Talking 'Bout Orange Shoes Blues

Herr Necklace

2008-03-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

You know that land bridge that is to have existed in the past, connecting Alaska to Russia, whereby people and animales traveled back and forth and ventured into new lands? That's what I am reminded of every time I look at that area under my ears. Normally, there shouldn't be any hair there, trying to connect the hair of the head from the beard, but lately, once every ice age, or at least a fortnight, I must shave that area to avoid looking like a Cro-Magnon man.

Not only that, but when trimming my facial hair weekly, I also have to remember to get the insides of the ears, ear lobes, and inside of the nose. I get stray dark hairs all the way up to my cheekbones. I think the hair factory in my body is working overtime, but lacking production in one vital area, that is the widow's peaks that seem to be getting more and more severe each time I cut my hair.

In the CD booklet for Phish's live album Slip, Stitch, and Pass, there is a picture of Trey Anastasio, but his name is listed as Herr Necklace. He sports a black tee-shirt with a stretched-out neck, which hangs down to show his massive amounts of black chest hair. A patch of it clearly stands out, looking like he has on a necklace made of hair. I think if I wanted to, I could sport a nice hair necklace. A necklace of hair in the front, with the chain going up over the shoulders and around the back.

Isn't it a very cruel trick that nature plays on a man, giving him a full head of hair in youth, then slowly taking it away and adding it and then some to the rest of the body? I'm not really going bald yet, but it seems like if my head was a major metropolis, that too much of the hairs are moving to the suburbs of the ears, neck, and nose, with more living in the smaller cities of the shoulders, and some prefering the lonely flatlands of the back.

The only places on my body now that seem to be hairless are the bicep area, most of my hands, the bottoms of my feet, and the forehead. I can't really speak for my back because I don't spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, at least not looking at my back. I guess I would rather not know. I suppose I can consider myself lucky that I have not yet had to worry about growing a unibrow. Maybe that is next...

Kale recipe

2008-03-06T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today during work I had an unrelenting urge to eat some kale, which is strange because to the best of my knowledge, I've never eaten kale before. After work, I headed over to the grocery store and bought a head, or a bunch, or a unit of kale, whatever the correct nomenclature happens to be. Having no idea what to do with it at that point, I used some different cookbooks as a reference for preparing the kale and formulated a gameplan.

Kale recipe:

Ingredients: Kale, bacon, garlic, Thai peanut sauce, sunflower seeds, water, serrano pepper

Prepare bacon as normal. Set aside cooked bacon, but save grease. Add garlic and a generous spoonful of Thai peanut sauce to the hot grease. Add chopped kale and serrano pepper to the grease mixture and stir, coating kale leaves before adding half a cup of water. Cover and cook at medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook at medium-high heat until water has evaporated. Cook until kale reaches desired tenderness. Stir in another generous spoonful of Thai peanut sauce, add a handful of sunflower seeds, and crumble bacon over kale. Mix together and serve, or like me, eat an entire plateful by yourself.

It was delicious. It was spicy because of the pepper, flavorful from the peanut sauce and bacon grease, and slightly cruncy from the sunflower seeds. I look forward to trying different things with kale in the future.

What was that again?

2008-03-04T19:45:00.000-08:00

There have been a few phrases, words, or sentences I've heard or read recently that made me think twice. They will be presented and discussed.

"Market Value"

I was reading about Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel wanting to get "market value" from the Patriots, which means that he wanted to get paid more than others who produce less than him. In most situations, I would agree that this is a good salary rule: If you produce more than somebody else, you should get paid more than that person. In professional sports, where salaries are ballooning, it makes for some interesting contracts. Take Barry Zito's 7-year deal for $126 million, which has not paid off for the Giants. Now, pitchers who produce more than Zito, or even have the potential to produce like him, will get deals that approach or surpass those numbers. I guess my point is this: Is there that big of a difference between getting paid maybe 6 million a year and wanting 8 million a year? Yes, I suppose it is 2 million dollars, a large sum of money, but 6 million is still far more than some 99% of the US population makes in a year. I can see a person arguing that they produce more than a coworker and deserve a raise from $12/hr to $15/hr, but the numbers these professional athletes argue over have six zeroes behind them!

"Tide of Iron"
Tide of Iron is a board game I purchased recently. It is a scenario-based World War II game, that I supposed could be described as Risk on steriods. Risk would be somewhat skinny, rookie year, 1987 bash-brother Mark McGuire, whereas Tide of Iron would be 1998, bulging arm vien, gum-chewing, muscleman Mark McGuire. I believe Tide of Iron is a great name for the game, as from the shore, the D-Day invasions must have turned the beaches into a tide of iron, but then the game itself has no scenarios that involve those battles. It deals with events that happen after D-Day, some almost a year after the operation. So, it's a great game, but the name doesn't exactly fit the game.

"We play everything"
That is the station motto for 100.3, The BUS, based out of Des Moines. They claim to play everything, but they don't. What you can hear on the BUS consists of most of the songs you can hear on any oldies station (93.3 here in Iowa), classic rock station (95), or 80s/90s pop station (102.5). They have some self-righteous DJ recordings that they play before songs and frequently talk about how their songs are played at random, even though there are a few heard daily. Well, they don't play everything, a wide variety of songs for sure, but nothing that approaches the all-encompasing "everything". They play no jazz, few blues songs, no country, no opera, no classical (Roll Over Beethoven doesn't count), no rap, no hip-hop, nothing you regularly hear on college radio stations, no Christian, no bluegrass, and no metal. Surely, many other genres are excluded. Well, I'd still prefer to listen to the BUS at work over any other radio station, but their self-proclaiming radio shorts really annoy me.

"All projects equal"
I went to my brother's senior art exhibition, where a woman served as a judge to give out awards. You know how you have to let people who didn't win feel good about their work? She tried to do that, but ended up not making sense. She said that all projects were equally good, but a few stood out from the rest. Seven pieces won awards, one first, one second, one third, four honorable mention, but they were all equally good... I wish I could take a math course that she taught where she would show how 1=2=3=4=4=4=4=5=5=5=5=5=5=5=5=5=5... I'm not on an angry guy grammar or semantics rant here, I just thought what she said was humorous, then came up with the math parts in my head.

I'm sure I've come across more of these, but they were the few that I remembered to write about.

Clutch Maker to the Nation

2008-03-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

Wow, I didn't realize it had almost been a month since I last posted. I want to thank those who posted previously, especially those who have never posted before. It is always good to know that your audience is larger than you think, which I believe now stands to be roughly 27 people.

My feelings towards work have changed a little, or maybe now I'm just too tired to exhausted to think about it at the end of the day. I remembered a Green Day song the other day at work, the one entitled "Welcome to Paradise", it kind of sums up my feelings towards work at this point, especially if you substitute the word "home" with "job" in the excerpt, which I will do for you.

It makes me wonder why I'm still here
For some strange reason it's now
Feeling like my "job"
And I'm never gonna go
Pay attention to the cracked streets and the broken homes
Some call them slums some call it nice
I want to take you through a wasteland I like to call my "job"
Welcome to Paradise

In the song, the protagonist moves to a new city, which is not his ideal place to live. At first he is nervous and unsure of his decision to have left home, but through a period of time, he comes to accept the new city as home, even though others, and maybe even himself, have such a negative view of the place.

I removed some old boxes of junk from my parent's house about two or three weeks ago. In the boxes were old baseball cards, stuffed animals, souvenirs, knick-knacks, and what seemed like all of the notes, tests, quizzes, worksheets, and handouts for every class I took dating back to my sophomore year in high school. I sorted through each individual sheet to look over things I had written in papers and on tests, pictures I had drawn in the margins of notes, and things I had learned about over a period of nine years. I came across a poem from my 11th grade American Literary Studies class, Chicago by Carl Sandburg. It inspired me to keep going and working hard at my current job. The excerpt, which shows the last third of the poem, applies to me, especially if you substitute the phrase "clutch maker" for "freight handler".

Bareheaded,
Shoveling,
Wrecking,
Planning,
Building, breaking, rebuilding,
Under the smoke, dust all over his mouth, laughing with white teeth,
Under the terrible burden of destiny laughing as a young man laughs,
Laughing even as an ignorant fighter laughs who has never lost a battle,
Bragging and laughing that under his wrist is the pulse, and under his ribs the heart of the people,
Laughing!
Laughing the stormy, husky, brawling laughter of Youth, half-naked, sweating proud to be Hog Butcher, Toolmaker, Stacker of Wheat, Player with Railroads and "clutch maker" to the Nation

That's about it for today. I have some topics to write about, but maybe not the motivation to sit down and write them.

Why do we fall?

2008-02-03T19:33:00.000-08:00

"And we do we fall, Master Bruce?"
No answer.
"So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up."
From Batman Begins

I cried today.

Nothing substantial, just a few brave pioneers leaving the comfort and safety of their homeland, expanding out over an ever-changing terrain of nose, cheek, hair, and chin, only to be wiped out of existence with the brush of a hand, or to dry up in alien territory.

The Patriots lost. For them, it may have only been a game, but for me it meant something more. I am aware that it is only a football game of minor significance, but for me, the near-perfect Patriots were the crux of a season-long metaphor.

In some consequential way, I felt that I needed the Patriots to win. I have been following the Patriots most of the season and have based Sunday afternoons and nights around their games. I wanted to believe that perfection was possible, that extraordinary achievement is within the grasp of ordinary men. Tonight, the broken pieces of a dream scatter my thoughts and feelings. Their failure just accentuates my failures and unrealized potentials all the more.

I wrote many months ago of A Raisin in the Sun, about Langston Hughes's Dream Deferred. I've never had many hopes and dreams for my own life; I haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up. I'm 28 years old. I feel like a tiring pugilist with too few tallies on my scorecard and too few rounds left to change anything.

I started working again recently. I make air clutches for an agricultural company in Ames; my job title is product assembler. I robotically grab appropriate pieces from storage boxes as fast as I can and put them together to fabricate, also as fast as I can, a small range of slightly different products. An image that runs through my head during work is of the giant machine-operated assembly lines of automobile plants. I pretend I am one of those machines, dulling my senses to baseline levels of being to steel myself against the relentless onslaught of a pedestrian existence.

Lana asked me what work was like. I told her that I died a little inside each day. I hope she doesn't believe me, I am only joking about a subpar situation, but make no mistake, I don't exactly well up with pride when I think of my job. I would almost rather tell friends and family that I am unemployed and have them think of me as a deadbeat than answer their questions about my work.

It does get to me though. Last week, on one particular day of which I can't properly remember the date of, I was fighting tears all day. I am not even sure why. I got up in the morning and simply felt hopeless. I struggled to not break down in front of Lana, struggled to keep it together on the way to work, and struggled to keep my composure during the eight hours of the day. I was reminded of an incident from my childhood that I just couldn't shake.

It was either fourth or fifth grade and a game of football was being played during recess. I was not an athlete, but a skinny, awkward, and unconfident player on any sports field. In fact, it was probably difficult to judge whether I was an on-field spectator or team contributer. One day I start getting some passes thrown my way...and I caught them! I was riding high off of an as-of-yet unknown wave of confidence and schoolyard glory. The player guarding me became embarrassed. After one fateful reception, instead of two-hand touching me, he rushes at me, sidesteps me, and somehow elbows me full-force in the side of the neck. I fall to the ground in a daze, get the wind knocked out of me, and recover to a state of excruciating pain in the muscles of my neck. I realize I have been crying unbeknownst to myself, then look up to see the perpetrator, crying himself. I always wondered why he was crying. I was in no state to fight back even if I had wanted to, which I didn't particularly wish for.

I spent the rest of the school day staring at the minutest details of my desk, focusing on trivial aspects of my surroundings to drown out the throbbing pain in my neck and head. When I lost focus, the blinding pain would return until I could trick myself into finding that tiny spot of infinite oblivion that was available on my desk. I didn't cry, though the makeshift dam in my mind was strained beyond any preconceived worst-case scenarios. Walking home increased the blood-flow to the injured area, and I could feel each and every systolic pulse as if there were a bass drum in my neck. I said hello to mom and walked straight upstairs to my bedroom where my dog, Ceaser was lying on a bean-bag chair. I shut the door and the levee broke. Hugging my dog, I sobbed until there was nothing left but the mucusy choking sounds one makes when they have exhausted the capacity to cry.

That is the way I felt at work on that particular day, like I would hold the tide of emotions in all day until I could just get home, hug one of my cats, for Lana would have been gone, and just cry until it was physically impossible to continue. But I didn't. I'm sure during the day my eyes grew red and glistened from an imminent outburst, but by the time I got home, I didn't feel so bad anymore. I suppose I'm not a kid anymore, maybe I'm no longer capable of such a range of emotions. Maybe adults just aren't supposed to wear their hearts on their sleeves, certainly men aren't encouraged to make their emotions so salient and observable. Yet, maybe kids are onto something. When do kids show their truest emotions? All the time! I know when my nephew is happy to see me, when he is thrilled to get a present, when he isn't happy about something, when he doesn't want to go to bed, when he is scared, and when he is sad. When do adults show the most emotion? When somebody is born or somebody dies.

So, I cried on the way home today. I doubt Lana even knew, it was dark and we weren't talking anyway. I wasn't crying because the Patriots lost, but because in their failure, my own felt significantly amplified. I certainly know that my lot in life is in no way attached to the success of a football team, but for one magical season, I seemed to staple my hope to the continued pursuit of perfection unparralled by any team of my generation. I still maintain hope for the future, as I've already coped with and begun to dissociate from a football game barely two hours over.

I believe a mainstream shoe company or sports drink company or something of the like would have us believe that "impossible is nothing". Well, impossible is something, indeed. But it is the challenge of besting "impossible" that makes life worth living; it is the ever-present foe, the unseen, worthy adversary that must be battled everyday. Loss is inevitable, but it is the fortitude needed to rise again to meet "impossible" that separates the eternal fighters from the footnotes.

Why do we fall?

So that we might better learn to pick ourselves up.

Reading List

2008-01-11T17:36:00.000-08:00

I've been reading the Canterbury Tales over the last couple of days and have been thoroughly enjoying it. A few, selected tales were required reading in my twelveth grade British Literature class, but I remembered little of it. I got a used copy for a dollar at some point in my life, and discovered the book sitting in a stack of books that I've bought used and have yet to read. (This stack is some 40-50 books high). All I could remember of the Canterbury Tales was that our English teacher spoke some of the prologue in Middle English, one of the eight or nine languages he was fluent in (English, Middle English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Latin, Gaelic, Russian, I think). The other thing I remember about that class is that we watched Playboy's production of MacBeth (circa 1970?) during three class periods. I have no idea how that was legal. Lady MacBeth was portrayed by a former playmate, and a number of other busty semi-nude women were in the film. My professor giggled like a schoolgirl whenever there were topless women, which to me was more entertaining than the movie itself.

So, I've been enjoying the Canterbury Tales. It is an easy, fast read, yet there is a wide variety of vocabulary words. In the story, a number of people from a variety of professions pilgrimage to Canterbury. A contest is undertaken whereby each person tells four stories and the best story wins a prize. Chaucer does a good job of portraying each person and giving them a unique personality and writing from the perspective of many different people. There are stories of morality, references to the Bible, many dirty stories, stories told to defame another profession, stories told as jokes, and stories told with gravity. The bulk of the stories are only about ten pages, so it breaks the book up into smaller passages, too.

Reading this book made me think about other books I have enjoyed. I created a makeshift top ten reading list, plus a number of others that I have enjoyed.

1. Don Quixote--I've already decided that I'm going to re-read this one after I finish the Canterbury Tales. I was a little bored of the digressions that Cervantes had in the first book, and the digressions from the digressions, but the second book was well worth reading through it. William Faulkner used to read this book once a year. I may do that, too. For Christmas, Lana got me a lithograph of a Salvador Dali painting of Don Quixote on his trusty steed Rocinante. Reading this book, I wanted to become a knight-errant myself, defending my Dulcinea to the death with Sancho Panza by my side.

2. Moby Dick--I started reading this book twice, the third time was the charm. I got a large print, unabridged version of the book, so I wasn't reading size 4 font for 500 pages. This book was as much a study of whales and the whaling industry as it was a story about whalemen and the infamous White Whale. Even though Melville digresses from the story frequently to discuss various aspects of whaling, the digressions are still educating and entertaining, and the plot does not suffer for it. If you have ever wanted to read a book with chapters like "Chowder" and the chapter is three pages long and about the chowder that the character ate, then this book is for you.

I know Don Quixote and Moby Dick are numbers 1 and 2, not sure how to order 3-10.

3. A Clockwork Orange--What's it going to be then, eh? When I read this book I was into psychology and was dabbling in learning Russian. My liking of this book may have just been perfect timing. Either way, me and my droogs thought it was a malenky bit horrorshow.

4. Atlas Shrugged--Still not exactly sure who John Galt is. Is he a metaphor? A real person? A myth? A legend? A metalegend? A mythaphor? A real Galt myth? exactlyphor? A sure Johnmyth? who?

5. Mike's Corner--A small book of extremely short stories by Phish bassist Michael Gordon. Most self-destruct upon themselves similar to the comments about Atlas Shrugged. Some stories make you laugh, some make you cry from laughing too much, and some just leave you "not getting it".

6. A Tale of Two Cities--It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times. I either really like or really dislike Charles Dicken's work, unlike say, Ernest Hemingway, who I like as an author, yet feel lukewarm about the majority of his works. Oliver Twist was my favorite book at one time, but no longer. A Tale of Two Cities has a great story, many connections between characters, a great plot, and a slight twist at the end. When Sidney Carton sacrifices himself at the end, I got all tingly and stuff.

7. Cry, the Beloved Country--Alan Paton's story about an umfundisi, a pastor, that must leave his small village to find his son in Johannesberg, who I think committed a murder. I read this during my African literature phase in which I also read Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible. Roots is good, too.

8. Dandelion Wine--If there is a book to read before the beginning of summer, this is it. This book remembers what it was like to be a child and have the endless possibilities of summer in front of you. It's about that time in your life everything seems possible and pedestrian activites can hold special significance. In the book, the boy gets a new pair of shoes, something adults take for granted. The shoe salesman asks what they feel like. Antelopes? Gazelles? The kid believes he can do anything in these new shoes. Did you ever feel that way? I did.

9. The Stand--Although not my favorite Stephen King book, it is well written and ties into the Dark Tower series. The miniseries sucks. I found a hardcover unedited version for ten dollars at Borders once. Short of stealing the book, it was a steal. Just watch out for the Crimson King.

10. The Grapes of Wrath--Gotta give a shout out to my boy John Steinbeck. I've read this book three or four times. Kind of depressing, but good.

Some honorable mentions:

Some of these books just couldn't make the top-ten list, even though they are great books and won awards. Others are simply interesting for the material presented or are entertaining, even if they aren't very deep.

To Kill a Mockingbird--Harper Lee
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time--Mark Haddon I'll get your book back, Seth
Rainbow Six--Tom Clancy Got this one for a dollar at a garage sale
Count of Monte Cristo--Alexandre Dumas Only read 2/3 of it, but it was good, need to finish
Poisonwood Bible--Barbara Kingsolver
A Room with a View--E.M. Forster Read this one in college English
Alaska--James Michener A history of Alaska through various eras and characters
East of Eden--John Steinbeck
A Blistered Kind of Love--Angela & Duffy Ballard A story about walking the Pacific Crest Trail
The Dark Tower Series--Stephen King Didn't love books 6 or 7, so it didn't make top-10
Oliver Twist--Charles Dickens
The Lord of the Rings Series--J.R.R. Tolkien
Les Miserables--Victor Hugo

Suggestions for reading? I got some more used books the other day as part of a Christmas gift certificate. I got Babbitt, All the King's Men, and Billy Budd, among others.

Cat/Man

2007-12-27T21:06:00.001-08:00

Lana and I are going to be getting a new kitten, as our adoption papers went through today. The cat we are adopting is a grey striped short-hair cat, one that I have been wanting to get for some time. I'm nervous about how Baron and the new cat, Slugger will get along together, but they are both still young, Baron being about 14 months old, and both have a fair amount of energy. I'm wondering whether Baron will grow up faster and become more of a mentor for the new cat. Who else but Baron the Lion-Hearted to do such a thing?

Don't have much else to say on the topic, I'm excited to get the cat, but Lana and I will be heading up to Minnesota first. We won't be able to pick up the cat until we get back a week from today.

Slugger was going to be the name of my first-born son. Slugger Robert Seiler, but I thought of something even better (I know, what could be better than Slugger?). The name Sirius also received consideration, although I have to vote that one down because of the Harry Potter movies. I was thinking of the star when I thought of it, changed the spelling, and then remembered the Potter books. Bummer.

If I can get internet access up in northern Minnesota at my parent's lakehouse, I'm going to set up a live ice fishing blog that is going to rock the house, the icehouse that is.

Bat/Man

2007-12-26T16:14:00.001-08:00

There are two reasons for writing this post. First, the saga of man vs. bat. Second, my excitement over the summer movie The Dark Knight.

On Christmas Day, Lana and I got home after dark and Lana messed around in the storage closet next to the kitchen, rearranging some empty cardboard boxes and putting some new boxes in it. It is a fairly large storage closet, but we have it nearly full of stuff, not junk of course, but stuff.

Baron, our cat, sat outside the door staring into the closet after Lana left the door slightly open. (When is a door not a door? When it is ajar!) We didn't move and seemed to be mesmerized by what was happening within. It was a little creepy, especially because I was already feeling jumpy after having finished watching Zodiac about twenty mintues earlier. It wasn't a particularly scary movie, but the idea of a killer who strikes at randon for the joy of killing is incredibly terrifying to me.

I walk to the door and listen in on what Baron has been paying attention to. The soft sounds of movement are coming from within the labyrinth of boxes, golf clubs, crates, and computers. Whatever is in there, is not only moving around, but somewhat frantically by the sounds of it. As I try to figure out where the sounds are coming from, Baron's farm cat instincts kick-in and he starts prodding around the closet. He seems to locate where the creature is, but I pull him back so he doesn't catch whatever it is.

Lana and I decide to leave and try to find some mousetraps...On Christmas Day...at midnight. We're smart, us'ens is. After discovering that 24-hour stores are not open on Christmas Day, we head home, slightly dejected. When we enter the apartment, Baron is sitting at the door to the closet, meowing, running his arm under the door, and his nose is on the door like a pig on a truffle.

I decide to open the door and take one final look. As I open the door a crack, I look into the living room and see Lana looking on from a safe distance. Looking down, I see Baron poking his head through the crack and look into the closet. My heart skips a beat as a I see a bat lying on the floor, screaming and baring it's teeth at my cat, whose face could not have been more than couple of inches from the bat's, if not an inch. Scared, yes scared, for you see I have an active imagination and all I could think of was the bat killing my cat, flying to my neck and latching on, killing me in a bloody struggle before I see it heading to my wife with my last dying breath. Anyway, scared by the impossibly improbable hyperbole of the situation, I yell "Baron!" and try to grab him before he gets bit. He does not relent from trying to get to the bat. Again I yell "Baron, no!" and notice that Lana and screamed and disappeared. I pull him back from the jaws of death, (or at least a one in twenty shot at rabies, or was it one in 2000? (I can't remember if it said 0.05 chance, or 0.05 percent chance)) and slam the door. Some quick work with some packaging tape seals him into the closet. Thank God for Christmas. Really!

I call the animal control people the next day to see if I need to bring the bat in for rabies testing as it may have bitten my cat, the chance is small, but it all happened so fast. They said that I'd have to pay for the test, so, sorry Baron. I opened the door, didn't see the bat, but had heard it earlier in the morning. Shut the door, steeled myself against the possibility of having to find it in the maze of storage, and opened the door again. It was in a box, sleeping. I tossed it outside.

What fun that was. Lana and I were kind of terrorized by this bat in our closet. I slept uneasily, imagining a flock of bats circling my room in the middle of the night. Lana said she had multiple baticide dreams, with different combinations of killers. The only one who wasn't scared? Baron, our cat. He was fascinated by it, and probably would have fought it. Lana named him Baron von Kitty when she first got him. I proposed that we rename him Baron the Lion-Hearted. When the dragon was wreaking havoc and choas on the quiet hamlet of our apartment, Baron von Kitty stepped forth to slay the fang-bearing dragon, before being pulled back by the very villagers he had pledged to protect, to the point of death, or possible brain-virus. For this reason, he shall forever and anon be dubbed Baron the Lion-Hearted.

From one hero to another. I have to say I am excited for the movie The Dark Knight to be released, even though it won't come out until June or July. Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite movie directors, so when he took over the Batman franchise, I was eager to see what he would do with the series. Memento, style-wise, is one of my favorite movies. Insomnia was pretty good flick, and I enjoyed The Prestige. So, when I watched Batman Begins back in 2005 I think, I was wondering whether it would be a Batman movie, or a Christopher Nolan movie. It managed to be both. I was never really a fan of the Batman movies, but I found myself wanting to see more. I kind of forgot about it until seeing a preview before I am Legend. The new movie looks even better than the last one. Heath Ledger as The Joker looks incredible. I watched Thank You For Smoking tonight and I'm excited about Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face, although it won't be a large part of the movie. I couldn't help but think of Matt Ellsworth as Aaron Eckhart's character.

I like how the new Batman movies are realistic, to an extent. The action is not out of a comic book, but to an extent, it is all within the limits of human effort. Like the Scarecrow didn't have any special powers, he simply used mind-altering drugs to gain an advantage. The Joker will not be a supervillian, but a regular person who happens to enjoy immorality and choas. We get some of the psychology behind the characters, their histories and reasons for acting the way they do. I love it. Christopher Nolan does not have an easy job. It is as if he has to please comic book readers, Batman fans, the fans of the Batman movies who don't necessarily read the comics, and his own fans. With the first movie, he seemed to please them all. I hope the second and third installment do the same. Apparently, contracts have been signed for a third Batman movie, coming out in 2010 or 2011. While I wish the movies would come out yearly, it is worth the wait if the movies are worth their weight.

If you haven't seen the preview, check it out online. And try to watch the prologue to new movie. There is a 7 or 8-minute short created for IMAX theatres that isn't a preview, nor part of the movie, but a prologue featuring the rise of The Joker, which is supposed to take place in the time between the end of Batman Begins and the start of The Dark Knight.

The Begining and the End

2007-12-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

{This is the twelveth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Beginning and the End

This final post could also be called, The First and the Last, or The Alpha and the Omega, in addition to The Beginning and the End. All mean the same thing, just put into different words. Observe.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." (Revelation 22:13)

From first to last, from the beginning to the end, the story of God is pointing towards Jesus Christ. He created the world, he set apart the Israelites, delivered them from the bondage of Egypt, made a covenant with them, promised a Redeemer, wrapped himself in flesh and was born of a virgin, taught, healed, and instructed his people, died for their sins, gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit, residing in them, made a new covenant with them, delivered them from the bondage of sin, and promised them everlasting life.

From first to last, the Bible points us towards Christ. He was there in the beginning creating the earth, and he is there in the end promising heaven to those who believe. From the beginning of time, to the end of days, God's plan of salvation for his people rests upon the life and death of Jesus Christ, the image of the invisible God, his Holy Lamb, and his One and Only Son. He is the Alpha and the Omega and everything in between. He is the coming King. The King of Kings.

Are you thirsty? Come and drink.

Are you brokenhearted? Here is one who cares more than you could know.

Are you blind? Ask to see.

Are you content? Great! Give praise!

Whether you are a believer or not, Jesus is waiting for you, in one way or another.

The Lord of Lords/The King of Kings

2007-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

{This is the eleventh part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Lord of Lords and King of Kings

I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time--God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:14-16)

In his letter to Timothy, Paul addresses Jesus Christ as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus was to be the king of his people. This led people to believe that he would be king on earth, but his kingdom was not to be during his day. Christians believe that Christ's kingdom will be established in the future, at a time that only God knows for certain. That did not keep Jesus from being declared a king on earth, though. Indeed, in the gospel of Matthew, when Jesus was born, the Magi who travelled to visit him asked "where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" Later, in his death, written above his head was "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Why was Jesus not wholly accepted by the Israelites? They were waiting for an earthly king, one who would come and make Israel a powerful nation on earth. They were waiting for a political king. Jesus, the heavenly king, came not to rule on earth, but to serve. Indeed, he noted that he did not come to earth to serve, but to be served, and the greatest among the disciples would be the one who has the most servile heart. Christ's kingdom is to come at a later time.

The Book of Revelation gives some glimpses of what that kingdom may look like. Before that kingdom is to come about, the book describes a final battle that will take place. Now, some Christians believe that the Book of Revelation is true and will happen, while some believe it is allegorical about Christ's return to earth. This much is true, though, Christ repeatedly told his disciples and followers that he would be returning to earth, and there are repeated instances in both the New Testament and Old Testament that refer to a final day of the Lord.

In Revelation, Christ is described as a rider on a white horse, leading the army of heaven.

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings--and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." (Revelation 17:14)

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God... On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:11-13, 16)

Notice that in his death he was "King of the Jews" and nobody believed it, yet when he comes back, he will be "King of Kings and Lord of Lords".

So, why is Jesus called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? It is because he is God most high, there is none better than him. He is not a king bloodthirsty for gaining lands or wealth, he is not profligate or haughty, he is not a king that uses his subjects for his own gain. Jesus is a king who loved his people so much, that even though he was innocent of all charges, he laid down his life for his own people, and in dying for them, saved them from the punishment they deserved.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

That is the kind of king that Jesus is. He did not condescend to earth to ruler on earth, his rule would be in heaven. He came to earth to be king of our hearts. I call him my King.

I'll leave you with the words to a Third Day song that is appropriate, called King of Glory.

Who is this King of Glory that pursues me with his love
And haunts me with each hearing of His softly spoken words
My conscience, a reminder of forgiveness that I need
Who is this King of Glory who offers it to me

Who is this King of angels, O blessed Prince of Peace
Revealing things of Heaven and all its mysteries
My spirit's ever longing for His grace in which to stand
Who's this King of glory, Son of God and son of man

His name is Jesus, precious Jesus
The Lord Almighty, the King of my heart
The King of glory

Who is this King of Glory with strength and majesty
And wisdom beyond measure, the gracious King of kings
the Lord of Earth and Heaven, the Creator of all things
He is the King of Glory, He's everything to me

The Lord of Earth and Heaven, the Creator of all things
He is the King of glory, He's everything to me

The Bright and Morning Star/The Author and Perfecter

2007-12-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

{This is the tenth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Bright and Morning Star/The Author and Perfecter

The Bright and Morning Star

There are few bright and morning star references in the Bible, but the most significant comes near the very end of the entire book.

"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Revelation 22:16)

Jesus proclaims himself as the bright Morning Star, what does this mean? To tell the truth, I wasn't sure about this one, so I did some internet research and tried to see what others have said about it. What I read seemed to make sense, so maybe I should have just thought about it longer.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

Jesus was the light of the world, from him, the darkness flees, and if we believe in him, we come out of the darkness of and into the light. Satan has been called the Prince of Darkness, trying to keep us in the dark with our sins. If we stay in the dark, we can not receive forgiveness. If we are ashamed, embarrassed, or proud of our sin, we can not enter the light. Entering the light means repenting of our sins, confessing them to God, asking for, and receiving forgiveness from God. Doing this, we enter into fellowship with Jesus Christ and his followers.

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

Just as at daybreak, we see the sun rise out of the sky, illuminating and brightening morning stars, so when we come out of the darkness of sin and into the light of righteousness, we see Jesus, the Bright Morning Star rise from the darkness and chase the darkness away.

I read this online, and thought that it was written much better than I could, so I will end with this:

At the midnight of our personal darkness we need only remember that Jesus, the star, comes to the horizon of our lives, ushering in a new day of light in which the darkness of our blackest night is chased away. And, like the wise men seeking the newborn King, we are compelled to profess to all the world, "We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." With saints of old, seekers of today, and the celestial choirs of forever, we join in riotous praise as the oppressive gloom of sin and death flees before the shining Morning Star! At His feet we bow our hearts and minds and adore Him.

The Author and Perfecter

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

What does it mean that Jesus was the author and perfecter of our faith? To answer this question, we must understand why God gave the Israelites the list of laws that he did. At that time, he gave the laws to help set apart the Israelites as the people of God. Some of the laws were moral laws, some were health regulations, and some seemed rather bizarre and arbitrary. The purpose of the law was to point out the sin of the people.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. (Romans 5:20)

That is, the law was added so that people would become aware of their sins. If they were aware of their sins, then they would recognize the need for forgiveness from God, against whom all sins are committed. Even though most sins directly hurt or harm another person or their standing, the sin is not committed against that person, but against God. Thus, the law does not make anyone perfect, but instead points out imperfections. The need for forgiveness remains. As mentioned in The Holy Lamb post, forgiveness under the old covenant required the sacrifice of animals to appease God. When Jesus became the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all, he ushered in the promised new covenant, in which faith in Jesus Christ absolves us from sin.

We know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:16)

In this way, Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. As God, he was responsible for giving the Israelites the law. As God incarnate, he lived the perfect life to become a perfect, sinless sacrifice, able to cleanse all believers of their sin. In this way, he perfected the law and by doing so, allowed us to break free from the bindings of the law and sin, and to accept the gift of salvation through him.

The Fount of Living Water

2007-12-21T23:31:00.000-08:00

{This is the ninth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Fount of Living Water

"Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters." (Isaiah 55:1)

The invitation had been sent out long before the time of Jesus, but it was during a conversation with a Samaritan woman at a well that made it all clear. This passage presented will be extensive, but it is all significant.

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaris called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
Jesus answered, "Everybody who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."
"I have no husband," she replied.
Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."
"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship in is Jerusalem."
Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirt and in truth."
The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."
Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." (John 4:4-26)

That was quite long, the longest consecutive passage I've used thus far, but it is one of my favorites and it is the only major one I will be using in this installment.

Jesus claimed to be able to dispense living water, the kind of which will satisfy the spirit, the kind that will satisfy the soul. The person who drinks of this water will still need to drink water to stay alive, but will thirst no longer in spirit, and will no longer feel an emptiness of the soul. Not only will this living water fill the empty spaces in one's spirit, but it will overflow, running over and will influence others.

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39)

The Holy Spirit has been discussed in earlier posts, so suffice it to say that this fullness we will feel is the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. Our spirit will long for nothing else, the void inside of us will have been filled by God. In this way, we will thirst no longer for philosophies, fleeting romances, the bottom of a bottle, for our thirst for meaning and fullness will be slaked by God.

Finally, the Book of Revelation paints a bucolic picture of the New Jerusalem.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city....
....The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:1-2, 17)

Are you thirsty?

POSTSCRIPT:

I have two extra thoughts on this topic.

First, the living water referred to by Jesus is said to the the Holy Spirit. The picture portrayed of heaven is of the Father and Son seated on their thrones, with living water (God's spirit) flowing from the thrones. I just thought of this, but it is curious to me that alcoholic beverages are sometimes referred to are 'wine and spirits'. Does this have some sort of Biblical background, or is it just a coincidence?

Second, I have talked about the story of the woman at the well (the passage from John 4 up above) with my brother Ryan and he noted that he thought the song Killing Me Softly was about the woman at the well. I tended to agree. See the lyrics here: http://music.yahoo.com/Roberta-Flack/Killing-Me-Softly-With-His-Song/lyrics/572673

Turns out, if Wikipedia is correct, that the song was originally written about Don McLean performing a blues song called Empty Chairs. Well, when I hear the song, which is usually the Fugees cover of it, it reminds we of the story of the woman at the well.

The Miracles and Wonders--Part Two

2007-12-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

{This is the eighth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Miracles and Wonders--Part Two

The One Who Walked On Water/The One Who Calmed the Seas

Jesus's miracles and wonders defied physical reality. I suppose that is the defition of a miracle, something that is outside the explainable realm of science. In the last installment of the series, the healing powers of Jesus were examined and explained. In this segment of the series, the focus will not be upon how he was able to physically change people, but how he was able to control his surrounding environments.

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Matthew 8:23-27)

In this instance, Jesus was able to simply manipulate his environment. When he went to sleep, I wonder if it was with a smile on his face, knowing what was to come, and what events would transpire. I wonder what it was like to wield such power, but Jesus did not abuse this power, in fact he respected it and rarely used it. In all cases, it was used to display the glory of God. In this case, it was yet another way of showing that he was the Son of God, invested with power from above. Let's look at another example.

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on the land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. (Mark 6:47-51)

Here we see Jesus physically able to walk on liquid water, something that is impossible for any of us to do. The corresponding passage in the gospel of Matthew has the disciples exclaiming "Truly you are the Son of God!", for what they were witnessing was not possible for mortal man. That is one thing that I like about the disciples, that they are always impressed, surprised, and amazed were something like this happens. They have been travelling with, listening to, and learning from Jesus for months and have seen many miracles, including when he calmed the stormy seas, yet every time something like this happens it is like they are recognizing his abilities for the first time.

