Compromise On The Gay Marriage Issue?

If I understand the desires correctly of those who embrace the idea of gay marriage, there are a few basic needs they want met. They want some way to be recognized as a loving couple dedicated to each other, potentially with all the pomp and circumstance afforded to heterosexual couples when they marry. They also want legal recognition similar to what marriage brings to heterosexual couples, with the rights of survivorship, health care rights and coverage, the right to have children join their family and all other such rights.

If I understand the position of those who oppose gay marriage, while some have moral objections to homosexuality, the majority still are willing to afford homosexuals to exercise their right to live by whatever morals they may. The main thing they want to protect is what they deem the sanctity of the marriage institution, an institution they say was created by God as a way of joining a man and a woman into a sacred union where they fulfill His purposes for humankind

They fear that once marriage becomes defined as something other than between man and woman that it leaves the door open for future government interference in forcing churches to allow performance of gay marriages within their walls. Or, government may decide that any religious practices/doctrines that might be seen as an infringement of a married gay couple’s rights when compared to a married heterosexual couple’s rights should face potential legal action. You may scoff at that notion but every little loss of freedom has been precipitated by previous acts of government to infringe for the benefit of the greater good.

So, if I have outlined the arguments in their most basic form, is there any way to promote a compromise between the two? I offer as my opinion that there is. Why couldn’t there be a legal union for gays with a different term than marriage, something that would include all legal rights enjoyed by “married” heterosexual couples? Ceremonies could be performed with similar rites and traditions if desired. The name could even be chosen by the gay community should they wish.

The other part of the compromise is to legally protect marriage as between one man and one woman. As long as homosexuals have their union recognized and marriage is protected, then both parties have achieved their desires and should be satisfied.

Have you ever had a good friend leave, knowing that you most likely will never see him/her again? Have you felt that emptiness in your gut, even if you just finished your lunch and you're stuffed? Well, I just learned that one of my favorite bloggers is hanging up his shingle for good. The funny thing is, I had never met him. I found his blog through somebody else's blog. And yet I feel like I know him. His postings were funny yet insightful and I found myself constantly relating to his experiences. The last I saw, his post had garnered 90 comments and the day is only half over. So even though I was one of those commentors, I just have to write on my own blog - Normal Mormon Husband, you will truly be missed!

MetLife Scores A Big "0" For Service

With so many experts decryin' the sad state of customer service in this country and so many seminars, articles, classes and blogs a'teachin' what good service is about, it is incomprehensible to me how any company, especially a bigger one, would continue to perpetrate such ridiculously poor customer service practices as what happened to us recently. (Did I jest say all that?)

It all began when we wanted to make an online payment of our mortgage. We had just refinanced and ended up as customers of MetLife. Mammy went online to make the payment and found that they were agonna charge us an additional $11 for the transaction. I was dumbfounded! How could any self-respectin', modern company charge for conductin' business online? Not only is it more convenient for customers but it is cheaper and takes less time and resources for a company to accept online transactions - at least it should be.

But, hold on to your britches because we're just a'gettin' warmed up. Mammy and I both filled out and submitted their online form with our comments about this issue. I specifically requested a non-automated response, hopin' beyond hope that the person readin' the email would take some initiative. Was I to be rewarded for my effort? Here is the response we both received.

Dear (Left blank to protect the innocent - or somethin' like that.),

Thank you for writing to MetLife Bank Online and allowing me to be of
assistance.

For assistance on an existing mortgage or home equity loan please call
MetLife Home Loans at 1-888-638-6964.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Rick
MetLife Bank Online Customer Service

Not only did they ignore our concerns, the automated response was for someone with questions about a home mortgage or equity loan. It was soooo impersonal yet they had the gall to sign it "Rick", thinkin' we might be fooled into thinkin' there was a real person involved. Can you believe that?! Pathetic is all I have left to say about them. Just pathetic.

It's been so long since I blogged here, I think I almost fergot how to do it. I jist want share somethin' that's been on my mind lately. Ya know how all kinds a people been predictin' how bad the recession is gonna be? Well, is it better to be optimistic with economic forecasts or to be realistic (what some people would call pessimistic in today’s economic climate)? Does either one have the potential to lead to a self-fulfillin' prophecy? Meanin', if people continue to be pessimistic in their forecasts, will that cause additional cutbacks and restraint, thus deepenin' the recession? Or, if more forecasters are optimistic, will that lead more people to breathe a sigh of relief and begin a'thinkin' about expandin' their purchases again, thus liftin' the economy? What are your thoughts? I can tell you I am choosin' to be optimistic 'cuz I believe (say hallelujah!) in the power of self-fulfillin' prophecies (sing praises!) so I'm a'gonna do my part to help the economy. (say "amen!")

