DCI - Atlanta

Have you ever been to something that you just felt was a blast? That was what I was hoping DCI would be, and it was!

Drum Corps International is sloganed as Marching Music's Major League, and for good reason! If you have never been to a DCI show, you are missing out! It is a lot of fun. Of course, you would have to be a fan of marching band to somewhat enjoy it.

Me, Veronica, Ashley, and Deejay drove to Atlanta, GA for a Saturday performance. Deejay and I drove down from Columbus, which was an 8.5 hour drive. So, we get up and leave early Friday morning to make it down to Atlanta. It is HOT! It is HUMID! I had totally forgotten the difference in the south vs. the midwest.

Veronica and Ashley drove from Russellville, Arkansas. That is about an 11 hour drive, which they made into a 13 hour drive due to stopping to view a band they thought was in Memphis and heavy rain. I was exhausted for them!

After we get there, we go to the hotel and check in for the night. We go downtown and eat at Jason's Deli, which is one of my favorite restaurants we don't have here in Columbus. I wish we had it.

We went out for one drink at the local bar called Blakes. Wow, I thought Columbus was pretentious! It was packed, full of people who you could just feel their judgement reigning down. The good thing is that I didn't care! I was not going to be back to visit so let them stare.

The next day, we head to the Georgia Dome. I had never been in a dome that big before so I was very impressed! We walked in and there were people everywhere. The best part of it was that Veronica got us FREE press box seats. We didn't have to share with hardly anyone. It was great. We were up and away from the masses and we had primo seats! It was a great place!

So, all in all, I had fun. Although I had to be back in Columbus for a game at 3:15, which we had to forfeit for because of the lack of players... UGH! I was so tired!

My friend Josh's Birthday

Josh, one of my dearest friends, had a birthday this past week, on Sunday, July 27th to be exact. Well, being the friend that I am, I wanted to do something for him. If you are reading this, you should know that if you are my friend, I will do anything for you and if you are a really good friend like Josh, I try to make it special.

So, I decided to do something on Thursday night because I was going out of town and I wanted to do something before his actual birthday, which I knew would be busy and I would be exhausted. Yes, call me selfish but I wanted to celebrate with him.

The evening started out by me making cupcakes for him, that I actually took to Wall Street. I am glad they were good because he ate one, which is all I wanted. They were for him, so if no one else ate any, I was fine... which was good because out of the 24 I made, I would say 18 of them got thrown in the trash.

We were there, along with his boyfriend John, which I finally got to actually talk to. He seems to be a good guy. The normal stomper group was there and they made the night fun. So, after we got done at Wall Street, we headed over to AWOL where we did bad karaoke and such. It was fun. