display is from 1297. It was written to protect the rights and property of the barons against King John, but two of its principles are included in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
    The Fifth Amendment, which says no one shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” stems directly from the Magna Carta.
    How cool is that?
    But the National Archives wasn’t the only place we visited during the few days we were there. We were able to tour the Capitol, which was also incredible. We started with a short video about the history of the Capitol and America, and I was startled to see a pair of familiar names on one of the old maps included in the film—Camden and Crete. I know! I almost jumped out of my chair.
    The tour included the inside of the Capitol dome, which is full of scaffolds because it’s being restored. I was a little disappointed we couldn’t see the art any better, but I know work needs to be done to keep the building in good order.
    We saw statutes of famous people from all 50 states. Nebraska is represented by William Jennings Bryan—not a bad choice.
    We also went to the Library of Congress, another site on my list of places to see and now on my list of places to go back to. The artwork alone is worth the stop, and to see the reading room took my breath away. Although the chairs don’t look terribly comfortable, I really want to read there.
    We buzzed quickly through the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian and spent a few moments at the Air and Space Museum.
    Of course, no trip to Washington, D.C., would be complete without visits to the National Mall. We’d hoped to get the chance to go inside the Washington Monument, but we didn’t get to the office in time to receive tickets. But we still saw it, the White House, the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We didn’t walk past the Vietnam Memorial or the Korean Memorial, but I’d seen them on previous visits.
    It was a great trip and, since it was over Thanksgiving, it gave me a chance to reflect on the opportunities I have to live in this great country. The freedoms we were founded on are unmatched anywhere.
    Plus, I got to spend a few days with family I don’t get to see very often. That was the true highlight of the trip. We were just missing one of my brothers and his family.
    Our crew (16 is a bit more than a group, you know) got to have Thanksgiving dinner together and spent some time just hanging out, enjoying each others’ company. We did a lot of laughing and walking and walking…and walking.
    But we were together. And for that, I am truly thankful.

It was not a quiet week (or two)

You may (or may not) have wondered why I didn't post anything last week. I was on the road, soaking up experiences and seeing things I hadn't before.

One item I've wanted to see for quite some time is the Declaration of Independence. It's just one of those things that's been on my proverbial bucket list. It's such a well-known document, I felt it my duty as an American to look at it myself. Pictures are fine, but there's nothing like the real thing.

But I digress. The majority of my immediate family, with the addition of a cousin and her family, met in Washington, D.C., over Thanksgiving to spend some time together. And it was a good time. I don't know if a good time was had by all, because I didn't ask everyone, but I think everyone enjoyed themselves. We walked a lot. And I'm not exaggerating. We walked a LOT. Getting out of the car at stops on the way home was a hilarious adventure, let me just say.

We got to see a lot a cool stuff, though. We visited the Smithsonian, the National Mall (which included the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial), the Library of Congress and the National Archives, where I got to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta. We also got to tour the Capitol, which was incredible even with the scaffolding. So, below are some of my pictures from the trip. I'll see if the Independent will let me post my column here in a day or two.

They weren't exactly three coins in the fountain, although Emma, Hannah and Erin did manage to collect quite a pile of change.

I'm thinking it's safer not to ask what this role reversal was about.

The art at the Capitol was definitely worth seeing. This is the underside of the rotunda.

You want worth seeing, though, the Library of Congress certainly fits the bill.

Your tax dollars at work

Art could be found all over Washington, D.C. Could this be classified as a modern installation?

Brenden and Mom on the train before Bren started making goofy faces

Looking up ...

at this ...

was an activity for everyone.

In-car entertainment

I love to read, but sometimes I can't. Like when I'm driving. That's when I turn to recorded books. Yes, books on tape - well, on CD these days.

And I'm not the only one. When Mom and I go places, we try to bring a book or two to listen to. Some of my family members think that's crazy, but it's not. We've listened to some good stuff on our various trips. For example, when we went to North Carolina, we listened to "Seabiscuit," and neither one of us remember driving through Kentucky. We've listened to Lee Child and C.S. Lewis and Jasper Fforde, so you can see we're not stuck on one genre.

It's interesting to listen to a book while you're driving. You can't flip back and reread something you might have missed. You can't flip ahead and see who's going to survive (no matter how much you want to). You can't go any faster than the readers. In some cases, a leisurely pace isn't bad. C.S. Lewis, for example, can be taken slower. But in other cases, I found myself wishing for a copy of the book so I can rush ahead and find out what happens. And when the CD skips? Disaster!

You have to be careful, though. You can't pay so much attention to the story that you lose track of where you are and start drifting all over the road. Not that that's happened, of course, but it's a word to the wise.

But I really want to be nice about it

Every once in awhile I use my column to write a book review. I try to find a book I like and then say nice things about it, but that doesn't always happen. Take this week, for example.

I read and reviewed a book called "Demons In the Tall Grass" by James Tipper. Mr. Tipper was in Seward just over a month ago, and I interviewed him while he was here. This book is set in Seward, although he changed the name of the town to Dawson. That was problem number one for me. There is already a town called Dawson in Nebraska, which I guess Mr. Tipper didn't realize. He chose the name because he didn't like "Seward," and "Dawson" has a lot of the same letters, he told me.

OK, I can get past that, even though the details are all Seward (street names, businesses, Fourth of July City, etc.).

Now, I'm a bit of a book snob. OK, more than a bit. I tend to gravitate toward the classics, easy mysteries, sci-fi/fantasies and historical fiction. I stay out of the horror section. I don't read books by Stephen King. Why, you ask? Because the pictures get in my head and I can't get them out. Most of them are not pleasant pictures, either, and I don't want to be haunted by them. I read some ghost stories when I was in about junior high because I was stupid and those images still pop into my mind.

"Demons" didn't sandblast any pictures into my head, but it's not a book I really want to read again. One of my complaints was the language. I don't consider myself a prude when it comes to vocabulary. I used to work as a dispatcher, so I've heard pretty much everything. When swear words are part of a character's vocabulary, I hear the character saying them in my head. (Yes, I read the book aloud to myself in my head.) If a character is swearing, I can deal with that. But there were a couple places in "Demons" where the narration included curse words, and I have a problem with that. The narration is usually in my voice, and I don't swear. So when I come across swear words in the narration, it jars me out of that "suspension of disbelief" you need to keep a reader in the story.

The story follows Clayton Briggle, a former resident of Dawson who left home to make it big in Los Angeles. He runs afoul of some drug dealers and comes back home. On the way, he stops to see his father, who is dying, to see how much inheritance he will get. When he gets back to Dawson with all his baggage, he enlists local mortician Sylvia Blair to help dispose of a body. Blair is not a high-quality individual, keeping secrets of her own and holding what she knows over everyone.

Clayton has to confront his own demons (of course) as he tries to re-find his place in his hometown. His high school friends have their own issues that come out over the course of the book. The touchstone incidents revolve around the parochial school, whose principal took advantage of his position and some of the students. You meet some of the kids he abused and, in one chapter, Tipper changes points of view to tell that part of the story from the principal's perspective. That was another roadblock for me, because the narrator's voice changed. We talked about that in my novel writing class in college. (Yes, I'm a nerd.)

