Turkey Day.

For those of you that haven't seen it, the best Peanuts© Holiday special is, by far, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"!!

There are many reasons why, such as the kids banding together to 'cook' their own meal and give thanks for their friendship. The main reason I like this special the best is because of a song in the middle of the show called 'Fly Little Birdie' by Vince Guaraldi (the same guy behind all of the music for Peanuts specials) with vocals by some guy named Joe Williams.....yeah, apparently that's his real name.

So....it's a badass song if you can find it. Just watch the episode above.....it's towards the middle or just past that (?).

I, honestly, did not plan on writing a Peanuts©-themed blog....but the weirdest thing happened the other night. I went out to get some drinks with a few peeps that I've been hanging out with here. No lie, our waitress.....er, server.....was none other than Peppermint Patty!!!!

You're probably thinking I'm just stretching to make this a funny quip about a character from a 40-year old comic strip.

Ok.
Her name was Patty.
She was wearing a green shirt.
Her voice was raspy and kind of gruff.
She had reddish-brown, neck length hair.
She was a bit lesbian-ish.

For clarification, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with her being a lesbian, or with lesbians being lesbians in general. I'm simply stating that Peppermint Patty has long been associated as a lesbian. Can we not agree on that? I mean.....her best 'friend', Marcy, calls Patty "Sir." No one else finds that strange?

Alright.
So watch 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving'.
Eat turkey. Or To-furkey. Or whatever.
Just enjoy your holiday.

And finally,
a list of things I'm thankful for:


The Movie 'Shaft'


Baseball


Glenn Dorsey


Beer


Sleep


The Lantus SoloStar Pen

&


Beer

I am my Father's Son.

I hate shaving. I really do.

It's annoying. It hurts. Sometimes you bleed. Excessively.
Therefore, I try to limit the number of times per week that I scrape sharp metal across my face.

When I was younger and hadn't quite hit my full pubescent stride, I would constantly "shave" the few sprigs of hair that my face had managed to sprout, in an attempt to speed the process along. First, it was to get my sideburns to grow faster. Then it was to try to grow a moustache, which was a futile effort until I was about 19.

It wasn't that I wanted a Grizzly Adams' Beard®.....it was simply that I wanted the option of growing one. (Which I later tried, with varying levels of success).

Lately, I've had a hard time getting a good, clean shave. I recently got a coupon in the mail for a free four-bladed razor, which I promptly used in order to replace my usual three-bladed razor. I usually maintain some sort of facial hair, and lately it's been the usual goatee sans moustache. I have been wrestling with the idea of not shaving and letting the beard take over, but it's not quite cold enough for that yet.

Today, I decided to try using the old three blade razor first to get the bulk of the hair that had grown on my mug for the better part of a week. Then, I would use the shiny new four blade razor to get nice and close, to keep the stubble at bay for another few hours.

It was about halfway through my third upstroke with the four bladed razor that I stopped and looked myself dead in the eyes.

Crap.

I am my Father's Son.

My father has used on average four different style razors to shave his face every morning for the last several years. The mirrored cabinet in the bathroom at my parent's house looks like a virtual graveyard for razorblades. I've routinely fired witty remarks at my father for his overdone shaving ritual. He spends what seems like hours in the bathroom every morning just to ensure that a single folicle of newly sprouted stubble will not ruin his day.

It's strange to see your parents' influence in yourself. Take a good long look at yourself in a mirror one day. Sure, it sounds vain and silly. Honestly, it's kind of cathartic.

I am like any other person. Growing up, you shake your head and close your eyes from embarrasment when your parents do just about anything. You try and avoid becoming like them.

My father occasionally makes bad jokes (Sorry, Pops). He makes what seem like the strangest decisions sometimes. My father is a creature of habit. He has refueled his car at the same gas station for over a decade. He shops at the same small grocery store, where it seems like everyone who works there knows him by name, for everything (except his beloved razorblades). He watches the weather radar all day on tv, with the sound off. My father never walks around the house barefooted.

Then again, how am I any different?

Go ahead and ask my friends how often I make bad jokes. G'head, ask 'em!

Ask my friends if I've ever made weird decisions....about anything.

I am absolutely a creature of habit. I eat the same meal from the same fast food place just about everyday. I shop at the same grocery store, although I sincerely doubt the store manager know me by name. Given access to the tv, I watch ESPN all day, albeit with the sound on.

I think the only thing that I don't share with my Dad is that I do walk around barefoot. All the time. Even in the winter.

I now know that there are much worse realizations than learning your personality traits are directly inherited from your parents.

For example:
-The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles do not actually live in the sewers of NYC. Heartbreaking, I know.

-I do not have The Force. As badly as I have wanted to be a Jedi all of my life, I cannot merely stick my hand out and move objects, or use mind control to alter situations to my favor. Even though there was that time, when I was about 8, when I reached out my hand to turn off the lights before bed and the room went dark. I slept very well that night, thinking I was well on my way to being the Greatest Jedi Knight ever......turns out the light bulb had just burned out. Damn.

My Father is a good man. He has worked hard all of his life to support a family that just kept getting bigger. He volunteers most of his free time to several organizations related to his job, the Kiwanis Club and the Youth Group at the church where I grew up. No one has ever asked him to do any of this.

I am my Father's Son.....and I can't think of anybody else's kid that I'd rather be.

You Won't Catch Me In a Sauna

I am terrible at seasonal transitions. When the weather changes, it takes me a few days to adjust accordingly.
Perhaps this is due to my having been raised in the deep south, where our seasons are as follows:

January-February = Winter (There is a possibility of temperatures below 40)
March-October = Summer (HOT)
October-December = Fall (Not as Hot)

The last few weeks have been quite pleasant here in Nashville. However, it has been raining most of the last week and with the extra moisture, colder temperatures have arrived. I'm usually a shorts-wearing type of guy, so it took me a bit to realize that I needed to switch to pants.

