Iowa Hawkeyes

NCAA wrestling season has begun, so Jennifer has to put up with me listening to matchs on the Internet, punctuated by phone calls to my friend Steve in Iowa. My productivity falls 10% between November and March.

I trained and wrestled in Iowa for 4 years after college. Cursed at the top of my lungs more than during any other 4-year period of my life. So far anyway.

I took Samuel to an Iowa-Okie State match in Iowa City 5 years ago, when he was 3. We sat on the team bench at the edge of the mat--5,000 screaming fans, pure adrenaline. I sensed that Samuel didn't love it, but I was so swept up in it that I didn't really notice, or didn't want to notice. He later confirmed that he hated it. He hated the noise of the buzzer.

Now that he's older and I know his personality well, I know better. He's a quiet guy. He enjoys mechanical things, books, puzzles. He loves the MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge. He would sit in the front row at a robot exhibition and love it. But he does not share my love of wrestling. And that's okay.