Sorry about the stuff in parenthesis - it's just a tribute to "the Bible Brothers", Billy Bob and Buford from the Church of the Whited Seplechure. If you don't know what I'm a'talkin' about, you missed out and that's just too bad.

The Evil Questioner

Have you ever had someone question every rule you make? Ok, put your hands down, all you parents out there. I'm talkin' bout some one other than one of your chillens. With chillens, you kin take away their TV, computer, cell phone, xbox, or whatever the gadget is your child craves in order to gain some sort of compliance. However, with somone like a student in your class, all you can do is politely try to come up with some answer that satisfies or they just keep comin' at ya. Then, he/she has to question you about everythin' that might be on the test. If it's not important enough to listen to, I won't waste the breath to say it, I promise. (sigh)

Man to Man - What Every Man Should Know

Seeins how I got a niece fixin to be hitched this week, I thought it appropriate to share some wisdom from deep within my heart. Unfortunately, the groom probably won't see this and if/when he does, it might'n already be too late. For the rest of you, here's some classes I think all men should be required to take in preparation fer a'gettin' hitched.

How to seem interested in a chick-flick while a-watchin' it with your wife.

How to make the most efficient use of barbequer space.

How to answer all those wife questions like "Does this dress make me look fat?" without lyin' and without gettin' "The Look".

How to get your wife to buy you all the tools (especially power ones) to make you be more manly.

Crash course on how to use all them tools once you have 'em.

How to memorize that list of groceries so you don't have to call your wife 5 times from the supermarket.

How to grunt like Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor.

How to get your kids more interested in watchin' football than in watchin' SpongeBob. (So that you can watch without constant interruption a'wantin' to know when they can have the remote back.)

What other classes do you suggest?

Garage Selling Days Are Here Again

Garage sales are funny things. You set yerself up a few tables full of things for which you no longer have a need and then sit back a'waitin' for someone to come along who will find some of those items useful. You use cheap round stickers to mark the price of each item and you post a few signs around announcin' your wonderful event to the world. Perhaps you even put an ad in the classifieds.

Now, let the games begin. Someone finds somethin' they like and then you haggle over a price and finally settle on somethin' way lower than you anticipated 'cause you knew that it meant one less item you would have to cart off to the local thrift store. Now that's the way we adults in the West do it. (Please put the emphasis on adults.)

Now, here's what happens when several younguns a git the notion that they want to have a garage sale. They, like you, ransack their rooms, a'findin' "treasures" which they no longer want and quickly fill up a table. They hand-make some signs for puttin' around the neighborhood and also a bunch of custom price tags. On the price tags, they list the description of the item like "porcupinish toys" and then put a price on it. In many cases, they are much more realistic about the worth of things than we are. $.01 each for the porcupinish toys. Many things are marked with $.01, $.02, $.05 and $.10. But, even better are the $.99 items - they do, after all, have a marketer for a father.

When asked if they have change to give people, they say they'll worry about that when they git there. Sounds like a man thing to say but hold it right there, theseuns is all girls! They must be listenin' to their pa too much.

Once they have everythin' in place, the real marketin' starts. "Garaaaage Sale!!!" "Cooome, get your bargains today!" "Eeeverything on sale!" They trumpet this excitin' news in their loudest voices up and down the street.

The day wears on and they've only had one customer. Hmmmm, what to do to attract more shoppers? Have a staged conversation! "Wow! I can't believe all this great stuff!" "Look at these great prices!" "Is this really only $.10?!" "Yes it is and we have plenty more." "This is a great garage sale!" All said in the very loudest of voices. Once again, they do have a marketin' dad.

Of course, they did forget one of the most important things - in marketin' we call it "place". You have to put your goods or services in a place (or time) when you have the highest chance of havin' potential shoppers lookin' to buy. In this case, Monday afternoon was probably their biggest obstacle. Not to worry, they are now a'plannin' a Saturday edition of the kids garage sale. Don't miss your opportunity to save big on items you don't want!

Adobe - McDonalds of the 21st Century

Do you remember a time when McDonalds wouldn't let you order a hamburger any special way, you had to take it the way they made it? Do you remember how Burger King responded? "Have It Your Way" was the line and Burger King found themselves quickly eatin' (pun intended) into McDs market share.

