HAIL TO THE REDSKINS

I am really in a quandary right now. I am going to be watching the Redskins tomorrow. I know, I know, you will be too. But here's my problem, how do I capture all the emotion of actually being there. You know like last week. I was fortunate enough to be at the game at Fed Ex Field on Sunday. Can it get any better? There was all this energy and excitement of such a huge contest. The skins against the hated Cowboys. The team had to win to get to the playoffs....so it felt like a playoff game in many ways. So how on earth can I duplicate that feeling? How can I move all that electricity of being in Fed Ex field and transport it to my living room for the contest against the Seahawks.

Wait a minute, I got it, I'm going to ask my son or wife to just throw a bunch of beer on top of me just before the game is set to begin. Sunday at Fed Ex Field I learned that it wasn't just the players who were going to face adversity. A good friend had invited me to join him in his club seats. This is that exclusive area of the stadium. My friend had told me that you simply can't sell these tickets on eBay. Why you ask? Because the cost is so high no one will bid on them.

So I am in rarefied territory. I will be sitting with the upper crust. the creme de la creme. So you can imagine my surprise when I took my seat and moments later a guy right behind us lost his footing and spilled a beer all over my buddy.

Moments later another guy shows up to sit next to him and he starts gyrating around. I can see it coming another beer shower. His speech is slurred, his footing unsure. Fortunately he is steadied by my friend. Did he have any choice? The way I see it these were his options.

1. Prop up drunk

2. Prepare for beer shower

He made the right choice, actually he made the only choice.

The delightful woman who sat in front of us during the game kept trading glances with me. She was rolling her eyes repeatedly and shaking her head. She confided in me later that her husband had thought of bringing their kids. She was thankful they didn't. After all it wasn't just this wasn't just the beer spilling Olympics, it was also the Olympics of obscenities.

Now I'm not some gigantic puritanical preacher. But it was bad. Every other word from the folks around us was @@######. One guy was singing the national anthem and he was sprinkling it with @@#####. Finally a guy in front of us turned around and said, "Gees guy shut up, it's the National Anthem, show some class." Show some class, what a novel concept. We won't see any more games at Fed Ex this year, but perhaps some of these folks can make a new years resolution to clean up their act in 2008. In the meantime I hope these fans spend this weekend spilling beer all over themselves and their living rooms. Maybe then they'll learn just how enjoyable it is to be sitting near them at a Redskins game.

MY TOP 10 LIST

I figured since 2007 is winding down it's a perfect time to reflect on the few things I'm certain of as the year comes to a close. Why? Because as years pass I become less certain about certainty.

I learned a lot about certainty when I started having kids years ago. I often tell people I was a much better parent before I had kids. I would watch friends with kids and say both of these with enormous confidence.

"If that was my kid they'd never get away with that."

"It's a good thing that kid doesn't have me as a dad, if they did I would do this."

I didn't realize at the time how tough parenting was. When it comes to jobs, it's the one thing that no one has ever done well. If you don't believe me ask anyone about their parents. Believe me they'll find something to criticize. You'll get an earful. George Washington was the father of our country, but if you asked his step children I'm sure they would have told you that he was a lousy dad.

Having said all of that, here are the 10 things I am certain of.

1. If your daughter gleefully agrees to let you drive her car to work you can be sure you're going to have to fill it up. Because it will be on or near E.

2. Politicians running for President will pledge to work with the other party, to reach across the aisle, to be bi-partisan. Don't believe them.

3. By the time I get to vote in the Virginia Primary in February we'll probably already know who will be the nominees. And like most Americans I won't like either of them.

4. The people who are the most arrogant often are the most ignorant

5. If my son gets a high tech gift for Christmas it will take him 6 minutes to figure it out. It will take me between six months and six years to figure it out.

6. If I go to a theater and am really anxious to see the film, there will be a couple behind me that will drive me crazy. One will explain to the other what's going on. They will talk through the entire movie. It won't matter if I repeatedly flash them the killer Mike Walter glare. They'll keep talking and they'll ruin the movie for me.

