Jason's Untimely Thoughts

I think I’ve mentioned this in this space before, but I donated a bunch of Sarah’s photos to the State Historical Society of Missouri.  I went through and sorted all her negatives, prints, and such, and then gave some to various folks around town, while the majority went to the historical society.  I intend to do the same thing with the digital files, but just have never gotten to it.

The folks at SHSM emailed me yesterday with an inventory of what they have.  It’s not terribly descriptive, I think they’ll go back thru if/when they ever have more time, and add more detail.  But, if interested, their inventory is linked here.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the Becking family!  Here’s a Christmas Card that you may or may not be receiving in the mail soon.  As usual, at least there’s a lot of photos to distract you from the poor design!

Happy end of the home football season, Tiger Fans.  By “happy”, of course, you know I mean Boo, BOO, BOOOOOO football season is almost over.  BOOOOOOOO.

On Saturday, our beloved Tigers take on the Orange from Syracuse University.  The winner of the game will be bowl eligible.  By the “winner”, of course, you know I mean Mizzou will be bowl eligible.  Other goings on  include black out day, Salute to the Military, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachuting in at halftime.  Crazy.

I’ll be at the tailgate earlier than you.  The Ninichucks are bringing Buckingham’s, the Messers are bringing chili, and we’re bringing hot dogs.  Call Wingate for all your pest control needs.  Call Mike for all your Shelter Insurance needs.  Call me if you happen to need 2 tickets to the game.  I’d guess food will be there around 3:00, bring what you will.  By “what you will”, of course, you know I mean please don’t bring any crazy amounts of beer or a cooler you plan on leaving on my front porch.  I have lots of beer that I’ll be bringing and I have lots of your coolers on my front porch.

Kickoff is set for 6:02, but you’ll want to go in there 20 minutes or so earlier  to recognize the 18 seniors playing their last home game.  Below are some notes from MUTigers.com on those guys.  Go Tigers, crush the Orange.

Holy it’s Thursday already, Tiger Fans,

As you all know, Homecoming week means cold, rain on Friday night, and beating as bad a football team as we can find (I’m looking at you, Oklahoma of 2010) to play.  In longstanding tradition, this year Homecoming will be against a team wearing blue whose fans don’t really even know football exists.  Kick off against UK is at 11:00, which means early tailgate time and breakfast galore.  Come when you will, bring what you will, win Tigers.

I know almost nothing about our opponent this week, which just makes it all the easier to pretend they’re from the west, wear red socks, celebrate their vagabond history, and have regularly been on probation for illegal basketball recruiting.  Go Tigers, and on a side note, screw UK.

Hello football fans,

Saturday, the Tigers get back to their winning ways when #1 Alabama comes to town.  Kick off is scheduled for 2:39, you’ll want to be in your seat on time as Gahn McGaffie runs back the opening kickoff, Oklahoma style, as Mizzou starts their upset.  We’ll be at the tailgate early, come when you will.  Jim and Jessie Yankee, of Flat Branch Home Loans and Easy PC, respectively  are taking care of the meat this tailgate, via D. Rowe’s.  Smoked wings, pulled pork, and brisket are on the menu.  Bring a side or dessert, if you like, and call Flat Branch for all your home loan needs and Easy PC for your IT issues.

At this point, we’ve all heard all we care to about the illustrious SEC and how cool they (we?) are.  Their dress, their attitude, their tailgating, etc.  In rebuttal, I present two pictures of Bama fans (courtesy of outkickthecoverage.com).

A Swag

Watch out for clashing houndstooth. Houndsteeth?

They’re not so cool.

Go Tigers, beat Bama.

Adelaide’s birthday was yesterday — she turned 10.  Every parent everywhere says it, but it’s hard to believe how quickly those 10 years have gone.  She had some friends over for a sleepover this weekend, we’ll be going to dinner with family tonight, having another gathering on Saturday, and she had flowers delivered to her at school and at home.  In all a good birthday, I think.  But at bedtime she said “I wish mom was here to tell me happy birthday.”

