Fall in Texas 
Sunday, October 4, 2009, 03:33 PM
Posted by Administrator
The Pop Warner football season is half over and moving up to a higher league has been a challenge. That makes the small victories even sweeter. It takes a huge commitment from coaches, parents and most of all the kids to come to practice 3 nights a week and play a game every Saturday. At 10 years old winning and losing doesn't mean much to them. They just want to get in the game, have fun and receive the approval of their coaches, peers and parents. Observing the attitude and approach to motivation most coaches take, it is no suprise many kids will stop playing sports at this age. Criticism is not a bad thing, broadcasting it while it is directed to an individual is a bad thing. That negates the reasons the kids are playing in the first place (see above). Have you ever watched a soccer game for kids at this same age. There are a lot more smiles and cheers on both side of the field, no wonder it is so popular now in an area that didnt even know it existed 25 years ago. The saying I have come to appreciate and wish more coaches practiced: "Yell encouragement, whisper criticism." It makes me appreciate the group of coaches I have had the luck and pleasure to coach with for the last 4 years.

On a lighter note, the rains have returned on the heels of one of the hottest and dryest summers in decades. I never expected (but should have guessed) that our football team would have their best game in a steady downpour. They were loving every minute playing in that dreary, soaked to the bone weather. Now if I can get it to rain every game.
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Are you ready for some Football? 
Monday, August 31, 2009, 12:39 AM
Posted by Administrator
Football season is upon us again which means there will not be much time for anything else. Back to coaching my son’s team and this time it’s getting serious. We were moved from a D2 division to a D1 division and that steps up the competition level quite a bit. All the pressure is on us coaches to get these kids ready for their first game next week. So that’s pop warner football and it is a lot of fun. My daughter is in the marching band as a freshmen in high school and they work harder than the football players, I am so impressed. Now we will be at all the high school games. Then there is college football and I have season tickets to the Texas home games. Since the pop warner games are on Saturday also I may not get to see all of them but I don’t miss it so much when it comes to watching 10 year olds having fun playing. I think my fantasy football may suffer because I will be sleeping all day Sunday. Sorry Cowboys, I just may not have enough left in the tank to worry about how low the HD screen is this week.
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Teenagers are expensive 
Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 03:18 PM
Posted by Administrator
It is that time for my daughter... braces! She is actually looking forward to getting them so she can show off that perfect smile. I am also since I am fed up with her scared to show her teeth in photos. There have been a lot of advancements since I had braces many years ago (not going to say how many). No more bands around the teeth and the mounts are smaller so you don't look like Jaws from Moonraker. Now they actually use a screw in your jaw to anchor the bands and when they are done they just unscrew it. Sounds awful but is supposed to hurt less. Now the time they need to be worn is about half what it used to be, but somehow the price has remained the same.

Tally for the summer so far:
Band Camp: $400
Teeth Extraction: $530
Braces Down Payment $1000
Straight teeth and a summer to remember: Priceless (or else)
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Short Term Single Parent 
Friday, May 8, 2009, 08:13 PM
Posted by Administrator
I have been acting as a single parent for the past 2 months. My wife is on an extended work assignement out of town. I have to say that keeping up with 2 busy kids/teenagers is more than a full time job. To all the single parents out there, I always knew it was tough for you, but it is harder than I imagined. I have family nearby that can help out.. I can't imagine being able to cope without them. One more month and my wife is back. I plan on not getting out of bed for about a week.
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Texas drivers vs California drivers 
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 03:01 AM
Posted by Administrator
After a trip to San Francisco, I made a few observations on the drivers there. There have been many stories of road rage on the overcrowded highways of California, more so in LA but in SF is not much different. In particular I would like to talk about rush hour traffic in and out of the city. The number of people commuting into the city is mind boggling, but I noticed a distinct lack of aggression. Everybody seemed to work together to move the whole at the best rate possible. Let’s compare this to a similar commute into Austin. The distance is the same, the number of lanes may be 1 or 2 less than their CA counterparts, but there are half as many cars on the road. Then why is it so much more dangerous in Austin. The drivers are much more aggressive; change lanes more often, cut corners and generally drive with no consideration of the ones around them. Why is this so? Are Californians more laid back, are they smarter, are they more skilled drivers? Or, are they just more experienced. They have been where we are and learned to handle the situation positively. So, does this mean Austin is on its way to better days, I can only hope. In any event I will start. I will change: Slower speeds, less tailgating, less lane changes. I trust it can work, I have seen it.
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