Beware. I have some issues to get off my chest, plus I'm tired and cranky. Apparently I have Olympics Fatigue. This is a real thing. I know it is, because I saw it on television. But I already knew it was real because I keep sleeping through my alarm clock.

Why is this an issue? Because NBC has chosen to show us only swimming or diving Olympic events from London before 9:30pm ET. I don't find it interesting to watch hundreds of people  swim up and down a pool night after night. A couple of nights. Sure. Synchro Diving. Interesting. But every freaking night for two weeks. No. And I'm pretty sure that the most often said phrase during the NBC Olympics broadcast is in fact, "And now back to the Aquatics Center."

I do realize that some people enjoy swimming and diving and for them these are the premier summer sports. Okay. Great. We've now watched so much diving in our house that my youngest daughter has decided she wants to be a Chinese diver when she grows up. "Because they are the best." While she is right about this, the problem here is that this is the only sport she's been able to see because, even by extending her bedtime by an hour, it's the only thing on NBC. But surely the Olympics should be about showcasing every sport in some way, shape or form. This year we haven't seen as many of the biographic pieces that usually go along with Olympics coverage. Or maybe that information is being covered on the NBC cable channels. Along with all the other coverage I want to watch.

I'm more than a bit irked about NBC's decision to put women's soccer on their cable channel. I did get to see two matches. One, I actually watched on TV while we were on vacation at a house that had cable. The other match I watched using the NBCExtra app on my iPhone using a temporary guest pass. This was not an ideal way to watch the women's soccer gold medal match. I missed a lot of the match and the screen was very tiny. What ticks me off is that everyone talked about how iconic these matches were and still they were only available to those people who had cable TV. How are American kids supposed to learn about sports and look up to these athletes if they can't even see the game?

And don't get me started on women's gymnastics! I've been up until nearly midnight for how many nights trying to see some of this coverage. My daughters, at just the right age to be impacted by these triumphs, aren't able to stay up late enough to see any of the competition. Why? Because the Olympics are in London and I live in the Eastern Time Zone. It's about advertising. The 'good stuff' has to be shown to the most number of people in the US while they are awake and apparently that happens after 8pm Central.

So, even though we all knew - according to every website in the world because no one chose to use Spoiler Alerts except Brian Williams - who won the gold medals we still had to wait until nearly freaking midnight!! Sure, there's a chance we'd have seen a greater variety of events if we had cable but I'm not sure about that. And I'm really curious about whether Americans are really that interested in swimming and diving or if those of us on in the Eastern Time Zone were taking one for the team because no one else was actually watching.

There you go. I hope you're enjoying the Summer Olympics. I've seen some amazing feats and some wonderful and inspirational moments. I'm guessing there might've been more but unless NBC puts together a clip reel we won't see them. Let's all hope that coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia is better than what we've seen from London.

Most of my driving is in the City these days. I drive to work. I drive home from work. Occasionally I have errands to run on a break during the day and since I work in the City I'm driving into and out of the City. I use the interstate as little as possible, especially since it's under construction.

I see a lot of different driving patterns and habits. I understand that people learn to drive in different places, have different styles, and perhaps different comfort levels.

That, however, is no excuse for not knowing the rules of the road. No one, not the youngest driver or the oldest driver, should be unaware of the most common expectations when they get behind the wheel.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we've had a lot of power outages lately. That means that a lot of street lights have been out, too. Sadly, many people were unaware that when a street light is out it is treated as a 4-Way stop. Or, perhaps they did know this rule and were unaware of how to negotiate a 4-Way stop. Either way, I was appalled.

Then, just last week, I was treated to one of the worst and most rant-worthy events as I drove down Monument Ave. Richmond's Monument Ave has several traffic circles. Some are true traffic circles and some are faux circles that you really just drive straight across even though there's a bend in the road. Either way, the rules are the same - don't give up the right of way if you are in the circle!!

Last week as I approached the Lee Circle on Monument, I yielded to the traffic in the circle [because a) this is what you do at a traffic circle and b) the world YIELD is painted on the road]. There was a car in the circle and it stopped. The man gestured to me to enter the circle. I shook my head and gestured back. He finally continued, exiting the circle there at the side street and I continued on my way.