So I'm well into my pants and light jacket routine this week, and randomly, I woke up this morning and I was freezing. I checked weather.com and saw that it was 42 degrees (Fahrenheit) outside. I quickly formulated in my head that it would be a good idea to take a nice, hot shower and get the blood flowing.

Apparently, I got overzealous.

I ended up taking the hottest shower on record. It was like a sauna in my tiny bathroom. I realized that saunas are just plain weird. The hot water and steam that I had intended to wake up my senses ended up leaving me drained. I was weak and lame (not that I'm not usually weak and lame, but this is totally different). I felt tired all day and generally "blah".

I then started to think of why saunas even exist (I've got a LOT of time to think during the day, when I'm driving in my truck). I looked it up on Wikipedia. And I can't appreciate the idea of sitting in a blazing hot room (sometimes as hot as 212 degrees) with a bunch of naked dudes. Not that there's anything WRONG with that.....it just so happens that it isn't my particular flavor of diet soda.

So keep your towels on in the steamroom and reduce the heat in your showers.
Rock on people.

The Art of The Quick Trip

I am always surprised whenever I make a trip back to Baton Rouge, it never matters how long I stay, I usually end up thinking that I should have stayed one or two more days.

This past weekend was no different.

The only real change from my normal pattern is that I actually made a concious effort to spend time with my parents and tried very hard not to stay out past 4am. I succeeded in both categories.

Friday night I went out to eat with my Mom and Dad and my sister, Robin. Afterward, I ended up crashing in the arm chair while watching tv. Not the most hip way to spend a Friday night, but I'm okay with that. I, of all people, am not hip.

Saturday was also an effort to stay home, as I had two offers of LSU vs. Auburn tickets...and each of them were equally enticing.....but I decided to spend the day with my Dad and watch the game in glorious HD(!).

I made my way out late Saturday, after the thrilling Demetrius Byrd catch (seen below), to hang out with some quality people that I know. The only drag was that I could hardly see them due to the smoke machine that a noise-post-[insert music genre adjective here] rock band had employed throughout the evening,



Sunday, John and I forced the Amazing Brand-O and Christy to watch the Dark Crystal. I'll be absolutely honest. I loved this movie as a kid. And now, after having seen the special features, knowing how much time and work was put into making this film, I am still a big fan. But I do think the movie lacks something. Yes, I've gotten older (and recently older, still), so maybe the movie has lost that fantastic quality it once had.

I sloshed out of town on monday morning. No, I wasn't hungover....it was raining. I actually didn't drink that much this trip....believe it or not. The biggest disappointment was receiving a phone call from my boss after a solid six hours of driving, having just passed Tuscaloosa, AL, telling me that he didn't need me to come to work on Tuesday. So that long-desired, yet elusive, extra day slipped through my grasp again. Had I recieved that call somewhere near Hattiesburg, or maybe even Meridian.....I'd have pulled a cloverleaf U-turn and headed right back to BR.

All in all, I had a good trip. I saw a lot of the people that I specifically wanted to see, I unexpectedly ran into a few people that I was glad to see, I spent quality time with my family, and I got to see LSU win, albiet only on tv. Sadly, I missed out on seeing some people whom I intended to see....and to Tom and Holly and others, I sincerely apologize.

Until next time....which I hope is sooner (Thankgiving), rather than later (xmas).

Rock on peeps.
Go Rockies!
War VA Tech beating BC!!!

Softball: Final

Wow.
7 weeks went fast!

Last night was fantastic.....We swept the double-header and finished the season 5-9.
Having started 0-fer, that's a good thing!

As a team, we really started to play well, and we found a pretty decent lineup that allowed us to score early....and as we discovered last night, often!

Game one started as a major victory and ended up almost a nail-biter.
We jumped out to a 12-3 lead and ended up winning 12-10. All of our offense came in the second inning when we batted around. I singled and walked, drove in two and scored twice in that inning alone. I walked again later in the game but was stranded at second.

Game two was probably our greatest game and biggest accomplishment as a team.

We fell behind quickly and dug ourselves into a deeper hole with some bad defensive plays....mostly my fault. Somehow, I forgot how to catch the ball. I was playing catcher for the first time all season and I had to field a couple of plays at the plate.

The first play was a lady tagging from third who honestly had no business charging the plate. I caught the ball early and stood my ground as she barreled into me. No harm, no foul. She was out by a mile. The next play was a relay throw from shortstop and I completely missed the ball as my eyes wandered to the much larger guy coming down the line full steam, with absolutely no intentions of stopping on account of me standing there.

Thankfully, we were able to overcome our mistakes and make a solid comeback. Everybody in the lineup came through in the clutch. Tara made some great pitches in the last few innings. Whether by pure skill or by pure luck, the ball danced to the inside and outside corners of the plate and for the last six or seven outs, the other team couldn't make any solid contact.

Jeff showed some incredible hustle, circling in from first on what ended up being a double. Cecilia made the most out of the least contact at the plate...she reached base three or four times, drove in two or three runs and scored at least twice. Our "ringer" Eric had arguably his worst night at the plate, popping up twice and drilling a line drive single, but our team was able to score a lot of runs without the longball.

So we came back to win game 2, 14-13.

Way to go team!

For those keeping track (i.e. me), my final line is .591 avg (13-22), 7 Runs Scored, 9 RBIs, 5 BBs, and an OBP of .667

Can't wait for next season. But my legs (after crouching all night) are more than happy for the break.

Go ROCKIES!!!!

"Yack In Da BAWX"

I regret my decision-making ability.

Tonight was a great night.

