Time in a Bottle

If I could save time in a bottle, the first thing that I’d like to do, I’d save everyday…till the end of the day, and then I’d dump it all out, scrape the bottom w/ a spoon, lick the sides and then finish all my chores!

It can’t just be me. Don’t we all feel this way? I mean who couldn’t use a few more hours in the day to finish the everyday things that get pushed to the bottom of our “to-do” list? Clean the house, finish projects at work, write that blog entry you’ve been meaning to do for a week now!

I spend so much time with my wife and kids, that I really wouldn’t mind taking a tablespoon of their time and moving it over to the me-time column, especially last night’s “I won't take a bath, You will take a bath, I won't take a bath” episode! That was thirty minutes of mind-numbing exhaustion that I will never get back.

I guess the good thing about time is that we all have the same amount of it. You can’t buy it, you can’t squirrel it away, and you can’t lose it. Yes, yes, I know you can watch too much TV, and even pay someone to do chores for you, but if you allocate your time effectively, everything that you need to get done, can get done!

The next time you feel frustrated, and out of time, sit down and schedule the things you need and want to do. It may seem a bit impersonal to schedule that phone call to Grandma, but you’ll feel better for calling her, she’ll be excited to hear from you. You may even be able to get rid of that magic “time-saving” bottle!

How many more hours do you need in a day? Leave a comment below…

The First Sign of Old Age

I woke up this morning with an achy back. Actually, I’ve woken up a lot recently with an achy back! Isn’t that the fist sign of old age? You can’t get out of bed without a lot of grunting and groaning.

I make my way to the bathroom, look in the mirror and see that it’s still me looking back. The picture my wife has next to her sink is me. I can even pick myself out in high school and college pictures, which is more than I can say for a lot of other guys my age!

I can’t recall what I had for lunch yesterday, and, perhaps selectively, I can’t remember to take out the trash every Wednesday and Sunday. But I can remember my college days like they just happened! There has to be a medical term for this. I mean, I have every other medical condition, why not this one too?

What happened? I don’t remember growing up, but I can feel the effects of growing old! I try to keep fit. I eat all the right things; I run around with my kids; I ride my bike three times a week; and I do yoga (OK, I’ve done it once). But I made a progress chart and have good intentions!

While my SUV is not the enemy, it’s insurance against other crazy drivers. I can relate completely to the song “1985” by the band Bowling for Soup. You’d think these guys had hit 40 themselves by listening to their lyrics. “When did Motley Crue become classic rock? And when did Ozzy become an actor?” See what I mean? They even sing about the days when MTV played videos. I don’t even let my kids watch MTV!

Another “You got that right brother” song is “19 Something” by country singer Mark Wills. Funny enough, he sings about MTV and SUVs as well. But the line that strikes a chord is when he sings “I saw Star Wars at least eight times; Had the Pac-Man pattern memorized.” Didn’t we all?

I guess the real first sign of old age is using modern technology to show your kids how cool things were “back in the day”.

When did you get old? Leave a comment below…

Hello World

There it is the ubiquitous IT calling card that has “computer nerd” written all over it. I can’t think of a better way to introduce myself than by simply saying “Hello world”. I mean this is the World Wide Web after all.

While I do work in our IT department, I’m less of a computer nerd than you would imagine. I don’t program, and I don’t fix computers! I love Star Wars, and superhero movies, which doesn’t do much for my street cred, but I’m also into gadgets, also doing nothing to help my case! Here’s one for ya. No one in my family calls me to fix their computer when it breaks.

You’d think that this would be my first entry, but that in itself should tell you something about me! I am the father of two, and the husband of one, not just because it is illegal to be the husband of two, but she’s the one I love. My time is spent almost exclusively with my family, which has transformed me from frat boy, Alfa driving single guy, to suburban dad with a barcalounger on wheels.

At the end of the day, I’m simply a father, son, husband, brother, and blogger. I hope you enjoy my stories, and see a little bit of yourself in the things I write about. I hope to update my site 2 – 3 times a week, and consider this to be a work in progress, so expect new features on a regular basis.

Who are you? Leave a comment below…

It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you coach the game.

For the last couple of years, I have coached, or helped coach, all of my oldest son’s sports teams, soccer, baseball, basketball, and have had a really fun time doing it. I coached my youngest son’s soccer team last fall when he laced up his cleats for the first time.

You may think that I am one of those athletic dads who played everything when he was a kid or in high school, or worse yet, one of those dads who thought he could play everything, but didn’t. Actually I’m quite the opposite. Boy Scouts was my thing: camping, cooking, hiking. I coach my kids for the bonding experience, to make a connection with them, and to share a common interest in sports.

This year we’ve gone “big time”. We are now playing official Little League, you know the one in Williamsport, PA, and the pressure is on! Not for him, for me! We’ve gone from church league, where ALL the kids bat, every inning, to three strikes and “You’re Out”! Sure they’re bummed if they strike out, but at this age, they play for fun, the snack at the end of the game, and the trophy at the end of the season. The parents are the one’s who keep score. Literally, we have an official scorekeeper! I have been blessed however. None of my parents have ever complained, yelled at an umpire, a kid, or most importantly, me! But we are only two games into the season.

I can already feel the groundswell. My wife asked if I wanted to hear little Johnny’s mother’s suggestion. C’mon guys, I barely know all the kids names yet!

Coaching first graders has its challenges. Not only do you want the kids to win so they will have fun, but you want them to be able to play all positions, bat as many times as possible, and feel like they are part of the team.

Maybe the biggest challenge is being able to keep in perspective that this is just a game, a kid’s game at that, and I shouldn’t get too high or low over the wins and loses. At the end of the day, if the kids have had fun then I’ve done my job!

Of course, I still retain the right to tweak the batting order as needed!!!

How do you coach the game? Leave a comment below…