Dear Atlanta, I Think I Love You
Maybe it's only a crush. How well can you really know someone, or a place, after four days? But I think I am in love just a little bit with Atlanta, Georgia. Some might take offense, if I said, "I cannot believe it," or "I am surprised," so I won't go that way. But Atlanta kind of did exceed my expectations.

Of course I am not sure I had actual expectations, other than a much suppressed desire to see Rhett and Scarlett pushing a pram down Peachtree Center. Fiction. I know. But I cannot deny that my mind is impressionable, and I actually even enjoy the irrational generalizations that I harbor.

Dear Atlanta,

I think I love you. We were met by friendly and courteous people, and a big, yet easy to navigate airport. And it just kept getting better...


We felt the welcome right away. And it helps... we came across a lot of country, to a new city, but seeing FIRST banners with Atlanta's message was like a warm smile from a stranger. And the smiles were everywhere... the hotels, and visitor information booths, in the restaurants. It felt like the city took a genuine interest in FIRST and making everyone comfortable and appreciated. Nice.


For the most part our time was all Robo, all the time. We were robocentric, but on the walk between the hotel and the Georgia Dome we enjoyed beautiful views, urban color, and lots of things I think we would love to go back and enjoy... like a carriage ride.


Speaking of the Georgia Dome, wow. I mean Wow.


Comfortable access, easy on the eyes natural lighting...


... and really, really, really big. Seriously big.


Georgia Dome is impressive.

In regional events the team pits are on the other side of the playing fields, but those events have between forty and fifty teams. I believe Atlanta was hosting five hundred FLL, FTC, and FRC teams. Ten thousand students + mentors, coaches, referees, judges, volunteers, moms, dads, media, brothers, uncles, sisters, aunts, grandmas and grandpas, CEOS, CIA, vendors, and robots. In Atlanta the six playing fields were in the Dome, and the hundreds of team pits, vendors, universities, and corporation booths were in the Georgia World Congress Center, Building C. Did I mention we walked a lot?


Alex and I want to fill the seats of the next FRC arena, whether it's in San Diego, or St. Louis. This is a huge ambition, but Dean Kamen spoke to us, and we are under his hypnotic influence. We believe in FIRST, and we believe everyone should care about education, technology, Coopertition, Gracious Professionalism, robotics, and the students who are our world's strength and hope. We hope everyone will share our love and respect for thoughtful, intelligent, motivated students, and make the time to support them.


"Famous people"... what is that all about? We give so much time and glory, so much money, to people that are mostly about consumption and superficiality. My heroes are teachers, mentors, and volunteers, and my investments are in students... they are changing the world, they will turn the economy around, cure diseases, find answers, fix problems, and they need to know that we believe in them, that we will support them, that we respect their worth.


I get so pumped about FIRST!
It's easy to do.

Being in a robotics club is hard work. The intensity of the build season, when students and the men and women that support them, make tremendous sacrifices, both at school and home, can be painful at times. Lost sleep, tensions, anxiety, blood, sweat, and tears... these go hand in hand with getting to FRC. Speaking for the team I know best, the students are intelligently designing and conceptualizing a machine that must perform to the specifications of their goals and the rules of the game, and then they take their plans in to a metal shop, where they manufacture parts, assemble those parts and test them. Then there is wiring and programming... making everything work as planned. And the marketing side of the club is just as industrious, doing all they can to financially and emotionally support the build team, and to meet the requirements and expectations of FIRST, keeping documents, forms, and outreach in order.

It is serious. It can be serious fun too. But anyone that does not recognize and appreciate the high caliber of intelligence, dedication, and seriousness of robotics and FIRST teams is a total bonehead. (CNN, shame on you and your trivialization of your superiors).

Oh. Excuse my little tangent there.
But hold on. This is still about Atlanta, because for the most part Atlanta respectfully received FIRST, and the city definitely helped us enjoy some hard earned fun.


Meet Reginald. He took our lunch orders for three days, and he was such a sweet and friendly guy, we feel like we have a friend at the Georgia Dome. Thank you Reginald. You are awesome!


And Centennial Park... what a lovely treat to walk through here every morning and evening. This is also where FIRST hosted a big end of competition party... a grand finale, where everyone could celebrate another successful year in robotics.


We got to watch as the preparations for the party were steadily building up, and by Saturday afternoon we could see the carnival-like attractions awaiting the celebrants. Even Atlanta Fire and Rescue was ready to keep the evening fun, and safe.


