From Todd Pack’s Messy Desk: “We’re not here to play airplanes, we’re here to play soccer.”

Welcome to Day 2 of the 36×37 Guest Blogging Blitz!

Today, I’m quite pleased to bring you Todd Pack of Todd Pack’s Messy Desk. This is indeed a great honor; not only does Todd serve up a consistently funny and well-written blog (which has been featured on the WordPress homepage four times in less than a year), he’s an all-around good dude, and such a fun read.

Todd is a Kentucky kid who spends his days in Nashville. He describes himself as “…more Mayberry and sweet tea than NASCAR and rasslin’,” and that’s exactly what comes across in his writing. He posts a lot about his family, particularly his kids, Thing 1 and Thing 2. When I asked him to pick a “Best of” piece to share with you today, he sent me this piece about Thing 2 and his soccer team.

~*~

I heard myself say this the other day to a couple of 4-year-olds (not mine):

“We’re not here to play airplanes. We’re here to play soccer.” I was trying my best to channel Mr. Rogers.

Thing 2′s soccer coach couldn’t make it, and he’d asked me and another dad to fill in. We were playing a scrimmage, and 2 of my 3 players had decided they’d rather be airplanes.

“Let’s just do the best we can,” I said. The boys nodded — one gave me a really sweet, really sincere thumbs up — and we lined up.

“What’s your name?” a boy on the other team asked.

Todd, I said.

He thought this was really funny, like I’d said my name was Booger.

The other dad blew his whistle (why didn’t I get a whistle?), and his team drove the ball down the field. Thing 2 was on my team, and he did his best to steal the ball, but his teammates had taken off, soaring low over the neighboring soccer field, swooping and diving toward the parking lot, their moms chasing after them.

Then, the boy who thought my name was funny thought it would be funny to bounce the ball off my bottom.

It was pretty fun, being a substitute soccer coach, but I’ll be glad when the real coach gets back. You’ve got to have a lot of patience and a good sense of humor to coach a bunch of kids, especially a bunch of 4-year-old boys.

I could handle it for an hour, but I don’t think I’d last a full season.

Those who can, coach. Those who can’t, bring the snacks.

~*~

Bonus!

As a side note, I should mention Todd Pack sent me photograph of a Roadside Shoe! he spotted at the Franklin Family Entertainment Center, a bowling alley and arcade in Franklin, TN. As if a Roadside Shoe! weren’t notable enough, turns out snow sometimes falls on Nashville.

“Gotta wonder how anybody loses 1 shoe on a snowy day like that,” he wrote. “I wonder if the person wore his or her rental shoes home.”

Which, you know, is wholly plausible. At the end of the day, who among us wouldn’t want a good pair of bowling shoes?

~*~

Remember to check out Todd Pack’s Messy Desk today. <–I’ve even added this handy link to help you out.

Now, for a 36×37 Assignment #24 Update: I’ve got the shakes, but I’m still iPhone free.

Come back, tomorrow—the delightful Wendy of Herding Cats in Hammond River will be at bat.

~*~ Find me on Twitter @36×37
~*~ Visit the 36×37 facebook page

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Roadside Shoe! (Nashville/Exeter Edition)

Here’s a sample of this week’s list o’ things to do: 

• Pick up 200 pumpkins
• Finalize treasure hunt
• Track down 50 volunteers
• Prepare to double down

More often than not, my To Do list is full of strange colorful items just like these. And although I want to explain them, I can’t just yet. You’ll have to 1) use your imagination, or 2) wait for Monday’s post. Whichever comes first. 

So. In the interest of getting things done, I’m letting Roadside Shoe! take the reins today. 

Nashville Roadside Shoe via Todd Pack's Messy Desk

 

1) Nashville Roadside Shoe! In last week’s Roadside Shoe post, I complained that I’d seen only roadside hats—and no shoes—on my way to and from Nashville. The hilarious and super-talented Todd Pack must have seen that as a challenge, because the next day, he sent me the best Roadside Shoe to date. (P.S. – Todd Pack is freaked out by Roadside Shoes. That fact alone should make you want to check out his blog, Todd Pack’s Messy Desk. And please do, because when you get there, you’ll just want to keep reading. A consistently great writer, Todd Pack.) 

About this Roadside Shoe: You’ll find it on Carothers Parkway in Franklin, Tennessee, near the Sips n Strokes in Franklin/Cool Springs.   

2) Exeter Roadside Shoe! My friend Lauren from Through the Magic Door spotted this baby sandal in Exeter City Centre (University of Exeter in Devon, England) last week. I’m such a sucker for Roadside Shoes of the international variety. Plus? Pink + Small + British = Awesome. 

Here’s one of the things you’ll like about Through the Magic Door: at 6:00 PM Exeter time every day, Lauren and her other half sit down to watch a movie they’ve never seen before. When the movie ends, she blogs a review. Her list is robust, and she wants recommendations. Have any? Let Lauren know. 

Have a Roadside Shoe!? Send it to 36x37blog@gmail.com. I’ll feature your shoe pic here, and if you have a blog, I’ll pimp that, too.    

~*~ Find me on Twitter @36×37
~*~ Visit the 36×37 facebook page

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