"Aye, There's the rub!"

Well, Da Redhead and I joined some of my Metropolis partners in crime: Ike, DJ, Coach,among others, to dispense sudsy canned refreshement to the masses at the Taste of Minnesota, yesterday.

My wife primarily worked the counter, while I hunkered down in the back slinging beers to the counter help when needed. It would be too mundane to ask for "One Budwieser" or "One Bud Light"...NO SIR! That just WILL NOT DO! Over the years Metropolis members dispensing beer at the Taste of Minnesota had to come up with our own peculiar nomenclature. A Bud, is a "Deisel", a Michelob Golden Light is "Sunshine", a Bud Light is a "Spuds", Bacardi Rasberry is, appropriatly, called "Foo-Foo". Non Alcoholic O'Douls is called a "Driver"-as in designated driver, who is not drinking.

For the better part of 5 hours I was reaching into tubs of ice water to grab the beer desired by our members working the counters, and then passing them to them. It got to the point where I was crouched over the tub holding "Sunshine" like a scrum half crouching over a ball waiting to unload to a fly-half. By the time I got to work, my lower back, butt and thighs were all pretty stiff.

Most people were pretty nice. We had a few people who wanted to complain about the price of the beer, the fact that they needed to purchase a 3 dollar bracelet to show they were of age and could purchase beer. As if we have any control over such matters. There was one guy who was really giving Ike a hard time about not wanting to have his beer thrown to Ike to be dispensed-somewhat understandable in that sometimes the beer can get a little foamy from it's in-flight trajectory and rotation. He carried in a such a way that that Ike told the guy to get lost and he could get his beer elsewhere. The whiner in question looked like a corporate pencil-neck...a guy who only worked out with a can of beer when done doing spread sheets. It should be noted that Ike is a big dude. He plays either second row or flanker for our A-side, and as a high school wrestler had qualfied for the Wisconsin State Wrestling tournament. Away from the field he is a really, really nice guy. In fact, when I first started up at Metropolis, he was one of the guys who showed me the ropes a bit and introduced me to some of the players. When ike is crossed, well, I would not want to be on his bad side.

My wife dropped me off at work with my bike and I rode home this morning. That 13 mile/20km ride is getting quicker all the time. When I first did it, it took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes, n ow I am getting home in about 51 minutes.(Well, it is the weekend, less traffic) She was so wiped out from working the beer tent, that she just came home and crashed last night. That's where I am headed now-I have to work an 11 hour night shift tonight.

Almost anybody involved in any type of sport or club as fundraising to do. My Metropolis Rugby Club is no different.

One of our biggest fundraisers occurs every Fourth of July weekend, when we man the beer tents at the "Taste of Minnesota" gathering. It's a good chance to meet up with the guys from the club, banter a bit, do some serious people-watching...all in the name of making a few extra dollars for the club, which in turn keeps our memership rates to a more reasonable level. (Me as an "Old Boy", I pay 200 bucks per year) Quite a few of us end up recruiting wives and girlfriends to help out with the cause. (They also can keep an eye on us that way,too) Later today, my wife "Da Redhead", will join me slinging beers at the Taste from 5-10 PM, then I gotta head from Saint Paul to my work in Minnetonka.

It's been very frustrating that a lot of members of the club have not been able to pitch in, not as many people have signed up compared to the last two summers. I would have liked to work more, but I am in the middle of a 5 night shift in a row slog, so it is really all I can do to fit today's 5 hour shift in.

Being the beer man is not quite like playing Santa Claus...but on a day where it will be humid and about 33 degrees celsius/90 farenheit, being a beer slinger comes pretty close to being like the big guy...who I bet would have made a helluva prop.

Well, Rodrigo Ruiz of Lisbon, Portugal-our 12th AFS student, now joins Giorgio, Luis, Narek, Zauder, Tiphaine, Ornchuma, Akane, Phillipp, Diego, Benidikte and Paula as Adams Family Alumni...

We got up today, went to Fat Nat's, our favorite breakfast place in New Hope, had a good breakfast( Rodrigo's treat-thanks, pardner) and then went down to Eden Praire where the other area AFS kids were going to meet for departure.

Rodrigo had told Andrea that he has been crying so much the last couple of days, he was not sure if he had any tears left for today. He needn't have worried. It was a tear-fest. It's always a very, very emotional scene. I have always thought it was a good sign when there were tears when saying good bye. To me, that means that the kid really became a part of your household, a member, not just a visitor with an accent.

It was strange going back into his room when we got back home. It is also going to be really strange not having the flurry of activity and friends associated with Rodrigo, like his friends Miguel and Rafael. It's going to be strange not going through as much food and not having quite as many clothes to wash. Still...this room that had become "The exchange student's room" a few years ago has had a couple of phases. Phase I was when Rachel was all of two years old when we moved into this house. It was her room untill about 5 years ago, then it was home to Diego, Bennie,Paula and Rodrigo. That was Phase II. In the next couple of days, the reconfiguration for this room to become Duncan's nursery will begin Phase III.

