Man Card

Leaving the Gym tonight I heard a man and woman talking about plans.  I think he was asking her out.  She asked if there was some sports event going on.  I don't know why she asked but he didn't answer.  She pressed it and he had to answer that he thought there was a football game.  I hated to call him out while he was trying to get a date, but I said, "Yeah it's the BCS National Championship Game."  He tried to rally by saying, "Oh yeah.  I know that.  There's an SEC team in that?"  I said, "Dude, give me the card."  He said, "What?"  "Stop pretending and hand over your man card now.  You can have this back when you can either tell me the score and some highlights, or man up and admit that you really don't care."
I say all that knowing that Benn is in Australia with probably no idea that the game is even happening.  You tell me though.  You think you want to pull the man card from the guy in the picture below?  Not me.  We don't watch football games together, but he'll never pretend.  Davis and I do football.  We're texting about this game as I type and watch.  Since he was just a little guy Benn has earned his man card in lots of other ways.  He was as early as 5 years old there with me in one, "place we don't tell Mom about."  He's been there with me in a few of those since then.
Saturday was a pretty eventful day.  I went to throwing practice.  I spent the practice trying to learn a skill that I'm not very good at.  Mike, the coach, commented that Tom's going to be sore tomorrow.  I said he clearly doesn't understand yet what it means to be 53.  Tom's sore everyday.  Then I went to Addie's basketball game.  Addie is a pretty good player.  It's not her best thing.  Athletically her best thing ii swimming, but she likes basketball and is on a pretty good team.  They were undefeated, but the team they played Saturday had a Heisman Trophy candidate who more or less beat us single handedly.  After the game we went for pizza with Kate's mom and Dave.  Remember Kate is in France.  Brigette, yes she has her own name, and Marsha and I commizerated because it had been so long since we had heard from our globe-trotting kids.  Dave said that after going five days without hearing from Kate, Brigette is ready to call the State Department.  I understand.  Sometimes it's just not enough to track bank account withdrawels.  Now and then you want to hear breathing and know that it's coming from your kid.
Low and behold when we got home, Benn and Bailey Skyped us.  Benn has been training with an international variety of friends, and Italian, a Frenchman, a Canadian and our buddy Jim from the US.  Jim was also with me once in one of those places we don't tell Mom about.  He's not just a good slalom racer and training partner for Benn.  He's a one time member of the Tom Fraker rescue team and another guy who's man card never in jeopardy.
At any rate training seems to be going well.  Bailey seems to be having a good time.  Marsha and Addie and I had a great time talking to Benn and Bailey and they took a day off to go to the beach with two car loads of slalom people. 
I also got an email from Benn today.  Guess what.  He's reading this blog.  I'm reading his too.   He's posting probably a couple of times a month with pictures by Bailey on a blog at paddlinglife.net.  Bailey too is struggling with limited internet access to post a photo blog on her site baileygarrot.com.  That should give you something to check into if you're man enough to admit that you're not into this game.