Pinewood derby week

It's pinewood derby week for my son and me. This is the first time I've built a car since I was a kid. J and I have been working on it for a while, but we have to attach the wheels tonight, which is the big test. We'll see how it turns out.

Also, since I'm the cubmaster, I've got to pick up the track tonight, conduct weigh-in tomorrow, and run the derby at the church on Thursday night. It should make for an interesting few days. I really hope I don't have to disqualify any of the boys. I've already sent out the rules, so hopefully the boys with engineer dads are following them.

I don't expect to win, but I hope to finish in the middle of the pack for my son's sake. He's bought into the idea that there are awards not just for the fastest but also for best design, etc., which is fine with me, since I don't think I have the skill to build winners like my dad did with my brother and me. I remember when I was a kid, winning was everything. I could have happily raced a turd if it was faster than anything else out there. It's probably a good thing that J isn't quite as hypercompetitive as I am. Okay, maybe it's not entirely "for my son's sake" that I hope to have a good race. But, as the cubmaster, I have to act like I'm a neutral official when I race the cars. "Smoke 'em, my boy!"