It's a Time to Give and A Time to Give Back

I'm not talking about Christmas gifts although, 'tis the season to give.  So for all of my  friends out there who plan on giving and receiving generously this year, I want to pass on some etiquette rules.   Let me first lay out some definitions.  A "gift" is the act of giving no matter what the item.  You are "giving" something, a gift of money to a charity or a toy to a child, with no expectation of return.  This is opposed to a marriage proposal.  A marriage proposal usually comes with an engagement ring, it is a "proposal" centered on conditions being fulfilled.  The first is permanent, the second is conditional. 

If you are considering a luxury item as a gift to your special partner (wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, dog . . .), like jewelry, a car, a new dog house, then this is permanent.  It is a gift, and if you break up or the dog runs away, don't expect the gift to be returned.  

If you intend to ask that special one to marry you, you might consider separating this from any gifts.  (I do hope the dog is not included on this one).   An engagement ring is not permanent.  It is a conditional gift.  That is, it is conditioned upon acceptance, and ultimate marriage.  If, for some strange reason, the conditions to the engagement are not met, i.e. no marriage takes place and you both break up, then the engagement ring should be returned.  (Ladies, did you hear that??)

A recent story in the news over this exact issue caught my attention.  Apparently there is a couple (or used to be a couple) in Connecticut who were engaged to each other.   The man provided a $25,000 engagement ring to the woman.  She accepted.  Something went amiss and they broke up.  Now, he is asking for his ring back and she is refusing to return it claiming it was a "gift."  Legal analysts claimed that he can now fight in court for the ring back.  Unless he has done something hanious to cause the break up, (and the fact that they do not reside in Montana or Kansas), he should have no problem having a judge order that the ring be returned. 

I'm sure at this very point in the article you are saying "that poor sap was taken by another greedy woman."  And, on many levels I would agree.  I have seen it too many times.   Why didn't I follow this path?  I could have, but call me stupid, I decided I didn't want to make any exceptions in my life so I could wear a $25,000 diamond ring.  And my dad showed up for my dance recitals.

Any way, the message here should be clear.  Three things need to be considered during this holiday season.

1.  A gift is a gift is a gift.  It is permanent.

2.  An engagement ring is part of a proposal set on conditions to be met.

3.  Think long term not fantasy.  

 

More silly Christmas ideas to come!

Pam, Brad and Obama??

What does Pamela Anderson, Brangelina and the Obama family have in common? Other than the horrors of living under the watchful eye of media so that everyday people can get a shameful taste of some fame, they have absolutely nothing in common.

Why did I pick these three? Instead of spending a quiet weekend meditating, I made the mistake of watching television. This is what I learned:

1. Pamela Anderson recently announced that she "quits!" As announced on some entertainment show that I was unfortunately watching by accident, Pam Anderson has declared that she is done acting. Thank God. I feel so much better now.

2. Brangelina are so highly photographed and pursued by the media that who doesn't know them or every little detail about their lives? Haven't you all had enough? I'm hoping that they too will announce that they are quiting as well. Their acting is not exactly what I would consider award winning. (One caveat is "Girl Interrupted", I do really like that movie).

3. Last, the Obama family is being forced to choose a puppy for the Whitehouse. Apparently Barak mentioned they may get a puppy, but maybe they changed their mind? Why will the media not drop it? The media has now created "The Obama Puppy Watch!"

I know if you reading this blog, you either 1) find this somewhat entertaining; or 2) have entertained yourself to a point that there is nothing else but my blog. Well, I have some new great entertainment for you that does not require reading cheesy tabloid magazines or television media.

Forget Pam Anderson, Brangelina and the Obama Family puppy. Now you can watch one of the number one streaming videos at www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam. It is a streaming video of 6 Shiba Inu puppies, and at any one time there is about 10,000 people watching. It's actually mesmorizing and soothing in some wierd way. It might even prove to lower your blood pressure!

Have a happy week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Is NASCAR a sport?

Is NASCAR really a sport?  This is a question that has baffled me since I was a young child.  To this day, I am amazed at the sheer attraction of NASCAR, and probably speak for millions like me when I ask "why is NASCAR called a "sport?"

NASCAR is actually an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.  Men and women drive "stock" cars with 800 horsepower at speeds of approximately 180 mph around a circle 500 times! Archery is also a sport, as is hunting, or so I'm told.  I tried to understand with a pro and con approach.

Pros: It takes guts and concentration to stay awake while driving at extremely high rates of speed in a circle 500 times!  Sounds easy except that the driver is mashed into the car through a window, has no airbag, and no cup holder for the coffee.   Additionally there is an exhausting amount of clutch pushing, (I'm not talking about a cute purse ladies), to change gears on a curve with some guy right on your ass!  

Cons: It's just driving! Of course, there is some strategery involved, like passing other cars. (Strategery is a made up word used by Will Ferrell when he does his imitation of President Bush!  I thought it appropriate here since I find the movie Talladaga Nights excruciatingly funny.)

After my short analysis, I delved deeper.   Alas, as soon as I saw the word "prohibition" I had a vision of a crazed man transporting moonshine somewhere in the deep south, which immediately reminded me of the Dukes of Hazzard.  It took years for me to realize the attraction was the car and not the girl.  All of my brothers and dad looked like deer caught in headlights when that show came on.   Back to the moonshine, which came from Appalachia, and was transported by "bootleggers".  To do this they created vehicles with handling and speed to outrun the law in mountainous regions.  Thus, one particular strip in Knoxville, Tennessee became a popular racing venue for bootleggers.  After prohibition, Wilkes County, North Carolina grew into a racing mecca.  Well that explains NASCAR's dominance in the deep south.  (God, I love Wikipedia!)  

But does being a bootlegger make an athlete or NASCAR a sport?  Dictionary.com has at least 10 definitions of the word "Sport".  Here are the top two:

1.  An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

2.  . . . especially in the out of doors

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, this could be anything, even chess!  To further confuse anyone who has been living in a cave to avoid auto racing (like me), NASCAR's "about us" page states that NASCAR is the number 1 "Spectator Sport."  Most of us think of athletes when we think of "sports", not bench warmers.  But picture Bubba sitting in a fishing boat with a bowl haircut and bad sunglasses.  He is actually hunting for fish on national television.  Does that make fishing a sport? 

From all this, I can hardly believe NASCAR is a sport and drivers are athletes.  EXCEPT, and you are really not going to believe this . . . . drum roll please . . . . 

Jimmie Johnson, a popular race car driver, was among many candidates listed for the 2007 US Sports Academy athlete of the year!  What???  You heard me.  A race car driver listed among athletes such as quarterbacks, pitchers, runners, swimmers and golfers, vying for Athlete of the year.  No he didn't win, but come on, really, Bret Favre won.  

This debate could go on endlessly.  In any event we will all be happy to know NASCAR's CEO, Brian France, concedes that NASCAR is all about the entertainment.  So is it a sport among other sports or is it just "sport" to entertain? 

The Coming of Zelda and Roy!

Since I could not compete with Saturday Night Live and my creativeness has been zapped by my writing class, I took a break for Halloween. Halloween was really fun this year! No it was not an all night drunk fest at a bar, but a reading of Edgar Allen Poe and a seemingly harmless party. With this, I introduce you to Zelda and Roy!

Join them on www.myspace.com/zeldaandroy for future stories. Enjoy the video . . .

AND DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!