The prodigal son returns...

I remember starting this blog quite a few years ago, in an effort to simply chronicle my exploits and adventures with golf. In that time, I've been fortunate to play many courses, great and otherwise, and meet many people who epitomized (and exploited) the gentlemen of golf, and vastly improved my game through hours of practice.

For all of this, I lost sight of a few things, namely the amount of time that I could have been with my family. While my coaching duties required my attention, it was the additional time that I put in beyond that required that took me away from my family. Beyond weak justifications, I finally realized that I was missing a huge part of my family due to my own actions. It was time for me to take a step away.

In the nearing two years since that time, I've played golf a total of four times, namely in charity tournaments with some buddies, but I didn't miss the game. I guess all the hours that I had put in (and away from my family) had been more than enough to satisfy the longing that I may have had.

I got an email the other day from our local golf course (the ownership is changing, and this website may quickly become outdated). Basically, there have been some positive changes made at the local golf course (new management and all) and in short, the rest of my family are interested in taking advantage of this and obtaining a membership. I guess it's funny how things go full circle. My son has a renewed interest in it, and is actually listening and following instruction. The wife is ready to take up the sport as well. All of this without my persuasion, I might add.

I'm excited about this next chapter in our lives. As I told my wife the other day as we discussed this possibility, I was always a bit jealous of the neighborhood men whose wifes would join them to play a round or two here and there. Maybe deep down, it was something I had wished for, and wow...here we are.

Pictured above, the split fairway Par-5 #11.

Shazam!

Short and Sweet...

I just finished reading my buddy's latest and final entry for 2010, and it was the impetus I needed to go ahead and get a few words down on this last Friday of the decade.

Today's words? Short and Sweet. Down and Dirty. Hard and Fast. Okay, that may be a bit much, but you get the gist.

1. Santa Run 2010 - I must be getting old, as the trip was as good as usual, but I got hit with some road-lag or something, because after 400 miles, I was simply tuckered out and not myself. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip, but was sad that my son, looking to make a sort of initiation, couldn't make the trip due to illness. Aside from that, visiting with my siblings and their respective spouses was a great joy. The lunch and conversation with my grandmother and a dear friend of mine really goes to show. Not a bust, but way too many problems this year.
2. Fantasy Football - As I have in years past, I partake in a college pick 'em league. Really simple: pick the winners each week, drop your lowest week, and largest total wins. Came in second last year (Shawn's picks just outdid me in the final three weeks), but this year I came out on top. It was a frisky few final weeks, but two points is two points. Shawn? He came in second. It was a fun league and I look forward to next year's competition.
3. Kindle - I don't want to spoil the full entry that'll probably come in a few days, but basically, this singular device has enabled me to read more than I have in the last few years. Don't get me wrong, I've read my share, but this device is, quite frankly, so easy and handy to have around, reading is simply that much easier. But more later...
4. Playstation Move - Santa was pretty nice this year, and I splurged on the Move. So easily put, it's the Wii that's been jacked up on Steroids and enabled with sniper vision. It works so easily and eliminates all the annoyances that the Wii had (I still have and enjoy the Wii, just differently). The 1:1 ratio of movement tracking really can create some tired arms, but it's a lot of fun. Watching my son take care of his little animal on EyePet is quite hilarious. More after further testing...

That's it for now. Yeah, I know...nothing really substantial. That's okay. In fact, this holiday, I've spent more time really trying to focus on the little things. Paying attention to my kids and what makes them smile and laugh. I guess it's those little things.

As this year closes, wherever you are and whom ever you share the entering year, make it a step forward in the right direction.

Cheers!

Shazam!

Rant: Cheating Sucks

Cheating sucks.

Cheating kids out of something sucks even more.

Cheating kids out of the experience in a developmental league to stoke your over-inflated ego, well, I think you know where I'm going with this.

As my brother and my bud reads over this (wifey doesn't visit too often...), they are probably thinking "Get over it finally..." Not quite that easy; you let me know when you son and his friends get robbed out of something. Sure it's a part of life, but dammit, my job as a parent is to stand up for them in times like this.

