What's In a Name?

Does it really matter how you label it, as long as you call it something? I started my annual pilgrimage to the couch, in front of the TV, to pay homage to the final season of CWS at the 'Blatt'. Yes the new stadium is probably going to be spectacular, and the CWS will thrive in Omaha for quite some time, but it's going to be played at the TD Ameritrade Park. Yes, the city whored itself out to big business, just so we could get a new stadium, and keep another big business in Omaha. Since the name, 'Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium', is going by the wayside with the stadium itself, the CWS is losing a certain ambience about it. It's no longer directly connected to Omaha's past, and is changing the identity of the CWS. College baseball has morphed into big business, just like every other sport that becomes popular. What happens if TD Amertrade goes belly up, or gets bought by Morgan Stanley? The name changes. Johnny Rosenblatt is a permanent name in Omaha history, it's not going anywhere. Plus, he was an actual person whom people had a personal connection to. He could offer a handshake, or better yet, a hug. I don't think I would get the same warm fuzzies receiving a hug from TD Ameritrade. Is TD Ameritrade even capable of hugging? Fortunately, I have memories of a Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, where families would come to share in America's greatest pastime, and share those magical moments with perennial fans from LSU, or to cheer on our home teams, Creighton and Nebraska, when they entered the CWS for the first time. I'm glad their experiences came at the 'Blatt', where the CWS originated, rather than TD Amertrade Park. I guess all good things run their course in life. Time to stop having fun, and get down to business.

Inappropriate

So today I decided to engage in our door - to - door activity. And in order to take part in such activity, one must be neatly dressed, not slovenly, nor anything inappropriate. After all, we're coming to your door, the last thing we want to do is scare you off (even though we do anyway). This morning I had an overwhelming urge to wear my flip flops. This would actually be inappropriate, because it doesn't really meet up with certain dress standards, at least in this country. So the adult reasoning took over, and forced me into wearing dress shoes. It's only for a few hours, I reasoned, then I can wear my flip flops everywhere else I please. This wrestling in mind took me back to my high school days. When I was a teenager, I was somewhat rebellious, but in a passive way. I would push the envelope, but would not make a spectacle of myself. When I was finally called upon my actions, I always had a smart retort, which usually hindered my cause. One day, at school, I was called to the office immediately by the vice principal. On my way, I'm running thru my mind, trying to figure out what in the world I had done. This happened to be a time when I was on my best behavior, so this really had me stumped. When I arrived in his office, he called attention to my footwear - flip flops - my shoe of choice. He then threw the high school handbook in front of me, and asked me to turn to a certain page, and read a certain section involving dress code about shoes. So far so good, I don't see any infractions on my part. He then asked me my definition of shoe. My answer was very succinct, "Something you wear on your feet". We then looked up a definition in the dictionary, to further clarify his reason for 'harshing my gig'. Webster sided with the principal, and said it was a foot 'covering', thus nullifying my right to wear flip flops in school. The first remark that popped into my head, and this would have had a negative response I'm sure, was to ask why flip flops were sold in department stores in the 'SHOE' section. If they're not really a shoe, shouldn't they have their own spot elsewhere in the store? Amazingly enough, wisdom prevailed, and I said nothing. I was made to go to my gym locker and change my flip flops. In protest, I wore my football cleats for the rest of the day, thus prompting fellow students to ask, "What's up with the cleats"? This gave me an opportunity to tell them how 'THE MAN' was repressing me. I may have lost the flip flop battle, but did I really:)

Brand Spanking New

Getting something new is always a treat, but can have its down side also. Let me explain. First, think of how you feel when getting a new pair of shoes. Think of how you feel when you find them on sale, in your size, and happen to be the exact color you were searching for. You can't help but feel good about your acquisition. How about the feeling when you get a little bigger ticket item, such as a new car? When it has 8 miles on the odometer, no stains on the seats from messy kids' stuff, and that new car smell. You may actually enjoy this purchase for quite some time. The 'newness' doesn't wear off as quickly as that new pair of shoes. Then the negative side of things. Friends and family may give you crap for buying a brand spanking new whatever it is. This is all in an attempt to make you feel guilty because they may not be able to purchase new, big ticket, items. Even if they can, you can still expect some flack for your purchase. I recently bought some new work jeans. First, I get ribbed for having wore out jeans that I wear to work, then I get ribbed for buying two new pair. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. What folks don't realize is, the jeans have to be new at some time in their life. Same as a new car, it too, had to have a beginning, and someone had to be the first owner. I really appreciate the attitude of one friend. He was at work one day, and a fellow workmate had bought a brand spanking new car. This happened to be the exact model this friend would have bought if he were in the market for a new car. After seeing the car in person, it was love at first sight. His workmate had to point out the painful obvious, that my friend would not spend that much money for something that new. Those who know him, know how painful it is for him purchase something brand spanking new, and part with a large sum of money, even though he probably has it stashed in a mattress at home. His response was, 'Yes, but in ten years, this car is going to be mine'! As much as a miser as some people strive to be, they still have to make new purchases whether they like it or not. There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying things second hand. My family would probably be wearing skins from animals we found dead on the road, if were not for thrift stores. But certain consumables, such as, say, toilet paper, should NOT be purchased second hand or used, for obvious reasons. It really doesn't bother me that bad when people 'harsh my gig' because I'm wearing new work jeans. I'm in no way being pretentious, just trying to get the most for my money, while still trying to look presentable. If I were trying to show off, I would invite you over to check out my new roll of butt wipe. Soft isn't it?

Straight As An Arrow

Last night, I scurried home to try to beat the threat of bad weather. My lawn was at the point of needing mowed, and I wanted to get it finished before the rain, hail, and flooding. My lawn is somewhat of a chore (mainly because I'm too cheap to buy a self propelled mower), but I actually enjoy mowing the grass - MY GRASS ONLY, for you wise guys out there thinking that you would love to extend my enjoyment to your yard! My wife made a comment on how straight I keep the rows while pushing the mower up and down the yard. I'm not really anal retentive about much, but this is one of my issues I deal with on a daily basis. Since I set tile for a living, my rows have to be dead-on straight, otherwise they will tell on you, and then we have problems. So my training has carried over into other aspects of my life. When my roof was reshingled, I made it clear that the horizontal rows, which are clearly seen from ground level, better be straight, or there will have to make another attempt to get it right before any money exchanged hands. Lawn mowing is another opportunity for me to exercise my abilities to make straight lines. I used to be overly critical of myself, and if I needed to underline something in a book or magazine, I would spend untold amounts of time looking for a straight edge. Didn't matter if it was a ruler, an envelope, another magazine, I had to have straight lines! I tried a highliter for awhile, but I don't like the fact that the information is not specifically singled out on my page. To me, it appears a toddler just colored randomly on my paper. I have since relaxed on the underlining issue, and attempt to just freehand it. I still try to get it as straight as possible. If I have to read what I've underlined orally, I then have a problem. The underlined sentences seem to run together, and I may accidentally read the same line twice. So I have to be overly conscious while I'm reading to not make that mistake. Yeah, I know I have a few quirks. If you had to do something for me in a linear pattern, I know my 'straight line fetish' would frustrate most folks. Just don't offer to mow my lawn, and we should remain on speaking terms.