Strange Days Indeed

The last two weekends were quite a whirlwind, as I saw my long-lost friend, permanent student Dr. Dre, in town for a Psychologist's conference, and then visited over half of the counties in the great glacier of New Hampshire. According to the calendar, it was the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, also known as the day rabbits lay chocolate eggs and marshmallow chickens. However, with 3 feet of snow on the ground, the rabbit decided to stay snug in its burrow -- no chocolate for the kids. My mother's 400 foot driveway is a rutted sheet of ice/frozen slush, complete with axle-deep potholes conveniently placed so that one needs to drive into the swamp in order to avoid them. Luckily, the snowbanks on either guide the cars back into the ruts.

I followed my Easter tradition of sleeping as late as possible, and then not taking a shower for the whole day. It's not usually a conscious decision, but more of an organic event. Several years, my wife suggested a walk around the neighborhood, and I had to scramble through the shower put on a baseball hat. I always got that familiar feeling of the believers looking at me as if I'm crazy. It started very early, in first grade, on the day after Easter. This was in the days when towns had not yet received the message that requiring children to pray in a public school is unconstitutional. We would have a minute of silent prayer every morning in first grade, and on the Monday after Easter, the teacher asked us to draw a picture on the back of a worksheet of "what you got for Easter." I drew this:

NOTHING


I told this story to my children as I tucked them in tonight, as this is their first year in public school. My second grader sounded like I felt in first grade, a little bitter and envious, and wondering what the "hell" is going on with the believers. I told her that it's OK for people to have different beliefs, and that we don't celebrate Easter, because it's more of a religious holiday than Christmas (which we do celebrate in a Santa Claus/Season's Greetings way.) I did not tell her about the 4th grader who stared at me in disbelief, saying , "You don't believe in God!?" I forgave her for that remark, because she was on my list for multiple "Saint" Valentine's Day cards casually placed in her construction paper mailbox on several trips around the classroom.



NOTHING


is also what I have won in the last week of playing poker. Not exactly nothing, but I have not made either the points or the money in any of the BBT3 tournaments. I also played some stupid cash games, such as Razz, 5-card draw, and Stud Hi/Lo. Finally last night I had a winning Hold 'em session, and this week is another 4 tournaments. Next Sunday, I head to Vegas for a quick couple of nights of poker, so I'll miss the Blogger Big Game. Good thing, because I haven't even been able to beat the token sit-n-goes.

OK, time for some non- transubstantiated libations.

:wq