I did do that, in a most respectful way, after the game and in an attempt to keep it private (away from little eyes). I called to his attention the infraction to the rules, which is there to enable equal play for all the players. His initial response? "Hey man, I gotta go for the win." To answer your question, they are nine and ten year olds.

I cited the rules. And he gets mad. "Don't tell me about the rules. I'm the coach." We went to the same clinic man. "Don't step to me like this; it's ...." I could continue, but it gets pretty repetitive (different gym, different rules; asking the underpaid and ill-informed refs; etc.) until the last part.

Frustrated, I walk away, throw my hands in the air, and say "Whatever..." I'm a good ten fifteen feet away when I do this; he queries back, "What? Yeah, walk away; walk away."

The end of the season cannot come soon enough.

I haven't had someone actually want to go to fisticuffs with me...since high school.

Was I the bad guys about all of this? Then why the hell do I feel guilty?

Personal Saturday

Basketball, no defense.

Lunch, gratis.

Parking, $15.

Rodeo, $20.

Boots for Beloved, $$$.

Carney Tix, $30.

Whining Kids, Headache x 2.

Chili Cheese Fries, Heartburn.

Quality Time with the Fam, Well Spent.

And you thought this was a priceless bit, didn't you?

Time Marches On...

"Reloj no marques las horas..."

I can remember in the movie, Selena Quintanilla's character complaining to her dad, "But I don't want to sing in Spanish!"

While the movie doesn't really have anything to do with this post (it's an interesting flick and should be required viewing for any South Texas resident), the lyrics do.

Lately, it seems I can't find enough time to do all the things I want to do. Shall I make a list?

1. Family

2. Work (homework)

3. Guitar

4. PS3

5. Blogging

6. Reading

7. Sleeping

8. Showering

9. A full night's rest.

Call me old, but damn if there ain't enough time in the day to do all the things I want to do, and just not have enough time. Obviously there are things that must be done every night. But what about nights when I gotta add to the list washing dishes, or running some other errand? It just doesn't happen.

Maybe I'm feeling a bit of stress from the packet I received in the mail just the other day. It's that time of year again, and in the next two weeks, I have spent from eight to twelve hours grading packets that have to be back in the capitol on an exact timeline. I've been an ass the last few years and put it off until the last few days, but a-ha the miracle of Internet allows me to profess my intention of maintaining a disciplined schedule of scoring said packets.

I guess I shouldn't complain. I love doing things with my family. The fact that my list is even that long is almost embarassing when I think back to the incident of a few days ago.

Ever have problems managing your time? Feel free to share.

Shazam!

Force a Symphony

As a special gift for my son's birthday, I surprised him with tickets to the San Antonio Symphony. For last night's events, we saw Michael Krajewski conducting to a series of John Williams's music.

I haven't been to a symphony before (at least not a profressional one); I've done a few college ones during my time at Sam Houston. I've seen Cats but that's about it. So last night was definitely a treat for us all.

The set list contained music from The Olympics, The Cowboys, Jaws, Harry Potter, and of course, Star Wars series.

Apparently, Krajewski has a sense of humor; and it shows. He was more than gracious and spoke to the audience, giving a bit of a story for most of the songs. More so, this humor was initially evidenced during "The Shark Theme". As those two notes built to a crescendo, a large paper fin appeared and moved along below the conductor, appearing to stalk a prey.

The night was a great night. I even saw a few of my students on a field trip with the school band (there's even a funny story there). For all the fun that we had enjoying an evening of fine music, there was one niggle that Renee and I discussed on the way home.

You can't underestimate the enthusiasm of a fanboy. As such, anything Star Wars brings them out of the woodwork. Applaud is great and so are standing ovations, but excessive hooting and hollering? I don't know. Maybe I am getting old. Renee did say it was "the Pops", but is that an excuse?

All in all, Dylan really enjoyed it.We are looking at going back for the Beatles show in March. We may really discovered something...

Shazam!

Race On: Pinewood Derby

It's that time of year again for Boy Scouts across the nation...Pinewood Derby.

For the uninitiated, it's an opportunity to build up a wooden race car and compete against your fellow scouts. Competitions can range from the oh so friendly to down right vindictive. As this is our second year participating, we've only read about those stories.

Last year, Dyl and I built up a Lamborghini Murcielago (it's basically a shaped wedge) and in doing so, we learned a lot.

