Stupid Ping Pong Table

It‘s funny how things work out. Last week we were talking about Cumulus Radio firing Jim Cates. This week he’s teamed up with CJ Online. You gotta admit it. Jim’s a cool old guy. Oops, I mean I’m an old guy. I mean damn, I’m impressed.
Hey, do you remember me telling you about reclaiming my basement last year. It started out as my office when we first bought the house. That didn’t last long. Over the next few years at one time or another it became my daughter’s room, my son’s room, my other son’s room. It was home to one of my wife’s friend’s for a while. Then it was my daughter’s room again. Then my son’s room again. Ha, they just thought they knew everything.
Finally, it was my turn again. I drug in all my old stuff from the garage that had been boxed up for years. I even had a couple old book cases I made in high school. I drug in box after box of priceless treasures. I finally had a place to show off my eagle and beer can collections. I set up my stereo and dug out my old albums. I found most of my belt buckle and bumper sticker collection. I have a cigar box full of old pens that don’t work. And another one full of old Zippos and pocket knives. By the time I got through everything I had come across a couple hundred old pictures and have been trying to get them all put into photo albums. Well, I’m not actually trying all that hard. But I have set up a table on the other side of the room just in case the mood hits me. My brother hooked me up with a really cool desk so I’d have a place for my computer and stuff like that. Yeah, I like it just the way it is.
I put strict rules in place concerning, who, what, why, when, and how someone could enter my domain. The rules applied equally to everyone. Okay, I had to give a little when my grandson asked where he was supposed to work on his leggos. I brought in another small table from the shed and set him up with his own work space. That worked fine until my grand daughter came to me with her sad, puppy dog eyes and asked why she didn’t have a place to color. Okay, we’ll figure that out too. But the rest of you, forget it. It’s not going to happen. Got it? Good!
Yeah right. Last Christmas my wife decided we needed a ping-pong table. And where do you suppose she wanted to put it? Yep, right smack dab in the middle of my basement. I explained there was no way it was going to happen. No way! Nope. It’s not gonna happen. I reminded her it was my basement and I’ll be the one who decides what goes into it. I was still explaining that part as I was putting the stupid thing together too.
Everything’s different now. Instead of listening to talk radio while I’m writing, I’m forced to listen to things like my kids having a good time. I have to listen to my grand daughter laughing as she’s chasing a run away ball. I listen to them arguing about the score. You hit the net! Did not. You’re a cheater! There are high-fives, thumbs-up signals. I’ve even seen a couple of single finger salutes. Yeah, everything’s different now. It’s better. It’s funny how things work out.
You can contact Kevin McGinty can be reached at: kevinmcginty@sbcglobal.net