It is interesting that of the two miracles studied today, both involved water. In tomorrow's series installment, we will see the Jesus is The Fount of Living Water. Certainly, his miracles were not limited to the watery realm. Indeed, Jesus twice fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish. After his baptism, Jesus spent forty days and nights in the desert without food or water, worth note it itself, but in his weakened physical and mental state, he was able to withstand extreme temptation, using his knowledge of the Word of God. In addition to this, we was able to heal the blind, the mute, the deaf, the paralyzed, the leprous, the sick, and even the dead.

Jesus's miracles and wonders are many, but each one was done for the glory of God, and each one offers proof that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

The Miracles and Wonders--Part One

2007-12-21T12:29:00.000-08:00

{This is the seventh part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Healer of the Broken

In his day, Jesus was somewhat of a celebrity, a rock-star, a person who drew constant attention, praise, scorn, or wonder. When news of his arrival permeated a city, the townspeople would flock to see him, to visit him, to listen, or to be healed.

Jesus went throughout Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him. (Matthew 4:23-25)

Why did Jesus heal the broken? It seems that he did so for a number of reasons. He did so because he was compassionate and truly cared about the diseases and infirmities that troubled the people. He did so because it would show how important and powerful faith was. He did so because it proved that he was God's own Son. He did so to fulfill prophecy. Finally, his healing was a metaphor for the great healing that Jesus can do, that is, forgiving our sins, saving us from death, and giving us eternal life with him. Let us look at examples of each of these.

Jesus wept. (John 11:35)

Why would Jesus do such a thing? He cared deeply for Lazarus and his family, as he had already spent time with these people before. Lazarus had just died of his ailments and Jesus had arrived to late to heal him. Some people were confused and angry, thinking that Jesus could have saved this man, but did not arrive on time.

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:38-40)

Here, Jesus was showing how important faith was. Throughout the gospels, when Jesus is healing people, he was tell them that their faith has healed them and that faith makes such things possible. Let us continue in John's gospel.

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (John 11:41-44)

We can see here that Jesus used this event to show that he was sent by God. In a more powerful statement of the authority he has been given, let us turn our attention to a passage in the gospel of Luke. Some men have carried a paralytic man to were Jesus is speaking, hoping that he can be healed. In their struggle to get him close to Jesus, Jesus sees them and says that he forgives the man of his sins. Note that he has not healed the man of his paralysis, but has said that his sins are forgiven.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can fogive sins but God alone?" Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. (Luke 5:21-25)

Which is easier, forgiving sins or healing paralysis? Back in Jesus's day, both must have seemed impossible, as things that could only be done by God himself. In our day, paralysis can be healed by doctors, through extensive and intensive effort. But can doctors heal us for eternity? Can human live forever? They cannot. Even if a person survives a bout of aggressive cancer, they are still mortal beings and will simply live for a longer number of days. Jesus offers the gift of eternal life.

This is another way that Jesus heals us. He heals us of the negative way that sin corrupts our lives. Jesus performed miraculous healings while alive on earth, but in his death, he healed us all the more. Remember Isaiah 53 from yesterday? Remember the person who was pierced for our transgressions and punished for our sins?

Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4)

This was what Jesus did during his life on earth. He healed people of their sicknesses and took up their sorrows, as when he healed Lazarus and many others. In this way, Jesus's healings fulfilled prophecy. Remember what else Isaiah 53 said?

He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Not only did he cure ailments in his life, but in his death, he cured our eternal ailments, by taking away our sins. Through his blood, poured out on the cross, our sin has been washed away and our debt before God is cancelled.

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:23-24)

Jesus's healing treatment is permanent and it is available to everybody free of charge, regardless of where they are in life. He is the Healer of the Broken.

The Holy Lamb

2007-12-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

{This is the sixth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Holy Lamb

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

These are the words spoken by John the Baptist when he sees Jesus approach. What does the phrase Lamb of God mean? It means that Jesus was the final necessary sacrifice for purification from sin. Up until the time of Jesus's death, animal sacrifices were necessary to cleanse the Israelites of their sins.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:11-12)

The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:13-15)

This new covenant is not something that Jesus or the early Christian church fabricated; the Israelites had been waiting for a new covenant since the days of Moses.

"The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new convenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people... ...For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

As we have seen, what does this new covenant require? One perfect sacrifice. This sacrifice will be the final necessary sin offering. This sacrificial "lamb" was spoken of well before the time of Jesus.

"Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our trangressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth." (Isaiah 53:4-7)

The Israelites were waiting for a new covenant, they were expecting a suffering servant to be a sin offering, yet when it happened, many did not care or believe. Those who did come to believe, and indeed, Gentiles too who profess faith in Christ, can barely fathom the sacrifice made by Jesus. He was the perfect man, without sin, deserving no punishment, yet he took the brunt of God's wrath so that our sins would be forgotten.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. (1 Peter 1:18-19)

This series of posts is leading to Christmas, the day that Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Why do we give gifts to each other? Why is the Christmas season full of love and compassion? What better way to celebrate Christ's birth than to imitate his actions. Jesus, full of love and compassion during his life, was even more so in his death, and in his death he gave us the greatest gift of all, the hope of eternal life.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

The Risen Son of Man

2007-12-17T13:12:00.001-08:00

{This is the fifth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Risen Son of Man

What is this appellation "Son of Man"? Jesus uses this title for himself numerous times throughout the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). I have read it argued that this title emphasizes his humanity, yet is also a claim to divinity. I tend to agree with this statement because Jesus called himself both Son of Man and Son of God. Christians believe that Jesus was both fully human and fully God, thus the titles Son of Man and Son of God, while not interchangable, are both appropriate.

The way in which Jesus uses "Son of Man" tends to show that he is not just any son of man, but THE Son of Man, the one who would be the expected Messiah.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"
"Who is he, sir?" the man asked. "Tell me so that I may believe in him."
Jesus said, "You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you." (John 9:35-37)

And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." (Luke 9:22)

Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." (Luke 18:31-33)

Some people get confused as to why Christ had to be killed, or why he had to die. In fact, those at his crucifixion wondered the same things.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (Luke 23: 35-39)

As we will see in tomorrow's installment "The Savior and Redeemer/The Holy Lamb", Christ had to die as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In his death, God's wrath was satisfied once for all; no further sacrifice was necessary.

Why then, is Jesus's resurrection important? It is important because if he lives, death has lost it's sting. Death has no victory or power over Christ or his followers. It is important because Christ said it would happen; he said he would be killed and then raised to life. This is a remarkable thing. If he promised his own resurrection and it came true, then the other promises he made are also true. Christ, and his believers, can share in eternal life. If his resurrection did not happen, then Christ was a liar and faith is useless. So, the entirety of the gospel hinges upon Christ's resurrection. It hinges upon him being the Risen Son of Man.

There is a story in Luke that Jesus tells about a man who finds himself in hell and wishes to send somebody back from the dead to warn his family that hell is real.

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house; for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luke 16:27-31)

Jesus told this parable as he was travelling to Jerusalem to die. At that point in time, the Jews had Moses and the Prophets to believe; if they did not believe them, then even Jesus's resurrection would not convince them otherwise. In the time after Jesus's death and resurrection, we have both the promises or prophecies and the fulfillment of the promises to witness and learn about. Jesus rose from the dead, yet some still choose disbelief.

If you believe the tomb is full, then Christianity is empty. If you believe the tomb is empty, then the fullness of Christ is manifest.

Almighty God your Father

2007-12-17T11:43:00.000-08:00

{This is the fourth part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

Almighty God your Father

The word father is not applied to all men, but to those who have a child or children of their own. In the same way, when God is referred to as Father, it implies that he has a child or children of his own. God is Father in two different but connected ways. First, his one and only son is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the only Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. In a second way, believers become sons of God. We start our lives born of men and women, conceived by men and women, but can later become sons of God. How is this; it is through faith in Jesus Christ.

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir. (Galatians 3:25-4:7)

Before Jesus came into the world, we were slaves to sin, slaves to the Law, which made nothing perfect, but simply made us aware of our own sin. Through Jesus Christ, we have been set free from sin and have become heirs to the kingdom of God as though we were also God's sons. Indeed, remember the passage from yesterday:

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

So, how does one become born of God? What are the requirements of this confusing second birth? This question has been posed by many, but see what Jesus himself told Nicodemus.

In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit." (John 3:3-5)

What does it mean to be born of water and the Spirit? These things represent baptism.

John (the Baptist) answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of those sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. (Luke 3:16)

John the Baptist was a man called by God to prepare the way for Jesus. Before Jesus's ministry began, John the Baptist encouraged people to repent of their sins and as a symbol of that repentance, to be baptized in water. John the Baptist was also the person who baptized Jesus Christ before he started his ministry. The "one more powerful than I" was Jesus, who as we learned yesterday, gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to believers.

Thus, to one who puts their faith in Jesus Christ and repents of their sins and receives God's baptism, that person can become an heir to Heaven.

What then, shall we think of baptism? Is it required? There is Biblical evidence that proves contrary. Jesus, on the cross, tells a criminal who is being crucified that because of his repentance, he will meet Jesus in paradise that day. This man was not baptized, but Jesus himself said that he would enter heaven. So, baptism is not a requirement of believers, but it should be viewed as something of a privilege. Believers should not feel that they have to be baptized, but that they get to be baptized.

With God as our Father, what can we then expect? Free reign to sin as our sins are forgiven? Absolutely not! We are still to live our lives in a way that honors our Father. What good father would allow his children to do whatever they wanted and live without rules? Our Father in turn, will correct us and improve us through discipline.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11)

What shall we think of discipline? It is a gift from God. That does not mean it will be easy or that we will always respond appropriately, but that if we are able to recognize it for what it is, then little by little we become more holy and confident before God.

So, not only is God the father of Jesus Christ, but of us too! I said up above that God is Father in two separate but connected ways. Jesus Christ is his only begotten Son, but through faith in him, even though we were not originally born of God but of man, we are able to become God's sons and daughters.

The Breath of All Creation

2007-12-15T11:21:00.001-08:00

{This is the third part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Breath of All Creation

What do you think of the word breath? What kind of associations does it trigger? For me, the word breath seems heavily associated with the word “bad”. In fact, fighting bad breath could be a billion-dollar industry. There is a myriad of products that breath-conscious people can ingest, chew on, gargle, or drink. Orbitz gum claims to make your "dirty mouth" clean again, there are about a thousand Altoids products and flavors, and in addition to fighting the gum disease known as gingivitis, Listerine will temporarily freshen your bad breath.

Rarely do you ever hear somebody say "Wow, she has really great breath!" Instead, you are far more likely to hear the opposite, "Did you smell that guy's bad breath?" I'm reminded of a Simpons episode where Barney has bad breath and a lady asks him if something crawled down his throat and died. He replied, "It didn't die." Although untrue, we all have mornings where it certainly smells or tastes like something died in our throats during the night. We're left with a serious case of death-breath.

What do you think of when you think of God’s breath? Anything at all? I’ll admit, thinking of God’s breath seems a little strange. In terms of scriptural sightings, God’s breath does not rank very high on the list. It doesn’t garner as much attention and adoration as his mighty hand and outstretched arm, but consider for a moment the life-giving properties of his supreme exhalations.

The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

Man was simply a husk, an empty body devoid of special significance until God breathed into him the very essence of what it means to be human. God made all of the creatures that inhabit the earth, but only mankind was made in His image. When God exhaled, man was set apart as the paragon of animals. Jesus did not come to earth to save the whales or to set forth a path for all dogs go to heaven, but to save mankind, God's most treasured creation, if they would receive him. In fact, Jesus had some life-giving breath of his own.

"Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22)

The Holy Spirit was first given to the disciples through the breath of Jesus Christ, before later being given in the Book of Acts to all who repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin (see Acts Chapter 2). The gift of the Holy Spirit is significant. Just as God's breath to the dust in Genesis gave mankind transient life, Jesus's breath containing the Holy Spirit gave his followers eternal life.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in a Christian? It teaches, instructs, and reminds us of Jesus (John 14:26), helps us to speak the word of God boldly (Luke 12:12, Acts 4:31), and stregthens and encourages believers (Acts 9:31). The bodies of Christ-followers are considered the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Thus, with God's help, men are able to do God's work, such as recording and translating the Bible.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16)

We have seen in the previous examples how powerful God's breath is. In the verse above, we learn that Scripture is God-breathed. Although written by men, collected by men, and translated by men, these men and women are working under the influence and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. Thus, to one who does not believe, it appears that God has had no influence in the collection of books that appear in the Bible or in the way it has been translated, but to the believer, God was working through the men and women who work on the Bible. There will be linguistic changes from version to version, but the overall theme of the Bible will never change.

I remember once at work my breath was described as "powerful". We had just eaten at Little Taipei and I had Snow Peas with Beef, with what seemed an entire clove of garlic. In this case, my "powerful" breath was not a good thing. On the other hand, God's breath is powerful, and it certainly is a good thing. As we have seen, his breath has given us life, his Word, and his Spirit. Surely, that's a breath of fresh air.

The Maker of the Heavens

2007-12-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

{This is the second part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

The Maker of the Heavens

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Something was created out of nothing. Whether you believe that the earth and the universe exist because of the actions of a higher-powered creator, or you believe that the earth and the universe were formed by random chance, the fact that Earth contains the only known living beings in the entire universe is incredible to think about. The fact that we live on Earth, a planet so precisely fine-tuned to allow for life forms to live, grow, and flourish upon it, is amazing.

There are those that believe the Earth was created by random chance, a chance so infinitesimally small that it is truly a miracle there is an Earth at all. It's a shame that miracles reside outside of the realm of science. There are others who believe the Earth was created by a higher-power, an infinite Creator outside of our full understanding and measurement. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, there can be no universe, no earth, and no human life without God, and the Bible wastes no time mentioning that belief. Again, the first line in the Bible:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

In writing to the Romans Paul writes:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

Paul states that God's eternal power and divine nature has been on display since the creation of the world. That is, the very earth we live on proves God's existence and some of his qualities. I'm reminded of Robin Williams's character, Adrian Cronauer, in Good Morning Vietnam saying that if you want to know what the weather is going to be like, why don't you just open a window? It's kind of like Paul is saying, you want proof that God exists, why don't you go open a window? I like to think of that verse in that way.

Several psalmists note the creative qualities of their God:

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Psalm 33:6-9)

Do not take me away, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. In the beginining you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. (Psalm 102:24-25)

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them- the Lord, who remains faithful forever. (Psalm 146:5-6)

By now you may be asking where Jesus is in all of this. Thus far, the Bible verses have not mentioned Jesus, but this does not mean that Jesus was not present at the creation of the world. Christians believe that Jesus was God, fully God and fully human, and that as God, he is eternal and infinite and was present during the creation of the earth. Indeed, in his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes that very thing:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)

As we saw yesterday, Jesus himself stated that he existed before his time on earth when he claimed to have been around before the time of Abraham:

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58)

The gospel of John starts thusly:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made... He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. (John 1:1-3, 10-11)

These verses display some evidence that Jesus was present during the creation of the heavens and the earth, not only that, but that when Jesus came to earth, he was not recognized or received as the Creator. It is a little amazing to believe or comprehend. Why would an all-powerful Creator wish to condescend to the level of creation? It is because God loves us as his own Children, as we will see in two more days. What good parent doesn't want what is best for the child? God came to earth to rebuke, to instruct, to show compassion, and ultimately to redeem his beloved creation. Above we saw what John wrote in the incipient stages of his gospel. Now see how that above verse finishes.

He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:10-13)

Will you receive Him?

I AM

2007-12-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

{This is the first part of a twelve part series attempting to answer the question "Who is Jesus?". The song "I AM" by Mark Schultz is utilized in this series as a reference point, and the lyrics can be found in the "I AM series" post found earlier.}

I AM

Just two words will be examined in our first piece of the series. These are two very important words, though. What do they represent?

In the Book of Exodus, a guy by the name of Moses fled Egypt to a place called Midian. There, he saw a burning bush that was not consumed by the flames. He was curious, so he approached the bush. From within the fire, God called out to Moses and proceeded to have a conversation with him about Egypt, the suffering of the Israelites in Egpyt, and God's plan for the redemption of the Israelites. Without any prior warning, God selects Moses to lead the Israelites out of bondage and out of Egypt. Moses is taken aback by this sudden anouncement. He is unsure why he is selected and is unclear why the Israelites should believe him.

Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers
has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM
has sent me to you.' "
God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers--the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name
forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."
(Exodus 3:13-15)

I AM. The name by which God is to be remembered by from generation to generation. It should be noted that this phrase that God used has been tranlated in many different ways. The NIV, or New International Version, translation of the Bible also lists I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE as another acceptable form, while many other Bibles have presented it in different forms. I am no linguist nor do I have any skills of translation, but the next piece of evidence will show why I believe that I AM is likely the best translation of God's name.

Look ahead to the Book of John, in the eighth chapter. Jesus is having a debate with the religious leaders of the era and is claiming that that do not know the Father, that is God. The Jews claim that they are Abraham's descendants (if you are curious about Abraham start in Genesis 12) and that the only Father they have is God himself. Jesus responds by saying that if God were their Father, then they would not be trying to plot against Jesus, who is of the Father. The Jews ask if Jesus is saying that he is greater than Abraham and Jesus responds by saying that Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing Jesus's day coming, that he indeed did see, and was glad. The Jews wonder how this could be so, given that Jesus is so young and Abraham died over a thousand years ago.

"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they
picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
(John 8:58-59)

Why were the Jews ready to kill Jesus? What stimulus could have brought about such an immediate, negative, visceral response? Two words: "I AM". This was not a matter of incorrect or confusing grammar, as Jesus knew exactly what he was saying and what it implied. Through the use of the two words "I am" Jesus was claiming to be God, using the name given by God to Moses. According to Jewish law, this was blasphemy, punishable by immediate death.

This claim by Jesus is among his most powerful claims to being God. Now, you may say that anybody can claim to be God and that many have before. Not only did Jesus make such claims, but he backed them up repeatedly with miracles and wonders, in addition to fulfilling the Old Testament prophesies regarding the coming Messiah and new covenant; some of these topics will be touched upon in the series. The Israelites were looking for a coming Messiah, but the vast majority rejected Jesus as the Messiah.

For Christians, these two passages, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, give evidence that God the Father and Jesus, his one and only son, are both divinity. Just two words accomplished this, two words that will be remembered from generation to generation.

I AM.

The I AM Series

2007-12-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

The following 12 blog entries over the next 12 days will be centered upon the following question:

Who is Jesus Christ?

With Christmas, the day in which Christians celebrate the birth of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, fast approaching, I would like to attempt to give an overview of who Jesus Christ was. This overview will be in no way exhaustive, but will hopefully give those who may not know much about him an idea of who Christians believe that Christ is. My hope is that believers may get something new out of what I write and that non-believers may find the series educational and informative, if not life-changing! The series will focus on his life indirectly, as it will be brought up in explanations, but the series will not be biographical in nature. Instead, it will focus on some of the names of Jesus and his qualities. I will use the Bible as my source of information, and I pray my exegesis is of sound quality.

I will be using the Mark Schultz song "I AM" as my basis for this series. His song contains many of the titles or names of Jesus and some of his miracles and attributes. When you read the lyrics, you will understand better what I am trying to say. So, in this 12-part series, I will be taking the song apart piece by piece and examining why Mr. Schultz wrote what he did in the song, using Biblical references to not only show where these things appear in the Bible for those who may be curious, but also in an attempt to explain what they mean or why they are there. I look forward to the next 12 blog entries and hope that you read along.

If you are interested in listening to the song, it can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzBG6gpkZOU. Somebody made a music video for the song. Kind of cheesy at times, I couldn't help but laugh a picture of Jesus that looked like a mugshot 1:30 into the song and before the final fadeout. Note: Jesus wasn't a white dude, either. That's for a different day, though.

The lyrics:

Song: I AM

Artist: Mark Schultz

I AM the Maker of the Heavens
I AM the Bright and Morning Star
I AM the Breath of all Creation
Who always was
And is to come

I AM the One who walked on water
I AM the One who calmed the seas
I AM the Miracles and Wonders
So come and see
And follow Me
You will know

Chorus:

I AM the Fount of Living Water
The Risen Son of Man
The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry
I AM your Savior and Redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter
Beginning and the End
I AM

I AM the Spirit deep inside you
I AM the Word upon your heart
I AM the One who even knew you
Before your birth
Before you were

Chorus

Bridge:

Before the Earth (I AM)
The Universe (I AM)
In every heart (I AM)
Oh, where you are (I AM)
The Lord of Lords(I AM)
The King of Kings (I AM)
The Holy Lamb (I AM)
Above all things

Chorus

Chorus (slightly modified):

Yes, I AM Almighty God your Father
The Risen Son of Man
The Healer of the Broken
And when you cry
I AM your Savior and Redeemer
Who bore the sins of man
The Author and Perfecter
Beginning and the End
I AM

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright

2007-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

I don't know why I get excited about this stuff, but I do...

When all of the baseball trade talk has been about Johan Santana lately, the Detroit Tigers and Florida Marlins made a big move that was under the rumor-radar until the trade was announced. The Marlins, a small-market team that was unable to get public funding for a new baseball stadium, unloaded their two biggest contracts, those of Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, to Detroit in exchange for six prospects.

While Detroit will not have the best pitching staff in the American League, or even within it's own division for that matter, they should still have a potential top-5 unit. They still have Justin Verlander as their ace, with Jeremy Bonderman, Kenny Rodgers, and now Dontrelle Willis as starters. As long as they can keep their ERAs under 4.5 or 5.0, they should still be picking up a lot of wins. Listen to this potential line-up.

1. Curtis Granderson (CF): .302 Batting/.361 On-base, 26HRs, 74 RBI, 26 SBs, 23 Triples!
2. Pacido Polanco (2B): .341 Batting/.388 On-base, 9 HRs, 67 RBI
3. Magglio Ordonez (RF): .363 Batting/.434 On-base, 28 HRs, 139 RBI
4. Miguel Cabrera (3B): .320 Batting/.401 On-base, 34 HRs, 119 RBI
5. Gary Sheffield (DH): .265 Batting/.378 On-base, 25 HRs, 75 RBI, 22 SBs
6. Carlos Guillen (SS): .296 Batting/.357 On base, 21 HRs, 102 RBI, 13 SBs
7. Edgar Renteria (1B?): .332 Batting/.390 On-base, 12 HRs, 57 RBI, 11 SBs
8. Ivan Rodriguez (C): .281 Batting/.294 On-base, 11 HRs, 63 RBI
9. Jacque Jones (LF): .285 Batting/.335 On-base, 5 HRs, 66 RBI

That is a very impressive line-up. Now, there will be some number drop-offs in RBI totals for some players as they get switched around and because Cabrera's came on a different team, but keep in mind that Sheffield played a fair amount of last year while injured.

The line-up includes 8 players with an on-base average above .335! It includes eight players hitting above .280, five players above .300, and four players above .320!!! Again, Sheffield was injured last year and hit .265, but is a career .296 hitter and has numerous seasons over .300. If he is healthy all year, he could see an increase in numbers across the board. In addition, he'd be a great No. 5 hitter because he has the power to knock in runs, but has great patience as a hitter. Notice his on-base average over 100 points better than his batting average, meaning he draws a lot of walks. If Sheffield walks, you still have Carlos Guillen behind him and Ivan Rodriguez behind him! Another note about Carlos Guillen. He hit .296 last year, but in the three previous years, he hit .318, .320, and .320. Ivan Rodriguez used to hit over .300 every year (career .303), but has oscillated between good years and average years recently. He hit under .300 in '03, '05, and '07, but over .300 in '02, '04, and '06. Next year is and even numbered year...

I suppose I should mention that Ordonez, Polanco, Granderson, and Rentaria all had career years, so their numbers may fall back to an extent, but there is no reason to believe that any will drop off substantially given their ages and where they are in their careers.

In addition to the skilled starters, there are some great substitute batsmen. Brandon Inge hit 14 HRs and had 71 RBI, Marcus Thames (OF) had 18 HRs and 54 RBI, Ryan Rayburn (IF) hit .304/.340, and even Dontrelle Willis hit .286/.348/+.500 slugging as a pitcher in the National League, and he's a lefty! Will Willis get called in as a designated hitter or as a lefty pinch-hitter?

If this team is well-coached and well-captained, this clubhouse could push the team into historic regions. Imagine an entire team hitting over .300! The do get to play the White Sox, Twins, and Royals a lot. Just think of all the times they get to bat against Boof Bonser!

Well, as I said, I get excited about these things. I really enjoy greatness in sports, at least recently. I never wanted to see the old Chicago Bulls win, I never liked Duke much, and I've never liked Tiger Woods. I do want to see the New England Patriots go undefeated, I don't mind the Red Sox although my favorite team is the New York Yankees, and I'm interested in seeing how the Tigers do next year.

Growing up in Iowa, I didn't have any local teams to cheer for, so in the case of baseball, I really grew up as a fan of the game, and not of any particular team. I have the same feeling about football now. There are some teams I like more than others, but I don't have a clear-cut favorite. So, I feel justified in following some teams more than others each year. Do I jump the bandwagon? Yeah, probably, but you know what Bill Simmons? I don't care, I grew up in Ames, Iowa.

Expanding on Aforementioned Topics

2007-11-29T09:24:00.000-08:00

Just adding some thoughts about some of the issues from yesterday. None of the writing except for the first paragraph and the last two paragraphs were my own, it was all copying and pasting from the quiz site. So, those stances weren't my writing, but the explanations given on the website about how to select whether you strongly oppose, oppose, agree, or strongly agree with a particular issue.

As I said yesterday, I haven't been into politics for a majority of my life. I have only voted once, and that in a presidential election back in 2000. I lost. So, if I am wrong in any of the things I portray democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, tradionalists, secular-progessives, etc, as believing, then forgive me, I'm new to this.

First off, let's discuss the right to life. As I showed yesterday, I believe in the right to life in all cases. I think that republicans generally support capital punishment, but oppose abortion, whereas democrats generally support a woman's reproductive rights, but oppose capital punishment. This seems strange to me. It seems like life is life, is it not? Why say in one case that ending life is appropriate but not the other? At least the republicans have it halfway correct, in my opinion. They give the innocent child an opportunity at life, but take away the life of the convicted rapist/murderer. The democrats deem it acceptable to extinguish the life of the child, but give full rights to life to the one who has taken it from another. As I said, I am for the presevation of life in both instances.

Now what about the woman's right to choose, you say? I say, what about the father's right to choose? Both man and woman are equally responsible for creating the life, so both should have a say in what happens. Some say that carrying a baby to full-term is inconvenient for the mother who is say, in some sort of professional workplace or in school. Well, there are lots of aspects of life that aren't very convenient, aren't there? Take some resposibility for the actions you have freely chosen to do and accept the consequences that come with them. What if the mother can't afford the child or to have the burden of an extra mouth to feed? They have this thing called adoption, where another family does have the resources to care for the child. What about the extreme cases of rape or incest? This is a difficult situation, but I must say that I still believe in the right to life.

Last paragraph on abortion, I promise. Some say that the child, before the actual birth is "unborn". So, at what time is the child born? At birth? Why not allow abortion up until the umbilical cord is cut? So is the child legally born at the end of the second trimister? This is strictly a legal definition, not a biological one. I believe human life begins at conception and anything that takes away that life by forceful means is murder. The end result of all pregnancies is a child, plain and simple, so the moment that the path to human life is begun, the child can be considered "born". Some say that if the fetus can't survive outside of the womb, abortion should be allowed. Seriously? It is okay to murder something that can't survive on it's own? What about infants, elderly, severly mentally handicapped, paralyzed, and other such individuals? Is it okay to end their life without asking them? Why would couples who suffer a miscarriage decry the loss of life if the "thing" dead wasn't their child? Why can people be tried and convicted of murder when they kill a fetus inside of a mother if the "thing" wasn't actually alive? Why is it then acceptable for a doctor to kill the fetus? Well, as I said, this whole post isn't only about abortion.

It's about homosexuals too! I wrote long ago on this blog that I was going to comment about my feelings on homosexuality, it never happened. The stance I copied off of the website, sums it up to an extent. I think that homosexuality is a sin, but I don't hold a Phelpsian point of view. I try to view the issue as Jesus would. What is the evidence? Would Jesus agree that "God hates fags"? Not at all. God hates sin, and we have all sinned. Does God hate sinners? Well, he sent his one and only son, Jesus, to die for them to forgive them of their sins if they but repent and believe in his name. So, does that mean that Jesus condones sinning and homosexuality? Not at all, Jesus condones no sin, but repentence. So does that mean Jesus would shun homosexuals? I doubt it, Jesus was known for continually conversing with the "tax collecters and sinners", and with prostitutes, much to the chagrin of the so-called religious elite of that time. So, no person is to be shunned for their choices, but that does not make all choices "good". Then, what part of homosexuality is sin? The actual act of physical sexuality or simply being homosexual? While not biblically based, I believe that only the physical act of homosexuality is sin, not simply being homosexual. But, these are topics that could be theorized elsewhere. I do not think that homosexuals should be able to marry in the traditional sense of the word and I would be suspect of any church that allows gay marriage, but if the government allows homosexuals to have civil unions, then I would be in support of them. It would have to be voted upon by the general populace and thus far, even the liberal states have repeatedly struck down gay marriage referendums. How would I vote? Not sure, I would probably abstain.

Wow, there is 3 of the 20 topics covered.

Gun rights. I believe that gun rights are fine just the way they are, no more restrictions are necessary, although I must say that I don't know what restrictions there are right now. The major scare is that criminals can buy guns. More gun restrictions will simply keep honest people from buying guns, not criminals. Do you think a criminal who wanted a gun would only look through legal channels? They are going to get firearms, usually illegally, so why punish law-abiding citizens because others have broken the law? Hmm, I'm not entirely happen with what I wrote here, but I'm leaving it anyway.

Equal taxation of all citizens seems to be the way to go. A flat tax seems to be the fairest way to tax people. Each person is taxed 10%-20% of their earnings or whatever the number is and everybody pays the same rate. I used to think that the rich should have to pay more taxes than the poor, but no longer. Both the rich man and the poor man earned their money through hard work, so why should one man be punished and the other given leeway? This is going to transition into the role of social programs, too. Why have such things as the death tax, taking even more money away from the rich, who have been paying all sorts of other taxes during their lifetime? Just an extra penalty for outstanding achievement. Okay, so not everybody gains their fortunes through honest means, but those who do should not be unjustly punished.

What about the poorest people, they deserve happiness, too, don't they? Of course, but it is not the government's job to provide it for them. I believe that in this country the governement should cut back on social programs and leave charity to the church and to other secular organizations. The church you say, but that's not separation of church and state!!! Well, you know what, all the denominations of any religion can extend a helping hand. Just because America is predominately "Christian", doesn't mean that other religions can't help out. Also, what is the tragedy in meeting a person's monetary needs as well as potential spiritual needs? If a person has ill feelings towards religion in general, there are many secular charities out there as well. So, instead of being forced to contribute money to government programs they don't agree with, people could decide for themselves who to contribute money to or if they want to contribute at all, this is America after all.

This whole topic reminds me of the book Atlas Shrugged. In it, many countries have developed into "People's States" such as "The People's State of Argentia", and there is clear globalization and international coalescing going on. The people in America have grand ideas of feeding the poor and helping those who can't help themselves. How do they pay for it? By robbing the rich, the creative, the hard-working, and the honest. Through the 8 or 9 hundred pages of the book, American society crumbles as the government takes it's "give to the poor" mantra to the extreme. Each man and woman with a job no longer works as hard as they can, for if they do what they earn will be given to the next man or woman who needs it more. Each person who stands out through hard-work is singled out to take a cut in pay. Well, this isn't a book report.

I've worked with a number of people in the painting business who have changed my feelings towards social programs. They are receiving government checks for their kids, or for their housing, or for their general welfare and then come to work. Only, they don't want to work full-time. Why, you ask? If they worked full-time and received an honest salary, then they wouldn't get the government check anymore. Here, my boss was offering them a chance to earn a living and get off of government support and they turn it down. Why, simple laziness, they want the government to provide them with happiness in the form of money. The unalienable right in the Declaration of Independence is the right to the PURSUIT of happiness. We are free to pursue happiness is ways unheard of throughout the world, but it is not the government's job to PROVIDE us with happiness. Well, you say, those people represent a small but unfortunate amount of people who take advantage of the government, we shouldn't take away welfare from those who truly need it. I say, correct, but the church and other non-secular parties can take care of those people.

Along these same lines, I don't believe that the government should be as involved with social security or health care, either. It's a small amount of money in social security that I pay, but why can't I invest my money where I want to?

Hmm. Last is the war and role of the military, suppose. I don't think that Iraq is the best place for us to be right now. Are we so vain to believe that we can solve the world's problems? There has been political and religious fighting going on in the Middle East for thousands of years. I don't know what to think of the "War on Terror"? Are we really in that much danger? I don't know. I don't ever feel like I am in danger, but I live in Ames, Iowa. I support quickly pulling out the troops from a financial standpoint, this war is just too costly. The last day I was at work last Thursday, my boss went through how our current timeframe mirrors the end of the Vietnam War timeframe. We will arbitrarily pull out of the war, have incredible deficits, our economy severely weakened, and then head into a decade long recession. Great, and I don't have a high paying job to prepare for this recession. I hope I can count on the government.

Hate away if you wish! I'm a little surprised myself to know that I'll be registering as a Republican to vote for Ron Paul. I wasn't always a conservative person, but have become more conservative over the past couple of years. I'd say I've always been more of a traditionalist, so that hasn't really changed. As I said yesterday, I don't think I'd support any of the front-running Republicans, or Democrats for that matter, so maybe the 2008 election will be another abstention for me. I know these republican/conservative views aren't exactly the norm among my age group, but now that I've been thinking about these issues, they are my current feelings. To mangle a Mark Twain quote "If you are young and conservative then you have no heart, if you are old and liberal then you have no brain." So, I have no heart, Samuel? If you say so.

Politik

2007-11-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

I normally don't care much for politics, but just as with football and baseball, I've been more interested in them than ever this year. There are so many candidates among both the democrat and republican parties, that it is hard to keep up with who is saying what. I took a quiz on the internet, not sure if it is a completely unbiased quiz with regards to political affiliations, but here is the way I answered the twenty questions, and the results I received. I was going to list some comments by each of them, but then erased them because I didn't like them. By the way, the quiz can be found at: http://www.speakout.com/VoteMatch/senate2006.asp?quiz=2008.

1. Abortion is a woman's right.

Strongly Oppose means you believe: Abortion is immoral because it kills a human being, and should never be tolerated. `Roe v. Wade' should be overturned and we should protest abortion clinics as other forms of injustice are protested.

2. Require companies to hire more women & minorities.

Oppose means you believe: Affirmative Action is a noble idea, but should not be enforced by government. Government should enforce an end to racial prejudice, period.

3. Sexual orientation protected by civil rights laws.

Support means you believe: Homosexuals should be treated with equal respect as other members of society, not treated as criminals. You acknowledge the diversity of our society by including same-sex partners in most or all benefits of heterosexual marriage partners, but civil unions are preferable to using the term 'marriage.'

4. Teach family values in public schools.

Support means you believe: We need to teach values in our schools. The more our children are exposed to prayer, the Ten Commandments, and other traditional values, the better off they are.

5. Death penalty.

Strongly Oppose means you believe: State-sanctioned killing is wrong. Capital punishment should be abolished as a form of 'cruel and unusual punishment.'

6. Mandatory Three Strikes sentencing laws.

Support means you believe: Keep 'Three Strikes' laws on the books because they seem to be effective, but consider ways to deal with special circumstances so we can avoid horror stories of inappropriate imprisonment.

7. Absolute right to gun ownership.

Strongly Support means you believe: The right to bear arms is a basic Constitutional right and expresses the democratic principle of self-defense against tyrannical government. Leave gun rights as they are.

8.More federal funding for health coverage.

Strongly Oppose means you believe: Nationalized health care would entail a government takeover of a large portion of the economy and undue intrusions into our personal medical histories. Remove the federal government from the health care industry.

9. Privatize Social Security.

Strongly Support means you believe: Our retirement funds should not be entrusted to the government. The entire Social Security system should be run instead as we currently run IRAs, Keogh plans, 401(k)'s, and other private pension plans.

10. Parents choose schools via vouchers.

Support means you believe: School choice helps the poor who would otherwise be stuck in failing schools. Why should only the elite be able to afford private school? Subsidize parents' school choices to foster equality, as long as the school respects separation of church and state, and meets basic state standards. Charter schools are a good compromise.

11. Replace coal & oil with alternatives.

Support means you believe: We should establish a market-based solution for excess carbon emissions, and the problem will be solved. The Kyoto Protocol should require developing countries' participation to make the solution work.

12. Drug use is immoral: enforce laws against it.

Oppose means you believe: We should have regulated decriminalization. Medical marijuana might be legalized, for example, as might clean hypodermic needles. Our drug policy should be reformed, with less criminal penalties and more drug abuse clinics.

13. Allow churches to provide welfare services.

Strongly Support means you believe: Replace the federal welfare system with services provided by churches and other faith-based organizations. Supply block grants to those organizations instead of funding welfare agencies.

14. Decrease overall taxation of the wealthy.

Strongly Support means you believe: Ideally, the income tax and the IRS should be abolished. Perhaps a national sales tax is a good replacement. Lower and flatter taxes are a good first step.

