9/13/2009
Dear Rosalynde, Gabrielle, Naomi, Brigham, Rachel, Benjamin, Abraham and Christian!
Good news for Eva! Perhaps you have already heard. On Thursday, Mr. Brookey asked eva to joint Chamber Singers, thus vindicating her intitial selection last spring. Eva was so excited. She called me Thursday afternoon while I was at my office. She had her first performance Friday morning at a back to school assembly. She was so nervous Friday morning during seminary and as she went to a warm-up before school started. But she is so happy to be there. She had to rearrange her schedule, and she now has another English teacher, although she really liked the English teacher that she had for the first week. Eva has also been studying diligently, as I see every night when she comes home. I know that both Mama and eva have been working hard this week. When I returned from work Friday evening about 9:00 PM, they were both in bed.
I asked Eva if she would like to play tennis with during the week, but she wanted to make sure she finished her homework, but she did say she would like to play with me on Saturday. Since I had a meeting Saturday morning, we decided to play late afternoon after my soccer game. She rode her bike up to the courts, and waited a few minutes for me after I saw her. Then we walked on to the tennis court. After we went through the gate, a 13 year old girl came after us, and went to our same court, the only one available, and started to get ready to play. I was a bit perturbed, but eva and I let it go. We went to the high school and found a court, but we only had about 20 minutes before it was too dark. But we had fun and we will do it again.
Labor day was a little bit of a holiday. I went to my office an hour or two later and came back home about 3-4 pm. In the evening, Eva and I went to the ward barbecue picnic at Montrose Park. Eva had fun ice blocking down the grassy slope. I wish they had had a homemade ice cream festival again this year, but we had brownies and cookies instead.
During the week, I went to work early and came home between 7 pm and 9 pm. I either went running or biking each evening. On Thursday, I went to my LA City league soccer game. We were schedule do play a team two places below us. I expected we would win. When we lined up, the other team had too many guys with beer bellies, and only two substitutes. However, they ended up beating us convincingly. They were not fast, but they had individual skills, and they played smart soccer, passing well whenever pressure came, and with their 20-30-40 pound advantage, they would knock (and foul us) at every opportunity. So the score was 5-2. That loss pretty well knocks us out of the play-off picture, so my season will end in early October. I also played Saturday afternoon. We had about 30 players come out, and had a fun game. I scored more goals than I have in a long time – unfortunately they were both own goals that counted for the other team. One of the players on the other team (George), who played a central mid-field, was instructing one of the high school players (Leon) to stay forward and look for the through pass, saying he could out run me. (He said, “Sorry, Russ, but I think he can run faster than you.) I said, “Come on, Leon, take me on. I want to see you out run me.” But they never did connect on a pass that challenged me straight up down the field.
I downloaded a pdf file from the National Review website that contained the motion for summary judgment filed by the proponents of Prop. 8 in the lawsuit challenging Prop. 8 on U.S. Constitutional grounds. (Unfortunately, Ted Olsen, one of the leading lights in the Federalist Society, joined _____ Bois, a prominent New York trial attorney, in challenging Prop. 8 on Federal grounds.) The brief is a fascinating summary of important aspects of U.S. constitutional law, the origins of common law, the definition of fundamental rights, and a legal history of marriage. To me the brief is unassailable. I will wait until the plaintiffs’ opposition brief is filed to see how they counter it.
Saturday, I went to the Mormon Council Meeting for the Howard W. Hunter Chair at Claremont. The program seems to be doing very well. Richard and Claudia Bushman have integrated very well into the faculty and university life, the student association is very alive, the public lectures are well-attended, and the Mormon Council is probably the most successful council that has been established at Claremont. Of the 41 entering students into the School of Religion graduate program, 10 are Latter-day Saints. I asked former Dean Torjeson whether this is too high a percentage. She said it wasn’t. Richard Bushman thought the percentage ought not to get too much higher, however. A number of the Mormon Academic Associations, such as Mormon scholars in the humanities, and others, including Sunstone, all want to hold their annual meetings at Claremont (not every year, but nevertheless, every three years or so).
Rachel, Dean Torjeson, who recently stepped down as dean but continues as a faculty member, is involved in a world-wide project in women studies – I think women and politics – and is helping to establish a chair and foundation in Cairo, Egypt, which is the center of Muslim scholarship. She also is looking to Africa – specifically in Namibia. I mentioned that BYU has held Semester Abroad programs in Namibia and I said I would introduce the appropriate contacts at BYU. Would you please send me the appropriate information?
I am trying to wrap up the Friends of Scouting Fundraising Drive within the next week. The recommended donation is $250. So it Priesthood meeting today, when the Bishop announced it, I raised my hand and said we should mention the suggested donation. I said for BYU fans, it would be $5 for every point in the margin of victory in Saturday’s football game. For USC, I said it should be $100 per point of margin of victory.
That’s all for now.
Love Daddy
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