Why did I come here?

Posted on 04/23/2009 by RLW3

I actually went to the mall today. It’s not the first time.

I guess I should say I went to the mall to shop! As we all know, shopping at the mall is different than going to the mall to buy something. Today I actually went to a mall not knowing what I was looking for.

It felt a little like trying to remember how to ride a bike after a long time. I remember that I used to do this, especially at Christmas but, man, how many years has it been?

You see, my wife has been buying the Christmas presents for the past…well, for quite awhile. When our children were very young, I did most of the shopping for gifts. But, responsibility overwhelmed me and I would find myself rushing out LATE on Christmas eve to buy something for my wife.

Well, today is my wife’s _ _ somethinth birthday. Since my youngest daughter got her wisdom teeth pulled today, my plans for a family night out have to be postponed until Saturday night.

When I got in the car to go home after work, I thought “I HAVE to give her something tonight. I at least have to get her a card.” (I know this sounds pitiful but it is the truth)

As I pondered where to get the card, the idea of a gift floated into my head.

“She is definitely not expecting an actual gift. Maybe, I could surprise her.”

Heck, the very thought was surprising me!

Thankfully, I got off work a little early today so I wasn’t in a hurry. That was a good thing because I didn’t have a clue what I was looking for. I just figured that the mall was the best place to find whatever IT was.

Once inside, all I could see were jewelry stores. I counted at least six of them and I wasn’t even looking for them. But then an idea popped into my head…

earrings! That’s a great idea!

I headed into Helzberg Diamonds. Little tiny diamond stud for ONLY $349-699!!!

The two women couldn’t understand why I wasn’t excited about spending $295 for diamond stud earrings that were so small they needed a magnifying glass to fish them out of the case to show them to me!

“See, this our brand new advertisement with our special Mother’s Day pricing!”

“Well, gosh, if that’s all they are, I guess I should buy three or four pair”…NOT!!!

Back out into the mall…

I remember why I don’t shop at these places!…

The air was slowly seeping out of my balloon. It was looking like shoes (???), clothes (“What size is she? Besides, once I know her size, that is going to be a lot of work!”) or…

more jewelry stores…

I texted my oldest daughter, the fashionista in Dallas: “Please call me. I need help.”

I resumed my aimless wandering. I was just killing some time until my daughter called and give me some fabulous idea that would save the day. After all, this is her home turf.

Another one of those dang jewelry stores…

The sign said 40% off…

“Yeah, right! That would probably put them right in there with the last place’s special Mother’s Day prices!”

Technically, I didn’t go into the store. I was still in the mall but I stopped to look at the outermost case. I saw a pair of diamond encrusted, pearl earrings!

I asked how much they were…

about twice the amount that I was thinking when I walked into the mall…

but…

less than half of the Mother’s Day special accross the way…

I bought them and put the box in my shirt pocket feeling like I had succeeded in doing a “Man” thing.

When I entered our apartment, I handed her the card and gave her a “Happy Birthday” smooch. She read it and when we hugged, I made sure that I gave her a good, firm squeeze.

Sure enough, she wondered what was in my pocket.

When she opened it, her reaction made me start wavering. She was so surprised that I began to wonder if she didn’t like them. She was really taken aback. She couldn’t remember the last time that I bought her jewelry. And they fit her ears perfectly and look great on her!!!

Anyway, I think I did good!

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Actually enjoyable

Posted on 04/21/2009 by RLW3

How do you tell the man who started first and has conducted himself with honor and integrity that he probably won’t win?

How do you tell the first coach that thought your son was good enough to wrestle in college that your son is going to wrestle for another coach who just last week came to the same conclusion?

How do you tell the man who encouraged you to send the boy to the High School Senior Nationals because “he’s earned it” and because he wanted him to get all of the exposure he could get that because of that tournament, my son’s dream college is preparing to make him a scholarship offer?

How do you tell a man who has proven that he has your son’s best interest at heart that you have chosen another man to be coached by another man of whom I have heard good things but I do not know?

The discomfort of these thoughts hovered at the forefront of my mind while we ate dinner and chatted.

Then it came down to the business at hand. Instead of asking me a question, he went right to work on improving Baker University’s offer.

By the time that he finished, we had gone from having to come up with $13,000 per year to $8,000. If my son improves his test scores in the next 6 weeks, that could drop down to $5,000! That is manageable!

