Saturday, February 25, 2006
EVERYONE IS A LOSERAt least, everyone that I watch in professional sports, sure is. And I think it may be my fault.
Take Tiger Woods, for example. I just give him a great review, talk about his competitive flow, and what does he do? Lose in the sweet 16, that's what.
Now the Timberwolves. All year I say, "They will turn it around." Then they flop, and I say it again, and again. AND AGAIN.
So I vow not to watch. But I do. With two minutes left, I turn on the game vs. Denver. We are down. Go figure. Then something happens. It's all tied up. Overtime.
WE get down four. I am about to turn it off, there just isn't enough time to come back. Steal, jump shot, down two. Hassell gets aggressive, no foul called, ball stripped, ally-oop, KG DUNKS!. Tie game. Stop, shot, up two. Are you kidding me, up two! We might pull this thing out. 3.6 seconds left, Carmelo trapped in the corner, foul to give. Hassell in his grill, shot's up, I know it, GOOD. And we lose by one.
See, that's what this team does to a man. Just when you think they are losers, and give up on them, they reel you back in. I mean, that was one hell of a defensive stand at the end. Two steals from two different players, and both good finishes. But in the end, they find a way to screw it up and lose.
And so it has been all season. I have talked about our record in close games, but this bears repeating: within the last six minutes of games, in 44 of the 53, we've been within four points or ahead. Yet look at our record. And look at all the collapses. Cleveland, the other night against the Wizards, now this. And the hits just keep on coming.
What sport can I watch where the participants actually WANT to win?
Thursday, February 23, 2006
I HAVE A HARD TIMEbeing a Timberwolves fan these days. I sort of feel like the battered wife, "Oh, you don't know the guys like I do...They mean well, they just blow the lead in the forth quarter because they love me."
And since it is so hard to watch them...I MEAN WHO STARTS A GAME 32 TO 15 AND LOSES!!! Sorry, sometimes I lose my composure...I have been perusing the other sports.
Tiger Woods: Now there's a guy you can admire. See, I stuck with him through his "dry spell" When he wasn't winning EVERYTHING, just half of everything. The man is the best. So when some damned nobody (Stephen Ames) makes an offhanded comment about Tiger's fairway accuracy,
"Anything can happen," Ames said, breaking into a big smile. "Especially where he's hitting the ball."
Tiger has to show why he is the best. How about beating him in match play 9 and 8.
Fo rthose of you who don;t know golf, match play works simply like this. Each golfer takes a whack at the hole. The guy who scores lowest on that hole gets a point, and one ups the guy he is playing against. Then, when it is statistically impossible for the other guy to come back, the match is over. The score is listed first, and the number of holes listed next. Tiger was 9 up on Ames with 8 holes left. That is one hole away from a statistically perfect game. It is also a record for match play events.
But that's not the best part. Oh, no! During the interview, the first question asked was, "Did you hear the comments made by ..." Tiger cut the guy off. "Yeah, I heard them." "How did you respond?"
Said Tiger, simply:
"9 and 8"
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
PARTIALLY PISSED OFFJESUS! I thought all those left winged zealots were just blowing smoke about Alito and Bush. Little did I know that, only a few short weeks after being appointed, Alito and pals will be looking at the abortion laws.
What does this mean? Well, if the guy goes against everythign he says and JUST votes with his heart (or with his religion), then it will mark the very first national ban on abortion since Roe v Wade made abortions legal.
But this is a tough position for Alito, too. Think this through. If he does uphold the ban, and does so because of his interpretation of the law, will people still think it is based on his past? Of course they will. So if he votes it down, and still thinks it is upheld by the law, he will be a failure as a Supreme Court Justice. He will get smalled for that, too. The only possible solution, and one that will STILL get him grief, is he finds it unconstitutional to ban late trimester abortions, and votes it down.