LSU eeks out a win over Florida.
I chatted up a pretty girl at the alumni meeting.
Drinks a-plenty.....
After Party attendance......
Jack In The Box meal at 2am.

That's where it all went wrong.

Why can't Wendy's be open 24 hours? Why is Jack in the Box the only fast food joint open at 2am? Why does every Jack in the Box only hire hispanic women to work the drive thru, when they can hardly even say "Jack in the Box" properly?

I rarely eat at "Yack in da Bawx".....and for good reasons.

1) A number of years back, some people died from eating the food.

2) Of the, let's say six, times I've eaten there in my lifetime, four of those times have resulted in horrible stomach ailments (see above link).

3) People DIED eating there.

But sadly, it is the only place open at 2am in this godforsaken state.

So cross your fingers that tonight's Combo Number 5 doesn't come back with too much of a vengence!

Softball: Pt. 10

I'm sensing a pattern.
From now on, Thursday's Game Blog will most likely happen on Friday, as I am usually exhausted by the time I get home on Thursday night.

Good news though!

We won our first game last night!!!!!
12-7. I don't know how it happened, but we put up 12 runs against what was supposed to be a really good team! I went 2-4 with two RBIs and a run scored....and the thing is that I'm more impressed that I got 4 AT BATS!!!!! FOUR!!!!! I never get four at bats. I usually get one....maybe two. But four?! and I was batting eigth in the order!
I don't know what got into our team, but it was dramatically different from the previous five weeks....in a great way!

Game 2 is when we came slightly back to form.
We got drilled 18-2. Our pitcher tired out a bit. Our fielding was still better than it has been, but the other team just started popping the ball over the infielder's heads and in front of us outfielders. I went 1-2 at the plate with one RBI and a run scored.

The run was a controversial one. I was on second as the ball was hit to right-center. I was gonna pull up and stop at third, but Seth (coaching Third Base) started flailing his arm and screaming "GO HOME! GET IN THE HOUSE!!!! SLIDE SLIDE SLIDE!!!!"
So I turned on what's left of my old high school speed and barrel around the bag and head to the plate. Just as I thought the relay man now hs the ball and I'm racing against his throw. I get to the plate after the ball and hit the deck. The catcher had caught the ball and was blocking the plate and my only play was to bowl him over. So I did and the Umpire initially called me out....but then as the dust cleared, the catcher didn't have the ball! I had jarred it loose from his mitt and Blue called me "SAFE!"

That was rewarding. Especially, because of the blood that I spilled. I jacked up my back somehow and I sustained a nice scrape on my right knee. It's smaller than it seemed last night. I guess it shrank after it was finished squirting blood.....or maybe I'm just a wuss.

Don't answer that! It was rhetorical.

.538 avg (7-13), 5 RBI, 4 Runs Scored, 2 BB, and a .600 OBP.
I could play for the Royals!!!! Then again, that might be too much work. But the winning percentages would be similar!

Softball: Pt. 9

Okay, Sports fans. Here goes:

I'm in a much better mood, but a much more battered body.

We won!!!!! We split tonight's games against our opponent....and we almost pulled off a double-header sweep!! Almost.

Game 1.
We lost 10-9, but we were leading most of the game. Our defense was much improved and we may have found ourselves the proper position. Somehow, we ended up on the wrong end of a much debated triple-play. I personally still think it was a bullshit call and have no clue how they came to the decision that two people can account for all three outs?!?! Oh well.....who knows if we could have gotten that run what would have happened....
I went 1-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

Game 2 was the best game we've played.
Pitching was fantastic, Fielding was way better, and our hitting was pretty incredible. I did however take a liner off the bottom of my right shin and it bruised up in no time.
I went 1-2 again, with a walk, and an RBI.....sadly, I struck out like an idiot too! I swung right over the top of what should have been "Ball 3". That was embarrassing.

So the stats are good.
.526 Batting Average (10 hits in 19 ABs), 5 RBIs, 2 BBs, and 3 runs scored.
OBP is .571.
And most importantly we won!

Softball: Pt. 8

Honestly, I only keep categorizing these blogs as 'Sports' because they don't have a distinction for 'Excercises in Futility".

Swept again.
0-8
Surprisingly, I had a decent night though. Game 1, I took a walk, but was stranded at first. Game 2, I got an RBI single and scored a run. We still lost. I caught everything that was hit my way.....all two chances I got stuck out in rightfield.

I'm actually kind of excited that we only have three more weeks of this.....I haven't really enjoyed getting pounded every game this season. I think my biggest problem is that our "coach" (better yet, team captain), Seth, is out of sorts. He shows a lot of enthusiasm and hustles his ass off on every play.....my problem is this. I get corrected or yelled at on basically everything I do. "There's two outs, you should have tried to score from first the second you hear the crack of the bat!!!!!", or "Move in! A right-handed hitter isn't gonna hit it to deep right!" (Crack.....ball flys over my poorly positioned head....grumblegrumble). Further more....he never yells at the guys on the team that really suck.

Look....I know I'm not A-Rod, or Junior, or even Mario Mendoza (the guy who they coined the phrase "The Mendoza Line" after.....which means to hit around .200, which is not good). I'm just a guy who likes to play and have fun and hopes to win at least once in a while. But some of these guys can't even catch a ball!!!! The guy they have playing third base has a glove slightly smaller than my glove......FROM WHEN I PLAYED TEEBALL WHEN I WAS 7!!!!!! How the hell do you expect to make any plays with that glove?! I make my share of mistakes.....but when I'm stuck in rightfield, with nothing better to do than stare at all of the errors that my team commits....I get severely frustrated.

