I started playing Tears of the Kingdom, being the last to do so after my wife and children (even son-in-law, but not counting my grandchildren). Rowen blew through the game by rushing to the end without even getting all of the story points completed. Trevor played for a bit (I think) but has been playing other games. Connor figured out a way to emulate the game on his computer and is continually remarking how much better it plays for him. At present, Janelle is playing the game while Connor is making fun of her game-playing skills. For me, I enjoy watching other people play the game as everyone seems to have a different play style (although, I do prefer to play it myself). 

I've decided to take my time with this game and enjoy the exploration. I don't know if I will hunt down every Korok seed (there are something like 900 of them), but I'm deeply enjoying every little treasure that is hidden in each place that I go. Meanwhile, there are plenty of videos of people putting their creativity to the test with the building tools at their disposal. I don't think that I will go that far, but I do enjoy seeing what sort of mechanical contraptions that people can create (I do plan on making my own hoverbike). 

Quite frankly, I believe that this is the greatest video game yet created. Its massive and enjoyable world with fantastic gameplay and wild levels of creativity are better than anything else I have seen. Even better, it's given our family a common experience to enjoy.

"Parents' Rights"
For the past couple of years, far-right wing politicians have been packaging the reduction of rights for individual citizens under the label "parents' rights" as a way to make sound like they are fighting for rights rather than denying them. In almost every case, they do so with using methods that are more in line with Mao's version of communism than any of the "socialism" that they supposedly condemn. I had hoped that our citizens were intelligent enough to see through this clear use of double speak, but ... [points to everything Re-Trump-Agains are demanding].

It's not surprising that the first thing they go after is freedom of religion. They like the concept fine as long as it means any type of Christianity ... well, except for those versions they don't like ... and they don't really follow Christ's teachings themselves. However, it is their belief that the "parents' rights" to brainwash and abuse their children in the ways that they were supersedes their children's rights to think for themselves and to not suffer such abuse.

As freedom of speech is wrapped in that same First Amendment, these far-right demagogues need to make certain that people expressing themselves is definitely limited to only the views that they currently believe. In particular, Florida has gone on the attack against businesses and schools who speak out for the rights of LGBTQ and Black Americans. I warned about this a couple of years ago when the arguments started up again about Critical Race Theory (which is not what most people think it is). Today, College Board (the non-profit institution behind AP classes and the SAT) issued a public statement saying that they would not cut curriculum at the demands of state legislatures (specifically referencing Florida). 

The "parents' rights" crowd aren't just fighting against College Board, but all of public education. Again, they are arguing the parents' right to decide their children's futures rather than allowing their children to grow beyond their parents' often narrow views. Public education laws were created to guarantee every child an education, one that their own parents cannot deny--as often happens when parents pull their children out of school to earn money for the family or be their own live-in caretaker.

This past month, Republican lawmakers at the federal and state levels have not only proposed, but passed legislation to remove protections against the exploitation of child labor. Among the policies they support include allowing children to work through the night, sub-level minimum wages, and working in more toxic and dangerous conditions. In comments on a bill released today, they heralded these reversions to the 1800s as "victories for parents' rights." 

Religious freedoms squashed, books banned and speech censored, education that hides elements of life and history, and everyone working to do their part--yeah, those are the kinds of programs that Mao Tse Tung would get behind.

Connor has a list of movies that he would like to watch this summer, but due to his summer job, he has limited opportunities to do so. Some of the movies are coming out in theaters, and some have been out for a while and we have on DVD (or Blu Ray). Today and yesterday, we watched two of these films [Mild spoilers for Creed III and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse follow].

Creed III is the latest addition to the Rocky universe, but it's the first film to not have Rocky in it. In fact, it doesn't even have Sylvester Stallone's blessing due to the way that the rights to Rocky were stolen from him. That might be why I did not like this movie as much as many of the others in the line of films (except Rocky V, which is still my least favorite of the series). I also did not like the change in how the climactic fight was filmed--the CGI stadium was particularly off-putting. Still, I liked the characters and most of the family dynamics, especially Creed's relationship with his daughter--even if that seemed to be missing a crucial scene or two.  

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a fantastic sequel to the animated masterpiece Into the Spider-Verse. Following in the classic tradition of middle films in a trilogy, this movie tells an incomplete story (like The Empire Strikes Back or Back to the Future II), yet it has a tremendous amount of depth and development to it. It especially fleshes out the story of Spider-Gwen, at times telling the story through her eyes instead of Miles'. As a big fan of Peter Parker (the original Spider-Man), I remember being upset about a "Black Spider-Man" when the idea was first proposed for the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book run. Not only did that story line blow me away, so has ever other story (including video games) with Miles at the center. This movie only raised the bar even higher. However, don't expect an end credits scene.

