Last Friday's Game

Last Friday night was another ultimate Frisbee game.  And, in something new this year, it was party Friday, which meant more than two games on the field and pizza for all!

We had 8 people show up to this game, meaning our women were savage, and one of the male subs was playing with a bruised rib.

And we started out down 0-4.  But then we struggled back.  And here’s where I already lost track of the score, but at this point it doesn’t matter.  The end result was we lost by 4 or 5 points.

But you know what makes the game a complete success?  I got a D on one point.  Again, they were hucking it deep to my guy and it was just a bad throw that I was able to get in front of and intercept.  Still, it always makes me feel good.

Then, on a different point, I scored.  We were near the end zone, and my defended stopped guarding me to double team someone else.  So I ran straight to the open side, and the person with the disc threw it to me.  Nice and easy score.  Still, I was thrilled.

Afterward, I visited with a few friends who were there and watched the end of one game which went on forever.

While we aren’t going well point wise, I really do enjoy the team, which makes it fun.  Plus it is ultimate.  How bad could it truly be?

Word Association for July 29th

Here's this week's word association.

1. Packing :: Vacation
2. Rent :: Apartment
3. Inspire :: Confidence
4. Anti-social :: Rude
5. Common :: Law
6. Repeats :: Reruns
7. Dracula :: Blood
8. Cross :: Bow
9. Short sighted :: Impatient
10. Corrupt :: Politician (but I repeat myself)

TV Recap for July 27th

Covert Affairs – The show has gotten really good this season.  At least in these two episodes they are really focusing on the storyline and advancing that well.  Can’t wait to see where this is all going.  Finally really pulling me in.

Suits – Poor Louis again.  The guy is a jerk, but they totally disregard him as well.  At least Mike and Harvey are back together.  But Harvey aiming to take Jessica down is still going to create all kinds of conflict.  I can’t wait!

Melissa & Joey – I hated that episode.  I always hope they will focus on the kids, but this was bad all the way around.

Royal Pains – Evan campaigning in making me cringe, but I enjoyed the rest of the episode.  Divya living with Jeremiah is going to be very interesting to watch.  And I like how they have a new plan to figure out what is in the house that is causing all this conflict.

Necessary Roughness – Another show that has really hit its stride this season.  I’d say that this is the last we’ve seen of the Hawks.  Very interested to see where the problems at V3 lead.

Wipeout – I knew the circus guy was going to win.  It was way too obvious because he's just athletic enough.  So many great puns, however.  I really enjoyed the episode for that reason.

Summer Camp – I wish I could remember who is was who voted the "wrong way" the first week.  Was it Mike or Mikey?  I know it wasn't Chris, but everyone has been gunning for him ever since.  Yet they couldn't get rid of him this week.  Oh, and I would have hated to be part of the challenge this week.  So now we've got a women working with the guys and a guy working with the women.  This will get interesting fast.

Burn Notice – I don’t like episodes where a character is interrogated for the entire episode.  No matter what show tries to do it, I find it boring and hard to watch.

Graceland – So it looks like the guy really is dealing drugs.  Or is it all part of some ruse we don’t know about yet.  Still, my guess is he really is dirty.  And I don’t see where the show goes from here to keep it going long term if it is as straightforward as it looks now.

And a Mud Run

So I followed up my ultimate game last Friday night with, what else?, a mud run.  I had learned about one just half an hour from me when I got a great discount code for it.  And since I was looking for one I could do with a couple of friends before one of them left at the end of the summer, this was perfect.  Plus my roommate joined us as well.

We got there late, but that wasn’t an issue because it was a very small mud run.  In fact, there were no more than 12 in our wave, and we finished near the front.  Most of the time, we didn’t see anyone else while we were on the course.

Maybe it was the lack of crowds, but it just didn’t quite feel like an official mud run.  Or maybe it had to do with the lack of mud out there.  It was definitely more run early on.

On the other hand, they had water slides.  We slid down tarps into water pits at the bottom.  This was definitely fun.  I’m remembering just how much I love water slides.  I need to go on them more often.

All told, we had fun and we got muddy, so that was all that truly matters, right?

Afterward, we hit up a steak place not too far from me.  I used to eat there years ago, but I hadn’t gone back since I loved right down the street.  It was just as good as I remembered.  Now I need to figure out a time to go back.

Last Week's Ultimate Game

Last Friday night I had my first summer league game in a week and a half.

Everyone was thrilled to see me since I was the only guy sub to show up.  That meant we had one of each.  Not the best numbers, but I’ve seen teams win with those kinds of numbers before.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for us.  We won the first point (as we often do), but then proceeded to lose handily.  It was our worse lose yet at something like 6-17.  But at least it was a fast game that way.

Hey, I’m trying to find the positive side.

They threw a zone defense on us in the second half, and we struggled with that yet again.  I was a popped for much of it, and I managed to do well in that position.  In fact, I find I like it a little better than being a wing.  Of course, I dropped it once and threw it away another, but I did manage to catch it and pass it on successfully quite a few more times than that as well.