15. Illegal immigrants earn citizenship.

Oppose means you believe: Maintain legal immigration while enforcing against illegal immigration. Tighten our borders - decrease substantially or stop all immigration so we can address domestic problems.

16. Support & expand free trade.

Oppose means you believe: Free Trade should be replaced by Fair Trade. Free trade is not in our national interest when it poses a risk to job security, causes humanitarian problems overseas, or results in environmental damage. Globalization should focus on benefiting people instead of benefiting multinational corporations.

17. More spending on armed forces.

Oppose means you believe: Build smart, not necessarily big. Money is often better spent on issues other than defense. We should cut back on troops stationed abroad and focus on quality of our troops instead of quantity.

18. Stricter limits on political campaign funds.

Oppose means you believe: Politicians will always find loopholes in any campaign finance reform, so the best approach is just to monitor campaigns for lawbreaking and leave the rest to the press. Better reporting of donations would be useful.

19. The Patriot Act harms civil liberties.

Strongly Support means you believe: The Patriot Act is unpatriotic. The terrorists are winning because they have forced us to limit our Constitutional civil rights. We should not give up our liberties in exchange for security, because if we do we will end up with neither.

20. Replace US troops with UN in Iraq.

Oppose means you believe: Phase out foreign aid - people who want to contribute to foreign countries should do so privately. And phase out involvement in foreign wars - as recommended by the Founding Fathers, we should not become entangled in foreign affairs.

Results: I had the best percentage match with Ron Paul at 60%. Others at the top were Tom Tancredo (52%), Duncan Hunter (50%), and John McCain (45%) Highest ranking democrat candidate is Bill Richardson at 33%. Most of the front-runners from both parties are ranked low, including Romney (40%), Hillary Clinton (30%), Rudy Giuliani (28%), and Barack Obama (23%). Joe Biden is last at 13%, which is interesting, because he was ranked first for Lana when she took the quiz. Another note of interest: I heard last night that Dennis Kucinich would consider picking up Ron Paul as his running mate if he won the Democratic nomination. Ron Paul had that 60% match mentioned, whereas Dennis Kucinich was down at 23%.

So, if I had to give support to any nominee, which by the way, I don't have to, this is America!, it would be Ron Paul. I have never attended a caucus before, but am considering registering as a Republican to attend the Republican caucus and show support for Ron Paul. If (an when) he didn't/doesn't get the nomination, I don't know if I would simply support the winning Republican, or simply abstain from voting. I suppose it would depend on who wins each of the respective nominations. We'll wait and see.

The Egotist

2007-11-17T10:25:00.000-08:00

I'm showing off a little here, but I normally hate Scrabble, then had a great day today. I was playing with Lana and her parents and was able to play 3 different 7-letter words.

First, I tried 'phoners' on my first play, but that was challenged and it wasn't in the Scrabble dictionary. So, I had to keep all the letters. On my next turn, I was able to play 'shoppers', using a 'p' that was already out on the board.

Second, there was 'not' on the board, which I turned into 'snot' to play 'shadier'.

Later, I had the letters to play 'betwixt', which I never looked up in the Scrabble dictionary to see if it was a legel word, but that would have been sweet to play but there was no opening on the board.

Third, to end the game, I took a 'y' on the board to make 'ye', which allowed me to play 'egotist' to end the game.

Final score: Kevin 305, Ann Meyer 87, Lana Meyer 82, Mark Meyer 57. So, I got to kick my father-in-law's butt. He threatened a blanket party, whatever that is.

While I was typing this entry, I heard Lana say from the other room, "He's probably got that big grin on his face while he's typing." Just like Belichick.

10 Things List Revisited

2007-11-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

It's been months since I've posted a 10 things list. I don't have anything significant to post about, but have thought about a lot of little things.

1. Lana and I will be coaching a 3rd and 4th grade women's basketball team this winter. Practices start in December and games are played until March. It is a league based out of the church called Upward basketball. All players get equal playing time and everybody is considered a winner, regardless of their skills. No full-court press or zone defense. They also aren't sure if we'll be keeping score and regardless of that decision, standings are not kept. They don't want kids to have the pressure of having to win games. I have some problems with some of these philosophies, but am also excited to coach the kids.

2. When Lana and I were out to dinner today, I told her I was a steak purist. I don't like anything on my steak except salt. No sauces or creams or onions or anything. Also, former Iowa State 4-time All-American wrestler Cael Sanderson was at the restaurant, I challenged him to a wrestling match. I told him I beat Ross Cram a couple of times and he backed down.

3. I worked today for the first time in about a month. I painted some bleachers at a new basketball facility in Ames. It was gravy train stuff on my first day back. Former Iowa State all-conference player Jake Sullivan showed up and I challenged him to a free-throw shooting contest. I told him I once made 0 of 25 in the Elk's National Free Throw Shooting contest. He backed down.

4. I'm reading 1421 right now, a book that puts forth evidence that China may have actually "discovered" the New World and much of the earth, including Australia, Antarctica, and South America. I was really interested in the book, until I checked it out on Wikipedia and found out that a lot of the evidence is not very solid, but it may be refuted by historians who don't want to be proved wrong. It seems like even if this book were true, it would never get accepted as truth. We already believe that Columbus "discovered" the Americas and Magellen was the first around the world. This whole thing reminds me of some Rage lyrics "The present curriculums? I put my fist in 'em. Eurocentric every last one of them. See right through the red, white, and blue disguise. Through lecture I punture the structure of lies."

5. Thinking of those Rage lyrics made me think of the concerts I've been too. That made me think of the bands I wish I had seen live. Coldplay and Sigur Ros would have been great. That's about it. I was able to see Phish, Radiohead, The Shins, and MC Hammer, so I'm doing good.

6. I won $700 at the casino the other day. That is much different than the $100 or so I usually lose when I go.

7. I found out that Anchorage, Alaska needs police officers and are having testing done in April. They pay exceptionally well, although the standard of living costs in Alaska are much higher than they are here. Base pay starts at $60K and after 10 years, the average salary nears $100K. I could be a traffic cop, write a few parking tickets, and take home a lot of money.

8. Have you noticed how dads are portrayed as complete idiots in television commercials? Watch for it, it's true.

9. Patriots are going undefeated. Their division is not tough, but they have some hard games on their schedule. They have been the only team to beat the Colts and the Cowboys and both those games were on the road, well I forgot Indy lost again yesterday. They crushed San Diego, Washington, and Cleveland, all potential playoff teams. When they beat the Steelers and the Giants, they will have beaten all of the best teams in the NFL except Green Bay, who they don't play this year, but would surely pick apart. I'm not necessarily a fan of their team, but I'd like to see them go undefeated.

10. I've had a cough now for about two weeks. It wakes me up multiple times during the night and is generally annoying during the day. My family practice doctor doesn't really have a clue about anything, so I'm still coughing.

The Commies

2007-11-07T20:43:00.000-08:00

This is a blog that I've been thinking about doing for months now, but finally put it into action.

Although my own enjoyment in my blog is paramount, I am also glad that others take enjoyment in my blog. The easiest way to know that I have readers who enjoy, or at least regularly read what I post, is by the comments I receieve.

The comments posted on my blog range from funny
Shawn: "This is your blog. I'm pregnant." (from We Need to Talk)

to philosophical
Brendan: "These ultimate conversations are really just an extended metaphor for the unabating monotony of existence." (from Call and Response)

to nostalgic. Who could forget George Cooke's trip down memory lane?
gcooke: "I saw Journey warm-up for the Stones in 1981. The crowd gave them the finder for the whole show." (from I Have A Problem)

I've written 88 entries to the blog and have received 208 total comments, for an average of 2.36 comments per blog. Of the 88 posts, 24 have received no comments. If you take out those blogs, then I have 64 posts with comments. So when I do receive comments on a given post, the average is 3.25. The longest dry spell is 5 posts. The longest streak of posts that receive comments is 14. Eleven entries garnered five or more comments, with the record number being twelve, for the Baseball post. Well, I didn't start this to bore you with statistics.

Statistically, the most frequent commenter is Shawn Walding with 30 comments. A distant second is Seth Bartel at 19, who once claimed to be in the running for most prolific poster (see: Top 25-A Review). A close third is Gibbs (18 comments) who has used such phrases as "mature language", "amusing anecdotes", and "boy sport blabber" to describe my blog. Becknasty and myself have 17 comments each to our name, although Becky mostly commented on my blog not to say something about my posts, but to correspond with me. Such things as, hey can I play, hey I can't play I hurt myself, and quit talking about how you foot-blocked me. Brendan (13 comments) and Rachel (11) round out those who are in the double-digits club. What an exclusive club! My wife isn't even a member of the club even though she has used three different pseudonymns to comment with (Lana, pnusjmevm, and the clever NotLana). Seven people have commented between 5 and 9 times, one person 4 times, 1 person 3 times, 8 people 2 times, and 14 people have commented once.

There have been some great comments, such as Brendan's comment in the Baseball post. When I wasn't sure how to respond to people who thought baseball was boring, Brendan stepped up to the plate and hit the proverbial home-run. There was some good discussion following the Big Problem post about fat people. I never commented again about it but it seems to be a good talking point and I was glad other voiced their opinions. Finally, there was Shawn's hypothetical Gatorade talk of a Gumbo Gatorade flavored with Andouille sausage, okra, and gravy.

Some people ask questions.

Gibbs: "Is there karaoke in Australia?" (from Captain's Log: 100906)

The answer is yes, there is karaoke. You were upset that you missed it at central regionals in Chicago, so upset, it seems, that you skipped karaoke in Perth.

Others just make hasty but potentially true exclamations.

NotLana: "Kevin Seiler is hot!" (from Captain's Log: 80706)

Yet others commit to a season of ultimate frisbee.

Wes: "OK." (from The van Buren Boys)

So, I decided to make an awards list for those commentors or comments that have stood out from the rest. I call these awards The Commies.

So folks, without further ado,

THE COMMIES:

Pioneer Award (first poster): Mike Lun, congratualtions Mike, you went were nobody else dared to go. You talked about how you touched the disc once at 2004 Nationals (see: The Top 10 Continued). Oh how far you've come.

Least secretive pseudonymn: Lana Meyer for pnusjmevm. She offered a dollar for whoever figured out what her name meant. Jake had it figured out less than an hour later (see: Awkward). Want a hint? Think mnemonic devices used in Saved by the Bell.

Runner up: Lana Meyer for NotLana (see: Captain's Log: 80706). Oh, by the way, she is Lana Seiler now, but before she was Lana Meyer.

Best use of the comments section for you own personal vendetta: Steph Miller (my sister). Congratulations Steph! When I forgot your birthday back in 2006, you let me and all my adoring fans know what a terrible brother I was (see: On Sleeping). Hey, remember when I then forgot it in 2007, too? I'm such a stitch! Love you Steph.

Best Zing: Shawn Walding. Brendan had just got done commenting on how he is so awake in the morning and full of energy and that he is unintentionally annoying to people in the early hours. Shawn writes "Right Brendan, just in the early hours of the morning, right. No other time." I'm no linguist, but I think he was implying that Brendan can be annoying at other times.

Runner Up: Tim Murray. I had just thrown in a zinger in my Movin' On post and he commented thusly: "Zing. It could be worse like living in Iowa, being on the 3rd place team from the central, and not winning a game in FLA." Now, it was evident that I don't want to live in Iowa much longer, but I wasn't feeling too bad about the last place finish, after all great men sometimes finish last. Timmy, don't you know a little something about last place finishes? (see: SubZero 2003 nationals).

Most awkward exchange: Shawn Walding and Kevin Seiler. Who could forget the drama that ensued shortly after Sellouts? was published. Just as the visible portion of the iceberg is but 10% of the beast, so the visible portion of jersey debacle but 10% of the beast. Shawn and I resorted to fisticuffs on that one. Fisticuffs is when you email each other privately instead of post publically.

Most homophobic post: Mike Lun. "Gaayyyyy!!!" (from Has Anybody Seen My Fiance?) Sure Mike, I'm the gay one. I only use 1 "a" and 1 "y" when I write "gay". You use 2 "a's", 5 "y's", and 3 exclamation points. Interesting.

Most intimidating responder: Rachel Derscheid. She made Shawn write: "I am scared to blog for fear that you may find faults in my deeds and actions." (from Captain's Log: 73106)

Best comment from a family member: Ryan Seiler (my brother). "Score o matic, more like bore o matic." (from Don't Forget Heirrison Island) It may not seem funny to you, but it was great for me to be so far from home and get a message from my brother who I didn't even know was reading my blog.

Most sci-fi comment: Shawn Walding. When scoffing at what a theoretical Carleton coed 2004 vs. Carleton coed 2005 match-up would be like he later said, "It's so easy insulting teams that don't exist in the same plane of space-time existence!" (from Fantasy Pool Play Results)

Prolific Poster: You already know it is Shawn Walding. He really cleaned up here. If there was a Most Awards award, he would win that one, too. Well, thanks Shawn.

That wraps up the awards ceremony and this post. Thanks for commenting, but if you never comment, that's fine, too. Thanks for reading.

Sports Rambling

2007-11-05T17:05:00.000-08:00

Listen: New England blew it. But they won! you say. Indeed, I watched the game and I am aware of the final score. Did you see how they took a knee late in the game? They blew it. Amid all of the "running up the score" grumblings from analysts, coaches, and players, they missed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove their toughness. The game was dubbed Super Bowl 41-and-a-half, and The Biggest Regular Season Game of All Time. Sure, New England could have lost the ball and given Indianapolis a chance to score, but they also could have stepped up, scored another touchdown and proved their machismo proudly stating "we ain't scurred". I wonder what they would have done if they had been up by 15 or so.

My baseball predictions back in October went okay. I was able to correctly predict the outcome of the National League series, unlike any other ESPN baseball analyst, but the Yankees downfall messed up the rest of it. Oh well. Now to sit back and see where Alex Rodriguez ends up.

The only interesting story line in the NBA for me is how the Boston Celtics do. I don't really care about the NBA and usually don't even check the standings until February or so, but I'm eager to see if Boston can complete a tri-sport championship season. The Red Sox have already taken baseball, New England isn't a certainty for the championship, but they only have to beat Indianapolis at home to earn it, so it is up to the Celtics to seal the tri-sport trifecta. I kind of hope it happens.

Ultimate is a sport too, right? Maybe. I was thinking about nationals and how that one tournament was so different than any I have ever played in. Even club coed nationals and worlds could not compare to it. The reason it was different was from the "team" experience, not a personal experience. As an individual, I wasn't as effective as usual, but didn't get to play a lot of offense, which is what I feel I am best at. One-on-one, though, it didn't seem any different than the best of coed players. The "team" experience I mention is this: In coed and college it seemed like you matched up your strengths against the strengths of the other team. There was little exploitation of weaknesses. It was "here's our best, there's your best, let's see who's best is better." In this highest-level open tournament it seemed like our individual and team-wide weaknesses were shining brighter than our strengths. It was kind of like, we are both good teams that have excellent players, so what will determine who wins is not "who's strengths are stronger", but "who's weaknesses make them weaker?" The Van Buren Boys certainly had team weaknesses and individual weaknesses that weren't really expoited until nationals and a handful of games in the regular season.

Too much space devoted to ultimate. What about hockey and soccer? That's enough.

I don't know a lot about the BCS system, but it seems too flawed. A four-team or six-team playoff seems more appropriate, especially when there is so much controversy each year. This year, there could be three undefeated teams and some six or seven or eight teams that might have one loss. How do you sort it out? Well, there is a system in place to sort it out, but it is not perfect. With a four or six-team playoff, you would include the fringe teams that might have deserved to play for the championship, but were excluded because of computer ratings. You could say, "well than teams that don't get included into the playoff would complain, much as the third team left out of the championship complains." True, but it is easier to say a fifth ranked team or a seventh ranked team is not worthy of the championship when compared to a third ranked team when there is little evidence to distinguish the second and third spots. Agree?

Where did Kansas come from this year? I hope they go undefeated, but they still have to play Oklahoma State on the road, Iowa State at home, Missouri in Kansas City, and if still undefeated, Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. They still have two games against top-10 teams at neutral sites and a tough game against OKState, but the Iowa State game should be a cakewalk, sorry to say. Good luck Jayhawks.

On Monday night football they are wearing throwback jersies. I'm trying to think of jersies that I like. The old Astros and Padres jersies were pretty sweet with their oranges and browns. I like the Penny-Shaq black Orlando Magic jersies, too. Back in grade school, Lana thought she was cool in her Charlotte Hornets Starter jacket. I've only bought one jersey in my life, it was at a Minneapolis second-hand store and was from a Yokohama Japanese baseball team that said Kazu on the back.

I'm a little bummed out that soon it will be that time of the year when only NBA basketball and hockey are on, with some college basketball thrown in. Hopefully there are some poker episodes I haven't seen yet, but that craze seems to have already run its' course, hasn't it?

I got to keep movin'....movin' on....

2007-11-02T16:28:00.001-07:00

While traveling to Florida, I spent a lot of time searching through the atlas and made a list of possible towns to move to in the future. I had a small number of slightly breakable rules:

1. Population roughly that of Ames (50,000)
2. College town preferred
3. Near national parks, forests, mountains, ocean, etc.
4. Nothing in the south

Having those rules in mind, I perused the atlas state by state and made up the following list:

1. Anchorage, Alaska--This one breaks the population rule at roughly 275,000 people, but those people are spread out over an area larger than Rhode Island, so population density-wise, it is a fine city. Potential drawbacks include 20 hours of sunlight in summer/darkness in winter, high rates of physical violence against women, 100+ inches of snow, and isolated location. Positives include impressive scenery, many national parks, and many recreational opportunities.

2. Flagstaff, Arizona--Lana and I drove through Flagstaff once on our way home from my sister's place in Phoenix. Though in Arizona, Flagstaff is located at about 5,000 in elevation, so it is cooler than the side of the pillow that your head hasn't been resting upon. We played disc golf there and the course was incredible. In 2005 Men's Journal called it the #2 place to live in America. They have great observatories, the highest point in Arizona at 12,000+ feet, many disc golf courses, and a vibrant town culture. Drawbacks include large number of meth-heads and a rate of theft that laughs at the national average, probably because of meth-heads.

3. Santa Cruz, California--Never been here, but it is on the Pacific Ocean and not part of a greater metropolitan area. There would be a higher potential here for ultimate frisbee.

4. Santa Barbara, California--A larger population than I would like at 85,000+, and maybe the people would just be too laid back, but it is here on the list. Hopefully, property values aren't too high, even if most of the population is.

5. Eureka, California--Home of Humboldt State. I did some research on Wikipedia that was disturbing. Violent crime rates aren't high, but methamphetamines are popular here (surprise!) and the police have itchy trigger fingers. In a town of 40,000, there were 6 police-caused fatalities in 2006. I can't remember the last time a cop in Ames, Iowa shot a suspect. The good news, though, is that I don't do drugs and shouldn't have to worry. The town is nestled against the Pacific Ocean and is right in Redwood territory. Redwoods National Park was without a doubt my favorite national park, so to live in that area, and upon the ocean would be great. I guess the town is clouded in fog much of the year, though.

6. Truckee, California--No college in this town, but it is situated next to Lake Tahoe. This is where the infamous Donner Party was supposed stranded. Like many of the other sites on this list, there are ample skiing opportunities in winter and hiking/biking opportunities in the summer. Given the location, this place could be too expensive for Lana and I to live in.

7. Golden, Colorado--Never been here, but Jake said it was picturesque. When I looked it up, I didn't like how close it was to Denver, like it was just the last suburb. If it is up in the mountains, at least it would be separated from the metro area, but even then, looking down upon Denver from the mountains wouldn't be the ideal vista. Then again, A-Rod is rumored to potentially play for the Rockies, and there would be free Coors on Fridays.

8. Durango, Colorado--When Lana and I did our 2005 national park trip, we went through Durango. We didn't stop or anything, but just driving through the town I felt like it was the place I was meant to see and live in. Situated in the southwest corner of Colorado it is a hub for many mountain bikers, and a outdoor sports lovers dreamtown. The population is very small at 15,501, but it does include ex-Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Steve Carleton. This one is high on the list.

9. Dover, Delaware--East Coast! Not many of these on the list. It has a small population and Delaware is near the Atlantic Ocean and New Jersey, double-bonus! It has a college, Delaware State, and has a small population at 34,000+, and it is near the ocean and many state parks, so it is on the list.

10. Hilo, Hawaii--A small city on the big island. Living in Hawaii would be incredible. You can bike around the island in an ambitious day, climb the mountains, go to the beach, and hike. I certainly wouldn't be a slave to television anymore, unless it rains. Does it rain on Pacific Islands?

11. Pocatello, Idaho--Did you know it is against the law to look sad in this city? Seems kind of ridiculous, maybe I could get a job as a smile-cop. Idaho State is located in this city, as are endless forests and mountains and rivers, and over 50 Mormon churches! The population is 53, 372 and they have 50 Mormon churches!

12. Lewiston, Idaho--Lewis and Clark college is the one for this city. I don't know much about Idaho, and I've only travelled through the vertical panhandle once on the way home from Seattle, but I was impressed with both Idaho and Montana, so they have some representation on this list.

13. Couer d'Alene, Idaho--Had this one on the list, then took it off, then put it back on. A town of about 40,000, no college, but a glacier lake up in the mountains, like a baby Lake Tahoe.

14. Bangor, Maine--No college here, I've never been to Maine, but for some reason I put it on the list. It is close to Acadia National Park on the Atlantic Ocean and Stephen King does live here, but I have no idea what else is big about Maine. Ross and Lorien, could you clue me in?

15. Missoula, Montana--Another town with a college and many outdoor recreational opportunities. Maybe I would be taken hostage by some sort of townie militia, but it could be really great while it lasts. Is there a coed ultimate team here, or one located near here? I don't know, as an open player, I don't recognize the legitimacy of coed ultimate, especially those teams that don't finish in the top 8 in the country.

16. Bozeman, Montana--More centrally located in Montana, but maybe that isn't such a great thing. They do host an ultimate tournament each summer, if they indeed still host it.

17. Ithaca, New York--A little more east coast. Cornell University is here in upstate New York, what else, I don't know, I've never been there, but I do know two graduates.

18. Asheville, North Carolina--Not sure how this one made it on the list, but it did. Too close to "the south". To close to "North Carolina ultimate". Umm, it looked good at the time, now I'm not so sure. Okay, okay, I don't really have a thing against North Carolina ultimate.

19. Ashland, Oregon--What would I have to look forward to here? The Oregon Shakespeare Festival held at the U of Southern Oregon each year. "Two houses, both alike in dignity in fair Verona where we lay our scene" or something like that. Alas, poor Ashland, I don't yet know thee, but maybe one day.

20. Corvallis, Oregon--Another small Oregon town off of the interstate. A girl from Corvallis dated my roomate and her parent's were good friends with the Wigginses, yes, those Wigginses. That's got to count for something.

21. Moab, Utah--As the list gets longer the write-ups are getting shorter. Did you notice that? A small town of only 4, 807 people, but it is on the doorstep of Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Many mountain biking and rafting outfitters operate out of Moab, so I could get a job in the sports entertainment industry.

22. Logan, Utah--A smaller town, the site of Utah State University, away from the Salt Lake City metro area. Utah is an incredible state, though. Once when I was down and out I thought I would just leave Ames and all my stuff behind and just go bike around Utah until I gained my wits about me again. Sometimes I wish I would have gone. Oh well, I could still go live there.

23. Burlington, Vermont--The birthplace of Ben&Jerry's Ice Cream, Van Bruegger's Bagels, and Page McConnell of Phish. That trifecta should pay off bigtime. They would be a lot of snow in the wintertime, but it would be nice to have some winters in the woods.

24. Olympia, Washington--Located down at the crotch of the Seattle Sound of Bay or whatever, I don't think they have a large college, but this town has a small population and is near Mt. Rainer. They have good cherries there.

25. Eau Claire, Wisconsin--This is the one that turns everybody's heads. Eau Claire??? So, have I been there to justify putting it on the list? No. I just think Wisconsin is a decent state, plus there is Lake Superior to the north, a places like the Apostle Islands, Isle Royale National Park, and others. So maybe it is a weak choice, but I needed 25 for a more square list!

So, that's the list, it certainly has a west-coast bias, but what doesn't these days? Lana seems to be okay with moving to any of these places, or anywhere in the world, or anywhere that is outside of Ames, Iowa.

Hot/Not

2007-10-30T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Kansas boys are fond of posting these sort of things on RSD. Here is a take of my "Open Club Men's Nationals!" experience in hot vs. not form.

Hot: Beachhouse large enough to house the entire team
Not: Waking up early to clean beachhouse large enough to house the entire team

Hot: Winning spirit award with The Van Buren Boys (take that RSD!)
Not: Going 0-7.
Really Not: Thinking that spiking the wooden spirit disc would be funny, cocking my wrist back to spike the disc, and clocking Rob Mooers in the face. The blood cleaned off.

Hot: Giving Machine a scare.
Not: Getting my quad pounded by Wooten. Imagine a 6'6''/200lb muscle roller. It happened on Friday, it's now Tuesday and my quad still oscillates between pain/soreness.

Hot: Winning some in-and-out box in the ocean.
Not: Giving Jake a black eye playing in-and-out box in the ocean.

Hot: Undefeated boat racing at the Beer Garden.
Not: Puking in your friend's car on the ride home. You know who you were.

Hot: Sleeping out on the deck in the cool Florida evenings.
Not: Being covered in bug bites from sleeping out on the deck.

Hot: Talking about future ultimate plans less than 4 hours after the end of the season.
Not: Finding out that a lot of players already have plans for next year.

Hot: Partying with your teammates every night.
Not: Going to a hot, overcrowded bar with lots of people apparently looking for fights.

This nationals experience was the most fun I've had. With CLX, we had fun, but with The Van Buren Boys, we tore the house down every night, really, Lou and I wrastled a little and tore a seam in the drywall. Matt walked through the closed screendoor. Some dishes were broken. Wimer set off some smoke alarms. Friday night was a little wild, featuring some swimming. Most people went down in streeclothes that turned into impromptu swimming clothes as people were dragged down to the water.

I had some great conversations over the weekend with X, Swartie, Icepick, Amy, Jimmy, Mr. Regionals, and Stu. Got to hang out with Beckified Nation and Doegefied Nation, Wimer, Ross, and others. That Ross, not much of a wrestler. All in all, it was great hanging out with everybody. Oh yeah, include a Barrett/Kevin cards victory over Joe/Lou. Lou, that guy can take some crap, which is good, because I dish some crap. Thanks Lou, it was a lot fun this year.

I don't have too much to comment on about the tournament itself. We went 0-7, probably could have won 2 or 3 games, but didn't pull them out. The Machine game was certainly winnable, we lost 15-12, but had some wide-open drops that kept us from winning, among other things, I suppose. The Ring game was 15-12, too, but I'm not so sure that one was winnable. We were in it the whole time, but it would have taken more than just cleaning up a few bad mistakes. The GOAT game was an offensive showdown, until they scored 5 in a row to end the game against us. Our defense rarely got the disc and when we did, we rarely scored, which was frustrating as a defensive player. We didn't even get our first break until the second half of the Ring game. I think we were down at half 8-5 against Ring, Doublewide, Rhino, Machine, and Pike. 8-6 against GOAT. It wasn't until we played Rhino on Saturday that we had our first lead.

Well, that's about it. It was really fun to get back to Sarasota after not going last year and playing with this group of guys all year. We may not have ruled the school, but we gave it our best shot.

Secret Agent Man

2007-10-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I can't be a special agent of the FBI, not yet anyway.

Lana has been researching possible career fields and she watches a lot of TV shows like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Without a Trace. We've seen random episodes of Cold Case, Criminal Minds, CSI, etc. So in her job search, she came across the FBI Special Agent information page for new recruits. On it, she found out about the physical fitness test a person must pass in order to be considered for employment.

The test was split into 4 individually scored segments, those being sit-ups, push-ups, 300 meter run, and 1.5 mile run. Each event had its' own specific protocal. To pass the physcial fitness test, a minimum score or time was required in each segment, in addition to needing a combined score above the cut-off line.

To give a scoring example, male sit-ups (60-second time limit) were scored as follows:

-2 points--fewer than 31 situps
0 points--32-37 situps
1 point--38 situps
2 points--39-42 situps
3 points--43-44 situps
4 points--45-47 situps
5 points--48-49 situps
6 points--50-51 situps
7 points--52-53 situps
8 points--54-55 situps
9 points--56-57 situps
10 points--more than 58 situps

Each event had its' own scoring scale which can be found at http://www.fbijobs.gov/11131.asp. To even be considered for special agent status, one must score at least one point in each category and have a minimum of 12 points total across the four categories. I believe I saw that it is recommmended you be able to score in the high 20s to low 30s for serious consideration.

So, Lana and I went out around noon to be if we had what it took to be special agents, at least as far as physical fitness is concerned. The order of events were situps, 300-meter run, push-ups, then the 1.5 mile run, with minimal time in between each event.

First came sit-ups. Lana went first. She went at a steady pace, but it was too slow, as she only had 15 at the 30-second mark, she hurried up the pace and ended up with 34 in 60 seconds, one short of scoring the necessary point to pass. She scored zero points. I went next and was able to do 39 in 60 seconds, scoring two points.

After one event: Kevin 2, Lana 0.

Next we did the 300-meter run. I wasn't sure what to expect here, I sometimes feel lighter than air when I am sprinting, other times it feels like I'm running in slow motion. Lana went first and was really cruising along running the first 200 meters in a little over 30 seconds, but ran the last 100 meters in a little over 20 seconds, getting 54.??, and scoring 5 points, a good score. I went next, didn't feel too fast, tried to stay on my toes as much as possible but ended up on my heels. I came in at 45.50, also scoring 5 points. My gluts and hammies felt like they were on fire, my quads drained of any energy.

After two events: Kevin 7, Lana 5. I might pass this thing!

The third event was push-ups, something I am not strong at. From time to time in my life I have tried to do push-ups as part of working out, but fall off the schedule after about two weeks of them. My dad told me that in college he could do 60 pushups in 60 seconds, and won a fair amount of fraternity bets with the trick. At one point, I tried to be his equal, but I think the most I ever worked up to was in the low 50s. Today, I'm lucky if I can do 20 in a row. The thing about push-ups in this event is that you have to have continual motion, no pausing in between push-ups to gather strength or will power, you just have to keep going. Lana went first again and did 23, although the form was slipping at the end, and scored 3 points. She only had to do 19 to pass, whereas I had to get 30 to even get a single point. I did 17 or 18 really quick, then fought through a few more and maxed out at 22. I think I could have done a few more, but when I realized I still had to get to 30, I figured why make it to 25 or 26 just to quit when I can quit now. Maybe that's just my excuse for not doing as many push-ups as Lana. 0 points.

After three events: Lana 8, Kevin 7. Technically, neither one of us can pass at this point because we failed to score in an event, but we still wanted to see if we could get the 12 point minimum.

The last event was the 1.5 mile run. Abs tired, quads tired, arms tired, butt sore, but I need to get 10:34 or better to get 5 points to finish with 12. Lana simply needs to run a 12:29 to get 4 points to finish with 12. How did the drama unfold? I ran my first lap in 1:27, things were looking great, I was on pace to run under 9 minutes, good for 10 points! Second lap came in at 3:08, off pace, but still looking to score a lot of points. Third lap at 4:50. Slowing down. Had to walk a bit in the fourth lap, it felt like my ribs were going to separate. I was at 7:30 with two laps to go, averaged about 2 minutes per lap and finished at 11:33. Oh yeah, Lana passed me somewhere in there and she got 11:01. I scored 3 points for my time and Lana tallied 8.

Score: Lana 16, Kevin 10

So, I thought I might do fairly well, then didn't even meet either of the two minimum requirements, failing in the push-ups segment and failing to score 12 points total. I guess I have some work to do, but I don't really want to be a special agent, so no worries.

Lana tried the situps again, going at a faster pace the whole time and she did much better, doing 38 situps, bettering her previous total by 4. She went at a much faster pace early, then had some trouble late. It seemed like she could have done a number in the low 40s if she hadn't been fatigued from the previous events and having done situps earlier. So, in her second attempt, she did 38 situps, scoring 2 points, and passing all of the events.

I could have tried pushups again, but there was no point.

Final adjusted score: Lana 18, Kevin 10.

Lana passed. Congratulations Lana!

So, that was a fun workout, something with some goals mixed in with novelty. Planned to throw some frisbee, but it has been raining here for six or seven days in a row, coupled with the hammer toss practice that has occured there in the rain, left the field covered with ankle-deep divots, plus I'll be playing Moustachionals this weekend with Dingwop, so I'll get some frisbee in.

Regionals Pt. 2

2007-10-12T16:09:00.001-07:00

Well by now it has been a few days, the RSD chatter has died down and vacation plans are underway. Soon, we'll find out what we are seeded (is it going to be 15th or 16th!).

I'd like to point out a few more players contributions that I seemed to gloss over or forget last time. First, Ross Cram needs a lot of credit. When our offense was bad on Saturday, Ross Cram came in and made it right (okay, there were a few others). When the defense needed to score late Saturday, Ross Cram made sure it happened. When The Van Buren Boys needed a break to finish out halftime against Madcow, Ross Cram let loose a backhand right up the line for Joe Nickels. Oh, and he had a layout D, I believe his only one of the season.

Joe Nickels needs some more talk, too. I don't think I mentioned him in the last blog. Joe played like a warrior. I started calling him Mr. Regionals sometime during the weekend. I remember the pictures of 2007 South College Regionals and the talk about Joe Nickels on RSD, then I saw what he did at 2007 Central Open Regionals. He came up with some big plays, always guarded some baller from the other team, and nearly died on game-point in the Madcow game, then didn't even take the injury sub.

Jake worked wonders on Saturday and Sunday. It's tough to have to call lines, especially in tight games, but Jake handled it very well. Together, we worked out some strategies and came up with some new ideas. Some worked and we went with them. Others didn't, so we went back to the old ways. Without some creativity, some willingness to change, and the stones to take charge, we may have crumbled. There is a fine line in knowing when to stick with players who are underperforming and knowing when to sit guys who aren't getting it done. You don't want to destroy your players' confidence, yet you don't want to keep digging a hole you can't get out of, either.

Without the turnaround of Mike and Barrett, Sunday would not have been possible. If they read this, I don't think it is a surprise to say that they underperformed on Saturday. With Barrett, it seemed to be physical motiviation. With Mike, it seemed to be psychological stress. No matter what it was, they came back big on Sunday when we needed them most. Barrett caught everything underneath in the rain, even the one-handed off-center grabs, and his forehand hucks were always on target. He caught a number of scores, too, seemingly taking part in over half the scores, whether throwing or catching. I'm not sure if Mike was more conservative on Sunday, but he seemed to pick his spots very well and didn't force anything that wasn't there.

I was so happy for a number of players on our team that get to go to nationals. I know it means a lot to Jimmy, Becky, Lou, and Rob. A number of guys on the team have been cut by other perennial nationals teams, so it was great to get some validation. I'm not saying other teams were wrong in not taking them, they know what they need, but it was nice to see everyone who has been cut by other teams be able to have played on a nationals level team, and not only ride the coattails of other players, but play a significant role in getting that team to nationals. I was also excited for BJ, he's been in games-to-go to nationals in three separate years and his fourth will be his first trip to nationals. When CLX abdicated our nationals bid last year, Stu, BJ, and JoeB were all denied their first trip to club nationals. I'm glad Drew and Karl joined the team. I'm glad Ben Lyons get to go to nationals, he has worked so hard this year and improved so much.

I think I have a new top-10 ultimate game, not sure where it would rank up there, nor do I want to go back and find those posts, I think they are over a year old. It's not the Madcow game, but the BAT game. My reasons for including it in the top-10? It was the first time all season that The Van Buren Boys beat a team it wasn't supposed to, and not only that, but in convincing fashion. 15-10 leaves no question as to who the better team was. The team atmosphere was incredible, and the rain just made the game so much more memorable. I felt I played my best game of the season, even though I gave up more breaks than I would like, I tried to pressure Ricky on every throw, to never give him anything easy, to make him work for everything. I did my best to get the offense running during defensive transitions and we picked up some cheap scores that way. So, it had all the makings of a top-10 game: I played well, the team wasn't supposed to win but did, we won convincingly, and it was an important and memorable game.

So, the Madcow game. Not a top-10 game. By the second half rolled around, I was a little out of it. I was a little jaded by all of the calls and had dissociated from the game a little. That and I was fairly ineffective on defense, using most of my energy in the previous game. After playing a point in the second half, my arms and fingers were tingling, as was my toes and scalp. Couple that with lightheadedness and I felt it probably wasn't a good thing for me to go back into the game. I became a spectator as I mentioned before, having to watch each excruciating offensive turnover and the resulting defensive drama and eventually offensive scores.

There were also too many calls in that game, too much arguing for it to have been an enjoyable game, thus a top-10 game. Before observers, I believe Madcow's main argument with us were two close up/down calls that we retained possession on. They did have two marking foul calls that retained possession for them that we argued. Beyond that, there was the ongoing drama of JoeB v. Kevin Ryan (Willis). Willis gets injured, observers come in, score is 5-5. It seems as if calls were the reason we were winning the game, that from this point, we should be outscored. We weren't. We outscored them 10-8 from this point. Well, I wrote some other stuff, but erased it, it seems like beating a dead horse at this point.