This year, we've really taken the art of shaping the cars to a new level. Dyl wanted a classic car, so we went with the 1967 Shelby GT 500, a la Eleanor. Luke wanted a Batmobile, so that's what we built, slightly modified. We race on Sunday, so hopefully we do well. It was a lot of fun spending time with the boys doing this. Not too many headaches, and plenty of memories.

I'll follow up with results later.

Follow Up:So we had the races on Sunday and it was on the verge of chaos, but that's not unusual. The Scouts is a great outlet for the kids, in addition to being a superb channel for introducing kids to camping, nature, and self sufficiency (at least thinking about it).

There was a total of six heats: Tiger Cubs, Wolf Cubs, Bear Cubs, Webelos I and II, and Me Too's. The Me Too's are sisters and younger siblings of scouts; think of it as a way to include other family members.

Looking at the cars, the best ones (not counting my sons) were the kits. While quite nice, they lacked that handcrafted imperfection that hints at a handiwork and builds pride and character. In fact, the fastest car there was a homegrown camouflage truck with weights on the bed (more on him later).

With the heats set, it comes down to racing a three-lane incline that flattens out in the second half, probably about twenty-five feet long or so. One of the most interesting facets of this race is the timing mechanism. While I suspected a high dollar multiple timing system with lap and such (typical of track meets and high end race events), this timer that I could make out consisted of a PC, monitor, connections to the track, and a VCR? Yes, that's right. Home brew software took a busted VCR and converted it into a multi lane timing system...accurate to the thousandth of a second. With blue/red/white indicator for place. If that ain't the Scout way...

Dyl's GT500 had a good and consistent showing. His car was a bit big and just not well enough on the low volume/high mass ration. He did improve over last year however, finishing second in his heat.

Lukers's Batmobile was one of the fastest cars at the event. His car's best time was about a 3.7 or so (the camo truck I mentioned earlier ran a 3.51). I was impressed with the little car and Lukers had a great time sitting, cheering and yelling.

Life can be great at times, and this Sunday race was no exception.

Shazam!

The Mighty Pencil: Jim Lee

Jim Lee helped me make it through middle school.

While many may not recognize the name, a great many do. Jim Lee is a comic book artist, writer and publisher. A major player in the comic biz for the last fifteen or more so years, back in the late 80's he was a rising star. I still have (and have passed them down to my oldest son) my original Punisher: War Journal collections which he penciled, along with the new X-Men series that he did with Chris Claremont. While not in pristine shape by any means, those worn pages helped me make it through a plethora of tedious and long days at my new school. I even made a few friends through comics (Darren preferred West Coast Avengers while I was a die hard Uncanny X-men kind of guy).

While we didn't have much money, my mother did allow me to splurge on comics twice a month. Ah the anticipation of filling up with gas at Lange's gas station and perusing the comic book display for the latest issues.

High school really allowed me to expand my collection and I really worked to piece together continuous issues (X-Cutioner's Song really kicked my ass!) but it was more than difficult.

I even remember my first Frank Miller comic: Batman: Year One. I bought it at the mall in Tyler while on Christmas vacation. I didn't realize the lasting impression it would leave with me. To this day, I still have it and discover the little nuggets that I often overlooked in the first and twenty-first reading of those books.

I don't buy to many actual comics today anymore. It seems that they have risen in price dramatically (Currently, that pristine copy of 300 that Kris has sitting on his shelf retails for about $25.00 US. I'll buy a few of whatever the boy wants when it's time, but for now, I'll be introducing him to digital copies. Kris is shaking is head; I know it's not the same, but it's an introduction and a chance to really read the comic. The intrinsic value lies in the shared time and the mystic of a mint copy (but still having read the book).

Call me a geek if you will, but you cannot doubt the hotness of Psylocke. For your viewing pleasure...

Holidays Forever

It's Tuesday and the sun is hiding behind the clouds and rain.

A very brisk 44 degrees outside, not freezing, but enough to piss on any ideas of working out outside like I usually do.

The boys are playing PS3 in the living room and Momma's at the grocery store.