They are both movies that I would like to see again, perhaps even in marathon form (which Rowen said that he wanted to do).

Well, I have a sore throat and a bit of fatigue. It seems like the summer cold has struck again. There might possibly be a connection between these summer illnesses that I seem to get and my travel time to and from Kansas City. If nothing else, the timing is suspicious. 

Thus far, our summer hasn't ramped up anyway. We're still sitting with temperatures in the forties and fifties for most of the day, and occasional dips below freezing at night. Apparently, part of El Nino's cycle that warms up most of the rest of the world keeps Alaska in the cooler zone. 

Personally, I do not mind. However, I recognize that there are many people up here who would prefer to have the weather a bit warmer for the next several months. For their sake, I hope that the needle nudges a little higher.

Meanwhile, I'm going to try to recover before that nice weather gets here.

Today, I finished Jedi: Survivor, having found every item, every upgrade, every mission, every trophy, and even every scan and force echo. Despite knowing that I was not going to start Tears of the Kingdom (which everyone in my family is raving about) until I finished this game, I spent every minute that I could in this wonderfully conceived Star Wars story. While this game has its faults--especially in system crashes, I highly recommend the game for any Star Wars fan. 

In particular, I like how this game (which is set before A New Hope) bridges not only the original movie's events and the prequels, but how it also brings in the High Republic--a couple hundred years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker--and the events from the recent Obi-wan Kenobi show. It does so while crafting an entertaining story of its own with characters whom I genuinely like. On top of that is an addictive gameplay formula that works for 99% of the game. The 1% where it doesn't are its fights where the player loses in cinematic action after winning in the gameplay--even worse, if you lose before you're supposed to lose, you have to start all over again. One fight in particular made me so angry that I switched over to one of my damaged controllers when I noticed that I was pressing in on the left thumbstick too hard.

While it might be strange to find different hair styles in crates that were locked away hundreds of years ago, the loot collection was still addictive. Nearly all of it was cosmetic, but I still found myself spending a lot of time figuring out which pieces and color scheme best fit the lightsaber that I wanted. I was glad that I could find upgrades to the map that made finding all of those gems easier.

I might not play this particular game again, but I look forward to what the next sequel might bring. 

Jesus tells us to eat His flesh and drink His blood. As mentioned in yesterday’s homily (as we went to mass on Saturday), He does just say “eat,” but something more animalistic, like “gnaw.” This suggests to me that He wants us to consume Him without pause or thought, but to do so as a starving beast whose very life depends upon this sustenance. 

For Jesus is the Word as well as flesh. We are to consume Him wholly, taking His teachings and His very self into us, making Him a part of us. Just as the food we eat binds within our bodies at a molecular level, so should our relationship with Jesus. 

This is a difficult diet that, like most diets, requires sacrifice and willpower on our part. It is easy to fall off such a diet. However, only by going back to it will our lives be sustained. 

I'm still working my way through Jedi: Survivor. It's a beautiful game that I am taking the time to find every trinket. It is also a game that requires a lot of power to run. As I walked by my PS5, having just turned off the game, I could feel the heat radiating from the machine. This doesn't surprise me, as the game comes in at a whopping 147GB. In fact, many games are now taking up a good chunk of hard drive space.

Horizon Forbidden West, whose DLC I recently completed is taking up 106GB on my system with the Burning Shores included. Final Fantasy VII Intergrade which I have owned for over a year takes up over 81GB, which is about the size of the newly released Diablo 4. I was actually surprised to find that Elden Ring only clocks in at 45GB.

I was thus quite surprised to discover that one of the most critically acclaimed games to come out recently was only taking up 16GB of space. Somehow, Nintendo has managed to take the newest Legend of Zelda game, give it the largest gameplay map yet (with multiple levels, no less), and still manage to implement one of the most innovative experiences with a file size that's not much more than the size of some game's saves. Certainly, the graphics do not have the texturing of other modern games, but the overall polish to the entire game is supposedly unmatched (I haven't played it yet, but what I've seen seems to agree with the hype).

To me, this is why Nintendo is one of the greatest game producers: they make high quality games that are fun to play, but that don't rely on massive power draws and file sizes.

There is a saying that is often attributed as a Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Today was certainly an interesting day. Thankfully, God saw me through all of the challenges and obstacles that fell around me while still giving me blessed moments throughout the day.

I woke up at 3AM in Kansas City, the equivalent of midnight here in Alaska, and groggily got myself and my stuff together, cutting it closer than I liked to getting on the 3:45 shuttle bus to the airport. It turns out that the timing was perfect, since I came down to see that Barbara (one of my two closest friends at these Readings) was getting ready to board. Thus we were able to travel to the airport together and have breakfast together before heading to our gates.

