Buckeye Mike

Last fall Ben's school had a function at a local skating rink. All of his friends were planning on attending, and he asked if he could go to. He said a friends parents would drive him if I could come at 8:30 and pick them up. I agreed and planned my evening accordingly. When I arrived at United Skates of America, I parked out front and wait for my son and his friend to come out. A car pulled into the space beside me and the guy inside waved. I quickly recognized the gentleman as a Cincinnati Insurance Adjuster, and rolled my window down to make conversation. I have known this guy for 12 years. We have worked many projects together. We have sat at a bar and had drinks at more than one Happy Hour. Our kids have even gone to the same school since they were both in kindergarten. So it was nothing to pass the time talking about old claims and industry issues. Par for the course when I get around people I work with. But then he said something that dumbfounded me. "I am so sorr

Have you seen this quiz on Facebook? The concept is simple. Women answer 10 little questions and the computer spits out how awesome the quizzees husband is, in percentage form. It asks questions like "what does he do when you have a bad day?" or "does he give back rubs?" All pretty basic, and I got positive results on most. But then she got to that one question. And it killed me. I will get to that in a minute. I like to think I am a pretty awesome guy. So awesome, in fact, that my phone actually calls me "Awesome McAwesomesauce". When a waiter at a restaurant or the guy at the gas station asks how I am, I usually reply "I am awesome, haven't you heard?" (except when little red is with me, then it's "if I was any better. she'd be twins"). And my youngest son calls himself Awesome McAwesomesauce Jr. In short, I never question my awesome standing. But this Facebook quiz accuses me of only carrying a 'B" average on t

This week, Ben is at camp. More specifically, he is with his Boy Scout Troop at Camp Falling Rock in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. We dropped him and his patrol off Sunday afternoon, shortly after returning from a 4th of July holiday that saw us spend a few days in Illinois with the family. And while I enjoyed that, and Monday's zoo day with Tanner and Little Red, I was anxious to see how my middle son was doing with camp life. We arrived just after 6 pm and began walking the winding trail back to where Ben and the other Troop 778 scouts were set up. Ben told us he was a little homesick, and wanted to come with us when we left. He told us he had a challenging tent mate, and that he was not a fan of the shower facilities. Pretty routine gripes from a first time camper. But he also said they were having fun, hiking and hanging out. We explained that was normal and that he should really see it through. His scoutmaster Dave (one of my closest friends for more than 10 years) made the s