21st Century Children - I'm Not Walking!

My second installment of comparing my children's childhood experiences with my own was inspired by today's weather and subsequent "demands" needed from my daughter. It snowed last night a fair amount...probably a good 6 inches.  It's not cold and it's not windy. And for this installment I am actually going to do a broad age range for it deals with giving my daughter a ride to school...

First, I would like to detail my "transportation" to and from school...first, for kindergarten, I walked to and from school every day, it was 5 blocks.  My mother walked me to school on the first day of school and that was the last time any adult walked to or from school with me my entire school years.  For elementary school, it was sweet, about 1 block plus we had an alley that we could take to a catwalk...for some reason lots of stuff did happen on that short 1 block walk because rocks, debris, water, snow, mud, etc... all could be found on that walk.  But those were the "good ole days" once junior high hit, my parents felt the need to enroll us (my older sister and younger brother as well as myself) into parochial school and for 7th & 8th grade the catholic school they sent us too was all the way across town, as I Google map it today to get the distance, it measures 1.9 miles.  Here were my options for 7th and 8th grade, for a ride to school, I could get one but I would be there almost an hour before the school starts, at 7:00 AM, plus need to be ready to leave the house by 6:45 AM.  Or walk and leave the house at 7:15 AM.  I did usually take the ride, but after getting to school I remember some long, cold, boring mornings standing outside the school waiting for anyone to come...and I mean LONG, COLD and BORING mornings...I could have chosen to go to early mass, but I would rather stand outside in the cold then go to church. After school, if it wasn't basketball or football season, I would usually walk...and regardless of what the weather was.  Of course we all can remember junior high and this is the beginning of kids beginning to be conscience of what they are wearing and doing and are trying to "look cool" and of course one of the things you do to "look cool" in North Dakota (when your in junior high) is to wear light clothing, no hats, no gloves and certainly no boots during the winter time.  I recall having to walk home when the temps were subzero with no gloves, basically a sweatshirt and sneakers...I got frostbite on both of my earlobes and too this day they will sting when it gets extremely cold, always a reminder of that walk on that day.  During the sports season, after practice, I could wait an hour and get a ride from my father who got off work at 6 or walk...again, I usually walked.  Plus, for football, I would walk 6 (long) blocks to the practice field, practice for an hour and half, then walk back the school, change and then walk home.  Yes, for two years, 7th and 8th grade, were some tough hikes and a miserable time for me...I hated it every day.  Then high school came...my sister had her license by the time I started high school, so I got a ride to school with her for my first two years.  She would give me a ride, but she required me to go out and start her car and scrape any ice off of it before we could leave.  After school, I would usually walk, but the walk now was considerably shorter, just a mere 10 or so blocks...seemed like a pleasant stroll.  And of course by the time I was done with my sophomore year I had a job and was on my way to my first car to end the walks forever.  Throughout my school years, though, never did I ever think I was "entitled" to a ride nor could I just flat out and demand I get a ride when I want one..and when I say when, I mean EXACTLY when I want a ride...not 20 minutes later, not 5 minutes, NOW.

Now we can compare that with my daughter's experience...and as I've said before, I'm not here to judge and declare one was better than the other, just my observation of how the times have changed. First off, the schools my daughter attends are all relatively close, the elementary school is 3 blocks away, the junior high is 10 blocks and the high school 14 blocks.  My daughter has never had to walk to school and at least 50% of the time things work out where she has gotten a ride home from school.  But today is one of those days where she likely will not be able to get a ride.  As I mentioned to begin this post we had a bit of snow last night, but the temperatures are mild and there isn't even a breeze.  After telling my daughter that I would not be able to give her a ride home today she replied "But some people won't even have their sidewalks shoveled when I get done with school." and that's why she is DEMANDING a ride home from school...because some sidewalks might not be shoveled off for her.  Now of course, if she would be willing to wait at school for a half hour, she could get a ride...but no, not the 21st children.  I am done with school at 2:52 and if I can't get a ride at 2:52 I will walk home and let you know how you ruined my life, my shoes, my coat and now I'm sick and you have to pay, pay, pay, and pay!

