Sometimes... i talk... in public... on stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSwLrao4k7E
:)
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Trail Run/ Ops Challenge
Well...I decided to take the month of August off from Jiu Jitsu. The original plan was to sit on the couch, but that has not really worked out. And that is not even talking about all the time I spend working on the bath remodel (so close to done I can taste it). Here is what i have been doing, from a physical fitness standpoint. (I'm now unsure why anyone would be interested in this...but I have already written it all...so....)
1) Triathlon?
Last year I eyed an off-road triathlon at the whitewater center. There was some conflict and I wasn't prepared, so it didn't work out. Its a beast. Not something you do off the couch. This year though...I had my eye on it for longer and was in the process of getting ready for it. Then, it rained.... for 2 months! sheesh. I wasn't able to get any of the mountain biking in that I needed. I had been swimming and running, but the biking was surely going to kill me. So, I threw in the towel once again and didn't register for the race.
2) OK. we'll just run
Instead I showed up a day early and ran the trail run. It was either the 3.6 mile or the 7.8 mile option. Wanting to get my money's worth and not really wanting to only run a 5k+ (just too short), I opted for the long run. It was a long run indeed, but at least on trail you don't get bored. You don't get bored because there is a constant threat of falling hazards. I.E. the second you stop looking down and start to enjoy the view, a root grabs your foot and you crash down onto a rock that has rolled under you. Gotta focus on every step. I finished the race in 1 hour and 20 minutes at almost exactly the middle of the pack. The real highlight though was seeing that the little kid I passed finished my same distance. He was super tiny and passed under my arm in the beginning to get in front of me on the trail. I eventually passed him and never saw him again. He had his $$$ jersey on with a visor and headphones and hand bottles for water. The kid will probably run great distances in his life and he is probably more of a man that most of the guys out there on couches today. Good for tiny Wonderboy. Inspirational.
3) Ops Challenge
The real problem is that i have this insatiable desire to compete and measure where I am. That being said, I have gotten involved with this thing called "Operations Challenge" at work. Its sort of meant to be for maintenance and operators at water and wastewater plants. I work in an office, but I'm willing to learn and never shy away from a physical challenge. So, I have been starting my days with practice. Last week was the maintenance event (take apart a mixer, take apart a pump, put them back together). I'm the safety and mixer guy. I can get through it in about 4 minutes. As a team we can get through it in about 9 minutes. But we are getting better. And its a lot like working out. Here is a good video showing what we do. Its not us, but all the teams do the same challenge.
Note: there were a few minutes cut from this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22RBitK5Yk
This week we are beginning practice for the collections event. That means trying to saw through 6" of PVC as fast as you can. And then doing it again. Fast teams can do the whole event in 2 minutes. We are still practicing and haven't timed ourselves yet. My arms are jelly though. I think I practiced about 7 or 8 cuts this morning and even did the hole drilling a couple times. That is an equally challenging and miserable part of the event. Like i said...its a lot like working out. Way more fun though of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Y34a_wFAg
1) Triathlon?
Last year I eyed an off-road triathlon at the whitewater center. There was some conflict and I wasn't prepared, so it didn't work out. Its a beast. Not something you do off the couch. This year though...I had my eye on it for longer and was in the process of getting ready for it. Then, it rained.... for 2 months! sheesh. I wasn't able to get any of the mountain biking in that I needed. I had been swimming and running, but the biking was surely going to kill me. So, I threw in the towel once again and didn't register for the race.
2) OK. we'll just run
Instead I showed up a day early and ran the trail run. It was either the 3.6 mile or the 7.8 mile option. Wanting to get my money's worth and not really wanting to only run a 5k+ (just too short), I opted for the long run. It was a long run indeed, but at least on trail you don't get bored. You don't get bored because there is a constant threat of falling hazards. I.E. the second you stop looking down and start to enjoy the view, a root grabs your foot and you crash down onto a rock that has rolled under you. Gotta focus on every step. I finished the race in 1 hour and 20 minutes at almost exactly the middle of the pack. The real highlight though was seeing that the little kid I passed finished my same distance. He was super tiny and passed under my arm in the beginning to get in front of me on the trail. I eventually passed him and never saw him again. He had his $$$ jersey on with a visor and headphones and hand bottles for water. The kid will probably run great distances in his life and he is probably more of a man that most of the guys out there on couches today. Good for tiny Wonderboy. Inspirational.