People, behind the security of anonymity and private thoughts, scoff at the idea of a teacher's salary. Quite frankly, it could be worse. I live comfortably (at least attempt to) within our means. But this isn't about that. As much as many folks will sneer at being a teacher, I never hear the end of how lucky we are to have such great vacation dates. Thanksgiving, Christmas (Winter Break if we are being PC, but we're not so...), MLK, Spring Break, Good Friday/Easter, Memorial Day, and Summer Break are the big ones that pretty much all schools get in one form or another. Add in a few local holidays (stock show for country schools and such) and you get a nice little break regularly.

And that my friends, is one of the biggest pay-offs for teachers. No, I don't get to vacation in the absence of school aged children; my holidays mimic theirs. No, I usually have to schedule things around the holidays (major travel, special trips, dental, etc.) and usually encounter even more kids in doing so. But for all that, I'm the luckiest guy out there.

In this holiday alone, I've had the fortune to visit my Grandmother, my brother and his family, my mother and her family, celebrate Christmas with my family (extended as well) over three days, practice my guitar playing, visit with my buddy Tom (guitar and PS3 activities), buy a new pedal (and try it out), take the boys to see Avatar (see the link for a great review), and still have time to prepare for celebrating New Year's Eve.

I'm forever thankful for the career that I have. To disagree with Diddy, it ain't all about the Benjamins; it's about the family. Being around my family, especially the boys, at the same time they are off is truly priceless. They are at an age that they can still see that magic. I'm still cool (but that's fading fast with the older one) and that counts for so much.

Wherever you are, whatever it is you are doing, make it the best. Don't give teachers shit about having holidays off; you probably make more than they do, and they spend more time with your kids than you do during the school year anyways. Enjoy what remains of the holiday.

But as for me, the holidays themselves take a break for kids to go back to school.

Week 2 Fitness and Home-grown Guitars

And so I finish the second week with a total of -3 lbs...cumulative total of -10 lbs. I'm more than fortunate to have a co-worker/teammate barking down my ass about staying on top. I joke with her that my back hurts from carrying the team. Whatever works I guess.

Wifey's been super supportive and that really helps. Little things like "You don't need that" and such just end up not being annoying but motivating reminders that I need early in this stage.

For those keeping up, the Asics kick some serious ass. I can understand how serious runners like them. The offer a more than appropriate amount of cushion, but lack that marshmallow feel that you get with Air Max. Think of them as comfy as adidas with the cushion a big fellow needs from Air Max. Best of both worlds. The bluetooth headphones are pretty awesome as well. Good battery life, stays on when jogging, and so easy to switch songs when needed. Totally eliminates having to have a watch, phone, and MP3 player devices; one device that truly works well.

Many of you readers may have heard about my good friend Tom, my guitar mentor. Well, my son had to make a musical instrument for his next Boy Scout meeting. Instead of a typical cop out drum or shaker, Dyl Man wanted to make a guitar. We initially decided on a cigar box type guitar (Google them), but after arriving at Tom's house this afternoon, we went with a modified Flying-V. A great choice, we just need to string it up. Fret board is a bit wide, but all in all, the tuners work great, and Tom once again proved how awesome of a friend he is.

Thanks Uncle Tom!

Cheers,

The Mert

20 Hours for CFS

What makes for road trip worthy food? How far would you drive?

A good time and all, I really enjoyed having my dad down for a few days. He got to finally meet his second grandson and reestablish with his first grandson and his son and daughter-in-law. Got to meet stepmom; she's a lovely person. Both got to see how much of a baller I am in this one-horse town. The constant "Hello"s coming from the throngs of young people seem to impress him (or annoy him and he just played it off).

To anyone who had to leave Texas, you can perhaps understand this. One of the most important details my dad really wanted to address on his road trip was allowing his new wife to taste Chicken Fried Steak.

Homesick Texan has the quote stating "Only a rank degenerate would drive 1,500 miles across Texas without eating a chicken-fried steak." —Larry McMurtry". Mr. McMurty had it right, and my dad knew it as well. No, we are not talking about breaded steak, not fried round steaks, but chicken fried steaks. Crispy batter that is nearly twice the size of the actual tenderized steak, cream gravy just makes everything else taste that much better dripping off the sides of the oversized crisped batter, and Texas toast that is...well, toasted in Texas.