I also found some continuity errors and typos as I read. Typos happen, I know that, but any copy editor worth their salt should have caught the continuity mistakes.

The story's ending was satisfying, which was something Tipper was hoping to accomplish. He told me he wrote the ending that people wish had happened.

So, it wasn't the best book I've ever read. Nor was it the worst. I've tried some books that I disliked so much I didn't even finish the first chapter. My challenge with this review, though, was that I knew the author was going to read it. I really wanted to like the book, the story and the characters, Mr. Tipper. I really did. But I just didn't. That's not to say other people won't like the book. I've been told that others who read "Demons" did like it. I'm glad others like it. It's just not my cup of tea.

Programming

It's that time, people. Time to start thinking about (drum roll, please) Christmas programs.

Yes, we're getting into the spirit of Christmas here in my little world. I'm working with the church Christmas program again this year. I've picked out the play, but I think I'm going to change some of the music and adjust some of the speaking parts. I want to have it ready to distribute on Sunday so the kids can begin to work on it. We may be going over lines in Sunday school and working on music during children's church. So that will be at the front of my brain for the next six weeks or so.

On top of that, I'm part of the church choir that's presenting a cantata the Sunday before Christmas. It's not easy music, but challenges are good, right?

So mark your calendar - the program is Dec. 13 and the cantata is Dec. 20, both in the evening. Hope to see you there!

And the winner is...

I cover sports. That's primarily what I do. I pick up other stories and photos, as well, but mainly I cover sports.

Because of that, I get to see both the highs and lows of every season. Some of the teams I cover are not very good, but the athletes are out there giving their best. While it would be easy to slack off on their coverage, that wouldn't be fair. Those kids are working just as hard as the kids on the good teams - sometimes harder.

But then some of the teams I cover are outstanding. I've gotten to watch a basketball team that won over 100 consecutive games - that's four seasons without a loss and four state championships to go with it. I've gotten to write about a football team that hadn't lost a game in two seasons and has two championship trophies to show for it.

And I've been lucky enough to cover some really amazing athletes. This year, for example, I got to cover a young lady who won her school's first ever girls' golf championship. I got to cover a young man who won his second state cross country championship. And his team won their fourth straight title. Then there was the team I didn't expect to see atop the standings that surprised me with a win. Those are fun.

Among the schools I cover I've seen championships in football, cross country, volleyball, both girls' and boys' basketball, wrestling, track, golf and baseball. So far, my softball teams and my soccer teams haven't gotten to the top of the mountain yet.

And then there are the Concordia teams - I got to go to a men's national championship game several years ago and a women's national title game last spring.

A championship is just the icing on a cake, though. They are rare and therefore special, so to win one is pretty impressive. Two is off the charts, more is on beyond great. Every one is different. And every one is fantastic. So thanks to all the athletes and teams who have allowed me to witness and chronicle their journeys to the top. And here's to all those to come - I'm looking forward to them.

It's my favorite

Those of you who have met me may have figured out that I like sports. I blew one young man's mind tonight after AWANA when I told him I knew football. Once you've learned I like sports, the inevitable question is what's my favorite.

You have no idea how difficult that is to answer. I like most sports. There are a couple that are at the bottom of my list, but I like most of them. The short answer, if you want to call it that, is it depends on the season. In fall, my top one would be football. In winter it's wrestling, and in spring and summer it's baseball. But in the fall I also like volleyball, softball, cross country and golf. In the winter, I like basketball. In the spring, I like track, golf and soccer. I'm not a true fan of soccer, that's true, but I like watching the kids improve throughout the season.

We watched a lot of football when I was growing up. Of course, the occasional televised Husker game was required viewing. We usually had a football game on TV on Sunday afternoon, and we kids usually got to watch the first quarter of Monday Night Football before we had to go to bed.

When we got cable, I got into baseball. At the time, WGN showed the Chicago Cubs every day, and I watched them religiously. I knew every player. I could probably list them in numerical order. My brothers and I had baseball cards, and I think my goal was to get all the Cubs. I'm not sure if I accomplished that - I should go check. Anyway, that year (1984) was the Cubs' first trip to the postseason in decades.

I've been a Cubs fan ever since. Sadly, WGN doesn't broadcast the Cubs much any more. But then, I'm usually at work, so I wouldn't be able to watch anyway. I've been watching the Royals the last couple years, mainly because they're on in the evenings when I'm home. And because of Alex Gordon, who's from Lincoln - just down the road from here. I think all of Nebraska claims him as a "hometown boy."

I've been thinking though - if the apocalypse does happen, and the Cubs and Royals meet in the World Series, who will I cheer for? When push comes to shove, while I like the Royals, I'm cheering for the Cubs. Go, Cubs, go!

A surfeit of authors

I have to say this to begin - CUBS WIN! YES! They advance to the National League Division Series. WOO HOO!

Thus endeth this brief but heartfelt celebration. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

It's been a busy week in Seward. Not only was the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival last weekend, author Alex George was in Seward on Sunday.

I had the opportunity to hear a whole bunch of authors and others in the industry. Even though the authors write books for younger readers, it's interesting to hear what they have to say. Most of them are people I've never heard of, mainly because I don't read children's books. But one was familiar - Eric Litwin, the creator of Pete the Cat. Up until last Christmas, that may not have meant anything to me. Then Brenden (my nephew, for the uninitiated) received the Pete the Cat series which came with CDs. We listened to most of them, and "Pete the Cat and His New White Shoes" became a favorite. We all learned the song Pete sang as he was walking along in his new white/red/blue/brown/wet shoes. We also heard about Pete and his groovy buttons (another story), which was one of the songs Mr. Litwin performed for us.

When I see the festival on the calendar, I automatically volunteer to cover it. I love the variety of authors and illustrators who come to the festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. I've heard a lot of different writers and artists speak over the years. I try to find people I've either heard of or who sound interesting. I don't think I've been disappointed yet.

On Sunday, as I said, I heard Alex George speak. Mr. George wrote "A Good American," which was the All Seward Reads Together title for this year. ASRT is an opportunity for everyone to read and discuss the same book. The library staff does a great job coming up with programs related to the book, whatever it happens to be. I've liked some, not liked others, and there have been some I simply haven't gotten to. Anyway, Mr. George is from England, so he could have kept talking for longer than he did and I would have listened. I did get started on "A Good American" but had to return it before I finished it. I think the coolest thing Mr. George shared was that, right around the time the book was published, he became an American citizen.

But wait, there's more. On Thursday (Oct. 1 for those of you keeping score), I interviewed James Tipper who wrote a book set in Seward. His partner grew up here, and his first introduction to town was on the Fourth of July. Welcome to The Fourth of July City. Mr. Tipper was born and raised in California, so small midwestern towns are like a foreign country. But he loved the town and decided it would be a perfect setting for a story. I'm most of the way through his book, which is called "Demons In the Tall Grass." Once I'm done, I'll share my thoughts on it.

For now, though, I've got to sort through them all in my head so they don't run together. I'll try to provide more information on all of them in the future. Wish me luck!