Tears, then and now.

I generally don’t let the kids say “that’s not fair.”  Even if it’s not, learning to get through the unfairness is part of life, and too often there’s nothing you can do to even the playing field.  However, it’s simply not fair that Adelaide and Jack lost their mom.  It still sucks, and I don’t want them to think otherwise.

All that said, things are going pretty well.  Kim has taken to the family, and us to her, and the same with Brandon.  In all, everyone gets along great and we are chugging along.  We’ve been married almost 5 months, and in a good way, it seems like a lot longer than that.  It’s a happy, busy time.

It’s also a weird time.  We’re all living multiple lives, while we figure out how the new life works.  The kids all have new siblings, or in Brandon’s case multiple new siblings in separate houses in separate cities.  Kim’s adjusting, I’m sure, to having two new kids depending on her as well as my idiosyncrasies.   And a lack of closet space.

As for me, I’m still married to Sarah.  Her family is still my family.  All the goods and bads that come their way also come my way.  Obviously, though, I’m also lucky enough to be married to Kim.  Through circumstances and good nature, Kim understands much of what I’m dealing with intuitively, and has made considerable effort effortlessly to respect and honor my first marriage and that family as well.  I appreciate it.

But the hard part to reconcile, as good as everything is with Kim, I too wish Sarah was here to tell Adelaide happy birthday.  And there’s no way to say/type/think that sentence, without feeling guilty or wondering if I’m hurting Kim’s feelings.  And then, obviously, if I don’t say/think/type that sentence, it’s being disrespectful to Sarah. And on and on and on.

It’s a weird place, to be living in two worlds.  It would possibly be better if one of those worlds had a job, I suppose.  Soon enough.

Late in the week greetings, Tiger Fans,

This week Mizzou hosts the Sun Devils from Arizona State University, kick off is at 6:00 pm.  We’ll be tailgating by 2:00, after another U10 girls soccer game at Noon (go Qatar).  Mexican is the fare this weekend, with the group combining to bring makings for tacos and burritos.  Really, it’s like Taco Bell, we’ll have the stuff there, you assemble it in any combination you like and call it what you will.

Arizona State beat the Tigers last year in overtime, so it’s REVENGE! again this week.  They fired their coach and hired some new guy that evidently believes in playing two quarterbacks and a locker room that smells like theirs in Arizona.  Seriously, I’ve seen more articles this week about him bringing special locker room air fresheners so his team is comfortable than I have about the game.  I haven’t read any of those articles though, because really, headline writers, trying to reel me in with some clever quip about locker room odors isn’t happening.  I’ve been in locker rooms.  They stink.  Like a mythical shoe-wearing bird stinks. Especially, maybe, one that had more Rice than it could handle and explodes might stink. (*Note:  Those birds don’t really eat Rice, because those birds are fake.  They don’t exist.  Secondly, I heard several versions of that joke this week, so I give credit to the interwebs.)

Go Tigers, Win.

Football season starts for real on Saturday, as the Tigers host the Georgia Bulldogs at 6:45 p.m. After attending the 10U Girls soccer game in the morning (go Qatar!) we’ll be at the tailgate around noon or so. Kyle George (Kim’s brother) is frying fish and ShutUpBulldogs (hush puppies). Others are bringing cole slaw, candied pecans, peach cobbler, little smokies, peanuts, pork, and grits. And other stuff, I’m sure. Bring what you will, as you like.

It’s extremely weird not to hate all the teams we’re playing this year. Except Southeast Louisiana of course, who has a Lion for a mascot? Seriously, stupid Lions. I’m sure the hatred will come for the SEC in time. For now, though, finally, revenge! for Georgia’s 14-0 victory over the Tigers in the 1960 Orange Bowl. REVENGE!