Finally, making nationals meant a lot to me, too. This has been a tough season for me on many fronts, obsessively worrying about the team, trying to call earlier season lines, taking care of administrative duties, all why trying to stay in playing form with a body that is past its' prime. Oh, and I didn't put myself on the O team, and I love offense. Jake helped a lot by agreeing to take over line calling.

This season reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle. Just as with an old puzzle, finding all of the pieces is the first goal, you can't start arranging them until you have them all there. Recruitment wasn't too tough, but we were adding and subtracting guys until CHCs. Then you have to start fitting pieces together, a lot by trial and error and slowly at first. These were our early season tournaments. As the picture comes together, the puzzle moves along faster, and some pieces you thought fit in one area actually go in the opposite corner. By the end, you just throw the final pieces in and admire the picture. That's what I'm doing now, I guess.

Seriously, though, it was tough. The team wanted me to tell them what to do on offense and defense. What can I tell you? How can we design an offense when only half the guys come to any given weekend practice, and we only hold four or five weekend practices? That and tournament attendence is never high enough to work on things there, either. I tried to develop an offensive system that would start with certain given variables, then rely on free-flow and creativity until either a score or turnover happened. It is by no means revolutionary, but it got everybody on the same page and could easily be described to players who weren't there at practices. It was difficult to use zone defenses during the year because every player learned it slightly differently in different areas on different teams. Early in the season I tried to get the defense to run off of a turnover instead of waiting to set up an offense, but some early season mishaps had them thinking the slow set-up is the way to go. So, at regionals, I became a handler and decided that when the situation called for it, I just ran to the disc and immediately put it into play, whether the cutters were ready or not. It made for some quick scores and it made for some confused offensive possessions, too.

Anyway, it was a tough, tough, year. I thought I had wasted a lot of players' time and money putting this team together. I felt a little guilt, a little dissappointment, some feelings of failure, but those all started to melt away as we that deficit against Illinois melted away. It was a wild ride this season, but the end result has been worth it. But hey, it isn't over yet... not yet.

Nothing/Everything to Lose

2007-10-08T12:10:00.000-07:00

The tournament that was Central Regionals is now over. The Van Buren Boys are heading to Sarasota, Florida. That...just...happened.

It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy, but we fought through some early tournament funk to finally play like the team we were supposed to be.

The fourteen-team format had us playing 6 pool play games to 11, one erroneously to 13, and three bracket games to 15. It made for a lot of points of ultimate. It started at 8:30 on Saturday, when we went to 13-9 against Rawhide from Tulsa. They scored more on us in this game than in all of the others combined. I don't remember much of this game. I don't think we were up to par, but nothing to think that we were in trouble, just a rusty first game.

We knew the second game would be the most important of the day, but as it is, so did Machine. We came out slow, unenthusiastic, and ready to lose. Machine jumps out to a 5-0 lead, we make it 6-2 by halftime, but overall, don't get anything going. Final score 11-4. This was a very demoralizing game, as we were outmatched in every way.

Subzero was next. I talked with a few players about bagging the game, and we all thought it was a good idea, but in the end, decided not to follow through with it. Zero scored the first two, we got the next three, and zero got the next 9. So, it was simply a game of runs.

So, three games into the tournament, things aren't looking good. The offense is struggling, some players in particular, and it looks like the spiral of the season is making its' final descent down the drain.

We have to pick ourselves back up and go play Hustle. Our offense gives up some breaks and we don't take half, trailing 6-5. Defense comes out and plays good enough to win in the second half and we end up winning 11-9. This game marks a change in the season where our sidelines are loud and the players on the sideline seem very involved in the game.

After a bye round, we played the Illinois college team. They came out with nothing to lose, hucking at will and coming down with them. We coldn't stop them. They took half 6-3 and we were suddenly looking at taking fourth in our pool. In the second half, our defense comes out firing, we waste no time scoring when there are turnovers, and we don't allow the offense back onto the field. The sidelines are loud and may have been imtimidating to the younger college players. We win the game 11-6. We survived, but for how long?

Early Sunday morning we finished out the day against Dingwop. The game was a continuation of the Illinois second half. We came out fired up and intense, winning 11-2.

Next game went just as well. Games were now to 15. General Strike plays a 5 or 6 handler set with one dominant cutter, it seemed. We did our best to cut off breaks and swings, shut down upline dump cuts, and poached deep. It worked great. We took a 5-0 lead, took half 7-2 or 3 and won the game 15-4 or 5. Things were going great.

Our next opponent was Big Ass Truck, or BAT. They commonly make nationals and certainly planned on going back this year. We play the game in the rain, sometimes sprinkling, sometimes pouring, and are able to use it to our advantage. A couple of short field turns for them are converted into easy scores for us. We take a 8-6 halftime lead. The offense is playing incredibly well, catching everything in the pouring rain, sending up great hucks, and throwing some good breaks. At times it seemed as if we were playing in normal weather and they were playing in the rain. A 30-minute storm delay worked out to our advantage, as we stayed warmed up and they didn't. We ended the game on a 6-1 or 2 run to win the game 15-9 or 10. It was our most decisive victory of the year and our best played game. The defense was great, collecting six or seven breaks over the course of the game. The offense, while not flawless, was only broken once. They had a large amount of turnovers, but their defense always got the disc back. There were some incredible layout defenses by Jon and Mike, in particular. Players were coming up with big grabs deep and the hammers were flying.

They was a long break before the last game against Madcow. I think it started at 5:15 or so, after the tournament was supposed to be over in the first place. We start on offense, which had been a problem for us this tournament. Offense turns once or twice, but is able to score. They don't turn and score. We make it interesting again, while they don't turn and score. All in all, our offense scored on 7 of 7 opportunites in the first half, even though they had about 10-15 turnovers. Our defense only gets the disc two or three times, but makes good on one of the opportunites to get the break before halftime. 8-6 Van Buren. I suppose I should mention the wild start to the game where it seemed like it was a national final. There were many off-disc cutting fouls, travel calls, up/down arguments, marking fouls, etc. Madcow was screaming over and over about observers. So what did we do? The Van Buren Boys went and asked for some observers. The game settled down and none of our calls were overturned, so I was pleased about that.

The second half was the tensest half of ultimate I've ever experienced. I've played in some tense games before, having to win at regionals to qualify for nationals, playing in semifinals and finals at nationals, etc, but late Sunday was almost too much for me. The tension seemed to grow with each point and with each successive failed defensive effort, the burden on our offense grew larger. They just kept responding. If they failed to score, their defense would simply not allow the other team to score. Ellsworth made some incredible defensive plays. From 11-10 or so, we traded offensive points until the final 15-13 score.

-Wimer said there was something magical about Sunday that he just didn't understand. He knew about CLX and some of the drama that had unfolded over a number of years, but had never experienced anything like it. I kind of attribute it to our playing style that developed late Saturday. At the one point in the season when any single mistake could be the end of our year, we suddenly played as if there was nothing to lose. The hammers flowed, the hucks flew, the big grabs abounded, risks were rewarded, players who didn't lay out all year were suddenly picking up layout D's, the jersies were dirty, and the marks were stiffling. We were playing because we loved the game and wanted to achieve something together, playing as the team we were supposed to be.

-The entire team effort it took to qualify made winning so enjoyable. Our defense kept us in the tournament against Hustle and Illinois. They started us off right against Dingwop and General Strike and played their best game of the year against BAT. It may have taken a lot of pressure off of the offensive squad, or it may have allowed them to rest, but they seemed to run out of gas in the Madcow game. The offensive squad picked up the slack and scored on all but one of their possessions.

-Each section of the offensive squad played very well. Mike, Jon, Wimer, and Stu played very well on Sunday, having very few short field turnovers. It wasn't easy in the rain, but the breaks were flying all day, especially in the second half of the Madcow game. Jon's three high-release forehand breaks come to mind in the final point.

-Dave and Barrett played great together, dominating the middle of the field, cutting deep when necessary, and hucking lights out. Barrett was a part of many scores, whether busting out a 50 yard forehand, or reeling in the score over a few defenders. Dave and Barrett are our gunslingers. You send the disc to them and see what they can do. These two guys are so important to the team and we will always have a chance to win if they are playing big.

-Our deeps, whether Ben, Matt E, Matt B, Drew, Wes, or Josh played great. We were even getting quality hucks from these guys in important situations. They played their part and came up with some big grabs. Having Berkseth back helped switch Drew and Wes into some defensive situations, too, which really helped our defense.

-The defense played great early Sunday, setting the tone for the entire day. Ross produced the miracle throw point after point starting late Saturday. We moved him to the defense to create some scoring opportunities and it may have been the best change made all year. Brendan was nearly flawless in the handler position and everybody played well, moving the disc even in poor weather. Jimmy had some key hucks in vital situations, too.

-Our big guys far exceeded expectations. I had felt like Drew, Wes, and Josh hadn't been performing to their capabilities at spots during the season and all three of them played great at regionals. Josh played his best tournament since Minneapolis, making some big grabs and adding to the defense. Wes had a layout D in the Madcow game! Drew played dominant in the deep position and his aggressiveness early in the tournament set the tone for our offensive cutters. I was really happy for these guys.

-I could go on and on, so I should stop. I can't really believe we are going to nationals, I was certainly not expecting to go. I don't know what to expect from nationals. If we play like we did on Sunday, we could surprise some teams looking past us and who knows what could happen from there.

-Oh yeah, I cried like a baby when we beat Madcow, I couldn't help it.

Thank you to all those who have supported The Van Buren Boys this year, your support has meant a lot to me and to the rest of the team.

Baseball

2007-10-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

More than any year I can remember since fifth or sixth grade, I've been into baseball. I've always loosely followed the standings and league leaders as the season progresses, but this year I've sat down to watch a number of games and late in the season have made it a point to check ESPNs Gamecast updates.

As a kid collecting baseball cards and baseball books, I used to know a lot of stats and records about the game. Although there are so many statistical categories that each year some of them are broken or some oddity occurs, there were several this year of note. Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins became the third and fourth players in the history of the game to have 20 doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases. It had happened twice in over 100 years, and now two guys did it this year. Curtis Granderson also nearly became the first player in the history of the game to have over 500 at-bats and NOT hit into a double play all year.

A number of players passed milestones this year. Frank Thomas, Jim Thome, and Alex Rodriguez hit their 500th home run. I believe Sammy Sosa bested 600, and of course Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time record. Craig Biggio collected his 3000th hit and Tom Glavine picked up his 300th career win. Was there another pitcher to get 300 wins this year? I should have done my homework.

I think Ryan Howard set the single season record for strikeouts. Homework...

Alex Rodriguez nearly became the second or third player to score 150 runs and drive in 150 runs in the the same season. I think Mickey Mantle did it back in the 60s. Again...homework. Also, in one of the last games of the season, Rodriguez both scored his 1500th career run and collected his 1500th career RBI. If Alex Rodriguez has the drive and the desire to play another eight to ten years and stays uninjured, he could easily break the all-time home run record, RBI record, and runs record. Some are predicted he will hit 800-900 home runs. He would definitely have more hits than Saduhara Oh. Beastie Boys reference for you. Saduhara Oh was a Japanese baseball player who hit over 800 home runs. But the all time RBI and runs scored records are both below 2300. With Rodriguez averaging well over 100 of each every season, he will break both records in seven or eight years. Oh, and collect roughly 3750 hits.

I have never been a fan of the National League, but I have to say that it was incredibly exciting this year down the stretch. The first playoff spot wasn't decided until the second to last day of the season. The NL East was decided on the last day of the season, while the wildcard needed an extra game to be determined. What an incredible game. Jake Peavey gets knocked around for San Diego, Matt Holiday misses a catch that could have won the game for Colorado, a questionable non-home run call is made when a ball bounces off a wheelchair back into the playing field, Trevor Hoffman blows a save for the Padres, and Colorado wins it on a sacrifice fly in the 12th after a questionable home-plate call. It is unclear whether Holiday touched home-plate or not, but he was called safe. It was confusing why he never tagged home plate while the catcher lost the ball on the collision, leaving the umpire no doubt on the call, but as it was, I guess the umpire had already made his decision.

People say baseball is a boring sport to watch and I agree to a certain extent. Regular season baseball can be tedious, but playoff baseball is something entirely different. I've always been excited to watch baseball later in the season when division races get tight and the playoffs near. There is just as much down time between pitches as there is between plays in football, so get over it.

The NL MVP race should be interesting to watch. Prince Fielder and Matt Holiday seem to be the frontrunners, but a large number of players deserve consideration including Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Hanley Martinez, Jimmy Rollins, Jake Peavey, and some dude from the Mets, can't remember the name. Many more could receive votes.

The AL MVP seems all but determined. Magglio Ordonez had a great season and Carlos Pena finished incredibly strong, but neither of their teams made the playoffs and Alex Rodriguez had much better numbers. Rodriguez could possibly be a unanimous selection.

Predictions:
NL MVP--Matt Holiday of the Colorado Rockies
AL MVP--Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees
NL Cy Young--Jake Peavey of the San Diego Padres, although there are many here who deserve credit, there is only one winner
AL Cy Young--C.C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians (who will get rocked by the Yankees)
NL Rookie of the Year--Tulitzsky or whatever his name is from Colorado
AL Rookie of the Year--Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox

AL Championships: Yankees vs. Boston (old school matchup/AL East matchup)
NL Championships: Arizona vs. Colorado (expansion team matchup/NL West matchup)
World Series: Yankees vs. Colorado
Champions: The New York Yankees

My favorite team is the New York Yankees. I've never really hated the Yankees like most do, but when they acquired Alex Rodriguez I started following their team and learning more about all of their players. The Yankees seem to be disliked for two main reasons. First, they compete at a high level almost every year, which people tend to dislike, unless they are from that city. Second, they buy a lot of talent to help them win championships. It's funny that the Boston Red Sox seem to be universally liked about as much as the Yankees are vilified, yet Boston competes at the same level and has the second highest payroll in baseball. They are the Yankees, they just don't do it as well.

I don't necessarily agree with buying talent to win championships, either, so I was glad to see the emergence of some farm-system players for the Yankees. Over the past three years, the Yankees have developed Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Shelley Duncan, Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain, and several others.

It seems like the Yankees have a number of payroll busts, but that is a gamble they are willing to take. Carl Pavano was making 8-10 million this year to be injured in the first week of the season. Jason Giambi made something like 16 million to hit .225 and not even play a position most of the year. Kyle Farnsworth was paid about 6 million to do nothing in the bullpen. Bobby Abreu was somewhat of a bust, especially at 16 million. Kei Igawa made 4 million to play in the minors most of the year, while Johnny Damon and Mike Mussina had less than stellar years to make about 15 million and 11 million, respectively. Even Roger Clemens was paid more than a million dollars per start this year. While his contributions to the clubhouse may have been invaluable (or valuable, see: 1 million dollars per start), his pitching was less than stellar. This happens all around baseball, where guys are paid outrageous salaries to produce little for the team, but the Yankees take it to a whole new level.

Well, if you've read this far, you must be a baseball fan too. I won't take up more space talking about steroids, BALCO, the infield fly rule, asterisks, why Roger Maris is the most underappreciated Yankee and perhaps professional baseball player of all-time, why Babe Ruth should always be considered the best baseball player of all time (even if Alex Rodriguez breaks all those records, Ruth can always scoff and say "Yeah, but can you pitch?"), why the Devil Rays will never ever win anything, and why Steve Bartman is my hero and I will never care about the Chicago Cubs.

Two Halves (taken two ways)

2007-09-10T19:33:00.001-07:00

Hi.

It's been awhile, about a month and a half, since I last wrote. Didn't have much to say I guess. A lot of blog ideas were thrown aside and Cooler wasn't much to talk about. The few times when I wanted to write, I didn't have the time.

Well, now I might have herpes.

That's a funny sentence to add there, it might have even made you laugh. But seriously, herpes. No, not the genital kind, either. I did some research and found there are actually a number of different herpes viruses. Herpes simplex-2 is the genital kind. Herpes simplex-1 is the kind that causes cold sores and skin rashes. This is what I may have on a small patch on my back. Chickenpox is also a form of the herpes virus, as is shingles, its adult counterpart. Well, adult counterpart isn't exactly accurate, as you have to have had chickenpox to later develop shingles. So, if you had chickenpox earlier in your life, which 90% of kids do, then you can develop shingles, a much more serious form of the virus later in life. What I have might also be shingles. Lab tests will determine what it is.

That makes two tournaments I came home from this year with skin infections. After MUDI, I developed a bacterial infection under my right armpit that stretched around my back. I thought it was a spider bite at first, but it spread and got larger and uglier. Now after CHCs I have a viral skin infection. What a bummer. Maybe after regionals I'll get leprosy.

Reading on a medical site, I found that symptoms of the onset of shingles include a headache (which I had this weekend), sensitivity to light (which I mildly have all the time although I hate wearing sunglasses), and cold-like symptoms (I did have a runny nose and sore throat, but those are probably attributed to allergies and yelling on the sidelines). The site said that shingles could be triggered by a number of things. One is sunburn, which I acquired this weekend. Another is stress, which I had in abundance last weekend. Which leads perfectly into the second half of the blog, CHCs.

It was a lousy tournament for me. I played poorly, felt drastically out of shape and practice, and stressed myself out far too much for the duration of the weekend.

I worry about players on the team enjoying their time with the team, I worry about players getting enough playing time, I worry about winning games, I worry about strategies to use and how to implement them even though it is usually not possible to implement policies. Players come up to me and mention possible things to try. Some are possible, like how we position on the field. Others are not possible, such as how to run a cup. We have a number of players coming from a number of programs and areas of the midwest and we haven't done a lot of practicing together, those with limited attendance, so we haven't exactly had the means to implement and practice teamwide strategies and concepts. Not that I exactly have any revolutionary ideas that will propel the team forward, but when we run a zone defense at a tournament, none of the layers of the zone know what the others are going to be doing, without having built up that experience with each other.

Let's move on. I don't know how to most effectively call players into the game. I made up some rules to call in players by, stuck by them to an extent, and then threw them out the window. Jon, Wimer, Mike, Barrett, and Dave played a large number of points. I try to make subbing players in as equal as possible, but they end up far from equal. The player with the least number of points played 19 on the weekend. The player with the most played 57. Not that equal playing time is the primary objective, that's winning, but equal distribution is the secondary objective. I know a number of players would like to play more, but I just don't know what to do.

Let's move on. We haven't won a big game all year. And the only opportunity to now do it is at regionals. Unless we lose at sectionals, we are the likely 6 seed, behind Subzero, Madcow, BAT, Madison, and Machine. The only team among those five that we beat is Madison, with that win under suspicious circumstances as they didn't have some of their best players and handlers. In some of those games we weren't too close (Machine and Madison), in others we stayed close and lost (both Subzero and Madcow), some we went down big early and came back to lose (BAT), and others we held a lead and couldn't hold (Madcow and Madison-game 2). We have yet to put together a solid 2-half effort.

Let's move on. I truly believe that our roster has the individual players match up against any team in the region. We aren't as deep top to bottom as Subzero, but I believe we are against any of the other teams. What we don't have is a team that seems to be able to beat those teams. As parts we are capable, as a whole we haven't been. I don't know how to unify the team together or to get us to play as a team. It isn't something that can be practiced or forced, it just happens. Am I wrong?

I just don't know what to do to get things to change for regionals. At the current pace, we will be done Saturday night. We plan to play on Sunday and win, so something needs to happen.

There were some bright spots. The offense showed signs of greatness and invincibility in almost every game, yet almost every game they had a 3-5 point stretch where they couldn't score and had to stay on the field. The defense showed some toughness, especially in the BAT game, erasing a 2-7 deficit to bring the game to 8-9.

Wimer's play has far exceeded expectations and preconceived notions. He's every bit the handler that he's hyped to be and made some catches and defenses over the weekend that I wasn't sure he could make. Wimer was CHC MVP.

Jon was a workhorse, playing more points than anybody, and seemingly keeping his form the tightest of anybody who played 45+ points. Threw a cog into the subbing works by playing offensive handler with Mike and Wimer so well.

Dave and Barrett aren't the fastest guys on the field, but get open frequently. Dave unfortunately was injured early in the Subzero game after a bum layout attempt by (SURPRISE!) Shane Hohenstein. Sure, people make layout attempts on discs they can't catch, but why not layout to the side of a player instead of right through the back of? You risk injuring the player in front of you, and risk injuring yourself, it just seems irresponsible on two levels. Well, this wasn't a big deal and I'm not trying to make a big deal of it, it just happened and was apparently blog-worthy.

Hmm...don't want to drag on with the individual accolades so I'll cut it short.

We have a lot of work to do and it won't be easy, but things worth achieving never are.

The Extravaganza

2007-07-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

The following is the live-action style blog documenting the 24-hour casino extravaganza that Joe and I recently participated in.

7:54PM--Parking spot found at Prarie Meadows Casino in Des Moines, Iowa. I think it took 10 minutes just to find a spot. There are horse races tonight, so there are a few thousand people here right now, just about the number of one-dollar bills I could be leaving with tonight.

8:00PM--Twenty, twenty, twenty four hours to go. Sedation not desired at this moment. So, 24 hours in a row is no big deal you say. Some people spend three or four days in a row at the casino, at the same table even, you say. Well, to our credit, we aren't strung out on coke; we're just two sober guys looking to stick it to the casino for 1 24-hour period. Current status: even ($250).

8:07PM--Some dude just bugled over there, seriously. Joe filled me in on the intracacies of horse betting. I throw down $2 on an exacta for the first race. Picked the 4 horse over the 6.

8:23PM--A late charge by Ablumin Miracle, charging from fifth to first in the last 100-200 meters hits my exacta exactly. The 4-6 finish nets me $12.20. That was in Joe's face. Just right up in his face. Current status: +12.20 (262.20)

8:44PM--I am hot right now, I mean I'm picking winners left and right, or just left so far. One out of one winners. I place a win bet on the 6 horse Mingo Mohawk, a 12-1 bet, and a show bet on the 50-1 underdog Tricky Mocha. The tickets singe my fingers when they are handed to me these picks are so hot.

8:45PM--Got a look at the horses. Tricky Mocha is about half the size of the other horses. Dang it. Joe picked the 1-4-6 trifecta. The fool.

8:52PM--Tricky Mocha runs out to a huge start, leads at all the rails, leads halfway down the homestretch, then...finishes sixth. I rip up my tickets in disgust. Sorry kids, daddy can't afford new shoes this year.

9:04PM--I just realized the sun has set on this day, with it my chances of winning? That is yet to be seen. I throw-down another hot exacta bet (7-6), Joe with the (7-8-3) trifecta.

9:23PM--None of the horses that were on our tickets even showed in this race. The 2-1-5 underdog finishes would have payed out $3193.20 on a $2 trifecta bet. Incredible. This horse racing stuff is getting boring, plus I spent on my winnings already. Current status: +0.20 (250.20).

9:49PM--Time for the party to start. Bought in for $80 at a 3/6 hold-'em table.

10:02PM--Big blind special. My K-7 matched a 7-7-10 flop and I placed some bets, a check-raise and raked over $40. I think I'm the only guy at the table younger than 50.

10:15PM--Big blind special #2. My K-10 hit trip Kings to win another good pot. I'm up over $60 already.

11:15PM--It's been awhile. One hour to be exact, no wins. 5 pocket pairs, 0 hands won. I saw that the Yankees lost to the Orioles again. Joe is apparently up over $200 after riding a long rush of cards.

11:23PM--Earlier Joe and I had seen that a wedding and reception had taken place over near the hotel. The bride comes into the poker room and asks if her husband has been in there. They had been married two hours earlier, and she had hardly seen him since, apparently he was hiding somewhere in the casino. Many poker players found it funny. I thought it was sad.

11:37PM--I get annoyed when people complain about their poker luck over and over at the table. I always sit next to some guy who shows me his cards over and over and complains about how he never hits the draw he's on, as if I'm his new friend and should show him some sympathy. Well, actually sir, you've hit your draws a few times tonight, in fact, about as often as statistics say you should.

11:45PM--Bathroom break. Things are looking grim. I'm already doubting whether $250 can actually last 24 hours. Or 6 hours.

12:03AM--Past midnight now. I'm drowning in an endless sea of K-7, Q-7, J-7, and the occassional A-7. I believe I've had a 7 in my hand over 50% of the time. Approaching the two hour mark without winning a hand.

12:21AM--SUCCESS! J-J holds up and I'm up to $97 at the table, a net gain of $17. Nothing great, but much better than the alternative. Joe's cards have cooled and he's been hovering around $200 for some time now.

12:34AM--First suited aces joke. Did it really take this long? This is one of the most annoying things for me at a poker table, when people mention having suited aces. What gets me is that people at the table actually laugh or chuckle. All right, maybe I'm just on edge right now. One winning hand in 2.5 hours can do that.

12:43AM--A-K big blind. Board comes 3-6-9-8-10. Nuts. Or lack thereof.

1:19AM--Pocket cards come A-K again. Nothing on the board. I'm bored.

1:40AM--One more hand....one more hand....one more hand....I'm finally able to leave. Cashed out $55, down $25 from when I started. I was sitting at the table with my chips racked and saw one more hand. A-10 suited. I just threw it away, aces were not kind to me today. As I walk away, the board proves me right.

1:56AM--Find Joe downstairs, doing moderately well at a Texas Hold'Em table game. I watch for a while and find the game interesting. Maybe I'll buy in for $50.

2:12AM--$50 gone. I almost lost it all in three hands, which would have been very embarassing, but held on to play about 10 hands. It helped me last longer that they had a five minute break to shuffle in and count new cards. I just don't think I can play table games at $5 a bet and make it through the night.

2:20AM--Forget about table games, it's slot time. I approach a Mr. Lucky machine.

2:24AM--Up $6.55 on the Mr. Lucky machine. Notice an opening at the Deal or No Deal machine, where Joe is already up $80 or so.

3:22AM--Done playing slots. Down to $150 left. I was able to last over 6 hours. But can I make it 12?

3:57AM--Eating some nachos with Joe. I just watched Joe lose $180 at blackjack in the most excruciating way. Each hand for him was like another kick in the already swollen and painful testicles. I saw him lose three 20 hands to a dealer blackjack, complete zero double downs, and lose both hands off of split aces. I think the dealer felt really bad too, but it's his job to stand there and kick people in their already swollen and painful testicles. Current status: -$103 ($147 left).

4:13AM--I casually slip Joe a card. 1-800-BETSOFF. I'm so zany.

4:32AM--Played a variety of slots. Went shrimping, played Wheel of Fortune, Monopoly, and Top Gun. Just a slow steady burn-off of money. Well, that's not entirely true, sometimes it was a fast burn-off. The Top Gun machine was interesting. Lots of sound effects, low bass rumblings in the chair, and a weird bonus game, but as far as I know, a near 0% payout rate.

5:12AM--I am down to $100. Joe is down to $20. What do your heroes do? Do they make their last stand at the blackjack table, letting each victory ride and redoubling their money on each epic hand, earning themselves a place in gambling lore? Nope. We raise the white flag, surrender to the adversary, and walk away to live another day.

5:46AM--I lay my head down to sleep and have to wonder, did I do the right thing by leaving? What if I was just about to go on some hot-streak? Just kidding. I just fell asleep, I was really tired.

Survival

2007-07-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

I was watching Man vs. Wild recently, a survivor type television show where they drop a guy off into the most remote places on earth and his objective is to make his way back to human civilization. I've seen two or three episodes, one where he was dropped onto a glacier in Alaska, one where I think he was in a jungle somewhere, and one where he was dropped into the Kimberley in Northern Australia, basically an outback-like environment.

I enjoy watching the show, but I can't help but feel that the host is simply showing off, in addition to trying to survive. On the Australia show, he mentioned that he had some sort of military training, but he seems more like surfer dude than a Navy SEAL.

The last show I watched, the Australian one, he was dropped into the Kimberley without water, food, or shelter, and I thought they said he was 150 miles from the nearest town or city. In the intense heat of the outback, he keeps talking about how important it is to stay hydrated. There is no readily available water, so he proceeds to start drinking his own urine. At this point, he isn't even exactly thirsty, he just knows he has to stay hydrated. They show him urinate into his water bottle, then immediately begin drinking it. He complains about how salty and warm it is, saying "there is no getting around this". Later, when it does start raining, he didn't exactly run over to fresh water. He says "I'm so thirsty right now, and all I've had to drink is recycled piss." Then, he doesn't even wash out his water bottle, which up to this point, had been filled with urine. He just fills it up and starts drinking.

Later on in the show he is talking about how hungry he is. He puts himself in danger by climbing a tall tree to get some figs, then once he is up there, eats a few figs on camera, puts a few in his pocket, and climbs back down. If he was so hungry, why wouldn't he grab handfulls of figs, especially when he didn't know where his next meal was coming from?

Well, then he finds it. He comes across a spider web and notes that the spider is only "moderately" poisonous. He grabs it out of the web, crushes its head, and eats it whole, commenting on how it tastes like "brains and guts". The whole thing seemed pointless. If he is starving, why eat one tiny spider instead of a bounty of figs?

So is this show just entertainment? Don't get me wrong, I'm entertained. If this show were truly about survival and he was truly in danger of perishing in the wilderness why does he do things the way he does? Why wouldn't he walk and travel at night in the outback, instead of in the heat of the day? If he knows he has to drink 1.5 liters of water a day as a bare minimum, why carry a water bottle that only holds about 20 ounces, especially when water sources are scarce?

This show got me thinking about some things. Back when Lana and I were casually talking about walking the Pacific Crest Trail, I bought a survival style book, can't remember the name of it right now. It had a lot of useful information in it, and it was geared more towards actual survival techniques and things to do, rather than information on how to go on extended hikes. I did find the book to be a good read, though, even if I can't remember much from it and would benefit little from it in a survival situation.

Even now that I haven't thought about the Pacific Crest Trail for awhile, I feel like I wouldn't be able to go six months with few showers, few toilets, few cooked meals, and little time spent on a mattress. I amazed that I thought I would enjoy it. Well, I would once I was out there, but sitting in comfort makes me think I wouldn't like it.

The show reminded me of less than desirable foods and beverages, too. Lana wants to go overseas and visit countries where there aren't too many grocery stores. I was reminded of the beggining of The Poisonwood Bible where a family of missionaries first enters the village they will be staying out. The villagers made a welcoming stew for them and the family eats the soup that has hairy chuncks of meat in it. That made me think of the group from my church that went to Panama two summers ago. They were welcomed with chicken soup, except that the chicken soup had feet, chicken heads, beaks, and eyeballs floating around in it. The Panamanian people laughed at the Americans when they looked scared at the soup, and made another batch without the heads.

So, this post started talking about Man vs. Wild the TV show, but kind of turned into me vs. wild, and how I used to think I wanted to try to challenge myself out in the wilderness. I think now I'm at the point where instead of wanting to see if I could "rough it", I'd rather just sit back and think that I could "rought it", but the truth is, once I was out there, I'm not so sure.

Captain's Log: 72307

2007-07-23T09:09:00.002-07:00

Captain's Log: 72307

The Van Buren Boys played last weekend at the Minneapolis Ultimate Disc Inviational or something, called MUDI. We had already travelled to Boston, but only with 11/26 VBBs, so this would more appropriately be called our "first" tournament as The Van Buren Boys.

Things could not have started off better. In fact, they were perfect. We played a high school team in our first game and won 13-0, never turning the disc over and even grabbing a Callahan goal. Was this a trend that would continue?

No. First point next game TBA moves it down the field and scores. 13 point scoreless streak broken. Then, with us on offense, we turn on the next possession. 14 point turnover-free streak broken. 0-1 was the last time we trail in this game, but we only lead 5-4 before making an 8-3 run to finish the game, winning 13-7. The offensive squad only turned it over two or three times in this game, I believe, and did not get scored on.

Third game, against Nocturnal, we win 13-1. Some really fast guy gets scored on for the other team's only goal. Also, few, if any offensive turnovers. Thus far, offensive squad scored on zero times, with fewer than 5 turns in three games.

In the fourth game we played Dingwop, coming off of a long game against TBA that they had lost. They played a decent game, we won 13-9, but I wonder if things could have gotten a little more sticky had they come off of an easier game or a victory. We took a quick 6-2 lead, but they chipped away at the lead, closest was 9-7, then we won 13-9.

A pretty good day overall. The zero turnover game was impressive, no matter who you are playing. Except for a short first half lapse in the TBA game and a short second half lapse in the Dingwop game, we played great ultimate. Defensive offense movement isn't looking great at times, especially in the TBA game. Offensive team was great today, only getting scored on twice, both in second half of the Dingwop game.

Saturday night had us hanging out at Ross's house. Played some hearts and spades with the Kansas guys, Lou and Brian, plus some poker. Can't be afraid to play rags. Well, it helped that I built a big chip stack early and then could pay to see every non-raised or small-raised flop. And the 6-9 deserves an all-in call every time. Took $40 home, though.

Sunday we didn't have to play until 11AM. First game against GooseEgg. This game didn't go so hot. We trail 2-5 and 3-6 before the defensive squad shows some grit to bring it back to 6-7 at halftime. Offense scores 7-7. D squad can't, 7-8. Offense scores 8-8. D squad can't, 8-9. This trend continues to 11-11. We're getting turns on every point, but it just isn't happening on offense. Leave the O squad in to play defense at 11-11 and maybe get the upwinder. A two or three turnover point ensues, but we get the score and make it 12-11. Send in a D team, poach heavily, a poor upwind huck is thrown, which is knocked down by Rob or Brian. Rob picks up but a pick is called. Rob, Brian and I are all somewhat near each other 50 yards from the endzone. I had a lot of real estate in front of me. Without saying a word to each other disc comes in and I put my head down and run. Rob throws to Brian, Brian puts up the forehand huck, I look up see the disc above me and reel it in for the win. That was a close one.

On another field Madison is playing a close game against Climax that goes well past the time cap. They come over and though we are supposed to start, we give them a few more minutes. They were probably tired, but just didn't look to effective on offense, or maybe our defense was too tight. We cruise out to a 10-2 lead and win 13-6. To this point the offense has only been scored on three times today, five times all tournament.

In the finals we have the Subzero matchup we came to the tournament for. There is a sizable crowd, with spectators lining the entire field except for the endzone furthest from tournament central. A lot came to see what The Van Buren Boys had to offer and gave a lot of positive support to us. We start by playing downwind defense, get a big block from Jimmy and proceed to move it all the way up the field to score. They respond with an upwinder, forcing our offense to go upwind. We can't and it is 1-2. Offense responds with a downwind score. 2-2. Defense comes out and gets the break back, making it 3-2. Then, we get the subsequent downwinder to make it 4-2. Game gets tied at 4-4. Somewhere in there is a heartbreaker where we should have scored our fifth point to a wide open guy, who misreads a disc and it goes over his head. Reading the disc is one our team's poorest skills. It's not exactly something that is easy to teach, though. Defense gets it done again and it is 6-4. They score for 6-5. Offense makes it 7-5. They make it 7-6. We have a chance to score downwind, and receive on offense going downwind to start the second half. We were staring 9-6 in the face. It wasn't to be. Our offense drops two to trail at half 7-8. Up to the point in the game where it was 7-6, our offense had been scored on 7 times all tournament. After that point, offense got scored on five more times. Defense can't get back on the field but two or three times in the time-shortened second half. When they are, there were a couple of golden scoring opportunities that just didn't work out.

So, which team was the real Van Buren Boys team? The one that took a 7-5 lead, basically outplaying Subzero in a lot of respects? Or the team that finished the game 2-8, fighting hard, but just not getting the job done. No question we're the first team, but we'll need to find ways to keep us at that level throughout the game. I realized my line calling was not the best in the second half. I got stuck into the pattern of believing the offense was going to score the next point and we could send on the defense, so I was reluctant to put D guys in on offense. But I learned my mistake. In addition, at later tournaments this year we'll have a few more players, a couple of whom are slated to be offense-only guys.

Notes:

-Brian and Ben wanted me to comment on each player, but that would really take a long time, plus Rob already beat me to it.

-The offensive team, save the second half of the Zero game, really got the job done all weekend. Ross, Wimer, and Mike, looked at ease with each other and moved the disc very well to create throwing opportunites for each other. I was very impressed with that.

-The defensive team's offense could be an X-factor in games this year. Which offense is the true defensive offense, the one the struggled most of the tournament against the likes of TBA, GooseEgg, and Dingwop, or the one that showed up bigtime in the Madison game and followed through with a number of breaks in the Subzero game? I believe the defense has a number of players who "step up" in the big games, so maybe we might struggle in the middle-tier games and play better in the upper-tier games.

-We didn't have a couple of players for this tournament that could have really helped. First, Jon would have added some big breaks and skilled handling for either the offense or the defense. Barrett would have given Dave a rest as a primary cutter in our offense. It would be even better to have both of them in there. BJ is getting stronger as the year is progressing, I wish he could have made this tournament to keep that confidence rising. Joe Nickels is a stud on either side of the disc and could have been another offensive substitution. Later in the year we'll have Austin, but it's unclear how much disc he's playing in Colorado. Also, we may be picking up Michael Arenson, but he hasn't been playing disc all year, and if he does join us, will he be able to blend in with us as quickly as necessary?

