Houseworks

I have to go out and look for a book.  My mother would tell me, “no, you don’t” but I do!  Through the wonder of the internet, I can say I now know two published authors.  My friend Cynthia, whom I have never met, just had her first book published!!!! 

Houseworks is now available in the US.  I have resisted the desire to purchase the UK version which is titled “Cut the Clutter” because my house is overwhelmed with books but now…I am off to some of my favorite book buying locations - Barnes and Noble, Sam’s Club, WaldenBooks (the only book stores we have in town).

And the annual “madness” begins…

…. and believe it or not I am not talking NCAA basketball either.  The start of another Region 1 soccer season is about to begin. 

Let’s recap the madness last year - the team’s one year in the Director’s league.  Granted, it was a prestigious move but it was a costly one on the gas tanks of parents’ cars.  The team played some of the top teams in the U18 girls’ age bracket in the country.  Unfortunately, that esteem gets the “better” team less travel.  To start with, games began this past weekend a year ago.  The team was scheduled to play in south Jersey.  Unfortunately, a late season snow storm left the fields under 10 inches plus of snow.  Well, a lot of scurrying around and we were set to move the games to Binghamton.  Turf field and only the cold to worry about.  Should have known that was too easy a solution.  We ended up playing in Vineland, NJ - air temp 50, windchill during our early game 30.  Who knows how cold it got the late game?

Then, the next weekend of play - fields in CT weren’t ready either.  The day before the games they were still finding fields and charging us for those fields.  Original play was for us to move between games until someone put their foot down.  The out of town/state teams would stay put.  The CT teams would drive between fields.

Then, we played our one and only home game - a beautiful sunny day in April at Alumni field in Binghamton.  Turf was good and we won.  We were heading into the final weekend of play in second place.  Not sure that settled well with a lot of people but we had the two top teams in the division to play still so no worries.

One hundred miles from home when the call came it was too rainy - who the heck has ever heard of  that for an excuse to cancel/postpone a soccer game!!! - turn around and go home.  We will be in touch to reschedule.  Well, the reschedule was a war of emails and words.  Our team lost.  We traveled to Dominican College for the first game - basically a home game for the Rockville Centre Hot Shots.  Then, it was up to North Rockland to be punished again.

If anyone ever thought there was inequities in youth sports, let’s look at this one.  If any games had been scheduled for our turf, they would have gone off as planned - right day, no location change, on time.  Instead, the “better” teams got their way and the day or two before every weekend of play, the location or something would change.

The “new kids on the block” drove almost 800 miles one way to games.  The “better” teams drove approximately 200 one way to games.  Not much parity there..

And this weekend, the “madness” begins again…..

What does “team” mean?

I know we have all heard it before - there is no “I” in team.  Unfortunately, in this time of teams for everything and the more teams you are on the “cooler” as a teen you seem, there is definitely a “me” in team.

Let’s look at two different teen-age girls.  Both are headed to Division 1 schools in the fall to play soccer.  Girl 1 has to babysit the night before an early game.  The game is to start at 8 am.  She knows that this particular babysitting job, an annual celebration, will be a late one.  She gets home at 3:30 am the morning of the game from her babysitting job and asks what time the mother and daughter need to leave for the game in the morning.  She goes to the game, even though it doesn’t “really count” as it is a scrimmage.  She goes to the game, even though she is very tired from babysitting five children under 11 the night before for 9 hours.  She goes to the game, even though she would rather be sleeping as she has to work at noon.

Girl 2 goes out with friends/boyfriend on the night before the game.  She does not get home as early as she should.  Prior to the team taking the field at the game, girl 2 - who is still home in bed - gets a call from a teammate or two.    Girl 2 says she is tired because she stayed out to0 late last night and isn’t going to come.

I don’t want to recount the yelling at screaming at girl 1’s house on that game morning to get her moving.  I would love to say that girl 1 should have thought more of herself but soccer is a team sport.  It is not one of those sports where the individual competes but there is a team score at the end.  A team plays on the pitch the entire time.

Just what have these two girls been taught “team” means?

Technology on the Rise

When you live where the personal computer sort of started (IBM use to employ almost 20,000 people in this area), you would think that purchasing new technology would be easy.  It seems the big chain stores have managed to either take out all the local vendors or have required that the local vendor raise his/her prices so high that technology is not affordable.

I am looking for a laptop.  I don’t really want to spend $2,000 on one.  That was the average price on the web site of a local store.  I am more the consumer looking for a $500-$900 laptop from Dell or HP.  I have looked and looked for a local store but all I can find selling laptops are major national chains - Circuit City, Sam’s Club, Staples.  We don’t even have a Best Buy or CompUSA in the area so price is not brought down by competition much.

I hate to mail order but may have to if the local area cannot support what I “want.”

Immortality and the Always Wrong Parent

I always knew that at least one of my six children would finally hit that stage where  they were immortal and I knew nothing.  Well, it has taken a long time as most of my kids still believe I know everything - a hard job and a well-placed network of “spies” will accomplish that.

We are in the throws of a good snow storm.  It probably doesn’t help that this is the first real snowstorm all winter.  It really doesn’t help that this is the first storm of any amount of snow since Suz registered her car.  Of course, at 6 am when there was no snow on the ground, no one wanted to go anywhere.  But now, in the middle of the storm - and our weather advisory has gone from a snow advisory to a heavy snow advisory - Suz wants to go out with her friends.

First, it was no.  You can’t drive in this weather.  But, Mom, it isn’t snowing right now.  But Susan, you just woke up and don’t even know what is coming.  Mom, the weather guy is always wrong.  Not this time.

Well, then, it was my friend can come get me.  We do not live “in town” and there is a huge hill to come down to get to our house.  Oh well.  That didn’t matter.  No, you cannot go out with Rychelle.  She is as inexperienced at winter weather driving as you are.  But she will be careful.  Nope - it’s not happening.

Oh well, whatever happened to sledding, snowboarding and building snowmen when it was a snow day?