The Shrinking Bucket List

At the Dolphins game

I am a huge sports fan! I always have been. I really prefer not to declare a favorite sport, because I truly like most sports. It depends on the time of year whether I like baseball or football better, and since this is football season, I can sit and watch a football game and most likely be content ~ unless Georgia (college) or Atlanta (NFL) is losing.

I have been fortunate enough to attend Major League Baseball games for many years. When I lived in the Metro Washington, DC area, I was able to attend a couple of NHL and NBA games. I've had season tickets before to NCAA football and I've been to several college basketball games in my day. But I'd never attended an NFL game in person. That is, until this past week.

My buddy, John, pastors a church in the metro Miami area and he was going out of town for the holiday. He called and asked if I could fill in for him while he was away. I really enjoy going to this church and was thrilled when my schedule was free to allow me to do that. Then, I just took an off-chance look at the Dolphins schedule. My eyes got quite large! They were playing at home that very same day. The church is only a few minutes away from the stadium!

I mentioned this to the lady of the house where I live and we worked it out so that she and my daughters pitched in together and gave me the money to buy the ticket for my birthday. I even got a ticket in one of their two non-alcohol family sections! It was all good until about half way through the second quarter. A guy and his friends came and sat in the row directly behind me. I think they'd had their fill of alcohol before they came into the stadium! Fortunately for those fans sitting in the area, these folks were escorted out at halftime!

I also was able to hear the names of several former UGA Bulldogs being called. One of them, Thomas Davis, plays for the Carolina Panthers. He was actually from the same general area in southwest GA where I spent some time. I watched him play both football and basketball in high school. As we watched him single-handedly dismantle our local high school team, we had a feeling he would be playing on Sundays.

Thanks, John for asking me to fill your pulpit. That's always and honor and the real reason for me being in Miami. Thanks Robin, Emily, and Abigail for helping make it possible to check an item off the bucket list. I appreciate it!

The Joys of Interacting With Snowbirds

I was waiting for a local bookstore to open, so I decided to have a cup of coffee while I waited. With my handy dandy smartphone in hand trying to be productive with my time, I was quietly minding my own business. Well OK, I was doing some people watching, too, but I wasn't staring or inviting company in the least!
A retired lady walked out of Starbucks and stopped where I was seated. She abruptly asked if this was an iPhone I was using. I replied that if wasn't and tried to explain to her, in retirement aged English, the difference between an iPhone and my phone. Trying desperately to think quick on my feet, which is not a typical trait of mine, I didn't want to use the word Android and further confuse the dear lady. I told her that I had a smartphone and I could perform many tasks with it just like an iPhone. I told her that an iPhone is a smartphone, just that my smartphone was not an iPhone.
She then asked if it was better to purchase the phone outright or get into a contract. If I had been wearing sunglasses, it would have been now that I would have peered over them at this dear lady. With all the respect I could muster, I assured her that I was on a contract. I said, "Ma'am, I've always had a contract. I can't afford to lay out $600 for my phone." After explaining that line twice (no lie ~ TWICE), she went on to another question.
Finally, trying desperately not to be rude or sound exasperated, I asked the dear senior if she remembered the gentlemen who held the Starbucks door for her as she exited. She said she did, and I encouraged her to go and ask them any questions she may have on the subject. I said, "They work three doors down at AT&T. Both of them have helped me before." Then she asked for their names! Aaarrrggghhhh! True story ladies and gentlemen. Can't make that stuff up! There is joy in living in South Florida in the fall / winter months!