-Not a whole lot of hucking over the weekend, especially from the defense. There was some wind, but for the most part everything was underneath. In less windy conditions, we'll have to put up some hucks just to open up our offense. Defense was playing us almost exclusively underneath, making it hard to get the flow started, but somehow we got it done with some success.

-Dave was a workhorse this tournament. He and Mike Lun played highest number of points, but Mike was largely handling, while Dave was cutting every point he was in. Not only that, but he saved a number of possessions in the Subzero game. We wanted to talk about how close we were on a lot of plays after the game or how we let a couple of scores slip away, we should also mention how Dave saved our butts a number of times in that game. As I now remember, Lou made a couple of layout saves against Zero also.

-Josh, Wes, and Berkseth seemed to work well with each other. I felt they played the best in the GooseEgg game, repeatedly getting wide open hucks for scores when the game was tight. There wasn't a lot of extra drama with mulitple turnover points for the offense. They got on the field, got the job done, and gave the defense another shot at it. It seems like there needs to be one more cutter thrown in with these guys. Maybe Nickels, maybe BJ, maybe Jimmy, maybe Joe, maybe myself. Maybe that last spot could just be a floater spot, filled in by the most rested D guys as necessary. As said before, Barrett can sub in for or play alongside Dave.

-Stu I feel I need to apologize to for some reason. He kind of got thrown around a lot this weekend. Maybe thought he was going to be an O guy, but then Mike, Wimer, and Ross were stealing the show. I threw him into a lot of downwind D points, where we would then have to score upwind, and played him on upwind O points, but he never seemed to develop a rhythm, but I think I didn't give him much of a chance to develop a rhythm, putting him in with different players every time he went in. When Jon is thrown into the mix, maybe give one to the offense, and one of them to the defense? Or keep them both as both-way subs? We'll see.

-I still think Brian is the best downwind hucker on the team. He threw a couple of scores early on in the Madison game, plus the game winner in the GooseEgg game. My only concern about Brian is that he has a tendency to run upfield when you look to him as a dump. Two or three times over the weekend when a player turned to him for the dump he ran upfield right as the dump went backfield. I fell into a "wait for a downwinder" attitude with Brian too much and that wasn't too fair to him, because he can move it upwind too. I'll be better about it in the future. I always talk about liking playing with Jon, I really like playing with Brian too, I just don't get to do it as much.

-Brendan comes up big as the games get bigger. Every tournament I've played with him that happens. It's a good quality. Thanks B-Jar.

-Well, the VBBs are officially Beckified. Becky will be playing with us this year and showed why he deserves a spot all weekend. First guy down off the pull every time he was in, few turnovers on offense, and some good handler defense all weekend. I like having Becky around, maybe I give him too hard of a time (see: rent he owes Lou, also, The Footblock). Thanks for playing Becknasty.

-Jimmy also played very well, establishing himself as a go-to cutter for our defense. Also, he's always willing to take a hard matchup on defense. Played very big in the Subzero game.

-Rob is a guy that more than any non-CLX player on the team screams "CLX". While any of the guys would have fit in on CLX, Rob would have done so with flying colors. Like Becky, he frequently played good defense on handlers and showed a hustle that showed how much he loves playing. It doesn't matter the opponent, Rob is going to hustle, smile, and love it. And I love that.

-This is getting long. Joe is Joe. Hard cuts, hard D matchups, a true Baysh Brother.

-Matt, also a Baysh Brother. His huck in the Zero game on the first point saved us the drama of having to score. Once we got that first score, a lot of pressure was off.

-Ben continued some solid play from last weeks practice. Good cutting mixed with good defense. I wouldn't say Ben excels at anything, but he's damn good at it. I no what I'm going to get when Ben is on the field, and that makes it easy to put him out there. Big sky in the Zero game, although he says he could have jumped higher.

-Jakerz defied Conservation of Glory, getting a deep D, then throwing the huck.

-Shawn has red hair.

Well, that's everybody. Looking forward to this season. We won't play again until Cooler, with only one practice before Cooler. I'm going to have to do a lot of personal workouts, but after a tournament like this it's easy. Right now I'm excited, we did well, but there's something to be desired. Now to train to get what is desired.

Big Problem

2007-07-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

I was thinking at work today about homosexuality, which will have it's own post very soon, and I thought about how our society is pushing everybody to be tolerant of homosexuals, which I make no stance on at this point. It got me to thinking about those people classified as "fat" and the way they are treated.

I've known a number of people throughout my life that thought fat people were disgusting, frequently making fun of them, constantly saying cruel things about them, and having a viewpoint of them that almost made them sub-human.

It got me to thinking about why that is. What follows is the best explanation I could think of.

We hate fat people because we are weak. I suppose I have to include myself in there and say "we" because although I don't necessarily dislike fat people to the extent of others, I do occassionaly see a fat person and am filled with less than sympathetic thoughts.

When our eyes fall upon a fat person, we see weakness. We see a person who is not able to keep their weight under control, whether because of bad genes, poor eating habits, poorer exercise habits, or a general lack of concern. Whatever reason the person has for being fat doesn't matter, their weakness is out there for everybody to notice. And we do notice.

Our lack of sympathy for fat people may stem from our own weaknesses. When we see fat people, we notice their weaknesses, which remind us of our own weaknesses, which in turn angers us because we don't want to be thought of as weak.

And we are all weak. Most of our weaknesses are simply not visible, or they are more readily accepted. We feel sympathy for the person who drinks too much and is addicted to alcohol, or befriend the person that spends every waking hour at the bar, yet scoff at the person who eats too much. Our society makes sex very salient, and the individual addicted to sex is seen as a "player", masturbation is a joke among guys, and pornography is accepted as adult pasttime. Those who can't control their anger may have their weakness excused as "heat of the moment", but the fat person is allowed no such moment.

Imagine if you will that your weakness was so salient. That everytime you got angry you gained a pound, that each time you looked at a person with impure thoughts you gained a pound, or that each time you drank too much you gained a pound (okay that one isn't so hard to imagine). Imagine everytime you gave into the baser urgings of the human body and mind that you gained weight. What would you look like? Would you want to see?

I guess I'm not even sure how I should feel about the fat person I see waiting for the bus. Is it sympathy? If I feel sympathy for the fat person for being weak, I should have the same sympathy for everybody else and myself. How can I learn to look a person and not see their fatness? The movie Shallow Hal comes to mind, but I didn't like that movie much.

So, I suppose, in the end I don't know what to conclude, but maybe this post wasn't about how we look at fat people, but how we should look at ourselves.

Cerberus

2007-07-09T14:44:00.000-07:00

The three-headed dog.

At the last ultimate tournament, The Boston Invitational, I imagined myself as Cerberus, the mythical three-headed dog that guarded the entrance, or most importantly, the exit from the underworld. I imagined each of the heads having their own little personality and came up with Keverus, the three-headed dog-man. Okay, skip that last sentence.

Not only do these three types show up in ultimate, or maybe it just that what is displayed in ultimate is the most emotional kind of each variety, but they are present in all aspects of life.

The first head is the head of good-times. With Lana, this is the Kevin that is talkative, tries to be funny, helps out, etc. Although I'm not always talkative or helpful, this is the way I usually feel around Lana, like there is nobody else that I'd rather be around at the moment. I'm glad she feels the same way! At work, this was the Kevin that became the center of attention, drove along the conversation, and tried to make others laugh to make the day go faster. These days were few, only about one a week. In ultimate, this is the Kevin that has boundless energy, plays well, and understands why he likes to play so much. This usually only happens at tournaments, hardley ever at practices or pickup.

The second head is the head of introspection. With Lana, this is the Kevin that just wants to be around, but not necessarily talk too much or be too involved. Just watch TV or read. This is the Kevin that usually thinks about what I've done that is good or bad and what I want to be. At work, this is how I usually am. I prefer to work alone and I like to do physical labor, it allows me to think uninhibited by other noise about whatever comes into my head. Most of my thoughts at work center around my relationship with God, my relationships with others, or ultimate. Sometimes, I think about how ashamed I am of the things that the third Kevin does. In ultimate, this is the Kevin that just isn't too involved in the game. I felt like this most of the time in Boston, just dissociated from the game, more like a spectator than a player. I didn't have a strong desire to get into the game, but I did still want the team to win, I just didn't think having me in would be the best way to accomplish that goal. This is the way I usually feel at pick-up. I recently felt this way when playing golf with Saienga and Jake. I couldn't play well, so I wanted to quit and hit some shots with a "hey, whats the point?" attitude. With Jake, Lana, Dave, and Abbey over the weekend at Saylorville Lake, I take off my shirt because of a bad sunburn, which means I couldn't go in the lake, which means I couldn't go out in the water with everybody, which made me just pull away from the situation and not really want to talk to anybody. I just went in the car, where it was much cooler I have to add, and worked on Van Buren Boys strategy.

The third head is the head of fierceness. With Lana, this is the Kevin that gets annoyed quickly and responds petulantly. This is the Kevin that doesn't want to be cheered up. In ultimate, this Kevin shows up when things are going bad. The team could even be winning, but if it is playing poorly, the win doesn't always make it better. The negative energy that works up in me sometimes makes me play better, sometimes worse, but it never helps my teammates play better. At work, this is the Kevin that wants to quit so badly that he's just waiting for somebody to piss him off so he can up and leave. He doesn't want to talk to anybody, gets annoyed when others can't do things right, and certainly wants to work alone.

Well, now that I'm done, I really don't like the fact that I've used so much third-person talk. That's kind of lame. I don't really feel into this blog anymore.

A Short List

2007-06-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Van Buren Boys headed east to Boston last weekend. As so many VBBs have already blogged on what happened, I'll steer this blog in a different direction.

A short recap of the action includes: 10-12 loss to GOAT, the eventual champions, a 11-15 loss to Truck Stop, which wasn't actually that close, a 4-15 loss to Boston, which wasn't actually that close..., a 11-13 loss to Pike, outnumbered in the seventh game of the weekend 9 to 30+ (at one point I counted 7 on the field, 7 on our sideline, and 15+ on their sideline), a win against Mephisto, Zebra Muscles, and HOV. Okay, so the wins are not that impressive, except maybe Mephisto, but only a little.

Thinking to myself on Sunday, I wondered whether The Van Buren Boys would possibly be the 17th best team in the country. So far, dating back to last year at Motown Throwdown, we've handled every non-nationals team, yet lost to all the national qualifiers. Not sure if GOAT even qualified last year, so maybe they are 17th, we're 18th.

Okay, so we only had 13 VBBs, far less than the 25 or 26 we'll have during the year.

So, why is this the short list? Well, on the flight home I thought of a short list of things that The Van Buren Boys need to work on to be more successful this year.

-Guarding dump cuts better
-Poaching without completely losing track of the player you are guarding
-Quit face-guarding in situations where it doesn't help you make a play
-Quit relying on "up" calls
-Play last back a little wiser, we were begging them to score on us at times, and they did
-Less frantic marks
-A better grasp for the rules and the current rules changes
-An unwillingness to allow backfield swings
-Better communication on switches
-More leadership before games, especially on the first one of the day
-Players realizing when they've played too many in a row
-Handlers either committing to cutting upfield, or staying put
-Offensive stacking
-Stack placement on the field
-Stopping roller pulls or letting them go out the back
-Making better throwing decisions
-Condescending to throw to upline 10-yard gainer instead of the 30/70 huck
-Not settling for the 50/50 huck, and even money here is generous
-Cutters not freaking out when they don't catch it in the endzone
-Dump cuts need to happen sooner
-Thowers need to lead the dump cut out into space instead of throw it directly to the dump
-Not side-stacking on the same side of the field that the disc is coming in on
-Attempting some shorter break throws
-More fluid cutting that keeps the disc moving
-Not throwing hammers when it is windy
-Reading the disc and catching it at the height of your jump
-Knowing when you need to attack a disc and when you can let it fall into your hands
-In zone offense, not making a thrower break a mark just to dump the disc backwards
-Not sending so many players deep in zone offense, we played a lot of 5 on 7

Well, that's just a short list of things we need to work on. Luckily, we have one round of practices before the next tournament.

So, that post seemed a little negative, well, it was supposed to be more of a joke. I think we're in good shape, but we do have a lot to work on. We are an athletic team, but not a very fundamentally based team. In a division full of pugilists and prizefighters, we're more of the backyard or bar-room brawler types. Not a whole lot of technical skill, we'll just try to beat you into the ground or get beat trying.

Do, a dear, a female deer

2007-06-16T08:18:00.001-07:00

Remember that song from The Sound of Music that starts Do, a dear, a female dear, Re, a something something light.......then ends, which brings us back to Do? I had a train of thought yesterday that reminded me of that song while at Hickory Park for my nephew's third birthday party. It went as follows:

Do: I was thinking about crying stories. I used to share crying stories with friends, that is, stories where the conclusion is always me crying at the end. I always seemed to have more than anyone else I knew. Hmm.

Re: The waiter came and asked about our ice cream orders. My nephew's mom was asking about peanut allergy information for the different types of ice cream. My nephew has bad peanut allergies, so the ice cream choice is a matter of life and death. Well, not that bad, she does have an epi-pen.

Mi: That made me think of something rather morbid, that is, kids in elementary school trying to trick him into eating peanuts, not really understanding that it would be very dangerous for him to do so.

Fa: That made me think of this kid from my class in elementary school named Umer. I couldn't remember his last name. It also confused me for a moment why I suddenly remembered a kid from 20 years past that I probably hadn't thought of for just as long.

So: Then I got it. I remembered that some kids had invited him over to their house once and offered him some pizza. Umer was from an Islamic family, so they didn't eat pork. Well, the pizza had pork on it, and the kids tricked him into eating some. This memory must have been triggered by my daydream about my nephew.

La: That made me think about the fact that Umer and I had the same lunchbox. A blue lunchbox that had a Transformers picture on the front. A big picture of Optimus Prime, with the Transformers logo next to him.

Ti: That made me think about the time I was walking home from school by myself and accidently tripped and fell, smashing my lunchbox upon the ground. The impact forced the lunchbox open, revealing a lot of food that certainly was not mine, with a note from a mother who was not my own. I remember it smelling fairly strong and spicy and there was a lot of half eaten food inside.

Do: Which brings me right back to crying stories. I don't know why, but when that happened, I stood there right out near one of the busiest streets in Ames, just bawling that I didn't have the correct lunchbox. I don't know if the fall mixed with the surprise of weird food made me cry, or if I thought I'd get into trouble for having the wrong lunchbox or what, but I stood there confused and crying for two or three minutes before trekking the last block home.

Well, that's my song.

Captain's Log: 61107

2007-06-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

Captain's Log: 61107

The Chad Larson Eggs-perience rolled through Raper country over the weekend (that's Tom Raper country, proud owner of Raper RV center near Indianapolis) on the way to Versailles, Ohio. This Chad team was a little lighter than previous years, as we had 11 guys/6 ladies, a little lower than the 22+ we usually have.

Playing as CLX, the team had a combined 12-0 record in Saturday play. Sunday's record a miserable 0-3. We knew our pool would be somewhat easy, and started out accordingly.

Saturday had us playing Cooler by the Lake, an Ohio State alum team, a Chicago team, and some other team I didn't know. We got scored on a total of 14 times on the day. 13-3, 13-4, 13-4, 13-3. Kind of a boring day. Tried to remember to sit in the shade a lot. Not a whole lot of memories about Saturday, there was some great play and some very sloppy play. Surprise!

Late Saturday night we found out we would play Team USDA, the same team that had knocked us out of the tournament the two previous years. We started out strong, with great defense, and rolled to a 7-3 halftime lead. Second half was more of the same, except for a small glitch in the middle where we let them score a couple in a row. I believe the final score was 13-8. The monkey is off our backs!

Next game, we played what somebody said was a Rare Air/Truck Stop combo team. These guys had just played a double game point against an Oklahoma Alumni team and we were able to watch the last couple of points. We quickly fell behind 1-4, but stormed back to take half 8-5, I think? Second half, more of the same, and I believe we won 13-7 or 8. They started making some major mistakes near the endzone, giving us short fields.

In semis, we played a Wisconsin/Colorado Alumni team. This team was certainly the best we've played in Poultry Days history with Andrew Brown, Tyson Park, Rodrigo Valdivia, Jim Foster, Richter, Adam Simon, Jolian Dahl, Drew Mahowald, among others. I guess I don't know any of their ladies, nor where they came from. I think our team was a little anxious about the game, because we dropped a lot of passes in the first half that were perfect chest high passes. The game was more contested, with more defensive layouts, and even though we weren't getting blocked, I think the potential for getting D'd was there in our heads, causing us to simply drop the passes. We trail at half 3-7. We fight back to 7-9 and have many opportunities to score, but drop some scores and overthrow receivers. The play is fairly frantic at this point. Instead of 8-9, it's 7-10, and we have to score upwind. I forgot the next sequence of points, but the game gets to 11-12, but they don't turn and win 11-13. Kind of a bummer that we played so poorly in the first half, but it was a great game to play. I always thought that Poultry Days finals was something that CLX couldn't really make, but here we were just 2 points from finals, and we could have played well enought to win. It was a pleasant surprise.

-Lana was playing great, especially on Sunday. She just kept making the same cut off the back of the stack and repeatedly getting open, even catching some passes that were difficult to grab. Her play was a big reason we stayed in the game.

-Joe Brisbois and Matt Ellsworth contributed some bigtime defense over the weekend. It's going to be great having those two on the same defensive line for The Van Buren Boys. Matt was a player that I wasn't even sure I wanted on the team, but even in the last two months, he has improved tremendously. I'm eager to see how Boston goes for him, when we have a number of tough games and players to guard.

-Dave was throwing fairly well through Sunday's games, but it looked like he was getting tired by the third game, a thought which he offered up after the game. He was hucking as well as ever for 2.5 games there. A number of first or second throw hucks for scores, which was just crushing other teams' defensive spirits. The Wiscolorado team was freaking out about him every time he had the disc. "He's going to run! He's going to run after he throws it! Make sure he doesn't huck!" Funny stuff.

-Jenny played great on Saturday, catching a number of scores and getting some deflections up in the air on defense. Seemingly tireless, she would D a score on one end of the field and be catching a score unguarded on the other end of the field seconds later. I think she was a little outmatched against Sunday's women, but she will be a great contributor to One Trick Pony.

-Jon Staron is one tough dude. There, I said it. He always injured, yet plays so solid. He'd probably make a good soldier. Tough as nails, with a nearly unflappable demeanor and confidence on the field, yet he knows his limits, and doesn't let his confidence convince him to make mistakes.

I'll write about my own progress later. It's lunchtime.

This tournament was a lot of fun and the most competitive we've been at a Poultry Days tournament. It could go down as my favorite one, but I'd have to do some reflection. I didn't participate in too many off-field activities. No drinking, I apparently missed out on karaoke by going to bed early, and wasn't there for Friday night festivities, arriving at 4:15 in morning.

I'm all the more excited for practice this weekend. And Boston in less than two weeks now.

My First Pseudo-Rant

2007-06-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I feel a little too much like Andy Rooney here, but do you want to know what bugs me? Those credit card commercials recently where all sorts of people are shopping and buying all sorts of things and they’re all dancing around the store and swiping their cards and everything is happy, right? Then some dope comes up with cash and stalls everybody because he isn’t just swiping a card. He gives this apologetic look to everybody like “gee whiz, I’m really sorry guys, I’ll have a credit card next time. I’m sorry I wasted your precious time.”

It’s an interesting tactic by the credit card companies. The basic message is that it is more polite to use a credit card instead of any other form of payment because it is “faster”. Not only should you use it for your own good, but for the good of others, too. Right, does anybody really believe this? Take cash somewhere, use it as payment (by the way, it is still accepted in monetary transactions anywhere), and see what happens. I’ll save you the time. You give them the money, they give you the change. Done. Where’s Lorry when you need him?

I saw another commercial for either Home Depot or Lowes. They have a store credit card where you don’t have to make any payments for a year if you spend over $300 at the store. Some dopey husband and his wife are in the store and they find out they don’t have to pay for anything for a year so they talk about buying all sorts of things and getting extra carts, and remodeling this and replacing that like everything is free. You’re paying for it sooner or later, so just pay for it now. You aren’t saving any money using a credit card, and the credit card companies do not have you, the consumer, in mind when they try to get you to use their cards. Would you rather pay for 100% of it now, or 20% of it 6 times?

Here’s my financial advice: Buy only what you can pay for. Carry cash. Use it as needed.

Musical Thoughts

2007-06-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts 1001-1010

1001. Do you know that song at the end of Abbey Road, the untitled song after The End, is possibly the greatest of all the Beatles songs? Isn’t it the greatest of all love songs? “I want to tell her that I like her a lot, but I’ve got to get a belly full of wine.” Isn’t that true of all of us? Isn’t this the basic human condition so succinctly written into a ten-second song? Thank you Paul.

1002. I’ve been having some thoughts recently about marriage. Namely, that if were a carpenter instead of a painter, and Lana was a lady instead of a woman, would she marry me anyway? Would she have my babies?

1003. “Blinded by the light, wrapped up like a deuce…” That’s deuce people, as in deuce coupe. Like the Beach Boys song.

1004. “I’d like to be under the sea, in an octopus’s garden with you.” Really… You want to be deep under the sea, probably in pitch black waters, in the absence of light, under extreme pressure from the depth of the water, in a garden inhabited by an octopus, an eight-tentacled, beak-wielding monstrosity. Nice Ringo. It wasn’t enough to just enjoy the ride, was it?

1005. The only song that has ever been enhanced by whistling is Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay…ever. Yes, people, I’ve heard GNRs “Patience” more than I would ever wish upon anybody.

1006. On Odelay there’s a track, I believe it is “New Pollution”, where there is a weird yelling noise, I think after the lyrics “Rock and roll, you know what I’m saying, everywhere I look there’s a dead end waiting”. Even when I knew it was coming, I would always think it was my dad yelling at me from downstairs. It sounded eerily like “Kevin!” yelled from downstairs, by my dad, muffled by my closed bedroom door. I still get that “what am I in trouble for now” feeling when I hear it.

1007. Once I was in Target and I wanted Nirvana’s new album In Utero. Only problem was there was that naked hospital mannequin thing on the cover and a song called Rape Me on it. I gave the cassette (that’s a cassette tape for those born youngins’) to my mom who suspiciously eyed the cover and said “What is this?” Then, she flipped it over and said “What is this Rape Me song?” I thought my chances of getting the tape were shot. I said “I don’t know, I think it’s a joke or something. He’s not serious.” She was skeptical, but for some reason bought me the tape. Thanks for caring mom. I mean that.

1008. I’m usually not a fan of silly music, but the Aquabats were seriously dumb. They had a song about a cat with two heads called The Cat With Two Heads. I couldn’t get enough of it. Maybe I had to draw the line at Lobster Bucket.

1009. I actually purchased Elephunk by The Black Eyed Peas. What was I thinking? Let’s get (it started) in here, indeed.

1010. Green Day’s album Dookie, what a masterpiece of self-satisfying songs. I remember staring at the album cover for hours like a stoner, like it was a Where’s Waldo picture. I can still put that album in the stereo and sing along to every song.

Sweet/Sour

2007-05-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Howdy partners. I'm retired now, living it up in Phoenix. I had to move down here because that's what old retired people do, right? No, I'm actually visiting my sister for a week. I've never been down here to her new house and she's lived here for three/four years already.

Sweet: Ice cream. I've had far too much already on this trip. I'm a fan of almost anything by Ben & Jerry's and down here I found a new variety, Creme Brulee (minus the accent marks). I don't especially like Creme Brulee or custard, but this ice cream was incredible. Custard flavored ice cream with a crusted sugar/caramel ribbon. Incredible. By the way, if you are also an ice cream lover, try the Cinna-buns Ben & Jerry's flavor. I used to think it couldn't get better than Phish Food, but those two varieties may win out. After the Creme Brulee, I also bought a half-gallon of Waffle Cone generic ice cream that is about half gone now. Then today, out in Tonto National Forest, we stopped at an ice cream shop that served prickly pear cactus ice cream, made from the berries that grow atop the prickly pear cactus. It was great.

Sour: Garbage. We hiked into the South Mountains of Phoenix, which by the way, are protected as the largest city park in the entire world, and encountered a few rest areas on the trail just covered in garbage. Then today out in Tonto National Forest, at a lot of scenic viewpoints, there would be garbage thrown over the ledge. Can I please assume that this garbage represents a large number of accidents over a long period of time? No, I can't believe that. Why do people throw their garbage over the edge, or anywhere for that matter, besides a garbage can? I picked up some garbage along the trail, but there was some I couldn't get to/didn't want to try to get to.

Sweet: Sweet Tea. I've had sweet tea about five times before in my life and have been very unimpressed, but I've always wanted to give it a try because southern people always go on and on and on about it. Well, I had some today at a soulfood restaraunt in Phoenix called Lolo's Chicken and Waffles, an out-of-the-way brick building right next to a car junkyard. If I could only drink sweet tea the rest of my life, I'd be a happy man. Maybe a fat man, but a happy man. I believe I now understand why people go on and on and on about sweet tea. My meal at the restaraunt was 3-piece southern fried chicken, cornbread, red beans and rice, and mixed greens. Mmm.

Sour: I'm not sure how to label this one. I was at a gas station and Lana went inside while I stayed in the car, we were parked on the side of the building, not the front. There was a teenage-ish girl trying to use the payphones. This guy pulls up in his car and looks around for a long time before getting out. I didn't think anything of it at the time. He gets out of his car, looks around, and then walks around to the front of the building, where he looks around, doesn't go into the stor and then goes back to his car. He starts it up, starts to drive away, then stops, rolls down his window, and motions for the girl to come to his car. She does. He talks to her while she's at the passenger window and convinces her to use his cell phone. Lana comes back and we leave before I know how the rest of the situation pans out. I have to say there was something about the situation that did not feel right. Something about the way that the guy was talking to her looked ungenuine, like he was talking nice, smiling, offering his phone, only to maybe build up trust and then "offer her a ride home." I wish our society was one where this situation wouldn't arouse suspicion. I hope it was just a person helping out another person, but what if his intentions were evil? What if something bad happened and I didn't stay to prevent an undesirable outcome? I can't believe how nervous I might be to bring a child into this world someday. How do you tell who is genuine and who isn't? Do you distrust everybody until they prove trustworthy, or do you trust everybody until proven untrustworthy? How do you decipher such a situation as the one above? In social psychology, they taught that most people don't help in trouble situations largely because they don't know what the situation is. Say a man grabs a child in a mall and the kid starts screaming. Is the man the child's parent? Is he throwing a tantrum or is the father hurting him? Is the man a stranger and the child is in danger? Have you noticed when things like this happen that people in the area either try to ignore the situation, or just stand there and stare, not really knowing what is going on? What do you do?

Sweet: National Parks. I can add some more to the list of parks I've been to. Lana and I visited Painted Forest National Park. Tomorrow we will see Saguaro National Park near Tucson, and Thursday we are toying around with the idea of seeing the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, but we will be going to the North Rim during our honeymoon, so we might not go to the South Rim. We will be disc golfing at Snowbowl in Flagstaff, though. An alpine disc golf course built around ski lifts in the mountains near Flagstaff. I'm very excited.

A Little Nothing

2007-05-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

I had a great blog about Baron, Lana's cat, started, but then he bit my foot, so no more Baron.

I could write about how I'm quitting work on Friday, but then everybody wants to know what I'm going to do next.

The Van Buren Boys had their first practice last weekend, but there's already too much ultimate in this blog.

A blog about wedding preparations could be inserted here, but I'll let Lana blog about that one. Do you even have one post yet?

So what do you blog about when you can't think of anything to blog about?

Nothing, I guess. Later.

Is This What You Wanted?

2007-04-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

This one goes out to all those who've been wanting me to blog. I've been wanting to too, and maybe this lame attempt at one will get me back into the habit.

I've been watching a lot of The Office lately. It's really funny to watch that show because it's just like my life. I'm Jim, and Kevin, and Lana is Pam, and Lana's Cat is like Kramer. Bippidy boppidy. It's made me want to write a sitcom about my life as a painter. Don't hold your breath.

Lana borrowed Seafarers of Catan recently. I think we're planning to play a Settlers/Seafarers/Cities and Knights mixed game that should be a lot of fun and take about four hours to play.

I'd really like to start playing more ultimate. Still have about a month to wait.

There is some RSD chatter about The Van Buren Boys. The cat is out of the bag. The VBBs roster is up to 22 players, with about 4 roster spots left. I'd like to add 4 very good players to the roster, preferably excellent cutters, preferably all-region type players. That would be cool.

We got accepted into the Boston Invite. I'm hoping to spend about a week around the Boston area before the tournament, but we'll see. I've had some other vacation plans recently and just haven't done it.

I may be quitting my job in late May, maybe right before Memorial Day. Then, take about a month off from work, then try to find a part-time job that isn't painting, and maybe trying to work some days as a painter. I need to contact and talk to some people to see if it would be possible.

I've thought of some good blog ideas, but none are coming to mind right now. Sorry.

Yep, bloggin' on a Friday night. Cool, cool.

Later.

The Burden

2007-03-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sum?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

-Langston Hughes

I feel like I'm under the pressure of a heavy load today. Like I'm entertaining an audience of all my bygone failures and deferred dreams. It somewhat stems from having filed my taxes this afternoon and finding out that I owe a lot more than I had planned on, but there are other varied sources for the pressure.

Now I may not be from Harlem (the title of the above poem is Harlem [2]), but I believe I know the feeling of a dream deferred. When I suffered from depression for a large chunk of my life, dreams/creativity were a way of dealing with the problem. In high school, I wanted to be a movie director/writer and spent a lot of my time thinking of movie ideas, writing scripts and synopses, and watching movies. When I went on campus visits, I tried to check information about possible majors that would correlate with what I wanted to do, but in the back of my mind, I always knew that I couldn't do it. In the end I knew I couldn't go to a Northwestern or a Notre Dame to study film because it wasn't practical. At Iowa State I could get a good engineering degree for about $100000 less than the film degree would cost elsewhere.

Then came psychology. I was enamored by how interesting psychology was I started in the field. I had a few professors in particular who absolutely loved teaching psychology. When I sat there in class, I knew that I wanted to love my job that much, whatever I did, and wouldn't teaching psychology be great? I continued in the field, and it came time to apply for grad school. I only applied to Iowa and Iowa State, seems brave old Kev is too afraid to move very far from home. The package at Iowa was easily six times the value of the offer from Iowa State, which was ample in it's own right. Iowa was offering a fast-track to success. Life in the fast lane. It seems that brave old Kev can't even move at all, choosing to stay in Ames, finish 90% of his grad work and thesis over two years, and then with little notice to his department, walk out the door, probably letting it hit him in the ass on the way out.

Less Than Jake released a song on their "Hello Rockview" album entitled A Boring Life in a Boring Town. Some lyrics read:

A boring life in a boring town with the same old crowd
I used to say that I'd never stay but I'm rotting here today
With that same old crowd that's always been around
It's just another wasted day.

Not exactly positive and encouraging, is it? Now, I don't feel like that exactly, I certainly don't believe I'm rotting here in Ames (I do think Ames is a great city), nor do I hang out with the "same old crowd", but there are some similarities? What am I doing here? I'm currently painting houses for a living. It's an honest living, but I just found out that the 34K I thought I made this year is less than 25K after taxes. I've had the "Self-Employment Taxes Blues" running through my head today. Now, 25K ain't bad, and money isn't everything, but it's something. It's a fine amount if I'm single, which I won't be soon!, but it's not great for things like starting a family, buying a home, investing for the future, planning for retirement, etc. And I'm making considerably more than minimum wage. How do those people do it? I just feel like I've worked hard all year and tried to be a conscienscious saver and it hasn't amounted to anything.

So what do I do? I don't know what I'd like to do. I think that's the thing. I don't really have dreams anymore, I don't know a) what all of my talents are and b) how to use those given talents. Jake wrote a blog recently about not knowing what his spiritual gifts are. I'm right there, too. I'm the tree out the field bearing no fruit. I've led no person to Christ, I've never been very good at encouraging fellow believers, I've never led anybody to spiritual insights, and I doubt my character has ever led anybody question whether there might be something to following after Christ. I need to find some ways to serve my community and my church.

Hmm...

I suppose the things I dream about the most now are marrying Lana and playing ultimate. Am I going to be a good man for Lana, a strong husband, a solid provider, a wise family planner, and a loving and tender father? I hope so. I hope we can strengthen each other and have a synergistic effect, becoming even better together than our additive efforts alone.

I think about the Van Buren Boys a fair amount at work to take my mind off of endless repetitive sanding. I hope I can be a good leader and teacher and that my character can be a light for others, but in countless past experiences, I've shown my true colors.

It's a heavy load tonight.

I remember JimiMac and Derrick playing The Band song "Take a Load Off" at some parties back at 3103 West St. I wish I was at one of those parties right now, they had some great two-part harmony.

That reminds me, another time James and I were boxing with those inflatable gloves. He was mostly knocking me around, but I got off a well-timed shot to his face area and it moved him back and made him stumble a bit. I knew right then that that was the best I was ever going to do in a boxing match. It was time to retire.

Speaking of which, it's about time to retire. Good night. Tomorrow is another day.

My newest post

2007-03-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I should post about college basketball, or about the movie 300, which I saw last night. Maybe both.

As far as basketball and I are concerned, I've usually only watched Iowa State games, and those in decreasing frequency. Once they can win on the road in Boulder, I might start watching again. More and more, I find myself watching basketball games where I have no interest in watching a particular team win, but just to watch high quality basketball. This year, I've seen three games that I consider some of the best I've ever watched. I saw the second Ohio State-Wisconsin game about three weeks ago. I watched Texas A&M-Texas about a weeks and a half ago, and watched Kansas-Texas this afternoon. All three games went down to the final shot, all games featured clutch shooting, and all had great performances by the best players.

Kevin Durant is particularly impressive. He was "held" to 37 points today, which is what the announcers kept repeating, but I guess it did take him almost 30 shots to do it. I looked over his season stats and he scored over 30 points a number of times this season, frequently grabbing 10+ rebounds to go along with it. He's not much of a passer yet, though, as he averages about 1 assist per game. His most impressive effort was a 37-point, 23-rebound game against Texas Tech, I believe. Throw in a couple of blocked shots and you have some player's career stats thrown into one game. Analysts and sportscasters say he could and should be the first ever freshman to win the college player of the year award. I don't know who else could win it. Durant is among the top-5 scorers and rebounders in the country, he blocks shots, shoots free throws surprisingly well, can shoot 3's, and his team is among the best in the nation, largely because of his efforts. I'd like to see him play college for another year or two, but it is very unlikely he will stay.

I don't like watching NBA game at all. It never really seems like the players care about winning, not like in college games. You don't get a lot of the same emotion in the NBA. In college, it looks like those players just love playing basketball, not so in the NBA. I remember something from social psychology where when people are paid money to do things they enjoy, they lose their enjoyment and it starts to feel like a chore. I wonder if that is how the majority of pro sports players feel, like they don't get as much enjoyment out of playing once they are getting paid. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they enjoy the money, but do they enjoy the game as much?

Which I suppose is a good lead-in into 300. The movie featured the famous "300" Spartans that fought against an army estimated between 500000 and 3 million Persians and held their own before being betrayed by one of their own. They eventually all perish, but a Persian general later asks what payment the men had received for fighting and he finds out they were fighting of their own free will, their reward was glory.

I saw the movie with 5 others, who mostly thought the movie was too epic. I liked it just fine. I did about two hours of internet research about the battle today and found out that most of the big lines from the movie are actually quotes from those people.

When a Persian officer says that their arrows will be so many they will blot out the sun, the Spartan captain responded with "All the better. We shall fight in the shade." When a messenger for Persia come to ask for "earth and water", the typical offering given to King Xerxes, King Leonidas really did throw the messenger down a well and told him to find his earth and water down below. When the King Xerxes gives Leonidas a chance to surrender and tells the Spartans to give up their swords and shields, Leonidas really did respond with "Come and take them." It is actually the motto of a division of the armed forces in Greece. After reading more about it, I found out the the translation "Come and take them" is not a perfect translation. That translation implies that if the Persians were able and could defeat the Spartans, they could have them. Apparently, the actually translation should be something like, "After you've defeated us, you can have them." Leonidas was letting Xerxes know that they were prepared to die and knew they would die, and that only then could they take the weapons.

I thought that some of those lines and others in the movie were too witty, like people wouldn't say some of those things, but as I read about the Spartans, I was surprised to find out that they were a people known for their wit. The writer of an article I read called it their laconic wit. When a king once warned the Spartans that "if I make it to Sparta, I shall destroy the city and its people", the Spartan king sent a one-word reply, "if".