The only reasonably current things I really know about Georgia are two kids from Columbia played football there recently, Mizzou interviewed their head coach (Richt) but hired Coach Pinkel instead, I like their uniforms, and they’re in the SEC so there’s no way Mizzou’s tricky spread offense and tiny players on defense can possibly compete. And that their mascot bulldogs are all raised by a weird attorney family in Georgia. I assume some of their fans also walk fake dogs around the park and keep flies attached to strings (read this book if you haven’t).

Go Tigers, beat the Bulldogs, and screw ku.

Happy football season Tiger fans,

Despite my belief that Mizzou’s first game is next Saturday against Georgia, it does appear the boys will be playing a football game this weekend as well.  Kickoff against the Southeast Louisiana Lions is scheduled for 6:07 p.m.  Since you can no longer leave at halftime for a bathroom break or a beer, that :07 might be a critical period for some.

We’ll be tailgating early, can almost guarantee I’ll be there before you’d likely want to show up, so come on out whenever you like.  It might rain, it might not, but we’ll again be in glorious Lot D.  We should be in the same spot although the first game or two there’s always a bit of a feeling out process (meaning I have to feel out what time I have to arrive to beat the rest of the crowd so I can get the spot I like), so look around a bit if needed.  I’ve added another flag pole to the mix and will be flying a USA flag this year as well, because the SEC loves America.

Mike Messer’s meat will be on display during the latter parts of the tailgate…. what i mean to say is Mike is planning on smoking a bunch of pork, with a cajun dry rub recipe.  We are bringing red beans & rice and jambalaya, so feel free to bring a side dish or dessert of your choosing, if you like.  As always, if you’d like me to take anything to the tailgate for you, just have it at the house Friday night sometime.  And call Mike Messer for all your insurance needs.

In case you’re curious, here’s our path to #1 by the SEC Championship game, as predicted by me in an e-mail to a fellow prognosticator last week:

It’s been a long, long, time since I’ve written anything here.

An update, the former Kim George & I were married on May 5, 2012.  She and Brandon moved in the week prior to that, we spent the months prior (and after) getting the house ready.  All of that is going well.  Brandon spends the majority of the summer in Kansas City with his dad and his family, but is able to be with us quite a bit as well.  We’ve spent a lot of time at the Lake of the Ozarks as well as taken trips to Denver & Estes Park in June and Indiana in July.  Brandon, Adelaide, and Jack are all adjusting as well or better than could possibly be expected, as are Kim & I for that matter.  If you’re friends with either Kim or me on facebook, you’ve at least had the chance to see a bunch of pictures of it all.

I’ve taken to redesigning the becking.com site.  It’s at least partially done now, how much more happens depends largely on my abilities and what I decide I do or don’t like about how it is now.  One priority will be to figure out how to get pictures here too, easily, so facebook doesn’t own all my memories.

On the design, and the delay in writing, and pretty much everything surrounding me, part of the delay has been me trying to figure out if there’s a better way to proceed, especially with regard to everyone’s feelings.  Since I started doing becking.com in roughly 1998, I’ve simply added whatever I’ve wanted to put up here, and that’s it.  I edited, added, and captioned all of Sarah’s photos, and then wrote or joked or added pages about whatever I wanted to beyond that.  While I’ll still largely do that, I also am trying to be sensitive to how any of this might be read/understood by Kim and her family (whereas I assumed Sarah and her family knew me well enough by 1998 to just ignore me) while also figuring out how to best remember and honor Sarah.

For the moment anyway, I’ve added some “about” pages for myself, Kim, and Sarah, to try to make it clear who we each are and to continue to provide an outlet for Sarah’s photography as well as point toward Kim’s businesses and personality.  Hopefully that’s acceptable to all.  If not, hopefully all will figure out they can simply ignore me.

Football practice is underway, which makes me happy.  I’m hopeful we’ll still be in Lot D for tailgating, which will make me happy.  The Tigers looked pretty good in the one practice I’ve seen thus far, which also makes me happy.  Hopefully I can figure out how to get to more practices and some road games, which will make me happier still.  On a side note, screw ku.  #MIZSEC.