This weekend was just full of good and bad. I've already discussed Saturday and I feel the need to write about Sunday, as hard as some of this may be. If you read this, you know one thing about me. I won't B.S. you on this blog or in conversation. How I feel is how I feel and I'll say how I feel. My decisions are my decisions and I live with them. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying to get better at being me.
Sunday morning was great. I saw a certain someone at church and we talked for about 10 minutes. She's going to Florida over spring break so I probably won't see her for a little while. But I've liked the times we've spent together. I'm not going to say something exists just to say it exists. I hope it may one day. I don't want to set myself up for disappointment like I have so many times.
It's amazing how many people I know have started dating recently, including a few girls I've known well. I'll not mention names, that's just to protect the guilty. Man I don't know if it's Valentine's Day, President's Day, or what the hell is happening. I've got it through my thick head that I don't want to date, but another part of me would like to. It's a sick, conflicting feeling right now. I have George Strait's "You Look So Good In Love" playing now and blasting it as loud as it will go. Nothing like some stone-cold country for times like these...
There will be good stuff in a little bit, but there's one more thing that really twisted my insides like a wet string mop. Volleyball was an absolute meltdown. After 2 good weeks and getting whipped, I couldn't keep my composure. My play was abominable, at least by my standards. The first game was tight. We lost that one 15-13 and it went about twice as long as a typical game. I was disappointed, but I took it on the chin. And right there, that was the end. In game 2, we got massacred, cannibalized, and executed 15-2. Suffice to say I was embarrassed. My shoddy performance was too much. The whole thing ended with me walking under the net, raising it up, and letting it go, thus snapping it down. What I didn't see was I evidently hit a few players with it. So I walked away. I sat out. I watched the third game and guess what happened. My team actually had the you know what's to actually win it without me.
I wanted to vomit. I felt I didn't belong anymore. I walked out and I don't think I should go back in the near future. The fact they won that game without me amazes me, annoys me, and aches me too. I know I'm competitive. I want to win. But old habits die hard. Maybe someday I can find a good way to channel all of this. I have this spirit for a reason. I just don't know why God gave me this desire.
You would think my day was ruined after that. Not quite. I took a shower and after I got out, I looked in the mirror for about a solid minute. I felt at peace. I can't explain why since I did really nothing to get there. I just felt good with what I did. No, I'll rephrase. I felt good with the place I ended up at follwing the decision I made. Right now, I'm not getting pleasure from playing volleyball. It hurts to admit it, but no matter how good other people think I am, I feel like I'm a detriment to me, to others, and to God. I have to stay away for now.
But Ecclesia was final redemption. Dividing the Plunder played some music and did well. I got their CD and although I don't think it's really good, it's okay. It was strange that I felt no shame or guilt hanging over my head as the praise music played and I participated in my small group. I felt very good as the night came to a close. And I'm not one to have mood swings. I don't know why I felt better as the day went on. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the anticipation of Sunday night. Maybe it was the pork chops, applesauce, and beer I had for lunch in between.
One baseball note. The Mets have named former Chicago Bulls GM Jerry "Saur" Krause as a scout. You know, a few years ago, we'd have hired him for strength and conditioning coach. I have no love for him, but as long as he finds good players and keeps his quintuple chins off camera, that's fine by me.
Hopefully more good stuff will be here later.
Monday, February 28, 2005
Jury Duty recap
Well, my jury duty is over in 6 hours. I was selcted and was done that fast. My case was a young man, Harris, who was charged with obstruction of justice. Here's the basic rundown in a few sentences.
A cop pulled Harris over at 5 in the morning and did a search. While he was checking the right pants pocket the defendant reached into his left pocket and grabbed a baggie with a white powder. The cop noticed it and suspected crack cocaine. But before the cop could get it away from him, the defendant swallowed it. The officer was the only witness so the evidence took only about 45 minutes to present.
It was a real open and shut case. We only needed 25 minutes to decide unanimously Harris had knowingly destroyed evidence and intended to obstruct the prosecution. The defense never denied there was cocaine present. Harris even made a confession at the hospital he was taken to afterwards. But possession wasn't the issue. The key issues were did he intend to destroy evidence and obstruct the prosecution?
I stayed fair and open-minded, but I knew very early on I was voting guilty. The defense attorney, while very attractive I must add, really had no shot of getting him off. I don't think Johnnie Cochran could have pulled this one off. But it was hard to do it. It's just tough to impose a punishment on a young man. But the truth is the truth and I hope Mr. Harris and his girlfriend, who was present, learn from this. Sentencing will come in a f ew weeks.
It was quite a day. I woke up at 6 a.m. and got to the building at 8 a.m. I only waited 30 minutes to go to a deliberating room. Actually they had some really good donuts in the jury lounge. The glazed ones were especially good. So I was in a good mood going in. The trial was fast. The judge seemed like a fair and decent guy. My fellow jurors were very sociable and we worked very well together. There were 10 men and 4 women and mostly in their 40's and 50's. I was one of maybe 2 people younger than 35. All in all I enjoyed my time.
A cop pulled Harris over at 5 in the morning and did a search. While he was checking the right pants pocket the defendant reached into his left pocket and grabbed a baggie with a white powder. The cop noticed it and suspected crack cocaine. But before the cop could get it away from him, the defendant swallowed it. The officer was the only witness so the evidence took only about 45 minutes to present.
It was a real open and shut case. We only needed 25 minutes to decide unanimously Harris had knowingly destroyed evidence and intended to obstruct the prosecution. The defense never denied there was cocaine present. Harris even made a confession at the hospital he was taken to afterwards. But possession wasn't the issue. The key issues were did he intend to destroy evidence and obstruct the prosecution?
