And They're Off

I went to the horse races the other night. My company had a party, and provided barbeque and $20 for either drinks or gambling.

I drank the first 6 dollars, a cup of ice and splash of Crown. I can get more alcohol from a bottle of vanilla extract than I did from the $6 Crown, but I digress.

I gambled the rest of the funny money, losing spectacularly on each race I bet. I ended up bored.

I just don't see the allure of gambling on the ponies. Wasting my hard-earned money on the vagaries of some four-legged animals seems the height of insanity. I'm sure you can make money doing it, perhaps even get rich. But the stress of putting your money down on a horse you never heard of, ridden by a jockey you haven't met, overrides any joy from watching them run.

When was the last time you saw a section in your local sports store with hats and t-shirts from the best racing stables in the country?

I prefer to watch and gamble on football. While I am wasting my hard-earned money on the vagaries of 18-22 year-old college students, at least I can wear a cool hat with their logo.

Kids and the Kitchen

Why is it so hard to get your kids to help out around the house? If you ask them to do anything, they act like you are the worst parents in the world.

Jennifer cooked dinner tonight, a wonderful chicken with Marsala glaze, roasted potatoes with onion and green beans. After riding herd on the kids all day, baking a plum cake tatan and then cooking dinner, she is tired.

I worked all day, getting to my office at 6:30 as usual. Work through lunch, fight traffic all the way home, eat Jennifer's wonderful dinner. I'm tired.

We asked Megan to clean the kitchen after dinner, while the cake finished cooking. She looked exasperated, and whined that she wanted to rest for 2 minutes before starting on the kitchen.

10 minutes later, the cake was ready and everyone enjoyed a piece. After we finished, we again asked Megan to clean the kitchen while Jennifer and I bathed Jacob and relaxed. Megan proceeded to whine about how tired she was (having worked very hard all day being 9 years old), too tired to clean the kitchen.

Jennifer and I were fed up, so we sent Megan to bed and took care of the kitchen ourselves.

I don't know what the right answer is in this situation, or how best to get Megan to accept responsibility. I do know that I sure hope Jennifer isn't too tired to cook Megan dinner tomorrow, or wash her clothes.

That would be horrible.

Burnt Orange

I love the Texas Longhorns. I grew up in Austin, and some of my best memories are going to Disch-Faulk field to watch the 'Horns play baseball with my dad. We would sit in the stands, talking about the players and strategy, he taught me to keep score, and how to eat peanuts right from the shell.

In the fall we would sit together at home, watching college football and just hanging out. Winter brought basketball, going to the Erwin Center and catching a Sunday afternoon game.

I lost my dad in '95, and I can't help but think about how much he would have enjoyed the current success of the Longhorns. He wasn't around for the football championship in '05, or the baseball championships in '02 and '05. That would have thrilled him to no end.

As this year's football season draws closer, I think about my dad, and realize he is up in Heaven, watching his 'Horns and doing all he can to help them win.