But, if I had to be thankful for one thing, and one thing only, it would be the most obvious……Brett, Maci and Brandon.  My kids.

I must preface the remainder of this particular blog with this understanding: My wife and I are completely opposing people.  We are different in virtually everything we do, what we enjoy, and how we handle all that life offers.  Neither of us are right or wrong, but simply put we are different.  And these opposing personalities have become ever present in our 3 distinctly different children.

Brett is the oldest.  Physically speaking, he resembles both of us, and depending on the angle and lighting you can see both Carey and I in him.  He’s of average height, clearly not getting that from me, and is slim, but not necessarily skinny.  He’s shy at first, a trait he gets from Carey, and is very sensitive, which I have been assured is not a trait he got from me.  Schoolwork is not something that comes easy for him, but he works extremely hard at it.  He’s good at sports, and despite the shyness there is a competitive streak down in there somewhere that can be unbearable at times.  Yep, that’s me.  He’s a people pleaser and loves quality time with his mom and dad.

Brett’s a 50/50 mix of the two of us.

Maci and Brett couldn’t be more different.  Maci is tall, the tallest in her class despite being the youngest.  I think we know where that comes from.  She’s also one of the bigger kids in her class, a trait she unfortunately got from me as well.  But, she’s a spitting image of her mom, and you only have to look at a few pictures of Carey in her youth to see it.  Maci excels in school.  She’s usually at the top of the class, and is a very avid reader.  This is a point of confusion for us.  Carey was never the brains, and even though she always got good grades, it wasn’t exactly easy for her and she had to work hard at it (see Brett there?).  On the other hand, school came easy for me, but it wasn’t through effort.  I’m a sponge, and can generally remember just about anything once I hear or read it.  But I never tried, and my C average was evidence enough of that.  I suppose Maci gets the brains from me, she has just developed the ability to actually apply herself from Carey.  Socially, she more closely resembles Carey in that she gets along with most people but gets really close to few.  And in all sincerity, she’s a royal smart-alec and as bull-headed as they come, and I take full blame for that.

Maci is a 60/40 mix, with Carey leading the way.

But, oh, there’s Brandon.  We are often criticized as parents for making unflattering remarks about our youngest.  But here’s the facts: he is ornery, loud, obnoxious, defies authority, and will test every limit put in front of him.  You tell him no, and he wants to know why.  You tell him he can’t do something, and he will undoubtedly do it just because he wants to.  He has an ability to play Brett and Maci against each other, all the while making it seem like he’s on either of there sides at any given time.  He’s a genius, in an evil sort of way, and I will consider myself to be a terrific father if I can keep him out of jail someday.  He’s very social, plays well with everyone, but will no doubt be a bully someday if he doesn’t get his way.  He’s smart, but will only ever do what he wants to, and when he wants to.  The only incentive and fun is that he gets to play football, basketball and baseball.  Brandon is the anomoly of our children, and as much as it kills me to say:

Brandon is 100% me.  Not even the slightest hint of Carey in him phsyically or metally.  I’m the one to blame for him.

At the end of the day, I am thankful to have 3 unique children who make my life interesting.  And I’m thankful that Carey and I can laugh about there differences and be proud of how outstanding each one is in there own way.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I always took little league sports for granted.  The option to play was always there.  Baseball, basketball, soccer, football, it didn’t matter the opportunity to play was always there.  I always knew I would have a coach.  I always knew we would have a sponsor to help pay for our jerseys.  I always knew my parents would get me to every practice and game, and I would have the proper shoes, shorts, hat or equipment that I needed to play.

It wasn’t until I got older, started having kids of my own, and started getting involved in their sporting endeavors that this thought occurred to me: it was always the same few dads that were around.  It was always the same few businesses that sponsored teams.  It was always the same parents in the stands over and over again.

About half the teams I played on were sponsored by Hummel Tree Service.  And they were coached by my dad and Russ Hummel.  Different sports, same logo, same dads.  The thought never occurred to me that this was weird or strange or unusual.  It was just life and how it was.  I may have occasionally been sponsored by Dustrol, Country Store, or another, and occasionally a sport would hit and it was my dad and someone else coaching.  But by and large it was the same two dads out there.

As I have gotten involved in coaching and at the administration level I have become appalled at parents.  The sheer number of times I have felt like I was begging dads to get involved, to take a couple of nights a week to coach, and spend that time with your kids is unbelievable.  People expect there to be an opportunity for their child to participate, and yet they are not willing to step up and take the time to facilitate those opportunities astonishes me.