I want to take a moment and mention Barbara and Cameron (whom I often just refer to as my friends on these posts) because they have been the shining lights of these experiences. We met on the first two days of each of our first Reading back in 2015 in Salt Lake City and have been able to meet each year (sometimes with gaps such as the two COVID years) almost as though no time has passed. We communicate occasionally through the year, but especially when information about the next Reading is made available. 

Barbara is one of the most gracious and kind human beings I have ever met. Although she is a veteran teacher, she has a vivacious enthusiasm that makes me feel old in comparison. She is continually looking to experiment and innovate in her classroom and her life, leading me to do so as well. She is also a fantastic companion to push people beyond their comfort zones and experience new adventures (even if some, like an unmentioned Ethiopia restaurant, were better left un-experienced). When walking the halls of the Reading, it is common to have people shout out her name in enthusiastic greeting.

Cameron is also an amazingly compassionate human being. While he might not be as gregarious as Barbara and I, he can certainly hold his own in any conversation. He, too, is an explorer; although, he usually applies a more scientific-like method to how he decides what activities to pursue. He is also more rational than I, leading me to think more logically about my own practices as a teacher from a standpoint of the greatest benefit for my students. Most importantly, he has been willing to put up with me enough to be my roommate any year a roommate has been required after the first year that we met.

I believe that both of them managed to make it home without difficulty. I, on the other hand, hit multiple snags. Most of them were tied to Alaska Airlines' system crashing this morning. This delayed both of my flights with them. Thankfully, I had enough time in each layover to make the next flights, but Seattle presented me with a unique challenge: nothing on the computer monitors (including the Alaska Airlines app) was correct. I was fortunate, my actual departure gate (which stated that it was a flight to Oklahoma) was at least in the same terminal that the computers said that it was--if on the opposite side. I am tremendously grateful to all of the gate employees who had to deal with such chaos (at one point, my app gave me three messages about gate changes simultaneously--each to a different and incorrect gate).

Ravyn did not fare better. Just as I was receiving my boarding pass (they don't have electronic ones), a group of passengers came up saying that the 5PM flight to Kenai (my flight) was cancelled and that they needed a new booking for the next (7PM) flight. I let them go first, and then asked the woman at the ticket counter to change my flight as well, which she did--as well as adding a voucher for "dinner" at one of the two coffee shops this side of security. I have been trying to limit my caloric intake since the second day of the Reading, so I debated getting a coffee (and perhaps a donut) with this voucher that was only good for today. However, as I was planning on having dinner with Janelle (which we did, at Mykel's), I decided to stay true. 

It was a good thing that I did, because right after I made that decision, I heard a final boarding call for a Ravyn flight to Kenai. It was 4:58. I ran to the ticket desk to ask what was happening, and the woman who had given me my boarding passes said, "He was originally on the 5PM, too!" They quickly printed me a new pass as I didn't have any checked luggage, and I ran to the gate (well, jogged ... well, most of the way). It worked out perfectly.

I'm really tired and quite happy to be home, but I want to jot down a couple of quick items so that I will remember them when I see this post again in the future: I had a lovely talk with a woman who was on her way to see her step-family which included 13 great-grand-step-children. I had planned on sleeping that flight, but it was clear that she wanted to talk and doing so filled her (and me) with joy. Also, before I discovered that the computers in Seattle were wrong, I hunted down Qdoba and had a fantastic lunch. Lastly, this was my first time dining at Mykel's; although the meal was expensive, it was absolutely fantastic!

Rain drops were falling on my head … and then my umbrella. I’m quite glad that I brought one along as the weather here can bring these kinds of pop-up showers when they are least expected. I was two blocks into my walk before what I thought was a mist turned into full-sized drops on my final walk to the Convention Center this year. 

Training on the DBQ (document based question) took substantially longer than I thought it would. We were still pair reading up to an hour before lunch started. Thus, I ended up getting through just shy of 60 essays during that second half of the day. The scuttlebutt is that we were largely getting trained so that we could finish the questions at home online (something that I do not plan on doing—especially considering my internet connection). 

I might see a friend or two on the shuttles, in the airports, or on at least my first flight, but we said goodbye today just in case. My roommate is already in the airport, waiting for his flight home. I am as packed as I can get tonight. As I have to be up at 3 AM tomorrow, I’m headed to bed now. 

I look forward to be back home tomorrow.

I looked back through my memories today and discovered that I have not been consistent from year to year in how I label these blog entries. I still have one more day left to score here in Kansas City before I have an early morning flight out on Friday to head home. Time has flown by more quickly than any other year. 

This year, I did not hit “the wall” like I have in previous years. I believe that this is because I have now been retrained on a third question. In fact, today I scored the hat trick, won the triple crown, or completed the trifecta as I have moved between all three types of questions: the short answer (SAQ), the long essay (LEQ), and the document based (DBQ)! This has certainly broken up the monotony of reading different versions of the same essay seven days in a row!

