OH JEEZ!

Author's Self Portrait

My language isn’t all that bad, but lately I’ve been working to clean it up before we welcome a little one into our household.  I know that the baby won’t understand all of the obscenities hurled around as I watch the game, but it's just something I would like to do.

Now what could be wrong with curbing some bad language?  Well, let me explain how it came back to haunt me a bit on Sunday as I headed out to the basketball court.  This is where guys are among guys and there is all sorts of bravado and one upmanship going on.  Now I'm usually one of the oldest if not the oldest guy out there so I know I'm not going to be the hippest, but...

Shooting around before we began playing we were discussing the football games of the day and at some point, before I could think better of it, I let fly with an Oh Jeez.  Or maybe it was an Oh Boy, I don't remember exactly which one but you could almost hear a record skip somewhere as everyone stopped and looked at me as if I had just sat down with a gas can and immolated myself. 

So now, on top of being the old guy and not to mention the only white guy out there, I had just said Oh Jeez. Oh Jeez, seriously?  I'm not sure I have ever said Oh Jeez in my life, it just sort of came out of nowhere.  This was not going to help me get picked.  After we laughed it off, and by we I mean that I joined everyone else in laughing at me, we began playing and all was forgotten, except by me.  During the game I made sure to drop some four letter words that would make my stepmother proud.  

So what's next for me, Holy Cow?  How about a Gee Willikers?  Maybe I need to go wash my mouth out with dirt.  As I rapidly approach middle age and prepare to become a family man, who knows what will come out of this clean G-rated mouth of mine next, Sheesh!