3) Ops Challenge
The real problem is that i have this insatiable desire to compete and measure where I am. That being said, I have gotten involved with this thing called "Operations Challenge" at work. Its sort of meant to be for maintenance and operators at water and wastewater plants. I work in an office, but I'm willing to learn and never shy away from a physical challenge. So, I have been starting my days with practice. Last week was the maintenance event (take apart a mixer, take apart a pump, put them back together). I'm the safety and mixer guy. I can get through it in about 4 minutes. As a team we can get through it in about 9 minutes. But we are getting better. And its a lot like working out. Here is a good video showing what we do. Its not us, but all the teams do the same challenge.
Note: there were a few minutes cut from this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w22RBitK5Yk
This week we are beginning practice for the collections event. That means trying to saw through 6" of PVC as fast as you can. And then doing it again. Fast teams can do the whole event in 2 minutes. We are still practicing and haven't timed ourselves yet. My arms are jelly though. I think I practiced about 7 or 8 cuts this morning and even did the hole drilling a couple times. That is an equally challenging and miserable part of the event. Like i said...its a lot like working out. Way more fun though of course.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3Y34a_wFAg
Saturday, June 15, 2013
My favorite things about summer
I have been loving a lot of things happening around me lately. Just in case you were wondering what they are, I have compiled a list. If you weren't wondering, well, I still got this list...partly because I am not sure what else to write about and I wanted to offer something a little different, from a format perspective. (note: if you have some topic you are interested in hearing me write about...please let me know. As many of you probably know, I have opinions on EVERYTHING! and I think they are mostly well thought out, so, yeah...I can write about something random if you suggest it). anyway...
1) Storms- We had a crazy front come through yesterday. They kept saying it might spawn Derechos. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho) Or it was a derecho. Not sure which. The cloud turned crazy dark. The wind picked up. We could see it coming. It brought with it hail! And then it rained super hard for all of 48 seconds. A tree was blown down all the way across park rd (4 lanes). It was basically the end of times...and then it was over.
2) Rain, glorious rain, and the vegetables it helps to grow- my garden is doing well this year. Its still not perfect, but its doing much better than last year. As a result, I am slowly converting most of my grass to garden beds to grow more food. The peas have been really good. The lettuce is good too. The 'matos are growing well, fruits and all. And I bought two blueberry bushes and one peach tree. Probably going to plant one of the avocado trees tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Might even be time to get the melon and gourd garden going. I need some sand for that, but it might be time!
3) Construction Projects- I got up this morning and went over to my friend Jerrod's house. And we built us a shed dang it! All we had was the floor he built last night when we started...but at the end of the day we had built and put up 4 walls, stick built and put up 7 trusses, sheathed the roof, and put up this really nice semi-interlocking siding OSBish stuff. Now, that man has a shed! No more cluttered garage. Makes me excited to redo my shed. First though, I have to finish up the full bath in the Ron Swanson Memorial Bedroom. I knocked out an interior wall and turned two doorways into one big one. Then I hired a contractor. So far he has removed the exterior wall. Monday he is going to install the floor and do a bit of framing. Then I am going to install a shower or tub and drywall the rest of the room. And then hang some really cool sliding doors. Its going to be epic.
4) Cycling (mountainous and street)- I've been in the saddle so to speak a little more lately. I really want to get out on the trails, but with the consistent downpours every 3 days, the trails are all closed. Tomorrow might be my day (cross my fingers). In the mean time I have been spending time on the road doing the Booty Loop. In case you're not in the know, The Booty Loop is a 4ish mile loop through Myers Park that all the cyclists love to go ride around. Around and Around. Its got some good hills, but more importantly its got some really nice wide lanes and cars mostly stay in the other lane. Plus, there are tons of GIANT trees, so much of it is in the shade. Its a little slice of cardio heaven.
5) Patios- I love eating outside. This being the south and this being summer, its always 50 degrees indoors. Its the dumbest thing. But outside...its nice. A little sweaty maybe...but nice. Nothing a margarita cant fix.
