Creatures of habit...

Habits-an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary

We all have them, some we are aware of and some we don't even know they exist. I would say we can split habits into 2 categories

the "bad" habits - smoking, biting your fingernails, picking things, swearing, those hats the nuns would wear ... stuff like that

and then the "other" habits which is what was on my mind yesterday.

This "habit" has to do with picking... picking my seat to be exact. Yesterday was Sunday, Sunday church...everybody happy, well I should say (good ole camp song). Yes church. We arrived at church and I greeted a few people, put my coat on the hanger, talked a little more and my family entered the sanctuary a few minutes before I did, as usual. I tend to dilly-dally slightly and therefore I end up coming in last, on time but last. With roughly 220 people in there preparing for worship I am never afraid that I will not find them because I know the secret, the map, the code of the Koskinens, the treasure hunt ends right-side about 1/4 of the way back from the front....BINGO! Those are our seats. Not to the extent that if there were others in our seats we would be offended, it's more of a general area deal. There they were and now I had joined them, my family- towards the front, right-side in their habitual spot...they are quirky.

Then I started thinking about my optometry conventions 500 docs, nice auditorium, many different doors to enter and no matter which door I go in I always end up 1/4 the way back, right-side! Even if I enter in the left doors, I go all the way around in the back, through crowds of drs who came in from the right but must sit to the left, and find my seat right-side and towards the front. What?! It's me, not my beautiful family! We went and saw the dead sea scrolls, there was a movie, I lead my wife to our seats, right-side! It's like a white-water deluge of thoughts coming to me, no matter where I go if I get to choose the seats I end up 1/4 the way back, right-side. Two weeks ago, Sunday morning, there were only 4 of us at church and I tried to shake things up - 3/4 of the way back, left-side! It was awful! Sound was bad, sight line was way off, people around me were nice (even though I did not recognize some of them). Pastor even looked different! So I am guilty, I have an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary...and that's fine. You know where to find me, no matter what event I'm at ... right-side, 1/4 the way from the front.

When church was over I went to leave, walked into the coat room and found my coat.... about 3/4 from the end, right-side....ridiculous!

Eye will see you later!

Play ball!

I am going to the Milwaukee Brewers game tonight and baseball is linked with many memories for me. While my family is traveling we go to baseball parks that are near to our paths. I would like to share some baseball memories, so sit back, hum a quick "Take me out to the ball game..." and enjoy my ballpark recollections....

• Many times as a child I would go to Wrigley Field and cheer on my beloved Cubs. It was mostly a large family trip - my parents, my brother and I, my grandma, my aunt, cousins, and my Uncle Fred and Aunt Phooey and her cowbell! Yes, Phooey, that's another blog someday. She would clang that cowbell whenever the men in blue would do something positive... what fun! We would bring our own lunch, pb and j sandwiches smashed into a brown bag. I think I had pb and j for lunch for 15 years straight and I am not complaining. To be truthful I had one today also!
• My brother and my parents went to County Stadium many times growing up. I remember seeing Reggie Jackson smash 2 HR's in one game. I remember seeing Jose Canseco steal 2nd base and become a member of the 40/40 club in 1988. (40 homeruns/40 stolen bases). I also recall not seeing much of a game because some yahoo was a big fun of Rob Deer and brought some huge cardboard Deer cutout and would raise it up every few pitches...."DEER, DEER!" he would bellow.
• While in college in Chicago I went to a few White Sox games. In one game the southsiders started off the game with back-to-back-to-back homeruns. Greg Luzinski was next so we were hoping for 4 in a row but he flied out to deep center. Still cool because we all know, chicks dig the long ball! I also saw the final 14 innings of a Brewers/Sox game in Chicago that ended in the 27th inning!
• On vacation we have seen the Cardinals win in St Lois. We saw 45 couples get married or renew their vows in the Metrodome before a White Sox/ Twins game. We cheered for the Red Sox in Tampa Bay because the devil rays were no good. For that game we purchased 4 $2.00 bleacher seats and sat in the second row by firstbase because there were only about 2,000 people at the game. Shelly and I sat in the shade at Coors Field in Denver watching the Rockies. Unfortunately, Shelly picked up an awful striped sunburn on her legs which she still displays today. Denver is really closer to the sun! In Georgia we had great seats to a Braves game, very nice stadium! Very few Braves fans show up until the post season, they are spoiled in Atlanta.
• One of the funniest memories involves my dead grandpa and my very much alive son. My Papa lived with my parents and my brother for some 10 years or more and whenever we left the house he would hollar out "Don't forget your shoes!" I always thought, are you serious, who forgets thier shoes. Thanks to him I never did, not once! One night we arrived at Miller Park for a fantastic night at the Brewer game and one of my sons timidly says "I forgot my shoes." Here we are, ready to enter the stadium and he has no shoes, no sandals, nothing..... We went in a group, surrounding him so he could get past, got in and bought a pair of brewer flipflops.