Well, Adobe is now copyin' McDs, only in the software arena. If you buy one of their product suites and then later, want to upgrade just one program because that's the one you need to upgrade now, you have to either upgrade the entire suite or buy the complete retail version of the one product. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Then, try to complain about it. Their customer service line leads to an outsourced company that doesn't handle feedback or complaints unless they are product related - which mine wasn't. (To them, anyway) I was told to go to the "Feedback" section of their web site. The only thing is, my feedback didn't fit into any of the offered categories. Even though I did finally choose a couple of them and sent feedback, I am sure those departments just deleted it since it didn't have anythin' to do with their jobs.

Some day, a "Burger King" will come along and offer their software packages by holdin' the pickle, holdin' the lettuce so we don't have to be upset and then Adobe will have to get down off'n its high throne and acknowledge us lowly customers. Until then, I'll just have to live with my lower version and hope I can get by.

Of Teens and Stuff

Oh, to have a house full of giggly teenage girls – all there at the same time. Seven – count ‘em, seven. Oh, the pleasant sounds of boy talk. The warm, cozy feelin’ ya get after the 100th time of hearin’, “That is sooo cute!” The smell of fingernail polish wafts through the air, addin’ to your already giddy feelin’ of euphoria. OOhhh what a feelin’.

Of course, if you’re any red-blooded, American, macho, sports watchin’, car-lovin’, tool-carryin’, Tim Taylor idolizin’ man, the above description is enough to send you a’packin’ to the toilet in a hurry, a’holdin’ your mouth shut in an effort to not spill any on the floor. But don’t worry, a little Brut aftershave, a few Tarzan thumps on the chest and the smell of dirty gym socks will help bring ya back to sanity.

Say, speakin’ of not spillin’ any on the floor, how many of you know a nearly ten-year-old who would get up in the middle of the night a’feelin’ sick, go into a parent’s bathroom, sit on the toilet with the runs and move the little rug near the toilet out of the way in case he/she barfs while on the seat and doesn’t want to get any on the rug ‘cause it is easier to clean vomit off the tile floor than it is to clean it out of a rug? (I can’t believe I said all of that in one sentence.) That one certainly has some of her Mammy in her, that’s fer sure.

Customer Relations Disaster

Recently, the Great Falls Explorers (CBA basketball team) has experienced some financial troubles includin’ not bein’ able to meet payroll and not payin’ rent on the facility in which they play home games. The owner of the team is a guy by the name of Michael Tuckman. Now, I’m all fer givin’ a guy a break when he’s a’runnin’ into money problems if’n he’s a’tryin to make things right. Turns out, he totally refuses to pay any of the back rent he owes. He even got kinda snooty when he was interviewed by the press concerning this problem. So, I wrote him an e-mail expressin’ my disappointment. I found his reply to be very unprofessional and lacking in judgment. I have included the conversation below in its entirety.

Disappointed? Gee, I'll try and go on with my life.

Michael Tuckman
President and General Manager
Great Falls Explorers
400 3rd St. NW

Great Falls, MT 59405
Office: (406)216-3033
Cell: (406) 750-7148
www.greatfallsexplorers.com

Quoting Xxx :

Mr. Tuckman:

The record of poor payment of salaries and expenses incurred by the Explorers is just poor business. When I read that now you are not paying for the facility the team was contracted to, I was dumbfounded. Bad arena contract or not, when you bought the team,

the contract was already in place and I assume you knew that. If not, you didn't complete any due diligence. Your organization is giving Great Falls a bad reputation with your failure to meet your financial obligations. I, for one, choose to not do business with an

organization that has such low ethical standards. So, I won't be buying any tickets nor will I be sponsoring your team in any way.

A disappointed fan

Go Mitt!

Well, usns here in Dogpatch saw to it that Mitt Romney won the delegates here. Well, actually, none of us lower folks even got to vote at all. It was just the party leadership. All the same, I was awfully proud that they picked the right candidate.

It was kinda funny how I heard lots a folks talkin that they liked what Mitt had to say and he didn't even campaign here. There's some right sensible folk here in Dogpatch, down ta' earth types that generally don't go for none of that high falootin' jibber jabber most politicians are famous for. I think they saw right through the garbage and made a good choice. Just wish the rest of the country would see it that way.