Sort of a shitty situation for Alito. You know what, though, this is a shitty situation for America, too. It turns out we have talked abotu this issue before, and past Supreme Court Justices have ruled. The case should be put to bed by now. Re-opening prion Supreme Court rulings is a can of worms that cannot be closed. That is supposed to be the highest court in the nation, whose rulings are unquestionable, if not unquestioned. If we keep rehashing old cases, that idea is in jeopardy, and laws will be at risk.
Monday, February 20, 2006
VALIDATION:Because blogger is choosing not to show my most recent post in my "edit posts" section, I am just going to edit it here, and you can fill it in on your own (you are that bright, after all).
I said, about Michael Jordan, he has the ability to walk into a rooom, and people will hold their breath until he speaks. Well, you might have thought I was just slurping on him (sean), but you would be dead wrong. Take this accounting by Bill Simmons, of espn.com's page 2:
At Baron Davis' and Paul Pierce's Eight-Ball Challenge (held at Jillian's on Thursday night), my friend Rich and I were hanging out on a not-so-crowded cigar patio to smoke stogies and ensure bad breath for the rest of the night. So we're hanging out, it's mellow, we're talking about NBA stuff ... and suddenly, Oakley saunters through the doorway, followed by a human tornado of people, with Michael Jordan and his posse at the epicenter.
Well, here's what happens when MJ enters a room: Everything stops. It feels like a movie scene. And no matter how you felt about the party in the time leading up to The Moment, the party moves from (fill in the grade) to a solid A-plus. It's as though MJ's presence validates the entire party, no matter how bad it was. Anyway, MJ walks in, glances around, puffs on his cigar for a few seconds, then trades barbs with Oak while pretending there aren't 25 people packed around him, snapping pictures with their cell phone cameras. Ninety seconds later, they had enough. Time for a new room. And just like that, they were gone. As Rich said later, it was like a "gust of wind." MJ was the gust, everyone else was the twigs, leaves and branches flying around. Suddenly, the patio was mellow again.
(Note: I don't get fazed by celebrities anymore. Really, I don't. But when MJ enters a room, it's a moment, and nobody can tell me differently. By the way, we're not done with him yet.)
Bill Simmons covered MJ for most of his career, and he STILL gets that way.
The guy (not Bill, sorry) is amazing. He is "I should have my own ben and jerry's ice cream flavor" amazing.
EDIT: Blogger decided to completely DELETE that post. I will try to recover it, if they don't give it back to me soon.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
IT'S ABOUT TIMESo we beat a mediocre team. I guess, given the way we have been playing, I would say that's cause enough to celebrate. Still, that's tempered by our 1-4 road stand. Does anyone else feel like a Chicago cubs fan?
Here are the things that stand out in the last two games: Ball movement and rebounding. I know we lost to Toronto, but as "GH" over at KG4MVP points out, we played one hell of a game, and Toronto just had one hell of a shooting night. If we played that game 9 more times, we would be 9-1 against Toronto.
Anyway, that's all spilt milk, so let's look at Tonight's game. Seattle is a ball club in flux, but dammit, so are we, so I am going to call it a wash and just look at what happened.
We outrebounded them 43-32. That's pretty good. KG had 15, (he is averaging 19 in the last four) and Blount gave 8 (which is a good night for him). But the good news is 25 assists on 34 made shots. Someone pointed out that assists only matter when the shot is made(well, yeah, that's how an assist works, buddy), but that means good ball movement. With all our fast break points, that means most of the shots were off ball rotation. How many times did everyone on the court touch the ball? It was a good night. It really makes the game easier when you pass the ball three times. We all learned that in HS basketball, and it still holds true. Check out the phoenix Suns if you don't agree.
I have to say, this could be us playing a mediocre team (or two) but it could be the guys getting burn together. The next three games after the all star break will tell us all we need to know about our team.
And I have to say I am sorry to Rashad McCants. I have been down on him all year long. I think I figured out what I am doing wrong. He is a rookie, and I am judging him on potential. For a bench player, he is actually doing very well for us. The flashes, and the teases, make us think he should be better RIGHT NOW, but he IS a rookie, and he WILL make mistakes. Growing pains, I guess.