7. At the end of the movie one of them will ask the other, "What did you think?". They won't ask me the same question, because if they did I would say "I think you should shut up during movies!"

8. I will make a resolution in 2008 and I won't keep it.

9. I won't have enough time to do the things I really want to get done this year.

10. The most important thing I've learned with certainty is this: Never let people who don't have a sense of humor tell you what's funny.

BEST CHRISTMAS EVER

Every Christmas is the best Christmas ever, isn't it? This year is going to be a good one, because the family will get up soon and we'll bust open all the presents, and I will videotape it.

My daughter loves the fact that I videotape Christmas every year. Why? Because I videotape all the major milestones in our lives together. Now my wonderful daughter Courtney will also point out that I pull out the video camera, videotape, and then we never, and I mean never, never ever watch the videos. It has my daughter fuming. The camera is tucked way until Christmas, a birthday, Easter, or high school graduation.

One year Courtney made us break out all the old videos from when she was little to watch. But we haven't looked at any since. So I have vowed to make this the best Christmas ever by collecting all those videotapes of us opening gift after gift. We will all settle in to watch them. Perhaps as a result we will begin a new Christmas tradition. We will videotape Christmas, and then we will watch all those past Christmas celebrations. So from our family to yours Merry Christmas. May 2008 bring you nothing but smiles!

Christmas Cards

There is a box in the newsroom right now with about 50 Christmas cards in it. Which means of course that again this year the cards are going out late again! So some friends, acquaintances or sources will be ripping open envelopes after the first of the year and saying, "What gives?."

I wish I knew the answer. You know the famous quote from Ben Franklin, "Nothing is certain but death and taxes." With Mike Walter there are two certainties he forgot.

1. Getting a late start on sending out the Christmas cards.

2. Getting a late start gathering the tax documents.

Both happen right about the same time of year. After Christmas I vow never to let it happen again.

With the help of my wonderful wife Kate we've come up with a system. I write the yearly note on what's happened to us. That way relatives and friends spread throughout the land can get an update. Kate then comes in and re-works it, and adds all the bells and whistles. We've got all the addresses in our computer so that we can print up labels. So when we actually attack it we are pretty effective.

I like doing the cards because it shows you how things change in a years time. You have to assess your life in the last year and distill what's important into a page. So every year we add a new page to the history of our family. It's also interesting because you learn about the history of the people you are writing.

I learned that as Kate was pasting the stamps on the cards I had labeled .

"What are you doing, they're divorced!"

"You're kidding me, when did that happen."

"A while ago."

A while ago didn't seem possible. It didn't seem that long ago that we made the trek to the beach to watch the nuptials. The bride looked resplendent in her white dress. Okay she didn't, I mean who really ever looks resplendent? But you are supposed to say that aren't you.?

Everyone seemed so happy. The women standing in the sand dabbing tears as they slowly rolled down their cheeks. I've never quite understood that. Is it that they are reliving that special moment when they were married? Are the tears because it's just so romantic? Or are they crying because they know the secret? They know the groom may look so dashing right now, but before long he'll be fat, lazy and drinking a beer oblivious to anything as he watches the Sunday football games. Of course that's the shocking thing about this marriage, it was over even before the husband could become the fat guy on the sofa.

I asked the question that seemed like a natural.

"So which one do we send the card to?"

"Let's just skip them this year."

Good! It's one less person opening a late Christmas card in early 2008 and saying.

"Guess what honey their card is late again this year!"

Good Morgan!

Growing up in L.A. I have such vivid memories of listening to KHJ radio and hearing Robert W. Morgan saying "Good Morgan!" But that's not what I'm writing about today. I'm writing about that other Morgan, and man is he a good man. You know him as an Academy Award winning actor, but I see him differently after this week.