Understand, I’m not the perfect father.  And just spending time with my kids during practice and games does not equate to a great deal of quality time for them.  But, I can remember the moment when I first knew my oldest son was on his way.  And the first thought I had was how much fun it was going to be to coach him someday.  Pick a sport, it doesn’t matter.  I couldn’t wait to get out there and teach him something, to help him progress in a sport and in life, and share that time with him.  Because that was the example set for me during my childhood.  And that was time I still cherish to this day.

What do you want your child to remember?

The only comfort and solace we can take is that at times our roads merge with others.  Our dirt road becomes a two-lane road, and later a 4 lane road, and at the pinnacle of our life there are often more lanes than we can count. 

Meet my Grandpa, George Daniel Reed.  He’s pictured above with his wife Shirley, and his 3 daughters, Paula (My mom), Cathy, and Marsha.  This picture was taken in the early 60′s.

Long before I was even an idea in my parents eye, George was already well down his road.  Over time he merged path with his wife, and his daughters, and eventually his grandkids.

In January of 1978, my path merged with his.

For the next 18 years of my life, I had the privelege of traveling the road with George.  He was my hero, my friend, and the best role model a kid could ask for.  He passed just a few days before my high school graduation.  And while it seemed that for a time, I was now traveling the road alone,  I wasn’t.  He was still there, trying his best to keep my road intact, while I tried to take every curve and hill at top speed. Until eventually my road merged with someone else’s.

On May 11th, 1996, 15 years ago today, my Grandpa passed away.  His road has continued through me, through his daughters, and through all his grandkids.  And someday it will continue with my kids, his great-grandkids, and so on.  We are his road, his legacy, and we take great pride in that.

On a particular episode, Chandler decides he is unhappy in his current profession, and goes as far as to take a personality exam, an exam designed to unlock the perfect job for him that he should pursue.  Of course for comic effect, the results come back as the exact job he currently held.  Not great news for Mr. Bing.  And I wonder….what if I took that test?  What would my results be?  What is the perfect profession for me?

Theoretically, this is something we should all figure out by the time we hit our mid 20′s, and for the sake of opportunities to really advance in our field, it would be ideal to have set off in that path by that time.  Unfortunately, I may give the test a run for its money.  A rough guess for me says that the test results would state that I would be ideally suited for a job that involves about 1/3 playing golf, 1/3 fishing, and 1/3 drinking beer.  This encompasses the things that I enjoy, with little regard for my skill level at any of them, all though I would rate my skills as poor, fair, and too good for my own good, respectively.  I couldn’t even necessarily come up with any type of profession that requires this skill set, and therefore the test would be ineffective for me.

Interestingly enough, during my first few weeks on the Friends University campus, we were required to take a personality test.  The test was intended for us to learn a little about ourselves and our classmates, and give us a little further understanding into how we learn.  And the results……….I was an ISJT.  That probably means little to most of you unless you are familiar with the test.  For the life of me I can’t recall what the SJT at the end even meant, and I’m feeling a little too lazy to google it right now.

The “I” was perplexing though.  People scored either an “I” or an “E”, or in other words, introvert or extrovert.  And here’s me, Mr. Personality, the center of attention, scoring an “I”?  It didn’t make a whole lot of sense.  Later in the week, I retook the test on my own time, assuming it was my mood, or I was sick, or just not reading the questions correctly.  Nope.  Same results.  Now, I should qualify this remark with a little understanding.  This is not to say that I am quiet (which I am not), or a recluse (nope), or even unpersonable (I don’t think I am).  But for the sake of the test, it was more of a reference to how I relax, to how I prefer to process things, or even to how much of me I like to share.

The reality is I don’t like to share much.  I keep things fairly close to the vest, and outside of me taking a little time to write out my thoughts on this obscure blog, I couldn’t care less if anyone ever knew what I was actually feeling.  I have no singular person in my life that I like to get particularly deep with, and I offer no answers sometimes even when asked.  That’s just me, and I surmise that this character trait is a permanent one.  Sorry if you don’t like it, but deal with it.

