faulker009

I have smoked two cigarettes in my life. The first came at a party during my freshman year in college when I capped off a night of underage drinking by losing my tobacco virginity. I know, I know, two wrongs don't make a right. The second cigarette came about a week later when a girl space friend offered me a menthol. Have you ever had a menthol? It really is the cure to quit smoking. It did it for me. Now, I'm not claiming to be any type of health nut and I certainly enjoy eating straight out of the Ben and Jerry's pint as the clock strikes midnight, but fortunately tobacco has not been part of my diet since that night in 1985. I can remember my dad puffing on a cigar from time to time. And I can remember my mom sneaking cigarettes in the bathroom. But fortunately I didn't come from a family of chain smokers. Then again, my mom and dad had no brothers or sisters, so there really wasn't much of a sample. It's always amazing to me when you walk through an airport...

For 34 consecutive minutes on Monday, I sat at home and watched the much awaited Tiger Woods no-holds-barred news conference from The Masters, where he answered every question thrown his way. I don’t remember the words "No" and "Comment" coming out of his mouth at any point, so he gets credit for that. To be perfectly honest, I’m not a huge golf fan and not a huge fan of Tiger either, but I certainly respect everything he has done on the course. In the same breath, I am absolutely disgusted by what he has done away from it. I’m not here to be judgmental and his life is his life, but when you have the power that he does or at least did to be a role model, it’s a shame to throw it all away. As the father of three impressionable kids, ranging in age from six to 12, they look up to pretty much every person that they see on the TV screen or iPod Touch or the back of a cereal box. It’s a beautiful fairy tale to think that today’s kids worship mom and dad, but the reality ...