Early Birthday Present

LOST 

It isn't often that someone is told what their going to get for their birthday seven weeks in advance. But thanks to E! Online, I now know that LOST -- the best show in the history of television IMHO -- will start its fourth season on my birthday.

The article attributes moving LOST to Thursday nights to the writers' strike but I can'tt help but wonder if some executive at ABC faithfully reads my blog and decided to throw one of the show's biggest fans a bone for patiently waiting nine months for the new season to begin.

At any rate, I hope the writers' strike ends soon as LOST only has eight of its 16 scheduled episodes in the can. If not, I'll be sending my resume to ABC come February to write the remaining eight episodes. If that falls through I have some other ideas I'm willing to pitch.

So to any television executives that read this blog take note: I'm willing to write scripted shows sans representation from the WGA. Just drop me a line and let's chat!

Let it Snow

Last year I took our oldest son sledding and it terrified him. (He was two at the time.) For some reason sledding down the hill -- even with me on the sled with him -- scared him to death. I was a little disappointed because it was an activity I really wanted to do with him. What a difference a year makes.

Last week, when the first snow fell, he was so excited to play in it. After tromping around the yard for a bit I asked him if he wanted to go sledding. He said "YES!"

As we approached the hill, I could see that the concerns and fears that were with him last year were returning. When we reached the top, I sat on the sled and told him to sit on my lap. He took a step back and shaking his head.

"You go first," he said. "I'll watch."

Knowing that watching Dad sled wasn't going to do anything to encourage him to have fun, I grabbed him, sat him on my lap, and down the hill we went with him screaming all the way down.

When we reached the bottom and he must have finally realized that sledding wasn't going to kill him. He stood up, grabbed my hand, and told me we needed to do it again.

The second time he gladly sat on my lap and laughed as we raced down the hill.

We spent an hour sledding and I had to convince him that it was time to go home.

Right now he's napping. There is five inches of fresh snow on the ground. More is falling from the heavens. I know when he wakes up, he's going to look out his window, see the new snow, and watch all the kids sledding down the hill. He's going to run down the stairs and ask if we can go sledding.

I'm going to say "YES!"

No Super Bowl XLII Tickets

 

I received a letter from the NFL today. Sadly it wasn't about my offer to purchase the Denver Broncos for $1,000. (They way they'e playing of late, I'm getting the raw end of that deal!) Rather it was to inform me that I wasn't selected in their random drawing to purchase Super Bowl XLII tickets.

The letter read:

Dear NFL Fan:

Your name was part of the Super Bowl XLII random drawing that included all written requests received by this office between February 1 and June 1. The National Football League regrets to notify you that your entry was not selected. All Super Bowl tickets available from the NFL for public sale have been allocated.

We appreciate your continued interest in Super Bowl games and the NFL.

Sincerely,

The National Football League.

You'd think the NFL could at least personalize these letters or, at the very least, have Roger Godsell personally sign all rejection letters. It appears the NFL has become another large and impersonal conglomerate. When did that happen? :-)

I guess this means Marathon Girl and I won't be traveling to Phoenix this February to enjoy the game. (Sorry Brent.) Instead we'll just have to invite everyone to our own Super Bowl party which is a lot funner and a lot less expensive. The only down side I can see to the game this year is that it looks like the Broncos won't be part of it.

Bless You Boys

Many thanks to Laura who was listening to a podcast, heard them mention a pretty cool blog on the Detroit Tigers, and sent me the link. Of course I'm dying to know what podcast she was listening to that would even mention that blog. (Laura: That's a hint to once again sign the guestbook.) 

Are you a closet Tiger fan Laura? Now that they've had two winning seasons in a row including a trip to the World Series, there's not as much stigma being associated with them. If you aren't ready to come out of the closet and admit your love for them publicly on my blog, just send me an email. :-)

Jury Duty II

 

Marathon Girl received a county jury duty summons this week.

The good news is that it's for a county that she no longer a resident of so she's off the hook. Her application, much less complicated that the federal jury summons I received last month, was as simple as checking a couple of boxes and mailing it back.

I'm not a math person but I think it's pretty rare that both a husband and wife would get hit with a jury duty summons for the same period of time.

Anyone want to calculate those odds?

I'm Grateful for Trials

During our life, we'll experience moments of joy and happiness. At other times we'll be met with misery and despair. Our brief time on this planet can be summed up in how we reacted and dealt with these experiences. Ruyard Kipling, I believe, said (or wrote) it best.

If

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don't deal in lies, Or being hated, don't give way to hating, And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master; If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch, if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it, And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

***

So this Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the moments and experiences that keep me teachable and humble. I'm thankful for the trials that help me realize how much I've been blessed with. I'm grateful for a wonderful, supportive wife, Marathon Girl, who is different enough from myself that she can provide insight and ideas that I hadn't considered when it seems as if there are no other options. And I'm grateful for the chances we have to grab life by the horns when it comes charging at you, learn and grow from our mistakes, and become a better person from all the we go through.