Enough so that our combined bucket list(s) are short. They could probably fit on a post-it note.
But we have recently experienced something quite unexpectedly, courtesy of our nine-year-old grand daughter, that we had no idea how exciting it could be.
I marveled about it with another spectator at the last event and we both exclaimed, almost simultaneously, "Who knew?"
What could possibly be as exciting as a Le Mans car race? A SF Giants pennant winning game? Paris at Midnight? Conquering Mt. Lassen? The Grateful Dead on acid?
While all of those experiences were quite dandy, this one ranks right up there with 'em all. So what am I raving about? What is so dang exciting? Are you ready for this?
Co-Ed 3rd/4th Grade Youth Basketball.
It is simply one of the wildest and exciting events we have ever witnessed.
Think about it. Most players are under four feet. The basket is the same height it is for the seven foot pros.
The dribbles. The shots. The double dribbles. The shots. Triple dribble. Pass. Travel. Shot. Rebound. Shot. Rebound. Shot. Rebound. Tussle. Shot. Rebound.
Dannng. The other team got the ball. Time for defense.
Whatever that is.
Dribble. Pass. Shot. Rebound. Travel. Shot. Rebound. Shot. Rebound. Tussle.
Yay! We got the ball back.
Rinse. Repeat. When a basket does occur, and they are rare, the entire crowd erupts, from both sides of the aisle. Those baskets are very hard earned in this sport. Most forty minute games end up with scores in the low teens.
What is fantastic about this experience is it is happening all over America as we speak. And it's free! Even if you don't have a vested interest in one of the players you need to check it out.
And if it's not on your bucket list put it on. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than jumping out of an airplane. Safer too.
I just turned in a bucket of change to one of them Coin Star machines. About twenty pounds and four years worth of change. Came out to a bit over $230, even after their 12% fee. But the fee of 12% is well worth it considering the amount of time it would have taken to roll up all them coins.
But the point of all this is the machine kept kicking out a dime. About the fourth time I checked it out. Turns out it was a very bright and shiny 1964 Roosevelt silver dime. Worth about $1.21 at today's silver prices. And the machine kicked it out. The only coin worth a damn and the machine didn't recognize it. Sometimes I get amazed.
Another up scale fee I recently paid was for a lamp switch. One of my lovely wife's antique lamps kept fitzing so I had a look see. All things considered I figured out it was the on/off switch where the wires also connected.
I took it out and went to the local lamp store. When the sole proprietor got up to the counter I took the switch out of my pocket and said, "I need one of these."
He took it to the back room and was back in about forty-three seconds with a $7.00 replacement.
I'm pretty certain I could have found that switch somewhere for around $2.00. But where is somewhere? That could be anywhere. And do you know how long it would take to search anywhere for an older lamp switch when there are probably a thousand different ones out there?
My answer is a long time. And since I won't have a spare ten seconds for another decade I don't have a long time. I will happily pay the guy a few dollar surcharge just so I can mosey in and say, "I need one of these."
Anytime.
Brrrrr. Been a cold winter so far. Colder than the last several. We've been dusted with snow several times now. Though we used to get a couple feet every year when we first moved here in 1979, it's been a couple years since we've just been dusted. Something's going on. Whether it's global warming, climate change OR the magnetic poles shifting...which could be the reason all this big weather is going on.
Apparently The Earths magnetic poles reverse every 200,000 to 300,000 years, and a complete reversal usually takes thousands of years to complete. Although it has been twice that long since the poles have last reversed, scientists now say that the poles are shifting at a rate of forty miles per year.
Google it. It's a thing. And I'm not too sure we humans can do much about it other than go along for the ride. I spose it's better than going along for the ride with a super volcano. That would reduce our species to living like bugs in the earth much quicker.
Cheers!