I stayed fair and open-minded, but I knew very early on I was voting guilty. The defense attorney, while very attractive I must add, really had no shot of getting him off. I don't think Johnnie Cochran could have pulled this one off. But it was hard to do it. It's just tough to impose a punishment on a young man. But the truth is the truth and I hope Mr. Harris and his girlfriend, who was present, learn from this. Sentencing will come in a f ew weeks.
It was quite a day. I woke up at 6 a.m. and got to the building at 8 a.m. I only waited 30 minutes to go to a deliberating room. Actually they had some really good donuts in the jury lounge. The glazed ones were especially good. So I was in a good mood going in. The trial was fast. The judge seemed like a fair and decent guy. My fellow jurors were very sociable and we worked very well together. There were 10 men and 4 women and mostly in their 40's and 50's. I was one of maybe 2 people younger than 35. All in all I enjoyed my time.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Houston...
We have a problem. I was hoping to post my latest article on the Marmion-Illinois Math Science Academy basketball game, but the Einsteins in charge at Arlington Heights neglected to post my article on the website. Therefore (Jack Tunney reference, Dad), I cannot show it to you, the millions and millions of the Bar's peeps. Sorry. Needless to say it was an absolutely hideous game. No offensive flow, bad shooting, and worst of all, a dead in the water crowd. That's one of the great things about the Warrior Dome at Wheaton Academy. The bleachers are only 6 or 7 rows high on either side, but with that low ceiling, and those rabid fans it is so loud. And this is with a 5-20 team! If we can just lose that retarded Tomahawk Chop, that would be perfect.
Sticking with basketball, Gordon lost the CCC women's basketball title game on the road 70-59. Yeah it blows. But I can live with it. Maybe they'll get in the ECAC tournament. It would be nice to see my school win some kind of championship this year. We're running out of chances ths season...
Went to a performace by Tattoo of a Piercing on Friday night. The band is 4 guys I work with at CPK and they played a 1 hour and 20 minute set in a tiny record store in Batavia. It was mostly high school kids there and there were maybe 30 or 40 people there at one time and about 60 or 70 throughout the night. Mostly it was the harder rock stuff. All in all, they played well. Maybe I should add a few harmonica riffs to their sound...
The store they played at is called Kiss the Sky. It had a real punk feel to it with the people there and the available records. I did find a small country section. I found records that I brought on audio cassette when I was 10, 11, and 12 years old. Paul Brandt (My Heart Has a History, I Do), Pirates of the Mississippi (Honky Tonk Blues, Feed Jake), John Fogerty. There was a pretty good selection of stuff. The prices were a little higher than I thought they should have been. For example, there was a Neil Young live performance in Chicago. It was 2 CD's and 15 songs. It cost 35 dollars. Needless to say, I didn't make a purchase.
Jury duty is supposed to start tomorrow. I have no idea what is going to happen. I don't know if they'll pick me. I don't know what the case will be. I have no idea how long they will need me. It's a safe bet I'll be adjusting my schedule a whole lot this week.
I've got Ecclesia in a little while. This husband-wife band is going to come in and play some music for us. Their name is Dividing the Plunder. We'll see how they sound and what they bring to the service. I missed last week, because I was playing volleyball, so I'm looking forward to this one.
And I'm getting my fantasy baseball picks just about ready to go. Last year we came in 2nd in the regular season and 3rd overall. Let's have a great year. Hopefully almost as good as the Mets will...
Sticking with basketball, Gordon lost the CCC women's basketball title game on the road 70-59. Yeah it blows. But I can live with it. Maybe they'll get in the ECAC tournament. It would be nice to see my school win some kind of championship this year. We're running out of chances ths season...
Went to a performace by Tattoo of a Piercing on Friday night. The band is 4 guys I work with at CPK and they played a 1 hour and 20 minute set in a tiny record store in Batavia. It was mostly high school kids there and there were maybe 30 or 40 people there at one time and about 60 or 70 throughout the night. Mostly it was the harder rock stuff. All in all, they played well. Maybe I should add a few harmonica riffs to their sound...
The store they played at is called Kiss the Sky. It had a real punk feel to it with the people there and the available records. I did find a small country section. I found records that I brought on audio cassette when I was 10, 11, and 12 years old. Paul Brandt (My Heart Has a History, I Do), Pirates of the Mississippi (Honky Tonk Blues, Feed Jake), John Fogerty. There was a pretty good selection of stuff. The prices were a little higher than I thought they should have been. For example, there was a Neil Young live performance in Chicago. It was 2 CD's and 15 songs. It cost 35 dollars. Needless to say, I didn't make a purchase.
Jury duty is supposed to start tomorrow. I have no idea what is going to happen. I don't know if they'll pick me. I don't know what the case will be. I have no idea how long they will need me. It's a safe bet I'll be adjusting my schedule a whole lot this week.
I've got Ecclesia in a little while. This husband-wife band is going to come in and play some music for us. Their name is Dividing the Plunder. We'll see how they sound and what they bring to the service. I missed last week, because I was playing volleyball, so I'm looking forward to this one.
And I'm getting my fantasy baseball picks just about ready to go. Last year we came in 2nd in the regular season and 3rd overall. Let's have a great year. Hopefully almost as good as the Mets will...
Thursday, February 24, 2005
GORDON BEATS ENDICOTT!!!
I've been told I seemed a little upset in my last post. So here's some happy news...
In CCC women's basketball semifinal action, Gordon beats Endicott on the road 70-59!!!