What was this guy doing? He gave up the right of way because he wanted to exit the circle and didn't want to cross paths with me in the traffic. Perhaps he didn't trust that I knew how to enter a traffic circle. Perhaps he didn't know how to exit a traffic circle. You know people, if you can't get out of a circle just go around again until it works out. Use your blinkers so people know what you want to do. They are a communication device. I can't read your mind. And, for safety-sake, please don't stop in the circle and cede your right away. It puts us all in danger. It really does.

Just in case my fellow Virginian's want a refresher, here's the DMV manual. Enjoy.

Mine does not live in a garage. I think that Detroit and Japan and ever other place that makes these  workhorses thinks that all Mom has to do is walk from her Suburban home, into the garage, open the door and drive away.

Some of us live in a city and park on a street and when the nights are (^&$^&&*%$$#%$&* COLD there is ice and frost on the windows that has to be scraped. Yes, the defrost helps to melt some of this but I can't let my car run by itself unattended. That would be insane. Can you just imagine the call to my insurance company when I tell them that my car is missing.

• "Well, ma'am, where did you leave it?" 
• "Oh, I left it running in front of my house with the keys in it so that I could go back inside and stay warm and let the defrost melt the frost off my windshield."
• [crickets]

That's not entirely fair to my neighborhood because it is a wonderful place but seriously who leaves their car unattended with the keys in it and running and assumes that it'll be there when they come back? So, let's just move on.

The point I'm trying to make is that the windshield is too high and wide for me.

Now, for those of you who haven't met me in person and think I might be a petite woman of about five foot two - first of all, God Bless you:), but second of all, I'm sorry to disappoint. I'm five foot eight and hale and hearty from years of childhood sports. I have a good reach, but apparently you have to be a freaking albatross to reach the middle of the windshield of a minivan and you definitely have to be taller than 5'8".

One solution might be a scraper with a longer handle. I thought of this. I did. This morning while I had my body flush up against my car and the radio antennae flipping about my head. This will help some but I worry about leverage. I think there will still be the section in the very middle and around the rear view mirror that I won't be able to reach but perhaps by the time I scrape everything else the defrost will have gotten to that part. Worst come to worst I'll just have to take my time and learn that this is just part of living in the city. It's part of the character of the neighborhood. Or I can bring the kidlets step stool from the bathroom and wouldn't that be cute.

It’s my birthday month so my blog posts are all going to be about me.

Since I’ve just recently gone back to work my brain is stuck in interview mode. There’s something about having been through the interview process and the preparation for the dreaded “Where do you see yourself in 5 years’ question that makes me think about the jobs that I’m already too old for. I’m turning 42. Statistically, and in accordance with the longevity of my family, I’m at about half my life expectancy. But as we all know there are jobs that I won’t be asked to apply for as a 42 year old woman. Here are some of my thoughts.

I’m going to discount jobs like professional cheerleader or supermodel. Yes, they are behind me but they really weren’t realistic career choices for me anyway. I can put professional soccer player on the list as that was one of my goals when I was 9 – along with concert oboist and President of the United States [more on that later].  I am definitely too old to play pro soccer even if I had enough talent. Those women who won back to back World Cup trophies were my contemporaries and even they are retired and broadcasting from the booth. But thank goodness for Title IX that this was a possibility for some women.

Now, while I’m not too old to be a concert oboist I am old enough and self-aware enough to not put any one I like through the pain of listening to me anymore. Every again. You are all lucky that no symphony will take me. Really. 

If you have Netflix Streaming you might have noticed that in January they showed the James Bond movies. That got us to thinking when in the careers of each of the title actors did they begin playing that role. [I’m going to stick to the major film actors here.]

·         Sean Connery – 32

·         Roger Moore – 46

·         Timothy Dalton – 41

·         Pierce Brosnan –42

·         Daniel Craig –38

Except for Roger Moore each of these actors began their work in this quintessential role before or around their 42^nd birthday. I’m not knocking Roger Moore, as these are the Bond movies I grew up on, but most people don’t consider these to be the Best of Bond. However, as trends go, if you want to be James Bond you need to secure this role while you can still pound down the martinis, run a lot, and not need a body double for ALL of your body.

