A Big Hit

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/dave_zirin/11/27/taylor.react/

It's a dark day in D.C. as fans mourn Taylor's death

Young and old, in burgundy and gold, they have gathered in Redskin Park today, huddled around a parking spot adorned with the number 21. Players are trickling in. No one is saying a word because no one has to. All throughout Washington, D.C. there are signs of remembrance. At one high school, there are scores of people decked out in burgundy and gold. The sky couldn't be a more threatening shade of grey, but no one is moving.

"I don't want to hear it. I just don't want to hear it," one man says. We all know what he doesn't want to hear. Sean Taylor is dead. That's the immutable, unshakable fact. A gunshot wound to the femoral artery claimed Taylor's short life at age 24.

Often we see football players as superheroes that magically appear on Sundays to entertain us. But these are people with families, friends, and communities that depend upon them. Sean Taylor had an 18-month-old daughter. Thirty members of his extended family were grouped outside of his hospital room when he was pronounced dead. Their loss should be foremost in our minds and prayers. Basic humanity should dictate that this is their tragedy first.

But the bizarre, irrational part of all of this is that it's unquestionably our tragedy too. This isn't a Peyton Manning or Reggie Bush; someone who has presented a highly buffed familiar face for us to cozy up to. Taylor treated the media like Superman treats kryptonite. Off the field, he was a cipher, a phantom. We knew him with his helmet on, no more, no less.

And yet, in front of Redskin Park, on sports radio, on my cell phone, people are expressing a terrible, ineffable sadness. Talk radio in particular has been harrowing. Grown men are calling with a catch in their voice. Tough sports radio announcers, ex-jocks who usually treat emotion with abject contempt, are breaking down. We didn't know Taylor, but we still knew him.

Over the last year, I have referenced Taylor repeatedly in columns. His unique skill set made him especially evocative.

Once I wrote: "The game is changing: Players today are bigger, stronger and faster than even 10 years ago ... Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor weighs 235 pounds and runs 40 yards in less than 4.5 seconds. His job as safety is to do more than protect his defensive backs: It's to find people with the ball and with his scary combination of speed and power, remove their senses from their body."

Taylor was evolution writ large on the field: a linebacker who ran like a wide receiver, and hit like a truck. He was Magic Johnson running the point at 6-foot-9, a 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki nailing threes; he made us think we were watching the future. It wasn't for nothing, they called him "Meast" -- half man half beast.

Today Taylor becomes not an exemplar of power and grace, but a petrified snapshot of tragedy. There will be time to discuss what Taylor's death means, about whether it is related to previous transgressions with the law. Taylor, the son of a police chief, certainly never shied away from trouble.

There will be time to discuss the modern phenomenon of athletes becoming attractive targets of violent crime. There will be time to wonder how we can feel this death so strongly while so many others pass unnoticed -- from the Middle East to our own cities. It's hard not to notice that on a day when we all weep for Taylor, a report comes out that Washington, D.C. has the highest HIV rate of any city in the country, "a modern epidemic." As history's mass murderers knew all too well, it's hard to weep for statistics, so we weep for Sean Taylor.

This dynamic became all too clear on sports radio this morning. I heard a host speaking with a young man from Prince George's County, Md. The caller spoke to hearing gunshots constantly in his neighborhood. He said that it doesn't even faze him anymore, doesn't even interrupt his sleep. He spoke with a creaky voice about Taylor's death making him realize just how sad it is that he's so calloused, he doesn't even think about who is doing the shooting and where the bullets might be heading. The host was floored. After expressing his shock that gun shots could possibly go unnoticed he said, "If nothing else [Taylor's death] gives us a face of what goes on in America 24 hours a day."

He's right. But today there is only grief. Grief that Sean Taylor will -- in the most obscene possible fashion -- be forever young.

A Good Wife's Guide

A friend of mine sent this to me for a good laugh. My God, have times changed....and I couldn't be happier! Last time I checked a relationship was about two people...not one man!

“The Good Wife’s Guide” from a 1955 edition of Housekeeping Monthly

1. Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

2. Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work weary people.

3. Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

5. Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

6. Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

7. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

8. Be happy to see him.

9. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

10. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

11. Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

12. Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

13. Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

14. Don’t complain if he’s home late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

15. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

16. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
17. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

18. A good wife always knows her place.

A New Beginning

So this is my 3rd and final attempt to start an on going blog (let's see how long this lasts). Just last night Ahmad asked me, what's the point? I think that's a really good question. It has nothing to do with wanting people to read about me or my life...it more so has to do with wanting a place to dump my random, mixed up thoughts...or maybe just vent once in a while.

Since graduating college in the spring of '06 I have learned so much about myself. It's been an up and down rollercoaster ride of internships, jobs, and life changes. I have finally found a job I feel I can stick with...the only issue is, I still have A LOT to learn. I can't event start to stress how different work is from school. I will never forget the days before graduation when all I would hear is "you’re really going to miss school" or "working is the worst". I would beg to differ on this. I was never really a school person....studying was just not my thing. I truly do love working but have to admit it's a much different life style and takes a lot of getting use to.

I miss having my whole summer off to read, shop, go on vacation, and most of all SLEEP IN! I miss having 10am classes (or later) rather then getting up at 6:30am to start my 2 hour trip to work (that's right my friends, I said 2 hours!) I miss knowing that if I make a mistake it's my own issue to deal with and really have no one to answer to about it (regarding grades and so on).I would have to say this is one of the major differences. If you make a mistake it's no longer about you....it's about your company, your client, and in my case your speaker. I'm looking forward to the day when I am 100% confident in the job I'm doing....because even after 8 months I know I have a lot to work on.

The year is almost over (2007 has flown by as fast as 05 and 06) and I’m looking forward to the year ahead as I have set so many goals for myself. I'm so excited for 08, as I will soon become Ms. Mahmoud-Mando, but for now will do my best to make the most out of the last month of 07.

So here is to the start of my blog filled with random thoughts and ideas. I'm going to try my best to stay up to date but I make no promises, as this has failed many times in the past ;)

P.S. I was so sad to see the Eagles lose tonight….what an amazing game! Wish they could have walked away with a win! I’m waiting for the day I can see the Pat’s lose!