There was only one time when... okay two times... when I wish we had a stroller for Maria in Atlanta. She's grown a lot since we carried her sleepy body around Paris and Amsterdam.


She was so wiped out, and heavy, it took Geoff, Alex, William, and Me taking shifts to get her back to the hotel.
Poor Maria. She wholeheartedly gives herself to supporting her team, but keeping up with teenagers and adults is hard on a little one.


Where do you go after a long day passing out chocolate Paradox eggs, cheering, and following Breakaway matches? How about the top of the world, on the seventy second floor, in the Sun Dial Bar? Steve and Geoff, build mentors extraordinaire, relaxed, and revolved. William, Alex, Max, Maria, and esteemed metal shop teacher, Jason B., were there too, and we mellowed with the setting sun and fantastic views of the Atlanta skyline.


The lounge makes a full revolution every sixty minutes.
Look! There's Centennial Park, and beyond that Georgia World Congress Center, and Georgia Dome.


We didn't make it to Ted Turner's grill, but check out the tip-top of our revolving hotel. It was nice in there.
Lisa S., and all of our travel team did such a good job of securing rides, beds, and food. Go Travel Team!


I like to think that Andrew Young would love to party with FIRST.


I must blame thank Matt for this one.
Let's see... we have Dennis, Chris, Matt, Andrew, Nate, Wayne, Jason, George, Natalie, Maria, Max, Alex, and Geoff... and more at the other bar! We were all at the Georgia Aquarium (more on this amazing visit later) and we were having a wonderful time, but we were also amazingly hungry. Don't be hatin', but seeing all those fish, well, we were sort of inspired to eat... you know... fish!

So. Yes. It is true that we left the private, invitation only, Aquarium party to go out for a seafood dinner. And thank you Matt for this suggestion. We skipped a very long burger line, and instead enjoyed fantastic views, great conversations, excellent service, a delicious meal, and re-entry to the Aquarium with happier tummies.


I call this the Legal View. Legal Sea Foods was not only a good choice for our dinner, it was beautiful, and no one gave us a hard time about coming in our work clothes. I'm not sure all establishments would be as welcoming to a huge team of red pant wearing, face-painted, robo fans, but by the end of the evening the manager was promising to come to the next day's matches. Definitely caught robo fever. Sweet.


I think Jason B is enjoying FIRST Championship benefits. Well deserved, Jason. Salud!


And this... this deserves a whole other post. Maria is like a one girl Commissioner of Paradox Spirit, spreading good will and robotic diplomacy wherever she goes, and the sweet women at the bar of Legal Sea Food were totally game! Service with a smile was never more awesome.


I love MARTA.
I love the Olympic ring fountain in Centennial Park.
It was fun having a small dose of the outlawed Freaknik... how low can you go?
I should have known Atlanta would be cool, since I do know some very cool people that hail from there.


I hope we can return to Atlanta some day, but ironically all that we learned as a team about visiting Atlanta may not serve us the next time we make it to a FIRST Championship, because 2011 FIRST Championship, 2012 FIRST Championship, and 2013 FIRST Championship are in St Louis!

(Alex, we need to get busy if we are going to fill the sixty-six thousand seats in their stadium!)

Thank you Atlanta!
Go robotics!
Go FIRST!

Perfectly At Home


Everyone was home yesterday. Not necessarily in the home.
Betty, get out of there.


Thank you.
Everyone was home yesterday, and for most of the day we were working and playing outside. And I think it was the combination of work and play that made the day feel pretty nearly perfect.


From the rose bed...


... where blooms are waking,


... to the orchard where the trees are taking root and giving fruit,


... I am beginning to see signs that we are settling in to our home. I see familiar touches, and I feel the comforting sense of belonging. We are claiming walls, filling drawers, spreading out, playing, making our marks. It feels so very good.


The traffic is our own, and so are the lines on the ground. Bike races, hopscotch, tic-tac-toe, plucking blossoms, running barefoot, chatting over the neighbor's fence, spotting birds, putting tools away... it's like untying knots, unraveling tension that has been building up, and letting it go. Little by little, finally letting it go.


So the day was full. Full of productive work, full of games and laughter, full of deep thoughts and other musings, and full of delightful nothingness.


Everyone did their own thing. Coming and going.










They can be elusive... the words that describe my happiness for feeling perfectly at home. The feelings are wonderful.

