Why can’t a woman be more like a man?

Posted on 04/10/2009 by RLW3

What is it about women? What do they have against having a little money in your pocket?

I have a great coupon for TGI Friday’s. Buy one entree, get the second for $1.

The first time I took her out, we spent $36…

WITH the discount.

I told her that another guy at work took his wife out to the same restaurant and spent only $12!

We tried again tonight…

$34!

Now, I realize that is not a lot of money. However, in my defense, I try to take my wife out on a date at least every other week, usually weekly. So, in a month, it adds up.

And we are on a budget. After all, I have taken a salary cut of 35% with my current job.

But, back to the point. I viewed this coupon as a chance to enjoy a nice meal together and actually SAVE MONEY! She views the coupon as a chance to buy all of the expensive stuff on the menu!

Why can’t a woman be more like a man?

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If I only had a brain…

Posted on 04/09/2009 by RLW3

That was the Scarecrow’s chorus in “The Wizard of Oz.” He called me and wants royalties from me!

I didn’t get a call from the general manager of the Honda shop last night.

So, in anticipation of his call this morning…

I left my phone at home!!!

DUUUUUHHHH!

I called my wife as soon as I got to work to tell her about my latest boneheaded move and asked her to take it with her to work and call me as soon as they called.

She called me at her 1:00 break. She has no idea how my “stupid phone” works. I called the shop. The GM was out to lunch until two. At two, I was having some difficulties at work so I didn’t think to call until 4:00.

“Did you get my message?”

“No. I left my phone at home.”

“Well, I couldn’t find a used radiator and I didn’t want to buy a new one until I heard from you.”

I told him to put a new one in. However, since it was already 4:15, he couldn’t get it done today!

Uuuuuggghhhh! First I forgot my phone. Then I forgot to call back.

I was not trying to mess up my wife’s trip. Really!

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I didn’t even officially ask!

Posted on 04/08/2009 by RLW3

In our last episode, I was rushing the car back to the Honda shop hoping that someone was there even though they were closing when I drove off their lot 30 minutes earlier.

I prayed a desperation prayer, “God, please have someone at the shop.” Like God is going to have someone drive back to the shop, reopen the place that they just closed and wait for me to bring my car back to them!

I prayed it so quietly that my wife, who was sitting in the passenger seat, didn’t hear me. 

I was also praying that the car wouldn’t overheat. That was a more “answerable” prayer so I prayed that one out loud.

When I made the last left turn before turning into the parking lot, I was so thankful that the car did not display any of the usual symptoms from overheating.

I pulled into the parking and guess what I saw…

the general manager was there with the last garage door open!!!

I told him of the problem. I asked if could give me a good used radiator since I didn’t want to sink a small fortune into this car? He said that he would look to see if he had one. If he had one, he would call us to come pick up the car tonight! If not, then tomorrow morning!

My wife’s trip to Tennessee to spend Easter with our second daughter might still be on!

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What’s that burning smell?

Posted on 04/08/2009 by RLW3

I picked up the Honda from the shop after work. I got it serviced before my wife drives to Nashville to visit a few friends this weekend.

I asked the shop to fix only what was necessary. That came to a total of $104. I was happy.

Since the shop was closing, I chose to drive the Honda home to pick up my wife and then drive back to pick up our SuperCrew.

Everything was going perfectly until my wife got into the car.

“What is that burning smell?”

“What burning smell” as I rolled down the window.

The distinct scent of hot coolant greeted my nostrils. My temperature gauge is evidently not working. Not good!

I opened the hood…

Yep, the radiator is leaking…Not good!

Smoke was also rising from the back of the engine…Not good!

The shop had given me a quote to fix those two items at a later date. They totaled over $600!

Needless to say, I was less than thrilled about these developments.

I quickly drove back to the shop. I had little to no hope that anyone would still be there since they were closing as I drove out of the lot. However, I need the car fixed by tomorrow and I have no place to work on it at home. I was just going to leave it in their lot and put the keys through the door into their mail slot.

However, I gradually realized that I should have been grateful. Its not like I didn’t know that they were going to need to be repaired in the near future. I just didn’t expect it to be today!

But, I’m glad this didn’t happen while my wife was driving to Tennessee. I’m also glad that I only had a 10 minute drive to get the car back to the shop. If the engine overheats, the aluminum head might warp. That would mean a bunch more money!

Once again, painful, but not all that bad when I consider the alternatives.

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The latest ambush

Posted on 04/07/2009 by RLW3

As you know, I have two high school aged children left in our home. Every now and then, I get ambushed by their developing brain. I use the word ambush because the situation arises so suddenly and unexpectedly that I know of no way to prepare for it in advance.

This past weekend, I worked fairly dilgently to finish burning all of the wrestling video onto DVD’s. I needed the disk space on my laptop to help him with his laptop.

 I was trying to get it done by the time my son returned from Virginia Beach. I finished Monday night.

I had to drop the Honda off for service after work. Since it is between our apartment and my son’s wrestling club, we agreed that he would pick me up on the way. I would then work on his laptop while he was wrestling and everything would be finished.

I called him at 5:00 to remind him of the location along with a few other things.

“Bring your laptop and the charger.”

“OK. And Auto-CAD?”