Scenes at the lake

One of the fun things about my job is the places I get to go. For example, yesterday I was at a cross country meet at Branched Oak Lake. Not only did I get to see our local runners have a good day, I got to hang out at the lake. It was stormy yesterday, so there was some lightning off to the north. But the boaters and jet skiers didn't seem to mind. They kept going back and forth across the lake. The sailboats were exceptionally beautiful with their brilliant sails standing out against the clouds and water.

I don't get to the lake very often - not enough hours in the day, I guess. But just spending a few minutes watching the boats, the lightning and a kid fishing can be somewhat relaxing. Of course, it didn't last long because I was waiting for runners to come past, but just having a few moments of peace was nice.

An attempt at poetry

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am not a poet. I don't even pretend to be. Well, sometimes I do, but that's only when I'm trying really hard to wax eloquent.

I do a lot of driving at night to and from games of all shapes and sizes. I've found myself wondering what a Friday night would like like if you're flying overhead. As the sun sets and the lights on high school football stadiums come on, that's got to be a really cool view. So the other day, I decided to set my version on paper. It's not polished - it may never be the exact picture I see or hear in my head. But here's the draft anyway. It's free verse, which means it doesn't have a rhyme scheme or an exact rhythm to meet.

Friday Night

The sun sinks slowly in the west,
But the town doesn't sink into silence with it.
Instead, cars and pickups stream toward the high school
Where lights tower above the gathering place - it's time to play.

The crowd streams in - dressed in school colors,
Joking and laughing with friends,
Discussing the weather with fellow farmers
Looking askance at those in colors not theirs.

The whistle blows as a riot of color fills the western sky
A lovely backdrop to the start of the weekly clash.
Young gladiators do battle on the gridiron.
The crowd cheers or groans - all that's needed is Caesar with a thumbs up or down.

As time wanes and the moon waxes
The crowd reaches a fever pitch
And then it's done.

The combatants shake hands.
The crowd trickles out of the stadium,
Headlights on pickups and cars turn on,
Tail-lights show pauses.

The field is empty - only echoes of the clash and crowd remain.
The lights tower still but then their eyes close.
All is still - the stars look down on the quiet grass
Until next Friday night.

I find this interesting

I bought a chronological Bible this summer and started reading at the end of July. The thing about a chronological Bible is that you don't necessarily read all the stories in the order the appear in the Bible. Instead they're arranged by date. So the prophecies that were written during a given king's reign are printed during that part of Judges or I or II Chronicles or I or II Kings or whenever that king was talked about.

But when you get to the books of Chronicles especially, things can get a little, well, uninteresting. You have lists of names - which man fathered what son and who his sons were and so on. The majority of the names are really hard to pronounce, especially for those of us who never took Hebrew, so I look at them and say, "Maybe my siblings should have named their child that."

I've read through the Bible chronologically once before and thought it was pretty cool. So this time, I'm trying to notice things I hadn't before. And I did notice something recently. Most of the family lists are the sons, which makes sense since Israel was a patriarchal society. But then in I Chronicles 7, you come across Makir who had a sister. You run across Zelophehad, who only had daughters. You find Sheerah, a woman who built three towns. And Asher's sons had a sister, as did Heber's sons.

I found myself wondering about these women and why God felt it was important to include them in the family lists.

And then there are the different names the writers used for God. Jeremiah is fond of "the Lord of Heaven's Armies," while Ezekiel favors "Sovereign Lord." I've also been noticing how many times the prophets quote God saying "I, the Lord, have spoken" or "I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken."

I don't really have anything profound to say about either of these things. I just thought they were interesting.

Back in the AWANA saddle

After a great many years away from AWANA, tonight marked my return. No fanfare, no confetti, just doing it. I was filling in tonight for a friend who's on vacation this week, so I got to work with the Cubbies. That's the littlest of the AWANA groups - kids ages 3 and 4. They liked the puppets. They enjoyed coloring. They all liked playing the piano.

Next week I get to move into my actual spot - listening to verses recited by some of the older kids. That will be fun. I looked through the book and was surprised by the number of changes. Of course, it's been a very long time since I was in AWANA, and I knew things were different. But just how different I didn't know.

It seems like the books are easier than when I was a member. Maybe they're not, but from what I recall, these don't have as many sections, as many verses per section or as much that needs to be done during the week. As I browsed through the book, I found myself thinking, "I think I could've finished this in about a month. Then what would I have done for the rest of the year?" I haven't dug out my books to compare side by side, so I'm just going off my memory which could be completely out of whack.

One advantage I had was that I could memorize verses fast. I'd prepare sections in the car on the way to AWANA. It was a 30-minute drive - I could get a lot ready in that time. The sections to be done outside of that time required a bit more work, but I could do it.

In those days (boy, that makes me sound old), the groups were Sparks, Chums/Pals and Guards/Pioneers. Each spanned three years, with one book per year. Today, we have Truth in Training, which is divided into two-year groups, I think. I'm still learning all the divisions, so I might be wrong. When my church started AWANA, I was in seventh grade, which was the middle of Guards. So I completed three books in two years to earn a Timothy trophy, which is currently sitting under my desk because I'm not sure where to put it. I still have my charm bars with all the charms. They're in a jar in my closet, I think.

So I'll relearn AWANA, and it will be great. I'm looking forward to it.

Infamous Scribblers, a review

I've wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I've written poems, short stories, 2/3 of a novel (so far) and a boatload of columns, sports stories, features and hard news. Well, make that two boatloads. I have a degree in print journalism and have taken a class called "History of Print Journalism." I even have the textbook on my bookshelf at the office. Yes, I'm a nerd.

But I don't remember names like Benjamin Franklin Bache, John Fenno and James Callender. I don't remember learning about Sam Adams' time behind the quill or Alexander Hamilton's stints owning newspapers. I did know Benjamin Franklin was a newspaperman. I knew Thomas Paine did some writing. But the early days of "journalism" in America were pretty dark for me. So I read "Infamous Scribblers: The Founding Fathers and the Rowdy Beginnings of American Journalism" by Eric Burns.

Burns did a lot of research in writing this book, and he quotes America's early newspapermen extensively. I can't really call them reporters because, while they did report a little, the majority of what they wrote was their opinion about the British, the president, the opposing political party or their competition.

These guys were not nice. At all.

Their style of "news writing" would not pass muster today. I doubt their works would even appear on opinion pages in most of today's newspapers. Some didn't even care if their attack had foundation or even merit. If it gave them the chance to pillory the editor of the other newspaper, that was good enough for them.

Some, like Adams, used their pages to encourage Americans to stand up to the British. Others, like Callender, took the opportunity to share scandal. Still others, like Hamilton, found themselves on both sides of the page at different times in their lives. Hamilton was the subject of scandal but also owned a couple newspapers before he died in his dual with Aaron Burr.

Burns chose a scholarly voice for his book, which got distracting and overbearing at times, especially when he slipped his opinion into the text. While I boast a pretty good vocabulary, he was using words I'd never heard of. I could figure out their meaning from the context, but don't ask me how to pronounce them. I got the sense that this book was a doctoral thesis with phrases like "which will now be considered at length" popping up.