The Wasteland of Politics

I find politics to be an intriguin’ yet disgustin’ display of playground theatrics. It’s so ridiculous how candidate number one will spew all kinds of misquotes and lies about candidate number two only to be followed by number two tellin’ us all how number one is being very dishonest in their campaign. This is then followed by an ad where number two returns the favor, trouncin’ on number one with half-truths and innuendo. And you think to yerself, “Didn’t I just hear number two a’hollerin’ about that kind of behavior?”

And once it gets started, it just escalates. Each one findin’ anything to jab at while always maintainin’ his/her own innocence. Constant finger pointin’ at ta other, accusin’ each other of lies and mistruths. Why can’t they just stick to the issues and let us all know where they stand on each one, not where the other candidate stands? And don’t forget about us, the poor deviants who readily believe all the lies about one candidate but none of them about our favorite. All those are absolute falsehoods, yet all bad things said about the other candidate are clearly all true. And that’s between members of the same political party. Course they always find ways to make up with each other – the winner of the primary will quickly call upon the runner up and ask him/her to be a runnin’ mate.

Perhaps if they cut out all the perks and lavish lifestyles, capped spendin’ on political races, and put term limits on every political office as well as total amount of time any one person can spend in a career in politics, then perhaps you would get more servants servin’ the people and less career-minded, greedy, power-hungry leeches a’findin’ ways to serve their own self interests. But who am I to suggest such mighty changes, I’m just a lowly citizens of the lowliest place in the US of A, Dogpatch.

The Dilemma Of Too Much Evidence

Over the past coupla years, there has been a lot of discussion concernin’ that global warmin’ thing. Seems there’s scientists on each side of the issue with enough data on their respective sides to fill football stadiums, or so it would seem.

So, I was a’sittin’ back and a’thinkin’, how can that be? What’s a poor fella like me supposed to do? How in tarnation can we find out what the truth is in these matters? If both sides have so much evidence, how can you logically dismiss one argument and take the side of the other?

As you can tell, I am not totally on one side or the other. Here in Dogpatch USA, we do try to recycle whatever material we can and also take steps to cut waste and energy use. I think it’s the right thing to do, even if you believe global warmin’ is just a nice scare tactic. Perhaps all ya’ll can help. Tell me what you think.

A Tale of Non-Service

A while back, Mammy went into a discount store with a list of items to purchase. As she perused the aisles, pickin’ up this item here and that one there, she came to the one that was the main reason for her trip. This item was on sale for a really good price and since Mammy epitomizes (word of the day) bargain shoppin’ (as a matter of fact, I believe she is used as a case study in the bargain shoppin’ 101 classes taught nationwide), this was to be the high point.

To her dismay, the store was completely out of that item. Not to worry readers, she knew just what to do. She would get a raincheck from the cashier and just pick it up another day when she was in the store.

However, upon requestin’ one, she was dutifully told that the computer was a’showin’ they still had one and that the cashier was required to go get it for the customer, thus savin’ the customer the hassle of havin' to return to the store with the raincheck. After all, they wanted their customers to know they cared.

Mammy said it was ok, she would just take the raincheck since she frequents that there store often enough. “No,” came the reply. “It is company policy.” The checker was soon a’scurryin’ down the aisle in search of the missin’ item.

After waitin’ several long minutes (You know, readin’ those stupid tabloid headlines , “Alien Babies Born To Woman Who Has Been in a Coma for Sixteen Years”, since there’s nothin’ else to do while you are trapped in the checkout line a’waitin’ for the missin’ checker to return.) for this excellent bit of customer service, the cashier returned empty-handed. Duh! Go figur, there really weren’t none there. Hmmmm, now what to do?

Mammy repeated she would gladly accept a raincheck for the item. The reply? “Sorry, but since the computer says we have one, I can’t run a raincheck through the system, it just won’t let me. I can take your name and number down and call you when I find it.” She never did hear from anyone at the store. I’ll remind you that the main reason for the trip was to get the great price on that item. Now, regardless that there twern’t one in the store, the “system” wouldn’t allow a raincheck, even though the company also has a policy that if they run out of any advertised item, they will give you a raincheck.

Moral of the story: If you’re a gonna implement a policy, ‘specially a customer service policy, make sure there is the ability to override the system in case some kind of unexpected glitch comes up. Customer service policies should be meant to improve a customer’s experience and entice ‘em to return to buy again, not alienate them and give them a desire to return with picket signs. I voted fer the picket signs.