I still think we have a shot at the playoffs: our division is that weak. We will see, though, soon, what to make of this team.
Oh, and a shout out to MNWOLVES Blog for adding me to the blog roll. Thanks.
Monday, February 13, 2006
DUBYA
President Bush gets off the helicopter in front of
the White House carrying a baby pig under each arm.
The Marine guard snaps to attention, salutes, and
says: "Nice pigs, Sir."
The President replies: "These are not pigs; these
are authentic Texas Razorback Hogs.
I got one for Vice-president Cheney, and I got one
for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld."
The Marine again salutes, and says, "Nice trade,
sir."
Sometimes the clean jokes are funny, too.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
TIMBERWOLVESthey make me cry. The third quarter is like a fat chick at a disco: we just keep turning it off.
Anyway, I was goin gto write an in depth analysis of what is going wrong, but I reall think it would be beating a dead horse. We don;t have a true point guard, and our team doesn't play well together.
So instead, I am going to talk about my vacation.
We decided to go to Seattle/Portland. I have a frined in Lincoln City, right on the beach, so we are staying with him. We will be gone one week (ish), and it should be amazing. Already we have planned climbing (I used to be a climbing instructor, and so was he) And hiking in the mountains, and a lot of sight seeing/judging different locations.
I already want to move out there, sight unseen. Far enough form the earthquakes. Rain doesn't botehr me (I still bike in the rain), and snow only when you want to go visit it in the altitude.
Plus, Carly is a net tech, and technology lives in the west, not in the north.
Anyway, since no one suggested it, no one gets the t-shirt. Better luck next time.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Marcus BanksFirst off, I like the kid. I think, of the point guards we have on our roster, he gives us the best chance to win. There, is that enough love for the guy? No? OK, he is lightning quick, he has one of the more pure jump shots I have seen on a kid his age, he defends well(ish), and he brings energy EVERY SINGLE PLAY.
Alright, now for the bad news. He is not going to help us win. Yet. Here is a little stat to chew over. Since he has joined the Wolves, he is averaging 2.3 assists in 18.6 minutes. He is taking just over ten shots a night. That's five less shots than KG. And KG plays more than double the minutes. Per minute, he averages just .12 assists. Here is a list of players on our team averaging more assists per minute:
Anthony Carter
Marco Jaric
Troy Hudson
Notice anything about that list? Yup, that's every other point guard on our team. Our problem this year has not been volume of shots. It has not even been percentage made. It has been quality looks, and initiating the offense. The point guard is directly responsible for both those things.
Now, I don't want to rip on the kid. He is new to the system, and fairly new to the NBA. I think his potential is amazing. But you know what, Rashad's potential is amazing too, and potential don't bring home the bacon, playa. We need a point guard who dishes first, creates for himself second. The kid has the tools to do this, and he shows flashes of doing this. If he is going to continue to get the minutes he gets, and we are going to continue to try and win, he NEEDS to do this. We have jump shooters.
But I won't just sit here and point fingers. I want to break down what he can do to improve. Ready? DRIVE THE LANE ALL THE DAMNED TIME. Sounds like I am going against what I just said about dishing? Nope. Here's the problem now: Banks takes jump shot, bank makes jump shot, defense doesn't care. Two points, who cares, move on. He doesn't make the D commit to him. That means his guy can go ahead and play the over under with KG and the guy supposed to be guarding KG one on one. New scenario: Drive the lane. Now someone has to rotate over, usually a big, because they get bitched out if they let the little guy into the lane. He either gets by him (he really is lightning fast) and scores, making his man and the help side D commit next time, or he gives KG a much needed post opportunity. Throw in the likelihood that one or the other of these two players will get fouled, and you add not only a three point play, but foul trouble for the opposing bigs. Now, when that works, and it really should, they are going to collapse the lane. NOW you take the perimeter shot, or dish to one of our other shooters, and make the D scramble. Reverse the field, and they will get lost. And you have created, for the first time in two years, a Minnesota offense with the triple threat.
