Close your eyes and bow your heads, I need a little sympathy

Hello, my name is Scott and I am trying to relive past glory that never happened by playing softball despite being in great pain.

I'm an idiot for playing. Here's why:

I'm out of shape.
I have a bone spur that has grown into my Achilles' tendon which causes the tendon to have limited flexibility.
I have a herniated disc in my lower back which causes ME to have limited flexibility.
I'm out of shape.

During the game, I am fine. My body has generally loosened up enough to move without piercing pain.

The next morning, however, is a different story.

It's hard to get out of bed. It's hard to walk once I do get out of bed. It generally hurts to move for the rest of the day.

I'm an idiot to do this to myself.

But play on I do. I can't help it. I love baseball/softball. I'm the coach of the company team, and we're pretty good. The competition is good. The comraderie is great. The idea of it all is wonderful.

The after-effects are wretched.

My wife supports my softball habit, though I suspect she wonders why I do this to myself. But she supports me nonetheless, and I love her for that. When she and my daughters come to the games, they cheer me on and that does wonders for the psyche. At that moment, it makes it seem so worthwhile.

I suppose that every addiction has that moment. The heroin slipping into the bloodstream. The buzz of being numb after that bottle of Jack. The buzz is the catch. It's the reason why.

I don't think there's a support program for my addiction, however. And anyways, I don't think I could walk up those 12 steps.

Recollections from the weekend

We went to Asheville, NC this weekend to visit my family. For the first time that I can recall, it wasn't really a stressful trip. Which is good.

Some thoughts from the weekend:

* It brings great joy to me to watch my daughter and my mom interact. The happiness on both of their faces delights me to no end.

* Government help for senior citizens sucks, for lack of a better term. I'd go further into this, but the rage I'll develop won't let me get to sleep tonight.

* There are a lot of great people in the mountains.

* There are a plethora of odd, rough-looking scary people in the mountains that remind me of why I moved away.

* Someone thinks Debit Cards are called "Debid" Cards...and they displayed that knowledge to the world.

* I love that my wife and I "get" each other and don't have to say a word to acknowledge it.

* I miss my niece and nephew tremendously and feel somewhat guilty that I don't live closer by so that I can be there for them. Sometimes, no one is there for them. Not intentionally. Just circumstance.

I'm sure there's more, but it's late and I'm tired. It was good to see family again.

I'm a geek

I admit it. I don't care what others think. This is going to be awesome.

Did I mention this is going to be awesome?

For the love of the game

I don't mean to get preachy here, but the next time you think about giving up on something, think of this kid.

I'd like to think that if you showed this video to major league players, they'd get misty-eyed and rededicate themselves to playing baseball because they love the game.

But I'd be wrong.

Most of them would just send the kid an autographed baseball. A few of them might call their agent to work out some photo-op. Others would just nod, say, "That's a shame." and then return to the mirror of their lives.

THAT is the shame.

Ah, the British

No longer having a need to march in red coats and walk in straight lines during battle, our friends across the pond have found a new way to engage the enemy:

Shinkicking.

Let me be clear: I love the British! Beautiful country, lovely people, fantastic beer. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could. The local customs, however, just kill me...

Cheers, tally ho and all that.

The smirk and the crap that spews from it

These words, from Vice-President Dick Cheney and his stupid smirk, were spoken at a National Press Club luncheon:

"So, I had Cheneys on both sides of the family — and we don't even live in West Virginia," Cheney cracked. After pausing for laughter from the crowd, Cheney added, "You can say those things when you're not running for re-election."

What if Barack Obama said this? Or Hillary Clinton? Imagine the national inquiry and outrage that would have erupted, in every Kilauean sense of the word. Rush Limbaugh would be apoplectic. Bill O'Reilly would have an aneurysm. Ann Coulter might squeal like a girl instead of the man-beast she is.

Not that these are bad things, mind you. I'm just saying...

Someone needs a shove

I hate the Boston Red Sox. I hate their fans. Here is reason number 4, 287 why I hate the Red Sox. Someone please push her off the wall.



I hope Chairman Mao is rolling in his grave.