So I've started watching the NFL - not through love of football (gag!!!), but it's an amusing day out of the house in the company of some good friends. Each Sunday there are 15 games in total - there's only 1 TV, and usually 2 laptops, which means plenty of channel surfing. I'm trying to learn enough about the game so I can follow what the hell is going on and understand why everyone is cheering and/or booing, but this is very difficult to do when someone (not mentioning any names VERN) is changing the channel every 30 seconds. Between the 5 of us we bet $100 on ProLine tickets - each of us making our own picks based on our own individual preferences. My picks are made based on the uniform colours of the teams playing (never bet on brown, orange or green), Vern goes for the longshots (trying to cash in on the big ones), Gilles picks the Wicker Ticket (no clue what that means), Bill's picks are based on how he feels that morning (we think...) and Gavin just goes with the flow. We lost on all our tickets in the first week, cashed in $446 in the second week, and are not doing very well so far this week. I've been making breakfast, Bill's been making supper and Vern and Gilles play poker to amuse themselves when the football is not very exciting. It is hilarious for a non-gambler like myself to sit here and watch the silly things that they all bet on (even or odd #'d jersey scoring, field goal going wide left or right, etc.).
Will I know any more about football at the end of the season than I do now? Somehow I doubt it, but I will have spent countless hours with good friends laughing and having a good time. Time very well spent!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Pay It Forward
I watched Pay It Forward tonight, and I'm not ashamed to say I cried my eyes out - you'd have to be pretty detached from humanity if it didn't touch you in some way. The rules are simple: #1 It has to be something that really helps people. #2 It has to be something they can't do by themselves. #3 I do it for them, they do it for three other people. The concept is that you help three people do something (or become something) that they couldn't do for themselves (or by themselves), then they have to help three others in return. In theory this is a noble undertaking - to have enough blind faith in humankind that they would actually return the favour by paying it forward themselves. I've had my house and my vehicle broken into, I've been let down and betrayed numerous times, I've been used beyond belief by those that are supposed to be my friends...all this, and you want me to have faith in humankind? I guess this is what makes a person completely selfless - having the ability to have that faith when all around you is saying it would be a complete waste of time and effort.
I have always been the kind of person to help others (even sometimes when they didn't want the help I was offering) and never expect anything in return - I do things because I want to do them, not because I think there might be a payoff at the end. I actually feel awkward when someone tries to "pay me back" for a favour. I'm your friend, I don't keep score. I don't always have the means or the time to do the big things for others, but I sure enjoy the feeling I get when I can do the little things for people. I've been in the lineup at Tim Hortons and bought coffee for the person in line behind me. I've paid for a friend's tab at the bar when I left so they could be surpised later. I've driven half way cross the city to pick someone up or drop them off so they could spend time with their friends. I've stopped and helped a complete stranger load boxes into their vehicle when they're moving. I've bought lunch for a homeless person (more than once). I'm sure if I sat here an picked my brain I could think of several other things I've done as well, but after watching Pay It Forward I'm left wondering if it's enough? Have the things I've done been important enough to make a difference and cause others to Pay It Forward? Somehow I doubt it. Do I need to part the Red Sea, or turn water into wine in order to compell others to want to help others? Where are we going if all we can think of is ourselves?
I have always been the kind of person to help others (even sometimes when they didn't want the help I was offering) and never expect anything in return - I do things because I want to do them, not because I think there might be a payoff at the end. I actually feel awkward when someone tries to "pay me back" for a favour. I'm your friend, I don't keep score. I don't always have the means or the time to do the big things for others, but I sure enjoy the feeling I get when I can do the little things for people. I've been in the lineup at Tim Hortons and bought coffee for the person in line behind me. I've paid for a friend's tab at the bar when I left so they could be surpised later. I've driven half way cross the city to pick someone up or drop them off so they could spend time with their friends. I've stopped and helped a complete stranger load boxes into their vehicle when they're moving. I've bought lunch for a homeless person (more than once). I'm sure if I sat here an picked my brain I could think of several other things I've done as well, but after watching Pay It Forward I'm left wondering if it's enough? Have the things I've done been important enough to make a difference and cause others to Pay It Forward? Somehow I doubt it. Do I need to part the Red Sea, or turn water into wine in order to compell others to want to help others? Where are we going if all we can think of is ourselves?
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