Morgan was in town to promote his new movie. 'Bucket List" revolves around two characters who have been diagnosed with terminal illness. Freeman is teamed with Jack Nicholson. The two enter a pact. Everyone has a list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket, it's the bucket list, and these two set out to do them all.


I'm not sure this is on his characters list, but Morgan did something that everyone should have on their list. He stopped by the Capital Area Food Bank and pitched in with volunteers. He helped bag groceries, and called attention to the needs of the needy.

I'd like to report that the needs are diminishing, but I know that's not the case. I'm on the board of the Capital Area Food Bank and I know the need is growing and so is the Food Bank.

The food bank has a distinction it doesn't really want. It ranks at the top of other major metropolitan food banks, distributing 20 million pounds of food annually. That's a great accomplishment, but it also means that there are a lot of people who would go hungry without the help of the Food Bank. In recent years the demand has been going up, but the Food Bank has been in the same old warehouse. Which means meeting the increased demand will be difficult without a new facility.

A capital campaign is underway to create a state of the art warehouse. I've spent a lot of time at the Food Bank and it's not uncommon to see trucks lined up to pull into the bays to get the food loaded. The new warehouse will mean ample loading bays which means moving food in and out will be much easier. More space will mean that the Food Bank won't have to turn away food. Last year, the food bank had to turn away 2.2 million pounds of food for lack of space.

The great thing about Morgan Freeman is he understands how his position can really be used to help people who need it. On a tight schedule he still managed to find time to drop by the Food Bank. Some might say his efforts were largely symbolic, but it still garnered needed press attention to a vitally important issue. People are hungry in the Washington D.C. area and they need our help. You can do it by making a donation, or by doing what Morgan did, volunteer. The Food Bank needs you and wants to hear from you. http://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/support/

Moody on the Hill

I know what you are thinking. Everyone is moody on the hill. There is nothing but endless bickering and partisan politics inside this building where so much history has been made. However that's not what this blog is about. Well maybe it's a little bit about that, I don't know I haven't written it yet.

Actually Moody on the Hill seemed like a great headline, because I'm talking about Jim Moody. He spent several years on the hill as a member of Congress from the Milwaukee area. He spent the other night giving me and a small group assembled by Junior Acheivement of the National Capitol Area a personal tour of the Capitol.
It seemed like a great reason to stay up past my bedtime. Moody is pictured to the right here. He is a former professor, and he brought those skills with him. It was a real education on a building, government, history and the architecture and art you'll find here at the Capitol.

The former Congressman knows so much about the building. He didn't just walk us around, he showed us the Capitol through the eyes and awe of a young member of Congress arriving for the first time. He walked us into the Speakers office and told us what it was like to walk into the room for the first time.

The year was 1982. Among the members of the freshman class, now Senator Dick Durbin and Senator John McCain. Moody said he would never forget the final words from Speaker Tip O'Neill. The longtime Massachusetts lawmaker warned the newly elected members of Congress that if they weren't prepared to be the most ethical, the most moral, the most upstanding citizens of their district then their lives would be miserable here. Moody elaborated.
To boil it down, Tips Tip was this: "If you were to do something wrong, commit some small offense, chances are it wouldn't end up in the newspaper, but that changes when you come here."

Throughout the years some members haven't listened to that message. They bring shame to these hallowed halls. and get all the negative press. It doesn't take long for the public to issue the call "Throw the rascals out." But for the most part these are honorable, hard working committed men and women who want to serve their country. They may have their disagreements, but both Republicans and Democrats were in the chamber debating late into the night. The days begin early, and trail off into the night. You would have to love your country to want to do this job. It's apparent that Moody did, and still does. His tour lasts about two hours. It is a glimpse behind the scenes, in sections of the Capitol most of us will never see. But more importantly it's a glimpse into the heart and soul of a man who served his country well. A man who still loves his country, and this wonderful insititution.

The Lowdown on George Lowe

George Lowe is one of those people that you are proud to call a friend. He's the guy holding the plaque in the picture to the right. He's the guy you marvel at. He's also the guy that makes you feel like you just aren't doing enough. That's because they don't make many people like George Lowe.