In truth, President of the United States is the only job I can think of with a minimum age requirement. [Well, other Constitutional officers do as well – such as Congressional Representative and Senator.] So, I guess that while many jobs are never going to be open to me again I can always hold onto the fact that the highest elected office in the land is available to anyone as long as they are

• a natural born citizen of the United States;
• at least thirty-five years old;
• a permanent resident in the United States for at least fourteen years. 

[Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 of the Constitution]

And, of course, as we all know James Bond can’t be elected President so it leaves just one more job open to some of the rest of us.

I was working near Washington, DC this week and rode the Metro into town. Due to work on the line I was riding I had much time to sit and read the posters, and enjoy the pen and ink drawings, describing the new Google privacy stuff.

At one stop I was joined my a gaggle of college students. I'm not stereotyping. I know they were college students because I was one once. Long ago. In case you are worried I'll describe them. There were five of them: three women and two men and they were roughly 20 years of age. All of them were dressed casually but nice. All of them were texting, probably each other. Two of the women had large shopping bags from Georgetown Cupcakes. And like I said, they traveled in a pack.

So, college students. They were nice and polite and had various conversations with one another as we moved from station to station - or sat on the platforms waiting to move. The one of the women asked one of the guys, "What's a google?"
He replied, "You know. The search engine."
She rolled her eyes. "No, I mean. It means something. I know it has a definition I just can't remember what it is."
He looked at her like she was crazy. "Really? It's a word."
"Yeah. I think it means 'to search', but I can't remember."
This is where it becomes so hard for me to hold my tongue that I might have actually pierced it with one of my teeth. Of course it's a real word. Of course it means something. UGH. And did any of them with their phones that can text think to pull them out and Google it? NO!

Once upon a time, these words came out of my mouth and they were followed by the name of a moderately famous singer. It just happens that I do not sing well so perhaps you get the point. If I had talent I could be 'moderately good'.

So, If I Had Talent... I could be a quarterback and I'm pretty sure I could play for the Redskins. Of course, I might not be able to see over the guys in front of me as I'm only 5'8". Wait, look at Joey Rodriguez at VCU. He's only 5'10" in a game where the guys can be nearly a foot taller. Yeah, I get what you're going to say. He already has talent.

So, If I Had Talent...I'm could be a coach for the Redskins. Of course, these jobs are hard to get. Sometimes coaches stay in a position for more than two years even.

Personally, I'd like it if they weren't run out of town before they had time to rebuild the team. That's what I'd do. Maybe that's subterfuge. I call it winning. And I don't think  you should get to keep the money if you get fired. That's just a bad deal and not very smart, but no one ever said you had to have talent to own a football team.

Fox Network has canceled Chicago Code. Yep, apparently a television show with a good moral center just doesn't work on that network. What a surprise. Go check out the episodes on Hulu and then make sure to watch the remaining episodes in this season. Yes, there is a moderately annoying voice over at the beginning of each episode but it goes away. I promise. I also promise that this is a fantastic show that you won't want to miss.

Kinda sounds like the alarm clock going off in Groundhog Day. Okay, maybe not, but now that I'm done with Turbo Tax [thank you very much!] I've rejoined the land of those who can pay attention to the rest of the world.

And it turns out that there are people out there with some very clever tax accountants. If I ever doubted that I shoulda been an accountant here's the kicker - GE got a $3.2 Billion refund last year on profits of $28B.

First of all, this kind of money is staggering. I don't have that many fingers and I've shut down my spreadsheets but I know that's a LOT of zeroes. I know that GE is gonna say - but we pay our share and we're good corporate citizens. Um, yeah. I'm a good citizen, too, but there isn't $3.2B in my checking account. Might be because I only voted once in the last election. That part always messes me up.

So, here's to the end of another tax season. To my friends who are in the profession - god love ya. Hugs! To those of you who get a refund - congratulations. To those of you who owe - I'm sorry. Hugs to you but maybe GE will be willing to share.

