Instead, I'm
watching a basketball game.
March Madness
affects many people throughout the United States. It is especially severe in those that have
alma maters still in the contest.
I attended
Indiana University. Throughout the
season, they've been ranked as high as #1 for several weeks at a time. Now, they're playing in the Sweet Sixteen
against Syracuse. My attention is
seriously diverted.
I am experiencing emotional anger, glee, frustration, and hope …
in a three to four second
rotation. It is Hell.
At the time
of this writing, Indiana is not doing well.
They seem to have a difficult time putting the ball in the hoop, which
is the primary goal of the game. My
anger continues.
Many wives,
who are not into sporting contests, tend to believe that men watching sports is
a complete waste of time. Not so. In fact, if you, as a wife, are in need of
some quiet time to accomplish some of the things you've always wanted to do,
there is no time like the present. We promise not to disturb you in the least.
My wife is
working at this time.
I hope she doesn't
come home before the game is over.
It isn't that
I don't love my wife. After 33 years
together, we have grown somewhat close.
She tends to tick me off at times, as I'm sure I do her, but we've
learned to keep things in perspective.
That is, as long as she doesn't bother me during a college basketball
game.
Not if she
wishes to live to see another day.
I have killed
chairs, hassocks, a lamp, and even an end table in the past during these
events. My cats, Faletame and Gabriela,
have learned to seek solitude in the kitchen during games. My wife, who should be easier to train, still
doesn't get it. She's a little slow, or
perhaps, she just doesn't care. She
doesn't realize how close to death she may be.
When the
referees are as bad as they are tonight in this game, especially when it comes
to not calling fouls (easily seen) against Syracuse, my anger boils. Not only is your team playing against their
opponent, they're playing against the refs.
It's a hopeless situation for your team.
And one gets angrier and angrier.
It is not a
time to hear about how some co-worker's kid at work had a bad day with the
teacher, how all day was spent resetting the cosmetics, or how she almost
bought something at the grocery store and had a really tough time deciding
before putting it back.
Suddenly, the
wife starts to look like one of the referees.
Her purple polo becomes black and white striped, and her voice as shrill
as a whistle.
Where's my
gun?
Anyway, it's
Finish the Sentence Friday blog hop time. No, not
finish the prison sentence, but the sentence, or prompt, that our hostesses
provide us. Hostesses? Yes, hostesses! These fine folks!
Today's
prompt is ….
”If I could hang out with any celebrity, it would be…”
First, before
I answer that, let's look at the definition of a celebrity:"one who
is famous" according to The New International Webster's Standard
Dictionary. That's
it. No bylines. No more descriptions. Just "one who is famous."
If that's the
case, let me say that the celebrity that I'd most like to hang with would be
GOD!
I would say
that God is famous, wouldn't you?
So, let's say
God and I could get together one afternoon.
The first thing that would need to be decided is what I could call him.
"Hey
(Big Guy, Main Man, Kind and Gentle Omnipotency, Your Holiness, Super Wiz, Dad, Impregnator Divine, Burning
Bush Talker, Sir), what's happening?"
Of course, with him knowing all, that could be a question that could take a millennium to answer.
"So,
since we got some time together, what do you want to do?"
Something
tells me, God is a basketball fan and probably wants to watch the rest of the
game like I do. Still, he knows the
outcome already, so he may decide on something else.
"Want to
go create another world somewhere?"
I have a
feeling that would probably take more than the week's vacation time I'd have
available, so we might pass on that one.
"How
about we just sit and talk a while and you can tell me how you make some
decisions? Yes, I know I'm not supposed
to question you or your wisdom. But,
you've got to lighten up the rules a little today … just for me … okay?"
So, what would I ask God?
- What really came first, the chicken or the egg?
- If man has been given common sense, why does he pay others tell him how to run his life?
- What really happened to the guy from Nantucket?
- Why do some people drive 45 mph in the fast lane on the interstate?
- Why do women always say, "I don't care" when you ask them a question?
- Why are I.R.S. auditors and proctologists so much alike? (The deeper they search the more they find and the more it hurts.)
- Why is Sunday the first day of the week on all calendars, but the last day of the weekend?
- How do you know if you've found the end of the rainbow or the beginning?
- Why do Subway's "meal deals" total the same as if you bought everything at full price separately?
- If the people of religion demand world peace, why do the politicians continually start religious wars?
- Why do people think their car's glass windows keep people from seeing them pick their noses?
- How come men pick the new pope instead of him?
- Who ever came up with the concept of a bunny hiding eggs at Easter?
- How many vacancies are left in Heaven?
and, after
tonight, the main one on my mind ….
Why are basketball referees blind on one end of the court
and have 20/20
vision on the other?
Is it because the network pays them to set up match ups
that will bring in
big time ratings?
Maybe we should be more like the Chinese and the way they treat their refs...
I'm sure God
would get a chuckle out of that one. I'm
also sure he's not letting any referees into Heaven … and it serves them
right!
Anyway, it would be kind of cool to hang out with the
Big Guy for a week or so, although I don't imagine he'd have many smoking
sections up there. (I understand most of
the smoke comes from the fires in another place.) Although he'd have to admit, smoking
definitely helped him populate the upper level quicker.
We could talk about important things, like:
- Should the cast of Duck Dynasty really get $200,000 an episode?
- How many laughs does he get from Politically Correct supporters?
- Why doesn't he get pissed off when minority complaints keep the Christ out of Christmas?
- Where's our 40 virgins at after we die?
- Why are there ten hot dogs in a package and only eight buns in the other?
- Why are there boy groups in Pop Music?
- Why doesn't the Geico lizard ever shed his skin?
- Was the Earth his first world created, or did he try elsewhere and messed it up?
- If all men are equal, where do Cajuns and NYC Sportswriters fit in?
and
"Why can dogs
lick themselves and we..."
(…. okay, maybe not that one!)
I'm sure we'd
each be a little happier when the visit was over. I could go back to doing what I do and God
could go back to doing his miracle stuff.
And maybe … just maybe … if we're all real good, next year he might even
create a batch of college basketball referees that could call a damn game
halfway right!!!!!!!
Amen!