After a few plans and subsequent changes, we chose a local joint in town, just within walking distance of our festival. The menu offered just the thing; the clincher was the final detail written verbatim: "IT'S REALLY BIG!" That was all it took. Twenty minutes later, my dad and his wife that golden nugget of deep fried goodness. The first thing my dad did after inhaling its aromatic taunts was to take a picture to immortalize the moment. I felt as if I was hosting the stereotypical Asian couple often portrayed in those stupid 80's flicks. Funniest moment was perhaps the waitress; she truly doubted that this couple drove twenty hours just for some chicken fried steak. Ah, the lack of faith among the unitiated and untested. Remember that next time you leave Texas (or your home state.)

Writer's Block

Anyone who's done any writing knows the feeling. That overused cliche when you're in high school and you are looking for that reason to sit around and not write? Well, here I am. Perhaps I've just got too much stimulus and can't focus on any one thing for longer than a few minutes,but that's just where it is.

So for being a loyal fan and still checking in, I present you with....

Random Facts!

1. Michael Jackson died. So did Farrah Fawcett. So did Billy Mays. So did someone's Grandma, Granpa, cousin, uncle, aunt, sister, etc. People die. It's tragic, but let's remember the context.
2. I took my son to the putting green yesterday and we even hit a few balls. First time since April. Nice without pressure.
3. Houston Astros is still my favorite MLB team. Regarless of thier current standing.
4. Steve and Bobby Forrest are nice guys.
5. Breakfast tacos with your brother and sister-in-law is so underrated.
6. Lunch with your sister and brother-in-law is also underrated.
7. Washing dishes is so overrated.
8. I don't have an excuse to go watch Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen yet...
9. Potty training is...well...potty training.
10. There will be fireworks at Sea World.

Hopefully, more in a day or two. Something a bit better...

Cheers.

Simply the Best

Cue the intro, boys...

Today is Father's Day, at least here in the States it is. For that, we tend to grill our choice of cuts outside, drink a few and shoot out texts/emails/etc. to our father figures.

I'm sure that amidst all the celebrations, there are some happy ones and probably some not quite so happy ones. For whatever reason, I hope that everyone has a day as awesome as mine; better yet, have one even more awesome.

Sometimes, we are forced to take things a bit slower. That happened today to me, at least. And for that, I am thankful. I thank all the powers that be for throwing in my face all the wonders that exist in my life, all the little things that make being here now worth the effort. As the day was winding down, we loaded up the SUV and prepared to depart. Somehow, the light just caught my wife's hair and she as looking towards me. For a brief moment that time decided to put in super slow-mo, the music began to play in the background, the planets aligned and the stars reigned supreme, the velvet ropes parted and I was allowed a glimpse of how wonderful life truly is. It is too easy to get sucked into the depths of negativity (not that the occasional bitching isn't healthy).

So where ever you may be, whatever might be going on in your life, make sure to simply take a moment (two if you really want to live!) and give thanks that you are here, send a wish out to your loved ones, and let Tina express herself in the best way possible.

Final Quote: "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." - Confucius

By Any Means Necessary...

Malcom X had the right words, but perhaps he and I are seeing things differently.

I just got done reading an interesting article about a home run in softball called back for a truly heinous reason. Of course, anyone who reads Rick Reilly knows his tone and I really enjoy his articles. But I digress.

At what point do we does winning come at the cost of setting aside our values? When does being right mean more than doing right? Ahh, the confusions of life...

Why this and why now?, you may be asking. Reading the article and having a couple of things happen in a day can do strange things to a person. No, nothing that life altering mind you, but simply the opportunity to really reflect and think about the decisions that a person makes.

I doubt anyone truly enjoys being wrong, nor does anyone truly love the joys of losing. Sometimes that as mundane as an argument with your poker buddy. Sometimes its as large as altering the outcome of a major game. Whatever the seeming scope and breadth of the situation, either have both a correct and a right outcome, which may be the same or not. In the case of the called back homer, the Busch-League call was correct (to a certain extent, but read the article for that) but wrong.

So if you get into an argument like I did today, don't be a jerk about it. Sure, you may be right, but what are you going to win? Sometimes it's just better to accept the situation and shrug, smile, and say okay. Of course, my other mom Deby would just smile her smile and know that she was right.