I really like Banks. I want him to do well in our system. I just don't think the system needs to change that much to accommodate him, until he learns to accommodate the system.
IN OTHER NEWS
Sorry to those of you who read my blog looking for stuff about my life. You have been spoiled by my lack of sports writing, and you shoudl be ashamed of yourselves. In all honesty, nothing new is really happening. Car and I are planning a spring break, though. We are looking for a nice vacation/possible moving out of DEADWINTER spot. Any suggestions will be appreciated. The best suggestion might get a now defunct joshcom.net T-Shirt sent to them.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
BLOGGYI have a fascination with blogs from the NBA. I started awhile back by reading Mark Cuban's blog. He is, of course, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. The problem was he didn't write too damned much about the NBA (much like me, now), and spent a lot of time trying to convince his readers he was Donald Trump (that was a bit harsh, but I think there is a ring of truth to it).
Lately, I have been reading Paul Shirley's blog (linked on sidebar). Not only is he a good writer, but he is in the unique position of being an ex-nba player trying to get back into the nba. And he is candid, and honest, even with himself. I don't think I have seen him make an excuse for himself yet. That is refreshing. It helps, too, that he is funny.
And just this morning I found Mark Madsen's blog. He had one on NBA.com, but this is his personal blog. And to me, it is much more interesting. I think he has the freedom there to write what he wants.
I sent him a message asking if I could link to his blog on my sidebar, we will see if he replies. It would be very cool to get an email from an NBA player! (I know, but I am still a kid at heart).
I am not sure if many people who follow the NBA know or don't know this, but Mark is a Mormon. It seems to me that shapes his outlook on the NBA and life, and he is always positive and nice. I had the pleasure of befriending many of the missionaries in our town, and forged a great friendship with one. They are helpful, friendly, and genuine to a fault. Oddly enough, every single one of them was a basketball player, too.
Of course, Mark reminds me of those guys, and how much a really miss them. It is almost like summer camp, the way you meet someone, get to be friends, and then they have to leave. You try to write, or you try to try to write, but eventually, they all sort of fade away. Sad.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
GREAT discussion going on at Juornal Wunelle Check it out, comment. It's the type of discussion where people DON'T get mad for disagreeing.Ahhhhhh. Refreshing.
CURLING
Now, listen, I don't usually have much civic pride. Mostly because our town has nothing to be proud OF, but partially because I hate Bemidji, snow, and BSU. Maybe not in that order.
But I tell you what, I have a lot of national pride (yes, even now). I LOVE the Olympic Games, and I try to watch as much of the events as I can.
And now, those two things are coming together. That's right, folks! Two different curling stories from Bemidji in one day!
The first, and I think, the cooler of the two (pardon the winter games pun), is this guy, Scott Baird. He is the oldest winter Olympian in winter games history, at age 54. And guess what, he is from right here in Bemidji. I have actually played Bastetball at the rec with an Olympian! So what if he wasn;t a basketball Olympian, it's still pretty cool.
Secondly, the U.S. Women's curling team is from Bemidji, as well. Damn right, the whole damned team. You can check them out here.
So maybe we won't have the next hall of famer. Hell, neither of these teams are even expected to place at the games. But it is still cool knowing Bemidji is the
Monday, February 06, 2006
BECAUSE YOU ASKED FOR ITSomeone from Indiana just commented on my last post that I was not helping them find Midwest sports. Now, for some time I wrote about sports on this blog, and I was writing to myself. Because I like feedback, I switched over to more "bloggy" stuff, like my life, and only now and again post about sports.
However, now that "Roxie" and her friend "Me" have asked for it, and assuming they will be back, I give you my SUPERBOWL REVIEW!
It sucked.
But I digress.
No, seriously, folks, this was one lousy Superbowl. I wanted the Steelers to win, but instead all they did was NOT LOSE. Follow me on this one.