There and Back Again - Whoops, Already Taken

Well, we just recently returned from a nice, but short, vacation in Coeur d'Alene (or as one daughter put it, Quarter Lane), ID, thanks to my fabulous company, Pacific Steel & Recyclin'. It was manager meetin' time and the Company puts up all the managers and their families in a nice resort for a few days. We had some meetin's of course but also plenty of play time.

I think the highlight for our girls was the day at Silverwood Theme Park where they got a small fillin' of roller coaster and other attraction ridin'. Unfortunately for me and the missus, we was both sick with the runs. Now, just imagine to yerself ridin' on one of them coasters or rides that goes round n' round. Then you git off and yer insides say to you, "git on over to the outhouse before you splat yer pants." And each time, what seems like gallons of smelly dirt-filled water comes a'jettin' out of yer be-hind.

You keep hopin' the other folks in there leave before you come out so as to avoid their stares as they wonder if you're just raisin' up from the dead, all pale and stinky.

Well, things continued through that night (which made for very little rest of already exhausted bodies), all the while we knew we was facin' a 5 hour drive home the next day. Both of us was prayin' hard that things would settle down so's we wouldn't hafta stop 20 times along the way.

Thankfully, our prayers was answered and we made it home with nary a problem. I have to say, I have never in all my born days had such an episode. I do feel like a disclaimer is needed though - even with all the squattin' and squirtin', the vacation was great thanks to good kids and a swell (gee whiz Wally) company.

BTW - if you've never found yerself in the vicinity of Coeur d'Alene, it's a beautiful place.

Late Mothers' Day

In view of Mothers' Day a couple of weeks ago, I thought I would share a moment when I waxed poetic. It doesn't happen very often so hopefully you'll enjoy.

Mother’s Wisdom

Years of toil
And work unknown
Create the figure
Of wisdom sown

Lines and edges
Properly grown
From raising legacies
Of her own.

And tho at times
The years weigh down
And memory fails
Producing a frown.

There’s still those words
Of calming peace
And encouragement
Given freely to each.

Advice tendered carefully
Tempered with love
Whispers of hope
From heav’n above.

Will always remain
As treasure to me
The picture of faith
I’d like to be.

The years will continue
To crease and define
In wisdom’s abode
My mother, divine.

Laughter’s The Best Medicine

We was a’watchin’ some homemade movies recently and the memries was just a laugh a minute. One in particlar showed one of ours when she was just a lil 4 year old playin’ soccer. She’d run around a’followin’ the pack not knowin’ much what to do. She stopped several times to pull up her socks – it was sorta a fettish for her at that age. Anyways, as we all laughed, I also was payin’ attention to the talk goin’ on between the siblings. I think they all enjoyed her looking silly but she just had to make sure they understood that they were worse than that. I hate to tell ya but most kids don’t know much about the mechanics o’ soccer when they’s only 4. So, to say anything about the others was just a waste o’ breath. Why she couldn’t just laugh like the rest o’ them did when they were shown a’doin’ silly things just beat me. Mammy and I have tried ta teach all our younguns to laugh at theirselves ‘cause it beats cryin’. Hopefully this one can learn that lesson sometime afore she gets out in the real world.

Deal, Or No Deal?

My momma always told me, “If’n ya cain’t say nuthin’ nice ‘bout someone, don’t be sayin’ nuthin’ atall.” Well, Momma, I’m sorry but I just have to speak up about this one.

As a marketer, I am quick to notice an exceptional ad or great customer service or, on the other side, an ineffective commercial or sales strategy. So, it should come as no surprise that I might write about a poor customer service experience I recently had. The surprisin’ thing to me is the offendin’ party – Amazon.com. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? The largest bookseller in the world and one of the Internet’s most powerful and successful companies.

One would think that to be so successful, they would offer the epitome of great service. Well, according to my sources, they started out that way. Then, somebody got too big fer their britches and decided to start makin’ decisions that only considered the immediate bottom line – anythin’ to save a dollar and look more brilliant to the thousands of shareholders.

Me and the missus was a’shoppin fer a new printer (Ok, she was doin’ most of the shoppin but I was foldin clothes and followin’ along.) Anyways, she finds this great deal on a printer we had already decided to purchase and low and behold, it was from Amazon.com. To top it off, there’s a deal sayin’ if we get the new Amazon.com VISA, we can get an additional $30 credit. Now, anytime someone waves that kind of cash in front of Mammy, they better let go right quick else she’ll tear their arm out of the socket from her jerkin’ it away fast as lighnin’. Her fingers fairly scorched the mouse button she was a’clickin’ so swiftly.