My plans for the evening whirled through several stages before settling on hanging out with my roommate by walking the town and getting my now traditional frozen dessert on the penultimate day of the Reading. I’ve been trying to be good about eating while up here, and have been mostly successful, but I have been craving this simple chocolate custard with peanut butter topping sundae all week. It did not disappoint. 

Well, there’s one more day of the Reading. We will still be training through the first break, but I’m hoping to (accurately) get through 100 essays tomorrow (it will more likely be closer to 70). We will see. 

It took a little bit to readjust to the scoring the LEQ that they trained us on yesterday, but after a bit, it seemed to all click together—at least, no one has complained to me yet and my validity score looks great. I’m definitely starting to side more with having my students test electronically rather than on paper as the LEQ is showing some advantages towards the typed as opposed to the handwritten scoring. The scores are supposed to be statistically adjusted between the tests, but it would be worth it to let the students type rather than handwrite their answers. 

I stayed for the open forum this evening where the director for AP World and another speaker talked a bit about the digital exam and the upcoming project based learning project. They then answered questions, usually emphasizing the need for people to email questions. My favorite part was the freshly popped popcorn (they also had an open bar, but that doesn’t appeal to me). 

The big surprise today was the sudden summer squall that erupted just before my friend and I walked back from the open forum. There was no indication of it on our weather apps, but it had rain coming down in sheets sideways with lightning and thunder punctuating the rapid torrent. I’ve made a strong effort to walk the 1.2 mile distance from and to the hotel every day, but we sagely chose to take the shuttle bus instead. 

Today, we finished up our SAQ before noon. Our retraining for the LEQ took the second half of the day. It’s definitely not going to be as easy of a read as the SAQ, but I hope to get the hang of it before too long. 

Tonight was “Dine Out” night, and I’m quite thankful that they raised the stipend from $25 to $30 as even $30 doesn’t get a person that far when eating at a restaurant. We went to the Blue Bird Bistro which had a number of organic, locally sourced items. My favorite part was the cheese curds. ​

I did try to eat less today, and the retraining made it easier to do so since my after-lunch energy slump didn’t come. I normally gain weight during these Readings, and I believe that a lot of that comes from snacking to try and stay awake while we are grading all of these essays. My strategy of standing and grading instead has been partially successful, but I’m not holding out a lot of hope as for those snacks are definitely a weakness of mine. 

It was another full day of work. Again, they were congratulating us on our speed and accuracy. If we continue on this pace, we will be retrained on another question after lunch tomorrow. On one hand, it will be good to break up the monotony. On the other, I’ve liked having such a relatively straightforward and easy question to score. ​

One thing I’ve learned regarding the SAQs is the the electronic version of the test has several advantages for students over the handwritten version. Of course, for Readers, it’s easier to read meaning that student points are more likely to be recognized. It’s also quicker for students to type rather than to hand write. However, the biggest advantage is the amount of space. Both are limited to a single page, but typed text can fit a considerable amount of information more than all but the most microscopic of handwritings. 

I also took part in a wonderful mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. In the homily, the deacon pointed out that the best way to recognize the Trinity is to follow the advice of today’s Second Reading and the Gospel. In them, we are told to encourage and uplift one another and that Jesus came to redeem, not to condemn. When we look towards others and encourage, uplift, and redeem, we are doing so infused with the Holy Spirit, following the path of Jesus the Son that was sent by God the Father. 

Today was just a regular work day with no big surprises. We were told multiple times that our group has been doing well with an astounding accuracy for anything that has been back-checked and on our validations (which is when they drop in a previously scored essay into our queue without us knowing). They told us that we will likely be moved to another question on day five or six (day eight will be our last day at the reading, with day nine being my travel day home). It will be nice to break up the monotony, but I’ve been happy to have such an easy question to grade. 

I had lunch with my table group—which is the first time that I’ve had a table leader make such a suggestion. It felt a little strange not being at the same table as my friends, but it was interesting to hear some of the other situations that my fellow Readers are dealing with back at their schools (many of which are still in session). Hearing them, I am both concerned about our public school institution due to its use as a political football and heartened to know that such great educators are doing so many amazing things. 

I didn’t do anything interesting afterwards. I stopped by the Spider-Man exhibition near our hotel only to discover that it’s not open any of the times that we would be available to see it. I discovered that the park between there and our hotel is a Korean War Memorial. I also had the slight moral victory of deciding not to stop by a nearby ice cream place—although; I do plan on losing that struggle at some point next week. 

Tomorrow will have me working on a Sunday (which I don’t like), but I do still plan on going to mass at the nearby Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception afterwards. ​