Missing Dad

This day is hard. My dad and I had a close, wonderful relationship.

I tell people, when I get to heaven all I want is to climb up in God’s lap and rest my head on His shoulder, the same way I used to do with my dad.

Today would have been dad’s 96th birthday. He passed away in 2002 after suffering the first of several strokes that took out his right side, on mother’s day of 1998, at my house. After surgery to remove the blockage he could no longer walk or speak.

It makes me sad that the youngest members of our family do not know him, or in the case of those who were born after the stroke and before he passed away, they have no memories of him.

Dad used to volunteer with the University of Arizona football team during the time of Coach Smith and Coach Tomey. Dad had a great time being part of the team and was interviewed a couple of times by the local TV stations. I have a VHS tape with those interviews so I can hear his voice. I cry every time, but I treasure those few minutes of memories. I got choked up writing those last two sentences.

Dad was a handsome, gregarious man. He was full of laughter and loved riding motorcycles, the Dallas Cowboys, and adored my mother. He survived a difficult childhood that could have made him bitter but he had us, we were his, and he made sure

we knew how important we were to him.

So here’s a toast to my dad, Jack Turner.

Cheers!

-N

The Football Cult

Well it’s finally happened. I have no favorite to win in the Super Bowl. Neither team has sucked me in, and that is okay with me. I’ve observed the Super Bowl phenomena has taken on a festive spirit. I’ve worked places where people have taken off the day after the game. Retailers and media cater to it. It really is becoming an American holiday. It’s like New Years Eve, if you aren’t invited to a party or hosting a party something is wrong with you socially.

As a Texan I come from football loving roots. I have hardwired memories of Sunday afternoons during football season that always included games. In the past during the off season I’ve complained about no football on TV and was jonesing for a game to watch. I had season tickets for the Arizona Wildcats and if someone asked me I would say I am an Arizona Cardinals fan.

I like talking football, and I’m good at it. I keep myself current on what’s happening-just ask me my opinion on Johnny Manziel.

Admittedly some of my feelings come from the crap in the league the last few years. Domestic violence, criminal activity and cheating has disillusioned me and discouraged my interest. I was heartened when the NFL seemed to try to take these issues seriously, at first, but the self interest in money and success showed the leagues true colors. College athletes are seduced by it whether they are prepared or not, more often not.

I have been in fantasy football leagues and found that it wears me out. Tying to keep track of my players and tracking the points and injuries took some of the fun out of it. I was a league champion one year, much to my surprise.

But slowly I’ve been changing in my interest in football. I still watch some games and I still know a lot about the game. The desire for filling my weekends with college and professional games (Thursday, Sunday and Monday do you believe that?) has eased. I admit I want my teams to win, but I’m not doing everything I can to watch them. It’s just as easy to check the scores online after the games are done.

The romance is over. The football cult has lost it’s grip.

Cheers!

-N

Fantasy Football

Will be busy with my draft and will be in touch after it’s finished. A girls gotta have priorities, right?
-N

Super Bowl, the Holiday

I am a football fan. I like football and I like to watch football. I know that there are crazy stupid things that go on in the background because there are young male humans with huge libido’s and lots of money. There are also older male humans who have money and an overwhelming desire to win so bring on the cheating. Teams are filled with guys who have great character and are award winning good guys, then there are the obnoxious, narcissistic losers who publicly bring their ugliness with them.

We all love the good guy. He is the one we encourage our children to look up to. He is the one who makes the sport, music, movie etc. industry seem redeemable. But, he is not the guy the media talks about. The sleaze and crap sells, the drugs and arrests mixed with limos and clubs are the number one news topic with college and professional sports.

Almost from the moment the super bowl teams were decided the crap started. Why? I suppose it’s the alpha male figuring into the picture. As a woman an alpha male is attractive and appealing if he is honorable and sincere. The problem is the low-life alpha male who makes it all about him. High profile sports environments lend themselves to participation by the alpha’s. They are developed and cultured in the closed off world of male sports and they expect their wishes and desires, no matter how selfish, to be acceptable and allowed.

I watch those square-jawed, deep voiced alpha’s and think what would it be like if they weren’t there. It’s the same thought I have when I watch the men working on the road construction or watching my husband chopping wood. Ok, we need the alpha’s. We just need them to realize that winning is doing the best they can while being the best human’s they can be. I’ve got one of those.