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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Getting me ready for the slaughter

Posted on 04/12/2009 by RLW3

My wife is a hard woman to live with…

I have recounted my battles to get my body back in shape. Last year, I lost 25 pounds. This year is a different story.

So far, I have gained 6-7 pounds. Not all at once, mind you. A little here, a little there.

In the battle of the bulge, I don’t think that my wife is on my side.

Consider the most recent evidence.

I saw a guy with two beautiful, big pieces of pizza at my son’s wrestling tournament yesterday afternoon. However,  experience tells me that high school gym pizza generally looks better than it tastes so I decided to wait.

When I got home, I was hungry. I looked at the DiGiorno pizza in the freezer and decided against it. This was going to be my last meal of the day so I wanted to eat a little healthier. So, I heated up a nice bowl of chili and ate what I thought was an early dinner. The earlier that you eat your last meal of the day, the better.

Several hours later, my wife came home from work. What do you think she did? She marched in and heated up the frozen pizza!

I think we have bought frozen pizza maybe three times in our 23 year marriage. There is a reason for that. They aren’t very good. Yet, somehow, my wife was able to cook that pizza just right. The pie was fluffy. The cheese was soft and chewy. And she was obviously enjoying the piece that she was eating.

She brought me a small piece. You might say that is a good thing but you would be wrong!

It was just small enough that it MADE me ask for a second piece. Keep in mind that I already ate my dinner at 4:00.

I didn’t even bother getting on the scale this morning.

I had to take a quick shower before we left for church. It was late so I was planning on skipping breakfast. I thought, “Hey, this is great! I can recover from the last night’s pizza attack. I had already had a big cup of coffee and besides, we are going to eat an Easter dinner this afternoon.”

Imagine my surprise/disappointment when I rushed to the leave the house only to discover that my wife had made me two eggs and two pieces of toast!

Throw in an Easter dinner with the fluffiest shrimp dip that you ever tasted as an appetizer and…

well…

I am at my highest weight of the year!

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From Miley Cyrus to C.S. Lewis in 3.4 seconds

Posted on 04/11/2009 by RLW3

Talk about a quick about face…

Last night, my daughter went out with some friends to see the Mylie Cyrus movie. The theater was packed with screaming 12 year old girls.

Cakes could hardly believe it but she actually liked it. She kept saying, “I can’t believe I actually went to see that movie.”

Well, today when we came home from my son’s first freestyle wrestling tournament (he won and beat a state champ in the process), she was on the computer. What was she doing?

Watching a YouTube video of Tyra Banks interviewing the cast of the Mylie Cyrus movie.

To the male lead: “How was it kissing Miley?”

To the male lead: “You have a great smile.”

“Ca-a-a-a-kes! Come on! You’ve got to be kidding me. What are you, a 12 year old?”

She got OFFENDED!

I made her start studying. She has to read On The Incarnation by St. Athanasius. She started by reading the forward. It was written by C.S. Lewis. After just a few minutes, she was remarking on how she loved what she was reading, how it inspired her to want to read all of the old great books.

I couldn’t resist. I reminded her that less than an hour earlier she was offended that I told her she was getting sucked into the Miley Cyrus vortex.

Ah, how quickly and completely a young adult woman can completely change their mind.

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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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