Family First
Naturally I have heard the expression family first before, but recently, a bright and wise young woman reminded me how important the meaning really is. No surprise she's a Robotics alumnus... Amy K. you are smart, and friendly.

In that spirit, family first, I want express my love and gratitude to some dear family. We have been immersed (such an appropriate word) in robotics. As you may have noticed, I went a bit bonkers with the love, leaving my personal comfort zone to pump up a program I believe in. I am not apologizing for my enthusiasm, but I do want to acknowledge that the heavy focus on robotics did take away time and energy from at least two young men, who are not actually on a team. William and Max were in scripted into robo immersion, and though I asked them to step out of their comfort zones, they have never complained. They have missed Alex, and Geoff. They have filled in around the house and taken care of a certain little sister. They have spent long days traveling to FRC events, and longer days in huge and boisterous arenas. They have contributed as much, perhaps more, than some certified team members, and they done this with quiet humility, and endless patience.

William, thank you for being kind and dependable, for caring so deeply about each of us, and for doing your best each and every day. I appreciate your intelligence and humor. I appreciate that you have been sincerely supportive of Alex's dreams, and his well being, and that in your own way, you have been a Gracious and Spirited team player.

Max, thank you for being patient and supportive. In our home, in school, no matter the challenges and distractions, you stay true. You work diligently, steadfastly, and you give us every reason to be proud of you. If it wouldn't make you terribly uncomfortable I would do a “cheer” just for you. You Inspire me to be ethical, reasonable, and to do my best, and better.

Geoff loves robotics too... well, just about anything Geek gets him charged, but I do want to thank him. He was happy to be a programming mentor, to extend his time to the build team, to build a mini-robo world in our home, so he could extend his hours even more... but, when things got extra intense, when Atlanta become an option, I asked him to take it to the next level. We certainly did not need to put off domestic duties, like moving in to our home, or repairing the roof, but I basically implored him to ignore all the *homeless* whining I did for the last six years, and turn all of our reserve energy and focus on Atlanta, the team and robotics. I promised not to make a single complaint about boxes, leaks, and domestic perils, because I felt such drive to see this through, for the team to get to the next level.

Thank you Geoff. You taught me that dreams can come true, that it takes work to make it so. Thank you for being a mentor, for being a father, for being my partner. Your time away is never easy, and volunteering to be away from home is a bit nuts, especially after your “regular” office hours, but I love what I have seen. I love the programmers you mentor, the talks about design, the energy and dedication, the metal shop industry... the teamwork. I love when ideas are made in to creations, and creations are tested and run... succeed or fail, the pleasure and rewards are in the journey and the learning. Thank you for the pleasure of being a witness to your grace and professionalism. (I love your mind)

Maria. Maria, you spirited, smiling, dancing, inventive robo-princess. Thank you for wanting to be in the arena, for stuffing plushy wings, for sitting through long meetings, and longer FRC events... actually, you hardly “sat” at any FRC event. Thank you for cheering, and building alliances with your chocolate eggs, for walking to the pit to “check on the robot,” for learning the songs, dances and cheers. It's such a joy to witness your Team Spirit.

Alex, thank you for bringing us in to this exciting world. Thank you for sharing your passion and excitement for robotics, for design, for build, for engineering, for creation. You have some sweet skills, and more importantly, you have challenged yourself to learn more, try harder, and push yourself. Thank you for letting me nudge you onto the “dance floor.” You are a quiet thinker, a reserved young man, and I greatly admire your willingness to delve in to high school, this new social world... it's a big world, and I know you are going to find a welcoming and appreciative place in it. Thank you for appreciating me, for welcoming me in to math, science, sportsmanship, and engineering... you are an inspiration in so many ways.

We are in Las Vegas on this Easter morning. And we will be heading home soon. Thank you Mom and Dad for flying here to meet us, to cheer! What Time is It?! I know we always have your support, but it made me extra stoked to share the event with you guys. It was fun for me to turn and see your faces, to know you were keeping score, waving pom-poms, tracking our Maria-Mini-Paradox, and sharing in our joy. Thank you-thank you-thank you!

And back home? Ruth and Holly have been our pit crew, feeding Betty and the Ratty-Rats, chasing cats, and keeping the peace at the Bird House. No team is complete without all of its supporters. Thank you Ruth, for bunking at the Bird House, for waiting to welcome us home. Thank you Holly for your support too. We'll see you all soon.

Overflowing with gratitude, and spirit... what a wonderful way to begin this Easter day.