The Seahawks actually played the better game. The refs, and we know how they can be, took this one away from them.
I will start with the sketchy call. Ben Rothliesberger ran the ball in for a TD. The thing is, the replays don't show the BALL crossing the plane. Doesn't matter if he threw his head in there, I don't think the ball made it in.
But you can rebound from that, and the Hawks did. The pass to Stevens was called back because of a hold even JOHN MADDEN says didn't happen. And he's old! And Al Michaels secretly controls him by remote control. He STILL saw it was a non call, at best. The blocker called for it, Sean Locklear, did NOTHING wrong. He had his arms inside the pads, and was not holding in any way. He did not ride him to the ground. Nothing.
Even worse, though, was the offensive pass interference call on Darrell Jackson. The two players were hand checking each other before the ball hit the air, and no separation was created by extending his arm (which was being held).
In all, ten penalties were accepted (quite a bit more called) and 7 of those were against Seattle. Seattle lost 70 yards on those penalties, and another 90+ish on plays called back.
And the truth is, as much as I was a fan of Big Ben, he STUNK IT UP. I mean, 123 yards on 9-21 with two picks is NOT superbowl quarterbacking. Antwaan Randel El looked like a better QB (let's not start THAT talk, Kordell Stewart will tell you it's a bad idea). Hasselback, on the other hand, handled himself very well, and until the end, when the clock was mismanaged, was the Superbowl MVP.
Speaking of which, how in the world does Hines Ward get it? Randle El had the better of that great play, and Jerome Bus Bettis was the sentimental Favorite. Hell, Parker's run was the tide turner, give it to him. It just seemed like a stat race, instead of who was actually most valuable to the team.
IN OTHER MIDWEST NEWS
The timberwolves are still mediocre. I think the trade helps, and once the guys get on the same page we will look better. However, that may not happen until next year. I don't think we can afford to have Marcus Banks, as good as he MIGHT become, running our offense when three of the other four guys on the floor don't yet know it.
That being said, I think it is time we entertain trading Jaric or Hudson. Jaric, if he will move to SF or SG will still be an asset to our club, I am just not sure he is willing to do that. If not, he is too much of a liability defending quicker players, and his tempo just doesn't match our team. Hudson, on the other hand, has no worth for us. He is streaky, and turnover prone. Someone will want him off the bench to score, but we can't trust him.
Right now we have team speed, and that will help us beat bad teams. We do not have any team concept, though, and that is what's keeping us from winning against quality clubs.
...If Favre stays with the Packers, it will be a mistake all around. The guy has always been able to keep the turnovers down when they mattered, and take risks when he could. Last year he had his worst season statistically, passer rating, and interceptions (29). He is getting less mobile, some of the zip is off his fast ball, and his receiver core is too young and too sporadic to help him when he throws up the risky prayers.
Right now he is hurting his team by not telling them whether he will be back or not.
If he DOES stay, look for Minnesota to lead the division next year, provided Dante Culpepper rehabs properly. The bears will keep going with Rex Grossman, whose potential is hurting their squad, and Detroit will have a rookie QB.
It will be:
VIKINGS 9-7
Bears 8-8
Green Bay 8-8
Detroit 4-12
How's THAT for an early prediction?
ANOTHER REASON
Man, I wasn't even going to post about this. I argued with myself back and forth about whether I should get in the middle of it (or MORE in the middle, I guess). Mostly, I just don't care anymore about what a lot of people think about me. But, by nature, I am argumentative, and I think a whole side of this argument is being lost.
HERE is the original chat thread where the following remarks were made.
"Some BSU Alumni really dosen't like me. In fact last night, I asked if I could sit with Froyd, and this kid. AND HE SAID "If I say no will you go away" and I said "Yes" and then he goes "No." Whoa! I went away like a dog with his tail between his legs. A big tail mind you. But still."
That was me, doing the asking to leave. It seems like a real dickhead move, on the surface, so I can give room for people to comment like this:
"What a total shit-bag."