Overall, however, the information provided was fascinating and offered a different glimpse into the beginnings of American journalism and the early days of the USA. While I don't necessarily agree with the vitriol that covered the pages of those early papers, I do think today's newspapers may have gone a little far the other direction. We don't question, we don't challenge, we don't cajole, we don't encourage. We feel we have to be really careful with what we say for fear of lawsuits or, gulp, hurting someone's feelings. Those early reporters didn't care. They were willing to take a stand, make a bold statement and stand by it. Some were sued and spent time in jail for the sake of the cause.

Times have changed. People have changed. Newspapers have changed. But knowing where we've come from can help us shape the future. So, my fellow journalists and writers, let's make it a different shape.

It begins

Today marks the first day of the fall sports season. I get to go to a softball game tonight. This first week is comparatively easy with only a few games. Next week, though, the schedule gets fuller, and the week after that it's all hands on deck.

I wouldn't mind having a few more days off before everything starts back up, but that's the way things go. I'm looking forward to getting to football, volleyball, softball, golf and cross country over the next few months. So, here we go!

Reading material

Sorry about the delay in posting, folks. The Seward County Fair was this past weekend, and I spent the better part of the last five days out at the fairgrounds. Next major task - putting together the results and photos.

I did have a little bit of time to read while I was waiting for champions to be named, and I finished a couple books. The first, "A Monstrous Regiment of Women," is the second in the Mary Russell series by Laurie R. King. Mary Russell is Sherlock Holmes' partner. I know, I know, Arthur Conan Doyle gave Holmes John Watson, who makes the occasional cameo, but King has chosen to create a young woman who is essentially Holmes' equal. Holmes is retired and in his 60s, while Russell just turned 21 in this book. The two make a formidable team. Both are exceptionally intelligent, and Holmes is teaching Russell how to combine her powers of observation and her knowledge to solve problems.

The second, "Pies and Prejudice," is the first in the Charmed Pie Shoppe series by Ellery Adams. I hadn't heard of Adams before, but the jacket sounded fun so I thought I'd give it a try. It's a pretty quick read. Ella Mae, the protagonist, has returned to her hometown after discovering her husband cheating on her. She wants to open a pie shop and has the opportunity to do so, finding as she learns the ropes that she has a definite gift for baking. And for other things, but I won't give any more away. While parts of the story stretch the boundaries of belief, that's kind of the point of reading a book like this. I thought it was fun enough that I'll probably read the next in the series.

Before finishing those, I completed "The Men Who United the States" by Simon Winchester. This particular book chronicles the way in which the United States went from being a collection of farms and towns to a united country. Winchester does a great job researching his subjects and lays out the information in an easily readable format. I've read other books by him and enjoy the way he sets out history. In "The Men Who United the States," Winchester takes America from Lewis and Clark to the Internet. Some of the people he credits with technological advances are people I'd never heard of, so that was cool.

So, now I have to find another couple books to work my way through as school starts and we get back into a more regular routine.

A place I'd never been

Captain's log, stardate 073015. (I know, I'm stretching here.)

I've been a lot of places in my time, seen a lot of sights, done a lot of things. Yesterday, I went someplace I'd never been.

You have to get to the 14th floor of the Nebraska state capital to see this. Above the sunburst stands "The Sower," one of the most recognizable pieces of art in the state. I'd been in the capital before, but for some reason, I'd never been to this part of the building. A series of murals surrounds visitors with a sentence from Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address tying them all together.

As we looked out over Lincoln from the north walkway, we saw some people we knew. The little dots are Mom, Andrew, Rachael, Dru, Lilah and Erin. Surprisingly, they could hear us (the rest of the Ruggieros and me) yelling to them and they waved back at us.

 The state capital is full of murals, mosaics and other artwork. I forget how incredible our building is. And you can see Memorial Stadium's jumbotron from the 14th floor - you could probably watch the game from the capital if you had a pair of binoculars.

We also went to the Lincoln Children's Museum, another place I'd never been, and that was a lot of fun. Watching the kids run from play area to play area and pretend to be everything from actors to astronauts was pretty fun. So thanks to everyone for inviting me to meet them in Lincoln and hang out for part of the day.

Over 1,000 miles

In the last week, I put over 1,000 miles on my car. That's what happens when you take a car trip for your vacation.

Mom and I went west, stopping at a handful of post offices on the way. Why post offices? Because of the murals, of course. Nebraska has about 12 post offices with murals painted in the 1930s. Each is a different scene of the west, and they are installed about the postmasters' offices. I've been up to Schuyler, and Mom went over to Pawnee City and Auburn. On our trip, we stopped in Geneva, Hebron, Red Cloud, Minden and Ogallala to see their art.

We also found the world's largest porch swing, which is in the park in Hebron. In Red Cloud, we toured sites from Willa Cather's childhood, including the opera house, her family's home and a couple churches. In the Episcopal Church, we got to see some beautiful paintings on the windows. The pictures seem to glow and were absolutely fantastic.

North Platte is the home of the Bailey Railyard, which is massive, to say the least. We visited the Golden Spike Tower and watched Union Pacific employees sort trains. Thousands of rail cars go through the railyard every day, which blew my mind. We also visited Massacre Canyon near Trenton, which is the site of the final battle between Indian tribes. The Sioux and Pawnee fought in the 3.5-mile canyon, and that battle is remembered with a memorial monument.

A word of warning - be careful driving in Yuma, Colorado. Even if they're not marked, every intersection includes dips. And "dips" is an understatement. You really need a map and a guide to find your way out of them. This has been a public service announcement on behalf of every vehicle that might be driven in Yuma.

Scotts Bluff is one of the more impressive settings in Nebraska. With massive limestone bluffs towering over the neighboring towns of Gering and Scottsbluff, you can't help but feel insignificant. I could only imagine what the pioneers must have felt after weeks on the flat prairie to see the bluffs rising out of the horizon. While there had to have been some rejoicing to be finally across the ocean of grass, there had to have been some trepidation about what kind of terrain was yet to come.

The Stuhr Museum was a place I'd been before, although it had been a *very* long time. I remembered the Gus Fonner Rotunda because I was impressed with a round building. Don't ask me why. It was a long time ago. We also stopped at Lee's Marble Museum in York, mainly because it's on the 2015 passport. Jars and jars of marbles line the top shelves of the building, which is also a flea market. It was probably one of the most unusual museums I've ever been to.

So when you take into account Rock Creek Station and the Homestead Monument, Mom and I covered more than 1,100 miles.

And we kept coming across the Pony Express route, which was not the plan but ended up being a recurring theme. Or perhaps a motif. I'm not sure. Anyway, it was a good trip.

Cool stuff near home

One of the challenges of a vacation is finding interesting stuff to see/do. And if you're trying to hold costs down and stay in your home state, the challenge increases. But Nebraska is home to some pretty amazing historical spots.

This summer, Mom and I are checking out some spots in Nebraska that we haven't seen before. Yesterday, we headed down to Beatrice and Fairbury to see the Homestead National Monument and Rock Creek Station. Homestead is dedicated to the settlers who took advantage of the Homestead Act, accepting the challenge of carving out a home in an unfamiliar and unsettled land. I didn't realize that over half who tried to win the free land failed and went back east. Three of my ancestors gave it a shot, and all three succeeded.

