Nicknames

I am addicted to basketball. It would be difficult for me to play "enough" ball, and impossible to fathom what "too much basketball" means. I am a hoops junkie and play every Tuesday and Saturday.

The only problem with this addiction is injuries. Bumps and scrapes are part of the game. My ankles have had a particularly rough couple of months. I have tweaked or twisted my ankle five times since Thanksgiving. Three of the sprains have happened within the last three weeks. Tuesday night was the big one. None of the previous injuries kept me away from the upcoming games, but I really hit the floor hard on Tuesday. I have been hobbling around and asked Mary to drive me to and from work a couple of days this week.

She called when she arrived the other day and left a message for "Old Hop-a-long" since I was not at my desk. Grace did not understand this reference, so Mary explained it to her.

Now when I get into the car, Grace always breaks out my new nickname, Hopalong.

Caleb still has not quite gotten the nickname down. He calls me "Papalong".