Football Epilogue

My daughter and her aunt on the bunny lift at Bridger Bowl just outside of Bozeman, MT.  Okay, maybe not. My kids are excited at the prospect of the first snowfall. Now that it has passed, maybe they'll be ready for the first real snowfall, which hopefully will not show up until the Thanksgiving-ish timeframe.  The last few winters have been rather mild. I am on the fence about liking and hoping that mild winters will continue. I do enjoy the reduced number of alternative workouts involving shoveling, the treacherous driving, the increased heating bills and the mouse invasion. In contrast, I do enjoy some of the activities a snowy winter has to offer. Getting the kids up on skis these last couple of years has been tremendous fun. I'm hoping to bring them someplace a little bigger than the local Hyland Ski area  or  Buck Hill . In the coming years these places will be great as I envision being able to drop the kids off, maybe ski a couple of hours and enjoy the ...

No, I'm not a creep on a diet. Although I can't speak for everyone so if you think I'm a creep I'll have to square with that. My meaning is more the slow change in something from it's original position; similar to a slug moving in a garden or weeds propagating through a lawn.  Program managers know creep more frustratingly as schedules get pushed back due to various delays. It seems that diet, or other healthy habits, can experience creep as well. One big difference is that this creep occurs from making attempted alterations to ones' lifestyle. Initially the change is easy, it's relieving to feel you're on track for getting healthy. Then the craving happens. The want for a little something else. Then craving, convenience or comfort come calling and chip away at the resolve. Eventually, you are back to the old ways and perhaps wondering what went wrong So why am I writing about this?  I guess I'm just in a mode of noticing my choices a little m...

The first two stanzas were hanging on our lockers one day in college. I still have the tattered printing. It reminds me that there is very little we do in life by ourselves. Still, our contributions matter immensely. The Law of the Wolves by  Rudyard Kipling Now this is the Law of the Jungle --as old and as true as the sky, And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back, For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack. Wash daily from nose-tip to tail-tip; drink deeply, but never too deep, And remember the night is for hunting,and forget not the day is for sleep. The Jackal may follow the Tiger,but, Cub, when thy whiskers are grown, Remember the Wolf is a Hunter, go forth and get food of thine own. Keep peace withe Lords of the Jungle the Tiger, the Panther, and Bear. And trouble not Hathi the Silent,...

Just when we thought our 6th grade the football season was over, an amazing opportunity was presented by one of our coaches. Through some contacts we were able to play one more time as a team. This time on the indoor field at the Minnesota Vikings practice facility, Winter Park!  This was really a fun event which allowed the kids to play indoors on the artificial surface. We played our other counterpart in the league who were also the league champions for the season. Prior to playing one of the Vikings players, Jarius Wright, came out and talked with the kids about playing football, leadership and handling adversity. The kids, parents and coaches got to bombard him with questions. I found myself asking who's idea was the "Duck, Duck, Gray Duck"  touchdown celebration? He did say that he calls it "Duck, duck, goose", he's from Arkansas so I guess that's okay, and it was Kyle Rudolph's idea. Other questions ranged from who his favorite players ar...

This evening, my girlfriend and I picked up a potentially interesting hobby and activity: ballroom dancing. This momentous evening came out of my looking for an interesting birthday present for her. I wanted to find something simple, but fun and hopefully memorable. I chose the gift to be from  Fred Astaire dance studio(s)  largely on account of there being a  Groupon  available. What could be better than dragging my uncoordinated buttocks out onto the dance floor? As a couple of my old football teammates can attest, I have a knack for stepping on and probably even mutilating toes. I think I've even inadvertently stepped on my kids' toes a disproportionately high number of times. Sadly, it's not because I have size 14 feet. I've worn a humble size 11 since high school. I think it could really be a coordination thing.   I'll even argue that I possess some amount of rhythm as I do play guitar and know my way around a drum kit. I can just over, under or o...

