Friday, March 31, 2017

Second Week of Beach League

The weekend I was out of town was the annual St. Pat’s Hat ultimate Frisbee tournament.  Yes, if I were in town, I would have played in it, but I had a great time with my family and don’t regret missing it at all.

But that also means I didn’t miss a weekend of beach league!  I was back in Santa Monica for the second weekend last Saturday.

Now that we have teams, we will be playing two games each week.  I was there for the first game and part of the second since I had to leave early to attend a friend’s wedding.

We won the game I was there for, and it looks like we won the second game handily as well.  We were ahead 4-2 when I left, and I think we may have gotten to 11 without them scoring again.  Yikes, right?

Unfortunately, I was scored on once that first game.  I was guarding my guy in the end zone.  He started to zig, I went with them, and then he zagged.  Not much I could do about that.

On the other hand, I did throw a score.  We’d gotten a fast break.  I was all alone partially down the field.  The guy who picked it up passed it to me.  I could see one of my teammates running across the end zone with his defender behind him a step or two.  I did have one person from the other team between me and the end zone, but I was easily able to throw it around him for the score.  It went perfectly – just as I pictured it in my head.  Since that doesn’t always happen, that made me really happy.

Tomorrow, there will be two more games, and I’ll be there for all of both of them.  Can’t wait!

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Weekend Away

I got to get out of town briefly the third weekend in March.  My parents had my niece and nephew and they were staying in the Palm Springs area at the trailer park my parents love with wonderful swimming pools.  Being the good uncle I am, I had to go out to visit, right?

We had a wonderful time.  We left the trailer only to go swimming twice a day.  It truly was fabulous.

I drove out on Friday after work.  My brother and sister-in-law came down to join us Sunday night, so I took Monday off so I could spend some time with them.  We only swam once that day, but did go into down for date milkshakes and a round of mini golf.  I got three holes in one while playing mini golf.  I couldn’t believe it!  Unfortunately, I made up for it on other holes and came in third behind my brother and my dad.

I drove back Monday night, and my brother and his family took off for the rest of their vacation Tuesday morning.  So it was short, but it was wonderful.

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Word Association for March 29th

This for a little word association.

  1. Aggrivation :: Life
  2. Two-faced :: Batman
  3. Postmark :: Letter
  4. Chip :: Dale
  5. Failure :: is not an Option
  6. Plant :: Grow
  7. Termination :: Fired
  8. Improvise :: Comedy
  9. Course :: Correction
  10. Western :: Cowboy

Thursday, March 23, 2017

Final Winter League Bowling

One week ago tonight was the last bowling night for the winter league.  My team was fourth going into the night, and the teams were playing their nearest competitor for the final standings.  Actually, the bowling alley started out by feeding us dinner, which was nice.  Certainly a bit better than the fast food I was expecting.  Salad and vegetables, even.

So we were playing the third place team.  But depending on how well we did, we could really improve.

I started out lower than I would have liked, but I improved as the night went on.  I went up from 113 to 131 and 145 on the final game.  Ironically, the last game was the only game we lost.  The other team we were playing improved, and their star bowler improved significantly.  It was impressive to watch her bowling.  If only we weren’t playing her.

Actually, the second place team didn’t do much better against the first place team.  Since we were all right there in our win/loss ratios, we wound up getting second.  Even better, we got trophies for second, so I now have two bowling trophies!

Sign ups for the spring league were this last Monday.  Unfortunately, I took the day off.  They also try to rotate in people who haven’t gotten to participate yet.  Between the two, I’m a sub for the spring league.  Based on how things go, I’ll probably get to bowl most weeks, it will just be on a different team each time.  It would be nice to have a team and be able to bowling for standings again, but I’ll get to really meet and interact with more people this way.  And if I’m not bowling?  I can go home early and get a run in on Thursday.  After all, I’ve got to start training for mud runs now that it is spring.

Thursday, March 16, 2017

First Week of Beach League

That’s right, I’m in two leagues at the same time right now.  Saturday was the start of Men’s Beach League.

And yes, it is starting earlier than usual.  I’m not sure why, but I’m not complaining, especially since this is when I usually make it to the beach for the year.  And the weather Saturday was wonderful.  We’ve gotten our first warm weather of the year in the last week.  (Actually, it’s been close to 90 here at home, which is definitely hot for this time of year).  It was just under 70 at the beach.  The wind was stronger than I would have liked, but it wasn’t too bad.  The sun was out when I arrived, but the fog rolled in after about an hour.  Still, it wasn’t too bad.

For the first hour and a half or so, we played pick up while the captains scouted and drafted the teams.  That means we got one actual league game.

And my team won!!!  I know, very, very shocking given my recent history.  The final score was 11-6, I think.  Something like that.  I played three points, and we scored all three points I was in, too.  I even successfully caught and passed on the disc in two of them.

Of course, I have realized just how slow I am, even on the sand.  I wish I were a faster runner.  I can run a ways thanks to my running, but I’m a slow and steady runner, and that’s not good for ultimate.  Still, it was a nice day and I was at the beach.  I’m not complaining.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Two Weeks of Bowling

I’d gotten caught up on my bowling league, and then I suddenly found myself two weeks behind again, so let’s fix that.

I had an excellent week on the 2nd.  I actually got there in time to take a few deep breathes, so I was ready when we started bowling.  My scores reflected it, too, since I bowled 142, 180, and 141.  I was very pleased with those scores.  This is especially true since I really bowled four and a half games that night.  One of my teammates didn’t show up, and so my teammate and I took turns bowling for her.  What was funny was we both had great games, but her scores the first two games didn’t break 100, which is actually fairly typical for her.  The first game, we bowled a 150 for her, which was better than our individual games.

Last week, I didn’t fair quite as well.  I was stressed from work that day and thinking about the busy day I’d have the next day (and it was; I was at work until 8 PM).  But my scores were at least consistent even if I didn’t hit my usual average.  My scores were 118, 115, and 122.  I’m definitely happy that my final score was my best.

This Thursday is the final, at least for this season.  With how attendance has been, I’d be surprised if they do it again, but we shall see.  My team is currently in fourth place, and I don’t see a way we’d win, but I’ve enjoyed my teammates and getting to interact with people on the other team, so from that standpoints it’s definitely a win.

Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Word Association for March 14th

Here we go with this week's word association.

  1. Acquired :: Business
  2. Helpless :: Feeling
  3. Pirate :: Walk the Plank
  4. Itchy :: Sweater
  5. Neon :: Sign
  6. Primate :: Ape
  7. Single :: Married
  8. Buffy :: Vampire
  9. Storage :: Space
  10. Unpacked :: Moved In

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Word Association for March 8th

Here's this week's word association.

  1. Birthday :: Today (Seriously, today is my birthday)
  2. Habitat :: Bad
  3. Foil :: the Villain
  4. Drowsy :: Sleep
  5. Training :: Job
  6. Career :: Work
  7. Howard :: Big Bang Theory
  8. Keyhole :: Lock
  9. Secret :: Mystery
  10. Camera :: Picture

Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Word Association for March 1st

How about we start out the new month with a little word association.

  1. Argue :: Fight
  2. Surprise! :: Plot twist
  3. Telescope :: Moon
  4. Shopping :: Trip
  5. Button :: Hole
  6. Certifiable :: Lunatic
  7. Blind date :: Awkward
  8. Relationship :: Status
  9. Appreciation :: Customer
  10. Station :: Radio