And I hate to be THAT GUY, but for some reason, I always get stuck at the bottom of lineups. In both leagues....what the hell? What's a guy gotta do to hit in the top of the order and see the plate more than twice a night?! In the men's league, I'm hitting .571 with two walks, two runs batted in and two runs scored......you know why I've only got 2 RBI's and 2 runs? Because I'm stuck at the bottom of the order where the other guys around me pop up the first pitch that is thrown to them and then go back to the dugout and smoke a cigarette!!!!

SERIOUSLY!!!!

In the men's league, I have a .667 OBP (On-Base Percentage (OBP): The total number of hits [6] + Bases on Balls [2] + hits by Pitch [0] DIVIDED BY at bats [7] + Bases on Balls [2] + hit by Pitch [0] + Sacrifice Flies[0]=.667).

In the Co-ed league, I'm batting .533, with three RBIs and a run scored, and an OBP of .533.

Combine the two and I'm at .545 avg, 5 RBIs, three runs and an OBP of .583.
Not too shabby. I know of two guys off the top of my head who have yet to even reach base safely in a game this season.

My point being is that I'm not the greatest softball player. I'm not the Babe Ruth of Nashville Slowpitch. But I could be a contributor. I could set the table or help clear it.

I'm just sayin'......

Softball: Pt. 6 & 7

Ok.....sorry about not writing last week.
Last Thursday: Men's League.....
I went 2-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Got the ol' Batting Average up to .500 in that league!!

Game one: we jumped out to a nice 3-0 lead....but couldn't hold it. We lost like 15-5.

Game two: we did not jump out to a lead. I think we scored one run.........on an inside the park homerun by a guy who was just filling a roster spot for us.

So we're 0-6. But we know we're terrible and we've resolved to just trying to get a few runs and keep the other team from having too many huge innings.

After the games, I hustled back to my truck and stripped off the hideous uniform and threw on some clothes and headed to the Station Inn to hear the Red Stick Ramblers!
It was an amazing show. Those guys are so incredibly talented. I didn't even know I liked Cajun Music and Western Swing until I started working with Glenn and went to see them play about 5 years ago. Through lineup changes and just years on the road, they are as tight as a band can be.

It was really great to see Glenn.....I miss that guy. I also miss cruising the streets of BR in his 1967 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Good times, indeed.

So tonight: Co-Ed league......

Game 1: horrible!
Not only did we get creamed.....it wasn't close.....and a lot of it was my fault!
I was playing in right/center field (four outfielders) and I committed at least five errors......I kicked the ball while trying to field it......and on one particularly bad play, i booted it twice! I yelled "F***" so loudly that I got a warning from the home plate umpire!!! oops.

Our pitcher hurt himself on a boneheaded slide/tumble into second and had to go to the hospital (possibly broke his wrist), so they pulled me from right and stuck me at shortstop, as our SS went to pitch.....I dread playing shortstop.....I know it's softball, but shortstop is a tough position and I always imagined myself being terrible at it.

Surprisingly, I wasn't that bad. I only made one bad throw and six putouts.

I somehow managed to go 1-2 at the dish.

Game 2: HEARTBREAKER!!!!!

I played 1st base this game. I liked first! I didn't look like a schlub out there. I maintained a 1.000 fielding % at first base. I had 8 putouts, mostly popups to shallow right.

This was by far our best game of the season. We jumped out to a 5-0 lead. We even held that 5-0 until the 5th inning. Jeff stated that if we one the game we'd all go for beers after the game and stipulated that if we somehow managed to keep the game a shutout, he'd buy the first two rounds!!!! WHOOO HOOOOOOO!!!! Free Beer!!!

Bottom half of the inning, the score 5 runs.
Bottom of the 6th: they score 3.

Top of the seventh. We're down 8-5. We've had to take an automatic out because our pitcher is unable to play. Down 3, 1 out. .......the tension builds.....for about twenty seconds. Pop out, Groundout. Game over. Sonofabitch!!!!

I went 2-4 on the night with an RBI in game two. Average is down twelve points to .533

So we're 2-6....but could have been 3-5.
And I didn't get any free beer.......or any beer for that matter.
Damn.

Softball: Pt. 5

I can't say i forgot to post last night, there just wasn't any news, stats or the like to report......plus I totally crashed nearly the second I got home.

Our whole team showed up, full uniforms (well, jerseys and shorts) ready to go.
Most of us got to the park early to get a little more throwing and fielding practice before the game and to take a little BP so we could try and score some runs.

So we get to the point where we're feeling good and confident.....and game time is around the corner.....and the other team never shows up.

Sons-of-bitches.

I, needless to say was very very very very bummed.
The good news is that we got our first "wins" of the season and brought our record to 2-4. Plus we all (mostly) stuck around for the better part of the next two hours and got in more BP and fielding......albiet at a less than 100% effort.....at least I know that I wasn't running top speed during practice.....

so.....still batting .545 (6-11)......and just waiting for tomorrow's game(s).

Softball: Pt. 4

Our team is 0-4.
4 Mercy rule killings.
But we actually got the team three up, three down in the first game tonight and took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 2nd on a RBI single by yours truly.

I, however, was stranded at first base.

The second game, I flew out to left field.

So my average sits at .333 (1-3) with 1 single and an RBI.

We suck.

Softball: Pt. 3

Ok....I'm gonna make this one really short. Mostly because my leg hurts and I'm tired.

Still out of shape....so much so that I got a wicked leg cramp in the middle of Game 2 tonight.
It's Tuesday which means Coed league, which means a better team and more fun.

We, sadly, lost both games again tonight......but we were yet again, down an outfielder and thus had to not only run around like crazy people in the outfield, but also had to take an automatic out each time we cycled our batting order......which sucks.

Game 1 was a bit more of a one sided affair, as the other team beat us 13-3.
I hit two singles, but never reached second base either time.