I'm a long-time reader of the Title 9 Catalog. Not only do they have phenomenal workout clothes for women but the catalog is actually written to be read all the way through. Seriously, each item has a description that tells you something about the product, or how it was developed, or the women they know that like it/ wear it, or well - you get the picture.

And the thing I really like is that these are workout clothes that are truly made just for women. This is one thing you'll notice right away - even if it's just the fact that outfits are color coordinated and that there are clothes that can go from workout to real life.

But the real gem you'll find is the sport bra section. You can shop by cup size, the bra genie,  or you can use the barbell indicator. Yep, the more barbells that a bra has the less bounce that it allows. Reading this section of the catalog is a real treat for any woman who has had to live through step aerobics with the dreaded uniboob!! Well, no more. There's a bra here for every woman, but I will tell you that you may have to manage your expectations. Good sport bras don't come cheap.

For example, after several years of being pregnant and nursing it was finally time to replace my sports bras. It's always difficult to find my size at department stores or even Target so I searched through the listings at Title 9. There were several that looked great but I did wish a bit for the $14.99 price tag I might find at the store with the red bullseye. Not gonna happen but I ordered a couple and they looked great. In the meantime I did find one that fit at Target and bought it too because it's summer in Virginia and you can't have too any sports bras. Well, I can tell you that at this point in my life the sport bra that pulls over the head [and costs $14.99] is also the sport bra that does not support the 'girls' and will give me a backache and headache within an hour. So, lesson learned. The more expensive sportsbras with back closures and better support were exactly what I needed and will be exactly were I go to in the future.

 So that's why I'm passing along this great catalog. Of course, if you live in certain cool western/ mid-western cities you can visit them in person. Also, I just love the name. As someone who benefited from the changes that were brought about by the Title IX legislation it's definitely Cool Idea to keep in mind where we came from and the great places we can still go.

You know, I haven't actually thought much about the pressure that moms, and women in general, find based on real and perceived pressure that is felt from other moms and women. I know it's there. Heck, we were all in middle school. I figure it's pretty much the same thing. The fact that I don't notice it doesn't mean that others don't or that it doesn't exist.

"Bad Mother", a post on Lucy March's blog delved into this. I'd venture to guess that there's something there that most every woman has felt at one point in time.

But it begs the question - what do you do instead of getting on the hamster wheel of things you feel you should do? Either for yourself or for your kids?

When I was on maternity leave this was the first time I'd not worked outside the home. I tried to do everything. After a day or two I came up with a new plan - One Thing A Day! Some days all I got done was brushing my teeth or cooking dinner. Some days we made a trip to Target for essentials. Most days we took a walk. Everyday we read.

Now that the kidlets are older it's harder to stick to the One Thing A Day rule because they move too fast sometimes. Looking ahead to the beginning of summer vacation it'll be a challenge to keep the girls busy but not overwhelmed. Our goal is still to be intential about what we do and not to get on the hamster wheel any earlier than we have to, if at all. Personally, I think this is definitely a Cool Idea!

I've ranted about minivans before and on more than one occasion. Mostly because they seem to come in non-colors. Well, I now drive a minivan. Yeah, this is where you get to laugh. Or snort. Or both.

And just in case you're curious - it's red! The red isn't perfect but it is red.

Some of the background is that after 3 1/2 years with one car we finally needed two cars again. We've worked hard to make our lives work with only one car since Joy was born. We bought a scooter and dh rode it to work in all kinds of weather. The MPG was fantastic especially when the price of gas went into the stratosphere.

But then there are times when we both need to be places with a car. So, wouldn't any car work? Well, I've got the kidlets more often and the car we had actually hurt me a few times - the door closed on my knee a couple of weeks ago [as it occasionally does] and it's still tender. This, and the fact that it would be nice to be able to have grandma right along with us when she visits istead of following along behind us when we go someplace.

You'll read on some mommy blogs about their families incredible planning and saving and how they bought their car outright. You won't read that here. I will say that these past few years of being intentionally frugal and accountable did really GREAT things to our credit rating and we were able to be one of those specially qualified buyers. So, even if you're not hitting the stars yet it does sho that working toward them is helpful in the short-run and defiitely a Cool Idea!