I remember a couple of years ago right around this time of year my phone was ringing. I answered it, and it was George.

"Mike did you see the piece in the Post this morning on the homeless shelter?"

Unlike George, early in the morning I'm busy doing a newscast. So when it comes to the newspaper I'm scanning it. George is busy reading it. My objective every morning is to make sure we didn't miss anything. So I had to say in a sheepish fashion that I hadn't seen the piece he was talking about.

I wasn't the only one who got a phone call. George was worked up, and working the phone.

"Mike I'm telling you I couldn't believe it when I read this. So I got in my car and went there to see it with my own eyes. It's deplorable! We've got to do something about it. You have to do a story on it!"

So I did, I made the trip out to the shelter, met up with George and then Councilman Adrian Fenty. George had called him too. He knew what he was doing. If he could get me there, a TV camera, and Fenty after a piece in the Post than a lot of poor people would be in store for much better living conditions. George was right to bring us. The shelter was drafty, with damaged doors letting the wickedly cold air stream in. That was only the tip of the iceberg, there were lots of problems too numerous to mention in this blog. Of course George was there to point out some of the things we might overlook. A year later the phone rang again. You guessed it, it was George.

"I think we need to pay them a visit to see if things are better."

I made the trip again, and so did Adrian Fenty, only now he was the mayor of the District. Things had improved, but there were still some problems. The people running the shelter also knew that George Lowe wasn't going away, so they better make the problems go away.

I think having George as a friend is a little like having Mother Teresa as a friend. He has such a big heart. Three years ago he launched a unique concept for a holiday open house. Each guest coming has to bring a toy for the "Toys for Tots' program.

It's now in it's third year, and it's a huge success. Every year George goes out and buys 20 or 26 brand new bikes for kids he doesn't even know. This year another friend was so moved that he went out and bought another 20.

So Sunday I was at his home as he handed over some 46 bikes, a bunch of money, and a ton of toys. In addition he handed me a check for the Capital Area Food Bank.

George: "We want these kids to have a great Christmas, but they can't if they are hungry."

The whole time George was working his magic upstairs, Santa was downstairs. Every year I'm nabbed to go downstairs to sit on his lap. Mostly though it's kids on his lap. Kids whose parents are doing quite fine. Kids who are bound to have a great Christmas. While in another section of town, some poor little kid is now destined to have a great Christmas too. All because of my good friend with the big heart. George Lowe may not look like Santa, but he certainly does act like him.

Mikes Meanderings or Margot Meanderings?

I just saw the movie, "Margot at the Wedding." It stars Nicole Kidman, and Jack Black. Let me just say this is one man's opinion, but I think it's horrible, I mean absolutely dreadful. That's not to say that it isn't thought provoking. Kidman plays the role of an author who comes to town for her sisters wedding. Kidman is a train wreck. The sister is played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. At one point, Leigh complains bitterly to her sister not to write down what's happening. It's as if her life is playing out in her sisters books. Her life isn't her own, it belongs to her sister, and she doesn't like it one bit.

That got me thinking about this blog. I mean a lot of my every day life plays out in my blog. So I was wondering is it really fair if I have a conversation with someone and then write about it in my blog? It really hit home after my heartfelt conversation with my good friend that I wrote about yesterday. After I posted the blog, I started thinking, you know maybe I shouldn't have written about something so private. So I sent off an email to my friend letting him know that I had published, but if he wanted me to bring it down I would.

I kept checking my email to see if he had gotten back in touch. In case you didn't read yesterdays blog, maybe you should before you continue. As you are probably aware by now I often wonder if anyone is reading this thing. I'm also not sure it has much of an impact.

As you know I wrote yesterday about a conversation we had about his fathers health, and how the family was hoping he'd be able to make it to Christmas. I finally heard back from my friend late yesterday. I hope he won't mind if I share his thoughts with you.