Looks like we’re on our way to matching my team record from the last few leagues I’ve been on.  Oh well, I am having fun out there with my teammates.

Word Association for July 23rd

Here is this week's word association.

1. Wine :: and Cheese
2. Hand :: and Foot
3. Bottle :: Drink
4. Soda :: Root beer
5. List :: Shopping
6. Thimble :: Sewing
7. Sample :: Free
8. Cloth :: Clothes
9. Correspond :: Write
10. Taste :: Food

Weekly TV Recap for July 20th

Covert Affairs - So, who wants to bet that flash forward we started with turns out the be the end of the mid-season break?  Very interesting direction they're taking the show this season, that's for sure.

Suits - They are setting up some interesting personal conflicts this season.  Looks like Donna is the only one Harvey will be relying on, and the wedge between Jessica and Harvey will be interesting to watch.  Harvey is a spoiled brat, but I still like him.

Melissa & Joey - Once again, it was the sub-plot with the kids I enjoyed the most.  Although that friend of Mel's was certainly a piece of work.

Royal Pains - A bit more medicine to this show, is that the first time all season?  Evan can be so dense - that wasn't a bribe, that was just their neighbor trying to show her thanks for saving her painting.  Watching him in local politics is going to be very interesting for sure.  I'm still trying to figure out if he will win or not.

Necessary Roughness - Again, a darker episode.  So, what does the FBI truly want?  You know it wasn't just that guy who was stealing money.  That's too obvious and too early in the season.

Wipeout - Enough with the themes.  Just let us see some normal people wiping out!  Of course, the nick names for the couples and the jokes surrounding them were still pretty fun.

Summer Camp - The women lost again.  Frankly, my money is on them to keep losing unless the challenges are changed around pretty quickly.  Shocker who went home, that's for sure.

Burn Notice - I still can't get a read on where they are headed this season.  I thought I knew, but now I'm not so sure.  Which means it will be a wild ride.

Graceland - I'm going to give it another week, but I think I'm bored with the entire show.  Something major will have to be done or I may walk away from my first USA Network show ever.

Word Association for July 18th

Time again for this week's word association.

1. Blood :: Water
2. Obvious :: Answer
3. Leadership :: Potential
4. Vest :: Sweater
5. Praising :: Words
6. Chair :: Table
7. Think :: Solution
8. Carpet :: Vacuum
9. Without :: Regret
10. Politics :: Washington

Finished!

Yesterday marked the finish line in the project I’d been working on for essentially six months.

I think I’ve mentioned here before that I was working on copying my reviews to a blog because of the changes happening at Epinions.  I’ve got 2290 review up there as of today, so as you can imagine, it was a mammoth project.

But I did it.  Day in and day out, I kept posting reviews.  And day in and day out, I kept making progress.  It was frustrating at times, but I just kept right on working.

I actually have been putting reviews in draft on my blog in advance of when they would post.  And I got so far ahead that I finished drafting on July 1st.  But the last review didn’t actually go live until yesterday.  So now I feel like the project is really, finally, truly finished.

Of course, now I will be posting new reviews there and at Epinions.  Honestly, I don’t know how much longer Epinions can continue with how low hits are getting.  But we shall see and hopefully it will improve as things go along.  But in the mean time, I’ve already executed my exit strategy if things go wrong.  All my work is not lost, although I would like to back it up in Word.  Yes, that means going through them all again, but no time pressure this time.  Plus, I can do 100 a day or just one if I so desire.  That part will be very nice.

You can’t imagine how excited I was when I got the last one done.  Heck, I was late to ultimate that night because I was so close and just wanted to finish.

And already I’m wondering just how I got that all done since I haven’t had a chance to work on my blog much since then.  I think it was the driving need to get them posted coupled with just needing a break now, but it’s funny to think I managed to get this all done at one point and now can’t find the time even a week later.

So come check them out at Carstairs Considers.

ROC Race - Orange County

Saturday, I introduced another friend to the joys of obstacle racing.  And he loved it.

Uriel is also a co-worker, and he thought these races I do sounded like fun.  Good think he enjoyed this one since he’s already signed up for one in October as well.

We did the Ridiculous Obstacle Challenge (ROC) in Orange County.  Same place as the Gladiator Rock n Run last month.  Fortunately, we didn’t need to clean up afterward because they had the same stupid clean up system as last time which does not get you that clean in the 1 minute you have to clean.  Must be something about the location.

Anyway, the ROC race bills itself as the obstacle race for those who don’t want to get muddy.  And they lived up to their name.  There was no mud to be had.  Instead, as Uriel described it, it was more of a day at a water park with running between.

There was a rope swing over a pit of water.  There was a tub slide.  They had a giant inflatable moon walk we had to cross.  And we walls of a couple of different sizes to get over.

The best two obstacles were at the end.  There was a balance beam over a pit of water.  But they also had giant balls rotating around the pit, so you had to time your walking carefully to avoid getting knocked off into the water.  Of course, you also have to have good balance – I fell in.  Uriel got knocked in.