One of the attractions of the monument is the handful of computers where you can look up homestead records. Mom and I looked up P.O. Avery (my great-great-grandfather who homesteaded to land where Mom's family still lives) and Thomas Hanson Croston and James F. Hunter, who homesteaded in central Nebraska and from whom my dad is descended. The files contain a variety of paperwork from the homestead application to testimony from witnesses. They were really interesting to see.

Rock Creek Station is out in the country near Fairbury and was a way station for pioneers heading west and an exchange point for the Pony Express. You can see and even walk in ruts from the wagons - awesome! I didn't know that Rock Creek was where James Butler Hickok, a.k.a. Wild Bill, got his start. Apparently he was a stablehand at the station and shot a man in what all the information calls a "fracas." Mom suggested calling it a kerfuffle instead, but whatever you want to call it, two men died.

Both are very interesting and well done and definitely worth the time. If you haven't been to either, you really should go. You might just learn something. Even on vacation.

I hate mistakes

I really hate mistakes. Especially when they're mine. And this was a week with mistakes.

Let me back up slightly. Every summer, UNL's summer advanced reporting class comes to Seward for two weeks around the Fourth of July. We (the paper) have projects for them to work on, writing stories and taking pictures for some of the bigger sections coming up, and they help us cover the Fourth. This year that was especially helpful due to, shall we say, staffing issues.

As the "liaison" between the newsroom and the students, one of the things I stress is the importance of checking names and facts before stories are finished. It never hurts to make that extra phone call, just to double check the spelling of a name or any other fact that might be included.

Well, I didn't make that phone call. I should have. So in one of my stories this week I've got the name of a new art installation wrong and the names of its designers wrong. And, of course, the story was on the front page. Do as I say, not as I do, right? I guess if I'm going to mess something up, I might as well really mess it up.

There's not much I can do to fix it at this point. It's out there for all the world to see. Most people may not realize it's wrong, but that doesn't matter. We'll run a correction in next week's paper, and since I have a column next week, I'll probably write about the art piece and its dedication. At that point, I'll point out my mistakes and make sure I've got names right. But still.

I just really hate making mistakes.

And now, the Fourth

This weekend is the Fourth of July. Unless you've been camped out under a rock, you knew that. In Seward, the Fourth of July is the ultimate holiday. Crowds estimated at 40,000+ fill the streets, nooks and crannies of the town for the day. I know of some Seward residents who leave town for the day because they don't like the crowds.

The day is packed full of action. It starts with the anvil firing and ends with fireworks (a bang and a whole bunch of bangs). In between are activities like the craft fair, concerts, speakers, displays, water fights, bed races and, of course, the parade. We've got an apple pie eating contest (a perennial crowd favorite) and a pet parade (where children "dress up" their pets and bring them to the bandshell - it's cuteness personified or pet-ified).

This year, the Nebraska National Guard Museum is hosting a sneak peek of its facility. This morning, the art piece in front of the museum was installed, and I got to watch. It was pretty impressive to see it come together and even more impressive to see it finished. If you're in town any time, you've got to drive past the museum (located at 8th and Jackson) and take a look. The museum will officially open completely next year, and it's going to be awesome.

Anyway, Seward, which is Nebraska's Fourth of July city, is the place to be on the Fourth. If you're here and you see me, feel free to say hi. I may not have much time to stop and chat because I'll be on my way to another event to cover, but I will be happy to see you. And I hope you have a great day here.

Happy Fourth of July!

A poem by any other name

Poetry is a rather strange form of expression. Not only does it usually require sticking to prescribed rules (free verse doesn't really count), it can be either pretentious or downright whatever the opposite of pretentious is.

I don't know why I've been thinking about poetry. I don't read many poems. About the only poetry I know comes in song lyrics and Hallmark cards. I haven't really thought about poems since college English when I had to write essays about what the poet really meant in a poem that seems quite straightforward. I disliked that - why couldn't the poem just mean what the words said? Oh right, it's a poem. That's what they do. They hide what they mean behind innocuous symbols and seemingly normal scenes. Arrrrgh!

I'm not a poet. I've never claimed to be one, and any poems I've written were purely incidental. Or maybe accidental. Or both. I envy people who can put their thoughts and feelings into a regimented form. When I try, it comes out sounding stilted and like I'm trying too hard, which I usually am.

That's not to say I can't write poems. I can find words that rhyme. I can find phrases that meet a set rhythm. I can even twist the order of words to make them work in a set order. You remember iambic pentameter and the sonatic rhyming scheme - ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. I can do that. But it's not natural for me. Maybe if I were Shakespeare, I'd have better luck. But I'm not even Stephsphere. I'm just Stephanie, and I'm not a poet.

Sorry - I was busy

You may have noticed I didn't write anything last week. I had a reason. I was going "To the Edge."

That was the theme for this year's Vacation Bible School at church. I've helped the last several years and was put in charge of the third grade this year. It was a little different than the last couple, when second and third grades were combined. We averaged about 20 with the two classes and about 10 in third grade this year.

Now, those of you who know me know that teaching is not my forte. I never wanted to be a teacher, never played school with my dolls, never dreamed of changing the lives of young people with my words of wisdom. Teaching is not for me. But, I taught the Bible story two days this week. I always get nervous teaching Bible stories because I don't want to get something wrong. Tuesday's story was the woman at the well in Samaria, which has some interesting details. Thursday's was Jesus and Peter walking on water, also a story with interesting details. I think I did OK. The other adults in the room didn't try to throw me out for teaching heresy, so that was good.

I also got to teach the verse a couple days, which is not as stressful. What I usually do is make a poster of some kind with the verse on it and either cover up words as the kids recite it or try to do something that hides phrases or words to help the kids learn. I've done that for the past several years, so it's not as nerve-wracking. And sometimes you can find something that's fun to look at, as well. I think my favorite was a couple years ago when we had insects as the theme. I had a poster of a picnic and ants to cover up the words. I thought it was a good idea.

VBS was a good week overall. The attendance average was up from last year, we had seven kids make professions of salvation and the rain stayed away on Friday for the carnival. There were some glitches and kids who weren't really happy to be there, but that happens every year. You just pray that God will work on those kids anyway and they'll learn something by osmosis if they're not actively participating in the class activities.

It was an extra challenging week for me. Not only was VBS on the schedule, but we were putting our Fourth of July preview book together at the Independent, as well. Ordinarily that wouldn't be an issue, but we're short a person after the editor was let go a couple weeks ago. The nice thing about the preview book is that it's magazine size so the pages are small compared to what we're used to. And that means it takes about two minutes to lay one out. When I walked out the door Thursday afternoon about 5:15, our part of the book was done. All the pages were laid out, printed out and ready for the ad reps to look over on Friday. Once everything was OKed, the pages were PDFed and put on the site where the printer could get to them. It was supposed to print on Monday, so we really rocked to get everything done. Kudos to the staff on that!

