Mini-Me

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Yesterday was the first day of the NCAA Tourney. All through my life I've treated the first two days as a holiday of sorts. I gather my pools, get a red pen, a blue pen, and a pencil so that I can keep track as each game ends. I'm not sure it's the basketball or the statistics that I love so much.

In any regard, my wife thinks I'm a geek.

Well, I have news for her: there's another geek in the midst.

Last night I sat on the couch watching the games with 2 of 3 of my sons - the other boy shares my wife's opinion. Anyway, as one of the games ended, my 7-year-old gathered up his sheets. With deft precision, he began circling the names of the teams with a blue pen if the pooler got it right, and with a red pen if the pooler got it wrong.

Sam was sitting almost on my lap and I had a great view of the concentration on his face as he reviewed the pools. he was excited, happy, and so full of life, and truth be told, he looked a little like a geek.

In his face, I saw my own face clearly. I knew that he would always treat the tourney as a holiday, and I laughed out loud. The poor kid. He appears to be obsessive, unable to relax, and undeniably passionate.

Matt, who knows how to relax, also caught an eyeful of his little brother. "He's nuts," he said.

Ah, yes, mini-me.

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