Time Zones

As I spoke of yesterday, me son Charlie and I watched live wrestling. It turns out that the show was in Perth, in Western Australia. It was late afternoon there as it was early morning here.

We don't often think about how big this world can be. He we were, my son and I, in the early morning hours of a Saturday in the eastern United States, and there they were in the dying embers of Sunday. As the Sun was literally rising here it was setting there. They were closer to Monday while we had only left Friday six hours behind us.

Maybe it isn't that big a deal. But it seems so to me. It's an interesting feeling, almost like awe. We ought to feel more of that in life.

Ringside Seats

What do you do at 5 O'clock in the morning in central Ohio on a late February Saturday morning? Why, watch pay per view wresting live...from Australia.

Yep, that's just what me and me son Charlie are doing. It's tomorrow afternoon in the land down under, because of the International Date Line or something like that. I believe Australia is 19 hours ahead of us, so while it's today here it's tomorrow there. Mind blowing.

Charlie bought a pizza, which is cooking in the oven right now. As we eat that means I'll get to ask, for the first time in my life, "Is this delivery?"

Get it?

Anyway, there are worse ways to spend Saturday mornings. I know. I've experienced them.

Grandmaw's Tell

I feel as though I've talked about wrestling and wrestling fans a lot lately. Well, why stop a good thing when I'm on a roll?

Poker players often have what is known as a 'tell'. It is a signal by a player which 'tells' other players something about the guy in question. My brother for example had a buddy who, when they played poker, generally laughed and joked. But when he held a good hand he became quiet and serious. That 'told' the other players to be careful about betting against him. Tells are usually the unconscious, unintended quirks of a player.

Me Grandmaw Hutchins liked wrestling. Yet unlike our friend Washington Calhoun whom I spoke of a few days back, she didn't get super excited while watching. She just sat in her rocking chair in front of the TV and payed attention to what was happening.

Creak, creak, creak, went her rocker as she eased it back and forth. Creak, creak, creak.

But she had a tell. When something exciting was about to happen, or at least when she anticipated something big was about to occur, she stopped rocking.

Creak, creak, creak, stop. She would hold the rocker in one position until the throw or the body slam or the punch landed. Then she would start rocking again. Creak, creak creak, waiting for next big moment.

Creak, creak, creak, stop. Grandmaw's Tell. As regular as rain. It let you know what was happening without actually watching the TV screen.