I was particularly intrigued by how disciplined and oriented the Spartan soldiers were. Each Spartan was responsible for guarding the soldier next to him, not himself, and in battle movements and strategies, the Spartans moved as a cohesive "one". They held certain attitudes about the way fighting should occur. They thought that combat should be at close-range and in the movie, when arrows shower down upon the Spartans, Leonidas claims that it is a cowardly way to fight. I read today that Spartans who left the group and fought wildly and undisciplined, even when they defeated their enemies, where not given as much honor and respect as those who fought with the unit. In the movie, I think they briefly touched upon it when the captain's son dies, he goes on a killing rampage, and the King just notes that he is suicidal and doesn't seem to appreciate what most would consider the captain's brave acts and deeds by running into the front lines alone. Also, in the movie, the dude who loses his eye and goes back to Sparta apparently was held in less esteem and shunned in Sparta for leaving the battle, even though he was ordered to by Leonidas. Another soldier, who wasn't in the movie, was asked to leave during the battle but to come back. He arrived as the Persian armies had defeated the Spartans and because he hadn't been there, hung himself in disgrace.

Hmm, a good movie, that 300, but I think I've had more fun reading about it afterwards.

7 things

2007-03-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

51. The Depahted. A great movie, probably the best I've seen in a long time. Some people I know say they didn't like it because it didn't live up to the hype. I suppose I'm not sure it should have won best picture (at least I think it won best picture), but it was a very solid story with great acting. There were some things I didn't like, though. The dependance upon and widespread use of cell phones in the movie was lame. I didn't like the fade-out scene at the very end of the movie either, where the rat walks across the railing. Very cheesy. I guess I didn't really care for the sexual dialogue at various parts of the movie. They didn't really advance the story or add depth to characters and was rather pointless. Still, the best movie I saw this year, although I don't see a lot of movies.

52. Injuries. I hope that the end of my ultimate career isn't decided upon by an injury. I've been fairly lucky to have had no major injuries thus far in my playing days. I can't imagine how disappointed I would be to have a season ending injury take place. It sounds like Becky broke his wrist and might not be playing this spring. Well, I hope it heals fast and you're able to play with your college team. But, there are much worse things in life than not being able to play ultimate. If it happened to me, I'd be bummed for a week or so, but I'm sure I'd find something else to do.

53. Comments. I haven't been able to comment on people's blogs recently. I try to sign in, but they have the new blogger/old blogger thing and I either get my email address wrong or my password wrong or I'm just an idiot, but I can't sign in to comment on other peoples' sites. In the past I've wanted to comment on Mike's and Becky's but haven't been able to and Lou's a couple of times, but oh well. Lou, I've enjoyed your last couple of blogs. I'm interested in reading your future topical blogs upon various Minneapolis characters.

54. I have a desire to play a lot of Settlers of Catan right now. It is a nerd board game; one of those that takes about an hour or two to play. Basically, you randomly set up a board made of hexagons which have a resource on them (brick, wood, sheep, wheat, or stone). Each hexagon also has a number on it. Players place settlements upon the tri-intersections of the hexagons. On each turn, dice are rolled. If a hexagon that a player is touching has the corresponding number from the roll of the dice, then that player gets a resource card. Players use resource cards to purchase road, extra settlements, upgrades to cities, etc. Very nerdy. But fun. A couple of years ago, me and three others played this game about 4 or 5 night a week for a summer.

55. I came to the conclusion the other day at work that the Rolling Stones are the greatest example of a rock band that there can be. Their music defines what rock and roll is. I guess I don't care for all of their music personally, but I do feel like they are the quintessential rock band. Mix in the great guitar riffs, the lyrics, the sexuality, the drug use, the tours, the fans, and a little bit of Can't You Hear Me Knockin' and you've got the history of rock and roll.

56. Hmm. I had a list of ten things I was going to blog about, but on the flip side of the sheet of paper, I had a list of people to invite to the wedding and Lana nabbed the sheet. Now I don't know what I was going to blog about. Reading over what I've now written, I'm not too impressed, either.

57. I may be buying two pairs of cleats, both off of ebay. Probably a stupid thing to do, but I want some Nike Mercurials again. My orange shoes were my favorite, and now I want both a black pair I found and a white pair. Maybe I won't end up buying either.

That's enough.

Later.

The van Buren Boys (Part II)

2007-02-20T19:19:00.000-08:00

The Small Packa-whats played at the Minneapolis Indoor open tournament last weekend. Those present were Dave, Jon, Brian, Jake, Rachel D, Rachel S, Lana, Brendan, Scotty, Shawn, Shawn's two roomates, and myself.

I wrote out a tournament recap, but wasn't happy with it. Quick summary, we play well at times and poor at times. Played the Subzero team in the finals. Had the lead most of the game, but couldn't hold on. Rotation down to six by the end of the game. Even with few players, we played well enough to win, but made some mistakes and were unlucky at times (see Jon tripping himself in the endzone, after 55 jukes to get open). Lost 9-7.

Six more players have committed to the van Buren Boys, bringing our roster to 13. (Should it be The Van Buren Boys, or The van Buren Boys? I think I like the capitalized "V", but keep writing it with the lowercase). We have a very healthy group of huckers, some very solid handlers, a great group of cutters, and some dangerous deeps. I think the current recruiting focus will be on defense. I like the amount of height we have on the team, and have the potential to have. We could potential have four to six players over 6'2''.

We still have invitations out there for a number of players. If everybody said yes, or stayed in the area, we would have a roster of 28 players. I doubt everybody will say "yes", but most everybody has shown some level of interest in the team. In my last post, I was worried about having to have tryouts and when they would be. It is looking more and more likely that tryouts won't be necessary.

I feel like we'll have a roster that can compete with every team in the central region. We aren't really lacking in any department right now, so every player we add will just add depth to certain positions and skills. I no longer feel worried about building the roster, now I'm just excited to see how it will fill out.

The van Buren Boys

2007-02-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

There will be a new ultimate team in town this year celebrating the life of the "meanest president" there ever was Martin van Buren. Did you know that he was the first president born on American soil, so technically, our first American president? Did you know that even though he was the first American president, his first language was Dutch? Did you know those scornful Whigs gave him the nickname Martin van Ruin? Whigs can be so cruel.

The new open team consists thus far of few commitments plus a lot of maybes and no responses. Not "no" responses, mind you, but no responses. As with CLX, I get to play general manager of the team and am currently trying to build a roster of players. Having sent out all but a few of the initial invitations, I'm a little worried that people aren't as excited as the already committed players are. I know it's just February, but with CLX, people usually responded within a day or two almost always confirming a desire to play on the team. Some of the van Buren Boys invites were sent out over two weeks ago with no response as of yet. At this point, I'd take a refusal or two, just to know that emails made it out to the players.

It's kind of looking more and more likely that the van Buren Boys will have to run tryouts, but I've been trying to think of a good time to hold them. Originally, I thought post-regionals, when the college kids would be done with their seasons. That's when most teams have tryouts. But, should we wait until other teams make their cuts first? Do we make people decide between our tryouts and another team's tryouts and risk losing those players altogether? A number of players the van Buren boys are interested in have expressed interest in trying out for Subzero. Some may accept the invitation, others may decline if they are accepted. Does that mean we wait until Zero is done? Now we're talking tryouts in June, after Poultry Days? I'd rather be practicing and strengthening a team by that point, not trying to decide who to keep and who to ditch. So maybe there could be two tryout sessions, one in April for non-college players and then one later in the season for college players who didn't have time to attend tryouts. I'm sure I'll decide upon some brilliant scheme.

Of the seven players we already have committed, the stock is very good. We've got Jon Staron, Dave Karsten, Joe Brisbois, Brian Lucido, William Kasuga (although I haven't actually talked to him yet!), Ross Cram, and myself. I feel there are a couple of other players who will commit as soon as they are assured of other talent on the team. Some potential players just need to figure out where they'll be this coming season.

It will be interesting forming a team made up of players ranging from "highly technical conservative player" to "huck it early and often". We should be able to find a happy medium somewhere in there, but play may depend on the given players on the field. We'll develop an offense (what! my CLX ears can't take this!) and some offensive strategies, but as I've said before, I'd rather react to what the defense is doing than become set in the ways of a system. Offense hasn't really been my thing, at least strategy-wise. Offense is definitely my thing, though, don't get me wrong. I'd like to add somebody to the team that has an interest in developing the offensive side of game. Myself, I'll be coordinating the defensive side of the disc.

Do we run offensive/defensive teams? I'm kind of torn here. Part of me says yes, part says no. What I imagine will happen is that about 2/3 of the team will be relegated to either offense or defense, with the remaining 1/3 playing on both sides of the disc. Maybe it will be more of a 75/25 split, I don't know.

What do we need right now? Huckers and handlers, preferably one who does both. We have a fair amount of deep players and cutters interested in the team right now, but lack depth in the thrower department, especially the hucker spot. With Dave, Brian, and Ross playing, it's a great start, but three or four more huckers would be nice. I'm not so worried at the handler position because we have a number of players interested who I wouldn't say are huckers, but are handlers that are well-versed at taking care of the disc.

Well, it's only early February, so I'm not too worried yet, just a little impatient. I'd like to start knowing who wants to play on this team, but it will take time. I want the strongest roster possible with this team, so it will take some time and patience to make that happen.

I think the most important question is who will get to wear the number 8?

Has Anybody Seen My Fiancee?

2007-02-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

I asked Lana, my girlfriend of over two years, to marry me over the weekend. I'm surprised she actually understood what I was asking her because I was so nervous and crying. Tears of joy, people! I read her a poem and started tearing up in the middle of it. I was thinking to myself, "great, you idiot, just give it away here", and she was able to pick up on what I was doing. Do my tears surprise you? Well, strong men also cry. Strong men also cry.

The first time I heard Lana's lovely voice was about four or five years ago. I was sitting at home at 3103 West St. and received a phone call from a girl asking if she could show up to frisbee practice. She kept stressing, "you're sure it's okay?". It was kind of annoying and I just mentioned when practice was and told her she should show up.

Then, some time later, Jon and I were at the rec center working out before practice. I knew who Lana was by that time because the women wanted her to join the frisbee team. I saw her with some friends and said hi. I think she knew who Jon and I were and said hi and then said "well, my friends and I are going to run now", and then she's off to the races.

Skip ahead to early summer 2004. School's out and we're practicing at the Ames Middle School behind Wendy's. Lana shows up to a practice for some reason. She is fairly quiet most of the practice, but then at the end, turns manic on us. "Hey everybody, guess what I'm doing tonight!", at this point I think she was akwardly perched on an outdoor electrical box. "I'm watching the Lord of the Rings extended version with my friends and we're going to have onesies, and twosies, and threesies, and foursies! Does anybody want to come with?" Before anybody can answer, she jumps down says "Well, bye" and seriously, sprints to her car. A couple of people share a "What just happened?" look, including myself.

Lana attends Aquatennial in 2004 and has a good time. I ask if she like to join the team, but don't actually add her to the roster until the day before it is due. Apparently, she found out when all the tournaments were and blocked off those weekends, and was just waiting for me to ask her to be on the team, and had almost given up hope before I asked her to fill out her roster information.

Added in there was a time I could have gone out to see Farenheit 9/11 with Shawn, Tony, and Lana. I ended up playing hearts and eating pizza with Brian Lucido's parents. I don't regret the decision.

Pre-regionals 2004, Lana and I travel up to Minneapolis early to play some miniature golf on Friday. We don't find the place and instead opt for Chuck-E-Cheese's. It was sort of our first date. Then, we win central regionals and make nationals. Games of keep away are played for hours in the ocean by ourselves. We almost win the whole thing.

Then yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah, 2005 and 2006 happen, and early in 2007 I ask her to marry me. I was going to do it in Chuck-E-Cheese's in Minneapolis, as some of us went there on Sunday afternoon, but the place was too crowded and loud and full of kids that would rather punch you and tell you to shut up than ask you to get out of the way.

We've shared a lot of good times and God times, seen 10 national parks, travelled around the earth, won some frisbee tournaments, laughed, cryed, argued, farted (okay, just me) and never stopped caring for each other.

Here's to you, Lana.

Back on the Wagon

2007-01-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

Apparently, blogging isn't the cool thing to do right now.

I don't have anything in particular to write about, but I wanted to get something down to appease the masses (right masses?).

I'll be going to a Robert Burns Dinner on Saturday night, hosted by a fellow who happens to be named Robert Burns. The former Robert Burns is the "bard of Scotland", a x-th century poet who wrote such classics as "To a Mouse", "To a Louse", and "Auld Lang Syne". The latter Robert Burns in the aforementioned sentence is Lana's boss. There are formal rules for a Robert Burns Dinner, but I don't believe we follow them to the letter, just in spirit. Drinks are had by all, some poems are read, some toasts are delivered, and some food is eaten. There is a traditional Burns Dinner menu that includes cock-a-leeky soup, tatties, haggis, rutabagas, and for desert, tipsy laird. Delicious. Last year I arranged some music for the poem "Green Grow the Grasses, O" and performed it at the dinner. I guess it was too much, too soon, because now I'm expected to perform again this year. We'll see.

I've been thinking a lot about investing money recently and have begun to actually think about retirement. I'm taking a class called Financial Peace University. So far, I'm not sure what to think of the class. Some of the information given just seems to unrealistic. The course stresses investing money in mutual funds that get at least 12% return each year. Well, that aren't exactly that easy to come by, nor do they come without some risk involved. Look at what happened to a lot of the tech stocks, for instance. The class also stresses the importance of getting rid of debt as quickly as possible and not purchasing items that you can't pay for outright, except for the very largest of purchases such as houses and cars. That part of the class seems unnecessary for me seeing as I don't have any debt, possess zero credit cards, and already purchase only things I can afford. I suppose I am fortunate to have a step up on the rest of the class already, even though most of them are adults who make a lot more money that I do. I need to start looking into investing money soon, though.

I'm trying to eat a lot healthier now. We're talking flaxseed, organic fruits and vegetables, salmon and other fish, whole grain and high fiber bread, beans, etc. I like eating lots of fruits and vegetables. The other day I went to the grocery store and bought blueberries, blackberries, lettuce, asparagus, apples, bananas, oranges, an asian pear, broccoli, and cauliflower, in addition to a gallon of Pomegranate juice and a couple of Naked juices. I'm not sure I'll eat all of it before it starts to spoil. I'm not too good about eating food that looks like it is starting to turn. About the only things I can think of that I still eat are apples and cheese, because it is easy to cut the undesirable chunk of food off of them. If things like bananas, oranges, bread, or milk start to go bad, I just can't excise the gross stuff out and eat the rest.

Hey, ultimate. Tournament next weekend. Not sure if I'll be too ready for it. I've been exerting myself physically through indoor climbing, racquetball, outdoor running, walking to work, and a core-strengthening class, but I haven't done any harder running/sprinting workouts until Monday of this week. It wasn't until this morning (Thursday) that I felt well again, except that my right calf muscle is still incredibly tight. Well, the tournament won't be too gruelling. Maybe two hard games that are only an hour long and my team will have six guys for a 3/2 coed tournament.

Well, shoot, looks like I've got to ramblin' again. I'll let you go.

Ten Additional Ramblings

2007-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

31. I've started indoor climbing recently. It is a lot of fun, mostly in part of the facility that I go to. It is an old barn with many different climbing walls and surfaces in it. Somewhat expensive to go twice a week, but it's a great workout and very satisfying to succeed. I don't have the forearm and finger strength, nor the technique to perform anything challenging, but I hope to be able to in a couple of months.

32. I'll be playing in the Waterloo Police Association Poker Tournament in less than two weeks. I played in it last year and finished in ninth out of about seventy-five people, my best tournament finish when the field is that large. I don't know what to expect this year, mostly likely lower than ninth. I hope the dealers are better this year, or at least the one or two I have. They got UNI fraternity kids to deal and the one at my first table didn't know how to play poker, dealt and shuffled incredibly slow, showed the bottom cards when shuffling and dealing, and made a couple of dealing errors, such as throwing out a card before all bets in a round were finished.

33. I like to think of gourmet pizzas. My first was a couple years ago when I wanted to make a jambalaya pizza after attending Mardi Gras. Then, I found a gumbo pizza at Boston's The Gourmet Pizza (note: Is that seriously the name of the place). Yesterday I made a pizza that had cream cheese, apricot jam, salmon, capers, sunflower seeds, green onions, and cheese. Some future pizzas I'd like to make are Chicago Style Hotdog, Bratwurst/Sauerkraut/Mustard, Gyro, and Chicken Kiev. Not sure what to use as sauces on all of them or the cheese to top them with, but I'll try. Oh man will I try.

34. Lana got a cat last weekend. She named it Baron. The cat is black on top, white on the belly, fairly small, not sure how much it will grow. It is still rather skittish and nervous, but better than when she brought it home.

35. When I left for worlds I weighed 172. When I weighed myself about a week and a half ago, I weighed 189. That's what daily lunch buffets at work mixed with a lack of self-control will do for you. I hope to be under 180 by the time the February indoor tournament comes around.

36. Played cards two nights in a row Sunday/Monday. Some poker and pitch Sunday night. Team games on Monday. In poker I was the first out of five to bust out, but used the one rebuy to get back into it. Ended up going heads-up with Brian Lucido with more than a 3 to 1 chip advantage after winning some seven or eight hands out of ten in the middle of the game. We split the money. A number of reasons, first, I didn't really care to finish. Second, I didn't want everybody else to have to wait for Brian and I to finish. Third, I didn't want Brian to come back and beat me. The money meant nothing, the humiliation would have been unbearable! Monday, Brian and I teamed up against Joe and Jake to play our best of five card series we sometimes play. First game is spades, then team hearts, then pepper, then spades, then finishing with team hearts. Well, Brian and I took the first three games in convincing fashion. I'm sure its annoying to play against us because we (read: mostly I) like to talk about how good at cards the team is while we play. Well, trash talking is a big part of both teams' strategy, but we're almost always ahead. Well, shoot, there I go again.

37. Mark McGuire didn't get elected into the baseball half of fall. A travesty? I don't know. I don't care that he may have or did use performance enhancing drugs. Here's a number: 583 home runs. That's more than Mickey Mantle, of course he was usually using performance inhibiting drugs. But, I have to admit, beyond the home run total, what did Mark McGuire really do? Also, Cal Ripken gets the third highest admittance percentage of all time. Seriously? A good player, yes. A hall of famer? Okay, but not with flying colors. I understand he played a lot of games in a row, but he wasn't putting up phenomenal numbers season in and season out. Finally, put Pete Rose in the hall of fame. I don't like him either, but this is a hall reserved for the best players in the game. He is arguably one of the top ten players ever, certainly top 25.

38. Jake has a blog now. Now you know.

39. I'm itching to play some ultimate. Men's tournament in February in Minneapolis. It's 5/5 indoor, but we'll be the defending champions. It hurts losing Mike and Joe and Ben to Mardi Gras, but we'll still have Shawn, Brian, Jake, Dave, Jon, and myself, while adding possibly BJ and rising superstar David Bequette.

40. CLXMas this weekend in Kirksville, Missouri. Should be a fun time, if sectionals last fall were any indication. It will probably be the last time all of us are together (all of us that can make it that is). There's been some serious talk of an Iowa men's open team. Is it time (well, is it time for a non-Ethanol open team)? Yes. There is a lot of excitement from the right core of Ames area players right now. Time will tell where the rest of the players for the team will come from. Iowa City? Kansas City? Minneapolis...City? Expecting some drunken planning to go down this weekend.

Short Stories

2006-12-23T19:07:00.000-08:00

I got a book of short stories from Dave over a year ago I think, for either my birthday or Christmas, but I'm just getting around to reading some of them now. So far I've only read the first six; two by Washington Irvine, one by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and three by Edgar Allen Poe. I've started the next by Herman Melville. The book also features stories by many prominent authors throughout American literary history. Not the least of these being John Steinbeck. His tour de force (translation: tour of force) story The Red Pony is truly the piece de resistance (translation: piece of resistance) of the entire 1000+ page collection.

Most of the books I read are novels and since high school, I've been rather turned off by the short story, but these are good. Great ideas for plots, but possibly lacking the depth to be turned into a longer novel. As I started the first story, Rip Van Winkle, I realized that maybe because the stories were short stories, the authors would not trifle with explaining and describing each and every detail of surroundings and circumstances. I was wrong. In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, there was a three-page description of the preparations made for a party/feast. Three pages of what kind of food was on the table, ornaments hung, garments worn, etc. The story was only fifteen pages long and three of them were to describe a minute part of the story. This made me think of a discussion about Moby Dick that I had with Kevin Cunningham once. He asked me if I thought Melville went overboard with his writing. The largest piece of evidence being the chapter devoted solely to a bowl of chowder served to a group of people in the story. A chapter...for chowder. Don't get the idea that I'm some sort of literary critic here, but I know what I like to read about and don't like to read. Also, don't get me wrong, Moby Dick was a good book.

Back to descriptions. I like short and to the point. I think that is why I like Ernest Hemingway's style of writing so much. Say a character is going into a bar to order a drink. Some authors might describe the weather, the trek across the street, the thoughts and fears of the protagonist, the drink itself, the bartender, the way the bartender poured out the drink, the way the drink fell into the glass, the bar, the partrons in the bar, the stools, the way the stools felt when they were sat upon, etc.

Hemingway might write this: I wanted a drink. I had to cross the street but some dame was in the way. I got inside. I had a drink. I ordered another. Soon, I was drunk. I wonder where that dame went?

I wanted to be a writer at one point, or would have liked to be able to write stories, but gave that up. I like reading books more than trying to write them anyway. I work with a guy that has recommended some good books lately and I would like to recommend them to you, reader. The first is The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert about this guy who lives out in the wilderness and does things and says stuff. It's a biography, so get any ideas about it being a novel. The second is The Making of Toro. I kind remember the name of the author, but this is the best book I've read all year. Very funny. I don't know how to describe it to you because I'm not an author, just a reader.

We Need to Talk

2006-12-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Hey blog,

I know it has been awhile, but we're still friends, okay?

No response huh?

Look, I've been really busy lately and I've also been out sometimes. I've been having a lot of fun.

C'mon blog, don't be like that. I didn't mean it like that. I have fun with you too. Just a different kind of fun. Not bad, just different.

Don't pout, talk with me. Don't you have anything to say?

Well, look, I'm just not sure how into this I am anymore. I feel like I'm putting all of the effort into this and you are just sitting there, waiting until I take charge again. If you gave me some input here, we could work some things out, but...

Don't look at me like that, you had to have known this was coming.

Oh, this is not all my fault. What efforts have you been making?

Look, I don't want to fight. Let's do this, we'll get together once in awhile and remember the old times, maybe share some new memories. Who knows, maybe we'll spark something up again someday? Okay? Okay?

Show me a smile? Who loves you? Who loves you?

Well, I'm leaving now. See you later. Take care of yourself okay? You don't look too good. Well, you don't look terrible, you just don't look your best. If you'd just update yourself a little more often...

Hey, I didn't mean anything by it. I don't want to argue, I just want the best for you. Do you believe me? You don't have to answer. In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't answer.

Well, I'm going now. See you later. Take care.

WUCC--Final Review

2006-11-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Well, I remember reading a quote by a scientist once whose name I can't remember, otherwise I would have listed "John Q. Scientist" above instead of just writing "a scientist", where John Q. Scientist would have been the actual scientists name and then

Okay, new beginning.

New beginnings is an interesting topic because WUCC2006 may have been CLX's final tournament, at least barring special "reunion" tournaments such as Poultry Days, GRUB, or anything we might take a one-time team to. Of course, there could also be a CLX2007, but while I would like to do it more than playing on a men's team, my gut feeling is that it will not happen.

Back on track, some scientist once said, around the time of nuclear expansion that "mankind began with a bang, but would end with a whimper." Something to that effect. In some ways, if that was CLX's last tournament, I feel it pertains in some way to the lifetime of CLX. We made early noise in 2003, blossomed into a beautiful but dangerous flower in 2004, reached maturity in 2005, then bowed out gracefully in 2006.

Our worlds performance was somewhat disappointing, and when I say somewhat disappointing, I mean it was disappointing. Don't think for a minute that it wasn't fun or worth it or exciting, I'm just saying our finish was not what anybody on the team probably expected. The other side of the coin though, is that we can honestly say we are one of the top-10 teams in the world, granted, we are 10th.

Overall, we didn't show the CLX toughness that we've had in the past, giving up two leads late in the game to lose 17-16. The CLX magic never came through either, stalling two of our comebacks into losses. In addition, we took on our most humiliating defeat in history, losing 17-7 to Whoreshack during power pool play.

Let me give some game by game thoughts. Man this is going to take awhile.

v. Gert Johnny's Band (Italy)
Some jitters to start the game, but everybody is playing very hard. We know it's worlds and are responding accordingly. A little too much excitement as the play is bumpy and there are many cuts coming from many directions. The game goes to 4-4 before we win the game 17-5. To tell the truth, it never felt like 17-5, it felt like we were only up two or three the whole game. Must have been early tournament nerves.

v. Bombing Madd Fatties (Canada)
Wierd team. They did not seem good at all but were able to beat reigning US champ Mischief in prequarters and eventually finish 7th or 8th. We came out we incredible poise and they made mistakes, we led 7-2. Then, that part of our tournament was over, that is, the part were we dominate. Enter part two. We start playing undisciplined, hurry-up ultimate. We start trying to score in one pass every time instead of taking the sure two or three pass route to score. We start missing D's and misreading throws on both sides of the disc. BMF comes back to 8-9 at half. With the lead and the disc we take it to 10-8. Then 11-9, 12-10, 13-11, 14-12, and 15-13. Our lead continues as we trade points, but I am even mentioning to people on the field that the game could go to anybody at this point. They go on a 3-1 run and it's tied at 16-16, game to 18. We manage to score the next two to win 18-16, but the general demeanor is not of mad excitement, but joyful confusion. Why was this game so close? What happened?

v. Thundering Herd (UK)
Sorry Herd, but they weren't very good and I was somewhat disappointed that teams of this calibre were at worlds. They were fun to play and all that, but I wish worlds had the best 45 teams in the world, not some of teams that were present. Of courese, then it might have been a lot of US, Canada, Japan, Aussie, and European teams. And we might not have finished top 10...
We win 17-3 or 4, they don't score until 12-1, I think.

New Power Pool Play.

v. Whoreshack (USA)
What to say here? We just didn't play well. Mike seemed to show the first cracks in his confidence in this game and never really seemed to regain it. That isn't to say he played poorly, but I can say that Mike was not the usual Mike from this point on in the tournament. Ever-important part of the offense? Yes. Deadly? No. Enough about that, the team sucked here. I can't remember if anybody threw in a great performance, sorry if I forgot, but this, as a team, was CLX's worst game ever. 7-17 loss.

v. Osaka Natto (Japan)
We were ready for this to be our bounceback game. Two hours after our defeat, we were ready to go. Game started out like most of the rest of our games do, trading points to 3s or 4s, and then the other team takes a lead. I think they take a 4-3 lead and take half 8-5. They are getting a little lucky, we underestimated their deep abilities, and they just don't turn it over. They stretch out to a 13-7 lead in the second half and things look bleak. Then, it starts. I don't remember what started it, but it happened and that CLX electricity was in the air. We score. And score again. Another big D leads to another big score. We storm back to 14-13 Osaka. Somewhere in there, Dave throws a 70-yard huck against the cup to me for a score when it looked like we were trapped. How does he do that? Time and time again throughout the years it must have looked like we were against the ropes, pinned near the opponent's endzone, when Dave rips one all the way downfield for a score. Good times were had and the sidelines were jumping. Then, just like that, the CLX magic stops. They put up a big huck that was D'able, but we just don't get it. They lead 15-13. We get it back to 15-15, but of course we have to get the D and score every point. They get a fairly big yardage gainer that maybe should have been D'ed, then move it to within 10 yards of the endzone. Their bigtime handler puts up a pass intended for a cutter who breaks off early. A very clean throw that was just a matter of miscommunication. I intercept and throw a quick one to Dave. The only thing in front of us is endzone. Most of the now-defenders are in the endzone. I thought it was ballgame. Then, the foul call. Before I wrote that I wasn't bothered by the call. After thinking about it since the tournament, I'm a little more upset. I know that throw was clean, I saw it the whole time. Mike said he didn't touch the guy and all of our sideline people were crazy after the call claiming there was no foul. Well, it stood and three passes later they win. Couldn't complain about the game, we fought hard to come back and it showed us that we had what it took to play worlds. We now also knew that the next morning we had to win or we were out of the tournament.

v. JoyRide (Canada)
A must-win game. Well, we won. 17-10? 11? 12? Never really close. Everybody was playing well and we were able to use every player on the team to do it. I think nearly everybody "statted in" for the game. Tournament officials kept stats on who caught and threw scores. If you include Ds, I'm pretty sure everybody on the team contributed to the victory. It felt great and team morale was at a high.

v. Mischief (USA)
We knew this game meant nothing to us now. It was solely "for pride". Mischief recently won US nationals and had been tearing through the tournament. CLX wanted to know if they had what it took to defeat the champs. The game started with a bang, with plentiful arguments during the first 8 points or so, ranging from travel calls to foul calls to timing calls. One player in particular for Mischief was just an idiot, but I digress. The intensity settled down and both teams settled into a groove. The play was tight and very fun to be a part of. Even though the game meant nothing to either team, niether team wanted to lose. It had the feel of a quarters or semis game at US Nationals. We take a lead in the second half and manage to hold on until 15-14. Game is capped at 17. They tie it at 16s, but we receive the disc. Not sure what happens, but our offense shuts down and the game ends with a whimper, with us dropping a disc ten yards out of our endzone and they score with ease. All that fight to end like that. Definitely a heartbreaker.

As it was, we could have won the Osaka and Mischief game and still finished third in our pool, which we did, because of a three way tie for last at 1-3 in our pool with CLX having the best point differential.

v. Red Lights (Netherlands)

A favorable draw for us if... The day was very windy and it was clear that upwinders would be worth the price of gold, which is fairly abundant in Western Australia. We warmup well, can't say it wasn't a lack of preparation, but I think nerves just kill us out of the gate. We throw many undisciplined passes to start the game and our upwind attempts are absolutely fruitless. I'm not sure, but it took a while to even make it past half-field, while the Red Lights were occassionaly knocking on the door, but not scoring. They get an upwinder at 3-3 and get the next downwinder to lead 5-3. Then 6-4. Then 7-5. I have a shot at scoring that just haunts me now. Well upfield, I have an open forehand, a 20-yarder to Dave for a score. He is guarded, but by a female player who has her back turned to me and wouldn't even know the disc was up. The wind is extremely intense at this point though and for three or four counts I agonize with myself about whether I should take this very risky shot or not. Then, realizing I'm on stall eight, I wing a breakmark forehand to Jon that is off target. He must have thought it was to someone else, I don't blame him, it was high and fast, but he doesn't attempt to catch it and they get a D. We trail at half 9-7. There is some disappointment at half, but seeds of belief. We seem to know we've screwed up, but that we can do it. The second half starts with them scoring downwind to make it 10-7. We have to break them twice to win. We get our downwinder, then trade again to make it 11-8. We work the disc well over many upwind attempts and finally break through, scoring to make it 11-9. We get a relatively easy next score to make it 11-10. We come out in a funky zone again used on the previous point. We are playing 1-1-3-1-1. The two upfront man up against their two guy handlers. The three mids play short. The next person is the short deep taking away the floaters over the mids and the long deep defends the desparation hucks, which they weren't afraid to do. We get the disc back again and Dave gets a long pass to Jon. I get it from Jon, back to Jon or Dave, back to me, and from my knees I lead Jon out into the endzone for another upwinder. 11-11! The next downwinder is hard on the nerves as they almost score a couple of times. Our offense is not looking good, people seem afraid to cut. I get the disc around midfield and call time-out. The play? Look for Saienga short or Solarz dump, I believe. I tell Drew to be ready for a desparation huck. Lining up, I see that Drew's guy is lined up in front of him. I signal him to the endzone, he breaks right away, and we connect on a huck. 12-10. A very hard fought point. They score 12-11. We score 13-11. They score 13-12. We have a heck of a time scoring downwind again. They are working it well upwind. A RedLights player calls timeout on the sideline, but they don't have any. For some reason, they keep the disc. They work it all the way upfield but turn, Saienga dislocating his shoulder in the process. Saienga takes an injury. Not sure if Dave or Mike enters the game. At this point, our ONLY objective is to put the disc downfield. Pick that thing up and huck it all the way downfield, receiver or no receiver. We might score, we'll probably have to play defense, but the disc will be out of that danger zone. Instead, we turf a swing pass and gift wrap an upwinder for them. We never come close to scoring upwind again and lose the game. CLX goes out with a whimper. Possibly the last elimination game in CLX's history and on our last offensive series, work the disc back twenty yards into our opponent's endzone and drop it, giving them a free game winning score. Ball breaking. To have been in the position to win, to have put ourselves in the position we wanted to be in only to give it away again was frustrating.

v. LeedsLeedsLeeds (UK)
Hmm... They didn't take it seriously at first. We go out to a 7-2 lead. Been here, right? They comeback, we play a close game and win maybe 17-14?

v. Sublime (Australia)
Hmm... They say they weren't playing hard at first. We got out to a 7-2 lead. Sound familiar? They comeback. They have two players in particular playing phenomenal ultimate. Game is eventually tied at 16-16. Been here, right? We give the disc up. Get it back and score. It was nice to win this one but kind of a day late, huh?

v. Bootius Maximus (Australia)
This may have been a great game if played in an elimination round. As it was, they hucked and hucked and hucked some more and CLX, while being a hucking team themselves, does not particularly play good long defense. They score a lot of easy ones. One of my favorite parts of the tournament happened though. Trent Troyer was about to receive a swing pass that went over his head, but he chased it down, layed out, grabbed it, and toed the line to stay in. The CLX sideline erupted. I'm not sure Trent had ever had a full extension layout in a CLX jersey before. I asked him who was president the last time he layed out like that. He said "Carter." Anyway, an incredible catch . We lose the game 17-13?

Review.

I guess the review sounds fairly negative, but I don't want it to be that way. Certainly CLX could have done better, but all those games were great fun until the end. The results were not desired, but we played a number of games at a worlds tournament that are they kind you dream of playing. Double-game-point games, or universe-point games against some of the best competition the world has to offer.

I felt like as a team we just didn't have the mental focus needed to be victorious in those games. The physical abilities were there and a number of players were in good shape, but the toughness just wasn't tough enough.

Dave was in great shape, probably the best I've seen him in and was playing well. Jon was, as usual, a rock on offense and even fighting through a groin bruise or pull or something managed to play balls off (hah!) all tournament. In fact, we wouldn't have scored those upwinders against RedLights if Jon hadn't been on the field. Lana played well and was scoring with more regularity than usual. Jake played a pretty good tournament, in my opinion, the best he's had since Fool's Fest last April (he went pretty crazy there). I was wondering how Jason would play after being up in Delaware for a month or two before the tournament and not practicing, but he didn't try to do too much and ended up being a very solid contributor. For him, the best tournament I've seen him have in awhile, too. Solarz played great defense on the first couple days of the tournament, unlike I've ever seen her play, certainly complimenting her throwing abilities. RShel played her typical tournament and Abby had some great plays. I don't remember any in particular now, but I do remember saying "nice play" as she came off the field a lot. Drew was a great addition to the team. I think he was a little jet-lagged early, but came on strong as the tournament progressed. I like playing with Drew. Jon Staron is still probably my favorite person to play ultimate with, but Drew is probably second. Gibbs and Rubenstein both played well when they were in.

Personally, I hadn't particularly prepared a lot for the tournament. After regionals, I didn't move much and it wasn't until three weeks before the tournament that I really began to get ready. I went to the recreation center 10 times or so in three weeks and really tried to run distance and sprints, lift some weights, and bike like crazy. I try to train for two things, which are massive endurance and very short-term sprint speed. I feel I do an adequate job at both. Just adequate. I'm not the fastest guy, but I feel I'm a fairly smart player, so that makes me faster. I don't have the best endurance out there, but I have a very strong will to win. I feel my limited physical abilities are well accentuated by my mental strengths.

As for the tournament, I'm tempted to say that I had my best tournament ever. In terms of offensive production, I can easily say that I've never done as well as this tournament. My defense isn't what it used to be, but I felt it was better than it has been lately. Reminds me of the country song "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good as I'll ever be." Especially against Osaka and Mischief I felt I was playing good defense. Thrower-wise, I threw more hucks and completed more hucks than I have since 2004. I was fairly selective in my shots, so I think I had a fairly high huck completion percentage, but I'm not sure. Most of the turnovers I threw were on short passes. I felt turnover-wise I did great. As far as I can remember, somebody correct me if I'm wrong, few turnovers on the first couple of days. More in the Red Lights game, I guess, but it was very windy and everybody had turnovers. I am usually left wishing I had played differently after a tournament, even after victories, and while there are some things I could have done differently, I was satisfied with my performance more than I have been for a long, long time.

So, where does that leave me and CLX? Word on the street is that some want to play CLX a lot, some want to play CLX a little, some want to play on a CLX-based women's team, some want to play on a CLX-based men's team, some would rather play CLX but would play mens/womens, while some want to play mens/womens but would play CLX, some may play for other teams, and some may retire completely. I give it a 33% chance of CLX returning next year. But then again, I thought CLX was done after 2005.

