Bundle up, stay warm!

This weather keeps one guessing, caught something a couple days ago and not fully up to par. It's warm and then a damp cold, one doesn't know how to dress. Working on one of my tractors in a cold shop a few days ago and not enough sense to bundle up, now paying for it. Didn't think it was cold enough to turn the heater on, :stupid: is as stupid does!

I have three soccer games to ref tomorrow morning starting at 8am. Wind chills will be in the 20's... oh mama :blue:

I reffed youth soccer for 3 years. Finally quit in disgust due to abuse from parents and cheating from a few coaches. I could tell you stories. E.g. - I gave a 15-year old kid a red card and threw him out of the game for rough play (after several warning and a yellow). Coach sneaked him back into the game with another number and other coach pulled his team off the field. That same weekend, a ref got his jaw broken and sent to the hospital in one of those ethnic games down in the park. That did it for me. The parents (and a few American coaches as well) did not understand either the offside rule or the advantage rule and screamed and swore at me repeatedly. I did 2 games per Saturday, rain or shine, for $15 a game. To top it off, I had to work alone - no linesmen. What age groups do you have?

I understand your frustration, but there are ways to deal with the dissent both on and off the field.
This morning I did three games of U18M. Eighteen year old males will keep you running!
I ended my day with a U12F game... easy peezy after reffing eighteen year olds.
When the coach put the dismissed player on the field you should have terminated the game.

The game ended when the other coach pulled his team off the field losing by 7-0 when he discovered the ousted player had come back in. Under league rules, I had no power to declare a forfeit. The only thing I could do was report the incident to the league and let them rule on it, which they did - 1-0 for the innocent team. I could control the coaches but not the parents who screamed in my face - not all of course, just a few, most of whom were high-powered financial guys who worked on Wall St. Real Type A's. Most of their kids were the troublemakers too. Playing rough, tripping other kids, etc. The few foreign coaches would frequently bait me but I just grinned and shook my head. They knew the rules and what they could get away with and they respected my decisions. Most of the parent-coaches were less trouble on the field but didn't know the rules and I had to explain to them frequently about offsides and advantage. I started with 8 and 10 year olds and was soon promoted to 15 & 16 year-old travel games. The little kids were easy. They all ran after the ball and most of them messed up their throw-ins. Like you say, the teen agers were tough and a lot of work for a (then) 52-year old running up and down the field for two games in a row. After one game, one of the fathers who I knew came up to me and said "I didn't know your middle name was M#@#@er F#@#@er". I hope you haven't encountered that kind of abuse.

For sure I’ve been the target of abuse but I can handle it diplomatically or if need be with as much enforcement within my power as a game official to handle the situation. I like to use “Ask, Tell, Dismiss”... it lets coaches know that my tolerance is limited. As for fans, it is ALWAYS the responsibility of the coach to control THEIR fans.
I still do an occasional men’s game and I’m over 60.

I was working in a very cold garage last night to repair a very tall, large wooden storage cabinet after its floor broke in two pieces. This caused the whole cabinet to list badly to the left. I replaced the floor with 3/4 plywood so it should be good for a while. Anyway, as I was working last night it began to snow and is still snowig this morning. We did have a light snow earlier in October, but this is the first "real" snow. Looks like I'll get to breakk out the snow blower today.

It's snowing here as I write this! :uncomfortableness: PJ

Basil, did you notice, there's a slight leak in your porch roof?

Just after it started, roof over swing leaks also! :highly_amused:

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Just got two mosquito bites on my left elbow as I was sitting outside the garage, finished reading John LeCarre's latest:"A Legacy of Spies".

DrEntropy said:

Just got two mosquito bites on my left elbow as I was sitting outside the garage, finished reading John LeCarre's latest:"A Legacy of Spies".

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I don't think I've ever seen a mosquito around my abode. We do have them down by the Rio Grande and the Bosque area however.