So off we go, shoes and all, looking forward to more memories......

Eye will see you later.

I could have been an astronaut...

I own a decent telescope and once and a while I set it up in the backyard, drag my kids out there, focus, realign, bump the telescope, focus, realign and make them look at the moon.   They each look for the required 10 seconds and spurt out a hardly sincere comment....nice, cool, huh, wow and then they move on.  I could honestly stay out there for hours looking and I am not sure why.  It's just a larger view of the moon. But it is so awesome to see the craters and the textured surface. Just to think that somebody walked on it is amazing.  I know there are theories that it was all a hoax but I don't buy those thoughts.  I am sure it occurred and wish I could have been there!  I also know they hit a golf ball because I have one that says first golf ball on the moon.  Okay, that part I don't believe but it is a cool golf ball.  It had to be very peaceful on the moon, quiet and awkward yet at the same time heavenly.  To stand there and look out into space and see the Earth just as we see the moon from here.  I never wanted to be a fireman when I was a kid but an astronaut, maybe for a day or two.  I remember seeing a video on the training and for a kid who got sick on the spinning teacups I quickly accepted that I was probably not going to be a spaceman.  So for now I will continue setting up the telescope on those nice nights, drag my kids out, focus, bump, refocus and listen to them share my joy, "Yep, that's still the moon dad." "Nice"  "Can we go in now"

Eye will see you later.

Oh yeah, 2 chapters to go in The Shack.... another milestone just around the corner.

The Robin....

There are a lot of things in this world that I do not understand.  Sure, there are somethings I am good at knowing, eye stuff, cubs,  useless jeopardy trivia (far right category slot) and a few bible questions, but there is an abundance of stuff that a would place in the category where I am relatively ignorant.  The fax machine I have not figured out, my writing, a phone line, my writing on the other end.... no way.  For that matter the radio still has me baffled... music through the air and it comes out through this little radio thing.... amazing.   As I was thinking of stuff in the air my good friend robin red-breast flew into mind.  How does the robin builds it's nest.  The bird has no hands to grab the gathered twigs and wrap them together nice and tight. There is no jr. apprentice helping out, doing the dirty work.   Yet the robin makes a nice nest that stands up to wind and rain the occasional thrown rock from the neighbor kid....no harm, solid, still completely intact.  Nest building, amazing.   A second astounding feature of the robin is the worm hunting.  They fly into my nice green yard, take a few steps, stick their beak into the ground and there is a worm!  I think the beak is an undiscovered worm magnet.  Fisherman should try to tame the robin so when a fisherman needs some worms, he leashes his robin, sticks his head by the dirt and snap...worms galore.  I have heard the "explanation" that the robin hears the worm....come on.  Worms are very quiet creatures, I have never been kept awake by the crawling or howling of the worm at night.  Lastly, I need to know where robins go in the winter.  I have never seen a robin fly more than a neighbors yard length or two at one time.  I do not believe they fly south two yards at a time and I have never seen the flock of robins going south.  Yet every spring we get all excited "Oh look, a robin" winter's almost over!  So where are they all winter, under the porches is my guess.  Waiting, feasting on the porch hiding loud worms, just practicing the beak knot with the few pieces of unfrozen grass....waiting to make the grand entrance....

Eye will see you later....

It's ketchup day....