Then it was my turn. I decided to take the easy way out…I just told him the unvarnished truth.

Baker University is my son’s second choice. It has nothing to do with the wrestling program. Drexel just fits him better. I think that he already knew that.

I promised to keep informed.

It was an enjoyable evening. I think both of us left with even more respect and affection for the other than when we arrived. I just wish I could have relaxed a little more during the meal.

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A Kansas tornado in Philadelphia?

Posted on 04/20/2009 by RLW3

Tomorrow is Decision Day.

The Baker coach called to confirm our dinner appointment tomorrow night.

I called the Drexel coach. He answered the phone again! That’s three times in a week!

He received last week’s e-mail. It sounded like he was very excited about bringing my son to his school. He said that they are working hard on putting together the best package they can.

I am so excited for my son. It looks like he went from nothing to a Division 1 scholarship in less than 18 months!

Kinda like a Kansas tornado…it comes out of nowhere and changes everything that it touches.

Absolutely above and beyond anything that I ever imagined when we made the decision to move to Kansas 2 1/2 years ago. Amazing!

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For free…nah. Let’s pay for it!

Posted on 04/19/2009 by RLW3

I woke up this morning to the realization that my son’s next SAT date is less than two weeks away. He has been working very hard at his school work but he has not done any extra preparation for this test.

If he doesn’t do any preparation, it seems foolish to think that he will significantly improve his scores.

I searched “SAT” on our local Craig’s List and found what might be the smartest man in the world. At least his ad said so.

I called him and set up an appointment for this evening at 7:00. He charges $60/hour!

I decided to go with my son. If I am going to pay that kind of money, I want to make sure that the man is worth it. It is too easy for anyone to look “So Much Cooler Online.”

I no sooner shook his hand than he was working with my son. He didn’t slow down the entire hour.

At the end of one hour, he had my son’s weaknesses pegged. The irritating thing is that his mother and I have been pointing out those same weaknesses for several years…

and we didn’t charge anything!

But, hey, what do we know???

I now have to make a decision. Will it be worthwhile to keep meeting with him? There is no way to KNOW that.

However, if I do continue, I am absolutely certain about one thing…

It ain’t gonna be cheap!

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Pain from top to bottom

Posted on 04/18/2009 by RLW3

Today was not a very productive day.

I did go watch/coach my son in his latest tournament. (he won)

I also met with a college funding advisor only to find out that there is not much he can do to help me.

Outside of that, I spent most of the day in the horizontal position.

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned that I had dental surgery. Well, today my face is swollen and my head hurts. I am trying to take as few Vicodin as possible.

All I want to do is sleep. And it has not been peaceful sleep. It has been the “hold your head between your left bicep and right hand to counteract the pressure on the inside” kind of sleep.

And to top it off, I feel like a horse has kicked me in the tailbone. I have no idea how or when that happened but every time I stand up, I wince in pain audibly.

It is amazing how I discover how much I take for granted whenever something goes wrong in my body. I have never even thought of being grateful for being able to stand up without pain. I just stand up. However, now that there is a problem with one small muscle, that simple act has become a very painful challenge.

Anyway, my two youngest are off to the school prom and my wife is at work so…zzzzz

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HECK NO!!!

Posted on 04/17/2009 by RLW3

Something happened to me that I have never experienced before…

I’ve heard about this but have never experienced it myself and I have been around a few years!

A young man called me on the phone and introduced himself. Nothing unusual there. Telemarketers do it all of the time.

He then asked if he could take my oldest daughter out on a date!

My daughter lives in Dallas. She is 22 years old. She made him do it.

She texted me to tell me that he was going to call.

I called her back and threatened that I might say no. “Don’t say no, Daddy.”

“Oh, so this is just a courtesy call. He’s not really asking me. This is just a formality.”

She started laughing. She met him at church. He plays in the worship band and really seems to be a godly young man with great character.

Oh, what did I say…My son asked that very question.

“HECK NO!!!”

“Really?”…

“That is what I said.”

My son’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“You said that?”

Yep.

The young man on the phone laughed nervously. My son, though, had a look of bewilderment and confusion on his face.

I fairly quickly caved and gave him permission to take her out. Then I really turned soft and told him that I hoped that they had a great time.

But…

I had just gotten out of dental surgery when he called…

So now that I am getting back to my right mind…

Where is that shotgun!

