I'm Back!

This morning on the Today Show, Arnold Schwarzenegger was reported to have awoken from his emergency open heart surgery with his iconic "I'm back" expression.  So with that in mind, I'm returning to this blog site on the first day of Spring Break with admittedly a bit of extra time in my life from this time last year.

First, I'm not a yearbook sponsor.  I'll confess (as I have probably done before in previous posts) that I did feel somewhat guilty from resigning that position, but I'll also confess that the decision was a wise one.  The decision did decrease frustration and stress in my life, and only current or previous yearbook sponsors will truly understand that feeling.

Second, I'm not coming off of coaching basketball.  While I did help out my son's varsity football teams and basketball teams as a volunteer, and those duties did cut into the amount of my free time available, I could (and did) be flexible with my commitment.  Having previously coached junior high boys and girls basketball, there was no flexibility.

Third, my "club basketball" coaching experience that had consumed the spring the past two years is no longer occurring.  Since my son is graduating in May, he also has graduated from the club basketball circuit, so my assistance with that endeavor no longer exists.  While I already miss our father-son time together and miss watching him on the court, I don't miss the commitment of time and energy towards making a club team go.

So now my biggest aggravation and frustration is with Mother Nature.  This has been an unusually cold Spring.  We had nine inches of snow recently and the first full week of April is forecast in our area to have temps below 50 degrees all week.  Come on Keven Phelps (KWQC weather guy), pull some strings, do some meteorologist alchemy or something, but help a guy out!  Sophie the dog is ready for some nice Spring walks, and I'm tired of having to get all bundled up to umpire my softball games.

While life has become simpler, I'm still umpiring softball and officiating basketball.  Next year, I'm planning to return to full-time basketball officiating, which I'm looking forward to doing.  Part of that experience, though, is an enhanced effort of dropping some weight - something badly needed for my health and my knees and my ability to get up and down the floor on the court.

Now Amber says I have to do some weeding in my closets, which is an activity I'm not good at.  I've warned her that I'm going to be selective.  I'm keeping clothes I like but that are too small.  I'm only weeding the stuff that I don't believe I will wear much in the future.