"Your blog as usual was very poetic and right on the money. I am going to send that link to the rest of the family. So don't change a thing.

Ironically, after lunch I was heading to the post office to mail out a Christmas gift early to my dad. It was a digital/portable photo frame, that would play some fond songs I had of him as well as a variety of photos that include him, his siblings, all of us, mom, the grand kids and other fond memories. We had hoped that if dad had to travel for chemo or did pass on, he would at least have us with him and hopefully some fond memories to take with him as he leaves us.

However, just a little too late. I was pulling up to the post office when my sister called and broke the news that dad had just passed on.

Your writing has touched my heart as my memories of dad, my family, friends all race through my head sending the tears down faster. Its incredible, how a simple conversation of catch up can have more than just one message which connects everyone in a universal way.

Thank you Mike for this fantastic blog. It really helps to put things into perspective."

I'm okay with it!

It's a Christmas conversation, but not your typical one.

"I'm okay with it!"

I'm not counting, but I think it's about the third time my friend has said it. He'll say it again before we finish up our lunch. He swings his fork into his tuna salad, as I nibble away at my Greek salad. I guess we think this is a preemptive strike against all that holiday food we'll be eating in the near future. The man sitting opposite me is one of my best friends in Washington. We've known each other since the moment he arrived here some seven years ago.

He says it again.

"I'm okay with it. My dad lived a great life."

My buddy is preparing for his father's death. He'll leave soon for Michigan to spend one last Christmas with dad. He's hoping his dad will make it through the holidays. His father's booming voice has changed, it's more like a whisper.

"He sounds like an old woman on the phone now when I talk to him."

I didn't know his father well. I had spent time with him on a couple of occasions. But it was just the usual getting to know your friend's father chatter. Meaningless really, nothing real in depth. His father was always a portrait of strength, always fit. Now he is withering away. He's hoping to make it to the finish line. The finish line is a manufactured one. It's not his finish line, it's his families. They would love to spend one last Christmas with dad.

Bringing the whole family together for the holidays is problematic. It hasn't happened in about 20 years. This year they will all come together. His brothers and sisters scattered, and busy, will figure out a way to get together, to be there to spend one last Christmas with dad.

It got me thinking about the question that Jackson Browne asked in his song, "Of Missing Persons." He posed the question, "Does it take a death to learn what a life is worth?" Better yet does it take a death to learn what life is all about? We will spend the holidays running from mall to mall to get that perfect gift. And yet my friend knows what the perfect gift is. It's time with someone you love.

Someone sitting in a booth next to us eavesdropping would think that our conversation has centered on death. But it hasn't. Because even though this seems like a conversation about death, it's really a conversation about life. And in life there are no guarantees. It's not just a man in his eighties who is clinging to life, it can be an NFL star player in great health like Sean Taylor. We simply don't know when our time is up.

So maybe that airline ticket is too expensive, but you really should buy it. I wish I could make the trip to California to see my family this Christmas. But I'm the 12th man on the seniority list, so I will be here with my immediate family, and my television family. So I'll use this blog to send a message to all my relatives in California, (I know you read this) you should know that I love you. I will be thinking of you this Christmas.

Vacation over time to blog

I'm back and I've neglected my dear old blog. As many of you know I'm not a big blog guy. I do it, but I'm not convinced there are all these people clamoring to read what I have to say.

But then I learned something this weekend that surprised me. You see just around noon time today Barrett Weiser will settle in with his sandwich and the rest of his lunch and read my blog. How do I know this? Barrett told me so himself on Saturday night. He stopped by the house with his wonderful wife Colleen. They assured me they are avid readers of my blog.

Of course by divulging this information, a team of guys in white coats are probably chasing them down right about now. But they say they aren't crazy, they enjoy the read.

Actually they kind of like my reflections on my childhood in Sunland Tujunga. Now admittedly I don't write about that much, but I do visit it on occasion. Now you maybe reading this and thinking Sunland-Tujunga, wow they are the twin cities, sort of like the Minneapolis-St. Paul of the west coast. You couldn't be more wrong, there is no way to describe these towns. So I won't waste my time trying.