Game 2 was a tough game for us as it seemed everybody started to cramp up. Adam and Tara could hardly run by the end of the game and my left quad has a knot the size of a ping pong ball in it.

I did go 2 for 3 with two singles, and RBI and a run scored. We still lost, but the score was a more acceptable 10-8.

My Batting average is up to .545 (6-11), I've hit six singles, as I've learned to pull the ball through the hole between short and third. I've scored twice and have 1 RBI.

Rock on.
Sleep well.
Stay Hydrated!!!!! (leg cramps suck)

Softball Pt. 2.....or How it feels to bleed from the Ear.

Thursday night men's league was an absolute disaster!

We got thoroughly embarrassed!
As the home team, we played the field in the top of the 1st inning.
Let me take you through their offensive first inning:
Solo Home Run (1-0)
Single
Single
Single
Grand Slam (5-0)
Double
2-Run HR (7-0)
Single
2-Run HR (9-0)
Solo HR (10-0)
Solo HR (11-0)
Fly Out
Solo HR (12-0)
Fly Out
Ground Out

This sucks.
We played two three inning, mercy-rule shortened games in which we lost by a combined score of 68-3.

No I'm not kidding.

And no, none of us played for the Baltimore Orioles at anytime in the recent past.

To top off my night....I took a solidly-hit line drive on a wicked hop, straight to the left ear. It hurt like god-awful hell! It split my ear down near the lobe and I was bleeding rather immediately. I took a few seconds to get my bearings and realized that I wasn't right. I've had concussions before....and although I don't think that was what this was, I decided to go ahead and sit down. Granted, I WAS PISSED. It hurt like hell. I know I've said this already, but it was not a comfortable moment in my life!

In all of this, the other team were terrible human beings throughout the whole ordeal. They laughed at our inability to play on their level. I understand it's a game and the competitive nature of the game, but these guys were poor sports. Their sportsmanship was about as believable as Lindsay Lohan's sobriety. ZING!

So in my one at-bat, I popped out to short. 0-1. That sucks. So does our team. But that's a whole different twenty paragraph complaint.

Cumulative Stats.

2-7, .286 AVG, 2 1B

Softball: Pt. 1

Howdy Sports Fans.
I'm pretty excited about the next two months.
I'm playing with two softball teams this fall and I have a good feeling about both teams. For each team, the season is seven weeks long with a doubleheader everyweek.

On Tuesday nights, I'll be playing with a Coed team called 'Squeeze Play'.
We had our first two games last night and even though we lost both games, I think we played well, showed a good bit of hustle, and made solid contact. We also made some errors, both fielding and mental, but I think we can learn from those mistakes and make up for them in the long run.

In the first game, I played right field and went 2-4 at the plate.
My first at-bat was lame. I took the first pitch for a called strike. It was a good call by the umpire, I just couldn't have done anything with it, as it was letter high and on the inside part of the plate. The second pitch was a huge meatball and I swung like an idiot and popped out behind second base.
My second at-bat I lined a pitch right at the pitcher's feet. Now here is where I f*ed up. In the rules, it says that if a ball is hit at the pitcher and they make a play at the ball, it is in play and the force or tag out rules apply, but if the pitcher makes a defensive move, the batter is out. I didn't run the play out and was called out. That's my fault and I'll run hard on every play next time.
I did get two solid singles later in the game and was on first base as the winning run, down 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th, but we weren't able to make anything else happen that inning.

The second game was a mess. I was tired and felt like my blood sugar was tanking. I ran and bought a Powerade from the concession stand, but as it happens, the drink didn't do anything for me because I m plain out-of-shape! (Aerobically speaking.....I have the svelte body of a 12 year old....with diabetes).
I made some decent catches in the outfield. There was one play that particularly pissed me off though. We played last night down a player. You can play ten and we just didn't have an extra female. So not only did we have to take an automatic out at the end of our batting order every time, but we were covering a very large outfield with only three players.
I know, I know....."Baseball players always play with only three outfielders!", you say. But here is the difference: Baseballs are hit harder, and usually higher than, and less frequently than softballs. Oh, and did I mention I was out-of-shape? (Again, aerobically speaking).

Ok, so the play I alluded to earlier. Down 4-2, late in the game, two on, one out....The other team had two left handed hitters, and we (all three of the outfielders) would shift accordingly. This worked to perfection as those particular hitters only flew out whenever they would pull the ball. (I said I was out-of-shape.....I never said I was slow!)

The problem arose when a right-handed hitter stepped in and we shifted back to shade him to left field......this asshole, knowing we're an outfielder short, pokes the ball down the rightfield line. I had one hell of a run to get to that ball and I think I tweaked my groin muscle while running it down (uneven outfield). Anyways....I thought that was a little dirty on that hitter's part, but kudos to him for having the bat control to take a pitch the other way. I wish I could do it.

And much to my dismay, I went 0-2 at the plate in Game 2, as I lined out to the pitcher and popped out to short. I let my anger get the best of me after that last AB and threw my bat on the ground....I then quickly got a warning from the Umpire.

ok.
So that's update 1.
I'll do my best to keep this up and give you a stat line at the bottom. Honestly, this blog is more for me anyways, just to keep up with my own progress through the season.
Wish me luck, as tomorrow I start play with a men's league.....That double header is gonna be tough, 'cause I'm already sore as hell!!!

STATS:


Game 1: 2-4, 1B
Game 2: 0-2

Season Average: .333

The Price of Sugar

Hello everyone.

I apologize that my sense of humor is running on fumes today. I was up late last night and stumbled across a myspace profile that tugged at my heartstrings.

"The Price of Sugar" Film


This brings back a lot of memories. In the summer of 1998, just before my senior year of high school, I traveled along with my youth group to the Dominican Republic to interact and serve these very people. We worked closely with a different church and a different pastor, but our mission was the same.