The World Cup started this week. Did you notice? I've seen a couple of games and listened to a few others on the radio. Yes, I'm a product of the '70s when many acres of suburban land was mowed to create soccer fields - thank you very much.

The difference this year is that Comfort and Joy are watching along with me. They've watched soccer with me before but mostly as a way to entertain them. Now we're talking about how they can learn to play soccer, when they can sign up for soccer and how girls can play soccer, too.

This is one of those moments when we as parents are models for our children. They watch and learn from us. They listen and hear. This is why Title IX was important because a generation of girls grew up playing soccer and now we have kidlets of our own that we'll take out to suburban soccer fields and teach them the importance of team work and so many other things that they won't even understand until they're older and that is definitely a Cool Idea.

Even though Comfort and Joy are 4 and 3, respectively, we've only been watching cartoons on TV for a few months. We have a stash of videos that we watched a lot of before but we didn't watch TV with them until Snowmageddon then our downstairs TV became permanently tuned to Nick Jr. That's when I noticed a few things:

There are no parents in these cartoons.

Was it always like this? Even when we were kids? Well, of course. In fact, the cartoons we watched were seriously violent, too. Roadrunner and Coyote anyone? Of course, we were also introduced to classic music through cartoon. Now, that only happens on Little Einsteins and, maybe, Wonderpets.

There were parents in The Flinstones, and their futuristic counterpart - The Jetsons, but you could argue that The Flinstones didn't actually have kids in the show until later on. It was about a family but not necessarily a family with kids. The Jetsons had kids right from the beginning. And Astro, we can't forget about him.

But now that I sit and watch shows with the girls you can't say that there are many good family role models on cartoons. Little Bear has parents. So does Olivia. And Little Bill has parents and Alice the Great, too.

On the other hand Dora is out roaming the world with her backpack getting her stuff swiped by whatever that other thing is. And as the group on Facebook asks, "Just where the heck are Max and Ruby's parents?"

Even though we don't see actual parent on these cartoons, are they implied? Wonderpets has the voices of adults at the beginning of the show. Kai Lan has Ya Ya, her grandfather. Or maybe it's just the bringing together of a community. That's not a bad thing. Kids need to know that their Village is there for them. Because we know it takes more than parents to keep up with our kids.

Not blog maintenance. Car maintenance. I'm not sure anyone would notice if the blog went away. Well, someone might. [Hi, mom!] But the car is very necessary as it's our only vehicle.

So, I was at the car dealer for the scheduled mainenance. I had intended to write my post in the waiting room because they have wifi but I got side-tracked.

First I got side-tracked looking for a power outlet. Last time I was there the place was lousy with outlets. Not anymore. Apparently they want you to be online but not using their power. That works great unless you're there more then 2 hours or you have a netbook. I have a netbook. And I was there for two hours.

Then I got side-tracked watching morning television. I never watch TV in the mornings. EVER. When I get back from taking Comfort and Joy to school I get on the computer and start working. I did have my computer on and started going through my inbox but I was distracted by Kelly and Mark [Regis had the day off] and the recap of the Oscars.

It turns out that morning television keeps on going. Who knew? I also didn't know that Kathie Lee is back on TV. I promise not to go on and on about the questionable color of her hair these days. You know, sometimes we should look more our age. I'm forty and she's older than me, you know. This color can best be called "Nice Try". Well, Kathie Lee and Hoda recapped the Oscars - again.

On the way out the service technician mentioned that my car was parked around the corner but that I couldn't miss it. I knew what he meant. It's because our car is bright RED. I let him know that if he had the ear of anyone at Honda that I wouldn't be buying a family-sized vehicle unless it was RED - not maroon, not pumpkin, not sienna, not 'nice try'- but RED!! Yeah, I like colors that aren't putty and beige

So, back to the Oscars how many red dresses did you see? I don't remember any. None that are on my "wow" list anyway. All the "wow" dresses I recall were pastels or jewel tones. In fact, they might actually have been the color of minivans!

This is something I've been mulling over for some time and I've decided to open up a conversation.

I believe in Free Speech for every man, woman, and child. This is one of the best things that our country is built on. Heck, at this point, it's practically what the internet is built on.

That said - I do not believe that corporations or other entities have the same rights that people do. Corporations have access to power and resources that you and I don't. They don't walk softly. They are larger than life. Corporations are not people. They don't get to vote. They don't get rights under the Constitution or the Amendments.

Surprisingly, 80% of Americans actually agree with one another about this and are in vehement opposition to the recent Supreme Court decision. Can you believe it? Eighty-percent of Republicans, Democrats, Caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, men, and women - we all said it together.

The rights our Founders documented are reserved for people. For us. And if we let Corporations take over the rights we enjoy and let them run with them - well, it's our own darn fault when they start running the world in way in which we don't agree.

There is over a hundred years of precedence already. There's no reason to build anymore. It's time to pay attention to the ways in which this issue will be rectified. Personally, I don't want the next election cycle brought to me by Viagra, HFCS, or ADM. It's not NASCAR or a television sitcom. It's the American political process. Let's take is seriously.

I'm enjoying the Olympics. How about you? One thing that I'm seeing more of - literally - is the agony of defeat.

Why?

I think because there is literally more television time to fill so we have the 'opportunity' to see more than just the best performances. Sometimes this is unfortunate. Like after the pairs figure skating.

Just in case you need a dose of beautiful, seamless ice skating where partners move together with their music and don't fall on their butts hop on over and watch this performance by Torvill and Dean from the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed. Enjoy!

I have shoe issues. First of all I require that they fit. I know. Picky, picky.

Next, I require that they be comfortable. Thirdly, I'd like them to be classic or cute. Sometimes I score shoes that are both, but that's rare and mostly those are summer shoes.

My winter shoes - and I use the term loosely - have been old sneakers or Crocs that I wear with thick socks, but this winter has started out like a bear and my feet are already cold. Sneakers that 'breathe' are not your friend when it's 30-40 degrees and the wind is whiping through the trees. Neither are my Crocs. Cute as they are, they are not keeping my feet warm even inside the house.

So, I went shoe shopping. This is not easy. Not as hard as it is for my friend Hope, I'll link back to our cross-post about summer shoe shopping later, but winter shoe shopping is a different kettle of fish for me. Why? Because socks are involved. And the toes of the shoes are enclosed.

This makes a huge difference in how shoes fit for me. I have wide toes. Not wide feet but I like to spread my toes out so I need a wide toe box and this cuts out most shoes made for women unless you buy the 'comfort' varieties. Or my beloved Birks. Yep, I have a bunch of those, too.

I also need good support because I had foot surgery almost a decade ago and I don't wish to go through that again. So, now my requirements are growing - the shoe needs to fit, be comfortable, have a wide toe box, and provide good support - preferably with some squishy-ness under the 'palm' of the foot.

Yes, I am a high maintanenace shoe shopper. I won't just buy any old shoe because I saw it on televison and it looked cute on so-and-so's foot. It has to work on my foot. Thankfully, I've found a shoe that works on my foot and learned something that tons of people in the world already knew.

Dansko Women's Professional Pro Cabrio Leather Clog is one of the most comfortable shoes ever made. Yep, I've joined the ranks of suburban moms and professional chefs and nurses and bought a pair. I fully expect them to last the rest of my life and keep my feet warm and hopefully I won't hurt myself as I learn to wear something taller than a sneaker again because, holy shmokies - these are a Cool Idea!

Yep, we can file this under 'rant' but I hope it makes you stop and think.

For those of you that live in Virginia did you know that there is a law that requires you to turn on your headlights when your windshield wipers are on? Yes there is. And while I don't know anyone who's gotten a ticket for not doing it that doesn't mean it's not a good idea.

Especially in the fall and winter time when the sky is gray and visibility is diminished and when rain bounces off the roads it's very hard to see what's going on. So, just turn on your lights so that your car is easier to see and we'll all be safer.

And better yet, next time you buy a car try to buy one with Daytime Running Lights. I love these! In fact, I was pissed when I got home after buying 'Lightening McQueen' [which is what Comfort and Joy call our car] to find that for the first time in a DECADE I did not have DRL]. Daytime Running Lights are a great safety feature and make it easier for other cars to see you. It's as simple as that. Not to mention that you get a better rate on your insurance if you have DRL so it's always a good thing to look for.