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Roll the tape again

Posted on 04/16/2009 by RLW3

The Drexel coach has evidently had a change of heart. 

I put eight matches on the DVD. 3 of those showed my son losing.

You might ask, “Now why would you do that when you are trying to impress someone?”

It turns out that was the smartest thing I could have done. Guess what part of the DVD convinced the Drexel coach that my son has Division 1 ability?…

Exactly…THE LOSSES!!!

Two of the losses were to young men who wrestled at Senior Nationals! One of them made it to the final sixteen. The guy who beat him in the KS State Finals finished 3rd…

in the nation!!!

That means that both of them beat a lot of wrestlers that the coach knows in the national tournament.

In fact, my son’s was eliminated by a guy from New York in a very close match.

Back to the e-mail…

After my call and e-mail, he and his assistant watched my son’s DVD again. This time, they had the High School Senior National bracket sheet out. They saw how he wrestled against the guy who finished in the top sixteen. They saw how he wrestled the guy who finished third in the nation. They saw the quality of the wrestlers from their area that were beaten in the Nationals by those two…

and they concluded that my son DEFINITELY has Division 1 ability and they would love to have him on their team!

I am glad I sent him to that tournament!

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Throw the line in and see if we get a bite

Posted on 04/15/2009 by RLW3

“I don’t know if your plans have changed since the last time we spoke, but would you be open to relocating to the NY/NJ area?”

That was the beginning text of an e-mail that I received from a recruiter last night. He had seen my reumé on Monster.com. To tell you the truth, I had forgotten that I had posted it.

Three months ago, I wasn’t. Now, I’m not so sure. If my son ends up going to college there…

I called my wife in and showed her…

“You’re kidding me.”

I called him today. The job is in Long Island, New York.

I did a search for universities in the area where the company is located.

Hofstra University…

finished top 10 in the NCAA tournament in wrestling…

they have a civil engineering major…

I called the wrestling coach…

He needs a 165 pounder…

He agreed to give my son a look.

We are sending the DVD tomorrow.

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Hide and seek, round two!

Posted on 04/14/2009 by RLW3

I have one week to make a BIG decision…

Where should my son go to school?

How will we pay for it?

I decided to call the Drexel coach. I didn’t really hold out much hope when I dialed the number because I haven’t heard from him in at least three weeks despite leaving several messages and sending several e-mails.

Surprise! He actually answered the phone. I wonder if he felt like his hiding place had just been discovered.

He confirmed that he got the DVD we sent him several weeks ago. He began telling me that he had watched it but he didn’t know the guys who he was wrestling against. He had nothing to compare it to. He knows the wrestlers from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

However, the tone of his voice noticeably changed when I informed him that my son did in fact wrestle in the Senior Nationals. He then started talking about how he didn’t need a heavyweight until next year. I reminded him that my son wrestles in the 160 pound class.

It was quickly becoming obvious that the DVD had not made that much of an impression on him. That is why he had not returned my calls or e-mails.

After I hung up, I decided to send him an e-mail with the behind the scenes details of the Senior Nationals. After all, this is pretty much my last chance. I have a dinner appointment next Tuesday night!

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He found me!

Posted on 04/13/2009 by RLW3

I got an unexpected call this morning. It was a call that I had been trying to avoid.

Last week, we received the scholarship offer from Baker University.

The school costs $28,000 per year. After academic and athletic scholarships and a university grant, we would have to come up with $13,000 of that. We don’t have $13,000 per year. This is the very thing that I mentioned to him when he first approached me.

My first thought was to call the coach right away to express my surprise. However, I decided to wait.

Follow my logic and see if it makes sense to you…

If I call him and tell him that the university’s offer was quite a bit below what we had been led to expect, he would ask me what we were hoping for. If I tell him that we were expecting to have to provide between $5-6,000 and he improves his offer to give us that amount, I would be more or less obligated to accept his offer.

So, I didn’t call. In fact, I hoped that he would get so busy that he would forget about us for awhile. That would give us time to see if the other Division 1 schools were really interested.

You can imagine my surprise and discomfort when my phone started ringing and I saw who was calling me! It felt like we were playing Hide and Seek and he just discovered my hiding place!

He wants to get together for dinner and make his final offer. I managed to delay it until next Tuesday night. That doesn’t give me much time.

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