Nearly every day I place a few online wagers of various unit amounts.  I've done this for almost three years.  My wife calls it yet another addiction, but I lovingly call it a hobby. 

I have always been slightly irritated by hobbies that make you wait for results.  One of my most memorable childhood Christmas gifts was a rock tumbler.  Who doesn't like polished rocks?  But then when my father told me the godforsaken gravel had to tumble for weeks to become beautiful...well, frankly, I was one pissed off youth.  I could add memories of Sea Monkeys, but I think you get the idea.  I was impatient as a child and I lack patience as an adult.

Waiting for a ticket to cash in or take your cash can be similarly bothersome.  My first year of online wagering the remote control may as well have been glued to my palm with my body roped to the computer chair.  I was obsessed with scores and cared very little about enjoying the sporting event. 

But as time marched on and my very own sports wagering dogma developed, I learned to lose the insanity.  It wasn't a powerful, moving epiphany.  It wasn't the voice of God whispering to me during the thirteenth time I'd watched a Coors Light commercial.  I simply realized that once a wager is placed everything else is out of the bettor's control.  And even though I'm impartial to superstition, I actually think I lost more bets when I actively viewed the sporting event or followed the outcome on the Internet.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to keep my mind off my money:

Playing with my children: I am blessed to have an adorable four-year-old daughter, Jasmyn, and a two-year-old son, Rensie.  Seeing the world through a child's eyes is sublime and wonderful.  Of course, it's not all Playdoh and finger painting, for my son is still in diapers.  However, it is so much better than fixating on MLB.com for hours...and then two of three teams blow the game in the later innings.

Watching a movie on DVD: As a Netflix junkie, I always have at least one film to watch.  Yesterday, instead of watching Wimbledon coverage I viewed Sharkwater, a brilliant documentary that both shatters our mythical fear of sharks and seeks to save one of the oldest animals on the planet.  Did you know there is such a group as the Shark Fin Mafia?

Listening to music: My dad used to play records at stun volume just to rile me and my sister.  In high school, my friend, Bill, a neurosurgeon's son, would make fantastic mix tapes of new music.  So I'm not surprised that I sometimes need music more than food.  Now if I could just find a way to get out of doing housework while I'm listening to music.

Writing: Whether it is something for my Covers blog, a short story, or a novel, writing provides a special sanctuary free from all interruptions.  The end result may never have any monetary value, but true writers do not practice the craft with money in mind.

Reading Covers articles and forum: No.  No.  No.  Nobody from Covers urged me to include this one.  Neither Teddy or the Prez gave me a free pick.  I honestly find the majority of Covers material very helpful...and often humorous.  Covers, like the best sites the Internet has to offer, is a real minute burner because it is so rich in content.

Whether you prefer to actively follow the games you are literally invested in or not is totally up to you.  Just remember that life is short, and whether a bet cashes or crashes one thing is always lost, time.