Took my first full weekend off from work for the year and somehow it ended up being one of the tougher weekends since the move. A friend of Amy's had a birthday get-together out at Cowboys due to the free Bud bottled beer and on account of his being broke. Now, I go out less than rarely so I didn't complain about a night out or the country-hick bar, but I most certainly did about the group we were going to be with. They all met life guarding at the Nick hotel and were a tight, fun bunch that went the way of the DC crew: to hell in a hand basket. The nightmares need not be relived here. Suffice to say, the group really isn't a crew any longer and they hardly keep in touch any more--they're all better off for it--, while some will never speak to each other again. It just so happened to be the bday of the one good guy who never got mixed up in all the others' drama and was the reason they were all friends in the first place; he had always been the group's glue and continued to be friendly with everyone despite that they'd all gone their separate ways. And so, despite each other's presence, they were all going to come out and wish Bobby a happy bday. Thankfully, the anticipation of a miserable night was worse than the actual events that evening and the social interaction was even a borderline pleasant one, considering expectations.
The bigger disappointment that night came completely unexpected by way of a phone call from good friend Steve. We're in the process of getting the flag football team back together for the fourth or fifth season, and three of the team's six core players, having participated every season since the beginning, haven't been returning phone calls. Until Steve's call, I'd assumed they'd been busy, out of town, etc. Well, through the sixth core player, a good friend of Steve and mine, we learned one of the other core guys had decided to put his own team together, invite a bunch of guys from our team, and not mention it to me and Steve. The sixth guy remained loyal--they weren't really his friends anyway--and filled Steve in. Gut-punched. That's how I felt when I heard the news. We had been a cohesive, tight bunch, but apparently one of them felt otherwise. Too bad, he was one of the guys I really liked.
In previous seasons, I had suspected he was hurt for our having removed him from QBing for the sake of the team. To be honest, he's a slow-footed, weak-armed, slow-to-react QB who is constantly sacked, throwing lobs and getting picked off; we don't have an offense when he leads the team. He always said the right things about whatever is best for the team's being cool, but I still had the impression it seemed to hurt him. He made a good WR and a great DB, however, so it's unfortunate he's leaving. What sucks most is that as a friend he went behind my back and tried to pull our team apart. Bastard. It's been a few days, we've exchanged an email, but I must suspect his gentle words were just as carefully chosen as those he used to suggest he was okay with not playing QB. Seems he chooses to avoid confrontation at the expense of honesty.
The good side of all this is that he's apparently taken the two guys the rest of the core group we were hoping would walk away soon. While one has generally provided a positive influence on offense, this past season he made a habit of throwing interceptions and costing us two or three games in the process. The other fellow, his brother-in-law, played only center and while he did step up at times, although that's easy to do when expectations are so low, we perceived the team as a whole would be better off if they were both replaced by any one. So, net, the team is better off, but this wasn't the best way to get there. Now to find three more fun, good, fairly athletic guys who have Wednesday nights free and are willing to pay $60 to play twelve or so games of flag football in two weeks. Uggh.
G, Josh, Alex, Jesse, Mario, Tugga...any interest? We have a very comfy couch, lots of sunshine, free water and beer if you have some free Wednesday evenings....
Monday, February 26, 2007
Took my first full weekend off from work for the year and somehow it ended up being one of the tougher weekends since the move. A friend of Amy's had a birthday get-together out at Cowboys due to the free Bud bottled beer and on account of his being broke. Now, I go out less than rarely so I didn't complain about a night out or the country-hick bar, but I most certainly did about the group we were going to be with. They all met life guarding at the Nick hotel and were a tight, fun bunch that went the way of the DC crew: to hell in a hand basket. The nightmares need not be relived here. Suffice to say, the group really isn't a crew any longer and they hardly keep in touch any more--they're all better off for it--, while some will never speak to each other again. It just so happened to be the bday of the one good guy who never got mixed up in all the others' drama and was the reason they were all friends in the first place; he had always been the group's glue and continued to be friendly with everyone despite that they'd all gone their separate ways. And so, despite each other's presence, they were all going to come out and wish Bobby a happy bday. Thankfully, the anticipation of a miserable night was worse than the actual events that evening and the social interaction was even a borderline pleasant one, considering expectations.
The bigger disappointment that night came completely unexpected by way of a phone call from good friend Steve. We're in the process of getting the flag football team back together for the fourth or fifth season, and three of the team's six core players, having participated every season since the beginning, haven't been returning phone calls. Until Steve's call, I'd assumed they'd been busy, out of town, etc. Well, through the sixth core player, a good friend of Steve and mine, we learned one of the other core guys had decided to put his own team together, invite a bunch of guys from our team, and not mention it to me and Steve. The sixth guy remained loyal--they weren't really his friends anyway--and filled Steve in. Gut-punched. That's how I felt when I heard the news. We had been a cohesive, tight bunch, but apparently one of them felt otherwise. Too bad, he was one of the guys I really liked.