Sun Day

Hey, before the sun goes down, rush over to The Owl Box and see what's hatching... it's a live peek at a barn owl and her hatching chicks. It's amazing.

My own chicks had a little fun of their own before the sun set.

Happy Sunday.























Happy sun day.

We Keep Springing Forward


These are the kind of posts I enjoy stumbling across... some day in the future, I will see this and recall all kinds of things, big and small, and I will enjoy remembering them. I may wish I could go back, or I may be grateful just to have survived. In the midst of our busy days, errands, challenges, and successes... there are moments, there are ideas, feelings, and milestones that are worth noting, worth a pause.


We are doing too much, as the saying goes, but sometimes "too much" is too good to pass up, so forward we go. Pushing to get to FRC Las Vegas, and juggling to be in Atlanta too. My friend Karen was right when she said, We can do this, but it won't be pretty. I think on her wisdom and humor when I look around my home, wondering if we will ever finish moving in, if we will ever achieve the comfy-settled look of an organized and tidy home.

sigh

But only a small sigh, and not a desperate or grieving sigh. I actually feel energized and motivated by our goals and plans, the goals and plans of 2102, Robotics. The disappointment about delayed domestic settling and chick postponement is fairly fleeting. The inspiration and success of the Team is invigorating, and feels more meaningful to me than finding our Easter wreath, or pruning hedges.


So, what have we been up to? Well, we enjoyed the opportunity to give family a metal-shop and robotics tour and introduction. Alright, so it's not the typical way for families to finally make the time to hang out, but I think they had a pretty good time. Alex got a chance to share his knowledge of the robot controls, the new tower, and mecanum wheels. The team got a chance to meet Spencer, and to figure out that when they are featured on the morning news, it will be like sharing cool stuff with a friend, so no worries. I was kind of imagining Jacob, Jesse, and Maria in ten years... design, build, and marketing... 2102 Team Paradox in the year 2020.


Maria thinks she is part of the team already. And fortunately, they do find ways for her to participate, to be a Paradox. Her parrot-ox dress is ready to go to Vegas.


Her hat and apron are ready too. In San Diego she passed out about eight hundred chocolate Paradox eggs in the arena... something we call Paradox Gracious Chocolatism. She is ready and stocked to show her spirit in Vegas and Atlanta.


While Maria, Max, and Alex break down the Cupid Shuffle, I've been doing some sewing for the marketing team. My blanket stitch is getting good. And plushy parrot-ox parts are definitely part of our domestic landscape. These handmade plushies are for alliance building, and diplomacy, fundraising and team creative expression, and they are hugely popular at FRC.


Speaking of creative expression I finally unpacked a gingerbread house kit. One of the few I bought for Christmas. The ones I left in the garage, when I realized and accepted that we were never going to get around to decorating gingerbread houses for Christmas. Why not Spring, and Easter? Right? Shade the frosting pink, and sky blue, find pink sugar sprinkles and egg shaped confections, and voila! A spring cottage. Maria and William supervised me and the glue gun, and once it was assembled, they set forth with decor.

It turned in to a hectic night... Geoff trying to make Alex and Max's room in to a bedroom, Alex doing homework, Max industriously turning paper and tape in to the Grand Canyon for his Arizona state report, and me trying to be a marketing mentor-blogger-domestic queen of all... Someone should have stopped us, or intervened, or something... but Easter Gingerbread, markers, paint, laundry, bills, computer files, bed frames, vacuums, and other domestic perils happen. It's messy. It's not pretty, and yet somehow it's good. huh... It's a Paradox, really. Lots of chaos-mess-stress = good memories-humor-springing forward.


Now, don't get the wrong idea about my resilience and good humor. In the middle of the hectic-chaos-mess-stress, I was probably the messiest-stress mess of all. I don't recall dropping any f-bombs, but I am glad I was not standing near an open mic, or in the presence of rolling cameras. I do look forward to a long break, to robotic-homework liberty, to really and truly being moved in, to family time spent in the same room and time zone.


And in the meantime, thank goodness for family that willingly agrees to a get together in a greasy metal shop. And thank goodness for generous friends who make the time to bake amazing snicker-doodles and puckery sweet lemon bars, then wrap them in a dear kitty box, and send them to our home. Funny, Geoff thought the kitties were named SnickerDoodle and Lemon Square. This was one delicious moment, I will never forget... thoughtful and refreshing, giving me the steam to keep springing forward. Special thanks to Minou, Sam, and Em... those sweet, furry snicker-doodles.