Vacation Time

Starting Thursday I am getting some much-needed time off and I am headed out of town for a week. Yes there are  days I do not work, however I am usually running around, coaching soccer, and keeping busy. So I am very much looking forward to some down time. I am spending a week with two of my closest friends. My friend Megan and I are headed to Toronto to visit our friend Amy.

The plans include plenty of shopping, a Blue Jays game, and lots of relaxing. This little trip could not have come at a more perfect time, we just found out Megan is heading off on a new exciting adventure a couple of weeks after our return. She is headed to South Korea to teach next year. I do not think I have ever gone more than a few months without seeing her, so I know I am going to miss her like crazy. So I am grateful the three of us will have a week to spend together, to enjoy together.

I have not seen Amy since Christmas, and we only had a few short days together then, so this will be the longest we have spent together in over a year. I am sure this week will be exactly what I need to get the summer started; quality time with people who mean the world to me.

Let The Summer Fun Begin

I have not even been out of school for a week and I am all out of whack, I hate not having a routine. I am sleeping at crazy hours; I am flying by the seat of my pants, and going with the flow. Although that was enjoyable for a few days, I am now finding it frustrating.

I have not started my summer work schedule yet, which is going to be my full time schedule come September. I am pretty nervous about that, however it will get me back into a routine, which I am desperately in need of. I must add there is another perk; it will afford me the opportunity to, hopefully, buy a car (keep your fingers crossed.)

I had a few days off this week, just long enough to catch the flu/a cold. Which made this week a little bit less fun. That was not even what I thought to be the worst part of my week. My DVR broke, it was not taping my shows, it was taping random shows, and it wasn’t playing my shows back properly. I will tell you right now, I was losing it, and I thought my world was ending. Anyone who knows me knows I love my TV, however I never watch shows when they are on, I tape them and watch them when I have spare time. I was sick on the couch, and the only thing I wanted to do was to catch up on TV.

To me this event was a bummer, and then I realized how silly that seemed. Growing up I never watched much TV; I never played many video games. I was on my bike tearing through the neighborhood, kicking around on local soccer fields, coloring the streets with chalk, playing hide and go seek, building forts and even slingshots. The only thing I had to worry about in those days was cuts and scrapes, and making sure I was home in time for dinner.

I remember the days when you would walk to a friend’s house, and knock on their door to see if they were home, or if they wanted to come out and play. Nowadays that doesn’t happen, there is a constant stream of text messages and phones calls just to figure out who is free to hangout. Takes half the day to plan an outing, we waste all of this time “communicating” when we could just knock on the door and find out, when we could be out enjoying the time we have.

I was never someone who relied a lot on technology, and in the last few years there has been this huge shift in perspective. My phone is always on, I usually have a computer near by, I have a DVR, all of the channels one could dream of, I have an e-reader, and iPod, and all of this other junk. When did my life become about all of these possessions instead of being about a quick game of kick the can, or reading a comic book, or even just hanging out on the back deck.

This summer I need to get back to the things that really matter, trips for ice cream, beer on the deck, adventures to the lake, long days on the soccer field, roundtrips, and all around summer fun.

Penny Can

Well for those who know me, know that I enjoy a little television, and by that I mean I religiously watch a number of shows. Cougar Town the last two years has been a blast to watch (and can it please be back on SOON!!) and it has inspired a second, unofficial, summer project of sorts… PENNY CAN! (everyone who has no clue what I am talking about please watch the video below so you don’t think I am a complete crazy person.) We are going to practice for a while, then the games will begin, we are playing to a thousand… who do you think will win? Well my money, my pennies if you will, are on my sister.

For those who have spent a summer day at my house you would know that we play a little washer toss around here, and I am absolutely TERRIBLE. Therefore I thought I needed to switch things up, master something else, and kick everyone else’s butts for a change. That is what led me to penny can, that and the fact Bobby Cobb created it and I love Cougar Town.

It looks hilarious, it is going to be challenging as I have no hand eye coordination, and I am most looking forward to decorating my very own penny can. My dad, who just so happens to be the best dad ever, went out on Saturday afternoon and picked me up a brand new, very shiny, empty paint can. I was having a rough day, a little tired, worn out from school, and working a long shift, this was just the pick me up I needed.

I decided to not decorate my penny can immediately, I am waiting until exams are over, and my sister and I are going to decorate it together. I will be sure to post before and after pictures as I am sure it is going to be the best looking penny can of all times.

What is your summer fun going to be?

Opening Day Fail

I know I did not get this post up yesterday; I was stuck in homework mode. However it was a big day in my summer project, it was opening day!! I know I should be mega excited, and next year this time I am hoping I will be. I still know virtually nothing about this sport. I was proud of myself that when I woke up I knew the first game of the baseball season was being played.

After I finished classes I decided to grab a few beer and a bite to eat with a friend thinking I could catch the first game of the year. Well I picked just about the only bar in the neighborhood without a television. Therefore watching the first game of the year turned out to be a giant fail. Mind you I had a great afternoon with a friend I have not seen in a while. I may not have caught the game and helped my summer project out much but it was the exact afternoon I needed.

I did catch the MLB Season Preview, where I learned a whole lot about a lot of teams. They talked about trades, about rosters, about predictions, everything I had no idea about, it was FANTASTIC! As well they had a piece on Pete Walker, former Blue Jays player, and his family, it was a touching, heart warming and moving story. I spent the hour I was tuned int learning everything I could. After that program finished it only left me thinking about how much more I had to learn in the coming months. I knew that I needed to start watching some actual games, which scared me as I heard they could be a little boring.

