Monday, May 5, 2008

Dig in and take your cuts

I drove about a bazillion miles between Thursday and Monday, Hit some bombs on the golf course and then also embarrassed myself out there as well. Golf is always like, "If you hit a good one, you owe me a stupid one." At least that's the way golf is with me. Its an awesome game that totally sucks. Its absolutely one of the greatest joys in the world to be out on the course with your buddies, a few cold brews, maybe a cigar on a sunny day. Especially on a weekday. Hit a few down the middle kind of deep, get full of yourself, then hit a few in the lake. Stupid golf.
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Saw my kids on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They are doing well. We went bowling on one of the days. I think they got the sucky bowling gene from me. We saw the movie Baby Mama. My Seven year old was bored, so about every five minutes he would whisper , Lets go Daddy. My daughter and I thought it was a funny movie though, and I recommend it. Also I don't recommend taking your seven year old.
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Talked to my daughter about the Myley Cyrus scandal. She had not heard of the controversy until I told her about it. Her take as a Hannah Montana Fan, and eleven year old is that they should just leave her alone. As we were discussing it, we talked about Jamie Lynn Spears being pregnant (I guess she already had her baby now though) She said she had some friends whose parents wouldn't let them watch Zoey 101 anymore after that news came out. We also brought up the movie Juno. At this point My Daughter is still a kid, but all that stuff is terrifying to me. Especially since I probably wont be around as much as I would like to be when she does finally start dating boys. She has a good head on her shoulders though, and is certainly smarter then the run of the mill 16 year old boy, so she has that going for her.
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Listened to the "Last Lecture" on the drive back to Miami. Very good book. Its about a professor that has been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer and he talks about his last speech that he gave. The speech itself is about Life, and tips on how to be. Its worth the 18 bucks. and it might occassionally make a tear run down your cheek.
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Ultimately you need to be self aware, and that's whether you know you suck at Golf, If your kids are never going to be on the professional Bowling tour, or whether or not your daughter is going to stress you out of your mind when she is a teenager.
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Life is full of 90 mile an hour fastballs, and lots of them will get blown by you, but you have to dig in that batters box and take your cuts. Even if the long commute from Gainesville to Miami, and the knowledge of what you are missing is like getting hit in the elbow with a 90 plus mile an hour heater. Stupid Baseball, Stupid Golf, Stupid Life. The fact is though, I will still be in my kids lives even if it is not as much as I would have liked. And hearing about someone else who has a much worse fate in dying at such a young age while his children are 5, 4 and 1 is what puts all of it in perspective. My High School Coach used to tell me to not even acknowledge it hurts. Just run down to First. So thats what I do. Occassionally though you do want to spit on it a little and rub it in.
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Rick, thanks for the link www.southfloridadailyblog.blogspot.com

8 comments:

Brianinmpls said...

Golf is a lot like sex to me your partners matter if you don't have good company I would rather do it alone then with bad company.

I have been flirting with picking that book up it is on my wish list. i might have to grab it now.

Anonymous said...

Aww, there's the bill we know and love...I had missed all the Billisms I used to hear all the time...now I can read them from time to time. You were always good at those, I once remember you ranting about movie theater popcorn butter for hours at a happy hour at Ballyhoos. Nice to read your blogs! See if you can figure out who I am :)

Bill From Gainesville said...

Brian, No doubt its better to play golf with someone who knows your stroke. but if not, when you are playing Golf you certainly can play alone and know your own stroke. -- As far as the Book, it is inspiring, Strong recomendation from this end. -- also if you go to YOU tube and type in "the last Lecture" you can actually see the lecture -- in the book though he expands on it even more. (the youtube lecture is 76 minutes long)
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25% quickdraw, I know who 50 percent quickdraw is and I am wondering if 25 % is actually Ms. 50%? also I know who Manning Stalker is and he is also a quickdraw so maybe its his wife and my softball playing buddy, but then there is also the slight possibility it is neither of those and it is in fact a south Florida agency owner? because I am thinking about the Butter flavored rant and I remember your husbands leg catching on fire that day? -- anyways one of the three is my guess.... Please don't leave me in suspense

Native Minnow said...

I hear you on the kids growing up and not being there as it happens. I make myself feel better about it by telling myself that I know more about what goes on in my kids lives than a lot of dads who live with their kids. Like the fact that my 11 yr old son thinks it's the ark of the foot, instead of the arch.

Bill From Gainesville said...

Minnow, -- I hear you I just work on making sure I have a good relationship with both of them so that when they are grown up they look at me with respect and love. -- how far is it from vegas to Salt Lake?

Anonymous said...

Well, it is Mrs 50%, so funny you remember the night of the leg on fire :) Funny stuff! We were LIVING! :)

Native Minnow said...

About 370 miles - but I've only been up there once since I hurt my back in November. It's pretty much just been phone calls and IM in the meantime. They understand though.

Bill From Gainesville said...

25%--- I am telling you: LIVING!!!!
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Minow -- its a tough situation to be in --- For me its almost like fate, My dad lived in Arizona when I was growing up in Florida. but I hung out in the summers and at Christmas, and I had a free college degree at Northern Arizona University because he was a professor at ASU --- I look back and have a strong relationship with my dad now, So I know I can build as strong, if not stronger relationship with my kids. Most of life is about focus and "want to" anyway and you clearly have your shit together, in fact I picked up on reading your blog regularly because of the similarities