ALL THE FURIES

One of my favorite movies - certainly my favorite action movie - is Fury Road. The movie introduced the audience to an incredible character, Imperator Furiosa played by Charlize Theron. We are left with more questions than answers about her, which is why it was so wonderful to watch Furiosa, a prequel to Fury Road, this past weekend.

While Fury Road was a chase movie, Furiosa is an origin story, and we come to learn what makes Furiosa such a bad ass and what all she had to endure during her childhood and young adulthood - abduction, enslavement, and innumerable assaults from bad actors from across the apocalyptic landscape.

If you have not seen Fury Road yet, I encourage you to watch Furiosa first. Doing so will help you understand Fury Road even more. Enjoy!

SOUNDS OF SPRING

There are many changes that herald spring - flowers, sunrise and sunset time, and temperature. In Ann Arbor, the sounds of birdsong greet you even before some of these other changes emerge. Listen for yourself or close the windows!

PEONY TIME OF YEAR

It is that fleeting time of year when the peonies in the U-M Peony Garden in the Arboretum (Arb) are in bloom. Therefore, I decided to take a detour on my run in the Arb this weekend to take them in.

When I arrived, it was only 8AM. However, there were already a handful of people, mostly armed with cameras or camera phones, taking in the beauty of the blooms.

There are many beautiful flowers and plants, but it is probably the liminal nature of these flowers that makes them so attractive. Words cannot do them justice, so I will let yo enjoy them with your eyes!

SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES!

Cate has been playing on the Greenhills Varsity soccer team this season, and she has done an amazing job! Last week, they began the playoffs, facing a local Catholic High School, Father Gabriel Richard.

From the first whistle, Greenhills dominated possession, and Cate was particularly dynamic on the ball, sending multiple beautiful passes through to the forwards. Unfortunately, we were unable to capitalize on any of these, and the scores was knotted at 0-0 at half.

In the second half, Cate sent a looping ball to one of the forward, who has able to latch onto it and slot it home. From there, Gabriel Richard began to grow into the game, and they had a strong run of possession and several chances on goal that nearly went in.

Later in the game, one of their players handled the ball in the box, setting up a penalty. Cate rushed forward to claim the ball and volunteer to take the penalty. Cool as you like, she dispatched the penalty and doubled the lead  to 2-0 - a lead which would stand at the end of regulation.

I do not know how far the Gryphons and Cate will go this year in the playoffs, but I will enjoy every minute of seeing the magic my mini Iniesta/Xavi weaves on the field. Go 'hills!

TRUE GRIT

Nicholas recently found out that he did not get either of the summer internships he interviewed for. He also did not hear back from many other media outlets in the area, which was quite surprising and discouraging.

However, I shared with him that he is one of the most passionate, curious, and talented young writers that I know. Sometimes, talent is not enough, and who you know and timing play a big part in success. I shared how many times my writing through grants or publications have been rejected and how that hurts. However, I always used that as an opportunity to improve the product, understanding that writing - like life - is a work in progress.

Nicholas has rallied and has thrown himself into his job working at the snack shack at the racquet club. I told him there will be plenty of time to gain more journalism experience and to have internships focused on what he wants to do long-term. In the meantime, enjoy this summer and use it to plan for next summer and the many opportunities that he wishes to pursue then. 

I hope he gets what he wants. More importantly, I hope he continues to build grit and resilience to handle the times when he does not. Chin up, Nicholas!

NOT THE WAY YOU TREAT A LEGEND

I consider Xavi Hernandez to be the greatest midfielder of his generation - and possibly the best #6 of all time. Xavi is not only a greater player, but he is a leader who led Barca and the Spanish national team to so many trophies and to a stratospheric level of play. He has also been a tremendous coach during his time at Barca, ending a 4 year trophy drought in the Spanish League when he led Barca to the league title in 2023. 

For all those reasons, it is shameful to witness how the club dismissed Xavi last week. I will not attempt to summarize the affair. Sid Lowe has done that in his piece for the Guardian. However, I can say that any football club that throws such a loyal and transformational employee under the bus is a club that forfeits the right to called itself by its own motto - mes que un club (more than a club). In fact, their action are below the dignity of the club that I once loved and that I have seen torn apart by presidential mismanagement for more than a decade. This is what happens when powerful, dishonest people who lack a clear vision or moral compass are given the reigns of an organization - disaster. I have been unfortunate to witness something similar myself at various stages of my career, and it is an affront to all who care about an organization or who have given so much of themselves to a cause bigger than themselves embodied in such an organization.

To Xavi, thank you for being such an amazing ambassador of football and for never settling or taking short cuts. Your play and your players play brought me so much joy these past 14 years. I hope you come back to Barca one day to restore the club to what it once was and what you helped to make it into. Visca Xavi!

FOREVER 21

This month, Kathleen and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. Our marriage is now old officially enough to drink!

Marriage, by far, is the hardest thing I have ever done because one's own wishes and desires and interests must be balance by those of another individual whose happiness and fulfillment is equally important for a successful union.

I have not always been the best partner. Often, I have let my own experiences witnessing marriage up close color how I behave, or I have let my own insecurities or issues color my mood and behavior. 

I wrote to Kathleen in her anniversary card that I wanted to focus on handling stress better and being a better partner. Sensing just how much pressure I have been feeling, Kathleen asked me, "what is the worst thing that would happen if you failed?" It was such a simple question, but it cut to the core of the problem - how I have let my work and the challenges I face on a daily basis impact our happiness. She went on to add, "No matter what happens with our work lives, we will be fine." These words were so full of grace and understanding, and I felt a weight lift when she said that.

I found myself wondering, "what did I do to deserve this amazing woman," with whom I have been lucky to spend half my life - 25 years? I still do not have an adequate answer, but I will try to appreciate everything I have in my life, most of all someone who has been my constant companion and source of strength in all these years together. I love you, Kathleen!