Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Cheerleaders -

Momma Squire had best be getting her elbow warmed up for the game tonight. No, she isn't going in as the starting QB for the middle school football team. She will be sitting next to me in the stands as we watch Will play football. The elbow mysteriously finds it way into my side a few times during football games. It may be for me reminding Mr Zebra that the yellow hankie in his pocket actually has a purpose other than padding his butt. However, lately it she has been elbowing me due to my criticisms of the cheerleaders.

Whether it is screaming "We want six more!!!" when the score is zip to zip, "Touchdown, touchdown we want a touchdown" when we are on defense, or "take that ball away" while we are on offense, these things make me want to fling a stadium chair. I tried to correct them from the top bleacher, but alas, they couldn't hear me over all their yelling. I actually mentioned it to the school principal. She just shook her head when I suggested passing a football 101 test be a requirement for cheering.

So hopefully, as the season winds down tonight, our cheerleaders have at least learned to know when to cheer what cheer and I can relax and enjoy the game in peace with this off my chest...no wait, pom-poms - have you seen what the pom poms look like now or whatever happened to that classic cheer - Rock Steady.....

Friday, September 25, 2009

From out of nowhere.....

Being an only child of two only children, I never got to experience the typical interactions of brothers and sisters. Even my best friend growing up had two sisters, but he was an "oops" about 8 years behind his youngest sister. Think about it - I have no aunts, uncles, or cousins. Family reunions could be held in a Smart car.

I digress. I mentioned the absence of sibling interaction to say that when Lori & I had two kids, the interaction between them was foreign to me. I have no doubt that deep down my two boys, aged 13 & 11, really love each other. When smaller, they always played great together and would occasionally pick on each other. However, as the years have passed, the "picking" has become more frequent, more aggressive, and much more annoying to Lori & I. Often, she will say "you know, they are just being brothers." Well, no I don't know. I really wondered sometimes whether or not they really did like each other.

Then, it happened. As all kids do, they surprise you when you least expect it. I was performing the never-ending task of "sign-this", "fill this out" for Will one morning. He had to fill out a questionnaire for one of the teachers which asked various questions about the students' likes, dislikes, and favorites. The last question, or should I say the last answer, restored my belief that they really do like each other - they just don't always show it.

Question: What would you do if you won the Powerball lottery?

Answer: Donate it to JDRF so they could find a cure and Kyle would not have diabetes anymore.

'Nuff said.


Zach, A Tennessee Squire

Thursday, September 24, 2009

What exactly is a Squire?

You may notice my sign-off or e-mail address references a "Tennessee Squire". What is a Tennessee Squire? If you have to ask, you don't need to know!

Just kidding. A Squire is an honor bestowed upon an individual by Jack Daniels Distillery. The individual must be an upstanding citizen, enjoy Jack Daniels, & some other "secret" things. You also have to be nominated by another Squire. There isn't a secret handshake, but there is a Squire room @ the Distillery that is limited to just Squires. When you are "Squired", you are actually deeded a small (very very small) piece of the Distillery. It is said that if you visit your plot and stand on one foot, you are probably standing on five or six other Squire's property! You receive a membership card and a very nice deed. My deed and first Squire card are framed and hung on my office wall.

I was nominated by a Squire about 15 years ago & have nominated four individuals. Ironically, folks have seen my Squire name on Facebook & MySpace and have asked me to nominate them. No way, no how. Have to know the folks before I nominate them!

You may have not even wondered what a Squire was, but now you know. Speaking of Jack, it is about that time.....

Zach, A Tennessee Squire

Friday, September 18, 2009

Stepping into the blog world.....

Well, this is my first attempt @ the blog on this site. I've blogged a couple of times on MySpace, but this appears to be the blogspot of choice.


Some blogger friends post deep, philosophical blogs, while others post humorous ones that take a lot of thought. Mine will be a little of both. They will also vary in length. Some things merit more words than others. Mine will be a mixture of all of the above or maybe even just a picture.

Please enjoy.

Zach Clayton, a Tennessee Squire