The Scots are one win away from their first basketball conference championship ever. Yes! Yes!
More details later...
WE ARE THE FIGHTING SCOTSMEN!!! WE ARE THE MIGHTY SCOTSMEN!!!
FIGHTING ON OUR WAY TO VICTORY!!! YES!!!
In CCC women's basketball semifinal action, Gordon beats Endicott on the road 70-59!!!
The Scots are one win away from their first basketball conference championship ever. Yes! Yes!
More details later...
WE ARE THE FIGHTING SCOTSMEN!!! WE ARE THE MIGHTY SCOTSMEN!!!
FIGHTING ON OUR WAY TO VICTORY!!! YES!!!
Guess I should post huh?
OK, I haven't been posting much lately. Here are some thoughts on what's been happening.
I hate playing against arrogant teams (volleyball!). Here's what happened. We dropped 2 of 3 games this week to a team that hasn't won ONCE yet! We played for another 2 hours afterward and it's just me and their team. I push my pride aside and decide to stay with them and have some dinner. They're talking about their first win in front of me. That was one thing. They pray and the guy said thanks lord for our first win. we haven't had too many of those. That was it. I left and went to rookie's and had a Jack Burger and beer. Maybe I take these things personally. But I didn't appreciate the attitude.
Gino's East is the best deep dish pizza period. If I could only convince Mom to let us get garlic along with sausage and mushrooms...
Let's see, high school and college basketball playoffs are going on. Of course both Wheaton Academy teams are 1 and done, losing to teams they'd beaten in the regular season. Kinda typical of our basektball programs. At least soccer is coming up.
College is barely better. The men are done in the first round. They're a young team, but Coach Mike Schauer is like Marty Schottenheimer or Roger Nielson, God rest his soul. Good regular seasons, and absolute crap in the playoffs. Oh well, Gordon women won over Roger Williams and will play those frickin' Endicott girls in the Commonwealth Coast Conference semi-finals. If they lose to our cross town rivals in the playoffs, it will be brutal, especially with Sarah DeLuca's final year happening now. DeLuca is the 6th leading scorer in the nation, by the way. This team needs to do something now, because it won't be happening next year.
I'll have more later.
I hate playing against arrogant teams (volleyball!). Here's what happened. We dropped 2 of 3 games this week to a team that hasn't won ONCE yet! We played for another 2 hours afterward and it's just me and their team. I push my pride aside and decide to stay with them and have some dinner. They're talking about their first win in front of me. That was one thing. They pray and the guy said thanks lord for our first win. we haven't had too many of those. That was it. I left and went to rookie's and had a Jack Burger and beer. Maybe I take these things personally. But I didn't appreciate the attitude.
Gino's East is the best deep dish pizza period. If I could only convince Mom to let us get garlic along with sausage and mushrooms...
Let's see, high school and college basketball playoffs are going on. Of course both Wheaton Academy teams are 1 and done, losing to teams they'd beaten in the regular season. Kinda typical of our basektball programs. At least soccer is coming up.
College is barely better. The men are done in the first round. They're a young team, but Coach Mike Schauer is like Marty Schottenheimer or Roger Nielson, God rest his soul. Good regular seasons, and absolute crap in the playoffs. Oh well, Gordon women won over Roger Williams and will play those frickin' Endicott girls in the Commonwealth Coast Conference semi-finals. If they lose to our cross town rivals in the playoffs, it will be brutal, especially with Sarah DeLuca's final year happening now. DeLuca is the 6th leading scorer in the nation, by the way. This team needs to do something now, because it won't be happening next year.
I'll have more later.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Late night writing
Have you noticed that most of my posts as of late are coming around 11 p.m.-1 a.m? I guess late night fatigue breeds creativity.
Fantasy baseball is kicking off soon. I'm going to be in a Daily Herald league with people from the Lisle office. I'm kind of like that cowboy rider from the Far West. I come into town and cause trouble. We're supposed to meet at the Country House in Lisle to do a live draft in March. Lisle is a 45 minute drive from St. Charles. If you don't know, the Country House is well known for their awesome burgers. I've never had one before but I'll get my chance soon. That's all well and good. The other thing is there's a Country House in Geneva, 10 minutes from where I live. It would be nice if I could move the draft over to there, but hey, it would be hard to persuade 9 people to drive 40 minutes west. More info on the league I when I get it.
A few hockey notes. One, NO REPLACEMENT PLAYERS PLEASE!!! I'd rather see Gretzky, Patrick Roy, Bob Clarke, and Phil Esposito come out of retirement.
Two, why didn't the government, particularly Canada, get involved? Isn't this their mational past-time? I understand the U.S. not doing anything, but how about a little kick in the pants from Parliament?
Three, I'll be amazed if there is a full season next year. They are not negotiating seriously between now and September. Count on a 50-game schedule if we're lucky. That's what money and ego will do if you let them get out of control.
Four, the players are never going to see a deal like they had offered to them again. The owners won't budge and the players will have to give in eventually after 10 years of getting more and more good stuff from the league (AKA Money!). Hopefully, that means the end of Bob Goodenow. Goodenow, by the way, did an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog after constantly refusing to appear. Once I'll listen I'll let you know what I think.
I'm realizing it more and more. Australia keeps giving great things to America. If you don't understand what I typed, just refer back to a couple of posts ago...
Quick joke and a disturbing one. In the news, another teacher is in trouble for having sex with her student. The kid was in 10th grade. That's bad enough. The really bad thing is the kid was homeschooled! Yeah, I know, I know...