“Sure. Can you also bring my running shoes, shorts and a shirt?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Thanks. I want to run before I start working on the computer.”

40 minutes later, he picked me up and we headed to wrestling practice.

As we were getting out of the truck, I asked where my running gear was…

“Oh…”

“Where is your laptop?”

“Right…shoot…I forgot my laptop.”

“You forgot your laptop? That is what I was going to work on tonight…Where are my running shoes?”

Silence filled the air…

“I brought you sweatpants and a sweatshirt.”

Huh????

Some wires must have gotten crossed.

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Hoping not to fall

Posted on 04/06/2009 by RLW3

Teaching and training young adults (i.e. adolescents) can be a treacherous undertaking. The smallest wrong word can set them into a tailspin.

Sometimes, it doesn’t even take a word…they just go into a tailspin and even they can’t tell you why.

Such is life in the wonderful world or raging hormones.

Although some would call me foolish, I dared to wade into the minefield last night. I sat down with my son and reviewed what happened at the tournament and looked for things that he could do differently the next time.

How do you do this without sounding like you are criticizing? I really don’t know but I gave it my best shot.

Why did I feel like I should do this?

He is probably going to be moving away to go to college in a few short months so I have to make the most of the time I have left with him. I thought this trip provided a great opportunity to help in the WAY he thinks and evaluates situations.

He was not nearly as excited as I but went along with me.

I was doing a pretty good job of bringing things to light and not pushing him off an emotional cliff.

Then I slipped…

I meant “You can control that next time.” I said, “That’s an excuse.”

His demeanor changed. When I asked why, he told me. I apologized.

I think that I connected with him. Why do I say that? At the end of my “speech” on deciding to not give in to the temptation to become a passive victim when we encounter suddenly changing or unfamiliar circumstances, he opened up his laptop to show me a poem he had written about striving hard to achieve unexpected success.

I gambled and won!

And I only slipped once.

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It looks a lot better from here

Posted on 04/04/2009 by RLW3

It’s over.

I knew it had to end. I did not think he would win the whole tournament.

Still, I am always left wishing that he could have gone one more match.

He lost in his second match in the consolation bracket, 7-4.

At the end of two periods, the match was tied 4-4. My son elected to give the guy a point for an escape because he thought he had a better chance of taking the guy down. He had one good shot, but the guy wriggled out of it. With :24 left, he dove in, the guy fought him off, spun around and gained control to score the final two points.

Both the KS coaches and the NY coaches congratulated him and said that he wrestled well.

That is all I have ever asked my children: “Did you do your best?”

If they can answer “Yes” with integrity, it makes disappointing results a little easier to handle. You did all that you could do.

Anyway, his performance really began to look pretty good as the tournament went on. Keep in mind that there were 75 wrestlers in his weight class who either won or placed 2nd in their state tournament. There were no easy matches.

His second loss was to a guy who made the final 24. His first loss was to a guy who made it to the final 16.

Not bad for 1 1/2 years in the sport!

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He broke through!

Posted on 04/04/2009 by RLW3

Yesterday morning, I received a text from an upset and embarrassed young man.

This morning, I received a phone call…

My son won his first match in the consolation bracket!

The Baker University coach watched the match and congratulated him on how well he wrestled!

I am happy for him!

What a relief for me!

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Sleepless in Kansas

Posted on 04/04/2009 by RLW3

I woke up in the middle of the night. As I tried to go back to sleep, the unexpected events of the day kept running through my mind.

Then the questions started…

“Was it jet lag? Did I make a mistake by having him fly in the day before the competition?

Should I have gone with him to help him?

Have I been exaggerating his success in my mind? Maybe he really isn’t that good. Maybe I shouldn’t have entered him in this tournament at all? (It’s funny how the unbiased testimony of experienced coaches never comes to mind during these times!)

Will the college coaches think that he is a “wild card” because he didn’t warm up with the team?

What if they decide not to offer him a scholarship after all?

What if he ends up going to the local junior college and living with us. Two months ago that was his plan and I thought that it was a good, realistic one…but now we have made such a focused effort and been so excited about winning a scholarship…

How will he handle that if that did happen? How will I handle it?

There was no way I could get back to sleep so I ended up getting dressed, going for a walk and praying.

After about an hour, I came to the conclusion that we have done all that we could. In the end, it is ultimately up to God! If He can get college coaches interested in my son, He surely can keep them interested. I sure can’t!

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I didn’t know what to say

Posted on 04/03/2009 by RLW3

My son sent me a text message with some unexpected news…

He wrestled his first match and lost 18-4!

He said that he was embarrassed at the way he wrestled. He had no energy!

I started to seek out the cause. He got 8 hours sleep so that wasn’t it.

He wasn’t sure when he would be wrestling so he decided not to eat breakfast this morning. Instead, he ate two granola bars.

Because he had no energy, he chose to stretch rather than warm up with the KS team.

Both he and I were hoping that he would be wrestling on Saturday. Well, he won’t be wrestling any more today. He is out of the championship bracket and won’t wrestle until tomorrow morning in the consolation bracket.

That was definitely not part of the plan!

I fumbled around alternately trying to figure out how this happened and trying to encourage him. I evidently wasn’t helping him because he said a quick “Good bye” and hung up.

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