madgolfer's Blog

Father's Day

With 4 children this is always a special day. Memories of the homemade cards and breakfast in bed mixed with the present day Stanley Cup Champions Bruins hat and shirt, Titleist golf balls, dinner at my favorite pub and then the framed picture of two young daughters fishing with my Dad put a new perspective on it. I owed it all to him.

Posted on Jun 30, 2011

I make a terrible customer....it was Thanksgiving day afternoon and the phone is out, internet too. A couple minutes in the basement and the cable is caput. House full of company and there's no football, the phone is taking messages and the only link to the outside world is a weak wireless signal in the hands of my son, a life or death situation, right? So 1-800-CABLE gives me some vent-ilation. I think it's mostly the feeling of need that brings it out, but my immediate response is "it's your fault, fix it, I pay a lot of money"... you get the drift. Next Tuesday becomes tomorrow and I give them a cell phone #, but not my own. Tomorrow comes and nobody shows, "Nobody home", but in fact it's 08:00 Black Friday and the only creature stirring has been working at Sears since 03:30. Now all the while I am looking for alternatives, Fiber optic, satellite.. anything but these incompetent, poorly equipped b*st*rds. Skipping to today, Sunday, and obviously operational again. Super repair guy (though I'm sure he had back-up in the truck in case things went south lol) and of course everything was explainable... a loose plug in the power strip to the modem and then my destruction of the free optional power booster in the basement, required in a house originally wired by Samuel Morse. And thinking back about the poor girl answering phones on Thanksgiving going through the checklist? Should have listened, should have taken her for the service person she wants to be, not "the cable company" compounded by my own incompetence. Now to check three days messages.

Epilogue: the upside to the whole "ordeal" was the family time, re-living the past 25 years on vhs and dvd, playing Pac-Man with the wife.... and all those Harry Potter movies.

Posted on Nov 28, 2010

Loge seating! Drove into Boston for Rock of Ages last night in a classic Nor'easter, free street parking around the corner on Newbury where a turn signal is considered a sign of weakness. Mezzanine seats for a great show and free access to the speakerbank-obstructed loge seats at intermission, the seats of old Boston's royalty...and later the not so majestic. The Colonial Theatre is a magnificent restoration and the musical, Rock of Ages...  still playing the music in my head, don't stop... believing! 

Posted on Oct 16, 2010

Ever watched birds? The babies are quickly coaxed to different bushes  from the nest, usually on a rainy day to discourage cats, where in the higher limbs they test their wings in the wind while fed morsels and vigorously defended, especially from squirrels.

Last week, our oldest drove her brother and sister to the cottage, the first solo run to a legendary sanctuary of boats and farmland, and old family, that the 4 inherit solely and in perpetua due to some gas leases. With her own key now, we'll see how often she flies.

Posted on Jul 22, 2010

College Kindergarten

The Boy is back from school with a 3.25-3.0, better then dad ever did. A semester long assignment was to write and publish a book for his Education class, a journal. His conclusion, "I made one of these for mom in kindergarten". 

Edited 11/10: He switched majors from education to business this year.

Posted on May 26, 2010

Prenuptial Advice

If you can enjoy a round of golf together, you will stay married forever.

Posted on May 20, 2010

Dawn Patrol

Logan Airport before sunrise for the youngest daughter to fly to the Veteran's Ball at Camp Lejeune, missed classes and work, 2 planes down...3 to get back but feels a duty for a promise she made to be there to a Marine doing his best to get the third stripe, a buddy, a warrior. She's my hero tonight. (Suppose this means another tattoo?).

Posted on Nov 11, 2009

Vegas was Perfect!

Flawless nonstops, jet tub suite at the Grand overlooking New York, Excalibur, Luxor etc with a side door off the west wing to the best souvenir/convenience store in town(Grand Canyon Experience), a hot streak for 3 days at every game and table that quit just as the wife's got started....... her first $5 blackjack table ever and up $550 in a couple hours at Tropicana! And always the best seats, front row center for Lion King, stageside for Vinnie Favorito, center balcony at Jersey Boys. Just one of those "in the zone" trips for the biggest tippers on the strip :) 

Now about the stores...Operation Spotless, must be a nice night at "La Bling" when a really big winner comes in. The forum at Caesar's, The two- story canal way between Venetian and the Palazzo, unbelievable.. and the walkway kiosks have the most unique gifts. And can't forget that BU student at Lush, you go girl!  Retail at it's finest.

 As for the games, listen for a happy dealer... they're losing.

Posted on Oct 30, 2009

<--- VEGAS, BABY!

Posted on Oct 24, 2009

Back to School

Was just visiting the freshman last weekend and he has taken the campus for his own.  Not satisfied with being tripled in a "cell" with 2 other frosh, the first week he roamed the dorms seeking more suitable accomodations... Finding a suite with an empty room, he claimed it for his own, along with a couch "borrowed" from the student union. (Reminiscent of the keg that I borrowed from a frat party my first week years ago, another way to deal with being tripled-up.)  College is as much about surviving as it is about academics.

Posted on Oct 22, 2009

Measles of the Mind

The last childhood disease, Homesickness. Everybody gets a case, it lasts a day or two and it feels like an empty pit inside... a big empty pit that hurts til you cry. Tonight, all over the country, there's a college epidemic, phone a freshman. 

Posted on Aug 29, 2009

Two years ago, my Cousin took his life. Last week I left the days' golf tees and balls at his grave, missing that round with him so, so sadly. We caddied as boys, played at Munson's Pitch & Putt. Suicide is a mental illness, the rest of the body says yes, but the brain has an attack, the mind says no, no more. For anyone to recover, remind them of the many years ahead that their friends and family will grieve for them. It's not a door, but a cliff. Today and tomorrow are the doorways.

Posted on Jul 22, 2009

The Disney daughter has returned after an extended stopover in Ocean City, couldn't miss her brothers party...party, party, party. Oh, his team placed fifth, Good enough.

Posted on Jun 27, 2009

The boy is in Kansas City this week for SkillsUSA nationals, a finalist in the Business Meeting competition...down to 9 teams today. Roberts rules of order and all that. His team has been practicing in the backyard for weeks...inventing basketball games as rules contests... scary group of kids. Anyway, his grad party is Sunday after his return, but with a slight twist added yesterday. 

Fluffy, our skunk whose lived at least 4 years under the shed took some sort of seizure (not rabies...she was very old and was in distress) and animal control blew her apart with a .410 guage shotgun...yesterday...four days before the party..behind the tool shed. And you wondered if it's rained enough?

Skunk 'em son, medal for Fluffy...

Posted on Jun 25, 2009

The two oldest daughters are just back from visiting their baby sister at Disney. Born poor has its advantages, they shared a room 'til high school and had to learn to get along, I suppose. Sometimes Providence amazes me, how when their brother was born we found a way to rent a three bedroom, actually a four since my wife's two brothers decided to join us too. So there it is, nature or nurtured? Last week, their brother received a heap of awards including the Rotary scholarship, graduating third in a class of 450. The top three were separated by hundredths of a point. I think he planned it to get out of a speech :) Posted on May 19, 2009