I am not to blame, though.  It’s genetic.  It’s a learned trait.  It’s how my father is, my grandfathers were, and how I assume most of my ancestors were before them.  It is what a man is, and how a man acts, and it is the model I have been presented for the length of my time on this earth.  And because of me, it is undoubtedly how my sons will act too.  And you know what?  I’m okay with it.  I don’t need to spend my evening rehashing the highs and lows of my day with my wife, and even though she may enjoy it, a simple “Fine” will do when she asks me about my day.  I feel neither the need or inclination to burden her with the aspects of my day, the things weighing on my shoulders, or the stresses in my life.  I am a man, I got this.

The reality is Jesus was an “I”.  While he may have had a public image, and seemed to work well in crowds, small groups or even individually, at the end of the day he often retreated to be by himself.  Now, please don’t mistake me for the Messiah.  Other than both of our enjoyment of wearing flip-flops, we have little in common.  He defied temptation while I give in on every turn.  He was a great teacher and I’m lucky to actually impart any kind of wisdom on anyone.  He was patient and kind, and I swing and miss on both.  He loved all people and I can barely stand anyone.  And yet, I take a small grain of comfort in knowing that we both were introverts.  We both retreat when we need to, and jump in front of the crowd when the time calls. 

Of course he turned water into wine.  I’m shooting more for a Octoberfest Lager.

Confused yet?  If you’re not, you’re doing better than I am in trying to decipher a jumbled set of thoughts that I typed.  Heck, I wrote it and don’t even know what it all means. 

Here’s what I do know: God works in amazing ways!  This is a fact I was reminded of in the last 24 hours.  And a sequence of events that reminds me that a seed can be planted in your heart that can grow to exactly what you need to hear, and what you need to be reminded of at least on occasion.

So what happened?  Let me outline 3 simple things that have occurred in the last day that brought me to a startling conclusion.

1.  I was conned into teaching Sunday school for our class last night, and had to be ready for this morning.

2.  Through casual conversation last night a friend mentioned my blog.

3.  This morning a friend ran a half-marathon.

If you can find a connection between these three things then there is no real reason for you to continue reading.  Most of you, however, read those things and can find little to no connection to 3 seemingly random events and occurrences.  But there is a method to the madness.  There is an underlying theme to what transpired, though, and those things reminded me, not only what I am doing, but what I’m not doing.  So, here it is…….

I have had a horrible year so far.  Little to nothing has gone the way I wanted, and I have increasingly seen my mood become more and more foul over time.  My spirits have been damaged, and I can safely say that at this point I am grasping at the last few straws of sanity I have left.  I’m carrying anger and depression squarely on my shoulders, and have been for some time.  I’m still searching for a sign that the things that I want are going to be available to me, and that there is a reason to be hopeful of the future.  Bottom line: I’m no ray of sunshine right now!

While Carey was taking a small group of girls to a movie last night for Maci’s birthday, I ran over for an informal dinner and deck sitting session with a few friends.  Most of the fellow sitters were apart of my Sunday school class, and somehow I was duped into teaching the class this morning.  Now, this isn’t a bad thing.  In fact, I actually like a chance to do it once in a while because it forces me to spend a little time preparing for the class, spending a few extra minutes in the Word, and taking the time to dive deeply into it and come out with some level of insight that can be taught and presented to a captive (a term used loosely about my particular class) audience.  During the same session of deck sitting,  a random “The Mind of Dan” mention was made.  And this women, whom we will call Allison Patton to protect her identity, replied to a smart alec remark of mine (big shocker, there, huh?) with a comment of “Be nice or I won’t read your blog anymore.”

So, let’s tie these two random events together, and I promise eventually I will work the 3rd one in.  While studying a little from John 6 last night to prepare for class this morning, I was reminded about the sheer number of times that Jesus went off to be by himself.  Presumably, it was his opportunity to spend with God, in prayer, and time to collect his own thoughts and re-center himself as his fate was increasingly close.  I needed that reminder.  I needed the reminder that it is okay to need a little quiet time, and in fact it is important to have a little quiet time to yourself.  Every person needs an opportunity to shut the world off, to take a minute and collect or sometimes CORRECT their thoughts.  Through all the negativity that I have experienced this year, through the moments that I thought would end me and were feeding my anger and depression, I forgot that occasionally I need that time to re-center myself.  Occasionally I need an hour, a couple of hours, an evening or an afternoon to collect my thoughts and hand them over to God.  I wouldn’t have gotten that had I just been a spectator in class this morning.  God put in my path his Word, and it is what I need right now.  I needed a moment to take all that I was experiencing and put it out there in a way that made sense to me, in a way that was therapeutic to me, in a way that I could give it to God and let it be.  I needed to write it out.  I needed to blog.