It was fun talking to Barrett and Colleen about our childhoods there. It was a simple time, when people let their kids go off for hikes in the canyons, and hills. Parents didn't think twice about letting their kids wander around town. Now days we are very overprotective. Do we really need to be? After talking to them I thought for sure the answer was no. That we tend to overreact. But that's not how they see it. They think times have changed, we need to change with them, it is a different world than the one we grew up in. That seems so sad to me.

On the way into work this morning I was listening to C-SPAN. There was a segment on book notes about Senator Sam Ervin. It kind of irritated me that the event was in Raleigh, and the guy introducing the author of the new book on Ervin kept calling him "Irving." How do you get away with that? But I'm digressing. I remember Ervin because he was on TV on every channel, every day one summer. He was the chair of the Senate hearings into Watergate.

At any rate, the author Karl Campbell talked about the Senator's childhood. It was a time of joy, when he could read books on his porch during the summer months, and near the fire in the wintertime. The bottom line Ervin felt like it was a happy time in which "you had time to live."

I guess that is the bottom line, maybe we all look back at our childhood times with joy, because we had time to live. Now we are all going so fast, we don't really even have time to live. We are just racing. So maybe when our kids hit our age they'll probably look back with whimsy at their childhood too.

Taylor Made Service

It's coming up on 1pm and I'm sitting on the set. I'm doing what so many people are doing in the Washington DC area. My job is to co-anchor our coverage of the funeral service of Sean Taylor. His father has filed in, his girlfriend, and his little girl. They are all seated now. They followed the A list of ballplayers who entered the arena earlier. Jeremy Shockey and Bubba Franks. They are some of the finest tight ends to ever play the game. You know if this was a Sunday and they were suiting up to take on the Washington Redskins they would be worried about Sean Taylor. They would be thinking about the hits they were likely to feel once they hit the field. But today they aren't in their uniforms. They are in dark suits. They are dressed in black, their moods just as dark. They are here to honor one of the best defensive backs to ever play the game.

Jesse Jackson talks about violence. There is a place for this speech, but I'm not sure it's here. Joe Gibbs talks about his free safety, the people he loved, and faith. But for me the words that resonate the most, that meant the most came from his friends. Players like Clinton Portis.

He talks about the three characteristics that matter in measuring a man. They are Peace, Heart, and Faith. He makes everyone laugh when he talks about Sean saddling up to him in the locker room and asking, "Man did you see the Flintstones last night?"

Lavar Arrington comes to the podium, and he chokes back tears. It's not his words, but his actions that tell you who Sean Taylor is. He's in so much pain. He uses a word you don't hear much from burly ballplayers, the word is love.

"Sean I love you as a brother!"

He talked about how he thought he was the guardian angel for Taylor when he first joined the team. Now he realizes God has made Sean Taylor his guardian angel. To me it's these ballplayers, the guys who shared a locker room that gave us a real insight into this man. Men who know what it's like to stand together in soiled uniforms, tired beyond belief, with a game on the line who gave the greatest tributes. It was these ballplayers who gave us a glimpse of who this man was. A tough guy, who could be a gentle father. A tough guy who could move other tough guys to tears. A tough guy who has left a hole in their hearts. He had no problem watching the Flintstones. A private man in a public arena. A man who didn't need to do interviews with members of the media. He did his talking on the field, and in the locker room with his friends and teammates. It's Arrington, and Portis who introduce us to this man who's life was stolen at such a young age. And as you finish watching this service and prepare to give your final words, all you can think about is that little. That little girl in the front of the Pharmed Arena who will never remember the joy of watching the Flintstones with her father. A man who obviously loved watching the Flintstone even more than she did. Because you know deep down inside that Sean Taylor wasn't really watching the Flintstones at all. He was watching the Flintstones through the eyes of his daughter.