Erin's mock trail team competed for the 1st time this season. Erin got to be the 1st one to speak, as he gave the prosecution's opening remarks. I haven't witnessed this sort of thing before, Erin performing, so I found I was nervous. being as sick as he's been, he hasn't had the best opportunity to prepare. nonetheless he did great. he's an excellent writer, so his remarks were sharp, but he also gave them a good rendition. that he's 6'5" and wearing a suit, instead of his usual black t-shirts with rude remarks, makes for an impressive presence. there are 3 seasoned vets on the team, the rest are newbies (Erin and a couple of others were on the team last year but without roles). I've noticed it before, but it's worth speaking of again, the difference between homeschoolers and public schoolers. you can see the social yoke on the public kids, the way they react amongst each other and towards their coach. a smirking submissiveness. both the team and those who came with them joke sardonically thru out the trial. the homeschoolers are no more serious, just more focused. not crunched by the hierarchy. I'm not laying anything on the kids themselves, just pointing out how much effort and energy is wasted for the sake of school hierarchy. and also who gets left behind. the big red herring about homeschooling is socialization. like the socialization of high school (jock beat up nerd ha ha) is so cool. anyway, at least in populated areas, homeschoolers work out ways to socialize. homeschooling aint for all, but it is not just about fundamentalists concerned that someone will mention Darwin. anyway, proud of Erin, my family.