Where I lack is in faith.  I struggle to know that God will provide for me in a way that is beneficial to my family and I, and that the path he has for me is still there, I just  have yet to shut everything else off and listen to him.  I lack the faith to purposely avoid running, avoid training, and to avoid preparing myself for a half-marathon, just to see if I could still run it.  That’s faith.

1.  I’m a little upset with KU fans right now.  Not all of you, but a select few.  Having been at the forefront of lecturing fans of other schools over the years, I sit back and watch the Jayhawk faithful pull some of the same stuff that I had complained about with other schools.  Thanks to Facebook for pointing it out to me.  Here’s the deal:  Cheer for your school.  If you can’t cheer for them without thumbing your nose at another program that is not living up to expectations this year, then you are no better than them.  It’s the Golden Rule……..treat others as you would want to be treated. 

2.  Do you ever find it weird when people you know show up at YOUR church and you don’t know how to handle it?  I’ve recently been faced with that, not knowing exactly how to treat these people, and knowing what the Christian thing to do is but not fully being able to live that out.  Every person in your life has a place, but it is tough when they end up somewhere that is out of place. 

3.  Since I have had an abundance of free time over the last few months, I have actually been studying some pretty interesting stuff.  I’m currently putting together some material for a Sunday school class that pertains to the historicity of the Bible, and some outside resources.  I might be the only person on earth who finds it interesting, but I find it to be valuable information for any gung-ho Christian. 

4.  I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut, but recently I even surprised myself by staying the “speak only when asked” course.  A friend recently posted something regarding their religious beliefs.  It was a nice, well thought out piece, and I could tell that it was something of value to them.  And since their point of view differed from mine, my first instinct was to point out perceived flaws with their thinking, and the information that I had to back up my point of view.  But I refrained.  This may seem inconsequential to some of you, but it was a huge step for me. 

5.  I guess I should give an ankle update as well.  I’m at the 9 week mark from surgery.  Pain is limited, but still slightly tender.  Physical therapy is going well, and boredom has yet to overtake me.  I’m hoping to go back to work in a few weeks.  That’s about it.

6.  There isn’t anything good on TV at 3 in the morning. 

7.  Surgery related news……..Knowing that I was going to be on crutches and in a cast through at least half of the little league basketball season, I elected to sit out of coaching this year.  This has not been easy and is testing every ounce of patience I may have.  It certainly isn’t helpful that both of my kids are on teams that are distinctly devoid of talent and experience, and both may well finish the season winless.  I will never sit back and watch again.  Except with volleyball.  I don’t know anything about it.

Honestly, that’s about all I have to say today.  I should probably be in bed, anyway.  Good Night!

1.  The Big Present:  No, I don’t expect people to buy this for me.  I’m hoping to receive a substantial amount of cash and Dick’s Sporting Goods gift cards to pool it all together and go get this.  It’s not for me, it’s for my kids. 

2. Yeah, I probably could use some new T-Shirts as well.  Just an example of what I think people should get me:

3.  And finally, the gift to end all gifts.  Consider this my Christmas, birthday and graduation gifts all rolled in to one.  My wife and I have earned a vacation: that’s right, an Alaskan Cruise.

In case you need my mailing address to send me any of the above gifts or anything else you might come up with, just ask and I will give it to you.  If you plan on sending me a fruit basket, then it is time to re-evaluate our relationship.  Merry Christmas!

For me, there is no real method to my madness.  I write about whatever happens to be on my mind.  I’ve written everything from stories about my kids, thoughts on sports, my theology, and my life struggles.  I have a hard time placing exactly what my subject matter consistently is, and who my ideal readers might be.  And I’m okay with that.

And like some of my past posts, occassionally I like to pick a fight.  And today i’m in a fighting mood.  I’ve had the opportunity to see and read hundreds of blogs in the last few weeks thanks to a recent ankle surgery that will put me off work for the better part of two months.  The sheer number of “Mommy” blogs out there is astounding.  My bet, with no actual researched data to support my cause, is that half of the blogs out there are these “mommy” blogs, blogs written by wives and mothers with the primary subject matter being children, husbands, cooking, and other daily activities that encompass your average mom’s life.  Now, I am in no way bad mouthing these writers, and in fact some are very good.  I just find it interesting that there are so many, and I have found zero written by dads.  Not a single one. 

