the Best way to get a Puppy is to Beg for a Baby Brother ....

Unfortunately, our apartment doesn't allow us to keep pets.

Years from now, decades even, maybe brother and sister will realize that the time they spent together was rather special. That all this playing together wasn't necessarily a given. That a five year age gap is pretty large when the younger one is not even three years of age yet.

And yet, play together they do. Getting along like a house on fire most of the time. Save for the occasional argument which doesn't last long.

The sister will bully the brother - taking advantage of the fact that she has five years more experience. While he will innocently drink more of the juice - mainly out of exuberance/greed. She's protective of him and he will imitate her words/actions. And they've learnt that collectively they have more leverage over the parents than if they were to act/ask alone.

I don't know how much longer this can go on. I'm just glad that they so obviously enjoy each other's company.

NBA Draft 2014 - a Celtic perspective

It’s NBA Draft night and hope springs eternal. All Things are Possible and none of the draftees have had time to screw things up yet.

Oops ! My bad. #3 pick Joel Embiid is already injured with a broken foot that will keep him out for the next 4-6 months. This on top of the back injury that kept him out of part of his college year as well. But hey ! He’ll recover and be the next Olajuwon – and we won’t whisper the names of Oden, Bowie and Walton. Even though foot and back injuries have a particularly bad history for 7-foot centers in the NBA.

My personal interest in NBA Draft 2014 is focused on Trader Danny Ainge – the head of the Celtics brain trust. The man who’s done it before and the man entrusted with doing it again – bringing the glory days back to the Celtics. The man who would trade his own grandmother if it could improve the Celtics.

It’s not personal, it’s just business. But Danny will be nice about it. And he may not like trading you – in fact, it may even be breaking his heart. But he’ll put his arm around you and commiserate with you and assure you that it wasn’t personal even as he’s ushering you out the door. But Danny’s a nice guy, really ! And classy too.

Anyways, with picks #6 and #17, the Celtics draft ………… Smart & Young !

this is Smart

One transition season after Danny blew the whole thing up with the Pierce and Garnett trade, Danny cashes in his first chip. Probably after trying his very best to trade away the self same draft picks. But time expired and Danny was still holding his goodie bag, so he drafted Marcus Smart and James Young. And he’ll ask Brad Stevens to develop them and find a way for Smart & Bradley & Rondo to co-exist in the backcourt.

And rumours will abound about Rondo trades now that Danny’s drafted a point guard. Just as rumours about Rondo trades have abounded for the past few years. And Danny will deny it all.

But then again, this is the guy who hired college basketball’s hottest young coach without any reporters suspecting it. Not even a Twit ! In this day and age when everybody’s got a smartphone and camera ..……

It’s NBA Draft night. Hope springs eternal and the Celtics look to Smart & Young.

as Questions go ...

It creeps up on you, the years.

The passage of time.
The slow drip, drip of water.
The tick, tock of a grandfather clock.
The shrill ring that marks the end of another school day.

And all of a sudden it's in front of you, asking "Is it pretty ?"

What do you say to that ? What do you say when in your heart of hearts, your little girl is just exactly that ? Still your little girl.

I said "Yes".

The Luckiest

Sometimes when I wake up in the morning on a weekend or a holiday, I spend the first few minutes looking around and wonder how I ever got here. With fluffy bears and toy cars on the bed - fluffy towels and milk bottles lying around - hands and feet everywhere, just waiting for the first stirrings of life, or the first wail to break the peace of the early morn ......

With toys strewn all over the floor - and paint brushes and paintings on a table - with dishes in the kitchen sink and piles of laundry waiting to be done - with garbage waiting to be disposed of and poo in plastic bags by the front door.

And all I see is this.

And I wonder how I lucked out. With all the missteps and blind alleys and travails of the dating world and relationships, I wonder how I ever ended up with the woman who gave me these three beautiful children.



Truth is, I do feel like the geeky, dorky red-haired guy who ended up with Rachel McAdams ...

NB. Ben Folds' 'The Luckiest' explained. And Richard Curtis is the one writer whose movies we look forward to.

Postscript : This post may perhaps be ever so slightly rose tinged, but then it's early morn and I've just woken up....
Reality is disruptions, distractions and sometimes just outright distress. But the song tells what I'm feeling and .... you get the idea, don't you ?