6) The LAST season without Hannah!- As many of you may know...my fiancey is finished with NCCC at the end of July. And its June already...meaning, only a little more than 1 month before I see her again and she finally comes back to the south. Can't wait! There is much hammocking and bike riding and cold beverage drinking and park sleeping and hiking and lake swimming to be had to makeup for lost time.
I love summer!
Dalen
1) Storms- We had a crazy front come through yesterday. They kept saying it might spawn Derechos. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho) Or it was a derecho. Not sure which. The cloud turned crazy dark. The wind picked up. We could see it coming. It brought with it hail! And then it rained super hard for all of 48 seconds. A tree was blown down all the way across park rd (4 lanes). It was basically the end of times...and then it was over.
2) Rain, glorious rain, and the vegetables it helps to grow- my garden is doing well this year. Its still not perfect, but its doing much better than last year. As a result, I am slowly converting most of my grass to garden beds to grow more food. The peas have been really good. The lettuce is good too. The 'matos are growing well, fruits and all. And I bought two blueberry bushes and one peach tree. Probably going to plant one of the avocado trees tomorrow. We'll see how that goes. Might even be time to get the melon and gourd garden going. I need some sand for that, but it might be time!
3) Construction Projects- I got up this morning and went over to my friend Jerrod's house. And we built us a shed dang it! All we had was the floor he built last night when we started...but at the end of the day we had built and put up 4 walls, stick built and put up 7 trusses, sheathed the roof, and put up this really nice semi-interlocking siding OSBish stuff. Now, that man has a shed! No more cluttered garage. Makes me excited to redo my shed. First though, I have to finish up the full bath in the Ron Swanson Memorial Bedroom. I knocked out an interior wall and turned two doorways into one big one. Then I hired a contractor. So far he has removed the exterior wall. Monday he is going to install the floor and do a bit of framing. Then I am going to install a shower or tub and drywall the rest of the room. And then hang some really cool sliding doors. Its going to be epic.
4) Cycling (mountainous and street)- I've been in the saddle so to speak a little more lately. I really want to get out on the trails, but with the consistent downpours every 3 days, the trails are all closed. Tomorrow might be my day (cross my fingers). In the mean time I have been spending time on the road doing the Booty Loop. In case you're not in the know, The Booty Loop is a 4ish mile loop through Myers Park that all the cyclists love to go ride around. Around and Around. Its got some good hills, but more importantly its got some really nice wide lanes and cars mostly stay in the other lane. Plus, there are tons of GIANT trees, so much of it is in the shade. Its a little slice of cardio heaven.
5) Patios- I love eating outside. This being the south and this being summer, its always 50 degrees indoors. Its the dumbest thing. But outside...its nice. A little sweaty maybe...but nice. Nothing a margarita cant fix.
6) The LAST season without Hannah!- As many of you may know...my fiancey is finished with NCCC at the end of July. And its June already...meaning, only a little more than 1 month before I see her again and she finally comes back to the south. Can't wait! There is much hammocking and bike riding and cold beverage drinking and park sleeping and hiking and lake swimming to be had to makeup for lost time.
I love summer!
Dalen
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Summer lovin'
Its already over a week into June! Holy cow does time fly. In just 14 days, it will be a month until I again see my lovely fiancey (a less pretentious version of the classic term fiance). As I was talking to her on the phone last night, she reminded me that I have strayed from the "schedule." According to our regularly recurring activities (phone calls, journals, and blogging), I had missed my blog post for the week. She of course didn't miss hers. Which, since the whole "lets schedule things so that time will fly faster and I can plan my life a little better too" idea was mine, it was important i get to it. So, here we go...
1) Hannah wrote a new blog post. read it here: http://hannahmraines.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/the-hottest-summer-that-ever-was/ Its hot there apparently.
2) My green beans are coming in and they are giant! I've always dreamed of growing my own food. Last year I grew approximately 3 tomatoes to eat. This year though...things are going well. I got beans! The size of my hands! Big enough to kill a small kid! Big enough to use as flotation devices in the event you find yourself in the ocean with nothing to help you...except my green beans!