Good bye Rodrigo. You were a good son, brother and AFS Uncle to little Duncan. I miss you already.

The above title is not some sort of verbal signals for a line out in rugby. 23 refers to how much time Rodrigo has left with my family, Duluth refers to the road trip we took up to Duluth, Minnesota yesterday, and Toulouse refers to the winner of "Le Bouclier de Brennus"(Brennus' Shield), the Stanley Cup, if you will, of French Rugby supremecy.

It's really getting down to the nitty-gritty. Rodrigo has most of his packing done. I am trying to get some of his last laundry down as I write this. He's got to get his loose ends tied up today. I'm going to grill tonight for dinner. I also need to get ahold of Paula, our former AFS exchange student from Finland, who is in town to help a friend cope with the recent death of her mother. I would really like Paula to meet Rodrigo. Anytime we can get some of our 12 AFS students to meet their AFS "Brothers" and "Sisters" is a good thing, I think. So far, Rodrigo has met 4, and I would really like him to make it 5. As soon as I am done with this entry, I need to give Paula a call at Katie's house.

Yesterday, Rodrigo and I went on a little road trip with his Brazilian friend Rafael and his American Dad, Gary and his American sister, Tina. Duluth, Minnesota is an inland port on Lake Superior, the largest fresh water lake in the world. It's a bit over 2 hours north of Minneapolis. The weather was great, it was sunshine and high 60's. We did the "Tourist thing" and went to Canal Park in Duluth, where there are all kinds of shops by the Harbor Bridge, and the kids where able to see some of the big ships that come in to get iron ore, wood and grain to ship east along the Great Lakes.(and in some cases hooking up with the St. Lawrence Seaway and connecting with the Atlantic Ocean) We had lunch at Grandma's Saloon and Restaurant in Duluth. The food there is a bit overpriced, but Grandma's is a huge institution in Duluth, and also sponsors a Marathon race each June that brings thousands of marathon runners to the banks of Lake Superior. After spending some time in Duluth, we took the kids to Goose Berry Falls, about 40 minutes north of Duluth, just past Two Harbors. It's a very beautiful and striking waterfalls in a woodland setting. This year, since we have had quite a bit of rain and runoff, the falls were really moving this summer.

While Gary was showing the kids around Canal Park, I was able to meet my friends Bob and Carrie, along with their son Joshua and his Korean girlfriend.(Sorry I cannot remember her name) We had a nice visit. Bob has had a busy spring with knee replacement surgery a couple of months ago, and beriatric(weight loss) surgery a few weeks ago. He's moving around pretty well, and is below 300 pounds for the first time in a long time. We had a nice visit, and it was great to have a chance to see them all.

On a last, rugby-related note, Clermont-Auvergne made it 9 times they have lost the French Rugby Final. They lost 26-20 against Toulouse at the Stade de France yesterday. I have mixed feelings about it, because In the Top 14, Toulouse is my favorite team. Still...you have to feel bad for a team that has come THIS close to bringing Le Bouclier de Brennus back the Auvergne, and just cannot quite get over the hump. Clermont topped the table at the end of the regular season, and played some great rugby. They were hard luck losers in "The Group of Death" during the Heineken Cup, playing some great matches against London Wasps and Munster-the eventual winner. So Toulouse get to bring Le Bouclier de Brennus back to Languedoc-again. At a certain point, you just have to recognize that this is a rugby team that manages to pick it up a notch for the big game. My only regret is that Setanta Sports did not carry the game.

Oh well, back to Laundry...22:59:59, 22:59:58, 22:59:57....

For anybody who has ever studied overseas, the last 3 months go very fast. The last 3 days go at warp speed.Now that we are into Friday, our exchange student Rodrigo has 3 days left with us for his exchange student experience.

Rodrigo turned 18 a couple of days ago. My Ian and Andrea took him to a strip club in Minneapolis. He might not be able to legally drink-but he can still have a lap dance. Is this a great country, or what? I have not, and do not PLAN on letting his mom or dad know. But Rodrigo does have a poloraid snapshot of the occasion. I wish I could be a fly on the wall to hear THAT conversation with his parents if they ever catch a glmpse of that shot.(not out of the realm of possiblities, Rodrigo left the photo in his jeans the other day)

We don't have any more plans for Rodrigo to flirt with the Dark Side, so to speak. His last 3 days here will be filled with packing, getting rid of stuff, seeing friends before he leaves. Today we want to bring him to the Mall of America to get any last minute purchases or gifts. Tomorrow on Saturday, Rodrigo and I will join his Brazilian buddy Rafael and his host family, and probably his Spanish friend Miguel for a trip to Duluth. When you reach this point of your exchange visit, you also become of aware of what you have NOT done during your visit. Yesterday, he informed us that he really hoped to get some pictures of the Minneapolis skyline at night and to see the Sculpture Garden by the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis. We were able to do that.

