2013 Road Trip Day 8: Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates

You never know what you're gonna get - and that applies most to your children's behavior. When things are at their hottest and most chaotic, don't be surprised if they are good listeners and mature beyond their chronological age.

And then you get to a controlled environment and all hell breaks loose. In fact the above picture from Hershey's Chocolate World reminds me of a certain spectrum that will not be named to protect the innocent.

And as a parent you try and catalog what triggers these types of behaviors. Did they get enough sleep or too much? Did they eat enough or consume too much sugar? Did they get enough exercise or are they overtired? Are they bored or overstimulated?

The more and more you test these theorems, the more and more you figure out that you don't have the answers and maybe - just maybe - you need to stop looking for them. All these instances bring you is more experience and better instincts; see Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers and 10,000 hours rule.

And sometimes your instincts work in complete harmony with the situation like a virtuoso symphony of parenting. And then sometimes your instincts fail you. It doesn't mean that you're wrong, just that you aren't always right. Maybe you just need 20,000 hours, or maybe 30,000, or maybe 100,000. There's always more chocolates to sample.

Today we left Hershey PA and arrived in New York City. The drive was exceptionally smooth as most of the traffic was heading out of The City, where it was naturally the hottest day New York has ever seen. It seems to follow us around. Except back home in Savannah where I understand it's been quite rainy. Maybe my plants will still be alive when I get home, that would be the metaphorical gift-wrapped chocolate surprise.

Feeling The Draft For 20 Years

This site sometimes wanders to a professional resume or bio, and the memoirs of a mid-level TV producer. It certainly be categorized as non-fiction, and some may even find my adventures interesting.

Pictured above is the first overall selection of the 1993 NFL Draft, Drew Bledsoe. It was also the first selection in the NINE drafts I covered between 1993 and 2002.

Sure you remember 1993. Back when Paul Tagliabue was commissioner, the draft was at a midtown New York hotel, and ESPN did only 5 hours of coverage.

I was assigned as the producer for reporter/interviewer Adrian Karsten. I was 24 years old in a gangly suit and a bulky wireless headset. I would deal with the point people for the players in the green room and facilitate the interviews.

The main storyline that day was whether the Patriots would take Drew Bledsoe or Rick Mirer with the #1 pick. I specifically remember meeting Willie Roaf and Jerome Bettis before they played a down in their illustrious NFL careers.

At one point, then-super agent Leigh Steinberg claimed that our producer Fred Gaudelli reneged on some sort of interview arrangement. I was in the awkward position of relaying a very explicit and profane message to my boss.

In 1994, I was the graphics point person in Bristol when the move was made to cover the entire draft on ESPN and the fledgling ESPN2. At one time I had a "I survived the 1994 NFL Draft on ESPN2" T-shirt. We worked all day Saturday and all day Sunday until the draft was done.

While graphics in New York was responsible for the bulk of the work, I was constantly grinding back in HQ. I had one graphics machine (Infinit) and operator on my right responsible for all the reporter/remote sites. On my left was another machine and another operator responsible for compositing every player selected with the logo of the team that just drafted him. It was easy to get behind and we'd have to chase our tails to catch up. I remember one stretch going nine hours without standing up, much less going to the bathroom.

I did so well on the inaugural full draft in 1994 that I drew the same assignment the next two years. As with a number of things in my Bristol years, I had to leave to get promoted. From 1997-1999, I was the field producer at Miami Dolphins camp in Davie FL, complete with "War Room Cam." You may remember Jimmy Johnson's draft-day maneuverings as the early model for how teams do it today.

Mort was my reporter the first two years. I've never seen anyone work the phones harder - from getting all the insider stuff from around the league to relaying to his wife the lineup for his son's little league baseball team. I also had a blast with Hank Goldberg in the third year.

In 2000, I was with Ed Werder in Ashburn VA at Redskins camp. You might remember them picking LaVar Arrington #2 and Chris Samuels #3, and the two of them landing via helicopter on the Redskins practice field. Or you might remember Daniel Snyder blowing on a mammoth cigar in the Redskins war room.

After a 1-year hiatus, I was asked back to help consult on graphics in New York. The irony there was that it was one month after I had moved to Omaha. It took me 9 years to get back to New York, and by then I didn't live there anymore!

I still hadn't fully moved out so I got the rare combination of a flight, but no hotel room. Just another example of all the "right place, wrong time" moments that have dotted my career. Or is that the other way around?

I Like New York in June, How About You?

Central Park looks nice and lush because it's been raining forever. The US Open over on Long Island looked more like the British Open. The Yankees played Washington on Thursday afternoon...after a 5+ hour rain delay. This was a rare dry moment.

Second straight weekend a family event has the clan alive with wonder.

While dodging raindrops, the trip included a Broadway show, a few subway rides, pizza and bagels...and my wife's adrenaline got going in some Soho boutiques.

Caught some typical NY events like people lining up around the corner for the new iPhone. And some typical events happened to me like getting a summons for blocking the box. Outrageous fine but no points. What was I thinking driving from midtown to friends in New Rochelle on a Friday rush hour?

And the cops are out everywhere. Bloomberg's New York is different from the one I resided in. There is no shortage of manpower to ticket vehicles, provide police/security presence, or clean up the streets. Times Square is a family-friendly international mixing place...which obviously has its share of negatives. But NY hotels and theatres keep raking in the dough in an unbecoming economy.

But the trek was all about grandkids and great-grandkids who were there to see Oma celebrate her 90th Birthday.