Once all the clickin’ was done, it appeared that somethin’ was just not right. While we had been approved for the new card, it wasn’t offered as a possible method of payment. So, we rang up Customer Service and were promptly put on hold for 40 minutes. It was late, nerves were frazzled, we thought it better to hang up and try again in the mornin’.

Mammy got things going early to avoid the rush. The problem was, the person on the other line was a’talkin’ with such a heavy accent, clear communication was purt near impossible. Talk to Amazon, talk to the credit card company, talk to Amazon – nothin’ was workin’. I was thinking we should have made a video conference call with subtitles so everybody could understand one another. Finally canceled the card and just placed the order with a card we already had.

I wrote Amazon an e-mail to express my displeasure about the long wait time and the foreign voice on the other end of the line and received the followin’ response:

“I'm sorry to hear that you had an unsatisfactory experience when you called us previously. Since our customers come from all over the world, it's helpful for us to have customer service centers in a variety of time zones throughout the world--so that someone is always available when a customer needs help.

Amazon.com currently has customer service centers in North America, Ireland, Germany, India, the Philippines, and Japan. In the United States specifically, we operate customer service centers in North Dakota, West Virginia, and Washington state. We also have co-
sourcing arrangements with companies located in North America, India, and the Philippines.”
No real answer to either of our concerns. If they have customer service centers in the US, then why did we get a very foreign voice each time we called? All to save a buck today at the expense of future sales. Tsk tsk. They may have made a deal this time but next time, for me, it’s No Deal.

Get a Real Life!

When I was a youngun, I got myself involved in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. I know, please don’t think bad of me, I’ve since seen the light and repented. J The reason I quit a’playin’ was because I began to see how caught up in this fantasy world a person could become and how it could influence the thinkin’ of those that played on a reglar basis. I don’t think there was anythin’ inherently wrong with the game, just that it allowed people to get lost, so to speak.

Today, there exists a fantasy world so technologically advanced and so much more “realistic” than Dungeons & Dragons could ever hope to be. This virtual world is called “Second Life” and is much more than just a game.

Second Life is a place on the net where people can create a virtual life for themselves. You make up a person includin’ personality and everythin’, then you enter this world called Second Life. You can get a job, create a business, go to parties (or throw one if you wish), do all kinds of things. You can shop and spend Second Life money for virtual clothes, cars, you name it, you can buy it. Or if you name it and it isn't sold by anyone, you can create it and begin sellin’ it. People even buy marketin’ services to help market their wares and services to other people in Second Life.

Anyways, it has continued to grow at a tremendous rate with people even creatin’ multiple avitars (that’s the fancy technical way of sayin’ “characters) that they send around this virtual world doin’ whatever they want that is allowed. There are very stiff rules about what you can and can't do and if you break them, you are kicked out and can't return. They even have an adult section where characters can do and see pretty much anythin’ you can do and see in real life. (No, I haven't been there, just read about it.)

The latest thing is a TV show called Big Brother (a reality show to see who can hold out the longest inside some house where a bunch of people of different types are thrown together) is a’goin to do a virtual version of their show in Second Life. Whoever spends at least 8 hours every day for a month in the Big Brother virtual house without getting’ voted out will win a virtual island of their own. Now, what kind of contest is that? Encouragin’ people to waste 240 hours in order to win an imaginary island! Don’t people have enough respect for themselves to not waste 8 hours a day for a month in a pretend world? Get a real life!

The Effects of Withdrawal

Sorrow of sorrows, I went this here entire World Series without observin’ even a minute of any game. I know, I hang my head in shame. But, at least I am man enough to admit it.

Now, I don’t watch much TV and when I do, it is usually the news. (Even though there isn’t much to report on in Dogpatch.) Sometimes, I watch some sports but not near as much as I did in the past. The sports has (gasp) fallen in priority with family and church responsibilities. That said, there are three particular sportin’ events I really enjoy a’watchin’. These are the World Series, college bowl games, and March Madness. They are only on during short, concentrated periods of time and so I figure I am being fairly realistic by limitin’ my moments of sports fanaticism to these relatively small moments.

So, when I miss the ENTIRE World Series, my body goes into convulsions and I find it hard to breathe correctly. Ok, so it isn’t that bad, I admit it. This one did hurt particularly bad, though. I was really pullin’ for the Cards (for Mammy, I’ll say Red Birds) and to not even see them play, I may never be the same. Please pray for a quick recovery – or at least a recovery.