There are a few blogs and websites written by supposed experts that are decent reads, but as I read them I sometimes wonder if these people actually have kids.  I question if they have actually ever dealt with a child on a daily basis, and aren’t just regurgitating what they read in a text book somewhere.  There are very smart people out there who don’t know a thing about actually raising a child.  So, like I’m prone to do, I’m putting in my two cents.  Am I a perfect father?  Of course not, and I will guarantee that I screw up as often as any parent out there.  But I have my views, and I have my opinions, and it would be unlike me not to share them.

Dan’s Quick Guide to Parenting

Just a few ideas out there for all the 21st century parents that I’ve figured out in my almost 9 years as a dad.

1.  I wasn’t put on this earth to be my children’s friend – This seems like a novel concept, a dad who doesn’t care if his children like him?  No, way!  Well, that’s somewhat of an exaggeration.  Certainly, I want to have a good relationship with my children.  But they don’t need to like me, and if they do, that’s just a bonus.  To me, it is more important that my children respect me, respect my authority, and do what I tell them regardless of whether they want to or not.  My role as a parent is not to give my child everything they want, my job is to give them everything they NEED, and that sometimes makes them mad.  Tough! 

2.  Setting lofty demands of your child isn’t a bad thing – I know, I know, kids will be kids, and kids make mistakes.  I get it.  But kids WILL live up to your expectations, and if you set those expectations too low, than the results will be low as well.  I expect my children to behave appropriately at school or there are serious consequences.  The result of this expectation is the fact that my kids are rarely disciplined at school and get rave reviews for their behavior.  I expect my children to do their homework the day it is assigned and turn it in the following day regardless of when the due date is.  The result, well, they do their homework the day it is due, and turn it in the next day, never having to do last minute work or failing to turn stuff in on time.  I do not expect my children to be perfect, and I understand that they are going to make mistakes.  However, I do demand that my children give 100% in all that they do, whether it is something they enjoy or not.  And they do, and you would be amazed at the results.

3.  It’s okay to make your kids do things they don’t want to do – I really don’t care if my children want to participate in sports.  I don’t care if they hate it.  There gonna play.  And there gonna give it everything they have.  Understand, it is not because I expect my children to become the star athlete.  It is not because I’m trying to create Dan clones to roam the halls of my alma mater.  I do it to create discipline.  I do it to find ways for them to use their time in a positive way.  I do it to teach them teamwork and competition, both of which are an important part of life and the real world.  I do it so they understand what it means to try new things and never underestimate yourself. 

4.  Your children were not created equal, so why should they all be treated the same way – Yeah, I said it!  You can call SRS at your leisure.  Everyday I check Brett’s progress at school.  Everyday I check his grades and I check his homework, and I force him to sit down with me to do his homework.  I don’t do this with Maci.  Am I calling Brett out a little?  Probably.  But here’s the fact:  Brett struggles with school, Maci does not.  School is easy for Maci, and she is our families best shot at a Valedictorian.  Do I treat them differently when it comes to their school work?  Yep.  Do I treat them differently when it comes to the social aspects of childhood?  Guilty as charged!  Why?  Simply put, Brett is more sociable than Maci.  Brett has more friends than Maci, more good friends who call and extend invites on a regular basis.  So what happens?  I tell Brett no sometimes.  I NEVER tell Maci no.  She wants a friend to come over, great.  She gets invited elsewhere, we make it happen.  You can call me a bad guy.  And I’m okay with that.  Brett still goes twice as often as Maci!  I love my children equally, and my expectations for them are the same.  But they are not the same.  They need different things, and I need to provide for them differently.  Call me old fashioned, and I’m sure you will, but my responsibility as a father is to raise my sons to be men, and to protect my daughter until her husband comes along to assume that role.  Sorry, it’s what I believe.

Yeah, I know, I’m out there.  I’m gonna guess that only about 10% of the population would agree with me.  But, I’m okay with that.  I don’t coddle my children, I don’t baby them, and I am tough on them.  And sometimes they don’t like me.   But they know what is expected of them.  And they know that I love them. 

