RTFM... this time there isn't one

It's unfortunate. They don't come with and instruction manual. Sometimes they throw you the unexpected curve-ball. I'm talking kids. For all the good; there is also the bad and the ugly to be dealt with and managed. The past couple of days have seen me into uncharted waters in parenting, however, remarkably I have NOT completely lost my mind or composure. Okay, so I was closer to losing the latter, than the former. But as a family unit, we are all doing our best to get through a rough patch. Let's just say that teenage angst and the emotional/hormonal roller coaster ride that is adolescence is just dizzying in its effect. Only together as a family will we survive and grow. Perhaps how we as parents deal with the problems of our kids, and how they disappoint us is really the true measure of our strength. Then, again maybe it's a wonder that any of us has survived at all. But in spite of it all, I still love and support both of my children, and I wouldn't change a thing. Enough on the subject... moving on!

Baseball season is here. It's our first year in the "kid-pitch" league. I've been warned these games can be marathon like, even death march-ish. But, whatrugonnado?! It's for the children. No, I don't think it's going to be as bad as all that. I enjoy the games, I enjoy the kids. Heck, I even like a few of the parents. Now if only they served beer at the concession stand. I think we could fund just about anything we wanted at the ball fields, if we had just the profits from that. But that's a pipe dream, I know. Wouldn't be role model-ish now would it.

Big Game (poker) at JR's tomorrow. One table tournament, $100 buy-in. Cash game to follow, joined by some additional players at that point. There's a skilled crowd with far-reaching styles to be contended with. It'll be interesting, fun, and likely exhausting mentally all at the same time. I for one am looking forward to it. Even if I'm just there to donate to the others. Not my plan... but always a possibility.

Thanks for dropping by.

Regards,

cheer_dad

There should be a point

Mulling over this blog post, I haven't really been able to find a good focus for it. Yeah, I know it's a poker blog, but it's been a little more and less than that, if that makes sense. : ) But I haven't had as much time lately to play online, and I've already covered the offline games I've been involved in lately so, there's nothing to be added there. I included the ups and downs of the Pamela Anderson/Rick Salomon marriage on the thin tie-in of he's a poker player. Once upon a time I mentioned Britney Spears and the K-Fed thing, but then Brit went off the deep end and continues to wallow in her own self worth and loathing. BUT, now the Spears family is in the entertainment news for another reason...

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA!!!

Lil sister Jamie Lynn spears, at the tender young age of 16 finds herself in a spotlight, she'd probably rather avoid, that of pregnancy! Hmmm, the Nickelodeon Zoey 101 star, for some time has been the "good" Spears child, and seemed to be getting it right where her older sibling wandered down an all too common path of destruction. You can read more on the story lines over at People.com if you're so inclined, but the snapshot above of my iGoogle page, and the People gadget shows precisely where the focus of the "people" is. Oh and note that the 3rd Story, which is more of the same actually, is saying that Lynne Spears (erstwhile mommie dearest of the uber famous Spears children) is delaying her BOOK on PARENTING! I think that's probably the smartest decision to come out of that family in... well, a very long time. I'm sure that one will skyrocket to the top though regardless...just because like the song says the "...people love it when you lose, give us DIRTY LAUNDRY! Kick 'em when they're up, kick 'em when they're down..." We are all of us a sad twisted lot, self included. In fact, Lindsay Lohan's mom ought to get busy on a book too, seeing as she's got another child star in the making (or nowadays is it an undoing.) And while I'm on that subject...celebrities and substance abuse comes to mind. Now I realize that alcohol and drugs can get a grip on anyone, regardless of social position and star power, BUT what I get really sick of hearing is of the latest celebutante heading off to court for their latest arrest involving drugs or alcohol. Crying "addiction" and heading off to one of the illustrious Promises REHAB centers, and that being okay with the judge. If anyone's keeping score, the PROMISES stats ain't all that stellar! Maybe, just maybe they ought to be a little more skeptical. Maybe Happy Hour should be cut back by a few hours after group therapy sessions!




They even rounded up Keifer Sutherland a while back, but there was no stop off in rehab this time...I guess he drew the wrong Monopoly Chance card...




But wow, have I gotten off another of my tangents. Okay, let's go back a little full circle-ish. What I'm really concerned about is 16-year-old Jamie Lynn... well no actually I'm REALLY concerned about my own 15-year-old daughter, Whitney, who I'm now seriously considering chaining up in the house, until she's 30... Thank goodness she pegged Britney for a skank a few years back, and stopped idolizing her like so many other little girls. (Hey wait, did you take that poster down off the back of your bedroom door!) In Whitney's defense, the Brit-meister was popular at the time, with the teenie bop crowd, and her name was similar, Brit...Whit and oh yeah they share that similarity of a December 2nd birthday (never thought I'd hear the end of that one.) What's it all mean? I don't know, prolly nothing. But my daughter's got a good head on her shoulders...and I've tried to be the best dad I can to her, and just hope that it's all enough. Then again, she does have a boyfriend...hmmm... maybe Junior and I should have a talk whilst I clean my gun collection.

In closing... HollyWeird, watch the kind of role models you're continuing to crank out. It seems you're more interested in placing the unwed mother on a pedestal for getting through it, and applaud the recovering addict for their struggle as well, Yet say nothing of the ones who opted for higher moral ground in the first place and didn't have either adversity through which to struggle. Don't get me wrong, I wish none of those above mentioned any ill-will (except Junior if he crosses my little girl) but I just don't wanna see their faces show up later on OPRAH touting their story and how they're a better person for it. blahblahblah, ad nauseum, blahblahblah.

I swear there was a point in this post somewhere, but I know I lost it. Let me know if you find it. Until then...

Regards,

cheer_dad