Two in a row - can it be 3?

First it was basketball, now football. The University of Florida is on a roll. Being an alumnus, it certainly makes up for the years I was there. Charlie Pell, Galen Hall, Norm Sloan.....the 80's were not a time of championships at the University of Florida. Back to I believe 1982 - Florida was doing quite well that year getting off to a nice start - looking forward to playing top ranked Georgia in the World's Largest Tailgate Party. Final - Georgia 44 Florida 0. Herschel Walker ran for 12,000 yards in the first half. I remember, I was there - we were in the end zone and all we could see was Herschel running right at us with 11 Florida players chasing him. Sort of like Teddy Ginn running back the opening kickoff for a TD. Fortunately 25 years have been good to Florida and that was all she wrote for Ohio State on that day. Georgia fared just a little better all those years ago. Well, it was worth the wait. Championships in both basketball and football and the number one Basketball team again! No reason they can't win again. Anything can happen in the tournament, but anything less than the final four is a huge failure. This team is deep, experienced, fearless, poised, well coached and humble. They play like a team, they feed off each other. Al Horford has elevated his game way beyond last year. Humphrey is money. Noah, Greene, and Brewer continue to be NBA prospects. No other team can match them at all positions. Some teams have better individual players, but not at every position. It's going to be some ride! Looking forward to it! Next thing you know, we'll be talking about going for 4 in a row - Tebow???? Top recruiting class???? Best coach in America???

Holidays - Take 'em or Leave 'em?

I'm conflicted. Now that the holidays are over, I can't decide whether I enjoyed them or tolerated them or hated them. Too busy. Too contrived. Too much. The kids had a great time. It will take my 4 year old another month to get over the fact that she isn't getting a present every 10 minutes. Of course she only plays with one of the 12 million gifts she got anyway. Why do we buy into this idea that you have to give so much? I know why we think we should - it's drilled into our head by every marketing entity on the face of the earth - I know why we THINK we should, but why DO we? Have we been brainwashed so well to think that only a gift will prevent our children from being underprivileged in some way or another? And why is it so important to get together and celebrate with family and friends at this particular time of year? Yes, I know it is based upon a religious holiday, but none of the toy giving and the holiday partying and the drinking and eating is about religion. What are we celebrating? And why don't we celebrate like that at other times of the year? Is it just easier to do in December or is it just that this happens to be the best time to shop, the best time to get great deals, the best time to not worry about missing something at work because nobody else is doing anything either? Why do I have to buy gifts for everyone I have ever met just because it is the end of the year. Does my garbage man really deserve a tip because he hasn't thrown my trash cans down the street and run over them with his truck? Is the mail so heavy that my mailman should get a tip, or the person that delivers my newspaper? Do we tip the policeman or the fireman or the teacher? We used to be expected to tip the doorman at our apartment in NY at the holidays. They always said hello, they gave me a package if one was delivered, they let up the chinese delivery guy, but why did they deserve a year end tip? I couldn't do it, but I don't think you need to get a special tip for being able to sit for 8 hours a day and watch tv or read a paper. If the guy moved your car every time street cleaning came around - sure that's a little extra - that's worth something - I'd sure want him to keep it up, but the other stuff - why is it expected that tips should be given? For that matter, why is it expected that business people get holiday bonuses? What for? Why save that money for the end of the year? I understand if it is based upon performance, but it shouldn't be called a bonus if that is the case. It's just the year end reconciliation of your performance. A true bonus should be for work performed over and above expectations and why does it have to come at the end of the year.
Back to holidays - what are we really celebrating? I'm glad the holidays are over - I need to detox and try to figure out how to reduce my spending over the next 3 months.