So Malcom wasn't referring quite to the same as me, but let's imagine if everyone to this train of thought to being good people.

And Renee would simply say "I told you so."

Teacher's Summer: Day 13

Ah, the joys of summer. For all of you hard working folks that don't have summers off, I get to join you on certain days.

As I missed my usual Wednesday entry, I thought about what I did the last few days. See, I was not stuck, but attended this really cool workshop in San Antonio about teaching strategies for struggling readers (this works just as well for regular readers). Obviously I learned so much that I wanted to share, so here we go...

If I didn't scare you off, thanks for staying. The point is that even though most teachers have the summer off, we still have work to do. Obviously this is done in a different capacity. I'll be attending almost two weeks' worth of training through the summer (three down!). I'll be working on various lesson plans, trying to incorporate the trainings and what I've learned.

And I'll be enjoying my summer as best as possible. What else have I done?

I've been playing guitar. Those of you long time readers (yeah Kris and Nelson!) know that I've been playing close to eight months now, and barre chords are coming along nicely. Starting to incorporate more picking (really depending on tablature right now) into the whole chord work. Dylan's bass playing is really coming along. He jests about giving lessons to some neighborhood kids, but he's just teaching them some basic stuff. Dyl does know how to play along to four or five songs, all the while singing. Life is a musical wonderland!

That's about it. I've started my short story and with it, I've kept my focus and written my minimal most days (I am on pace as I wrote more on certain days, but sometimes I'm away from the computer). Hopefully, I can get some valuable feedback from a few folks next month (Kris and Ice Pick, I'm thinking about you guys...).

That's about it for now. Want to say something? Go ahead, I'm too tired to complain. I still got to work out and I am going to watch this movie, The Shooter. Hopefully it's pretty decent.

Final Quote: "Ain't no cure for the summertime blues." - Eddie Cochran

Wedding Quarters

"Do you?"

"Do you?"

"I now prounounce you..."

I'm sure that you can predict the rest of that sentence. It was an interesting weekend for me, that's for sure. While I did get to see a movie (see Kris's post about that here), it's more about the entire reason for my trip that I write.

A wedding. The joining of two people who deign to be together until the very end. For all that, it's funny how things work out.

I really won't bore with you details. This is more about me and a few select people remembering the time that we shared. If you feel lost, you may want to skip the rest. If you want to smile at the possiblities and still be lost, then keep on reading.

Top 8 Memorable Moments from the 6-15-09 Wedding:

Honorable Mention: Continously hearing farting noises (mouth generated)

8. Instructions on making scrambled eggs

7. Being corrected on how to speak to the drive-thru teller

6. Holding and comparing play swords that are sharp enough to cut your head off

5. Lenghty conversation about writing

4. Terminator Salvation with a good friend

3. Enchiladas con salsa verde

2. One dollar bill = 3 quarters

1. Marriage Union

What did you expect? Anyway, I didn't say the entire list was going to be super good stuff. I like to keep it real.

Final Quote: "An ideal wife is any woman that has an ideal husband." - Booth Tarkington

Playing the Shill: AndreaMosaic

Okay, I'll do my part in the name of freeware.

Anyone who knows my knows that I love video and photography. I've never had fancy equipment until I bought my camcorder this year.

I digress.

It hit me today and I did a quick search and came across a how-to of sorts for photomosaics. This how-to suggested a few, and I clicked on the first one: AndreaMosaic.

Basically, I'm still learning the software, but anyone on my facebook saw my photo I posted. It's quite easy to get going, but probably takes a bit of practice to really master the finer points.

It's apparently named after an Andrea, but I don't know yet who she is. She simply asks that end users give her the props. There is a more bells & whistles version, the Professional, but I went with the basic.

To Andrea, thanks for what is thus far a great product. My son loves his picture (so does Mommy!).

Again, if you are considering doing something with that huge collection of digital prints on the hard drive, this is a great idea and a possible gift for Dad in the next few weeks.

Cheers!

Final Quote: "Photography is the beauty of life, captured. " - Tara Chisholm

Higher Standard Follow Up: No Crying in Baseball

One of my dear friends asked the question after reading my last post: What do you think about youth sports that don't declare a winner, where everyone win?