I am so fortunate that I was able to take that trip. I learned so much about the positive nature of humanity, which is a lesson that I struggle with daily. People, in absolute poverty and without any worldly possessions, were the happiest, most joyous people you could find. I met amazing people, both Dominican and Haitian, and even in my own group.

I ask that you at least watch the trailer.



Their website is also available as a resource:
The Price of Sugar Website

I particularly recommend the "Take Action" section.

I wish I could find my pictures from that trip almost ten years ago.




Also, Happy Birthday to JT$.

More Observations

After another week in Georgia, I can say I don't totally hate Atlanta anymore......mostly, I'm numb to the matter. It sucks to go to Atlanta all the time, but I've been brainwashed into not dwelling on it.

Here is a few more observations from the painfully boring life I've led this past week:


1. If Georgia is known as the "Peach State", and if policemen are sometimes called "fuzz".....can we safely assume that Georgia Law Enforcement should be known as "Peach Fuzz"?
-better yet: Are they still not allowed to grow facial hair?

2. After drinking 12 beers and 2 shots, you will not feel very good the next morning......or most of the day.
-After drinking 8 beers and no shots, you will not feel much better.

3. In Snellville, GA, attractive girls are few and far between.
In Tucker, GA, there is no such thing as attractive girls....there are however plently of leathery, 40 year old alcoholics.

4. Eating crappy food will no doubt make you crappy......minus the second 'p' and the 'y'.

5. Not having a laptop blows.

6. Not having a lot of money blows.

7. Having to go to Atlanta all the time blows.

The End.

....damn.

I don't know why the universe hates me so much.

That's unfair.......the universe hates a lot of other people too and it is very selfish of me to claim all of the bad luck in the world.

I'm being sent back to Atlanta. Again.

Maybe the third time is a charm?

Nah.

The mileage will pay me well....but as previously mentioned, I hate Atlanta.

Last time around started out well since I got to hang out with my buddy Adam.....but ended in utter failure as my last day ended in major disappointment. I've mentioned this incident to some of you in passing....but I think leaving names and details out would be the smart thing to do.

I've got my fingers crossed that this trip will be super short....but, as per usual, I'm never told anything. I actually am surprised that I was told to make the trip in the first place!

I'm a few weeks late on this story...but recording is going very well. Having Brandon and JT$ come and play guitar was one of the best experiences of my life. It was a three day extravaganza of tunes, booze and guitar tone.......and to top it off, Big C made the trip just to hang out.....and it was Ray's birthday! The only thing that would have made it better would have been if the three days had been a full week.

Sadly, I need to do laundry, pack and mope around for a while. It's 8:10pm now and my eyes are already hard to keep open........damn.

Recent Observations

In lieu of a normal blog entry.....where I would usually ramble for several paragraphs about how awesome or how lame I perceived my life to be at any given moment.....I've decided to share with you some thoughts that randomly popped into my noggin this week. I hope you enjoy them.

Recent Observations:
- Atlanta is UNGODLY HOT!!!!!
I don't know how people (Sarah) live there?!
-Avocados are fucking AWESOME!
Seriously, I love avocados. If you want me to buy something, put avocados in it!
-Even though I've never been, BOSTON SUCKS!
Their Baseball fans are like termites....You never realize they're around or how many are around until there is a problem....and by then you're fucked.
EXCEPTION: Sam Adams Brewery
EXCEPTION TO THE EXCEPTION: Sam Adams Summer Ale = Piss in a Bottle!
-Hasty Generalization: People of Caribbean Descent are CRANKY!!!
-Traveling for work is nowhere near as fun as traveling for fun!
-Eating at Waffle House by yourself is really lonely and not that exciting.
-Sometimes, you can't tell if morbidly obese people are boys or girls.

YES!

This is the best news I've gotten in a while:

Stem Cells Harvested From Umbilical Cords Could Cure Diabetes


I'm very excited.

I know it's a long way off....they have to breed millions of mice and make sure they all have diabetes so they can then cure them of the disease.

This is the second possible cure I've read about in the last three years.
My prayer is that the Government and Pharmaceutical Companies can get off their lazy (read: greedy) asses and hook ya boy up!

I just want to sit down to eat without having to jam a needle in my nonexistant gut.

I've only been dealing with this for three years, and I know I'm very far down the list of people with the right to complain.....but it still sucks.

Living with Diabetes has been more of an inconveinience for me. I take care of myself, but I still have to stick myself with needles at least 4 times a day. Hypoglycemia is a bitch. Hyperglycemia isn't that bad....it just makes me sleepy, and I'm all about naps!

Sadly, even if I continue taking good care of myself and keeping my blood sugars in check.....hundreds of complications could ruin (or take) my life: heart disease and/or failure, renal failure, foot amputation, erectile dysfunction (don't work, my unit still works......it's just a possibility later in life), blindness, and a ton of other crap.

So go ahead and get all preggers and donate your little squirt's umbilical cord to Stem Cell Research!

Presents...for the FUTURE!

And, just as expected, NYPD Blue - Season 4 is AWESOME!!!

If there is a possibility of dying from overdosing on watching reruns of old tv shows, this is exactly the show I would want to croak from.

I don't think I even missed NYC very much until I started watching this show.

Also, buying TV shows on DVD is the best thing I've experienced in a very long time. You get all the killer and none of the filler. Don't get me wrong, I like commercials.....but not when I'm busy watching a show.

If anybody (or any of you) ever decides they want to buy me stuff (and for reference.......I'm okay with that), be sure to ask me what my favorite shows are that I might possibly want to watch over and over on DVD......

