Let's Have a Playdate.

      I was recently reminded of an event . The Baby Bonanza. A simple concept; Half-drunk idiots are put in charge of small children. In the fairly recent past , when child protection was more lax, our heroes thought if you bundled a kid up pretty good, stuffed 'em in a milk crate, tied a long rope to it, got on the hockey skates, headed out on a pond and whipped the kid around, it would be a pisser. Followed by the requisite bon fire.
  The stay at home parent may search their imagination for something to entertain their kids and the little playmates. I had a thing I called "Musthapha's Sweatshop" . Turn the heat way up. I'd wear a fez and a grimy t-shirt and  pretend to make the kids make hand puppets for the export market.No breaks and no quitting before they were done. The kids loved it. Some moms were a little dubious.

Sub Culture. One word or two?

     What is lifestyle? It's mostly, "Let's find something really fun to do." Here's a suggestion . Visit a subculture. The best way to visit any subculture is to find someone who is deep into it and have them bring you for a visit. Here's a list of a few to try. If you don't have a guide, go anyways. These are worlds right near by that we  might know almost nothing about.
1. Motorcycle Ice Racing. Whoah, that looks dangerous!
2. Japanese Anime Convention.  Ever heard of cosplay? Dress up like cartoon characters. It's fabulous.
3.Bee keeping. Don't rile the bees.
4. Gunshows. Know what cosmaline is?  Bring your bore light.
5.Boxing. That's gotta hurt.
6.Tournament ice fishing. Like ice fishing, only more so.
7.Minor league hockey. Elegant. Violent.
   The list is endless. Be a fan.
 Oh yeah . A Gwar show. Yoiks!

Fair and Swear

 In my real life I use the  f word as punctuation. I have heard it used as many as four times in one short sentence. I have heard guys in a boat shop use it so much that it sounded like the clucking of chickens. I'm not going to tell anyone that swearing is bad and you shouldn't do it. Sometimes the most intelligent ,genteel, and I might even say, spiritual people use the well placed f word. I, sadly don't happen to be any of those things. I'm just a fella with a bad habit. Though my mouth is a running sewer , setting a poor example, my children don't  seem to swear that much, at  least around the house.
   I just noticed, the Smoothstar don't cuss much. In real life, Dave doesn't even notice.
   Real life moves so fast ,and you don't get to read what you just said and backspace it. That's too bad.

Isn't It Romantic.

  I was hanging out with a guy the other night and he thought it was October. Odd.
  That's just an aside. This weekend we have Lincolns birthday and as always Valentines Day hard on it's heels. Celebrate both. Write the Gettysburg Address on your girlfriend's nekkid body while she writes the Emancipation Proclamation on yours.  I bet that would tickle. Don't use permanent markers.
    Here's what I'm gonna do. I have a big old beard and I'm gonna shave off just the moustache sometime during the night. My wife will scream when she sees that on Valentines morning.
   The best way to celebrate any holiday ? I have a pile of scrap wood covered with a tarp in the yard. We'll have a big ol ' bon fire.

It's Fashion Week ! Thank God.

    Without a thought in my head I sat down to write today's post. Then it came to me . I almost yelled it.  "Isn't today the first day of Fashion Week in NYC.?" In our strife ridden public world and our over-stimulated private lives, there is a center of calm . That's fashion. Fabulously beautiful women and men in fabulous clothes. All brought to us in Cleveland to Katmandu by the miracle of the internet.
    Your roof may be ready to collapse from a glacier growing on it. You may have to repair your muffler in the slush at least one more time this winter. When evening is nigh, go to the NYTimes website, for starters , and have a looksee at  what's on the runways from the top designers for spring.
    It's so beautiful.

We Need a Volunteer.

   Some of us may make the decision to breed. The tangible evidence of our love . The child. The other tangible will be, as the child grows , so will the involvement in that childs developement . The day will come when these dreaded words are spoke. " We need a volunteer." It could be an open house at the kids pre-school , it could be a cubscout meeting , or  a sport sign-up night. The list is endless. When you hear those words, look directly at your feet. Do not make eye contact. I can't stress this enough.  The landscape of parenting is littered with  the husks of former hipsters who didn't heed my words. They want you to hurt like they do. A  young fella once asked me what it was like being a parent. It has been likened to being in a bar fight with a pirate.
   My name is Dave, and I'm a sports dad.. I spoke these other dreaded words. " I think our kids have a good chance this weekend."

Methinks m'lady doth protest.

   We are passionate people. We have strong feelings about stuff like, freedom and peace and justice. Big words. Here's a Smoothstar challenge.Not all of us can or would want to stand up in front of a tank or stick a flower in a rifle barrel. What are you going to do to effect the changes you want to see? Say you want to end global warming , legalize recreational drugs, maintain your rights to bear arms or breast feed in public.  Only a few examples.  Those rights won't  guarantee themselves. You may have to take action to effect those changes  you want to see.
  Forget the hunger strike, too dangerous. Smoothstar suggests that you refrain from all bathing and apparel changes until your issue is addressed to your satisfaction. After a few weeks the of the same dreary outfits, not to mention the stank, we can bring the powers that be to heel.
   Put some strong action to those strong feelings.