After strong consideration, I think that's not quite realistic. Part of the fun that comes with sports is competition. Compeititon is described, among other things, as "a contest between rivals". This, in essence, states that there will be one winner and one loser. Loser is so derogatory here; it simply states that you were not the victorious one.

Why is this better? Kids don't like defeat as much as adults. Losing hurts. You try your best but that weird kid playing left wasn't paying attention and the other team scored two runs as a result. Not your fault right? Team sports should teach teamwork (and all that entails, such as comeradie) that often is difficult to reproduce in other places. Sports can take you through a plethora of emotions. Happy ones that come from making a good play and helping to win the game. Sad ones that come from striking out to losing a close battle.

Is there a place for scoreless games? Sure, let's save that for the beginning leagues. The 5- and 6-year olds that are just starting out. It's more about learning the game there. As the kids grow, so should the expectations. The score won't kill a kid. And hopefully the parent is supportive in this endeavor.

Victory isn't always achieved by having the highest score. The high score only shows a few things, but often times, the most important score won't show up until years later.

Final Quote: "I used to care more about the score than I do now." - Darrell Royal

A Higher Standard

So my son's team played in the season ending tournament, and did quite well. While it didn't matter that we finished second, what did matter was the behavior of a few adults.

Anyone who has attended a Little League game (or pretty much any other youth sports activity) will witness kids playing and competing. You'll see young stars play a level above many of their team mates, and you will also see a great many beginners make mistakes. That's all part of youth sports. What grinds at me is the adults that ruin the party.

When is it ever appropriate to use profanity around 7 or 8 year olds? It it okay to throw your hat when a play goes awry? How about yelling (not loudly coaching mind you...) at a player? Here's one: the team isn't quite performing as well as they should, so you call the boys for a practice one weekend and force them to wear pink shorts, or hats or shirts for the duration of the practice. Don't feel like the rules are working in your favor? Go chew out some of the volunteers and criticize their volunteered time and efforts.

Obviously, I've got my opinions. Notice, I never pointed out parents. Because they, along with coaches, are equally invovled and should maintain that high standard. The youth that particiapte, along with the newly involved that you get each season, see these antics (because they stand out a lot more than the positive encouragement that is everpresent) and get the idea that it's acceptable.

It's not folks. I'm sure that some may say that wearing a bit of pink won't kill you, but I fail to see the point in boys wearing pink as a punishment. Yelling [insert sarcasm] always makes someone want to work harder.

But what do I know right? I've only got experience volunteering with YMCA, Special Olympics, Spurs League, and Little League, combined with years as a high school coach. I'm not going to say that my way is the ONLY right way, but there are definitely wrong ways out there.

Go ahead and make a comment. I promise only positive encouragement.

Final Quote: "All keep an open mind and a compassionate heart." - Phil Jackson

Interesting Question #4: What are your summer plans?

Ahh, the hot blazing sun kisses us with a warmth that burns my skin. Unyeilding humidity in South Texas that laughs when you say It'll be cooler this afternoon. And the lack of work duties for a few months.

Such is the life of a teacher. Fortunate for me. Now I'm sure that many of you aren't teachers and probably have to work through summers. I've been there, done that (I hate the prospect of ever working retail EVER again). And as I've been busy this past week, I've got to get caught up with this here blog, so here's this week's question:

What are your plans this summer?

Short and sweet. I'm not gonna give you verbatim every single smidgen of detail. Quite frankly, if you are still reading, then I'm doing good. Instead, I'll just list off a few items for interesting reading's sake and hopefully, you can reciprocate.

1. Sea World - Bought season passse, so we WILL get our money's worth, or die trying.
2. Guitar Lessons - The boy earned his guitar. The boy will learn songs.
3. Astros - Working on scoring tickets, this is a definite maybe.
4. NASA - Day camp later this summer.
5. ATX & H-Town - Family and Friends.
6. FPS - Training in Austin that ends up being a fun trip.

Enough about me. What are your plans? Share and share alike.

As usual, comments are always appreciated.

Final Quote: "School's out for the summer!" - Alice Cooper