Manti Te'o's Fake Girlfriend Exposes Lazy Journalism

By now most everyone has either read or heard about the Deadspin article exposing Notre Dame's star linebacker, Manti Te'o and now we are in the "aftermath" period of that story.  Here's are the points that I find the most interesting in this entire story, for I am not a big Notre Dame or Manti Te'o fan, I was unaware of how "big" this story was at the time and now how big it has become.

The first is the lazy journalism.  Sure, people are quick to say, are you really going to fact check every time someone says they are in remorse because someone died?  No, you don't have to do that...but when you look at the circumstances of this entire episode, you would think that the impact this "girlfriend" had on Te'o's life - he broke down and cried more than once - you would think at one point someone that was putting together their "feature" on Te'o they would have tried to contact someone that knew the deceased girlfriend to get some comments from them...a family member, neighbor, co-worker, friend, etc... but no, neither ESPN nor Sports Illustrated nor did any of the other media outlets that were quick to pick up Te'o's story and run with it.  What likely happened, is the journalist made a half-hearted effort to contact someone but because of deadlines and what not if that part of the story fell through, oh well, the "meat" of the story, Manti Te'o, is still there for ya.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg for shoddy reporting...we can go on and on about how the major media, once again, didn't let facts get in the way of a good story.

So let's move to the phase this story is in now, namely that Te'o is saying he was "duped".  Notre Dame, ESPN and other media outlets are going along with that angle and even making up excuses as to why it could be plausible that this happened.  To that I say HA HA!  The only reason Notre Dame, ESPN and the others are trying to stick up for this liar is because they don't want to admit that they were swindled...but EVERYONE knows that Te'o and his pal were doing this knowingly and for personal gain.  All ESPN, Notre Dame and the others that are defending this guy's excuse is to simply put a plea to their viewers...that buy into everything they say..."is hey, we were swindled just like you!"  But the reality is, if ESPN and the others don't like it when they dictate the story...ESPN likes to manipulate the story to their liking and here they were manipulated...but they can't be wrong, so they side with Te'o and say that he is just an idiot...which is still true...but he is also ranked as one of the biggest lying scumbags of all time as well.

Chargers New GM and Coach, First Thoughts

So the Chargers have finally shed themselves of AJ Smith and Norv Turner to the delight of many Charger fans, me included.  Of course there is always the fear that the team may get someone worse but for the Chargers getting "worse" was more than likely if they continued with those two bozos.

So who do the Chargers get to replace them...a couple of "new" guys to the mix.  GM Tom Telesco and coach Mike McCoy.  I really don't know too much about either one of them so they will get the benefit of the doubt from me until I see more of what they do to the team.  I will say that I am a little apprehensive about Mike McCoy who was the offensive coordinator for the Broncos.  I typically don't like coaches that were once a coordinator on a team that had some success ... and the Chargers should know that much of the "success" the Broncos have had is because they play in one of the easiest, softest divisions in the NFL for the past couple seasons...the AFC West.

I will say that I would rather start with two guys that haven't already been in the NFL and have failed with the likes of Norv Turner, Wade Phillips, Josh McDaniels, Ken Whisenhunt, etc.  I think having a "fresh face, fresh approach" around the Chargers in both these positions is already a positive change.  Hope can hopefully reenter the locker room and the players return to playing with a purpose...something that Norv Turner could not get the Chargers to do.

So with that, my final statement on these hirings is that I will reserve judgement until further notice.

21st Century Children - I'm Staying Home

It was 3 and half years ago when I had an entry detailing some of the observations I had about the children of today and had some general observations about the differences between them and my experience as a child.  Well, on New Year's eve it hit me as my wife mentioned to my 15 year old daughter, who was sitting on the chair stalking us as she does most days, that when she was 15 she was totally doing something different than what my daughter was.  That's when it hit me... I am going to put my daughter's teen age life up against my own.  I am not going to judge either because we both chose the path we did...I just shake my head at the path she chose.  The best way, that I could think of, was to try and recall what I was doing on particular events at her age and then compare them to what she is doing.  I was certainly not the most popular kid but I also wasn't a complete loser either...like most, probably somewhere in the middle...just like I think she would be as well....