In previous seasons, I had suspected he was hurt for our having removed him from QBing for the sake of the team. To be honest, he's a slow-footed, weak-armed, slow-to-react QB who is constantly sacked, throwing lobs and getting picked off; we don't have an offense when he leads the team. He always said the right things about whatever is best for the team's being cool, but I still had the impression it seemed to hurt him. He made a good WR and a great DB, however, so it's unfortunate he's leaving. What sucks most is that as a friend he went behind my back and tried to pull our team apart. Bastard. It's been a few days, we've exchanged an email, but I must suspect his gentle words were just as carefully chosen as those he used to suggest he was okay with not playing QB. Seems he chooses to avoid confrontation at the expense of honesty.
The good side of all this is that he's apparently taken the two guys the rest of the core group we were hoping would walk away soon. While one has generally provided a positive influence on offense, this past season he made a habit of throwing interceptions and costing us two or three games in the process. The other fellow, his brother-in-law, played only center and while he did step up at times, although that's easy to do when expectations are so low, we perceived the team as a whole would be better off if they were both replaced by any one. So, net, the team is better off, but this wasn't the best way to get there. Now to find three more fun, good, fairly athletic guys who have Wednesday nights free and are willing to pay $60 to play twelve or so games of flag football in two weeks. Uggh.
G, Josh, Alex, Jesse, Mario, Tugga...any interest? We have a very comfy couch, lots of sunshine, free water and beer if you have some free Wednesday evenings....
The bigger disappointment that night came completely unexpected by way of a phone call from good friend Steve. We're in the process of getting the flag football team back together for the fourth or fifth season, and three of the team's six core players, having participated every season since the beginning, haven't been returning phone calls. Until Steve's call, I'd assumed they'd been busy, out of town, etc. Well, through the sixth core player, a good friend of Steve and mine, we learned one of the other core guys had decided to put his own team together, invite a bunch of guys from our team, and not mention it to me and Steve. The sixth guy remained loyal--they weren't really his friends anyway--and filled Steve in. Gut-punched. That's how I felt when I heard the news. We had been a cohesive, tight bunch, but apparently one of them felt otherwise. Too bad, he was one of the guys I really liked.
In previous seasons, I had suspected he was hurt for our having removed him from QBing for the sake of the team. To be honest, he's a slow-footed, weak-armed, slow-to-react QB who is constantly sacked, throwing lobs and getting picked off; we don't have an offense when he leads the team. He always said the right things about whatever is best for the team's being cool, but I still had the impression it seemed to hurt him. He made a good WR and a great DB, however, so it's unfortunate he's leaving. What sucks most is that as a friend he went behind my back and tried to pull our team apart. Bastard. It's been a few days, we've exchanged an email, but I must suspect his gentle words were just as carefully chosen as those he used to suggest he was okay with not playing QB. Seems he chooses to avoid confrontation at the expense of honesty.
The good side of all this is that he's apparently taken the two guys the rest of the core group we were hoping would walk away soon. While one has generally provided a positive influence on offense, this past season he made a habit of throwing interceptions and costing us two or three games in the process. The other fellow, his brother-in-law, played only center and while he did step up at times, although that's easy to do when expectations are so low, we perceived the team as a whole would be better off if they were both replaced by any one. So, net, the team is better off, but this wasn't the best way to get there. Now to find three more fun, good, fairly athletic guys who have Wednesday nights free and are willing to pay $60 to play twelve or so games of flag football in two weeks. Uggh.
G, Josh, Alex, Jesse, Mario, Tugga...any interest? We have a very comfy couch, lots of sunshine, free water and beer if you have some free Wednesday evenings....
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Return of the Great Wazoo
So, whatever it is that took my computer and router out hasn't yet been resolved, but at least we're back online! This, and all the time I'm spending at work, explain the lack of activity here of late.
I'm glad to have rejoined the over 63 million active blogs, as opposed to fading into the graveyard of 200 million abandoned blogs, and having now surpassed the initial three-month threshold in which most new bloggers lose interest and ditch their blog, I'm here to re-establish my blog's vitality. Apparently, there are people who are interesting and then there are those who are not--of whom no one but their mothers read their blogs (no offense, mom!).
Unfortunately, reviving my computer won't be so simple or as inexpensive. Ugh.
I'm glad to have rejoined the over 63 million active blogs, as opposed to fading into the graveyard of 200 million abandoned blogs, and having now surpassed the initial three-month threshold in which most new bloggers lose interest and ditch their blog, I'm here to re-establish my blog's vitality. Apparently, there are people who are interesting and then there are those who are not--of whom no one but their mothers read their blogs (no offense, mom!).
Unfortunately, reviving my computer won't be so simple or as inexpensive. Ugh.
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