Fantasy baseball is kicking off soon. I'm going to be in a Daily Herald league with people from the Lisle office. I'm kind of like that cowboy rider from the Far West. I come into town and cause trouble. We're supposed to meet at the Country House in Lisle to do a live draft in March. Lisle is a 45 minute drive from St. Charles. If you don't know, the Country House is well known for their awesome burgers. I've never had one before but I'll get my chance soon. That's all well and good. The other thing is there's a Country House in Geneva, 10 minutes from where I live. It would be nice if I could move the draft over to there, but hey, it would be hard to persuade 9 people to drive 40 minutes west. More info on the league I when I get it.
A few hockey notes. One, NO REPLACEMENT PLAYERS PLEASE!!! I'd rather see Gretzky, Patrick Roy, Bob Clarke, and Phil Esposito come out of retirement.
Two, why didn't the government, particularly Canada, get involved? Isn't this their mational past-time? I understand the U.S. not doing anything, but how about a little kick in the pants from Parliament?
Three, I'll be amazed if there is a full season next year. They are not negotiating seriously between now and September. Count on a 50-game schedule if we're lucky. That's what money and ego will do if you let them get out of control.
Four, the players are never going to see a deal like they had offered to them again. The owners won't budge and the players will have to give in eventually after 10 years of getting more and more good stuff from the league (AKA Money!). Hopefully, that means the end of Bob Goodenow. Goodenow, by the way, did an interview with Mike and the Mad Dog after constantly refusing to appear. Once I'll listen I'll let you know what I think.
I'm realizing it more and more. Australia keeps giving great things to America. If you don't understand what I typed, just refer back to a couple of posts ago...
Quick joke and a disturbing one. In the news, another teacher is in trouble for having sex with her student. The kid was in 10th grade. That's bad enough. The really bad thing is the kid was homeschooled! Yeah, I know, I know...
Monday, February 14, 2005
85 minutes to go...
Valentine's Day is about over. It's never really been a big holiday (actually it's not a holiday), a big day for me. I guess I did have a 2-hour phone call with a girl in California quite a few years ago, but I can't even remember that now.
The best part of my Valentine's Day is all the alcohol I served today. I had 39 dollars in counter sales at CPK today, Now on a typical weekday morning, I think I'm doing a pretty good job if I sell 2 drinks. Well today, I sold 5 glasses of wine, a Mai-Tai, and a cosmopolitan. It will be tough to keep that kind of momentum tomorrow, if such a thing exists. Maybe someone will get a Bloody Mary in the morning after a night of drinking.
No, no. Who am I kidding. It'll be the trifecta of daytime drinks: Iced tea, Diet Pepsi, and H2O. Just show up, work hard, and work smart. That's all I can do each day.
For anyone out there who actually is celebrating (and if you are celebrating it and you read my blog you may be the only one!), all the best. Special love with another person is really something you need to hold on to when it comes along. Never take it for granted.
Enough philosophy. Time to head home. God willing, it will be quiet when I get there. I'm going to pop in Bruce Springsteen's "Valentine's Day" off the Tunnel of Love album. A very underrated album, by the way.
The best part of my Valentine's Day is all the alcohol I served today. I had 39 dollars in counter sales at CPK today, Now on a typical weekday morning, I think I'm doing a pretty good job if I sell 2 drinks. Well today, I sold 5 glasses of wine, a Mai-Tai, and a cosmopolitan. It will be tough to keep that kind of momentum tomorrow, if such a thing exists. Maybe someone will get a Bloody Mary in the morning after a night of drinking.
No, no. Who am I kidding. It'll be the trifecta of daytime drinks: Iced tea, Diet Pepsi, and H2O. Just show up, work hard, and work smart. That's all I can do each day.
For anyone out there who actually is celebrating (and if you are celebrating it and you read my blog you may be the only one!), all the best. Special love with another person is really something you need to hold on to when it comes along. Never take it for granted.
Enough philosophy. Time to head home. God willing, it will be quiet when I get there. I'm going to pop in Bruce Springsteen's "Valentine's Day" off the Tunnel of Love album. A very underrated album, by the way.
Cold in the basement...
Yes it is very cold. Have your feet ever been so cold you though to yourself, "Man, if i cut my feet off at the ankles, I'd probably feel a lot warmer?" Yep, that's what it's like down here in the dungeon, as I call my basement. It's my indulgence spot. Internet, ECW DVD's on my computer, all my videos (Classic games, plenty of Whose Line, and some Borge, Cosby, Bee Gees and Jim Croce concerts), and the spot I go on late night snack binges and drink a little beer, yes, just a little.
My latest combo: 2 Superpretzels and Lay's kettle cooked BBQ potato chips. I'm not a big salt guy, so I dip the pretzels in spicy brown mustard. It's not my favorite combination, but there are 2 reasons. One, a hot pretzel by itself is to me like eating a plain piece of toast. It needs some kind of flavor. And two, it reminds me of Ranger hockey games at Madison Square Garden. Dad gets the pretzel with mustard and I'd have a pretzel of my own or one of those fabulous MSG hot dogs. No matter the outcome of the game, those are good memories. Heck, hockey was a good memory. It's not the same between the over-expanded league and the lockout. I wish they could contract to 24 or 26 teams. I love Carolina and I'll always love their run to the Finals a few years ago, but they probably need to go. Nashville, Pittsburgh, and maybe Buffalo can probably go too.
My thoughts on the lockout are these. The season will be over very soon. It's been over for a while but it will become official this week. I'm fine with no season this year, I've dealt with it, it would have been half-over by now anyway. And with the performances, if you want to call them performances of the last 7 years of the Broadway Buffoons, life is less aggravating. I just hope there's a partial season next year. And the game itself needs to change. Contraction, no ties and an OT shootout, no goalies playing the puck outside of the crease can be the start of some immediate changes.