But here we go again.  As I type this, KU football is sitting at a confusing 1-2, after losing to Division II North Dakota State, beating 15th ranked Georgia Tech, and then laying an egg to Southern Mississippi.  Kansas State on the other hand, is sitting at 3-0, having beaten UCLA, Missouri State, and Iowa State.  And the comments begin.  I have been barbed, poked, needled, etc., about all of this.  And the two teams haven’t even played yet! 

Here’s the real problem: this is not all K-State fans.  In fact, I can prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s not even exclusive to alumni of the university.  For example, my friend Travis, a grad, loves the rivalry but cheers for his team and pays little to no attention to what KU is doing until the Sunflower Showdown arrives.  We may exchange a few barbs, but it’s light-hearted and fun.  It doesn’t help that Travis happens to be the nicest guy in the world, and I marvel sometimes at this and try to emulate some of his characteristics.  A second example is my cousin Jenn, who graduated just this past year from KSU.  She cheers for her Cats, and loves them with a reckless abandon.  But she feels no need to join in the fray, and may well be guilty of cheering for the Hawks when they aren’t playing a team in purple. 

Instead of getting mad, getting into an argument, or making someone else mad (again), I decided to do a little research.  I began to question why I was a KU fan, and decided I had a choice I could make.  It’s no coincidence that I recently re-read Lee Stobel’s “A Case For Christ”, and I decided to take on his tactics.  While I didn’t meet with any experts, a couple of quick Googles, and few trips to the ever reliable Wikipedia, gave me all the answers I needed.  So here’s the facts, just the facts.

Football

The KU versus K-State football rivalry began in 1902 and has been continuous since 1912.  KU leads the all-time series 64-38-5, even giving K-State the win in a disagreed outcome from 1980, in which KU won, but had a player later declared ineligible for that game.  Since beginning football, KU has won 15 total conference championships, but haven’t won a single one since their Big 8 days,  and been to 12 bowl games, most notably the 2008 BCS Orange Bowl.  For the Cats, they have won 5 conference titles, most recently in 2003, and have been to 13 bowl games, 12 of which have occurred since 1993.  In effect, this is a tale of two different schools.  KU has a much richer tradition in football spanning the last 100 years, but outside of an outstanding 2008 season, haven’t done much of note lately.  K-State, on the other hand, was statistically the worst team in college football history when Bill Snyder took over, having compiled a 299-500-41 total record, up to the 1989 season.  But, K-State actually had one of the  highest winning percentage in all of college football for the 1990′s, and even reached as high as the #1 ranking in 1998. 

Since the inception of the Governor’s Cup in 1969, K-State holds the edge in the series, 21-19-1, and has an edge in the last ten years with a 6-4 record against KU.  Historically, KU has the edge, but K-State holds a slight edge in the modern era. 

Basketball

The KU-K-State basketball rivalry began in 1907.  The all-time record favors KU 180-90.  Since beginning their basketball program, KU has won 53 conference championships, all but one of the Big 12 championships since the conference began, played in 13 Final Fours, and has won 5 National Championships.  K-State has won 17 conference championships, been to 4 Final Fours, and in 1951 lost to Kentucky in the National Championship game.  If you really dig into the numbers, you will find that K-State actually has a much richer tradition in basketball than in football, but up until the last few years, have been pretty poor.  KU, well, there KU and the numbers speak for themselves, including being second in all of college basketball in total wins. 

More recently the series has been lopsided.  KU has won 33 of the last 35 games, and 9 of the last 10.  During that span KU rattled off a 31 game winning streak against the Cats, and even managed a record 29 game winning streak on their opponent’s home floor, from 1983-2008.  Clearly, we can’t give anyone the edge in this than KU.  It’s been lopsided over the last 100 plus years, with KU winning 2 out of every 3 games they play K-State. 

Everything Else

So, how do they compare in everything else.  Well, I will admit that K-State women’s basketball has been a solid program for many years, and KU hasn’t done a thing since Lynette Woodard graduated nearly 30 years ago.  Edge: K-State.  KU has won 3 indoor and 3 outdoor track National Championships in their history, to none for K-State.  Edge:  KU.  Neither men’s baseball team have ever done anything.  Edge: Wichita State University!  And I honestly couldn’t find information on softball for either squad.  Volleyball?  Edge: K-State, but only because it’s late, and I don’t want to seem one-sided, and most of you only care about football and basketball anyways. 