So for this first installment of "21st Century Children" I thought the idea that spurred it all should be the starting "event' and that is my daughter, a 15 year old sophomore in high school.  For New Year's Eve she sat at home in a chair while her parents watched Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve.  Probably did some facebooking and texting as well to add to her new year's excitement.

When I was 15 and it was New Year's Eve I remember what I was doing.  I, like her, did not have a license or car of my own yet...but I knew someone else that did (as does she).  Even without a car, staying home was rarely even considered, especially on a party night like New Year's Eve.  We ended up at the (old) Holiday Inn in Bismarck which has been a haven for New Year's parties for many years and every minor within 50 miles would be there.  By this time (age wise) we knew people that had rooms but it didn't matter.  By midnight the Holiday Inn was packed wall-to-wall top to bottom with people, with many if not most of us being minors.  I didn't get arrested, didn't hurt anyone...had some beer and a fun time.

After telling my daughter that story the first words out of her mouth were "What did your parents think of that?" I smiled and said "They never knew about it and still probably don't."  She kind of laughed but also got this devious look on her face and I knew right then that she totally plans on telling my mother about that evening...that's what my daughter would rather do...tell on people and be a narc...that's a good time in her world.  The funny thing is, is that event happened almost 30 years ago...I think my mother no longer gives a shit at something I did when I was 15 and back then, if you weren't arrested and got home alive...everything was good.

So there you go, my first "event" of comparison...my teenage daughter versus my own teenage experience...

Chargers Win And Then Fire Turner, Smith, Season Wrap Up

Yes, the San Diego Chargers did their best once again to end the season on a "high" note and did so again this year by beating the Oakland Raiders in the final, meaningless game of the season and finish the year at 7-9.  And the 7-9 record is actually an inflated record, imo.  The Chargers did not beat any team in the playoffs this season or any team with a winning record.  The Chargers did post two of the most humiliating, embarrassing losses in franchise history...the game against Denver when the Chargers were up 24-0 at halftime and go on to lose by double digits and the biggest choke of them all...4th down and 29 yards to go against Baltimore.  Just stop Ray Rice from running 29 yards down the field and the Chargers would win against the Ravens but failed to do that and go on to lose.  There were other loses for the Chargers, most in the fourth quarter, that for "good" teams would be gut wrenching but under head coach Norv Turner those loses are taken as "business as usual" for the Chargers.

The Chargers' owner, Dean Spanos, finally fired Norv Turner and GM AJ Smith...something he should have done 2 years ago, but instead decided to save some money and stick with these losers for this past season and the outcome was exactly about what I expected.  Sure 7-9 is a game or two more than I thought they would win but let's put this into perspective...the Chargers won 3 out of their last four games, all four games were against non-playoff contenders.  The Steelers, Jets and Raiders are all teams that have "packed it in" and the one team that beat the Chargers, at home was Carolina and they just didn't beat the Chargers, they DESTROYED them.  Sure the stat sheet says the Chargers are 7-9 but in reality their season ended after 12 games and are 4-8, the last four games were equal to the preseason.  Then let's look at the "quality" of their four real wins, when the Chargers were playing when it mattered...2 against Kansas City, the worst team in the league, 1 against Oakland close to the worst team in the league and 1 win against Tennessee...again, another team that is towards the bottom of the league.

I am really upset about how this season went?  No I am not....I was prepared, just like I was last season.  For anyone that read my preseason predictions, it should be no surprise how this season transpired.  The only "curveballs" the Chargers threw my way this season were the epic second half collapses this team went through.  It seemed as if the team would play well in the first half but then wouldn't show up at all in the second half.  If anyone was going to point a finger at poor coaching, I think that says it right there.  Other teams (and their coaches) were able to make adjustments during the game...the Chargers, not so much so.

So now the Chargers are in the process of interviewing a new GM and then will likely turn their focus towards a new coach.  I don't think the Chargers are in that bad of shape...with the exception of their offensive line...and other coaches have gone to a team and made an immediate impact, so why couldn't it be with the Chargers?  Kansas City appears to be hiring Andy Reid and most "pundits" think that will greatly improve that franchise that has been down for many years now.  The Broncos breezed through the AFC West and unless the Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders do something to improve, the Broncos will continue to benefit from their ineptness.