My preference is to play CLX again. Reasons? I really like playing for CLX. I really like how each year's slightly different teams come together in unique ways. I like the players on CLX. I like winning. I like how we don't have to practice and while it isn't perfect, we're still pretty effective. I like how the team can be very loosely run and organized. I like hanging out with CLX. I like going to Nationals. 2007 is another world's qualifying year. Nationals champ goes to 2008 worlds. I would like to be the 2007 champ and play at 2008. CLX is always a contender for the national title. What don't I like. Hmm. The fact that I can't practice during the summer, only play pick-up. The competition at coed tournaments beyond finals and the occassional semis matchup leaves something to be desired. Oh, and Chicago coed teams.

Would I play men's? Yes, but grudgingly. What do I like about men's? It's harder to win and is very satisfying to play one tough game after another and win. You have to train harder. What don't I like, or what would make it hard? There isn't a whole lot of talent in Iowa, well that's not exactly true, but probably not enough to make a nationals-bound team, for that you need about 20-25 quality guys. I'd say there's about 10-15 here. A fair amount of players who are a notch below that qualification and some that could be there in a year's time, but right now only about 10-15. If our team came from different cities, it would be hard to practice. A CLX philosophy wouldn't cut it in men's. I don't want to lose a lot of games. I don't like good men's teams. Or stupid foul calls. Or travel calls. Or all the arguing that has to go on in men's. In fact, there's a lot of things about men's that I don't like. But, I would do it. Detroit was a lot of fun. Solstice was a lot of fun. Who knows what we could do.

If there isn't CLX or a men's team? Hmm. I don't know what I'd do. Quit? Yikes, maybe. See if any nationals coed team would like a pickup? Well, it would have to be Brass Monkey or Slow White and I don't think Brass Monkey would consider it for a moment, in fact probably would say "Who are you?". SubZero? If I were able to make the team, would I really want to spend every weekend in Minnesota? Not especially. So, only time will tell what happens.

In the meantime, I may be going to New Years Fest in January with DingWop out of Duluth, Minnesota.

I'd love to win the Minneapolis indoor tournament again in February.

I'll probably end up at Fool's Fest in April.

There's always Poultry Days.

Maybe putting a team together for Boston Invite in the men's division. That would be a blast.

All right, it's 1am. Must sleep. If you've read this far, I'm impressed. Gibbs probably quit a long time ago.

WUCC Update

2006-11-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well, we've lost three double game points now, all with a whimper instead of a bang. Against Osaka two days ago, CLX never got the disc back on defense. Against Mischief, we received and never moved the disc more than 10 yards out of our endzone before dropping it. Today against the Red Lights we received got the disc back at 15-15, but were faced with the task of having to move the disc 70 yards upwind trapped in our own endzone. We kept dumping the disc back against the zone defense and eventually dropped again, leading to a Red Lights win. So...0-3 on double game point without a real fight. Very disappointing.

Our game against Red Lights was frustrating for me. The wind was fierce in Perth today, but we came out playing like it wasn't there. Gave Red Lights some very short fields to score on after some undisciplined throws. They break upwind in the first half once and lead 9-7 at half. We outscore them 5-1 to start the second half, but they score downwind to make it 12-11. We can't convert downwind on many attempts and they get an easy upwinder after a foolish upwind turnover on our own goaline. They get the successive downwind defense and score and take the lead, never to lose it, winning 15-14.

I suppose that's all I got for today.

We beat LeedsLeedsLeeds from UK in consolation this afternoon. Tomorrow we have two more consolation games and then we're done. The highest we can finish now is 9th. The lowest is 12th.

Later

Quick Update

2006-11-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

Hey people,

Haven't blogged for a long time now. Saw some incredible stuff, here are some of the highlights:

-The Pinnacles north of Perth. A desert landscape filled with limestone pillars rising up from the sand over many acres. It may not sound interesting, but it was one of my favorite places we went to and has international world heritage status.

-Went down to Pemberton in the south and climbed a 60 meter tall tree using the rebar that spiraled up the outside of the tree. Fairly scary going up, mediocre views on top, not so bad coming down.

-The Tree Top Walk in Walpole, a series of catwalks in the trees, reaching 40 meters in the air at its highest point.

-Torndirrup National Park in Albany was my favorite place. Cliffs rising up from the ocean, waves crashes upon rocks, great views of the ocean and bays, islands, and the city of Albany. I think I could live there and be very content.

-Porongurup National Park, a small range of "mountains", considered mountains in Australia, but they only reach a height of 3000ft, but they are about 2500ft higher than the surrounding land. Climbed some mountains, took some pictures.

So, if you've been reading the CLX blog, you'd know that we won our first pool, going 3-0. Yesterday, we went 0-2, losing to Whoreshack, another American team, 17-7. In the second game, we played Osaka Natto from Japan. Tied at 2-2, let them take a 5-2 lead, while it was 7-9 at half. They get a 6 point lead at 13-7, and we begin maybe another epic CLX comeback. We make it 13-9, but they score another. We bring it all the way to 14-13, but they score to make it 15-13. After a full field huck from Karsten, we trail by one and the D gets another score to make it 15-15. They work it all the way up field, turn, call a questionable foul, and score. The foul did not really spoil the game as much as a bad call on double game point could, but it was frustrating to get the turn and not have it stand. The Japanese were very fun to play and it was our best effort of the tournament, it just didn't turn out to be a victory.

Our game today in less than two hours is a must win game. If we lose, we are out of the tournament. If we win, we can still play for first.

Don't Forget Heirrison Island

2006-11-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

Or Rottnest Island for that matter.

The holiday in Perth is going well. Yesterday, Lana and I took a walk through King's Park next to central Perth. The park is very large and includes war memorials, bush trails, botanical gardens, and many fountains. We walked around the botanical gardens a bit, threw some frisbee, took some pictures, then walked around some more. The bush trails were not as exciting as I thought they would be. Just hot and sandy.

We got back to the hostel early and decided to go to the Museum of Western Australia, a free museum 4-5 blocks from the hostel. Museums aren't really my thing, but some exhibits were good and others weren't so good. The taxidermy animals exhibit included many animals that don't live in Western Australia. They also had Aboringial history exhibits and one about the creation of the universe centering around minerals, rocks, gemstones, etc. It's not the greatest museum ever, but you can't beat the price.

Were an hour late to go meet Trent, who I thought would get in around 2. We ate at a kabob place and headed through downtown via Queen's Park (a much smaller, quieter version of King's Park) and WACA stadium, to Heirrison Island. I thought it was closed at first, because I couldn't see anybody there. Heirrison Island is an island in the Swan River and has park areas and a fence-enclosed area where wild kangaroos live. Are there any domesticated kangaroos? Well, we walked through a double gate (think of a toned down version of security at Jurassic Park), past a sign warning of the dangers of kangaroos, and into the enclosed area. We didn't see any kangaroos for a long time, walking in a counterclockwise fashion around the island. Then, when we were nearly all the way back to the start, we spotted some in an area of tall grass. We were quiet most of the time, but apparently, they are curious about noise and perk their heads up to look and listen. They weren't too shy and came out of the grass and we got some great pictures.

Headed back to the hostel, ate at a Vietnamese style noodle restaraunt and went to bed.

Today, we spent some time at Rottnest island, 20km off Perth. We purchased a package that included a ferry ride, bike hire, and snorkle rental. The island does not allow cars, so everybody walks, takes the bus tour, or walks. At 30km in circumference, it's a long walk. We only had five hours, so we only covered about half the island on bicycle. Saw lighthouses, gravestones, a gun placed on the island to protect Freemantle that can shoot 16 pound shot over 25km, and some quokkas. Quokkas are marsupials that live only on Rottnest Island. In fact, the island's name used to be "rat's nest island" by the original Dutch landers in the 1700s, because the Dutch sailors believed the quokkas were simply large rats. They would be giant rats because some of them were larger than fat racoons. Like the kangaroos, they were used to human interaction and were not afraid of small proximities.

On the ferry ride back, the ocean was much more choppier and Lana almost got seasick. I thought it was funny because she didn't have a great time on the island and then she almost puked on top of that.

I almost forgot the snorkeling part. That was fun and I kind of wish right now that I had done more, but it was hard work. First, the water was very cold and when I was done the first time I was almost shivering uncontrollably, even though it was hot out. Lana said she saw a guy taken onto the ferry that was shivering badly and who's lips were deep blue or something. I wouldn't be surprised, I thought the water was very cold and I never really acclimatized to it. Trent thought it was just fine. Another thing I couldn't do was figure out how to use the flippers correctly. Trent was using his fine, but I felt like I was fighting the water a lot. Then, I kept sucking in ocean water, once to the point of almost vomiting. It was still fun, though. There was an assortment of fish swimming through the water, some very good size, and an assortment of plant life.

Ate dinner back at the harbour, standard fish and chips plus beer. Very tasty. Probably going to bed soon and the plan tomorrow is to be at the Pinnacles shortly after sunrise tomorrow, but that's a two hour drive from here. Then, we'll spend the night in Freemantle before travelling SW for three days, arriving back in Perth on Saturday night.

Hmm...writing this felt too much like a book report or something. I hope it was exciting for you to read.

Down Under

2006-11-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Well, I am officially "down under."

-The flight was bad, but not terrible. Just 45 hours in a row of airport/airplane purgatory. On the trans-Pacific flight, I was seated for all but about three minutes of a 12.5 hour flight. No bathroom breaks. There in confinement, my knees, ankles, back, and neck just ached. Then they showed some promo videos of the business premier class just to torture us poor people. They have fully reclining beds, steak dinners, wine, large screen TVs, etc.

-I watched a BBC TV show called Extras on the plane. Very edgy, funny, but it was a guilty sort of did-I-just-laugh-at-that comedy. Stuff about Nazis, a character with cerebral palsy, jokes about Catholic priests, Kate Winslet talking dirty on the telephone, etc. They only had one show on demand, though, otherwise I would have watched more.

-The meals on the plane were great. I wasn't expecting much, but was impressed. I ate a lot better on the plane than I do at home. A hot meal with meat, potatoes, veggies, salad, dessert, and cheese and crackers.

-Got to New Zealand and had a 9 hour layover that turned into 12. We left the airport, took a $22 bus into downtown Auckland, and walked around the city, checking out the streets and parks. We walked through two parks, Albert Park and the Auckland Domain, both unlike any city parks I've seen in the US, but then again I haven't seen a big city park before in the US. Some things stood out: The place was beautiful, but even though there were trashcans everywhere, there was still trash all over. Also, there is a lot of bird chatter in the southern hemisphere. I like it. The trees are noticably different. Shorter, fatter, and with much bigger root systems that come up out of the ground.

-Bought some New Zealand drink and candy. Jaffas, a malt chocolate orange-coated candy, were supposed to be great, but they were mediocre. The drink was a blackcurrant juice called Ribena. Well worth the $2.50.

-The Auckland needle, much like Seattle's space needle at the center of the town. There is a casino inside, which now has $5 of my money (only $3.50 American!). People skydive off of everything down here, and there is a company that offers base jumping off of the needle for $195!. You jump straight down onto a platform below and some side ropes slow you down, I suppose. I'd like to see it done, and then maybe do it myself!

-The ride to Australia was the worst. Already aching and having to wait another 2 hours for mechanical problems, the ride seemed to last forever. The movies were Pirates 2 and D wears P. Nothing too exciting, I didn't even put on the headphones. Right before take-off, I noticed that Air New Zealand, with it's mechanical difficulties, could be said Err New Zealand. I kept imagining an engine shutting down or falling off and then we plummet six miles into the Pacific ocean. Well, it didn't happen.

-I was studying Psalms in my Bible on the flight over and came across Psalm 93. Very pertinant to flying over the ocean, if I remembered the number. I think it was 93. Flying over such a vast ocean gave me an appreciation for just how large it is. Think 600mph for 12 hours over nothing but ocean. Then I read Psalm 93 and I realized that the Pacific Ocean ain't that great.

Later. Off to go rent a car, see King's Park, Heirrson Island, kangaroos, and go on a walkabout.

Ten More Thoughts

2006-10-31T22:54:00.000-08:00

Here's some more thoughts and musings, maybe not so random.

31. CLX Worlds update! We received our schedule finally! We will be playing the Thundering Herd of the UK, Gert Johnny's Band of Italy, and The Bombing Madd Fatties of Canada, the 36, 25, and 16 seeds of the tournament. CLX is the 5 seed. But...there is bad news on the homefront. A key player on CLX world's team may have injured himself beyond repair at nationals this year. I'm a little worried.

32. Nationals is over. My predictions were fairly accurate with the exceptions of Bad Larry and Deliverance. If I switch those two teams in my final standings, I would have done exceptional. As it is, I predicted the Brass Monkey loss, albeit to the wrong team, but I had a hunch they'd lose in semis. I also predicted 3 of the 4 semis teams, both finals teams, and the finals winner. Not so hard you say? Well, I didn't see you predict anything...

33. Once again, the central region had a poor showing across all divisions. Were there any teams in the top 8? I can't remember any. Well, after the success of SubZero and CLX last year, it appears that the central region is bottom feeding again.

34. I was really bummed that CLX didn't play this year's nationals. I wouldn't have wanted to pull a Bad Larry, but it is disappointing to not know how we would have performed. Bil Elsinger had high praise for us, nearly locking us in for a semis berth and commenting that he was pretty sure we could have beaten two or three of the semifinalists, without even ever seeing us play! Well, thanks Bil. Where's this newfound respect coming from? I feel like some people were cheated out of a nationals appearance this year, especially those who joined the team this year, but have never been to nationals before. All I can do now is ponder what could have been.

35. Off of ultimate now. My favorite candy bar is 3 Musketeers. Once in awhile, I think Mars will be better because it's a 3 Musketeers with caramel, but after eating the occassional Mars bar, I always wish I would have opted for the 3 Musketeers. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are excellent, too. Those two are certainly in a class of their own.

36. I think on the 100+ hours I'll be in the air and in airports over the next 3.5 weeks, I'll try to study the Psalms very closely. They represent my least studied area of the Bible. I've never read all the way through them, and never taken any notes while reading them. I have a journal/notebook I got from my brother last Christmas that is small and has about 100 sheets of paper in it. Perfect for such a task as writing down notes from each individual Psalm. I'm excited to finally get through them.

37. Here's a list of things I don't own. A cell phone, a regular phone, a working computer, an IPod, a working CD player unless you count my car which only works 1/4 of the time, or a DVD player, unless you count the one I gave to Lana, which was a Playstation Two. Well, I'm not a technology hater and I do certainly count on the generosity of friends to use phones and computers every once in awhile or more!, but I don't feel the need to own those things. Well, it would be nice to have my own computer and I'm sure my parents (and Lana) would like it if I got my own cell phone. Then I could have the record on Race 21!

38. I recently read The Godfather and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were parts here and there that I didn't care for and I'm not sure how they advanced the story or how they were relevant or necessary, but for the most part, the book was excellent. I am looking forward to seeing the movie, which is usually not as good as the book, because you can't as good of a feel for the characters in a movie using just spoken dialogue. Hey, that word has all 5 vowels and it's only 8 letters long. Do you know a word shorter than that that uses all five vowels? I do.

39. One time in church when I was younger, one of my brothers spilled a cup of hot coffee into my lap. It stung. The water was near boiling; I still don't understand how people can drink liquids that are that hot, I enjoy my tastebuds too much for that. I jumped around like crazy, pushing the table back and knocking over my chair, drawing attention from everybody around. My dad took me into the bathroom and when I took my pants off, my skin was extremely burnt and some of the flesh was all wrinkled and falling off. I don't remember much about the recovery time from that, but just so you all know, hot coffee in the groin is not pleasant.

40. You know what else isn't pleasant to have hit your groin? Baseballs. As a kid I really sucked at baseball, which was disappointing to me because my dad invested a lot of time trying to make me and my brothers better. I was always afraid of getting hit by the ball whether I was up to bat or trying to field a grounder. My best positions were centerfield (where I only had to field slow rollers or pop flies) and first base (where there weren't too many grounders and I mostly just had to make sure I caught the ball from the other infielders). One year I was allowed to pitch. I just threw the ball as hard as I could, which sometimes was fast and sometimes was not. I had little control, though, and frequently threw at the batters on accident. No, there was no Pedro Martinez stuff going on. Once I remember involuntarily yelling "Lookout" on a particularly bad pitch headed right for the helmet of an unlucky kid. It just popped out when my brain must have realized that it was going to be a bad pitch. I turned fairly red after that one.

Well, that's all for today.

I'll be leaving for Australia on Friday, just two more days. Maybe I'll post here about the tournament as it progresses, but I'm not sure what kind of computer access I'll have. We'll see. Thanks for reading.

Feelin' Fine

2006-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

Well, I spent about a week last week feeling a little down about turning 27, about my general stasis in life, about my perceived deficits in areas of my life, and my feeling of separation from the God I choose to love and want to obey.

I did have some non-ultimate posts lined up last week, but worked on some all the way to completion before deciding not to post them. I was unhappy with the way I wrote some of them, some were hurried, and some were just too depressing. One of my better posts dealt with the songs lyrics to Pink Floyd's "Time" and how I felt the lyrics were applying to my life.

On turning 27, I've just felt like I'm reaching physical limitations in the things I am able to do. Instead of being encouraged to try to maximize my potential, I've kind of been slacking and sulking that my body won't do at 27 the things I could do at 22. But, I went to work out today and found that things aren't so bad. I don't have a high top-sprint speed or the ability to jump as high as I would like, but I was still able to run a sub-6:00 mile and then bike after that.

I've felt stranded and forgotten by God lately, but it stems only from my own doings. Guilt and shame coming through from some choices I have made and things I have neglected to do over the past couple of months. I was beginning to feel like I was a lost cause in God's eyes before church on Sunday. The pastor shared a story of someone similar to me who felt distanced and distressed. She experienced an awakening a couple of weekends ago. I prayed during church to receive the same hope from God and just minutes later during communion the band on stage was playing a song and tears welled up in my eyes and became so choked up that I couldn't sing and I was overcome by an inexpressable joy. A feeling like nothing else in the world mattered except that relationship that I have with Jesus Christ. A relationship that needs mending, but Christ is ever-willing to forgive and forget.

Life is going to be just fine. Though I foolishly thought it may happen, I have not been abandoned and I am cared for. I may have failed to do some things right in the past, but I've been given new hope and opportunites. And I going to Australia soon! A possible last hurrah with some of my favorite friends and ultimate players. While I may be losing strength physically, I think I'm learning to play smarter all the time. Oh, and getting lucky sometimes too.

Talk to you soon.

Nationals Predictions

2006-10-23T18:56:00.001-07:00

Here's some nationals predictions for you.

Pool A: Brass Monkey, Mr. Briefcase, Flaming Moe, Deliverance

Brass wins, Moe takes second beating Briefcase, Briefcase takes third, and Deliverance fourth. The only thing that makes me think I might be wrong is that Moe could have a close game against Brass Monkey, and then have to turn around and play Briefcase, and could start 0-2. But, I'll say they beat Briefcase, as they were able to do it when it counted at regionals. Why did George Cooke go ahead and screw the central region here? Put the top two qualifying teams from a region in the same pool, yet divide up all the other regions nicely? Switch Puppet and Moe and there is no problem. Just nearly assuring the central regions best teams can't both make quarters unless they both happen to beat the defending champion. Can't really stand by GC on this one at all, the fix is right there.

Pool B: Mischief, AMP, Puppet Regime, Salsa Police

Mischief wins. Puppet Regime takes second, AMP third, Salsa Police fourth. Again, I fear that I could be wrong with the 2/3 positions again. Playing AMP last year, though, leads me to believe that they are not going to be very good. Puppet didn't play well at Tune-Ups, but they only had about half their team. How much does that gloved guy play? If too much, they could be in trouble.

Pool C: Bad Larry, Whoreshack, Hooray, Tandem

Can one of the two lower teams knock off one of the higher seeded teams, who may have weaker rosters this year? It seems like this pool, with Larry and Whoreshack is ripe for upsets, but I'm just not sure Hooray and Tandem can do it, looking at their season's results. If Rival or Puppet or Moe are here, maybe, but not these teams. I'll say this pool goes Larry, Whore, Tandem, Hooray.

Pool D: Gendors, Slow White, Rival, Flycoons

Slow White looks good and had a great run last year until they lost to Larry. They were the only team to beat Brass Monkey, but Brass Monkey has losses in them. They seem to lose about once a tournament, except NW regionals. I don't know much about the Gendors, they won Labor Day, but looking at their scores, they play a lot of close games against weaker teams. I'll say Slow White takes the pool, Gendors second, Flycoons third, and Rival fourth. There is some RSD talk about Rival, but I saw a group of Rival players at Shawn Adams over the 4th weekend in Tennessee and they looked terrible. Probably not their whole team, but they had a lot of people there. I don't see the south rising this year.

Power pool E: Brass Monkey, Flaming Moe, Bad Larry, Whoreshack
Power pool F: Mischief, Puppet Regime, Slow White, Gendors
Pool G: Mr. Briefcase, Deliverance, Tandem, Hooray
Pool H: AMP, Salsa Police, Flycoons, Rival

Pool E: I'll take Brass going 3-0. They have handled Whoreshack over the past two years, and Larry shouldn't be in the same class as them. Larry and Whoreshack both beat Flaming Moe, giving a Brass Monkey, Bad Larry, Whoreshack, Flaming Moe finish.

Pool F: I'll take Mischief winning the pool just barely over Slow White, but the Gendors beating Mischief. Now the point differential. Slow White, Mischief second, Gendors third. Puppet doesn't win and finishes fourth.

F4 plays G1--Puppet Regime vs. Mr. Briefcase. Show me Mr. Briefcase.
E4 plays H1--Flaming Moe vs. AMP. Could be a good game. Give me Flaming Moe. Maybe both central region teams can make quarters after all, but it shouldn't have to be this way.

E1 vs. G1 quarters-Brass Monkey vs. Mr. Briefcase. Come on.
F2 vs. E3 quarters-Mischief vs. Whoreshack. Mischief comes out with it.

F1 vs. E4 quarters-Interesting here. Slow White vs. Flaming Moe. This could be an incredible game. I have to go with Slow White because they've been here and know how to win, but if this game occurs, it could be almost too close to call. Plus, last year, both E1 and F1 were upset in quarters.
E2 vs. F3 quarters-Bad Larry vs. Gendors. Another interesting battle, for they are both SW region teams who know each other well. Bad Larry has tradionally beat Gendors when it counts, so I'll continue to back Bad Larry, although is Bad Larry really semis good? Didn't seem like it last year but I guess they make it again.

E1 v. F2 semis-Brass Monkey vs. Mischief. Man, these games keep getting better. Another big rivalry game. So far, I realized my predictions are following a 2004 pattern. Brass-Mischief is similar to Brass-Shazam. If I have Moe beating Slow White, they only have to play Bad Larry in semis, a team they can beat, similar to CLX avoiding Shazam in semis and playing Six Trained Monkeys in 04. The three way tie, may prove fatal to Brass Monkey again. I should just be throwing multiple predictions out there. I'll say this, IF Moe plays Slow White I'm not so sure it is Slow White who will win, but I have to take that surer bet in the predictions. IF Moe wins, they'll make finals. There. As for this game, I'll go out on a limb and say Mischief wins it. Here's why. Mischief CAN beat Brass Monkey. I don't think it will be Mischief's play that wins them the game, but Brass Monkey's play that loses them the game. Brass Monkey has losses in them, and unfortunately for them, for the second time in three years, that loss comes in semis. Mischief is the one team here that knows how to beat them.

F1 vs. E2 Slow White v. Bad Larry. Give me Slow White. They aren't going to lose to Bad Larry in consecutive years. Last year, Slow White was undeafeated and Bad Larry knocked them out in quarters. Slow White remembers and takes care of business.

F1 vs. F2 Slow White v. Mischief. Okay, do I really believe this will be finals? I guess I have to now. Slow White and Mischief are two of the four or five teams that I think have a really good shot at making finals. Hmm. Can you really bet against the northwest? I can't. Give me Mischief winning it all.

Final standings:
1. Mischief
2. Slow White
T3. Brass Monkey
T3. Bad Larry
5. Gendors
6. Whoreshack
7. Flaming Moe
8. Mr. Briefcase
9. AMP
10. Flycoons
11. Puppet Regime
12. Tandem
13. Rival
14. Hooray
15. Salsa Police
16. Deliverance

Captain's Log: 100906

2006-10-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Captain's Log: 100906

Regionals were last weekend in Chicago, Illinois. Past history has shown that Chicago is not really our town to play in. While performing well at all the Tune-Ups and CHCs tournaments, we have only won that tournament once, with a 2nd, T3rd, and 6th. In addition, we played central regionals in Chicago in 2003 and that was the worst tournament experience I believe I've ever had.

The format was tweaked a little to accomodate The Chad Larson Experience. We kind of needed to finish in the top three to make sure the coordinators were right about selecting the four-advance format. We played a 16-team bracket with a 2nd/3rd bracket and a 4th place bracket.

In our first game, we played Ignition out of Michigan. We took half 8-0, had a 10-0 lead before somebody (ahem....Brisbois) got scored on, and then ended up winning 15-2. We wore our CLX greys for the first time. They are okay, I kind of like the way the color looks, but wish our jersies were black after seeing the longsleeve blacks jersies.

I think we waited around for almost an hour and a half before the next game started. The Soy Nuts-Third Coast game went long and Soy Nuts pulled off what many people considered to be an upset. I don't know about that but good job Soy Nuts. Well, we played them and took an early lead and never looked back. I believe the final score was 15-4. This game was over very fast, in fact, the Ice-Salsa game was only at 6-3, and the Moe-Happy and Briefcase-Kids games were barely past halftime. I got to watch some good games. A lot of teams weren't looking too good. The Briefcase game was 15-10, I think the Moe game was 15-10, and the Ice-Salsa game was 15-13 Ice.

So, in the thrid round, we played Ice and won handily again. We took a 6-1 lead and never looked back. Took halftime 8-4 and kept that similar lead through the rest of the game, winning 15-11. While the final score looked kind of close, I don't feel we were ever in danger of losing the game. I don't remember too many things about this game other than Mike was doing a great job of throwing hammers over their zone and Jon and Solarz were handling well. Moe won 15-8, kind of surprising, but like I predicted, a CLX-Moe final.

Saturday night was a lot of fun. We found a bowling/karaoke place. The bowling was a little expensive, but we still played two games and the Kevin-Seth team destroyed the Brisbois-Mike Lun team twice. I rolled a 159 in the first game and something around 110 or 120 in the second. Several pitchers of beer were consumed and it was good.

Karaoke was a blast. Few players braved the stage, but those that did put on great performances. First, Shawn jumped up there and rocked a "Interstate Love Song", followed by James McKenzie crooning out The Band's "The Weight". Seth touched our hearts with a "Wish You Were Here". I followed with Elvis's "In the Ghetto", my karaoke stand-by. Joe had been standing outside to avoid singing his song, but when he showed up, he was called and we tore the house down with Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy", complete with a loss of shirt at the line "I'm too sexy for my shirt."

Second round was just as good. Shawn and Abby had a duet to "When I'm Sixty-Four" by the Beatles. Seth showed his grunge side with Pearl Jam's "Alive." Just about all the guys were singing, the girls somewhat silent. Then James gets up and does the Nirvana unplugged classic "Where Did You Sleep Last Night?" Possibly the best performance of the night. Again, all the guys were singing along, the girls not so much. Tai jumps on stage and does a rendition of "I'm Going Down", I think she said it was a Mary J. Blige song. Correction, Tai's song was the best of the night. I had to follow her at with a "What a Wonderful World", which I'm told sounded like Cookie Monster. Finally, to end the night, James, Seth, Joe, Shawn, and I performed "Bye, Bye, Bye" by NSync.

A great night.

Finals next day weren't until 1:40. We played Flaming Moe as said before. They weren't playing some of their players due to injuries and some seemed to be playing more than they had against us at other times. At the same time, though, we were missing the Sheldahls and Gibbs, who are among the best women defenders and cutters.

The game starts off like usual, with the teams trading points until 3-3. Moe has a little miscommunication that ends up in my hands and I toss a score to BJ to make it 4-3. I think we make it 5-3, also. I don't remember many other specifics from the first half other than our offensive teams scored every time, I believe. We take half 8-5. We pull, but get the disc back and make it 9-5. Tai makes a great layout catch on a pass I tried my best to turf. Thank you Tai. We get the disc back, but make a short field turn and they make it 9-6. Again, I don't remember much now, but I think it was 10-9 us at the closest point, but we go on to win 15-12, on a great layout score by Abby Doriani that Jon tried his best to turf. In the second half, our offense had a lot of trouble moving the disc, but we found ways to score, notably, on the "huck to Joe and Wes" plays. It was kind of a 2003 throwback there, just hucking to Wes when in trouble. We played a good game, it wasn't always pretty, but to win you have to find ways to score.

Notes:

-I felt the CLX-Moe game was a little more tense than usual. There wasn't controversy exactly, but the game wasn't free of calls, either. Moe had three calls in the game that I thought were particularly bad. All three were on misreads that CLX got D's on, but the Moe player called foul, twice on second attempts. I don't think at all that they were trying to be dishonest, but just felt the extra pressure to have to make a play since it was a regional final. I have no doubt that all three would have been nullified by an observer, even though one was uncontested by us. On the same note, Moe did score upwind twice in one point and once it was taken back by an ambiguous line call, and the second by a pick call. We ended up scoring that point. Other than that there were a couple of other calls by either team, always getting some sort of protest by the other team, whether it be short and controlled or the dreaded long discussion. Paul Norgaard told me he was telling Moe before the game that we had requested observers. He was only messing with them, and as team captain, I have no reason to request observers against Moe. I want to make that clear.

-The defense was good this weekend. Some layout D's making their way into the fray. Rachel Derscheid had one early in the Ignition game. Christina also had a good one. Jon layed out early in the Ignition game, too. Stu had a great bid in the Moe game that I had a good look at. Joe had his normal scattering of layout D's, and had a great one against him by Pat of Moe. I had a good look there, too, as I threw the disc. Tai was playing great defense all weekend and was really a force on defense all year. She will be missed in Australia, as will Christina and all the players who can't make it there.

-We tried some different strategy against Moe in the second half that wasn't as successful as I thought it would be. They traditionally aren't as good against a straight-up force, but I tried to mix in a force sideline on swing throws, intending to keep them from getting the big yardage gainers in the middle of the field. Well, they just hucked it downfield instead of putting up throws to the middle and it didn't really have the effect I intended. Oh well.

-If I had to choose an MVP for CLX I'm pretty sure I'd have to go with Mike Lun. When Mike is in the offense, we have the chance to throw the disc all the way down the field and score in one throw. In fact, my favorite thing to do is line out outside the stack on a brickmark pull and just run deep on the first offensive throw from Mike. He opens up the field a lot more with his breaks and hammers, too. I'd have to say he has the best hammer of anybody I know right now, including Karsten. Luckily, I get to play with both of them. While other players on the team can huck, none can do it with the consistency and confidence that Mike does. When he isn't in, the offense is not usually run as well and the play is more horizontal and less vertical. That's not to say our other handlers are deficient in any way, in fact Jon, Stu, and Solarz are very important parts of the offense, but Mike just has the throws that CLX needs so bad. His defense isn't too shabby either and once a tournament he skies for a disc that I thought he had no chance at getting. Against Moe, I threw him a huck that I thought he jumped a step too early on, but just kept elevated and almost floating in the air until the disc was in his hand. I'd also have Joe up there for MVP. He consistently guards the other team's best player, picks up D's, scores long, and as the season went on, contributed some clutch throws.

-I think I played an average tournament. I wasn't playing poorly, but I wasn't bringing the house down, either. I think I contributed some solid play and while some of my enzone throws weren't perfect, they were all completed! My best game was probably the Ice game. I thought I was fairly helpful in the zone offense, got to run the disc up the field with Jon, which seems to happen about once a tournament, and played some good defense.

That's about it.

I'll be posting a worlds team writeup soon. I need to write down my #1 favorite ultimate game. I might throw out some nationals predicitions, etc. We'll see.

Regionals Predictions

2006-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

I started writing a blog directed to Flaming Moe, but I got halfway done and ran out of steam. Here's the gist of it: Look, you're good enough to win the whole thing...do it. If you don't, you need to remember that you don't have to win regionals to make nationals. All you have to do at regionals is qualify. If you lose, which is likely, only one team wins after all, you need to play like you still want to go. The last two years you have followed up losses at regionals with half-hearted losses in your next game. Make this year different. It's up to everybody on the team, not just your captains to prepare you after a loss. Keep a positive attitude and believe in yourselves. Florida in late October is very nice. Saturday morning quarters at nationals is even better.

Regionals predictions:

Pool A: The Chad Larson Experience takes the pool
Pool B: Mr. Briefcase takes the pool
Pool C: Flaming Moe takes the pool
Pool D: Ice takes the pool over Salsa Police. Will it be close, I don't know.

Flaming Moe beats Mr. Briefcase in the B/C pool matchup. I don't care what everybody is saying about Briefcase and how everybody thinks they'll be champions. Briefcase won't finish higher than third. They are not scary, they are good, but not scary. Look, how many times has Kaze/Disco Demolition/Mr. Briefcase ever won Cooler/CHCs/regionals? Zero! How many times have they even made finals of a big tournament? Once! Just because it happened to be recently doesn't mean Mr. Briefcase is going to clean up at regionals. Moe wins a good one.

The Chad Larson Experience v. Ice in the A/D pool matchup will be a tough one. I'm going to say one of two things happen. Either Ice cleans our clock, our CLX wins a close one. It's unknown who Ice will even have, but they potentially have the best players from their U of Iowa nationals runs including Elijah Edwards, Dan West, Mike Francis, Colleen Roarty, Sara Hill, Mackenzie, Mary, Mark G., in addition to Zach, Kresowicks, Matt Klemm, and others. Of course, who knows who will be there. This game will have the feel of a quarters game at nationals. Who wins? Can I really say my own team loses? Let's put it this way...the winner of this game wins regionals. I'd bet the house on it. What the heck...CLX wins.

Front door: Moe v. CLX. Well, I kind of have to lean towards CLX here.

Back door: I don't care how any of the other teams do, its between Ice and Mr. Briefcase to play Moe in the back door finals. Ice wins. Mr. Briefcase falls to the fourth place bracket.

Back door finals. Redo of the front door finals, since CLX will turn down their nationals bid. Ice wins. Moe takes the second bid.

Double back door finals. Mr. Briefcase plays Salsa Police and Briefcase takes the 3rd spot to nationals.

Wow. That's probably really wrong. There are four teams that can win this tournament, maybe five if Carleton is strong, but I feel like this isn't their year (or do I just want it to not be their year?). How those four will end up is a mystery. That would be neat if I was right. Then CLX would have won regionals, Moe would have made it, and Mr. Briefcase would have finished third, maybe even fourth, I'd accept a Carleton 3rd bid just to see Briefcase stay at home again.

Prove me wrong children, prove me wrong.

Fantasy Finals

2006-10-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well everybody, here it is at last, the finals write up. For those of you who missed it, the game was well worth watching. These teams have a history and know each other well, so there was no early game "feeling the opponent out" phase that some games have. It was down to business from the first pull.

As each team warmed up, it looked like Flaming Moe 2004 was taking it a little more seriously. The CLX players were just throwing all kinds of useless throws and actually cheering when there were drops. Is this the state of competitive coed ultimate? Well, they paid for it. Flaming Moe won the flip and chose to pull to CLX, and their offense was not ready. Maybe I don't understand their game plan, but they might want to warm up a little more. They have an uncontested turnover and Moe quickly scores to make it 1-0. Moe rips a pull deep into CLX territory, and it takes them nearly 10 passes to get it out of Callahan range. The Moe defense is tight and layout abound. CLX throws a pass just out of reach of Savage and Moe picks it up to make it 2-0. CLX responds with a big huck to #99 Van Maanen. I guess when all else fails, put it to the mountain. Now on the board, CLX breathes easy, sends in a D line, and Versteeg gets a great poach D. Without wasting time, he picks up and throws a hammer/blade to Van Maanen. Now 2-2. Moe tries a huck, but CLX is there, and some great handling by #69 Cunningham gets the disc into the red zone and #21 Sheldahl scores for CLX, now on a three point run.

A lot of members from Hot Action 2004 and CLX 2005 are hanging out on the sidelines, beer in hand. They are a little hungover/drunk from last night. They start an impromptu chant "Monkeyfist. Monkeyfist. Monkeyfist." Their heckle has a profound impact on Moe and they rattle off three of their own. CLX is on their heels and looking unfocused. They are able to get back on track with a score, but Moe answers to make it 6-4. Chad moves it downfield again and put up a hospital pass. Luckily for CLX, they've been there before and make the grab. Another D by Voytas over Klink gives CLX the disc and a shot at tying the game. They take that opportunity and complete a #2 Karsten huck to #16 Meyer. Game tied 6-6. The teams trade points and Moe takes half 9-8, game to 17.