One other thing before we move on to some fun stuff. I need to get this off my chest. I just can't stand people who say hockey is too violent compared to other sports. They say the fights and grabbing are too much. Come on. How about the punching in boxing? How about the grabbing in football?
OK, enough of that. Let's get personal.
I met a girl who has live much of her life in Australia. I'd write her name, but it's a name I've never heard of so I won't try. She goes to Wheaton and is a big traveller. Not bad. Oh yeah, I got a dorm number AND a cell number and this was only our second conversation. What can I say, I've always had a thing for Aussie culture. Outback, Keith Urban music, the Aussie hair gel. Man, if she tells me she likes Greg Norman, we may have a keeper... Git-er-doooone!
Another week is beginning and a lot of work is coming up. I think I'll eat something really hot and spicy and full of garlic and onions in honor of Valentine's Day. Maybe I will get one of those heart-shaped pepperoni pizzas from Papa Murphy's. Yep, you read it. I really love it. Who gives a crap about chocolates and roses when you can give a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine's Day.
Anyway, probably working hard right about now would serve me well. I just like to stay as occupied as I can. I just hate sitting around with nothing to do. I need to be productive in some way. Well I have to get up in a few hours for work so I'll climb the four flights of stairs and slide under the electric blanket.
Quick joke from Larry the Cable Guy. "I celebrated my 2-year wedding anniversary. I wanted to have sex, she wanted to eat at Outback, my mother wanted us to go to church and renew our vows. So we compromised. "We had sex out back of the church."
Peace joy and love.
My latest combo: 2 Superpretzels and Lay's kettle cooked BBQ potato chips. I'm not a big salt guy, so I dip the pretzels in spicy brown mustard. It's not my favorite combination, but there are 2 reasons. One, a hot pretzel by itself is to me like eating a plain piece of toast. It needs some kind of flavor. And two, it reminds me of Ranger hockey games at Madison Square Garden. Dad gets the pretzel with mustard and I'd have a pretzel of my own or one of those fabulous MSG hot dogs. No matter the outcome of the game, those are good memories. Heck, hockey was a good memory. It's not the same between the over-expanded league and the lockout. I wish they could contract to 24 or 26 teams. I love Carolina and I'll always love their run to the Finals a few years ago, but they probably need to go. Nashville, Pittsburgh, and maybe Buffalo can probably go too.
My thoughts on the lockout are these. The season will be over very soon. It's been over for a while but it will become official this week. I'm fine with no season this year, I've dealt with it, it would have been half-over by now anyway. And with the performances, if you want to call them performances of the last 7 years of the Broadway Buffoons, life is less aggravating. I just hope there's a partial season next year. And the game itself needs to change. Contraction, no ties and an OT shootout, no goalies playing the puck outside of the crease can be the start of some immediate changes.
One other thing before we move on to some fun stuff. I need to get this off my chest. I just can't stand people who say hockey is too violent compared to other sports. They say the fights and grabbing are too much. Come on. How about the punching in boxing? How about the grabbing in football?
OK, enough of that. Let's get personal.
I met a girl who has live much of her life in Australia. I'd write her name, but it's a name I've never heard of so I won't try. She goes to Wheaton and is a big traveller. Not bad. Oh yeah, I got a dorm number AND a cell number and this was only our second conversation. What can I say, I've always had a thing for Aussie culture. Outback, Keith Urban music, the Aussie hair gel. Man, if she tells me she likes Greg Norman, we may have a keeper... Git-er-doooone!
Another week is beginning and a lot of work is coming up. I think I'll eat something really hot and spicy and full of garlic and onions in honor of Valentine's Day. Maybe I will get one of those heart-shaped pepperoni pizzas from Papa Murphy's. Yep, you read it. I really love it. Who gives a crap about chocolates and roses when you can give a heart-shaped pizza for Valentine's Day.
Anyway, probably working hard right about now would serve me well. I just like to stay as occupied as I can. I just hate sitting around with nothing to do. I need to be productive in some way. Well I have to get up in a few hours for work so I'll climb the four flights of stairs and slide under the electric blanket.
Quick joke from Larry the Cable Guy. "I celebrated my 2-year wedding anniversary. I wanted to have sex, she wanted to eat at Outback, my mother wanted us to go to church and renew our vows. So we compromised. "We had sex out back of the church."
Peace joy and love.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
The funniest story...
For those of you who haven't read this, I found it on a sports website which will remain nameless. I'm going to quote parts of it. The headline is "Witchdoctor hexes spell over payment." Enjoy.
"A prize winning track athlete who competed in women's events was actually a man, a court in Zimbabwe has been told. Samukaliso Sithole, who competed in domestic and regional competitions, faced charges of crimen injuria, or psychological offense, in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo, the state-run Herald newspaper reported Wednesday. Prosecutors alleged Sithole offended the dignity and sexuality of a woman who befriended him, confided in him and felt comfortable being naked around him, all the while believing him to be a woman, the newspaper said.
Sithole was identified as a man to the complainant by an acquaintance, as he and a group of women were preparing to travel by train to a track meet in Bulawayo, the court heard Tuesday. Sithole tried to sprint away from the train station but was caught. Police then supervised a medical examination.
Sithole told the court he was born congenitally deformed. A tribal healer, known in the West as a witchdoctor, gave him "female status" but the spell didn't work properly because his family didn't pay the healer's full fee, Sithole said.