So now things are back to "normal," whatever that means. I'm covering Legion baseball games (last night and tonight, in fact) and have had several all-star games on the schedule. It's just nice to come home after work and not have to go somewhere. I can just sit in the air-conditioning and relax. By the time school rolls around, though, I'll be tired of that and ready to have some more games to go to. I know, I'm never satisfied.

Why I like to live in Seward

The Fourth of July is coming up, and that means the annual "Why I Like to Live in Seward" essays. The contest results in the July 4 royalty (Mr. Firecracker and Miss Independence). These two elementary students and their runners-up get to attend a variety of activities on the Fourth, read their essays a couple times, ride in the parade and win fireworks. Seriously, what more do you want?

Everyone has to write about why they like to live in Seward. While there are common themes that run through the essays - the library, the parks, the pool - everyone puts his or her unique spin on the reasons they like Seward.

I realize I can never be Miss Independence or her runner-up, but I thought I would try my hand at this whole essay-writing thing. So, just like our camp reports every year, here goes.

Why I like to live in Seward

I've lived in a handful of towns during my life, from a city of 300,000 or so to a town of 500. Seward, with its population of about 7,000, is a nice size. It has everything a person needs - grocery stores, schools, a hospital, a bookstore, a newspaper. I like the fact that it has its own movie theater, as well. I've enjoyed watching movies at the Rivoli, even the one interrupted by a tornado warning.

It's also a great place for the arts. With regular concerts, art shows and theater performances at Concordia University during the school year to go with art shows at the Langworthy, Marxhausen and Red Path galleries and productions at Seward High, anyone who loves music, visual art and theater will find plenty to entertain. Plus, there's the melodrama, another opportunity to enjoy the talents of your fellow Seward residents.

The library is another fantastic resource for Sewardians (if that's what people who live in Seward are called). Not only does it have a great selection of reading material, the staff works hard to bring in interesting programs for patrons of all ages. With speakers ranging from authors to mad scientists, the library truly has something for everyone.

And then there's the Fourth of July, the year's biggest party in Seward. Talk about having something for everyone! The schedule is full of speakers, musical groups, activities and shows. If you can't find one thing you like on the schedule, you might be dead. Or at least comatose. The town dresses in its holiday best, and everyone's invited.

The Fourth was actually the first major event I covered when I started at the Independent. I had no idea what to expect. Since I'd only been working for the SCI for a couple weeks, I didn't even know where anything was yet. The Fourth was quite the crash course in finding my way around town. I managed somehow and even came back to work the next day. And that was before the trolleys came to town, so I had to find a place to park and remember where my car was.

I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting and knowledgeable people in my time at the SCI. Almost everyone I've talked to has been helpful and willing to answer my sometimes dumb questions. Every day is different, and I get to do different things and meet different people on a regular basis. I get to go to games multiple nights every week (unless it's raining and the games are cancelled). I can't imagine myself doing anything else, and I have tried.

These are just a few of the myriad of reasons I like to live in Seward.

Cool melodrama stuff

Here I go again, talking about work.

Though my title is sports editor, that doesn't mean I don't do other stuff. Take last night, for example. I had the opportunity to attend the dress rehearsal for this year's melodrama, "Egad! The Woman in White." I spent the performance taking pictures, which is typical.

I've always loved going to shows and performances. I remember going to high school plays when I was growing up. I also remember a couple concerts. But that's not what happened last night.

The melodrama has been part of Seward County for more than 20 years. The original cast performed a show each year for 20 years in Goehner at the Grange Hall. We tried to find different stories to write each year, but that became harder every year. There's only so many times you can ask the actor portraying the villain how he prepares for the role.

Circumstances led to the suspension of the annual production, which waited in limbo until last year. A new director and new cast members brought the show back at a new location. The show is done at the new Olde Glory Theatre in Seward. The theatre has a bigger stage than the Grange Hall did, giving the set designers more chances to do more with the sets. That's evident in this year's show. The designers did a nice job with the set, making it easier to change from one scene to another.

I found a copy of the program from the last time I saw the show, complete with the songs and cast members. Now I should see if I can find pictures, since I was obviously there.

Anyway, last night was another chance to see another show. I found myself critiquing pieces of the performance in my mind. There are things I would have done differently if I were the director, but I'm not and tonight is opening night, so my opinion doesn't matter.

But it's always fun to see someone else's vision of the story and how they put it together. The actors did a good job, and I'm sure they will improve as the run goes on. I wish them all the best as they enter this gruelling stretch of performances. Break a leg, everyone!

A startling thought

I happened to glance at one of the many calendars hanging around the Independent office today and noticed that my 17th anniversary with the SCI is coming up in June. I knew that was coming, and that didn't surprise me. But as I returned to my desk, it suddenly occurred to me that I've lived in Seward longer than I've lived anywhere else.

We lived in Franklin when I was born. When I was about two, we moved to a farm seven miles or so north of town, just north of the hamlet of Macon where I went to school through second grade. Then we moved back into Franklin where we lived until I was 16. That summer we left Nebraska for Kansas, where my family lived for the next 10 years, I think. I went to South Carolina for college and worked there for three years after graduation. Then I came back to Nebraska (because I didn't like living in the south) and lived in Pawnee City for just under two years. I accepted the job here in Seward and have been here since.

It's just kind of strange to think about that and to think about all the things I've done, the places I've been to, the pictures I've taken and the stories I've written during that time. I've gotten to meet some really interesting people and share their stories with SCI readers. I've interviewed World War II veterans, authors, musicians, students, athletes, teachers and, of course, plenty of coaches. I've taken pictures of everyone from infants to senior citizens and hundreds of animals. I've attended state tournaments for almost every sport and have covered quite a few state champions. I've worked with I don't know how many "interns" (what we call the UNL advanced reporting students who come for two weeks each summer), plus other interns who were really that. Former co-workers have gone all around the world, and I'm envious of them but also happy for their opportunities.

Some days I do feel my age. (I'm older than you may think I am, but if you do the math based on my life story above, you can probably figure out how old I am.) I can't sit criss-cross-applesauce for as long as I used to, and I can't kneel or crouch for long, either.

But then I'll snap "that picture" or get to talk to a particularly fascinating person, and all the aches and pains, the long hours and the hard work fade. I remember how much fun my job really is. And that tides me over.

Retelling

If you're looking for an author who can ramp up the action like no one else I've ever read, pick up Matthew Reilly. If you choose "The Great Zoo of China," however, be prepared to read a story you may be familiar with.

"The Great Zoo of China" is Reilly's latest. It's filled with his hallmarks - action, interesting characters, action and action. I've described Reilly's work as Clive Cussler on steroids. However, if you've ever read "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton or seen the movie, you know the story. People prepare to exploit legendary animals. The animals get loose and eat the people. Most of the animals are destroyed. A few people escape. The end.

In the interview at the end of the book, Reilly admits he loves "Jurassic Park" but says he wrote a different story. Sorry, Mr. Reilly, you didn't. About the only difference is its location. JP was set on an island. GZ, as you may have guessed from the title, is set in China. JP brings a group of experts to tour a brand new park that features dinosaurs. GZ brings a group of journalists to tour a brand new zoo featuring dragons that are, guess what, descended from a heretofore unknown dinosaur. Once the power goes out (which also happened in JP) and the animals start wreaking havoc (also in JP - sensing a pattern here?), I knew who was toast. Actually, I knew before that point. In both books, only a few people survive, and in both books, the site is completely destroyed.