5) My friend Conor came by this week. He was headed to a big event and was super underdressed. So, I let him borrow my clothes. This is apparently how I look when I am dressed up. Kind of surreal to see yourself in... errrr, to see someone else in your clothes.
1) Hannah wrote a new blog post. read it here: http://hannahmraines.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/the-hottest-summer-that-ever-was/ Its hot there apparently.
2) My green beans are coming in and they are giant! I've always dreamed of growing my own food. Last year I grew approximately 3 tomatoes to eat. This year though...things are going well. I got beans! The size of my hands! Big enough to kill a small kid! Big enough to use as flotation devices in the event you find yourself in the ocean with nothing to help you...except my green beans!
3) the remodelling is coming along...sort of. My contractor keeps forgetting to call me. today I am looking into getting another one. At this point it is really annoying me. Things were supposed to get done the last week in May. As time creeps on, I keep diving further into the project myself. I'm worried about getting to a point that I don't really know what I am doing though. So far though, I have removed a bunch of walls and moved a doorway over and made the opening wider. I moved the panelling successfully too, so that was a big win in my head.
4) In other fun house news, I secured some large rocks. Ben and Rene helped me move them yesterday. Now, I gotta figure out what to do with them. Any thoughts? My first idea was to build a mini stone henge.
6) My week ended up with a visit to the Men's Shelter to cook with Holy Comforter. This is pretty much an exercise in loving people. I go there because I love the people I work with there and I love the idea of loving those who need it by prepping food for Men who have seen better days. Love yourself, love the people close to you, and love those you don't know. I think that's in a book somewhere. Cant remember the name of it though. Some important book. hmmm, it'll come to me.
Monday, June 03, 2013
NAGA. The best way to get swords into the hands of highly physically achieving kids everywhere
This past weekend, the organization known as NAGA, was in town. And by in town, I mean they were at Cabarrus arena...which is really far away. Nonetheless, it was close enough for a day trip. NAGA stands for the North American Grappling Association. It is one of the big companies that hosts competitions for "grapplers"... aka wrestlers and jiu-jitsu players. Being a jiu jitsu person myself, i decided to compete. Contests are broken down by weight, age, experience level, and whether or not you're wearing a traditional uniform...also knows as a Gi. Because of there being so many divisions...
There are many winners! And many of these winners get swords! And many of these winners are kids! Which means at the end of the day, at any given NAGA event, there are lots of kids with swords running around. Every kids dream. Basically only a few steps away from being a full blown ninja!
Anyway...I decided about 3 weeks ago that I was indeed going to compete. Its quite expensive, so once i paid, i started training a little harder and more consistently and started to work on my weight. I wanted to compete in the under 140 lbs division. If you know me, you know there isn't a lot of extra weight on me to begin with. So, I had to figure out how to shed about 5 lbs. This basically meant eating salads and protein only for about two weeks and then nothing on the day of weigh ins. I made it though...weighed in at 138 the night before the contest. Weighed about 143 on Saturday during the comp and then about 147 later that night. Its all part of the mind game. "Making weight" they call it.
On Saturday, after not sleeping well Friday night, and after dreaming i had missed the whole thing, I show up to the venue. I run into a bunch of friends and other people and i sort of nervously pace around. I had been hungry for about two weeks, but after eating Friday night, that quickly turned to being nervous about competing. They call the first division and we turn in our cards to be put in brackets. Then, they specifically call me. Turns out there are no slim, inexperienced, oldish guys ready to compete in no-gi. I was a winner by default, but i paid to compete, so they were going to put me in another division. I had the choice to either go up a weight class or compete in regular Men's instead of Masters. Being annoyed at the weight issues...i chose to compete against a couple guys who were probably fresh into college. Which means i had "old man strength" against them...he hehe. I ended up getting the takedown in my first match (but couldn't get out of the guys Guard). So, I won 1-0. Pretty lame. For my second match, I got the takedown, passed Guard a few times, got caught in a reverse triangle (but wasn't close to being submitted) and won 6-4. Also not too exciting...but a big W nonetheless. There were only 3 of us, so i won the division. And my hands were exhausted. But the pressure was off. Nothing scarier than paying a bunch of money, only to lose and not get to compete again.
