OurGirl: A Plucky Response

my friend stew recently posted about growing up and playing by the rules of the game. this is a response post. i don't think i'm getting at what stew is talking about, this is just what i thought about when i read his post.
http://onstewsmind.blogspot.com/

i think my boy1, right now, may be plucky. he's in a football league where he's the youngest, smallest, and the lightest. he thinks all about protecting himself. i think about it all the time as well. use your black belt experience, i advise him. be quick and agile. then i cover my eyes. i also try to learn about the game from him. if there is anything a child—at least my child—diggs is to instruct an adult in something—anything.

growing up, i was in the athletic plucky category. i grew up in an anti-sport household. this proved to be a handicap in gym class. i really thought we were playing a game. but we were not. i approached a sport with a half heart about improving my game skills. i was just enjoying the game. i think i wasn't totally inept, but my lack of coordination and my goofy attitude towards the game kept me in the lower half of the picking order. which didn't bum me out—it was just a game.

then, one day the game changed.

my middle school gym teacher was a wildly popular teacher. she went by a her first name, not the usual ms. whoever, and all the girls were interested in being recognized by her in a familiar, pet-like way. so naturally, just floating along with my peers, i had the half-want of having this recognition, as well. but she had her own impression of me, so mostly i just smiled and tuned her out. i mean, it was gym. not a serious academic grade, so why bother? but as i said, the game changed.

it was time to pick teams for basketball. the gym teacher called out my name and another girl's name for captains for the teams. i grew uneasy. it didnt smell right. my unease was confirmed, because as i stood up, brushed down my gym shorts and stood next to the gym teacher, i heard her say to a pet girl in my class: "this should be good."

the other girl was asked to pick first. she played by the rules and picked the popular girl, who awarded her a smile. inside i was seething. teachers were not supposed to be mean. there was plenty of mean to go around. now she was adding to it.

i opted out.

i chose my best friend as my first pick—she was plucky, too, and i tend to be loyal. the other captain picked the next, popular, capable girl. as she did, the rebellion jelled in my mind: i would pick every girl that was always picked last. two vastly uneven, lopsided teams were being formed: the strong quick and popular girls headed by the most unpopular pick and my team: all of the pluckies of the class, with a dreamer, tuned out, turned-rebellious captain.

i remember standing there, miserable and angry at being used for sport. but the girls that were picked, for once, first—they were excited. they named the team using my last name in the name. why? i grumbled. why bother? i was so angry. my best friend said something about how i was captain and it should be part of the team name. i didn't respond graciously or act graciously. in a john hughes movie, my team—galvanized by being picked first—would rise up and kick the pants of that lousy, popular, capable team. in reality, we were spanked by the capable team. and spanked hard. we played and we played poorly. nothing changed as a result of my rebellion. i don't even know if the teacher had an inkling of my intent.

i know that really soured my perception of sports. later, in college, when i discovered fencing—and that i was somewhat more capable in fencing—i understood more about the importance of sports and the underlying principles and life strategies that the practice teaches you. but then again, it was a sport where you got to poke at people. i understood the value of that particular sport implicitly.

Morgan: Generation YouTube

Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity? Two weeks from everywhere!

- Brother where art thou."

This blog seems to have become a geographical oddity in that Byrne and I seem to have been slowing down. Which is understandable considering how busy we've been lately. She's waking up at 0430 and I'm going to bed then...just kidding. I don't ever want this to become a chore for either one of us. It should be Fun, Fun, Fun. And it still is.

With no encouragement from me, my son (Christopher) has begun to show an interest in something besides video games. His new found hobby is producing short videos, no doubt inspired by all the idiots on You Tube. Him and his friends have formed a production company Vertical Productions for the purpose of making films.


There first undertaking was a zombie film...Last of the Living Brian Hoeg was the director and editor, Christopher was assistant director on this film. Its about 4 minutes long, very suspenseful and well edited. I was impressed and Christopher seemed to have been bitten by the film bug.

He started researching filming techniques and even wrote a script. He found a video demonstrating the construction of a Track dolly Thats when he asked me for my help. I had been watching his interest and wanted to encourage him to continue...so we started a new project. The Track Dolly. The first thing I made him do was create a material list.













Material List
16 Skateboard wheels
32 Bearings
10 ft of 2" angled aluminium
8 - 4" 1/4 inch bolts
16- 2" 1/4 inch bolts
24-1/4 inch nuts
1 2'x4' piece of Plywood
10 ft of 1 inch PVC Pipe



We than went online and purchased 16 skateboard wheels ($40.00) from the SkateShed I should have just purchased the bearings there...but I overlooked that small fact. When the wheels arrived a few days later we decided to go to the Fairfax Surf Shop in search of bearings. It was a good choice as they had bearings...but not enough. We had to buy 3 different brands to get what we needed (32 bearings - $80.00) I made sure they threw in some cool stickers for free.

With all the materials purchased we began construction...oops. We had forgot to purchase the Angled Aluminum. I remember picking it up at Home Depot....hmmm, I checked the receipt. Damn! No Aluminum. We had to go back. $4.00 for gas. I borrowed a portable saw from next door neighbor Col Collins to cut the aluminum. Using my incredibly accurate graphics eye I calculated where to drill the holes.

Christopher said, "Dad shouldn't you use a tape measure?"
"Naaah." I replied, "I don't need one."

When I was assembling the wheels I realized the bolts were too long and I had to disassemble them all and cut about an inch off every bolt with our hack saw. Cutting 16 Bolts with a hack saw is no easy feat. I finished after two days of hacking. Felt like I was breaking out of jail!

Finally it was time for final construction. I couldn't find the 1/4 inch ratchet so I just hand tighten the nuts on to the frame and finally I attached the wheel frame combo to the plywood...sigh, time to take a break. This was a lot like work. I got to admit I was growing weary of the track dolly.

The next morning Christopher informed me that the Dolly was dragging on the track. What? My my wheels were placed to wide? My gestimate drilling was in error? I didn't want to take the track dolly apart...I thought, I would go back to Home Depot and get bigger PVC pipe. Finally I took the dolly apart again and redrilled the inside track, to much success. The dolly was ready for filming.

The next morning (Saturday) we drove the young Speilbergs (Brian Hoeg, Mike Flynn and Christopher Morgan) to the "filming set". They had a script, props, storyboards and the track dolly. I watched as they filmed their different scenes. Kept my eye out to make sure they didn't get run over as they were filming near a busy street. We got some weird looks, but overall everything went well. I haven't seen the movie...but Im sure it will turn out fine. I'm just glad the boy is doing something creative and not just sitting there playing Guitar Hero. I predict in the next five years, thousands of young film directors will be entering film school inspired by You Tube I wish them all good luck!

"Wall Doctor"


Here is another fun Vertical Production
Hey Video