You know what?
I'll just give you the list:

1. NYPD Blue (I already own Seasons 1-4, and they haven't released any other seasons yet......but this is for future reference after all)
2. LOST
3. Heroes
4. Law & Order (I'm easy on which series, though I'm partial to the original)
5. Scrubs
6. The Sopranos
7. Seinfeld
8. ER

That's about all I can muster at the moment....and I figure it'll take everyone a while to track down all of those shows. (Hint: eBay has excellent DVD deals!)

In other news:
-I'm driving home tomorrow (Wednesday)....see some of you there. (Chimes trip?!)
-Jerry Falwell croaked......good riddance.
-Rock on.

Split Down the Middle

I've made a determination that my body is, in fact, two seperate entities housed in the same shell. It seems to me that it is divided in equal halves by an imaginary line.

My right side is lazy. This is probably the side that most of you are familiar with. I would say it's my most dominant side. Not only because I'm right=handed, or right-footed, but because I can really only fall asleep on my right side.

I've come to this realization after the last several weeks. Whenever I'm on my right side at night, I'm dead asleep. A bulldozer could enter my room and roll right over me, and I would never know. Meanwhile, should I toss and or turn over onto my left side, I am automatically semi-awake, jumpy and unnerved.

This isn't the most in-depth or stimulating entry....sorry.

Freakin' Perfect

For once, it's not my fault that the damn toilet is clogged.

But somehow....I end up having to trek to the store at 10:30 at night to buy a plunger, so that I can use the bathroom without fear of an overflow.

And of course, it's just my luck that the one night that I have to waste $4 on a plunger is the same night that there is only one register open, run by the only cute girl in this town.

Now I'm the guy who wandered through her line and tossed four bucks her way, 'cause he's gotta go home and suction the poo out of the pipes.

Damn.

Epilogues

I've just finished watching Stranger Than Fiction, with Will Ferrell, and I must say that it is an amazing movie. The emotion is absolutely real and the story is just happy enough to not make me want to jump off a building.

Why is it that I'm always more interested in what happens to people (or characters) after their stories have been told? For instance, I took the movie out of my DVD player, placed it neatly in the return envelope that Netflix is nice enough to include, and I'm still curious what Mr. Crick and Ms. Pascal will be doing the following days of their imaginary lives. How will Dave enjoy his trip to Space Camp?

I've thought about it for a few minutes and I'm remembering asking these questions for basically everything that I've ever watched. Not that I've managed to see the last three seasons of 'NYPD Blue', but what is Sipowicz up to these days? I know that this is a very lame example, but I only bring it up because Ray and Christine have all of the seasons of 'Friends' on DVD and I'm looking right at them. So what happened to the characters in 'Friends' after the show ended? (Except for Joey, who got his own show that subsequently tanked.) Poorly executed spinoffs aside, maybe that's why we're better off not knowing. The answers aren't always as glamorous as the dreams we're lucky to have. I suppose that's slightly depressing.

My Liver and its Total Disdain for me.

Looking back at last week.....i realized i drank entirely too much.

I think it was either Friday or Saturday morning (they all are kind of running together), I woke up and my shirt was soaked with sweat. I tried to drink as much water as I could, but damn.....I was hardcore dehydrated.

So here goes.

Dryspell starts now.

Well....it started on Monday......then it ended later that night when Jordan invited me to see Josh Kelley show at 12th & Porter. I took it easy. 3 beers. But, I still failed at my goal to not drink this week.

But since then, I've been drinking water and a couple of diet cokes. I'm a good boy.

But now it's been a few days, my system seems normal and I'm totally craving some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Dammit.

The big problem is that I'm bored and watching television and I've got nothing better to do all night than to hit up the grocery store, grab some brew, and watch my netflix movies. But I want to be able to make it a week without grabbing for grandpa's cough syrup.

I can tell you. It ain't happening. Oh well.....

At least I'm pretty sure that I won't get tanked, since I've got zero people to hang out with this weekend.....and very little $$.

Sweet Dreams, kiddies.

As if you didn't know....

Not that this will come as a shock to anyone who reads this: but I am officially an idiot.

Maybe I'm just having a streak of bad luck.....or maybe I was just too drunk all of last week to realize what was actually going on. But without mentioning the nitty gritty details, or any names.....let me put it in terms you should understand. I am a monumental idiot.

My trip home was awesome. I saw a lot of really great friends that I hadn't seen in a while and met a few new friends that were really great people! I drank entirely too much (also, not a shock for anyone reading this) and slept very little (slightly uncharacteristic for me).

I got to see a LSU Baseball game......GEAUX TIGERS!

I tagged along with my friends to a bachelor party for my buddy David. I got to see some naked women. I spent all of my money.

I got to play a gig with my best friends and a couple of amazing bands: Veara and Stand Up Citizens.

I got to play for my friends David and Lacey's wedding and see them begin their life together. I got sloppy drunk at the reception. And somehow Brian managed to convince the reception band that we should play. I was very against the idea at first, but I am thoroughly glad that I sucked it up and played, because it was a ton of fun!

I ended up at the Spanish Moon and for some terrible stroke of luck kept drinking. Bad idea. I apparently made inappropriate phone calls and sent inappropriate text messages. But, whatcha gonna do?

Driving back to Nashville with a banging hangover was a miserable experience, but I made it. So I'm here. That's the end of my tale.

None of this really explains why I'm an idiot......but trust me.....as if you didn't know.....I am an Idiot.

Glen Phillips Videos

I must apologize for the tardiness of this post.....but it's not like any of your were holding your breath for it. And if you were.....you're probably dead.

These are the Glen Phillips videos from last Tuesday night's show at 3rd & Lindsley.


"Windmills"





"Courage"



Okay. You'll have to forgive me for this one. Up until this point, he bantered between songs and chatted up the crowd. Oddly, this time he just launched into the tune. It was all I could do to pick up my camera, flip it to video mode and catch him in the middle of a verse. Enjoy.