Flash forward a couple more hours. Gi time! Now, with the Gi, they had one other older guy for me to go against. So, it was a division of 2. One match only. I would have been annoyed at this (high $/ match ratio), but I was so tired already that I was OK with just a single match. Nonetheless, as soon as we started, I pulled Guard. This means I grabbed his lapel, grabbed his sleeve, and put my legs around his torso. From there I lowered my back to the mat, grabbed both ankles, and pushed forward with my hips causing him to fall down. He came back up first, so i didn't get the sweep, but was able to wrap a leg, hold a sleeve, and get a pendulum sweep to mount. From there, I tried a guillotine at one point but mostly just worked to north south and tried to stay out of guard. I didn't get a submission, but it was much more interesting than the no-gi matches.
After the match, I shook the guys hand. They announced I had won and Ryan Hoover had come in 2nd. "Wait a second. Are you THE Ryan Hoover?" I asked him. "yeah." At this point I got real excited. He runs a gym in Gastonia and is an authority on self-defense. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. I proceeded to smile real big and say how cool it was to meet him.
And then it was basically over for me. I hung around awhile to help one of my coaches. I filmed his matches for him and kept time. I "coached" him by telling him he was doing well. He won his two matches. Then I walked to my car to go home.
My toes had been hurting a little, but on the way to the car i really noticed that things were getting worse. they were swelling and turning purple. I got two NAGA metals and two purple, swollen toes. What a day.
There are many winners! And many of these winners get swords! And many of these winners are kids! Which means at the end of the day, at any given NAGA event, there are lots of kids with swords running around. Every kids dream. Basically only a few steps away from being a full blown ninja!
Anyway...I decided about 3 weeks ago that I was indeed going to compete. Its quite expensive, so once i paid, i started training a little harder and more consistently and started to work on my weight. I wanted to compete in the under 140 lbs division. If you know me, you know there isn't a lot of extra weight on me to begin with. So, I had to figure out how to shed about 5 lbs. This basically meant eating salads and protein only for about two weeks and then nothing on the day of weigh ins. I made it though...weighed in at 138 the night before the contest. Weighed about 143 on Saturday during the comp and then about 147 later that night. Its all part of the mind game. "Making weight" they call it.
On Saturday, after not sleeping well Friday night, and after dreaming i had missed the whole thing, I show up to the venue. I run into a bunch of friends and other people and i sort of nervously pace around. I had been hungry for about two weeks, but after eating Friday night, that quickly turned to being nervous about competing. They call the first division and we turn in our cards to be put in brackets. Then, they specifically call me. Turns out there are no slim, inexperienced, oldish guys ready to compete in no-gi. I was a winner by default, but i paid to compete, so they were going to put me in another division. I had the choice to either go up a weight class or compete in regular Men's instead of Masters. Being annoyed at the weight issues...i chose to compete against a couple guys who were probably fresh into college. Which means i had "old man strength" against them...he hehe. I ended up getting the takedown in my first match (but couldn't get out of the guys Guard). So, I won 1-0. Pretty lame. For my second match, I got the takedown, passed Guard a few times, got caught in a reverse triangle (but wasn't close to being submitted) and won 6-4. Also not too exciting...but a big W nonetheless. There were only 3 of us, so i won the division. And my hands were exhausted. But the pressure was off. Nothing scarier than paying a bunch of money, only to lose and not get to compete again.
Flash forward a couple more hours. Gi time! Now, with the Gi, they had one other older guy for me to go against. So, it was a division of 2. One match only. I would have been annoyed at this (high $/ match ratio), but I was so tired already that I was OK with just a single match. Nonetheless, as soon as we started, I pulled Guard. This means I grabbed his lapel, grabbed his sleeve, and put my legs around his torso. From there I lowered my back to the mat, grabbed both ankles, and pushed forward with my hips causing him to fall down. He came back up first, so i didn't get the sweep, but was able to wrap a leg, hold a sleeve, and get a pendulum sweep to mount. From there, I tried a guillotine at one point but mostly just worked to north south and tried to stay out of guard. I didn't get a submission, but it was much more interesting than the no-gi matches.
After the match, I shook the guys hand. They announced I had won and Ryan Hoover had come in 2nd. "Wait a second. Are you THE Ryan Hoover?" I asked him. "yeah." At this point I got real excited. He runs a gym in Gastonia and is an authority on self-defense. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. I proceeded to smile real big and say how cool it was to meet him.
