my Saturday... not really my Saturday


a rant about nothing...
I question whether to hit publish and post
debating hitting delete instead

my Saturday is not really my Saturday
in fact... my life is not entirely my own
but this is not a reality that is only my own
this is the reality of most people with children

Saturday morning arrived with each of the boys having late morning basketball games
conveniently the games were scheduled back to back at the same location
thus allowing me to take care of basketball while my wife Lisa went to Yoga
after the first of the two basketball games Grant's team would be having a post season pizza party

ah... the post season party
pizza and awards


then there was a change of plans...
after some discussion it was agreed that Dean did not have to attend his basketball game

all season long I have had blood boiling frustration with the coaching of Dean's basketball team
halfway through the season I tried to pull Dean off a team but Dean displayed the desire to stick it out
but the coaching did not improve and it seemed like it was not exactly time well spent


personally I felt that the coaching for Dean's team was doing very little
to foster the children's interest much less the development of the most basic basketball skills
had these coaches been teachers they would only focus on the kids who showed up already knowing how to read and do math... not paying any mind to those looking to learn
I felt that the practices and games were not benefiting the players too much focus on the key players and the concept of winning not enough
focus on building skills and fair playing time initially Dean was a trooper and told me that he needed to finish something he had started but... after a few more games we were in agreement that it was not time well spent rather than my trying to share my ideas with the coaches I decided to just step away from it entirely

so... to my pleasure Dean got a call from a friend down the block which allowed him to occupy himself with things other than hanging around on the sidelines while Grant played basketball
the reason for pulling Dean off his team was because I felt that the kids do not get much from sitting on the sidelines

the game went well...

the kindergartners played with intensity
the underage boys played an all girls team
this game would prove to be a climatic end to their first season of basketball

YES! the five and six year olds on this team beat a team of 8 and 9 year olds
no... it is not about winning... but winning can be nice


after the game we walked to Ledo's Pizza for a post season party
PIZZA AND MEDALS!

so much about these things are about the pizza and the medals when dealing with children of this age
the medal or the trophy can be carrot that motivates the mule

the post season party was a blast
the season is not just about basketball but also about building bonds
the kids had a blast running around with their basketball buddies

with basketball behind ups Grant and I were on our way to gather goods for his birthday party... an event that would occur two weeks after the fact

with an Amazon Gift Card Grant purchased his new favorite game.... SLEEPING QUEENS

this game being so hot on his list of priorities I thought that a SLEEPING QUEENS THEMED PARTY would be fun
in my mind I imagined kids in costumes and sword filled adventures
I thought it best that I get some sort of dollar store quality goods to facilitate this adventure
while Grant was focused on getting himself a knight costume... a costume that he was going to purchase with his own money


the afternoon became a shopping adventure....

we migrated from the basketball game in Georgetown to Sullivan's Toy store in Cleveland Park... although Sullivan's had a costume I felt that we could save that as our ace in the hole and catch it on our way home if we did not find anything better at our objective.... Toys R Us

from Cleveland Park we headed north the Bethesda... I got air in the tires of the Element at the gas station that used to be an Exxon and then went to Bruce's Variety... nothing... a bathroom break and a quick hello at my Dad's and we were modifying our course for Anglo Dutch which had a great selection but not what we were looking for
onto Interstate 270 headed for Rockville... TOYS R US would have to deliver

but before TOYS R US we went to a Party Store.... then Ross Dress for Less
to my pleasure Grant found what he wanted at Ross... he got three different NARNIA sword and shield kits with a variety of weapons... it was not what I was looking for... but it seemed to be exactly what Grant was looking for... so we got it
then out the door and into another store... one more store before Toys R Us
the DOLLAR STORE! but before going in the Dollar Store we went into FIVE BELOW


well... FIVE BELOW DELIVERED!
to my pleasure they had the foam swords I was looking for.... at 2.50 the price was right
foam swords and a 4-D knight puzzle
16 or each... and then a few Tiaras for the lady guests and we were on our way
with just under 100 dollars worth of junk made in China we were ready to head home

heading home without making it to your original goal of Toys R Us

my day was gone... well... nearly gone
when I got home the sun was dropping fast... viciously fast
yet I felt I needed to ride... even if my ride were short... I had to ride

so I suited up and put some on a helmet with a light
on the bike... down the hill and into the park
onto Beach Drive I pushed the pedals towards the Mormon Temple... not a far ride but a ride just th
e same
the sun dropped as the moon rose
behind a blanket of gray clouds the moon rose and I rode down the carless road

by the time I got to the Mormon temple it the sky was nearly black

the building was glowing through the leafless trees
it is really quite a site
I turned around and pushed for home
again chasing the rising moon

back home I was refreshed
the day had gone well

I was proud of my son's efforts on the basketball court
I was pleased with the interaction between parents and kids at the post season party
it was rewarding to know I had scored the goods that were needed to make the party for next day be all that it could be
and
I was stoked that I had been able to go for a ride

the ride was short
but that ride was better than no ride at all