Thank you to all who are checking in and reading my blogs, I do like hearing from you!  Today is a summary to catch up on past blogs so here I go

• one of my heroes had a birthday yesterday, happy 13th buddy!
• Tigers in first, I am getting my hat ready just in case he needs my help this weekend
• I said hello to the geese this morning
• Ice tea and 5 pills for breakfast, no Quisp today.
• I am on chapter 12 of The Shack
• I have seen 10 bands since the STYX concert
• I haven't lost my teeth during the night lately.
• CUBS lost yesterday, makes me glad to see somethings never change
• No CROCS yet but these new shoes are killing me.....

Eye will see you later!

To Croc or not to Croc.....

"These boots are made for walkin", the ruby red slippers, Air Jordans, crocs, penny loafers with the penny, moon boots, .... footwear is a large part of history and I have taken my next step.  I don't buy new shoes very often, my old ones have to be falling apart before I decide it's time to move on.  I know a lot people, mostly ladies, have a fair number of shoes.  They just have that fashion mindset and need a pair to match every outfit and I think that's great but that is just not me.  Before I go to far I need to comment about crocs.... I feel it is just not a "manly" shoe.  I am not even sure it's a shoe at all.  "But it is so comfortable" my man (and I use this term loosely here) buddy croc owners say.... seriously, they are foam rubber slippers with holes in them.  Pillows are comfortable, maybe we should strap them around our feet...pillocs the next shoe.  The cute little holes on the crocs that kids put little animal pins in.... come on gentlemen, comfy or not, stay away from them.  Any way my next step is a nice pair of black dress shoes for work and they look sharp.  There truly is something about a new shoe that is awesome.  So clean, shining and yes, mildly uncomfortable until we break them in.  I just wish with my new shoes I would also get a pair of laces that stay tied.  I really do not like these stale black licorice ropes they include as shoe laces.  I need to retie these every 20 minutes because they just don't stay.  My goal in getting these new shoes is to step into a pair that it as comfortable as my golf shoes..... those babys are perfect.  The soft spikes just chew up the carpets so I can't wear those to work.  But if it comes down to a choice of crocs or the golf shoes at work then I am just going to need new carpet about every three weeks...

Eye will see you later!

It's fun to be a fan.....sometime

Why, why, why do we do this to ourselves?  Year after year, game after game and actually inning after inning I fool myself into believing Ron Santos words "This is the year!".... and here we go again!  As of this minute my beloved Cubs are 6-3 and looking mighty fine.  I try not to get excited... seriously, we hold the record for most years without a championship....101 years...101!  Isn't that something to be proud of?  Some teams would think " I think we have lost enough to always keep this record," but not my Cubbies!  The Cubs have made it their lifelong goal to preserve this record and make it absolutely unchallengeable.  Do you know how hard that is, to pass this "goal" on from generation to generation.  Sure they played great last year, DURING THE REGULAR SEASON, but when it was time to tighten the belt, grab the bats and swing in the post season... they set out to keep the streak going...and they did, outstanding.  I remember watching game 2 and seeing every infielder make at least one error each.... you truly cannot teach that.  I hear the rumors of the curse of the billy goat but come on, these guys are professionals AND they are Cubs!  True blue Cubs!  It is an honor to play at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.  It is special to sit and watch a game, have a dog with mustard only and listen to the fans!  As a kid I would go with my relatives, PB and J's in a brown bag and Aunt Phoey with her cowbell thinking "This is the year!"  Well, she's dead now... and I'm not saying that with any disrespect.  She, like all cub fans, loved her years as a cub fan.... because that's what we are Cub fans!  Honestly, we don't care if they win or not because either way they are still the Cubs.  Santo, Billy Williams, Kessinger, Dawson, Sandberg, Lee, Wood, Suttcliff, Cardinal, Monday...all of them Cubs,  all of them our Cubs and if they happen to win on any given day it's a bonus!  Who knows, this might be the year...but I am betting not...anyone can we a world series championship, but to keep this record going is truly an amazing feat!  "Go cubs go, go cubs go, hey Chicago what do you say, the cubs are going to win today!"  Or maybe tomorrow....

Eye will see you later!