FOLD!!!  I have a slightly quirky way of dealing with chores or other various manifestations of "adulting" that are required in keeping up my image of being a reputable member of society.  Of the tasks I lament, laundry has to be the lamentyest (I hope Merriam-Webster gives me credit for that word). For the human doing the washing and folding, the act of cleaning clothing, linens, etc. has not changed my in the last half a century or so. In fact the last major revolution was probably the spin cycle.  The spin cycle probably saved numerous people from having their fingers skinned in the roller ring-out process. It also gave one's handier half something to do when the load becomes unbalanced and wet clothes need jostling, but I digress. My point is, you still have to lug your soiled sundries to the bowels of your house (or a hallway if you live in California or other places that don't typically have basements), load the washer, soap the washer, move wet clo...

Another home cooked meal. I might be getting the hang of this again. Last night it was some stir fried chicken and veggies with some "General Tso's" sauce over rice. The meal was rather tasty. For some reason it feels weird to eat these sorts of meals with a fork any more so I keep a supply of chopsticks handy.  Oh, and the Strawberries were good too :)

Help! I have no clue where I am or how I got here. This place looks familiar, but I can't place it... Okay, I think I figured it out. In a moment of feeling as though I really needed a workout I threw caution to the air, or at least my pining over which gym to join , and joined the local YMCA . I found myself doing cardio and some upper body lifting within minutes of signing up online. One of the nice things at the "Y" is it does remember my membership history and even saved me needing to take another membership picture. They also immediately got me signed up for my health insurance reimbursement. Now it's on me to bring my butt there at least 12 times a month. That can be a little easier to do when they have a sauna, steam room and a hot tub. :)

 It's been hard to do anything but pick up quick meals during the football season. I was finally able to slow down a little this weekend and do some home cooking. Saturday, I prepared a good breakfast with chipped and fried zuccini with some bacon and eggs and for dinner I prepared some chicken in a simple marinade (place in marinade at least 30 minutes prior to cooking and chill): 3 tbsp minced garlic (store bought/pre-minced) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbsp thyme 1 tbsp salt  The chicken was cooked/browned in a skillet preheated with a couple tbsp of vegetable oil and served with thin/angel hair spaghetti and some sauce. It's nice to do something simple like this and have some time at the dinner table with the kids.

Unfortunately, our football season came to a halt last night. I'm going over what could have potentially been done different, but ultimately it is what it is. On a positive note I did see some of our team play at what us football guys like to call "the next level". The next level is like a switch flipping in how someone plays the game. Movement becomes more instinctive. There's a speed difference and there's an increase in the tenacity. Interestingly, I feel like it comes out of adversity and frustration. The first times a player hits that next level may be out of being pissed off on missing a tackle or a block or even being yelled at by a coach, but then an amazing "ah-ha" moment occurs. The player, either consciously or subconsciously realizes that they are faster than they've been, that they are tougher than they've been and all of a sudden you see a change in how they play the game. From my personal experience I've realized my next le...

Here's a little panorama of the kids from our team lined up in a semicircle at tonight's practice. They're getting ready to honor one of our coaches as he re-enlists for another term in the United States Navy. It was a great thing to witness and set the tone for a crisp practice on a crisp day. We followed up the ceremony and the subsequent practice with a team picnic. I have to say I don't think there are many teams at this level that have the cohesiveness, focus and selflessness combined with the overall sense that our ultimate goal is to have fun playing a sport as best and as hard as we can. Tomorrow is our first playoff game. We ended the season with six wins and two losses, earning us a #3 seed. I am once again looking forward to being on the sidelines helping the kids play hard and smart football, especially on the "O" and "D" lines. Come what may, we look forward to the opportunity to play and have fun!

"...Before some ol' fool come around here Wanna shoot either you or me" 0a46ff557d05841f705b2e1a4eae385866c66cde3ec55df9eb

It's time. The days are short, the weather is getting colder and has been rather damp lately. My outdoor running gave way to hustling around the football field coaching up a savvy crew of 6th graders. With the season heading towards its unavoidable end, I need to find the next thing that will keep me at an adequate, if not improved, level of fitness. My intent this evening was to run up to the local YMCA , roughly five miles away, and restart my membership. The "Y" has had a host of good qualities from a large number of amenities to kid friendly activities such as swimming and a climbing wall. My main gripe with "full service" gyms is the cost. It's typically in excess of $125 for a family membership. I was thinking I would be able to whittle this down to $70ish if I just get an individual membership. Attending 12 times/month whittles that further to ~$50/month. That is a bit more manageable provided I get my 12 "swipes". My kids are now ...