They'll Always Look the Same to Us

Did you see any of the "Mom" commercials during the Olympics -- the ones that said something like "This is how their moms see them" and then would show all the athletes as little children?

There were various versions but the message was, no matter how big and strong they are, their moms still see them as their baby boys or girls. I think it was P&G that ran these spots and I guess they were thanking the moms who had used their products over the years and hoped they would continue to do so. (Wife teared up every time she saw one).

And you know, I guess they are onto something but it doesn't just apply to moms. Last night I called to make reservations at a trout fishing resort in North Arkansas where I am going, along with my sons, in early April. I told the lady on the phone that I would be "bringing my two boys" with me to fish for a couple of days, then began to discuss the type of accommodations we might need.

"How old are the children?" she asked.

"Uhhh . . . . . twenty-four and seventeen," I replied sheepishly, realizing my truthfulness had probably just cost me any kind of discount.

I heard her snicker on the other end of the line as she confirmed the booking.

Even if it had been ten years from now, when my sons would be 27 and 34, I would have still said I would be "bringing my boys."

And if I were taking my daughter, I would probably have told her I would be "bringing my little girl" (who is 21).

So you are right, P&G. The moms and dads just don't see them much differently.

First Rugby Game

We are still COLD here in Middle Tennessee and I am getting increasingly whiney about it. I mean Monday is March 1 and really, I should be at least thinking about wearing shorts by now. But with night-time lows in the low twenties and highs during the day just barely making it to 40 . . . sorry, all of you who are more accustomed to all of this, but I am tired of being cold. I'll be sure to come back and read this during summer when I'm complaining about the heat.

In the midst of these frigid temperatures I attended my first rugby game tonight. That's right, rugby. At Younger Son's school it is a "club" sport which means it's a team that has the name of his school but it's not subsidized and they don't play on the school grounds. Younger Son is playing this year.

So at 5:30 this afternoon Wife and I, along with Older Son and his girlfriend, bundled up and went to watch the first game.

I have much to learn. In my feeble mind, I had this idea it was just football without pads. Not at all. It's played on a similar type field and each team defends and runs toward an end zone, but the ball's in constant motion. If the guy with the ball gets tackled, he can hand it off to one of his teammates. But a guy from the other team can pick it up and run with it too, which makes it kind of like soccer.

But like I said, I have a lot to learn. Younger Son played the entire game and seemed to enjoy himself. He's a "prop" which means, in addition to running all over the place with everyone else, at points during the game he and another "prop" face each other and lift one of their teammates up in the air, kind of like a cheerleader formation (don't tell him that's how I described it) while two props from the other team are right next to them lifting one of their guys at the same time. Then it's kind of a "jump ball" situation.

It's really wild, but fun, and Younger Son's team won. I won't even try to explain the scoring because I don't understand it myself.

I look forward to learning more about rugby and I really look forward to warmer games.

Couple of Comments

A couple of thoughts and then I'll try to stay away from politics for a while:

-- I was working, of course, yesterday, so only caught a few minutes during lunch of the live health care summit at Blair House, hosted by President Obama and attended by a sampling of Democrats and Republicans.

I am often accused of having a Pollyanna-ish view toward our government and elected officials so I will go ahead and plead guilty as charged on this one. But I thought the summit was a grand example of some of the things that are good about our country.

Yes, it was probably about a year late. There was no doubt a backdrop of extreme political motive behind everything that was said and, in fact, the whole motivation for having it was probably political in the first place. There were a few testy exchanges.

But, for even the most tried and true cynic -- should we not be thankful that we live in a country where elected officials who come from opposing points of view sit down together, offer their contributions and at least give the appearance of having the best interests of their countrymen (and women) at heart? And somewhere, in the midst of all of it, shouldn't we have found at least a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, the health care system in this country will finally be repaired?

Maybe I am too optimistic and perhaps too unrealistic. But for at least part of yesterday, I liked what I saw.

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Newly elected Massachusetts Republican Senator Scott Brown, who coasted to victory in the special election that was supposed to be nothing more than a formality for Democrats who thought they owned the seat, has caught flack for supporting a jobs bill that is mostly supported by Democrats.

In response to the criticism, Brown simply said that he went to Washington as an independent voice (after being elected, quite obviously, by independent voters). He thought the bill was good for the country and, more importantly, good for his constituency.

If you thought that I was a robot created in the image of Limbaugh/Palin/Pick-your-arch-conservative, he seems to be saying, maybe you weren't listening.

Again, I like what I see here.