Moe receives to start the half, but #15 Walding gets a layout D on Moe's Moss. Staron tosses a score to Seiler to tie it at 9-9. Norgaard comes out hucking, though and Klink grabs a score over #1 Seiler, who's beggining to look like he's played too many points. The next point is a dogfight as many long turns occur for each team. Some layout D bids, unsuccessful O bids, and many overthrows. Moe finally connects, though and takes an 11-9 lead. CLX calmly answers with great offense from their "feminator" Derscheid/Savage duo. Why haven't they been using this before? CLX knows they need a big defense, but are unable to get it, as Moe takes a 12-10 lead. CLX runs the "feminator" again and again Moe's women just can't stop it. They do a great job of working the disc upfield before an endzone strike. 12-11. Norgaard tosses a 65-yard huck to Klink, though, as Moe has a good think working, too. 13-11. CLX suffers from a drop near midfield, and Moe puts one away to make it 14-11. On the CLX sideline, Bartel holds an orange Gatorade in one hand and a fruit punch Gatorade in the other, yet it is unknown what he is thinking about.

The Chad Larson Experience gets the disc and scores on a #2 Karsten huck to #1 Seiler. The D line plays harder than ever and switch to a straight up force to prevent the huck. It works, although Moe gets a huck off, it is not long and flat, but high and curving to avoid the mark. Gangel intercepts yet another pass intended for Klink. CLX works it upfield and scores to come within one at 13-14. A wave of confidence seems to be flowing through CLX 2004 now. Moe doesn't look sluggish though, and responds with deadly accuracy. A long throw for a score makes it 13-15. CLX scores quickly, using the lady duo again, with Camille Yu added in as a third handler. On the next point, Voytas gets an incredible layout defense, and Versteeg does what he does best, putting the disc in the endzone to Karsten. Tied at 15-15. Moe works with the calm demeanor they always have, but #12 Sheldahl blocks her lady and burns her for the score. "Double burn!" erupts from the sidelines. 16-15. To avoid overtime, CLX needs a score here. Moe again works the disc upfield but turns. CLX gives it back, but the D is too much and Moe tosses a disc out of bounds. #2 Karsten picks up a bends a forehand way out of bounds but it comes back in to a streaking #23 Gangel who leaps, catches, falls, toes the line, and is called in by the observer. CLX 2004 storms the field to congratulate each other on their 17-15 victory.

Post game interviews went like this:

CLX's Seiler: "Well, we were just living the dream out here. We're just a bunch of old Iowa Staters and randomly collected friends who weren't supposed to amount to anything as an ultimate team, but we never stopped believing in ourselves and were able to do it our way. I can't imagine a better way to win than with the players and friends you've played with all along."

Moe's Norgaard: Reporter asks whether the 2nd place finish is meaningful. "Second? Second! Any team out there can get second. What's the big deal about second? Look, me and six trained monkeys could get second. I wonder if they need a pickup anywhere? Well, we crapped the bed and now we have to sleep in it. We had that game, but instead we just squatted and crapped right there in our own bed."

CLX's Walding: "Wow, man. Like pops said, it's circular. It all comes around and goes around. Life is like the rim of the frisbee and we just grabbed it today. Look at these uniforms, too. I don't want to play in anything different."

CLX's Hill: "I guess it was fun and all, but I think I'm just going to go get hooked on Meth."

CLX's Savage: "The way we came back reminded me of playing in the '89 women's finals back when...wait, maybe that was '93 finals...no...was it '94 Worlds in Madison...well I can't remember. I do now have the ultimate "grand slam" with four different national and world titles, so I think I'll go pound some grand slams at Denny's. Whose with me?"

Hot Action 2004's Cram: "I should play with those guys. I can run around and huck to the endzone. In fact, I wonder if I can get people to say "cramming" instead of "hucking"."

Versteeg, Karsten, and Staron were unreachable for comment as they were apparently playing a game of hotbox somewhere.

CLX's Voytas: "I know we won, of course we were going to win. Did you guys have any doubt? C'mon man. Let's talk about something of importance, like Busch Light. You guys want to roll on some Busch Light tonight?"

Random Spectator: "Yeah, they were good, but did you see how Small those Packages were?"

Well, that about wraps it up. It was a great extended fantasy weekend here in fantasy world and fantasy finals are over. Who knows what kind of fantasy tournaments may take place in the future, but for now, CLX 2004 will remain fantasy champions.

Fantasy Bracket Play

2006-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

All pool play is over and from here on out, every game is going to count and each team is in danger of elimination. One wrong move late in a game could usher in the end of a team's season. This is where the true test of strength and will begins.

Quarters Game One: Flaming Moe 2004 v. Kaze 2003

Flaming Moe ended up winning the highly contested A power pool and this game should be one of the least contested games of the day, but anything can happen from this point on. Kaze 2003 had to play an extra game yesterday and it is unclear what effect that will have on them. At the same time, Moe had some tough games to play yesterday, but has to feel confident as the one seed right now. Moe receives and through a series of six or seven uncontested passes, scores. Kaze gets the disc and puts up a poor huck. Moe moves down the field uncontested again. Moe gets the disc back right away off a short turnover and a strike to Moss makes it 3-0 Moe. Kaze seems unprepared for this game. Moe extends the lead to 5-0 before Kaze scores. The rest of the game is a casual trading of points until Moe wins 15-9. Kaze never even shows signs of wanting to win the game. They make some plays and throw some hucks, but the drive to win never really appears.

Quarters Game Two: The Chad Larson Experience 2005 v. Meth 2005

On the same side of the bracket is a same-year rematch between CLX and Meth. When the two teams were at full strength, they split the season series 2-2, alternating victories over sectionals, regionals, and nationals. Both teams have good offenses and while Meth's is more one or two-dimensional, they are a little more disciplined. If CLX can connect on their hucks, Meth will be in trouble, but if they can't, this should be a great game. Meth receives and CLX 2005 comes out in a zone, but Meth works it upfield well, almost scoring, but turning. CLX gives it right back though, and Meth runs an isolation play to strike first, 1-0. Meth pulls and comes out in a zone of their own. CLX 2005 doesn't waste time swinging the disc too much and focuses on upfield throws and overhead throws. There isn't a lot of wind, so CLX tries a number of hammers. They are working until one throw is a little too lazy. Meth gets the D and a quick transition huck score. They come out in a zone again, but CLX scores. The teams start playing man defense and trade points to 6-4. Meth scores again and zones again. They throw CLX off-guard a little and they turn early, giving Meth a short field. They are very good at isolation plays and score again. Meth takes half 8-4. This is a very hard team to back against, but CLX is a team that could do it, although when they fall behind, they usually have a hard team getting the lead back. CLX receives and scores, but Meth does the same on a great grab by Edwards over Gangel. CLX is subbing a lot of players in and out of the game, and they aren't finding a good rhythm. Chad gets a break when #15 Walding gets a D and #16 Meyer scores off a huck. Meth is relaxed and focused on winning and respond with two more. I assumed this game was nearly over and left to watch others. Meth won 15-11.

Quarters Game Three: Blah 2003 v. Flaming Moe 2006

Flaming Moe 2006 was able to stay in the quarters bracket, but probably won't have the athleticism or superstars to stay with some of Blah's better cutters. They play good team defense, but don't seem to shut down individual offensive players. In the first half, Blah's hucks are on target and they rush to an 8-3 off throws to Shiel and a player they call Jeebus. In the second half, Moe scores on some longer throws and complete a decent amount of hucks, but five points are a lot to come back from and indeed, they are unable. Blah takes the game 15-10. Moe 2006 played one of the toughest schedules of the entire tournament and only went 2-5, but managed to make the top eight and played very competitively.

Quarters Game Four: The Chad Larson Experience 2004 v. The Chad Larson Experience 2006

CLX 2006 receives and scores on a long huck to Brisbois over Gangel. CLX 2004 responds with a huck to #23 Gangel over Brisbois. A battle is brewing here that could be good. CLX 2006 gets the disc again and moves the disc well, scoring on a midfield huck to Anjonrin-Ohu from #24 Lun. CLX 2004 attempts a huck and #2 skies over Kasuga. CLX 2006 has a few great long defenders, but as a team, they are rather short and CLX 2004 should take advantage of this. The game progresses and CLX 2004 goes on a short run with scores by Costello, Voytas and #9 Derscheid off some #69 Cunningham and #2 Karsten hucks. CLX 2004 is feeling good on the sidelines and looking good in their non-mainstream uniforms...really good! CLX 2006 tries to go 3/4, but 2004 stops them and the handling team Sarah Savage and Sara Hill are able to work the disc upfield. 2004 takes halftime 8-5. CLX 2006 is not subbing as often as CLX 2004, and could pay for it later. CLX 2004 receives and hucks to #23 Gangel over Brisbois again. Brisbois isn't liking it and stays in another point. Lun puts up a floating huck to Brisois and a foul is called, arguments ensue. Disc goes back, goes back up, and Brisbois makes the grab. Disc shown, tempers flare, but all is cooled down soon enough. That was the spark that CLX 2004 needed to put the game away and as the two teams are at each other a little, a call game is avoided. CLX 2004 plays well enough to win during the rest of the game and wins 15-11 to advance to semis.

Overall, quarters were not as exciting as they could have been. Usually, games are closer in quarters than this, but none of the games went down to the wire.

Semifinal Game One: Flaming Moe 2004 v. Meth 2005

This game could be as epic as any game. Moe starts with the disc and scores. Meth scores. Teams trade to 4-4 with no breaks and only one turnover per team. Moe receives again, but Norgaard can't complete a huck to Klink, as Kresowick jumps in for a D. Meth scores to take a 5-4 lead. Flaming Moe gets the disc again, but again a long huck is defended. Meth scores with supreme patience. Their spread offense is working well and the handlers are not forcing throws. The Kampfes are playing great. Moe scores, but Meth answers and a Moe drop gives Meth half 8-5. Meth gets the disc and works it upfield, but can't complete and Norgaard picks it up and bombs it downfield to Moravec, who runs it down. The Moe sideline gets louder and they storm down on defense. A Meth miscue gives them the disc back and they score again. Meth's Francis throws a long throw to Eastland, who doesn't make it in the endzone, but a dump and a throw away, Oppold is scoring for them. Moe takes care of offense and scores. They come out in a rarely used zone that catches Meth a little offguard. They get the disc and score...thrice. They lead 11-9. What ensues can not be put into words well. Each team refuses to lose and the defensive efforts are incredible. Bodies fly all over the field and hucks are abundant. Meth ties the game at 13s. Moe makes it 14-13. Meth scores on a Groteluschen grab from Peterson. Moe keeps their cool and makes it 15-14. Meth has college nationals experience and is not worried. They score uncontested for 15s. They come out in a zone, but a deep miscue leads to a massive Moe huck to an unguarded lady. Moe leads 16-15. Moe comes out in a zone, but Meth takes them time and what the defense gives them and scores in twenty to thirty passes. 16-16, game to 17. Moe gets the disc and calmly works it upfield. They swing back and forth a lot and Solarz is throwing I/Os like she was born to do it. They turn far upfield, but Meth has a major miscue on offense, throwing to a receiver who was clearing as the throw goes up. It is intercepted and the Moe marker runs to the endzone and scores. An incredible 17-16 victory and a spot in the finals.

Semifinal Game Two: Blah 2003 v. The Chad Larson Experience 2004

The Chad Larson Experience 2004 is pumped up and looking good after their victory, while Blah 2003 didn't have too much trouble putting Moe 2006 away. This game promises to be a good one as both teams are very athletic, continually huck, and play aggressive defense, both short and long. The game starts off with great D, as both teams fight to get the upper hand. CLX 2004 connects on some hucks off big skies by #99 Van Maanen and #23 Gangel. Gangel is playing great today and is all over the field. Blah is calm enough to score themselves and brings the game to a 4-3 deficit. CLX pulls and traps Blah in their own endzone. Four passes later, a floating disc is thrown and Staron outjumps the Blah handler to get a Callahan goal. He is visible excited, throwing out high fives and is heard on the sideline exclaiming "I've never D'd that ****ing guy!" CLX 2004 is on a tear now and scores two more, leading 7-3. Blah isn't going to go away that easy and brings it to 8-6 before halftime. After halftime, Blah is playing inspired, they get some great layout D's by Jeebus and others and their women are playing very solid on offense. They grab a 10-9 lead. CLX 2004 calls a timeout and regroups. The women come out fired up and #9 Derscheid gets a D, as does #12 Sheldahl. CLX 2004 connects on some hucks to regain the lead 11-10. Blah ties it at 11s and the game is tied at 12s and 13s. CLX 2004 scores easily to make it 14-13 and gets the D to win, but turns. Blah gets another chance and turns, but CLX gives it back and Blah makes sure to score. 14s, game to 16. CLX 2004 turns, but a great long D by Van Maanen gets them the disc back. They score to make it 15-14. Blah turns it over short and CLX 2004 has a short field. #2 Karsten picks up the disc and throws a crossfield hammer to Voytas who reels it in for the win. Bear hugs ensue and the team pulls out their trademark candy ciggarettes.

So, the finals matchup is set: Flaming Moe 2004 v. The Chad Larson Experience 2004

These teams split their season series 4-3 in favor of CLX. Will Moe tie it at 4s? Will The Chad Larson Experience prevail? Stay tuned.

Fantasy Friday Results

2006-09-30T08:41:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a day yesterday was. I watched games all day, took extensive notes, was ready to post, but then I headed by the beer tent at the fields and Universe needed a fill-in on their boat race team. After of a couple of races, the teams disbanded and I just raced Stoner over and over again as we reflected on our college ultimate days. He kept asking me if I wanted to ding it up, but I had no idea what he was saying.

So, my report due last night is just showing up this morning.

Let's take care of some business first, before we get to the exciting games.

Pool X: Hot Action 2003 (1-0), Phoberomys 2003 (1-0), CLX 2003 (0-1), Briefcase 2005 (0-1)

In the first round, CLX 2003 gets a chance to play Phoberomys for the first time. Watching them warm up while they scrimmaged themselves CLX player Seth Bartel was overheard saying "These guys play just like we do, and nobody beats us at our own game. Right guys?" Then he turned, found himself alone except for a attentive score reporter and quickly ran off to join an endzone drill. Seth was right, though, both teams tried long downfield passes and relied on tough defense to get them the disc back. In the end, CLX had too many targets and used their women well, especially Sheldahl sisters in the endzone and a one Von Schrader in the middle of the field. #99 Van Maanen was able to neutralize the deep threats and CLX 2003 wins by 3. The next field over, Hot Action 2003 plays an ugly game against Briefcase 2005. Many turnovers, sloppy throws, hospital passes, but Briefcase can bring them down. Hot Action's Rouda play some good long D to keep them in the game, but he can only stop one guy. Briefcase's Idris Nolan just keeps hucking.

In the second round, things are very interesting. All teams are 1-1 and any of them can win the pool at this point. CLX 2003 starts off strong against Mr. Briefcase 2005. Some rules arguments come into play and Briefcase's Nolan is heard yelling "Is there anybody here that actually knows the rules? Just one time, one time!, can somebody have read through the rulebook?" CLX 2003 cruises to victory after gaining a lead and wins 15-10. On stage two, Hot Action 2003 plays Phoberomys 2003. Rouda, after a great defensive effort against CLX 2003 is spent and dealing with back pain, leaving little resistance to Phoberomys's deep game. They don't complete all of them, but more than enough to win. Hot Action looks very disappointed after this game. They wanted to prove they could beat this team, but will now never get another chance.

CLX 2003 and Phoberomys 2003 finish with 2-1 records, but with the head-to-head victory, CLX 2003 plays its way into the play-in game. The rest of the teams will battle it out for ninth, or thirteenth.

Pool Y: Moe 2005 (1-0), Hot Action 2004 (1-0), Universe (0-1), Woodchuck....CHOMP (0-1)

The first round is nothing to write home about, and I wasn't watching too closely, with the matchups in pool A, B, and X too exciting to miss. Final scores had both Moe 2005 and Hot Action 2004 winning by eight and five, respectively.

The next round, Woodchuck....CHOMP took a bite out of Universe's play and was able to avoid becoming the only winless team at the tournament. Moe 2005 played Hot Action 2004 in a play-in game to the play-in game. Hot Action 2004 took an early lead off some Schiebel throws to Gardner and Truesdale. Moe answers bigtime when Guy throws a full-field backhand to Moravec. The teams battle to a 8-7 Hot Action halftime. Hot Action opens with a lefty huck (they call him B-Jar?) to Kane, but Moe takes the next three points to take a 10-9 lead. Action makes it 10s, off a Doyle huck to Gardner. Moe 2005 answers with some inspired play, though, winning the new game to 5, and taking a 15-13 victory into the play-in game.

The power pools are an odd thing in this tournament. The games are some of the best of the entire tournament, but at the same time, somewhat meaningless. All a team wants to do is avoid finishing last, because then they must compete in the play-in game. Otherwise, if you finish in the top-three in each pool, you make quarters. It can be important to win these game, but a team that spends too much energy today will be fatigued tomorrow when it really counts.

Pool A: CLX 2004 (1-0), Moe 2004 (1-0), Moe 2006 (0-1), Meth 2005 (0-1)

In the first round the game to watch is CLX 2004 v. Meth 2005. It's a battle between Meth's offense and CLX's defense. Meth comes out patient and deadly, with a Kampfe strike to Eastland. CLX 2004 has a rash of turns and poor decisions (normal decisions?) and isn't coming up with the disc. Meth works the middle of the field well and advances the disc through Henryson and Edwards. They take a 4-0 lead. Meth resident nice guy Kevin Kampfe is overheard saying "Gee whiz, they have a good team, but it's just not working for them now, eh?" Not one to back down, CLX starts a comeback. Hucks to Voytas and Seiler put them on the board, but Meth's Francis connects with Oppold on two consecutive points and the teams trade points to halftime. Meth takes an 8-4 lead. CLX 2004 switches to a more conservative offense, but in turn, their defense plays too conservative and opens up the middle too much for Meth 2005. They are smart enough to exploit it, and although CLX 2004 "wins" the second half, Meth 2005 takes the game 15-13. In a team circle after the game CLX 2004 captain explains to the team "Look, this team loses games, that's for certain, but we win them when they count. Let's forget about this game and focus on those upcoming." On the opposite sideline, Moe 2004 is playing Moe 2006. Moe 2004 is just too much for the 2006 squad and a Moe 2006 player is overheard saying, "It's like we're playing a team of ourselves, except on the other team, they're all two years younger." Moe 2004 takes the game 15-9.

The second round features CLX 2004 storming back from a loss and playing Moe 2004 very tough. They take a quick lead, but Moe answers. Both offenses are in top form, but the CLX 2004 defense is able to make some stops. CLX 2004 takes a 8-6 halftime lead. The second half is more of the same, as CLX 2004 slightly extends the lead, and the two teams play nearly flawless ultimate, with CLX 2004 taking advantage in a game they surely want to win. CLX ends up winning 15-13. Meth 2005 is fairly confident they'll win against Moe 2006 and doesn't put out their best effort. As the game stays close, intra-team conflicts arise. While they are able to win the game 15-12, they don't know at the time how important the score differential was.

CLX 2004, Moe 2004, and Meth 2005 all finish 2-1. Head-to-Head does not produce a tie-breaker. Point differential does not produce a tie-breaker, either, as each team won their games by a 15-13 score. All teams broke even on point differential, each with a two-point victory and a two-point loss. The tie-breaker involves point differential against the fourth team in the pool, Moe 2006. Moe 2004 was +6 and takes the pool, CLX 2004 was +5 and takes second, while Meth 2005 was +3 and takes third in the pool. Meanwhile, Moe 2006 must pick themselves up for another game at the end of the day.

Pool B: CLX 2005 (1-0), Blah 2003 (1-0), Kaze 2003 (0-1), CLX 2006 (0-1)

Round one has Blah 2003 battling Kaze 2003. Kaze 2003 rarely beats Blah 2003, so they are eager to win on such a big fantasy stage. The game features incredible layout attempts, big hucks, great skies and grabs, and has the overall feel of a bigtime game. The twin brothers on Kaze are scoring goals with their height, but Blah's deep receivers are just too fast and creating separation. Kaze puts up an incredible effort, lead by the all around play of the Blanchett-Ruth (sp?) brothers, but Blah is too much for them and has beaten them too many times before to lose now. Kaze 2003 loses a disappointing game. In the other game, CLX 2005 is playing CLX 2006. CLX 2005 is sure enough of themselves to keep a constant lead, but CLX 2006 is pushing themselves on as much as they can. They stay in the game with some sweet D's by Wirkus 2006 on Wirkus 2005. CLX's Lun, Staron, and Solarz show they are every bit the handlers of the previous year's Cram, Ryba-White, and Savage and Lun's hucks to Brisbois and Seiler keep them in the game. The game is tied at 10s when Gibbs makes a grab in a group of players, all apparently thrown off by Brisbois's misread. CLX 2005 does not panick, though, and takes three points in a row, and later the game 15-13. CLX 2005 is left feeling the game was too close, while CLX 2006 thinks they let one get away.

In the next round, the CLX 2006-Kaze 2003 game is interesting. Kaze 2003 could very well have won this game, but CLX 2006 took an early 2-0 and 4-1 lead. Kaze 2003 calls timeout, decides to bag the game, and plays very little defense the rest of the game. They decide they don't want to risk a loss in this round and have to play in the play-in game while exhausted. They try to score on offense and do a couple times, but lose 15-5. Will their strategy work? In the real game of this round, CLX 2005 takes on Blah 2003. Blah 2003 is riding high from their victory over Kaze and CLX 2005 is questioning themselves a little, thinking they should have had an easier time. Blah 2003 plays intense to start the game, while CLX 2005 is a little sluggish and although they play their best, it just seems void of matching intensity. Blah 2003 takes advantage and never looks back, winning the game 15-11.

Blah 2003 ends up taking the pool and the top seed on their side of Saturday's bracket. CLX 2005 finishes second and CLX 2006 finishes third. Both have free passes into tomorrow's quarters. Kaze, meanwhile, will still have another game today, one in which they should be welll rested.

Play-in games:

Upsets do happen in this round, as the top team in each matchup has to play another game after a day of losses, whereas the team advancing from the lower pools has the psychological advantage of having usually won their games of the day.

Game 1: Moe 2005 v. Kaze 2003

Kaze 2003 looks a little sluggish after having a 3.5 hour break from their last true competition and Moe 2005 capitalizes. It doesn't take long, though, for it to turn into a game and Kaze 2003 takes a 8-7 halftime lead. The second half features great plays by Kaze, which takes the wind out of Moe 2005's sails. This team just doesn't seem eager to accept the challenge presented. Kaze 2003 wins the game and heads into quarters the next day.

Game 2: CLX 2003 v. Moe 2006

Moe 2006 had a rough two days, having to play a schedule including CLX 2003, CLX 2004, Moe 2004, and Meth 2005. No wonder they haven't been too successful, yet, but they've played competitely. It would be a tragedy to see them bow out now. But CLX 2003 is eager to do such a thing. The game starts out with casual point trading until 5-5. Neither team seems to eager to take control of the game and both teams seem to be biding their time until the opponent makes a move. CLX 2003 doesn't connect on a huck that sails out of bounds and Moe takes their first lead 6-5. Then 7-5. Then they take halftime 8-5. While CLX 2003 has some great individual women, Moe 2006 seems to be able to take advantage of their own. They even play some 3/4 offense, which is somewhat scarce in the coed game. CLX 2003 tries too hard in the second half to score and seems to lack the discipline to win a big game. It just feels like this team is a year away from greatness. Moe 2006 takes advantage of the multiple turnover points and takes the game in the second half to move into quarters on Saturday. Apparently, there will be no upsets today, as those teams in the power pools were able to defeat the challengers.

That's it for today. Tomorrow promises to be a great day of ultimate.

Quarters match-ups:

A1 Flaming Moe 2004 v. B4 Kaze 2003
B2 The Chad Larson Experience 2005 v. A3 Meth 2005

B1 Blah 2003 v. A4 Flaming Moe 2006
A2 The Chad Larson Experience 2004 v. B3 The Chad Larson Experience 2006

Fantasy Pool Play Results

2006-09-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

Dropping some pool play knowledge on you. When I first thought through this, I mostly went with my gut reaction as to which team would win the game. Once in awhile I would overturn a situation if I thought better of it, but hey, it's my fantasy. Some closer games required some thought. I decided to write this in the manner of a nationals write-up reporter.

Pool A: CLX 2004, CLX 2003, Moe 2006, Hot Action 2003

This pool is going to be an exciting one. It has the highly dangerous CLX 2004, an underseeded Moe 2006, and a grudge match between CLX 2003 and Hot Action 2003. This is possibly the deepest pool, something the A pool rarely is.

In the first round, CLX 2004 beats Hot Action 2003 in a routine victory for them. The action was hotter on the next field over, as CLX 2003 edged out Moe 2006 15-13. Neither team had a lead greater than one point until the end of the game when CLX 2003 got a d from their speedy redheaded kid and the subsequent bomb from #2 Karsten to #99 Van Maanen.

The second round featured the grudge match between CLX 2003 and Hot Action 2003. Hot Action 2003 is in CLXs head and use it to their advantage, running out to a 5-1 lead, rarely turning the disc over, while CLX has troubles on offense. Halftime score 7-3. In the second half, CLX 2003 makes a comeback on big hucks from their burly huckers to Voytas and Sheldahl. It isn't enough as Hot Action runs their patient German style offense to a 15-12 victory. In the next game, CLX 2004 beats Moe 2006 in another five point victory.

The third round now has some importance. Three teams are still vying for second, and CLX 2004 has not yet wrapped up first place. In an anachronistic game CLX 2004 plays CLX 2003. CLX 2004 has too many new weapons for CLX 2003 to deal with. #12 Sheldahl plays her heart out to keep CLX 2003 in the game, but 2004 completes too many hucks to #23 Gangel and #1 Seiler, who scored and showed the disc to an enraged #1 Seiler. The other game had Moe 2006 edging out Hot Action 2003 by a score of 15-12. Moe was just too quick for the tired Hot Action team.

CLX 2004 wins the pool with a 3-0 record and head to Friday's power pools.
Moe 2006 takes second with the best point differential in the three way tie and head to the power pools with an 0-1 record.
Hot Action takes third in the pool, but a 1-0 record into the lower pools on Friday.
CLX 2003 finishes last in the pool, and 0-1 heading into the next day. Somewhat of a disappointing finish for them.

Pool B: CLX 2005, Kaze 2003, Universe 2004, Moe 2005

This pool does not have the excitement that Pools A and D do. CLX 2005 cruises to victories over every team, as their offense was running very efficiently with Cram, Ryba-White, Batt, and Doriani leading the handling charge. Kaze 2003 has a tight game with Moe 2005, but Kaze eventually wins by four late in the game. Universe has a disappointing day, scoring few points, and never having a lead past the second point of any game.

CLX 2005 takes the pool on an easy day and head to the power pools.
Kaze 2003 heads into the power pools with a 0-1 record.
Moe 2005 is 1-0 going into Friday, but in the lower pools.
Universe 2004 needs to get something going or it will be a long tournament. How long until the beer gardens open?

Pool C: Blah 2003, CLX 2006, Hot Action 2004, Woodchuck....CHOMP 2005

In the first round Blah handles Woodchuck easily with huge hucks and intense yada, yada, yada. CLX 2006 has an interesting game against Hot Action 2004, taking a 7-1 lead, before giving most of those points back until the game was tied at 11s. Matt Gardner is getting plenty of touches, but CLXs Brisbois gets some huge Ds at the end of the game and #24 Lun throws some scores to various long cutters to win the game 15-12.

The second round goes to seed without much interest. Blah and CLX 2006 win.

The third round features power pool games, as each team already knows where it will be on Friday and now must focus on their new pool. Blah 2003 has too many weapons for CLX 2006 to handle. CLX 2006 is hucking like mad, but Blah has the athletes to stop them. Blah 2003 is hucking like mad, too, but while CLX 2006 has the athletes to stop them, they just have too many runners (like some 30 cutters?) and CLX 2006 is worn down. Hot Action defeats Woodchuck one field over.

Blah 2003 takes a 1-0 record into the next days play.
CLX 2006 makes the power pools, but now must win on Friday to avoid the extra game.
Hot Action 2004 finishes third, but will be 1-0 to start the power pools.
Woodchuck....CHOMP 2005 will be 0-1 on Friday and is reportedly just happy to be here. Are in the process locating a keg for the night.

Pool D: Meth 2005, Phoberomys 2003, Moe 2004, Briefcase 2006

Round one goes off without much excitement. Moe 2004 is able to upset Phoberomys, but the game isn't close. Still, it was closer than Meth and Briefcase's game. Nothing interesting to see here, people.

The second round features an incredible Moe-Meth battle, that goes to the cap with Moe winning 17-15. Both teams play similar offenses, but Moe keeps filtering new cutters into the game with Klink and a guy they call Moss scoring a lot of goals on hucks from Norgaard. Solarz has some solid handling for them. Meth, on the other hand, relies too heavily on Edwards to get open and for their incredibly fast lady to get open. Moe was able to shut them down and Abramowski picked up some poach defenses on their goal scoring lady. In the second matchup, Phoberomys handled Briefcase, who dropped a score that would have won them the game. Phoberomys is good at winning tight games and this is no different.

Meth defeats Phoberomys, because this one wasn't close. Meth plays inspired ultimate, not wanting to fall into the lower pools. Moe 2004 is able to handle Briefcase without a challenge.

Moe 2004 takes the pool at 3-0.
Meth 2005 loses the battle to Moe and is 0-1, but in the power pools.
Phoberomys heads to the lower pools with an 0-1 record.
Briefcase hasn't done much, but they could wake up on Friday. Is it too late?

Friday's Pools:

Power Pool A:
CLX 2004 (1-0, 3-0)
Moe 2004 (1-0, 3-0)
Moe 2006 (0-1, 1-2)
Meth 2005 (0-1, 2-1)

Power Pool B:
CLX 2005 (1-0, 3-0)
Blah 2003 (1-0, 3-0)
Kaze 2003 (0-1, 2-1)
CLX 2006 (0-1, 2-1)

Lower Pool X:
Hot Action 2003 (1-0, 1-2)
Phoberomys 2003 (1-0, 1-2)
CLX 2003 (0-1, 1-2)
Briefcase 2005 (0-1, 0-3)

Lower Pool Y:
Moe 2005 (1-0, 1-2)
Hot Action 2004 (1-0, 1-2)
Universe (0-1, 0-3)
Woodchuck....CHOMP (0-1, 0-3)

Friday has some great games in line in the power pools, while the lower pools will feature some good dogfights as teams are vying to win their way into the play-up games.

See you tomorrow.

Fantasy Ultimate

2006-09-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

It seems like almost everybody I know is in or has been in a fantasy football league. I thought, why don't I just create my own little fantasy ultimate tournament and invite some fantasy teams? Then I did it.

What will follow is either one of the lamest, pathetic things you have ever seen, or possibly, one of the more interesting blogs I've had.

My fantasy ultimate tournament is going to have 16 teams playing a nationals-style format to crown a champion. The teams will be the better central coed teams of the past four years. When I thought this up, I tried to think about each game as impartially as possibly. You can judge for yourself if I was.

The teams:

From 2003: CLX, Blah, Kaze, Hot Action, Phoberomys
From 2004: CLX, Flaming Moe, Universe, Hot Action
From 2005: CLX, Flaming Moe, Woodchuck....CHOMP, Meth, Mr. Briefcase
From 2006: CLX, Flaming Moe

Seedings:

1. CLX(2004)--The Chad Larson Experience 2004 team won central regionals, various other tournaments, and finished as runner-up at club nationals, highest ever for a central region team. This team plays three sheets to the wind, producing turnovers on defense and creating new ways to turn it over on offense. CLX 2004 plays with cavalier intensity and wants to earn a berth to nationals after a disappointing 2003 finish.

2. CLX(2005)--The Chad Larson Experience 2005 team qualified for nationals by divine intervention, but were able to win various tournaments during the year and make semis at club nationals, for the second highest finish by a central region coed team. A much more controlled CLX offense, but a falloff from 2004's go-for-broke style of defense and general intensity. This team expected to go to nationals, instead of feeling they had to earn it.

3. Blah (2003)--Blah qualified for 2003 club nationals through the back door, but were able to finish 6th, the first time a central region team finished in the top 8. Blah 2003 had numerous run-ins with CLX during the regular season, but were able to win when it counted at regionals. A team full of tremendous athletes (Mike D, Mike Shiel, Nick or Jeebus), great throwers (Jon's dad) and solid women. Roster too big, though?

4. Meth (2005)--Maybe overseeded, but this team did will central regionals in what some consider to be the deepest year ever. Beat CLX 2005 at sectionals and regionals, but lost to them at Cooler, the sectional championship, and when it counted at nationals. Finished 10th at nationals, what is unfortunately, a very respectable central region finish.

5. Phoberomys Pattersoni (2003)--Tough to tell too much about this team because I never played them. They were able to win 2003 central regionals and place 9th, I believe at nationals after suffering some first day losses. We'll see how they do.

6. CLX (2006)--Too high? This CLX team was on track to be the best before their dream season was upended at CHCs by a single point. If they win central regionals 2006, they certainly have an argument to being the best CLX team ever. This team is somewhat of a mixture of 2004 and 2005. The defense isn't as daring as it was in 2004, but decent. The offense isn't as punishing as in 2005, but has found ways to score.

7. Kaze (2003)--A tough team to beat, but this team doesn't even make finals of a single tournament all year. Lots of semis losses and central regionals is no different. They are able to take the 2nd bid, though. The most ethnically diverse team I've ever played against. They were athletic enough to play some epic games against Blah this year, but couldn't win big games. I loved their black jersies. I wonder if any of those are still floating around?

8. CLX (2003)--A team that stormed through the regular season, losing only twice until regionals, when they managed to lose three games in a row. Their fold at regionals drops them here. Who knows what this team could have done at nationals?

9. Moe (2004)--Very similar to CLX 2003, eerily similar. Moe finished exactly the same at Cooler (1st), Tune-Ups (2nd), sectionals (1st), and regionals (5th after being the one seed) as CLX 2003 did the year before. They are seeded lower, though, because we did it first! This is a very scary team with great hucks, excellent cutters, and great defense. It's a shame they didn't qualify for nationals because they certainly could have made quarters that year.

10. Hot Action (2004)--Maybe seeded too high. Only made finals of Cooler...didn't win. Many losses to Moe, many losses to CLX. Make finals of central regionals without having to play Moe or CLX, then tank the finals. They play some close games on Thursday of natties, but lose and end up either 14th or 15th.

11. Universe (2004)--3rd place qualifier out of central regionals. No real data from the regular season. Go to nationals with few women and lose many games, finishing either 14th or 15th. This team is probably seeded too high, but they did make nationals.

12. Flaming Moe (2006)--Maybe seeded too low, but they only have one tournament victory. Regionals yet to be determined, but they should be able to make nationals if they play like they want to earn it. Past history is against them, but history doesn't matter when the disc is in the air. Very solid ladies on this team, some of their players still around from 2004 have lost some steps, but who hasn't? They are still dangerous. Do they overanalyze the game? Look, you're a good team, bordering on great, so just win, okay?

13. Hot Action (2003)--4th place finish at regionals, losing three backdoor games. No other real good tournament finishes to speak of. I don't think they made finals of any tournaments. They did own CLX 2003, though, that is sure.

14. Flaming Moe (2005)--What happened? A team that was so scary in 2004 went from junkyard dog to lap dog. Whereas you couldn't quiet down the 2004 dog, you just had to pet the 2005 team hard enough and they'd settle down. Did win CHCs, but in a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde way, twice coming back from seven or eight point deficits. In 2004, it seemed like they wanted to challenge CLX, in 2005, they seemed to be accepting defeat before the game started. It was sad to see such a great team fall so far.

15. Woodchuck...CHOMP (2005)--Yes, they made nationals, yes, a second place finish at central regionals, but this team was not very good. Last place finisher at nationals. The only decent game they played all year was taking Brass Monkey to double game point.

16. Mr. Briefcase (2005)--This was really just a filler team, I didn't know who else to add. They don't make any finals of any tournaments and finish 5th at 2005 regionals, blowing a 12-9 lead against CLX. See the divine intervention comment above.

I did a reverse snake formation for the seedings, I'm not sure which one on the UPA formats sheet, but it gave these pools:

Pool A:
1. The Chad Larson Experience 2004
8. The Chad Larson Experience 2003
12. Flaming Moe 2006
13. Hot Action 2003

Pool B:
2. The Chad Larson Experience 2005
7. Kaze 2003
11. Universe 2004
14. Flaming Moe 2005

Pool C:
3. Blah 2003
6. The Chad Larson Experience 2006
10. Hot Action 2004
15. Woodchuck...CHOMP 2005

Pool D:
4. Meth 2005
5. Phoberomys Pattersoni 2003
9. Flaming Moe 2004
16. Mr. Briefcase 2005

Pool play results coming soon!

If you've read this far, you must have been somewhat interested. It is a very nerdy endeavor, especially sitting here and typing all this out, but I can't stop now!

Seedings arguments?