The Sithole competed in women's triple jump, javelin, shot-put and running events, and brought home Zimbabwe's only gold medal from the Southern Region Athletics Championships in neighboring Botswana last June.
He will reappear in court on March 3 and faces a fine if convicted."
This son/daughter of a gun didn't pay the full healer's fee? Boy, am I glad mom and dad paid the hospital fees or whatever they were. Otherwise, who knows? I might have turned into a weirdo or crazy person...
I remember another story out of Zimbabwe. This one is about 10 years old. This s serious too. A guy got arrested there for stealing human hearts from a morgue. Think about it. Stealing human hearts.
My question. Would that be a cardiac arrest?
Seriously, I've done some traveling, but I will never visit Zimbabwe. If I found myself there, I would just start running. Then again, that's what got Sithole in trouble.
"A prize winning track athlete who competed in women's events was actually a man, a court in Zimbabwe has been told. Samukaliso Sithole, who competed in domestic and regional competitions, faced charges of crimen injuria, or psychological offense, in the Zimbabwean city of Bulawayo, the state-run Herald newspaper reported Wednesday. Prosecutors alleged Sithole offended the dignity and sexuality of a woman who befriended him, confided in him and felt comfortable being naked around him, all the while believing him to be a woman, the newspaper said.
Sithole was identified as a man to the complainant by an acquaintance, as he and a group of women were preparing to travel by train to a track meet in Bulawayo, the court heard Tuesday. Sithole tried to sprint away from the train station but was caught. Police then supervised a medical examination.
Sithole told the court he was born congenitally deformed. A tribal healer, known in the West as a witchdoctor, gave him "female status" but the spell didn't work properly because his family didn't pay the healer's full fee, Sithole said.
The Sithole competed in women's triple jump, javelin, shot-put and running events, and brought home Zimbabwe's only gold medal from the Southern Region Athletics Championships in neighboring Botswana last June.
He will reappear in court on March 3 and faces a fine if convicted."
This son/daughter of a gun didn't pay the full healer's fee? Boy, am I glad mom and dad paid the hospital fees or whatever they were. Otherwise, who knows? I might have turned into a weirdo or crazy person...
I remember another story out of Zimbabwe. This one is about 10 years old. This s serious too. A guy got arrested there for stealing human hearts from a morgue. Think about it. Stealing human hearts.
My question. Would that be a cardiac arrest?
Seriously, I've done some traveling, but I will never visit Zimbabwe. If I found myself there, I would just start running. Then again, that's what got Sithole in trouble.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Weekend articles
Batavia 53, Sycamore 38:
After losing to Sycamore by one point in early January, Batavia coach Chad Hillman knew what he wanted from his players in the rematch.
"Last time, we blew a 15-point lead in the third quarter, and we lost by a point because we didn't rebound," Hillman said. "You could tell every possession we looked to get a body on somebody."
The Bulldogs executed and beat Sycamore on Friday, raising their record to 7-17 overall and 4-5 in the Suburban Prairie North Conference.
Batavia started off quickly, riding Meredith Novak and Donisha Barry's shooting to build a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But the Bulldogs' hot shooting suddenly froze in the second, as their only field goal came on a layup by Novak. Sycamore took advantage, and trailed 25-21 at halftime.
As the second half progressed, the Spartans began showing fatigue. Batavia's intense defense forced them to launch wild shots. By the end of the third, the Bulldogs had expanded their lead to 13 points.
Sycamore, however, started the final eight minutes on a 7-1 run, led by Sarah Hathaway's six points. With 5:20 left and Batavia up 39-33, Hillman called a timeout to regroup.
"We wanted to calm it down," Hillman said. "We were pushing and throwing up a bunch of shots. We wanted to get the game under control."
Hillman's strategy worked. On the ensuing possession, Novak took a long jumper and missed. She got her own rebound and missed another shot. Again, Novak grabbed another rebound, and made a layup to increase the lead to eight.
Immediately, Barry stole the ball and raced down the court. She scored another layup and Sycamore never threatened again.
Barry was pleased with her team's performance. "I think we did real good at rebounding and hopefully we can continue that the rest of the season."
She finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Laura Thilgen added 11 points and 7 boards. Nicole Ohlhaber led Sycamore with 12 points.
Adam Bartolo
Chicago Christian 77, Aurora Christian 51:
In their final regular season game, the Eagles (13-12, 3-6) fell to Private School League opponent Chicago Christian.
Aurora Christian was already thin on depth, with senior Kaylee Gordon out sick and Kristen Rasich limited due to a broken nose.
The physical Knights quickly capitalized and took a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game.
"We got out of the block slow," Eagles coach Dan Stone said. "They're a very talented and underrated team."
The Knights built their lead through Ryan Hedrick's inside scoring and rebounding and the explosive play of Emily Ottenhoff. In the first half alone, she knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 20 points. She led all scorers with 22 points.
Still, Aurora Christian kept fighting. It trailed 58-35 late in the third when it quietly went on a 10-0 run, creeping their way back into the game. But Jess Mandac swished a wide open 3-point shot, increasing the Knights' lead to 61-45, and putting the score out of reach.
Tara Thomalla led Aurora Christian with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Janeen Corbin added 11 points.
Despite the loss, Stone remains proud of what his young team has already accomplished this season.
"This is a brand new basketball team," Stone said. "We have two starting sophomores and a freshman who had never played high school ball. Corbin's a junior and didn't play varsity last year. So we're gaining a lot of experience. Our spirits are going to be good."
As they prepare to host their regional this week, the players believe they can accomplish a lot.
We want to win regionals." Rasich said. "I really believe the table has been set for us."