Finally, there was a giant inflatable water slide.  Think the giant slides you see at a fair, only bigger.  It was a little scary going up, at least for me, but it was a blast going down.

The only unfortunate thing was that they assigned you start times instead of letting you pick.  We wound up with an 8AM wave, and the race was an hour and a half away.  You can imagine just how early I had to get up.  But it was worth it.

Well, there was also the accident that tied up traffic unmercifully on the way back, but that’s nothing to do with the race at all.

Weekly TV Recap for July 13th

I just finally finished watching and wrote up all my thoughts at once.  I just hope I didn't miss anything.

And last week?  All my shows took the week off, which was nice since I was out of town, too.

Melissa & Joey - So that looks like the end of Austin.  Of all the guest star relationships, he's been my favorite.  Of course, they always give Mel the good ones.  Loved the Lennox and Ryder story, and Lennox's observation at the end.  She got it even in Joey didn't.

Royal Pains - Leave it to the Lawsons to make a pregnancy funny, although Jeremiah's blurt out was pretty good, too.  Once again, the characters are pulling together, which I love.

Necessary Roughness - So I wonder if they'll bring this self-help guru back.  I knew what was going on with him almost immediately.  I really felt like there is more to the story, but we'll have to see if they bring him back or not.  And Ian Gifford?  Brilliantly acted that part.

Wipeout - The exes didn't fight as much as I thought they might, which was nice.  So is the show always going to be themed now?

Summer Camp - I know, another reality show.  But I couldn't help it, it looked like so much fun.  And I think it will be.  Mindless and forgettable, but fun.

Burn Notice - That was a tense episode, and I'm glad to see them back in Miami.  Very curious how they are going to wrap up this storyline and the series.

Graceland - Giving some of the other agents a chance to shine - I like it.  Pretty heavy stuff.  This is definitely darker than their normal fair.  Still can't decide if I like it or not.

Word Association for July 11th

Here's this week's word association.

1. Maintenance :: Up keep
2. Tight :: Pants
3. Disillusion :: Sad
4. Horizon :: Scenic
5. In :: Out
6. Humor :: Laugh
7. Purchase :: Sale
8. Delectable :: Tasty
9. Stumble :: Fall
10. Words :: with Friends

Family Camping Trip

Well, I thought I’d get a few posts scheduled for while I was gone, but as you can see that didn’t happen.

And where have I been?  Why camping with my family, of course.  We headed up to Hendy Woods, a state park in the redwoods that we’ve camped out forever.  We all love it there, and we had another wonderful time.

"We" includes my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my niece, and my nephew.  As always, being around my niece is special since she loves her uncle Mark.  Of course, the feeling is quite mutual.

I drove up on Thursday, and fortunately, the traffic wasn’t that bad at all.  Hit a little trying to leave town, but after that it was smooth sailing.

Friday, some family friends came and visited us for a couple of hours, which was fun.

Other than that, we played games (and I won a couple I usually lose at!), walked the trails, roasted hotdogs and smores, and generally had a wonderful time together.

I drove back yesterday, and traffic wasn’t a problem again, except for an accident I got caught behind that added over an hour to my drive time.  It was right at the end of the trip, too, and I was so ready to be home!

Anyway, it was great to just relax and be together.  We had a blast, and we were all sorry to see it end.

Word Association for July 3rd

Almost forgot, but here's this week's word association.

1. Pillow :: Sleep
2. Calendar :: Dates
3. Melissa :: & Joey
4. Notebook :: Writing
5. Circumstance :: Change
6. Technical :: Difficulties
7. Bracket :: Sports
8. Horror :: Story
9. Pink :: Elephants
10. Polish :: Dog

Another Week, Another Summer League Loss

Oh, should I have put a spoiler alert before that title?

Last night was another summer league game.  It was another hard fought battle.  But we lost yet again, 15-17 this time around.

For me, the highlight was getting to play against Chuck, a man three decades older than me, so in other words a man I can almost keep up with.  Man, I really need to get faster with my running.  Anyway, he’s a stand up guy who is always fun to play against.

I even got a D.  It helped that they hucked it down the field to Chuck, but it came right to me.  I caught it and passed it on.

I almost scored, too.  It went over a teammate’s head and was coming right to me.  But just before I got it, Chuck managed to get the D.  Fortunately, he swatted it, and it went to my teammate who successfully caught it.  She bobbled it a bit first, but she did manage to get control.

Other than that, I did get opened a bit more than I had before and was able to get some nice gains.  Sadly, I missed a couple of the discs and threw it away twice, once for a score.

My team thought I did great, but I was frustrated.  I don’t know if I really play better at pick up or if I just feel that way since I’m not keeping track of every mistake I make.  At least I’m the one who is hardest on me on the field, which I always appreciate.

Next week is out week off, and then we play on Friday, so it will be two and a half weeks before we play again.