But the surface has very little to do with this, so I guess I will give the backstory.
The guy is Eric Kvale. For some time, I knew him through Sean. We had a class or two together, and that was about it. But I thought he was funny in an off-beat sort of way. My friend, Josh Murray, however, just didn't like the guy. In fact, I think he wanted to punch him on several occasions. And I found myself in the unique position of defending this guy. "No, no, that's just his humor," I would say. Or "He's just that kind of guy, he doesn't mean anything by it." And I could relate. A lot of people from BSU thought/think I am a bigot, woman hating, self centered asshole. I hope they just don't get my humor. Maybe some of them do, and just don't like it. And this guy, for the most part, had a humor like mine. Less dry, and more loud, if you can imagine that.
But it DID start to wear on me. I took it on the chin most time, telling myself what I told Josh. But I really felt like he didn't "earn" the right to act like that towards me. We weren't good friends, or even friends, as I would describe it. So when he would use me for the butt of his jokes, sure, it would get to me. I did remind myself that I do the same thing, and I would hate to be a hypocrite (that last bit is sarcastic, I don't care if I am a hypocrite, but I DID remind myself that I also made people the butt of my jokes, from time to time). And he would do things to redeem himself. Like a game of tug-o-war, he would pull only so much, then let up the slack. One time he gave me a book by Ezra Pound to read over in a particularly boring class, because he genuinely thought I would enjoy it.
But then something happened that just made me decide it wasn't worth the effort anymore. I was a TA for a poetry class. I DO take poetry seriously, and I though I could add something to that class. I was also trying to decide whether teaching was for me, and since the prof was gone a lot, I got to try my hand at it most days. So I was in earnest in this class, and treated it like I would my own classroom. But to Kvale, wow! I was a perfect target. He sat with a group of people who decided they needed no help, and I honestly don't know why they took the class anyway. Usually, I focused on the other groups, who were willing to accept some help and critique, and I left them to their devices, whatever they would be.
But one day Kvale asked me to sit in his group. HE asked me what a "moustache ride" was. I tried to laugh it off, and told him it was inappropriate to talk about, but the rest of the group kept at it, and assured me they didn't mind, so I relented. He gave me his poem (which I think was titled Moustache Ride) and I knew I was being had. But I pressed on, trapped in a pretty bad situation, and read the thing. I told him their was no way he wrote that poem without knowing what it meant, but he insisted. So, using the terms form his poem, I described what it was. He took that opportunity to reveal a T-shirt he had on under his jacket reading "Moustache Rides 25$" Everyone had a good laugh at my ignorance, and I just got up and left them to it. Afterwards, I talked to him about it, and he didn't seem to care. So I actually let it go.
But the problem was, I had been defending this guy. Harmless fun, and all this. This wasn't, though. As a TA, I was in a dubious position anyway, somewhere between authority and lackey, and whatever command I had on other students was completely lost. That may not sound like much, but again, was taking this position seriously, and he, without regard, ruined that. Couple that with how I felt being his defended all that time, and I really felt betrayed. And for what? A few laughs.
So the next time I saw him, I made it VERY clear we weren't friends. Subsequently, at the parties we both visited, I explained to him that the best situation we could hope for would be not talking to each other. I actually said to him "Just don't talk to me, and I won't talk to you, and everything will be fine" Later, when he insisted on talking to me, I said "I am trying to be nice, just please leave me alone." He responded, "Don't be nice." To which I said, "If you don't want me to be nice, we can go outside." He left it there, and I figured it was over.
Now, his friend claims:
"Kvale wasn't aware that he didn't even like him, otherwise he wouldn't have approached in a friendly manner and asked for your company. In fact, he was under the impression that he and JOSH PAGE (for fuck's sake) were on good terms. He gave Josh a book and supposedly it was all good. It's a stupid situation, and most people don't like Kvale for stupid reasons. Why I'm sticking up for him? Because he's not fucking satan or hitler. he's just a guy. And he's my friend!"