Echoed senior co-captain Kristen Renninger, "We're confident enough where we can play hard. We're playing to win."
The No. 7 seed Eagles begin regional play Monday at home against No. 13 Mooseheart, with the winner playing No. 3 seed Marengo in the semifinals Tuesday.
- Adam Bartolo
After losing to Sycamore by one point in early January, Batavia coach Chad Hillman knew what he wanted from his players in the rematch.
"Last time, we blew a 15-point lead in the third quarter, and we lost by a point because we didn't rebound," Hillman said. "You could tell every possession we looked to get a body on somebody."
The Bulldogs executed and beat Sycamore on Friday, raising their record to 7-17 overall and 4-5 in the Suburban Prairie North Conference.
Batavia started off quickly, riding Meredith Novak and Donisha Barry's shooting to build a 17-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But the Bulldogs' hot shooting suddenly froze in the second, as their only field goal came on a layup by Novak. Sycamore took advantage, and trailed 25-21 at halftime.
As the second half progressed, the Spartans began showing fatigue. Batavia's intense defense forced them to launch wild shots. By the end of the third, the Bulldogs had expanded their lead to 13 points.
Sycamore, however, started the final eight minutes on a 7-1 run, led by Sarah Hathaway's six points. With 5:20 left and Batavia up 39-33, Hillman called a timeout to regroup.
"We wanted to calm it down," Hillman said. "We were pushing and throwing up a bunch of shots. We wanted to get the game under control."
Hillman's strategy worked. On the ensuing possession, Novak took a long jumper and missed. She got her own rebound and missed another shot. Again, Novak grabbed another rebound, and made a layup to increase the lead to eight.
Immediately, Barry stole the ball and raced down the court. She scored another layup and Sycamore never threatened again.
Barry was pleased with her team's performance. "I think we did real good at rebounding and hopefully we can continue that the rest of the season."
She finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds while Laura Thilgen added 11 points and 7 boards. Nicole Ohlhaber led Sycamore with 12 points.
Adam Bartolo
Chicago Christian 77, Aurora Christian 51:
In their final regular season game, the Eagles (13-12, 3-6) fell to Private School League opponent Chicago Christian.
Aurora Christian was already thin on depth, with senior Kaylee Gordon out sick and Kristen Rasich limited due to a broken nose.
The physical Knights quickly capitalized and took a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the game.
"We got out of the block slow," Eagles coach Dan Stone said. "They're a very talented and underrated team."
The Knights built their lead through Ryan Hedrick's inside scoring and rebounding and the explosive play of Emily Ottenhoff. In the first half alone, she knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 20 points. She led all scorers with 22 points.
Still, Aurora Christian kept fighting. It trailed 58-35 late in the third when it quietly went on a 10-0 run, creeping their way back into the game. But Jess Mandac swished a wide open 3-point shot, increasing the Knights' lead to 61-45, and putting the score out of reach.
Tara Thomalla led Aurora Christian with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Janeen Corbin added 11 points.
Despite the loss, Stone remains proud of what his young team has already accomplished this season.
"This is a brand new basketball team," Stone said. "We have two starting sophomores and a freshman who had never played high school ball. Corbin's a junior and didn't play varsity last year. So we're gaining a lot of experience. Our spirits are going to be good."
As they prepare to host their regional this week, the players believe they can accomplish a lot.
We want to win regionals." Rasich said. "I really believe the table has been set for us."
Echoed senior co-captain Kristen Renninger, "We're confident enough where we can play hard. We're playing to win."
The No. 7 seed Eagles begin regional play Monday at home against No. 13 Mooseheart, with the winner playing No. 3 seed Marengo in the semifinals Tuesday.
- Adam Bartolo
Staying mum
I covered Friday and Saturday basketball games. I worked like crazy on Saturday too. Between 9 a.m. and midnight, I was home for 30 minutes.
Sunday was some of the most intense volleyball I've ever played. We played my boss' new team and he had taken 2 of our teammates with him. Before the match, I knew I had to do something about my serving which has been so ephemeral for 2 years. So I focused on throwing good high tosses and just making solid contact. I practiced with 5 or 6 people for about 10 minutes.
In the first game we led 10-1 and they rallied to tie the game at 11. We got the ball back and I got my first chance to serve. I served 4 straight points and we won Game 1. And these were no Paul Hacket-called dinky-dunky underhand serves, oh no no no. They were low, hard overhand serves.
In the second game we trailed 11-6, but rallied again. Same story. We were tied at 13, I believe and I served 2 more points to put it away.
We went back and forth in the third game, but we were leading 13-12 when time ran out and we went to rally scoring. That was all they needed to score three in a row and take one win away from us.
That was some fine playing by both sides. We looked a hell of a lot better than we did in Week 1 when we got jacked up like Jose Canseco. Anyway, we have a rematch this week with the same team. With Mike coming back, who's one of our best players, we'll be even tougher.
Better than the scores, I was able to stay pretty quiet. I didn't verbalize my anger hardly at all. OK, it may have had something to do with my boss being there. But I still held everything in check. I guess I saved up my anger for the Super Bowl that night.
And the Class A (small schools) girls playoffs are going on. Odds are both our local teams, Aurora Central and Aurora Christian will be done by tonight, certainly they'lll be done Thursday. They did both win Monday but they played against brutal teams. Now they'll face some competition in the regional semis tonight.
My alma mater No. 4 Wheaton Academy has a shot to win regionals, but we have to beat a good No. 5 Immaculate Conception team tonight and then beat Timothy Christian on their ugly court. TC is our arch-rival and we finished 2nd to them in conference. They've gotten some votes in the state poll so it will be really tough.
