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So one of my students at PSCS has asked me to compile a list of my favorite books, something she can consider over time, perhaps as supplemental reading when she is at college this fall (as if college students needed more reading material). This brought me to my bookshelves at home and I took this picture of shelf #1.

On the far left is “To Kill a Mockingbird,” sure to be on the list. I’ve read the book many times and cry every time I get to the line, “Hey, Boo.”

I’m not sure if it will make the cut, but also in there is “I Heard the Owl Call My Name.” Want to appreciate life and understand wisdom a little more, check out that book.

Toward the right is one of my favorite books, “Laughing in the Hills.” It’s a philosophical look at one man’s experience trying his hand at being a professional horse race handicapper. I read it every few years and love it every time.

I haven’t been a perfect square in 13 years, since I was 36, and after the next 365 days I won’t be a perfect square again for 14 years, when I turn 64 (“when I get older, losing my hair, many years from now…”).

Perhaps, though, I have always been a square, just not a perfect one. I’ve never really fit into round holes, after all.

I do like the idea of being a perfect circle. You know, no sharp edges, smooth to the touch, well-rounded.

On what birthday can I say I’m well-rounded?

Not 49, when I’m perfectly square.

One of the values of PSCS is to be supportive of our neighbors. After all, COMMUNITY is in the school name, you know. So today, 42 of us, students, staff and parents, WALKED over to a nearby park to watch one of our neighbors play a game of baseball. Like I said, we want to support our neighbors.

It just so happens that this particular neighbor is the Seattle Mariners baseball team and the park in which they play is beautiful Safeco Field. And of all the many school groups that attended today’s day baseball game, I am confident that we were the only one who walked to and from the game from school.

As it turns out, we saw the Mariners win, something that happens less than the team not winning, if you know what I mean. And we saw a little bit of history, in that Mariner Alex Liddi hit a grand slam homerun, the first Italian-born player to hit a major league grand slam in over 50 years.

When I was a kid and my family went traveling, one of the things I did in hotel rooms was check the phone book for Smallmans. Let me tell you, you just don’t find that many. Finding one, I’d wonder if any of them were named Andy.

Similarly, I get a kick out of finding pictures of me on Facebook or even elsewhere online. Maybe I should get creeped out by it, but it just seems to be part of the 21st century. Check out this Google Image search for my name.

On that note, this photo of me was taken by a PSCS alumnus last Friday night at the big school event we call the Student Showcase. He posted it on his Facebook page and tagged me, which is how I found it.

Today’s picture is of my good friend, Laurent Boudeau, taken just moments after he had finished running the Nantes Marathon 13 months ago. It is Laurent who inspired me to take up running, and it is Laurent who inspired me to try running long distances. The fact that I took up running, and the subsequent getting in shape that resulted, is probably my most significant takeaway from the sabbatical. We’ve been back for 10 months and I’ve continued my running, even running the Seattle half-marathon last fall. I’ve registered to run the full marathon this fall.

During many of my runs I think of Laurent and imagine him running/training with me. Such thoughts continue to inspire me.

Today’s post is hereby dedicated to my friend Laurent who, incidentally, turned 50 last Friday.

It’s my niece Jessica’s birthday today. That’s her in today’s photo on the right. From that photo, you might think that she’s turning 3 or 4 years-old. But you’d be wrong! She’s 27 today! Again, from that photo, you might say that she doesn’t look a day over 20. You might be thinking she’d get carded if she tried to buy a glass of wine in a restaurant.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. This photo was taken around 25 years ago! And that’s me in the photo with her! Heck, I look like I might get carded if I tried to buy a glass of wine in a restaurant.

When she was little like this, I used to get to spend quite a bit of time with Jessica. She had such a cute way of saying, “Uncle Andy.”

For a little more “Jessica history,” check out when she won big on Wheel of Fortune!

You may recall that it was Melinda’s birthday last Sunday. In today’s mail she received a package from her friend Christine in France. Inside was a delightful card and a set of cut-out magnets of the “little” girl from the Royal de Luxe marionette street company based in Nantes, where we lived. It was almost exactly one year ago that the marionettes made their triumphant return to Nantes, much to Melinda’s delight.

So excited was Melinda by this gift that she immediately sat down and began cutting out the magnets. She was like a little girl with paper dolls. Then she rearranged our magnet board to include the new ones.

In terms of birthday gifts, this was a score.

Here I am with my co-worker at PSCS, Steve. Steve served as the Interim Head of School during the sabbatical last year, and did a fantastic job. He has served the school this year in both fundraising and admission capacities, doing a super job in both areas. I’ve chosen this picture to not only mention Steve, but to recognize that tonight is the PSCS Student Showcase!

It’s one of our two biggest events of the year, perhaps second only to graduation. Every student is in some way featured and we rent out the nearby Wing Luke Museum for the event. There is food, student music performances, and the main act, the unveiling of the seniors’ projects.

Did I also mention it’s a lot of fun!

That’s Ella there on the left, getting a “makeover” from classmate Chloe (remember Ella’s friend Chloe from an earlier post?). The Chloe in the picture has a strong interest in make-up and fashion, and Ella is only too ready to oblige when a “model” is needed. Yesterday at school they had some time for Chloe to do some “work.”

You see, tomorrow night is our Student Showcase, an event at which PSCS intends to show off the students’ interests. So after the makeover was complete, some photos were taken, the photos being a way to showcase Chloe’s interest in makeup.

Make sense?

If a photo can fall under the heading “TMI,” perhaps this one fits. I mean, who wants to see a picture of my ankle or, more specifically, my achilles (since that was what I was trying to shoot)?

Anyway, here’s the point. About halfway through my hour-long run on Sunday morning, the back of my ankle really started to hurt. I thought I’d just keeping running, that I’d warm out of it, but it got worse, so bad, in fact, that I had to stop running! No! I felt a sudden sense of distress, like I did back in March of 2011 when I had to stop running due to runner’s knee.

I walked home, took some Ibuprofen and thought, okay, I’ll just take it easy. I skipped my Tuesday run yesterday and used our elliptical trainer, instead, which felt just fine. Then, dummy me, I went to the park today with a group of students and casually threw a Frisbee. Reaching to catch it tossed to me, I tweaked that achilles again.

That’s frustrating.