It's hard to believe that a 10 month exchange stay is rapidly coming to a close. It's the 12th time we have done this, and it is never easy. It will be hard saying goodbye to Rodrigo on Monday. He and I have so much in common. We both love Rugby and soccer(football). He has an enthusiasm for living, and is like a big kid in a lot of respects. He has done well at school, made a ton of friends, and I am ashamed to say educate more than a handful of my geography-clueless compatriots that Portugal is:
1. NOT in South America.
2. Not the same as Brazil.
3. They speak Portuguese in Portugal(Imagine that)
4. Oh yeah, they have some rugby players who have serious heart and game.

My nickname for Rodrigo during his time here in the USA has been "The Mayor", because everybody seems to know him and everybody seems to like him. I know we initially were going to be just a welcome family for him. We had a really miserable experience last year trying to host a girl from Switzerland that had my daughter Rachel ready to swear off ALL foriegn exchange students. It took Rodrigo less than 48 hours to worm his way into everybody's heart. Rachel was one of the first. Once he had Rachel in his corner, I knew everybody else would fall in line. Another thing with having Rodrigo around, it reminded me of just HOW much a 17 year old young man can eat. Chocolate cereal, yogurt, juice and pineapple all vanished in dizzying speed. His parents are not going to recognize him-between my cooking and his weightlifting, he has really gotten buff during the last half of the year.

Rodrigo is really glad that he had a chance to meet Duncan, my new grandson, before he left. Initially, Duncan was not supposed to be born untill July 11th. Rodrigo had a ridiculous smile on his face as he was feeding Duncan yesterday. Just one big kid feeding another kid.

Having so many people in our house has been hectic, but everybody has gotten along amazingly well. With Ian, Andrea and Duncan living with us, and my daughter in her last year of school, Rodrigo will be our last exchange student for quite some time. I'll miss having him around.

72 Hours, 71 Hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds, 71:59:58, 71:59:57....

It can only happen in my house. I know that there is the saying that a "Picture is worth a thousand words". Dear reader, you have to use your imagination a bit, because I do not have access to a camera at this time. 

Well, I got it right. Clermont-Auvergne beat Perpignian, and Toulouse smoked Stade Francais to set up the dream final this coming weekend at the Stade de France. This will be ASM Clermont's 9th try to bring Le Bouclier de Brennus back to the Auvergne. To say that Toulouse has experience winning finals would be a gross understatement like saying that Madonna knows a thing or two about showing guys a good time and dating. Even though Toulouse is dinged up, you just cannot underestimate their confidence in big matches. 

In French club rugby, the Holy Grail is a large trophy called Le Bouclier de Brennus. It dates from 1892 when the first club final inf the championship of French rugby pitted Stade Francais against Le Racing Club de France.

Well, Duncan came home yesterday afternoon. All things considered, things are going pretty well. Ian and Andrea are finding out about the wonderful world of sleep deprivation. Actually, Duncan is doing very, very well. He is taking to breastfeeding pretty well. Buddha, our Bulldog thinks that the baby is great. He thinks that he smells WONDERFUL.(Wait untill the diapers really start to stink, he will think he is in doggy heaven). Buddha likes to come over and check Duncan out, have a wee sniff and a lick on the side of the head. Emerald the cat is OK with sharing lap space with Duncan, as is Onara the Siamese kitty. Briinging home articles of clothing the baby wears is something that my wife and I did with Ian and Rachel when they were newborns, and we never had any problems with any of the cats or dogs accepting either baby.

We were having my father's day dinner at Patrick's in Edina when just before we were about to get to dessert, Andrea announced "My water just broke!". We took our dessert to go, Ian took Andrea to North Memorial Medical Center, and the wait began. It did not take long.

We had one little bit of excitement during the labour: Andrea's mom Sandy passed out. Luckily it happened in the hallway and not in the birthing room. Sandy had not had anything to eat since lunch, and add to that nerves and stress and that all took a toll on her. We got her off her feet, fed her some animal crackers and got some water in her, and she was good to go the rest of the night.

Duncan George(name of my Maternal Grandfather) Adams was born at 01:20AM, CDT. He weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces(3.3 KG), was 19.5 inches long(scrum half size), Apgars were 8 and 9.Duncan has a nice head of wavy, dark hair. He looked just great. When I walked into the birthing suite, Ian was holding his son, with tears streaming down his cheeks. Andrea was very emotional as well. It was a very tender moment for these two as they are now about to embark on that ultimate endurance race and test of nerves called parenthood.

For the record, my daughter Rachel won the unofficial baby pool. Almost all of the rest of us thought Ian and Andrea were going to have a little girl. Rachel was the only one who guessed boy. She came the closest to the time of birth. She guessed 02:00 AM, so was off by only 40 minutes. She guessed 8 lbs as the weight. Congratulations Rachel. Your prize is that you now got a new Moniker:Auntie RACHEL! You can add that to your Silver buckle princess tiara.

I called into work tonight. No way am I going in. I have way to much to get down around the house.

I'm off to the hospital to see Ian, Andrea...and my new Grandson.