Tonight was the season opener for the Toronto Blue Jays; I watched most of the game (tuned in a little late.) I had a great time; my parents were a huge help and tried their best to explain some things to me. I did have a bonus of catching a few innings of some baseball in the afternoon where co-workers and regulars helped me out.

I know I don’t know a lot about the game, I am reading blogs, reading the news and watching as many innings as I can. Even spending a huge amount of time on this during the last month or so I feel like I don’t know a fraction of the game, which is exciting. I have an opportunity to really discover something new. In fact as I write this I am watching the Oakland Athletics playing the Seattle Mariners. I look forward to this opportunity, and I thank everyone who has come forward to help me. I plan on watching a few more innings this weekend, between work and soccer tryouts.

Like I have said I do not know a whole lot about baseball, but when I woke up yesterday and I knew that baseball season had officially begun it was a moment to enjoy. Not just because I knew the season started but because, before that first game started it was the one moment of promise for all of the baseball fans out there. There was that hope that anything could happen, you could forget last year’s troubles, and you could forget the winter you had to endure. It was the first sign of summer, and it was the first sign of hope.

Why do you love opening day/weekend?

What Am I Getting Myself Into?

so many games... so little time!

Summer Project – 2011

Usually I have some kind of summer goal, nothing too serious or time consuming. Most of the time it is to accomplish something silly, go somewhere I have never been, do something I never thought I could. All in all theses goals are typically easy to accomplish without much effort or thought. Therefore this year I wanted to push myself a little, which is why I am undertaking the task of learning baseball and picking a Major League Baseball team to cheer for.

Some have asked me why in the world I chose this as my mission; I guess there is no real answer. Everyone keeps telling me how slow and boring it can be, and I keep joking that I am just in it for the beer and snacks. Really I have a love for watching professional sports, and in the last year or so I have really expanded my horizons in every aspect of my life, so why not this too? Sure, it might not be fast paced, however I think that if I better understood the game it would be more entertaining. I remember when I was much younger my parents were in to watching baseball, and my sister and I used to have little Toronto Blue Jays hats, and my parents in fact woke us up to watch The Blue Jays win the World Series both times.

Now this is not to say the Toronto Blue Jays will be the team I will be cheering for, there are 30 teams and they all have a great chance at being the team I choose to support. I am going to weigh my options carefully. About a week ago I asked my Twitter followers, Facebook friends, and real life friends for some advice in the selection process (any input is welcomed.) They have been more than helpful, most even offering to tutor me on the game. There are teams I am already looking at more closely than others, however given my track record this decision could take quite some time.

Most of my life I watched NFL games here and there, but was never a huge fan of the game. Roughly five years ago I decided to kick back on a Sunday afternoon, get focused and learn the game. I can tell you that day I fell in love, I picked up the game pretty quick, and became a fiend for football stats. I wanted and needed to know everything about the game. Then came the big question, who was I going to cheer for, that became a processes, games went by, weeks went by, Super Bowls went by and I was left as a fan of the game, and not a diehard fan supporting “my team.” I was in my third year of watching football and was feeling the pressure, I knew I needed to pick a team and I really didn’t want to make the wrong choice. I made a commitment that once I picked a team that was it, no bandwagon hopping, and no wish-washing, just full support. Finally I settled on the Baltimore Ravens (which is a whole other blog post!!) which some people tend question, and tease me about. However after three years I knew in my heart of hearts it was right.

This might lead one to ask what makes me crazy enough that I can feel that way about a baseball team in such a short period of time (4 months.) There are a few reasons, I have a few people who are kind enough to support me on this journey, I am a dedicated motivated person who likes to achieve my goals, baseball season has A LOT more games than football season, and there is nothing like a deadline to help get my butt in gear. I will do my best to learn everything I can in this short time, I do want to make an educated decision. I am sure there will be plenty adventures, maybe even some misadventures while trying to accomplish this goal. I will do my best to keep everyone posted on my progress, but more importantly on my decision.

What are your big summer plans?

– M

One More Left

Back to school, every year there seems to be very different feelings attached to this. When you are young summers feel so long, with no responsibilities or worries, it is undeniably fun and perfect. Running and biking through the neighborhood until the sun goes down, at which point the neighborhood children get together to play some kick the can, man hunt, or even a little hide and go seek in the dark. You dread heading back to school as the summer draws to a close.

When you hit high school, you have a job you have more responsibility. The only reason we then slightly look forward to school is so we can stop working so much, and start enjoying the company of a few bad influences aka our best friends and partners in crime. High school is more of a social experience than an educational experience. Getting back to school is not the part that is dreaded about the end of summer; it is the back to class part that is the un-enjoyable aspect.

Now that university has arrived, and almost passed me by I am undecided whether I actually dread coming back each September, or whether it is a welcome relief. On the plus side I get to cut my hours back at work, I get to reunite with all of my out of town friends, varsity soccer starts all over again (which is single handedly he best experience of my life) and I get back into a routine. However I dread the early morning wake-ups, I dread the classes that seem like an eternity, I dread the assignments, the lack of time in the day to get all my readings done, and the fact that it seems like I am

Not A Teenager Anymore

I have not been a teenager for over a year now, but last week it was a reality that hit me quite hard for the very first time. For everyone who knows me well, they know that I am a goofball, and super competitive. Therefore when I was coaching soccer practice and was short a team me and the other coach decided to join in. It did not take long at all until I was doing diving headers, and fighting tooth and nail for the ball.

When I woke up Thursday morning I was feeling less than fantastic and for the first time in my life I was