Game Night

I just spent a fun evening with my girlfriend and her daughter. They invited me to their house to eat homemade chili and have a “game night”. They supplied the food, because I’m not good when it comes to food, and I supplied the games. Most of the games at my house are of the adult variety, so I bought a few today. The selection included Trouble (always a favorite), Guesstures (which I had never played before), Pictionary (which I have played a few times), and Disney Trivial Pursuit (one that I already had because an ex-girlfriend could never beat me at the regular one).

I have never been married and do not have kids, and that led my girlfriend to worry about how this would go. Before I met her daughter, she kept talking about how they would stress me out and run me off. I tried to explain to her that I get along with kids very well. Heck, I’m a big kid myself. I thought it best not to tell her that I have dated people with kids before, and those kids all loved me. I was afraid that it would make her worry more. After all, those kids became close to me, and I am no longer in their lives.

It is probably hard to understand, but I feel that I have had several “families” in my life. I have gotten close to several kids but their moms and I ended up breaking up. I miss them all even though I don’t miss their moms that much. Is that what divorce is like? I’m sure it’s not. In fact, the pain I have felt when I realize I will never see someone again makes me realize that people being separated from their children must be unbearable.

This is a rambling post and completely got off track from where I was headed. Several of my posts have had dark or sarcastic tones, and I meant for this one to be fun and positive. Must be the mood I am in a the moment.

At any rate, game night was fun, and I hope that we have more in the future.

Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself

That’s the perfect way to start a song (Sympathy for the Devil for the imbeciles out there), therefore it is the perfect way to start a blog.

In the summer of 1998, I was standing on a bridge in Little Rock, Arkansas with my assistant coach. The heat bore down as we watched the sewage flow through the ditch beneath our feet. Our struggling team was taking batting practice as we attempted to make out a decent line-up. It was a miserable day in the middle of a miserable season, and suddenly it hit me. As I watched the crap flow by I said, “We are surrounded by imbeciles and wallowing in mediocrity.” Hence, the name of the blog.

Life has changed dramatically in the 13 years since that “profound” statement. I stopped coaching at the end of that season and pursued a graduate degree. For the past decade, I have taught history at a small, private university in Tennessee. This blog will be a synopsis my life in academia and whatever else I can think of. It’s funny though. Things change but also stay the same. At times, I still feel that I am “surrounded by imbeciles”. Of course, history proves that they have always been around.

By the way, (for the imbeciles out there) the heading photo is not of scenery in Tennessee. That is Monument Valley, which sits in the Navajo Nation in the American southwest. It is my favorite picture of my favorite place. In the future, I may tell you why.

Happy Blog Browsing!