And then it was basically over for me. I hung around awhile to help one of my coaches. I filmed his matches for him and kept time. I "coached" him by telling him he was doing well. He won his two matches. Then I walked to my car to go home.
My toes had been hurting a little, but on the way to the car i really noticed that things were getting worse. they were swelling and turning purple. I got two NAGA metals and two purple, swollen toes. What a day.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Its been too long (1 month)
Its been a whole month since I last posted. Much has transpired. Get ready for some information overload!
1) Soccer season ended
My boys finished up their season. Some of them were just starting to get what I was teaching them. Some of them stopped showing up and eventually quit. I wasn't too saddened by this, since those players weren't coming to practice anyway and basically were being a pain in my neck. The problem is, once my most disobedient players quit, a few new players decided to step up to take their places in being disrespectful, whining a bunch, and generally just doing what they wanted instead of what was best for the team. Our 4th to last and 3rd to last games we had to play a man down since only 10 showed up. Makes it hard. The one team was good and we only barely beat before. The other team we destroyed the first time around, but came up short in our rematch.
Around mid-season, I told my players that if they didn't come to practice, we would forfeit games. It was an ultimatum. Well, they tested it. And one player showed up to one of the practices. So, I called the Athletic Director and made plans to practice on a game day and forfeit the game. Well, the game got rained out, so there was a chance of a make up. I told myself if they played hard and practiced hard, I might let them earn the chance to make up the game. They didn't so that was going to be that. Then, our last game got rained out too. So, in an effort not to end the season on a non-playing note, we re-instated one of the canceled games. At the last minute, their coach called. Apparently they had some players quit or get suspended, and they were going to be short. Must be a middle school thing. Lesson for next year: find out who is committed. Get rid of those who aren't... in the beginning. Dissent is contagious. Lack of loyalty is worse.
2) I asked her and she said "yes"
I had this grand plan. We were going to bike to church. After church we would bike to Freedom Park. We'd have wine and crackers and fancy cheese and picnic. A friend of mine was going to hide in the bushes and take pics. I'd propose and it would be epic. Well, except we haven't had an in-Charlotte Sunday in a long time. And at the last minute, things changed up again. We were headed to Spartanburg Ok. Change of plans. We'll go backpacking. We'll get up early and hike to the top of Little Sam Knob. As the sun comes up I will tell her I want to spend my life with her. Well, except the weather was terrible. Rainy and cold. Neither of us wanted to spend the weekend outside in that. So, we spent the day in Asheville. Wandering around in the rain. Eating pizza at the Brew and View. Getting awesome giant free birthday coffees from Starbucks. Then we drove up to Craggy Gardens. We got out and hiked in the miserable rain. Cold and windy and wet. And when we got to the top there was a new building! Perfect. Out of the weather I got the ring out and got all choked up. I was so happy to be with her. To have the chance to commit myself. I gave it to her. She said yes. After hugs and kisses we laughed at the weather and the experience. I think our life together is going to be like that. Out of the ordinary. Sometimes uncomfortable. But we will make it out in the end. And we will have epic stories for our grandchildren. Let the wedding planning begin! (for real now...cause we had already started)
3) NAGA is coming to Charlotte
One last time, I put Hannah on a plane back to the mountain time zone. And to help myself miss her less, I have refocused on physical training. I am almost through the first week of my hard three week plan to polish what I need to know to compete at NAGA (its a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament). I am lazer sighted towards competing ...very intense right now. My arms, back, legs and torso are covered in tiny bruises and all my muscles hurt. I'm training hard now so that when it comes time, I will have already won. this will be my second grappling tournament...my first since I started training seriously. We'll see if I have learned anything. Last time I had only no-Gi experience. this time, I have trained almost primarily in Gi. Also, this time i get to compete as a "Master"...as in I am over 30. Oh yeah....I turned 32 a couple weeks ago. Crazy. Guess i'm really not a kid anymore.
Thanks for reading. Comment! Tell your friends!