No we're not talking about Sunday night, except to say I was at Ecclesia and I wish it had run an hour longer. Because as soon as I get into the car and turn on the radio, I have to hear Marv Albert call Corey Dillon's touchdown to put the Eagles down 21-14. And I was having such a good weekend. And to have to hear this dynasty bull now and about Brady. He wouldn't be worth a damn without that coaching staff. If he was on the Giants or Jets, he's be another Jesse Palmer. An average QB with good looks (so some blind women think) who might make it on The Bachelor. It just makes me want to vomit. The only reason that team ever made the playoffs is the front office and coaches. Their players are average. That's no dynasty. But hey, who's upset?
Sunday was some of the most intense volleyball I've ever played. We played my boss' new team and he had taken 2 of our teammates with him. Before the match, I knew I had to do something about my serving which has been so ephemeral for 2 years. So I focused on throwing good high tosses and just making solid contact. I practiced with 5 or 6 people for about 10 minutes.
In the first game we led 10-1 and they rallied to tie the game at 11. We got the ball back and I got my first chance to serve. I served 4 straight points and we won Game 1. And these were no Paul Hacket-called dinky-dunky underhand serves, oh no no no. They were low, hard overhand serves.
In the second game we trailed 11-6, but rallied again. Same story. We were tied at 13, I believe and I served 2 more points to put it away.
We went back and forth in the third game, but we were leading 13-12 when time ran out and we went to rally scoring. That was all they needed to score three in a row and take one win away from us.
That was some fine playing by both sides. We looked a hell of a lot better than we did in Week 1 when we got jacked up like Jose Canseco. Anyway, we have a rematch this week with the same team. With Mike coming back, who's one of our best players, we'll be even tougher.
Better than the scores, I was able to stay pretty quiet. I didn't verbalize my anger hardly at all. OK, it may have had something to do with my boss being there. But I still held everything in check. I guess I saved up my anger for the Super Bowl that night.
And the Class A (small schools) girls playoffs are going on. Odds are both our local teams, Aurora Central and Aurora Christian will be done by tonight, certainly they'lll be done Thursday. They did both win Monday but they played against brutal teams. Now they'll face some competition in the regional semis tonight.
My alma mater No. 4 Wheaton Academy has a shot to win regionals, but we have to beat a good No. 5 Immaculate Conception team tonight and then beat Timothy Christian on their ugly court. TC is our arch-rival and we finished 2nd to them in conference. They've gotten some votes in the state poll so it will be really tough.
No we're not talking about Sunday night, except to say I was at Ecclesia and I wish it had run an hour longer. Because as soon as I get into the car and turn on the radio, I have to hear Marv Albert call Corey Dillon's touchdown to put the Eagles down 21-14. And I was having such a good weekend. And to have to hear this dynasty bull now and about Brady. He wouldn't be worth a damn without that coaching staff. If he was on the Giants or Jets, he's be another Jesse Palmer. An average QB with good looks (so some blind women think) who might make it on The Bachelor. It just makes me want to vomit. The only reason that team ever made the playoffs is the front office and coaches. Their players are average. That's no dynasty. But hey, who's upset?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
The funniest thing...
Watching a mime audition on American Idol. Absolutely classic. This girl, Jennifer is a real mime. Her face is painted like Marcel Marceau. So she lip-synchs an Aerosmith song with all these really exxagerated body movements and then collapses face first in front of the judges. She hadn't sung or spoken a word. And Simon goes, "One of the best we've heard today." Suffice to say, she's not going to Hollywood.
A few other things.
You can buy heart-shaped pepperoni pizzas at Papa Murphy's for Valentine's Day. Forget the chocolates, forget the flowers, this says love! If a girl buys me a pizza, I know she's special. Actually scratch that. If she throws in some cheesy bread, then she's got potential!
Scott Boras may have gotten 7 years for Carlos Beltran but he is not getting 7 years for Magglio Ordonez.
When Aurora Central Catholic is the 8th seed out of 14 teams in a high school basketball playoff sectional, you are covering one LOUSY sectional.
I never discussed wrestling on here before, but I miss the old Tazz and FTW 13. There's supposed to be a one-time ECW pay-per-view in June. I'm guessing he won't but it would be beautiful to see him lock the Tazzmission on just one more victim. And ROB VAN DAM's new DVD is out. Hopefully there's one Van Terminator on there. Cool guy, who I met in Denver in 1999 when he was still in ECW. Right now, he's till on the shelf for a few months due to knee surgery. Man wrestling just ain't the same.
And it really sucks to be sick. Later.
A few other things.
You can buy heart-shaped pepperoni pizzas at Papa Murphy's for Valentine's Day. Forget the chocolates, forget the flowers, this says love! If a girl buys me a pizza, I know she's special. Actually scratch that. If she throws in some cheesy bread, then she's got potential!
Scott Boras may have gotten 7 years for Carlos Beltran but he is not getting 7 years for Magglio Ordonez.
When Aurora Central Catholic is the 8th seed out of 14 teams in a high school basketball playoff sectional, you are covering one LOUSY sectional.
I never discussed wrestling on here before, but I miss the old Tazz and FTW 13. There's supposed to be a one-time ECW pay-per-view in June. I'm guessing he won't but it would be beautiful to see him lock the Tazzmission on just one more victim. And ROB VAN DAM's new DVD is out. Hopefully there's one Van Terminator on there. Cool guy, who I met in Denver in 1999 when he was still in ECW. Right now, he's till on the shelf for a few months due to knee surgery. Man wrestling just ain't the same.
And it really sucks to be sick. Later.
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