Summary

At this point, if I have to spell it out for you, then frankly I’m surprised you were even able to read this far.  You can needle me, heckle me, send me a text, make a snide remark, whatever it is you want to do.  But I’m a KU fan, and I think I have made a case for why.  From this point on, I will simply refer to this blog, and tell everyone to just check out the numbers.  So for those of you who want to make comments, call me when the Wildcats have actually done something.  KU has 12 combined National Championships, and K-State has none.  ‘Nough said.  Rock Chalk!

Hitting

Catching

1.  I’ve decided I’m THAT dad.  Unhappy with my own accomplishments as a child, I have put all my eggs in my children’s basket.  Just yesterday, I informed my 3rd grader that, now that he’s on an actual grading scale in school, i.e. A, B, C, D, F, that I EXPECT all A’s.  No pressure there Brett.  And on top of expecting all A’s, I expect him to be the star football, basketball, and baseball player in school.  Nothing like setting the kid up for failure.  Instead of putting money into a college fund for him, I’m thinking a therapy fund might be more appropriate.

2.  I’m not all bad when it comes to the first thought.  I don’t do that with Maci or with Brandon.  Just Brett.  Donations can be made to the Brett Claycamp Therapy Fund c/o Peabody State Bank in Benton. 

3.  I’m about 90% sure I’ve convinced my wife to let me get another tattoo.  It’s only taken ten years.  I’m thinking about getting a wood, rustic cross on my right arm, with a verse inside it.  Stay tuned for any announcements.

4.  Patience is not a virtue I have, and now I get to sit back and wait to find out more on my ankles.  Next appointment is with the specialist on September 16th, and we will see what the next step is.  For those of you considering sending flowers should I have to have surgery please don’t.  Send booze.  Not for me, though, for Carey.  Three months is a long time to wait on your husband’s every need, while I’m laid up. 

5.  As a child, I had a recurring nightmare that a giant Twinkie cowboy was trying to kill me.  As an adult, I’m fat.  It’s gonna be a slow, painful death, but that Twinkie will eventually get me.

6.  I was reading my sister’s blog, which I would tag if I knew how.  She reminded me of the WORST teacher ever.  Mrs. Brice, my second grade teacher.  She hated me and the feeling was mutual.  She was very disappointed to find out that I was nothing like my goody two-shoes older sister.  I survived.  She retired after that year.  Coincidence?

7.  Because I was something of a wild child, I’ve began to really look at my kid’s friends.  Which ones are gonna be good?  Which ones are gonna be trouble makers?  The problem is, I’ll never know.  My kids won’t tell me.  Which reminds me of my own youth.  I had two friends that my parents thought were angels, Chad and Mike.  I had two others that my parents thought were monsters, Colby and Josh.  Anytime I wanted to do something with Chad and Mike, my parents were all smiles.  The other two?  A lot of questions.  But 20 years later I can tell you that the first two were infinitely worse than the others.  Colby never thought of anything bad to do, he was just involved.  Josh was never around, being that he worked a job from the time we were 14 on, and he spent the rest of his free time with his girlfriend.  Chad was sneaky, quiet in his mischievous endeavors.  Mike was a suck-up.  It was nothing to go out and do something horrible with Mike, and then have him sit in your living room and chat your parents up for half an hour before leaving.  Think Eddie Haskell with skills.  These experiences may help me decipher which kids to allow into my home.

8.  Brown Chicken Brown Cow.

9.  Number 8 may have confused you, but there will be some who get it.  If you’re not one of those that get it, then I’m sorry, you’re not in the loop.

10.  Do you ever get on Facebook, look at some of the pictures of your former classmates and think to yourself, “Man, they really let themselves go!”  Then you step in front of a mirror and say to yourself, “Crap, that’s probably what they say about me.” 

11.  I have been criticized for not having a technically correct writing method.  I have heard that from a few instructors and someone else who shall remain nameless (you know who you are).  I understand that there are certain grammar thingies that are right and wrong.  I just don’t care.  Who talks with proper grammar?  I prefer to right something that when somebody repeats it back to themselves they understand it and it sounds like something that might actually be happening.  If you don’t like it, don’t read it.

12.  So, they want to build a Mosque near Ground Zero.  I have so many thoughts on this it’s not even funny.  I understand that the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks were an isolated, radical group of Muslims, and do not represent the Muslim faith as a whole.  I still don’t care.  It’s in bad taste.  Pick another location, and have respect for the victims of that attack.