Before we get to the Cs for Go Ask Daddy and the #AtoZChallenge, let’s start with … Can They Do It?
As in, can the high school team I coach rebound from a 1-9 start to the season to … make the state playoffs? It’s possible. And after our second win in 11 games, while the rest of the state might not notice … it feels entirely possible.
This is part of the game I love most – the sheer hope.
The way you can get your dander up just by winning a game. I’ve never wanted a team to score as much as I did for Queen’s Grant today. Down 2-0 in the second half … you could just feel it coming. It started with a score that bounced ugly around the goal.
Two more followed, and we killed it at Chick-fil-A like we’d just won the World Cup.
Not really, though. We’re still second to last in the conference, but we’ll be going for two in a row on Monday. Amid the Polynesian sauce and waffle fries, there’s not a swagger lurking, but confidence … which is another great C word. You know?
Note: In Go Ask Daddy posts, I attempt to answer my kids’ questions. Here we go.
1. Why aren’t numbers cursive?
If you make a curly-q on your two and your three, that qualifies as cursive numbers. I took a stab at it because anything online for cursive numbers seemed a little … disappointing. So here’s what I came up with:
And that feels a little … extra, as you girls would say. (Or you said in 2018.) You can make anything cursive by making it fancy and extra. Just add more curly-qs and lines. I mean, even our school logo is kind of cursive:
2. Are cats color blind?
They’re not color blind. They just can see colors as well as humans. Kind of like how refs can’t see things as well as coaches. They can’t see far off objects as well as humans. (Like refs and fouls.) But they can see better than us in the dark (this doesn’t help in soccer.)
[See images of how cats see the world here]
Researchers say cats see the world in blues and grays. Way better than blue and white (like the dodgers.) Dogs can distinguish far fewer colors, which explains why they’ll eat a turd and think it’s a … well, there’s really no explanation of why dogs will eat turds.
But they still see better than refs.
3. Why do all Chinese restaurants have China in their name?
Probably to identify them easily for refs for post-game meals. I love those little holes in the wall with similar menus and menu boards, tucked between a Food Lion and a nail salon in strip malls everywhere. I can order a #6 and usually get my sesame chicken.
There are 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S. They adhere to a tradition of familiarity. Often, owners will choose words that harken success. These include fortune, garden, golden, and luck. One word in Cantonese that means good fortune is spelled f-u-k.
A Washington Post poll revealed a third of 40,000 Chinese restaurants counted had “China” or “Chinese” in the name. It’s good to know where you are. Not get too fancy about it, either. Kind of like setting sights on state playoffs.
Or just making sure your referee’s sight is better than your cat’s.
A to Z Challenge:
A is for Almost (and also At Last)
B is for Baggett (as in Laura, the actress, and #GirlsRock interview)
Just a dad ... 
Cats, curliques, and Chinese food – you’ve covered a lot of my favorites here Eli. I could happily eat Chinese food (at least the American version) every day, and have no trouble consulting fortune cookies for profound wisdom. Perhaps you’ll appreciate the last little slip I received as much as I did: “Behind an able man. There are always.” Yep, there you have it. Add a curlique or two and I think we’ve got something.
Almost anyone sees better than a ref who doesn’t want to see.
Good luck to your team.
I like your attempt at cursive numbers!
LOL yeah, I’m pretty sure my cat sees a little bit of color, she definitely pays more attention when a bright colored bird flies by outside than a dull one! The cursive letters make me LOL. My son is actually learning cursive! It isn’t dead!
That’s nature’s plan too – that’s why a male cardinal is so brightly colored, Beth. I thought it was vanity, but it’s so that a predator will be pulled away to chase the male, and leave the female and nest alone.
So glad cursive is alive and kicking! I used to use it only for notes from Santa.
Shh.
My kids school are the stallions as well! 🙂
Is your mascot cursive, too?
Most cats are not just cats, they are completely crazy cats. Take our Maine Coon for instance. If you ignore her, she’ll grab you around the ankles when you try to walk away and you have to walk down the hall… step, drag, step, drag… Nobody like refs, they should have to undergo an eyesight test (including colour recognition) before every match 😀
You speak the truth, Lyn! Maine Coons might be the craziest. We refer to it as “personality.” I’ve made it a point to be kind to refs. Maybe it’ll get me to Heaven.
Hmmm, I think it might take a bit more than that, Eli, but, being kind to our “enemies” is a start 😀
I’m willing to start.
If only more people would “love their enemies.” Me thinks t’would be a better world 🙂
I love your hope, no matter the circumstances
Hope is like my favorite cereal, beth. I can’t get enough.
I love writing in cursive and cursive numbers seem fun! Nt cat definitely sees in color. She doesn’t like red!
If I still wrote checks, I’d try writing one with cursive numbers. Is your cat cursive? What does she do when she sees red?
I’m loving those cursive numbers, Eli.
Kinda fancy, right?
Haha this is truly amazing. I love them fancy numbers 😀
Hey, thanks! Fancy numbers are almost as good as fancy cookies.