Barrister's obnoxious thread full of smug parenting stories

[Barrister]

Shinny is special hockey terminology for pick up game?

Yes. To me it's even more informal than a pick up game. Having actual goals is not mandatory. Like a basketball game without baskets.

???

Of course you try to score goals.  If you're not trying to put the puck in the net then what are you actually doing?

Do you mean just not keeping score?

Nets.

I meant Nets. Couldn't for the life of me, remember the term. 

Ah okay.  Sure.  Time honoured tradition to use two piles of gloves or toques to stand in for an actual net.

[HVC]

I quite enjoyed religion class in elementary school (for a couple of years it was "Christianity class" even), but it was much more a "here's what the lore is" with no "you ought to believe it"... at least from my perspective.

In grade 11 and 12 (as well as oac, easy course, easy grade) it was he's the truth of catholism and here what other people believe, but it was factual. My grade 11 and 12 teacher was great and knowledgeable and was actually educated in other religions from what I recall (comparative religions degree, maybe? Can't recall). OAC teacher was creepy and weird.

[Admiral Yi]

OK, so a shinny is a pickup game where the goals might be two gloves on the ice.  So glad we got that sorted out.

[Barrister]

OK, so a shinny is a pickup game where the goals might be two gloves on the ice.  So glad we got that sorted out.

And a common way to form teams is to just pile everyone's sticks on the ice, then divide the sticks into two piles at random.

[Barrister]

So my son Timmy has been trying out for a fairly exclusive spring hockey team, with the primary object being that the team is going to a tournament in Law Vegas in May.  He made that team last week, and was kind of excited.

But you know what made him REALLY excited?  Making his junior high school junior basketball team yesterday.


Somehow I'm raising quite the jock.

[Grey Fox]

So my son Timmy has been trying out for a fairly exclusive spring hockey team, with the primary object being that the team is going to a tournament in Law Vegas in May.  He made that team last week, and was kind of excited.

But you know what made him REALLY excited?  Making his junior high school junior basketball team yesterday.


Somehow I'm raising quite the jock.

Oh that's awesome.

[The Larch]

Okay, so these stories get less and less cutesy as time goes by, but such is life.

So for some reason TIm has gotten really into business and investing.  I think he must be caught in some kind of Youtube loop where when you watch one video, it keeps giving you more and more of the same.

So at first it was a bunch of questions about franchises - how they work, how much do they cost, that sort of thing.  But now it's been more about investing.  Last night he was asking me about index funds.

I just like it because for years and years my kids have asked me questions I have absolutely no idea about.  "Dad, what's the biggest snake in the world".  "Dad, who would win in a fight - Godzilla or King Kong".  No idea.

But "Dad, what's an index fund"?  Yeah I'm on that like white on rice. 

The end of innocence... 

[Barrister]

Haven't posted in this thread for awhile.

So Tim - he's definitely living his best life.  He changed schools again this year.  Still in the catholic system, but instead of the K-9 school he was attending, he's not at a 7-12 junior/senior high, which is quite a switch.  But most importantly - he's in the hockey program.  At school he has two ice times per week, plus an average of 5 times per week with his team.  He made his U15AA team, and a bunch of kids from his hockey team all go to the same school, so I feel like they're some kind of mini hockey gang at school.

Andrew is also living a good life.  He's in grade 6, so they're the big kids of elementary school.  He has all his best buddies in his class, he has the "cool" male teacher.  He only made Tier 3 in hockey, but most of the kids are in grade 7 so that's still an accomplishment, and the coaches and kids seem good.

Josh is having a bit of a rougher year.  He's always had trouble making friends, but last year he finally made a really close friend.  He was excited to have his friend in his classroom again this year.  But last week we found out the friend's parents are taking him out of school and moving him to a private school (they're pretty religious, that might have been the reason).  Josh was devastated.  Taekwondo is going well though - he loves going, he's really dilligent about trying to learn all the moves.  He's up to a green belt / blue stripe.


But anyways the reason I dug up this old thread... last night I took Tim to his hockey practice.  As the warm up prior to practice all the kids (and coach) went out to play touch football.  It was just such a perfect night - warm fall weather, setting sun, crunchy leaves on the ground, it got me feeling all nostalgic.  In fact it made me think of my old university buddy Mike, who is these days a legit high school football head coach, so I texted him, even though I haven't talked to him in probably a couple of years.  You gotta love a friend who you can go a couple years without talking and then pick up without missing a beat.

[Barrister]

So I was dropping my son off at school this morning when he gets a text from his hockey coach.

The U15AAA team is asking him to come out and practice with them.  That's the absolute highest level team for his age.

Now teams are set at the start of the year so it's not that he'll get bumped up to AAA, but what can happen is if the AAA team is short a player they can call up an "affiliate" from a lower level.  It's also a nice plus for Tim because almost all of the kids on the AAA team are 2009 kids - Tim is a 2010.

So he'll be back next year trying to make this same AAA team, so getting some experience in is a plus.


Tim's team is entered into a tournament over Christmas in BC.  They were informed just the other day that there team is going to be playing in the equivalent to AAA division, including against some hockey academy teams.  But Tim is all excited because that means there should be some scouts in the stands.   Tim is eligible to be drafted by WHL teams in spring 2025.

[Grey Fox]

  Be proud!

[Barrister]

Josh is playing softball.  This is his second year.  He's not very good, but improving.

Anyways to my shock - they put him in as a pitcher last night.  Never pitched before (remember this is softball, so underhand).  We have a big lead so it's a safe situation, but still.

First several batters he's throwing nothing but walks.

He starts to get his control down though.  He walks a few more batters, but at least he's throwing some strikes.  2-3 runs get walked in.

But then he gets it dialed in though.  Next batter - strikeout.  Batter after that - its a pop fly (so Josh got the ball across the plate) that was easily caught.  Final batter - another strikeout.

He had just the biggest grin afterwards...