Biker Gang

Watch out for these guys. The roads never will be safe again.

Blastoff

Rob and Alex would love this model rocket. It's pretty awesome. (Thanks to geekdad.)

The Fear of God

Old Wahoo attended a newcomers' class at his church this weekend, and he may have won the foot-in-mouth award for most ill-advised joke. At the beginning of the class, everyone was supposed to say why they were attracted to the church. When it was my turn, I said I have three sons and "I want to put the fear of God in them." No one really laughed - in fact, one lady put here hands on her head - and I felt pretty stupid. 

Another Father's Thoughts

Here's David Kazzie, who shares his feelings about fatherhood. Dave is my former sports editor at The Cavalier Daily, and he is now an attorney and aspiring novelist.

Age? 35
Number of children and their ages? 2 kids (3 and 10 months)
Occupation? Lawyer
What is the best part about being a father? All of it.
What is the toughest challenge you face as a father? The worrying.
How has fatherhood changed since you were a child? I'm way more involved in the day to day stuff since my dad worked and my mom stayed at home with us.
How are you a different father than your father? I don't know yet.
How has being a father affected your relationship with your father? It hasn't really.
What’s the best advice about fatherhood that you’ve received? Don't negotiate with terrorists.
How do you balance the demands of your career with your responsibilities (and dreams) as a father? I pursue my dreams after the kids are in bed.
How do you find time for yourself? I made sure those kids slept through the night from an early age.

Back in Michigan

Old Wahoo and the Mrs., along with the three boys, returned home from our vacation to D.C. and Virginia last night, and this morning we awoke to beautiful spring weather in Michigan - 40 degrees and rain. That's enough complaining, though, because we had a great time, and much love to the Old Wahoo family - Grandma Wahoo, Gramps Wahoo and Aunt Amy and Uncle Clark - for all that they did during our trip. We did a ton, too - the Mall and Metro in D.C., visiting old friends in NoVa, Easter egg hunts, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, amusement parks, golf, tennis, beach, and a night on the town. Rob loved the Smithsonian, and all the boys loved Busch Gardens, where Matt never wanted to get off the rides. Plus, a perfect day at the beach for Grandma's birthday to cap everything off. 

Plus, I gained a much greater appreciation of what my parents went through, especially after buying a $30 lunch of hot dogs at the Natural History Museum while the 1-year-old puts on the Barry Sanders moves en route to escaping his dad's clutches. In some ways, though, that may have been the highlight. 

If It Looks Like Styrofoam ...

... and it feels like styrofoam, then it's no surprise that it tastes like styrofoam. That's the verdict from the Hetzler boys after trying some astronaut ice cream on Wednesday for lunch. The freeze-dried ice cream was a gift to Old Wahoo from Rob and Alex, who bought it on their trip to Florida. It was a neat idea because they had remembered me talking about the ice cream from my trip to the Smithsonian many years ago. But we all had a taste of it on Wednesday, and we were less than impressed. Rob said it tasted "odd," then made gagging noises, which didn't seem too melodramatic since I had similar thoughts. Alex immediately threw the rest of his away, and I did the same. Of course, the Moose loved his and asked for more.  

Cool Stuff for Dads (and Moms)

So the hated Heels won, and the game wasn't the greatest. (At least it wasn't as bad as the UNLV-Duke final in 1990.) But Old Wahoo and Mrs. Wahoo had a great time in Detroit last night for the championship tilt between Michigan State and North Carolina. The atmosphere downtown was terrific, as was the feeling in the building, at least until tipoff. It was also pretty cool seeing Bird and Magic introduced before the game, and then seeing Jordan, Robinson and Stockton come out when they announced the Hall of Fame inductees. Plus, it was great just for Laura and I to get out. Thanks a ton to Craig, who came through not only with the tickets, which was amazing in itself, but also for watching the kids so we could go to the game.

Lego creation

Rob was pretty proud of this Lego creation he built yesterday, and he made me proud as well, though I worried he was trying to Eddie Haskell me. He called it the "Friendship Building" because his friends - Cate and Alex - helped him build it. Pretty good kid.

The Final Four Experience

Old Wahoo took Rob and Alex down to the free Final Four practice at Ford Field yesterday, and we had a great time. Julian came over from Grand Valley to go with us, and we met Craig, Clare and Cate when we got into the stadium. 

The place was packed for the MSU practice, with the lower bowl, excluding the end zone seats behind the baskets, completely filled. The funniest part, for me, came when the Spartans ran onto the court. Everyone was on their feet as they started taking layups, and Rob exclaims, "Look at that!" as he points to the cheerleaders performing a stunt. I just shook my head and laughed. Basketball may not be in the cards for him.

It was great, though, and the boys had fun, too. Julian and I saw Dick Vitale signing autographs in the atrium - he was talking to everybody - and we saw another guy decked out in tons of Final Four pins and other paraphernalia.

All in all, a great day.

Note: Had trouble downloading from camera so I just used the camera phone pics, which aren't great. Sorry.

Major League slugs a home run

"Major League" Rules as My Favorite Movie
"Major League" overcomes typical underdog story with earnest portrayals and plenty of laughs.
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1617139/major_league_rules_as_my_favorite_movie.html

No Joke

I want your feedback, whether it's good or bad. Tell me what you like or don't like about this blog. I appreciate all the comments and e-mails I've received already in the two months that I've been writing on Old Wahoo, and I always welcome any input. Thanks again for reading.