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Ah summertime is here once again and already the temperature is ratcheting its way up the thermometer. There wasn’t enough June gloom for me. Maybe it is another side effect of global warming, but I sure could have used a couple of more weeks of cool.
Along with the change of season this year came a couple of new changes in my life that have already had an impact on my day-to-day life. I am not talking about things like the hideous new color of the lampposts and traffic light posts in my city of Temple, which was definitely an unwanted and unnecessary change. Although, I guess it is better than spending more money on new city entrance signs.
No, the changes this time around are based on family life and the changes that the kids bring with them as they get older. Every year with kids brings changes, but this was one of those banner years where true milestones were achieved.
For my son, Alex, it was a twofer, the beginning of the driving experience and his moving up the food chain as far as high school football is concerned. When you are at his age those are two of the biggest things that can happen, well almost, but we won’t go there in a family paper.
On the driving front, he doesn’t know how lucky he is that his sister went first. To be honest, we are both lucky. As high-strung as we both can be, had he been the first, things could be a lot more tense when, shall we say, errors are made. As it is, I don’t make the best passenger, just ask my wife.
I can’t even begin to count how many times since we have been married, when I was the passenger, that she had to remind me that there wasn’t a brake on my side. So if I am stepping on my imaginary brake when a seasoned driver is behind the wheel you can imagine what’s going through my over reactive imagination when a first timer is driving.
I must say, though, so far so good. He is even more cautious than his sister was, which I didn’t think was possible. I just hope he maintains that caution once my wife and I are no longer riding shotgun. If I remember correctly from the last time around that is when my stress-o-meter goes into hyper drive.
 In the football arena, he has moved up to varsity with all that entails. I wasn’t aware of what that meant until a couple of weeks ago when I was told when his morning practices began. For all of you coming up behind me, be warned, it starts at 5:45 AM.
For people like me who are inherently vampires, this is requiring a major transformation in lifestyle. When I first heard it I did more than one double take and the expression on my face must have looked like Dr. Van Helsing had just driven a stake through my heart. But Alex is in it for the long haul, and he is the one who will be working his ass off at that time of the day, so who am I to complain about having to get up at 5:00 AM.
Besides, I lost the battle to keep him from playing football long ago and given his love of the game since he started playing, all I can do is go along for the ride. I must admit that since the ride began I was looking forward for him playing for Mike Mooney. As we all know, Temple City is in mourning over his departure to San Marino High School to be its Vice Principal.
He did leave us in the capable hands of Randy Backus who has worked with Mooney for the last 13 seasons as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. He knows the players better than anybody and has the same work ethic as his predecessor. So there is nobody out there who is better suited for the job. He also graduated from San Gabriel High School, my old alma mater, so as far as I’m concerned, he is aces in my book.
Then there’s my daughter, Rachel, who just graduated from TCHS. Her mother and I, like all of the rest of the parents at the ceremony, were puffed up and proud. At the moment when she accepted her diploma we felt like it went by so fast. Thinking back though, there were moments when we felt like it would never end.
At no time was this more true then during the last two seasons she played softball. Leave it safe to say that there were major problems there as far as the coaching goes, despite what the Star News says about its coach. One of the biggest problems there is the use of the dreaded “N” word, nepotism. There should be a rule adopted by the CIF, preventing parents, with children on the team, from coaching. But that chapter is now closed and is no longer my problem, it’s the CIF’s. I thank god I don’t have to deal with that madness anymore.
Short of that disappointing chapter in her educational process it not only went by fast, it went extremely well. The education she received was top notch and her teachers were great, and as we all know, that is the main reason that so many people gravitate to this little burg. If it weren’t for our schools, read teachers, this city would not have the reputation that it does.
Because of those teachers and Rachel’s hard work she was accepted to three different universities. She chose Long Beach State, and my family and I thank each and every one of them for their dedication and attention to detail. We have two more years with these teachers and look forward to them working the same magic with Alex.
In a couple of months Rachel will be moving down to Long Beach and the final phase of this year’s changes will take place. Even though she has spent less time around the house over the last year, spending more time at work and with her boyfriend, Andrew, it will be strange not seeing her for extended periods at a time. Everybody who told us that this time would just fly by was right. Looking back it was a blink of an eye.
I wish I could slow it down, but I think I would stand a better chance of trying to control the weather.
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