The guy is intelligent, and he KNEW I did not like him. But I don't take any fault in him thinking it could be cool, after about 3 years, to try and sit down with us.
Here's the part of the argument lost on everyone in the thread, NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO FUCKING GET ALONG! Get that? It's not offensive not to like someone. Just move on. I gave him the room to move on, without being mean about it, and it should have been over. If I don't want someone to sit with me, then that is that. I am not saying he has no worth as a person, or that he is hateful and mean, I am saying I don't find any worth in him as a companion. That's it. I am not so egotistical as to think my companionship means so much to a person that they will be so hurt if I refuse it. It is unfortunate (if true) that he thought we were friends, but I am not to blame for that, having said, on several occasions, in no uncertain terms, that we were not.
AND, at the advice of Sean, and his endorsement that Kvale had changed, and "matured", I even apologized for any insensitivity towards him when I saw him at the next party. Now, I don't think we will ever be friends, that's just the way it is going to be. But I did make space to have this whole situation let go, and hopefully keep things peaceful at Sean's house (the only place we see each other).
The problem is, on both sides, we have people championing causes they don't know a whole helluva lot about. I thank Yarbles for saying:
"i don't think there's anything wrong with getting angry when someone is annoying you... it's pretty natural if you ask me. more mature than making fun of them because of it. and asking the person to leave to avoid the entire situation is pretty much the best thing to do. "
But he didn't know the situation either. Even though I agree with him, a lot of other factors could make this statement false.
So, I gave my two cents (mostly to myself, as I don;t think anyone from that forum still reads this blog), and I am done with the thing. If Kvale (who has not responded at all to his original post) still has issue with it, he can find me, and it can be solved, in any manner good or bad.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
CHANGE OF PLANSOK, I was going to host a super bowl "party". I am all partied out for the week, so the plans change a bit.
A few people, which means the readers of this blog, can come on up, and we will watch the game, and I will make potato skins and chicken wings, but that is all. No big party, and I won't even be drinking.
There you have it. 5pm, my place.
Friday, February 03, 2006
PERSONAL TRAINEROK, I actually have thought about hiring a personal trainer. I got two free sessions with him, sort of as a test drive, and I have to say, his methods work. Both days after the work outs, I was sore, in a good way.
But here's the thing: I am essentially paying for something my best friend, were he here, has done and would be doing, for free. That is motivate my tired ass to do 3 more reps, or go 15 more minutes, or what have you. SO I get a stranger, who knows what he is talking about, charging me money to keep me on track.
My friend, who also knows what he is talking about (Calm down, Mike, I JUST mean when it comes to working out), would probably not charge me more than a few beers at the bar, and wouldn't make me address him as "coach" OK, maybe he would. But only when we were alone, and that's a whole other story.
But the deal is phenomenal. I would be paying about 35 bucks an hour for this guy. He was the BSU strength and conditioning coach, and I have seen the results he got from a certain, now out of the program, freshman. That kid lost 40 pounds and put on muscle in the process. If I could lose ten pounds and add muscle, before June, I would be happy.
But on the other-other hand, I am not sure I am one of those "I have a personal trainer" type of guys. I lost the High school weight by myself. I added at least two inches to my biceps by myself. I lost the ten pounds I thought winter had given me by myself.
Ehhhh. Who knows. I told him I would give it a week, and then tell him if he was hired. If nothing else, that buys me time to see what I can do (and how I feel) on my own.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
FOUR YEARSFour years ago today I was impatiently biting my nails as I wondered what I would do if she said "no".
Four years and one day ago, my life was much less complicated, in such a way that you crave complications. I had no one to worry about me or worry about. I was a child in a man's world.
Four years and one month ago, as I celebrated New Years with a friend I no longer see, I looked, for the hundredth time, at her website, her picture, and wished I could call her. And call her mine.
Four years ago today, she said "yes" and everything changed.
I love you more each day, Carly. Happy anniversary.