That's it. Turn on your lights when it's raining. It keeps us all safer and personally I think that's a very Cool Idea!

So, how 'bout those 'Skins? Yeah, that's what I figured. I didn't even stay awake for the end of the game last night and yet I'm pretty sure I know how it ended. How is that? Because it's raining today instead of dropping confetti from the sky that's how.

I know that some people really get into how 'their' team does on a weekly basis. I keep tabs on them and root for them but it's been a long time since I knew the names of the players or could pick them out of a lineup. It's a strange feeling especially since I grew up in the DC-suburbs and several of the players used to come eat a little restaurant where I had my first job. It was at that job I learned a few things - football players dodn't drop the ball much because they have huge hands and we as fans should be thankful that they wear grills and masks most of the time. A lot of those guys are just not pretty.

But even though I'm not a die hard, bleeding fan it pains me to know that they are doing so poorly and to hear - even as remotely as I am, cut off from speculation since I rarely read the newspaper and not a guy - that Snyder will likely fire the new coach.

I think this is Snyder's key to all disappointments. Just fire 'em. To me it sounds a bit like Marie Antoinette but then I'm probably mixing my metaphors. Because of these kinds of management changes he keeps jerking the team in different directions every couple of years and each time it creates a new problem that takes a few years to settle and rebuild and then he fires that guy. Seriously, is there anyone with a pulse that doesn't see this as a problem.

So, I was thinking that if a Mommy ran the Redskins there would be a very different management philosophy. I think that instead of deciding to fire a coach half way through a season - his second season coaching EVER - the Mommy would get the coach a mentor to help the coach out. Give him some personal bolstering and professional words, if necessary. But mostly, Mommy owes her associates respect and alliance and they should know that at all times. If they don't, they won't feel comfortable to go out on a limb and make hard decisions or courageous plays.

Mommy would also let the coach know that to learn is to make mistakes, and to make mistakes is to learn. Snyder has to realize that some of the problems with the depth of the bench is because of the flip-flopping that's been going on. Shoot, even I remember the years when the dork from California tried to make the Skins into a passing team. Like that was ever going to happen. Let Coach use this season as a training and building season.

Devil's Advocate is going to remind Mommy that this will be a very expensive process. Sure. But if you fix it this year then you're done and you will have the undying respect of Coach and the Entire Washington Redskins Fan Base and there isn't any other like it in the world. In fact, if you could bottle it and send it that into battle I figure we'd be out of the Middle East in record time. And even if it doesn't work, what have you lost really? Time? You were going to loose that anyway. Respect? Unless you give it you don't get it back.

I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed for my home team and hope that Coach gets a break and Snyder keeps off his back for the rest of the season and if there's a Mommy out there with a few hundred million dollars who'd like to implement these philosophies give me a call and we'll see if Snyder is open to negotiation.

Just as it's important to use our money to have a say about what's important to us, it's also important to use our time to show what we value. Strangely, if most of us look through an accounting of how we actually spend our day we'll likely find that there's a lot of stuff that we don't value that we're spending the bulk of our time on.

Why do we do this? Sometimes, we don't know it's happening. If this is the case, once we have the information we then have the opportunity to change. It doesn't always have to be a huge change but if it should make a big enough difference in your life for you to notice.

Sometimes we do things we don't value because we feel we have no choice. Why? Because it's our job, or a loved one enjoys the activity, or - for whatever reason you have chosen to spend time doing something that you do not enjoy or value. You just need to decide if this is okay with you - for now. It doesn't have to be forever. Just for now. Give yourself a set increment of time and then check back in and decide if you're still okay with spinning your wheels. If not, then make the change.

And sometimes we make a conscious effort to use our time with care to do something for someone else. This is important, too. Stewardship of Time shouldn't always be about ourselves and what we want and need. We need to think outside of ourselves to see the bigger picture. This perspective takes maturity but it helps us remember that there's more to life than whatever gossip might have been on TV that day. Stewardship of Time reminds us to be conscious of how we use our time, to value the time that we have, and to consciously consider spending our time to help other people. Personally, I think that's a Cool Idea.