Party Time

Every year on the first Saturday of December my wife and I have a party. My wife started the tradition 23 years ago, and when we got married (on the first Saturday in December) I cheerfully agreed to continue that tradition - like I had a choice! This year was no exeption. We finished our basement last spring so we had lots of room to throw this years' bash. Hosting a party is a lot of fun as long as you have it catered. If you don't have it catered, you always seem to be doing something and you never get to enjoy the party. As it is, being the host you have to greet everyone and try to spend at least some time with all your guests. Which is hard because it's fun to get into a conversation when you are at a party, but unless you can get a conversation started with a group of 10, to make it around the room you need to keep your conversations pretty short. I always seem to get pulled away just when the story or joke is getting good. I never seem to remember anything anyone said to me because it all just sort of sails by. My wife could tell you every sentence that was said, but I don't tend to remember much. That may have as much to do with the fact that when you get your party catered you also get a bartender and he always remembers what you are drinking and makes sure you are always topped off because of course you are paying him and the less coherent you are at the end of the night, the more likely you are to give him a big fat tip. Always a good idea to figure out how much you want to give him before the evening starts, put that amount in your pocket and no more. We put a bar in our basement remodel, so it was the happening place this year. I have a couple nice bottles of single malt scotch and previous years have told us that mostly we get wine, beer, and vodka drinkers so I kept the scotch out on the bar. Well, we invited some new folks this year and I may be rethinking leaving out the bottles next year. I do know my dentist now owes me either a free cleaning or a bottle! Fun was had by all, the kids stayed asleep, the Gators made it to the national championship and we had leftover cake for a week!

Daddy - can we jump in the leaves?

If only grass would grow under a pile of leaves. Because a pile of leaves provides hours of entertainment. I'd leave a pile in my yard for as long as possible. But grass doesn't grow under a pile of leaves. In fact it dies rather quickly. So leaf jumping is only a day or two activity. Fun while it lasts!!

Gators in Championship Game!

Sound familiar? The University of Florida is on a roll. Can the football team match the basketball team and capture the National Title? Probably not. The football team makes too many mistakes. They are talented enough. Leak has a great arm. Percy Harvin should win a Heisman before he is done (he's just a freshman). The defense has some stellar performers. But they just make too many mistakes. Too many turnovers, too many penalties, too many bad plays. Ohio State doesn't make mistakes. And the deciding factor if it is close - field goals - Florida can't make a field goal. They can't win. Final score: Ohio State 31 Florida 28

Fantasy Football

I've been playing fantasy football for years. Even back when you had to get the Sunday paper and look up each player by hand and figure out their points. Three cheers for the internet. But the internet creates a problem. Sure you get to see everything online and draft online and get instant updates, but unless you get into a local league, you wind up playing against guys you've never met. It's just no fun trash talking when you don't know the person and how to get under their skin. That's all I have to say about that.

Keys to a successful college reunion - from the spouses point of view

My wife loves her alma mater. So much so, that we have been to 4 reunions in the last seven years. She graduated a year early and so is eligible to go to both her original class reunion and her graduating class reunion. We actually have a pretty good time. There is not too much "reunion type activity". Mostly just hanging out with friends and trying to entertain the kids. I have found the keys to success when accompanying your spouse to their reunion - bring wine and know the basketball coach! My wife is good friends with the basketball coach's wife so we get to see them each year. He has had 2 great seasons and therefore is in hot demand and so it is a lot of fun to be able to have a little quality time while everyone else is jockeying for position. As far as wine goes, the stuff they provide is pretty bad, so bring your own and everyone thinks you're a hero when you share. It's not hard to find a nice $15 bottle so bring a few and make a lot of friends because most people don't think to do that and they get there and realize how lousy the wine is and don't know what to do. Instant hit of the party.

Memorial Day Parade

Nothing beats a small town parade. This year we took the kids to the Cranbury, NJ Memorial Day Parade. Bagpipes, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, vintage cars, tots on bikes, a band, horses, service men and women, and lots and lots of fire trucks! What more could little kids ask for? How about 7,000 lbs. of candy. Everyone threw candy. The firemen threw candy, the girl scouts threw candy, the horses threw candy. My daughter still has a mouthful of tootsie roll (children under 4 need to have a thorough dental exam after eating tootsie rolls because they can't figure out how to get it out from between their cheek and gum!). Everyone had a different favorite part of the parade. 4 year old daughter - when they threw the candy. 2 1/2 year old son - the horses. Wife - returning from a failed attempt at obtaining milk to see son and daughter clapping and cheering for the bagpipes. Me - well, I didn't really have a favorite moment within the parade. At this point, things happen so fast and the kids grow so quickly and life is so hectic, for me, taking my family to a parade is the moment. A moment I will cherish and wish for 10,000 more.