1) Soccer season ended
My boys finished up their season. Some of them were just starting to get what I was teaching them. Some of them stopped showing up and eventually quit. I wasn't too saddened by this, since those players weren't coming to practice anyway and basically were being a pain in my neck. The problem is, once my most disobedient players quit, a few new players decided to step up to take their places in being disrespectful, whining a bunch, and generally just doing what they wanted instead of what was best for the team. Our 4th to last and 3rd to last games we had to play a man down since only 10 showed up. Makes it hard. The one team was good and we only barely beat before. The other team we destroyed the first time around, but came up short in our rematch.
Around mid-season, I told my players that if they didn't come to practice, we would forfeit games. It was an ultimatum. Well, they tested it. And one player showed up to one of the practices. So, I called the Athletic Director and made plans to practice on a game day and forfeit the game. Well, the game got rained out, so there was a chance of a make up. I told myself if they played hard and practiced hard, I might let them earn the chance to make up the game. They didn't so that was going to be that. Then, our last game got rained out too. So, in an effort not to end the season on a non-playing note, we re-instated one of the canceled games. At the last minute, their coach called. Apparently they had some players quit or get suspended, and they were going to be short. Must be a middle school thing. Lesson for next year: find out who is committed. Get rid of those who aren't... in the beginning. Dissent is contagious. Lack of loyalty is worse.
2) I asked her and she said "yes"
I had this grand plan. We were going to bike to church. After church we would bike to Freedom Park. We'd have wine and crackers and fancy cheese and picnic. A friend of mine was going to hide in the bushes and take pics. I'd propose and it would be epic. Well, except we haven't had an in-Charlotte Sunday in a long time. And at the last minute, things changed up again. We were headed to Spartanburg Ok. Change of plans. We'll go backpacking. We'll get up early and hike to the top of Little Sam Knob. As the sun comes up I will tell her I want to spend my life with her. Well, except the weather was terrible. Rainy and cold. Neither of us wanted to spend the weekend outside in that. So, we spent the day in Asheville. Wandering around in the rain. Eating pizza at the Brew and View. Getting awesome giant free birthday coffees from Starbucks. Then we drove up to Craggy Gardens. We got out and hiked in the miserable rain. Cold and windy and wet. And when we got to the top there was a new building! Perfect. Out of the weather I got the ring out and got all choked up. I was so happy to be with her. To have the chance to commit myself. I gave it to her. She said yes. After hugs and kisses we laughed at the weather and the experience. I think our life together is going to be like that. Out of the ordinary. Sometimes uncomfortable. But we will make it out in the end. And we will have epic stories for our grandchildren. Let the wedding planning begin! (for real now...cause we had already started)
3) NAGA is coming to Charlotte
One last time, I put Hannah on a plane back to the mountain time zone. And to help myself miss her less, I have refocused on physical training. I am almost through the first week of my hard three week plan to polish what I need to know to compete at NAGA (its a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament). I am lazer sighted towards competing ...very intense right now. My arms, back, legs and torso are covered in tiny bruises and all my muscles hurt. I'm training hard now so that when it comes time, I will have already won. this will be my second grappling tournament...my first since I started training seriously. We'll see if I have learned anything. Last time I had only no-Gi experience. this time, I have trained almost primarily in Gi. Also, this time i get to compete as a "Master"...as in I am over 30. Oh yeah....I turned 32 a couple weeks ago. Crazy. Guess i'm really not a kid anymore.
Thanks for reading. Comment! Tell your friends!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Pictures!!!!
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| My flower in the front yard near my lampost is blooming. Rene says its called a Clematis. Its pretty sweet and pretty. |
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| In CO it is snowing. In NC, we have flower petals on the ground. |
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| Yes, that is a giant sweet potato. No, it doesnt get good reception. Yes, it can power a lightbulb. |
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| Yes, that ceiling is over 40' high. Yes, that pipe organ is huge. My most recent presby experience. |
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| Hannah was here. Everything in CO is epicly beautiful. |
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| This is happening all over my neighborhood. That cute house in the back is going to be torn down and the giant mcmansion will be put up in its place. i must be prematurely old, decrying the loss of our antique homes. |
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| yes, you CAN buy your electronics from a vending machine. No, thats doesnt guarantee you wont get the blue screen of death. |
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| Me and Mom1 |
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