My Life As A Hobby

  The other day I was talking to a friend who just took his first flight since COVID began. He said something that struck fear in my heart. “Joe, flying is worse now than it ever was.”  So it seems the airlines have finally succeeded doing something I thought was impossible.  Apparently they have found a way to make the flight experience even more miserable for us passengers. It’s like Satan adding humidity to hell.  About the only thing left for them to do now is to have the flight attendants rake their fingernails on a blackboard.  Airlines used to be all about serving the customer - but not now.  I’m thankful that I’m not a regular flier any more.   For over 20 years, I used to fly about once a month, so I consider myself a veteran of the skies.  But things have changed.  Since COVID, airlines have cut flights, amenities, and service, all while raising prices. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when I actually enjoyed getting on an airplane. But it’s no fun anymore.  I

  “When you believe in things  You don’t understand Then you suffer  Superstition - ain’t the way, yeah…”                                              Stevie Wonder Uh oh. Only 5 minutes before kickoff, and I’ve got things to do.  Quickly I round up both my dogs and pet them 7 times each - the last stroke from the tip of their nose to the end of their tail. Then I run to my drawer and put on my Alabama tee shirt that came from the holy city of Jerusalem. Now and only now can I sit down in my special chair and watch the game knowing I have done all I can do to help my team.  I suppose some people would call me superstitious, but I prefer to say I’m making sure all of my pregame rituals are completed.  Who am I kidding? It is  superstition. And it’s something that’s   interwoven into the fabric of every sport we watch, especially college football.  For me, it began when I was in college.  I went to my first bowl game and it was a big one. The 1973 Sugar Bowl between Alabama a

The first time I flew in an airplane I was a senior in college headed to a job interview. Looking back, it was one of the worst flights I’ve ever been on. The pilot went through a series of severe thunderstorms before we landed, causing our plane to repeatedly dip and drop hundreds of feet. Ignorance is bliss I suppose, because I thought this was normal until the guy next to me looked up from his barf bag and asked me if I knew Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.  At the time, I had no sophistication about things outside of my little world in Alabama.  When I started my first job, I went to the little town of Norwich, New York for sales training. During the first meal at the hotel restaurant I saw something I had never seen before. Set out before me was an array of fruits and vegetables on a long table protected by clear plexiglass.  Flummoxed, I asked my sales manager what this unusual setup was.  “That is called a salad bar,” he replied.  And then he added, “And you can even go

  Somewhere not far away, there’s a 10-year-old boy who will soon have one of the most memorable days of his young life. Decades from now he will look forward to the time when he can share the same experience with his children. This day will become a fond memory because this will be the day he attends his first college football game.  It will begin on Friday evening - the night before the big day. His Mom will make him go to bed early, reminding him that “tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”  But nervous anticipation keeps sleep from coming easily.   Saturday morning he’s up early, already dressed in his team’s colors before he comes down for breakfast.  His Mom smiles and reminds him that he never does this on a school day. Within the hour, he takes his place in the car and they are on their way. No music on the radio today; instead sports talk fills the airwaves, and his Mom’s not complaining.  He can’t help but notice all the other cars on the highway are full of people wearing