I was disappointed with "The Great Zoo of China." Sure, it's a great way to escape from the humdrum of the everyday for a few hours. It's an adrenaline rush from beginning to end. But it's like riding a roller coaster you've ridden before. Sure, it's fun, but the breathless excitement at the end of the ride is lacking. Sorry, Mr. Reilly. In your mind, "The Great Zoo of China" may be new and different, but for me, at its heart it's still "Jurassic Park."

A week to celebrate

This week featured two "holidays" that happen to celebrate events/people that changed my life. I'll begin with Teacher Appreciation Day, which was May 5.

In the first place, if it weren't for two specific teachers, I wouldn't even be here. So thanks to Mom and Dad for that. (I couldn't resist.)

I know people who think teachers have the easiest job ever. I happen to disagree with them. Some teachers don't have as much work to do outside the school, that is true. But many of the teachers I know do a lot of work outside the classroom. When I was growing up, I remember Dad often bringing home papers to grade. He'd get home late after practice (play, wrestling or golf, take your pick) but would wait until we'd gone to bed before getting started on them. At the time, I thought it would be cool to grade papers, so sometimes if they were multiple choice or true/false questions, where it was either right or wrong, Dad would let me "grade" quizzes or tests. So, if you were in high school when I was in early elementary and you got a test or quiz back with check marks that didn't look like Dad's, it was probably one I checked.

Dad (and Mom, after she went back to teaching full time) taught English. Part of the English curriculum includes literature, as I'm sure you remember. Believe it or not, teachers had to read the short stories, poems, plays and novels they taught. They had to think harder about the materials to come up with quiz and test questions. And often with literature units, the questions were short answer or essay, which take longer to grade than true/false questions. Both my parents spent hours outside the classroom grading papers and preparing lessons. So to those who think the job of a teacher is easy, my response is, you don't know what you're talking about.

The second event was the movie "Star Wars," which is celebrated May 4. For the uninitiated, that's May the Fourth ... be with you. I know, it's a bit of a stretch, but May 4 has become Star Wars Day. How did "Star Wars" chance my life? It stretched my imagination, showing me that I didn't have to limit my stories to Earth or my characters to humans. I had never considered that before. It blew my mind.

So happy belated Star Wars day and Teacher Appreciation Day. To all the teachers out there, thanks for everything you've done in a thankless job. And to all the Star Wars fans out there, how long until the next chapter in the saga?

Succumbing to a fad

Anyone who has been to a library or bookstore in the last few years has probably noticed Jane Austen sequels are all the rage. Everything from the diaries of different characters to the story with the addition of the supernatural (even one in which Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy is a vampire. I know!) can be found on the shelves.

I've read and enjoyed some, while others have bordered on the ridiculous. No, not just bordered. Built a house and lived there. Carrie Bebris is an author who has done a decent job with the life of the Darcys after Pride and Prejudice. She made them detectives and had them meet characters from other Austen books. I have all her books so far. I read she has another one coming out this year, I think.

I hadn't read any of the Austen-based books by Amanda Grange. She's the author who made Mr. Darcy a vampire. But she's also written four books about the heroes of Austen's works, creating them in the form of their diaries. Since Northanger Abbey doesn't get a lot of love when talking about Austen, I thought I'd give Henry Tilney's Diary a try. I was pleasantly surprised.

Henry (the object of Catherine Morland's affection) loves gothic novels as much as Catherine and his sister do. In fact, he and his sister read them together. He's got a great sense of humor, observing from his pulpit "if not for Mrs. Attwood's new bonnet, I would have had the ladies' undivided attention. The gentlemen I was more certain of. They had no interest in bonnets, new or otherwise, and listened in pleasing silence, broken only by an occasional snore."

Of course, Grange can't ignore the plot of Austen's book, so we learn what really happened to Henry's mother and how Eleanor's marriage finally came about. I really did enjoy it. While it wasn't a meat-and-potatoes kind of book, it was a fun piece of pie for dessert. I'll have to see if our library has any more Austen hero diaries.

On an unrelated note, it's baseball season. Yippee! I do like baseball. It's one of those sports that provides good background noise while you're working on something else. I do wish the Cubs were on more - I haven't gotten to see them play yet. The Royals are on pretty often, so I've had them on the evenings I've been home.

I know some people think baseball is boring. Well, some of us think soccer is boring, and others are bored by football or golf or tennis or basketball. I think I like baseball because it forces me to slow down. Life moves fast enough - having those times to pause for a moment is good for my well-being. It's a sport that lets you think if you want to or just watch if you don't want to think.

It's fun to go to the ballpark and soak up the experience that goes along with the game. From the game itself to the peanut vendors to the other fans, there's always something or someone to watch. You can talk to the people you came with and not miss anything. It's a game suited to the lazy days of summer. So, I usually have a game on when I'm home. And I really don't care whose playing.

Winner, winner

Every year newspapers across Nebraska go through their previous year's editions, searching for their best pictures, stories and overall best papers to enter in the Better Newspaper Contest, conducted through the Nebraska Press Association. We're not the only state to do this - I know because I've judged contests for Texas and Missouri before.

Anyway, we usually end up waiting until the last minute to get everything together. I mean, why not wait until zero hour? We operate on deadlines as a matter of course, so why should this be any different?

Our annual convention falls in April, and at the concluding banquet, we learn who won what. Our newspaper group, which includes the Seward County Independent, the Milford Times, the Friend Sentinel and the Wilber Republican, did really well this year, winning 49 different awards. I'm most proud of two of them - second place in Class A General Excellence for the Sentinel and second place in the Class D sweepstakes for the Independent.

General Excellence is the category that looks at the entire paper - the ads, the stories, the photos and how it's put together. That's the category you want to do well in. We've worked very hard to make the Sentinel a great paper, and this award says we're on the right track.

The sweepstakes is based on how many awards (first, second or third) a paper won. The more awards, the higher your score in the sweepstakes division. Newspapers are divided based on circulation, so Class A includes papers with the smallest circulation numbers, and Class D papers have the biggest circulations. The SCI brought home 19 awards overall, which is the most I think we've ever won. We did exceptionally well in the advertising categories, which is no surprise. Our graphics department, which designs and builds the ads, is amazing. And we picked up some awards on the editorial side, as well, which is pretty gratifying.

Now I have to brag a bit. I won two third places for sports stories I wrote. The one in Class A (the Sentinel) was about a golfer who won the Nebraska Amateur tournament. The one in Class D (the Independent) was about a young man from Utica who competed in a national free throw shooting contest.

The sports pages for the Sentinel and the Independent also won awards - third for Friend and second for the SCI. One of the judge's comments for the SCI pages said that they were the most professional looking of all the entries. See, I do know what I'm doing. And, according to that judge, I'm pretty good.