"Walk On The Ocean"




I hope you've enjoyed my foray into videography. Take it easy.

Several Days That Haven't Sucked

Awwwwwww.......Yeah!

Okay, party people....here's your long awaited recap of my last four days. I know you've been dying for this, and I'm sorry that today took so long to finish, but it seems the normal progression to summarize my actions after they have resolved themselves.

Monday was a good day. I got to hang out with my friend Jordan and her roommate. We meandered around Vandy and ended up playing darts at a bar that had fantastic prices during happy hour! Needless to say, after all that time throwing darts in and around the garage door at Brandon's old place, I still blow at darts.

Tuesday was rocktastic! Glen Phillips played at a bar downtown, so Ray and I made sure we were there plenty early to get the best possible table. We ended up being the first two people even there to watch the show. I took some pictures and a few videos, which I will post:











Wednesday we met a great guy who builds AMAZING guitars!!! Fred Welker is a really interesting guy. He's a bit like Obi Wan Kenobi, but without a badass lightsaber.....and with a serious talent for building guitars! I was fortunate enough to play some incredible instruments including an archtop, a baritone acoustic and a few flattop acoustics. Unreal!


Today (thursday), we wandered around in Gruhn's Guitars for a bit. I ogled a few old Gibson acoustics and some really nice Gretsch Hollowbodies. Afterwards, we trekked to the Yazoo City Brewpub and sampled some tasty beverages.....



okay. so perhaps my life isn't all that exciting, but at least I've been playing guitars and drinking good beer!

Sketches Of Lincoln

I suppose this rant is overdue.

Here I am. Finally in Nashville. Drove in on Monday, unpacked, chilled out. crashed out a while after midnight or so. And when I wake up the next morning?

BAM!
I'm sick.

I hate getting sick. I hate being sick. I hate how long it takes to get well.....or to even feel "normal" again.

And is it just me, or when you blow your nose, do you catch yourself peeking at the results of your efforts? It's an odd habit, but I remember doing it since I was a kid. It's never as impressive as I'd hoped for. It's not like one day I'll magically blow out a green and yellow swirl of an Abraham Lincoln silhouette. It's always just going to be a mess in a Kleenex™. So why would I keep looking?

I apologize for the nature of the previous digression. It just happens that is what is on my mind. Or is it technically surrounding my mind? Irregardless, there is a lot of it up there, and it seems determined to escape through any oraface possible.

Ok. I promise that I'm done talking about my mucus infestation.

Other than that......it's cold.
How come every year I forget how cold it can get in the winter. Perhaps it's because I'm still not used to the weather above 30° latitude. It's been in the 20s all week so far. I know that I've been in colder weather before. Hell, I lived in colder weather last winter. But somehow, I'm still freezing my testicles off......not that you wanted to know.

Well.....I need to go eat something so i can take the crappy Tylenol Cold crap that I struggle to believe is working. Take it easy, people.

Sons-Of-Bitches

Those dirty bastards at Post Cereals have really chapped my hide.

They've done something horrible. Something that borders on pure evil. It's almost to the point that I can't even mention it.

But since you're reading this, I suppose I better make at least a mention of it.

They've changed 'Honey-Comb'. It doesn't taste right. It is no longer the sweet honey-tinged puffed rice cereal that I grew up with. It now tastes like feet.

Here's the crux of the situation. I was wandering around in the grocery store, which generally spells disaster anyway. I needed a few items. Mainly beer and toothpaste. But I just happened to wander down the cereals aisle and saw a Family-Sized box of one of my favorite cereals from my childhood. And a whopping Seventy-three cents off!

Sadly, now I know why the discount was applied.

Dammit.

Awww....Not Again

Well, I once again quote the immortal Whitesnake when I say:

"Here I go, again, on my own......" (duh nuh nah nah)

The answer is.....yeah. I'm moving again. I think I've got a good bead on it this time. So........

Nashville- here I come!!!!

Ray and Christine have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more-than-cool, and are letting me crash for a spell. I plan on finding a jobby-job and not being a total mooch.

Leaving Durham is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. I've had some really good times hanging out with 'Big C'. Plus, D-ham itself isn't all that bad. Hanging out at Tyler's and the Federal has allowed me to ogle several attractive women. Corey and I saved a few hundred bottlecaps from our late-night "music listening" sessions. We also managed to piss off a few neighbors here and there.

At the same time (and mostly on account of me being a lazy sack of crap), I've been bored out of my mind most of the time in the D. Granted, I've caught up on a loooooooooooooooooooooot of TV that I missed while I didn't have cable in the NYC. I could probably recite most of the episodes of 'NYPD Blue' or 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force', but that's not really furthering my goal.

I'm excited about Nash-vegas. Having driven around town for the last week or so, and having had a couple of in-depth conversations, I know that this is the right move.

I know that I at least have to give myself an honest shot at playing tunes. Living in BR wouldn't give me that opportunity. Living in NYC was a great experience, but the industry is so fragmented there. Durham, as far as I've seen, has zilch as far as opportunity.....unless you're into bio-technology (sorry, Big C).

The only drag is that after a solid six month stint in the Triangle, I finally see a beautiful girl. If anyone knows the really tall girl that works at Tyler's by the Bulls' ballpark, let her know that I'm only here for a few more weeks......'cause I was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much of a wuss to tell her that tonight. She was tall (which is attractive and intimidating, all at once), brown hair, blue eyes. In the least, I was impressed! I was quite infatuated......so much so, that I got busted at least 7 times for staring. Awkward!!!

Ok. So, in case nothing is mentioned later about this:

WHO DAT?! WHO DAT?! WHO DAT SAY THEY GONNA BEAT 'DEM SAINTS?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!

All the way, BABY!