I was a little disappointed that we didn't win more editorial awards. Of course I am. That's my department. I felt like we entered some very strong work, but evidently, the judge felt that other stories and photos were better. (FYI, each category is judged by one person. There's no checklist of things to look for or "grading system." It's just that person's opinion. So if they're really into disaster and tragedy, those are the entries that win. If they're more into the sappy, overly emotional stories, those will win. It's pretty subjective.)

So we work to improve, getting better in our story construction, photo selection and layout skills. I'd love to have all of our papers winning General Excellence and vying for the sweepstakes awards. I know it's a lofty goal, but I believe it's reachable. Go us!

Austen characters in new settings

You may have noticed a recent trend of modern authors taking classic characters and putting them in new situations. The most popular characters seem to be Jane Austen's Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy, either before or after their marriage.

Carrie Bebris is one of those authors. She turned the Darcys into investigators and sent them through the Austen canon, introducing them to other Austen characters and expanding on their world. She wrote a series of six books (so far - I'm hoping more will be forthcoming, though since she's gone through all of Austen's other works, I doubt it). She starts with Pemberley in "Pride and Prescience," moves on to Norland and its environs in "Suspense and Sensibility" and sends the Darcys to Northanger Abbey in "North by Northanger" and to Mansfield Park in "Matters at Mansfield." They visit Donwell Abbey in "The Affair at Highbury" and the seaside in Lyme in "The Perils of Persuasion."

It was fun to see the interaction between the Darcys and other Austen characters like Elinor and Edward Ferrars and the Wentworths. Of course, they become better friends with some, which leads me to believe they'd meet again. Yes, I am aware they are fictional people, but if you've ever read Jasper Fforde, you know it could happen.

There's also P.D. James, who made them detectives as well, in "Death Comes to Pemberley," which Masterpiece Theatre recently made into a movie.

My favorite, though, has to be "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Yes, it's exactly what you think when you read the title. It's "Pride and Prejudice" with a healthy dose of zombies roaming the English countryside. While some of the classics that have been reworked to add the supernatural become darker and more serious, PPZ doesn't. The writer simply took "Pride and Prejudice" and said, "you know, this is a great story. But I think it would be even better if there were zombies here and here and here." It doesn't take itself seriously, and I think that's part of its charm. If zombies can be charming. The rest of the "reworkings" tried too hard to be serious literature. But really, you can't really take "Little Women" seriously when it's revealed that the Lawrences are werewolves. Or "Sense and Sensibility" when you learn Col. Brandon is a sea monster.

I'm just saying.

Family rocks

So, I was lucky enough to spend the last week with my family. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but my brothers and their families live in South Carolina and my sister and her family live in New York, so we don't get to get together very often.

My younger brother Andrew and his wife Rachael recently had a baby boy, and I hadn't gotten to meet the child yet. So, when I heard that Alissa and fam were planning a trip to South Carolina to meet Dru and see the boys and their families, I thought perhaps I should go, too. It didn't take much convincing for Mom to come along, so off we went.

It was great to have everyone in the same location for a few days. All the cousins seemed to get along well. The little girls (Emma, Erin and Lilah) even had a slumber party. We "hid" Easter eggs in the back yard Saturday afternoon, and everyone younger than Brenden and Avery (that would be the girls, Ryan and Mark - Dru's not quite big enough yet) spent some time running around picking up plastic eggs filled with plunder. They collected some serious loot, let me tell you.

We went to a couple different parks and saw some lovely waterfalls. We went to playgrounds and took advantage of the fun equipment. Alissa's family stayed at a hotel with a pool, so we spent some time watching the kids splash, jump, flip, dive, swim and thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Andrew and Rachael scheduled Dru's dedication for Sunday, and Rachael's parents came up from Alabama. Jane (her mom) convinced us to have an impromptu "select your favorite hymn" evening. I played, everyone who wanted to sang and everyone who didn't want to sing listened. We hadn't gotten to do something like that in awhile, so that was a lot of fun. If Dad had been there, he would have loved it. He always liked family sings, so that would have been right up his alley.

All in all, it was a great few days. Now tomorrow, it's back to reality.

Getting ready to hunt for Easter eggs.

Dedicating Dru with Andrew, Lilah and Rachael.

We were able to get together with the relatives who live in South Carolina. It was great to see everyone, even though it wasn't for very long. We are a crew, aren't we?

Here's the Croston clan - we decided to do a family photo Sunday when we were already dressed up. Front row - Rachael, Avery, Ryan, Lilah, Emma, Erin and Brenden. Back row - Andrew, Dru, me, Mom, Nathan, Amanda, Alissa, Ken and Mark.

And Dru - ain't he just a cute little dude?

It's musical season

Deck the stage. Put on costumes. Teach students how to sing their feelings.

Yes, it's high school musical time. Literally so in Friend, where they're performing "High School Musical" this weekend. I've been to three musicals in one week - surely that's a record. Centennial presented "The Wedding Singer," and Seward staged "Grease." I enjoyed all three.

I've always enjoyed going to "the theatre." Of course, when I was growing up, that meant attending high school productions. I don't remember all of them - there are way too many. I remember certain things about some of them, though. When I was 4 or so, Franklin put on "Flowers for Algernon." I don't remember the play, but I'm told the final scene brought the audience to tears. Algernon, for those of you who don't know, was a mouse. I have him.

I do remember the character Double Trouble from "Mystery in the Library." The student who played him worked at the gas station we frequented, and my brothers and I tortured him for months. Every time we'd stop at the station when he was working, we'd make him say the phrase "double trouble." He probably dreaded seeing our station wagon.

I also remember most of "The Night of January 16th," which was a courtroom drama. The witnesses were seated throughout the audience and called to the stand, just like in a real courtroom. The jury was made up of audience members, which was cool. When the jury went to deliberate, the witnesses stood in the audience and reminded us of key points in their testimonies. The rest of the gym was dark and the spotlight picked out each witness as they spoke. I saw the script later - it included two endings. One was for a guilt verdict, and the other was for a not guilty decision. I thought that was pretty awesome.

When I got to high school, I was part of the plays and musicals myself. My junior year we put on "Funky Winkerbean's Homecoming." Funky Winkerbean was a cartoon set in a high school, so the characters were familiar to those who read the comic strip. I got to play Holly, the drum majorette, who wanted to be homecoming queen. Talk about NOT type casting.

When I was a senior, we did "The Wizard of Oz." I was cast as Dorothy, mainly because I could sing the part, I think. I had a blue and white gingham dress and red shoes - not ruby slippers, sadly. They don't make ruby slippers in my size. I didn't come close to Judy Garland, but I gave it my best shot.

The kids I saw performing this year, while maybe not Tony Award winners, were also giving it their best shot. They may not be the best actors and actresses. They may not have the best singing voices or be comfortable in front of the spotlight, but they were on the stage, giving it their best. I'm sure there was some fear and trepidation as the curtain opened. I know I was always concerned about remembering my lines. But once the show starts, you've got to go with whatever happens.

 That's a good thing to remember in life, too. Once you're out there, things may not go according to your plan. But you've got to be flexible and willing to adapt, changing your lines to go with the action. It's not always easy, and sometimes it's downright awkward as you wait for someone else to deliver their speech. But if you're willing to go with it, things may turn out even better than you'd hoped.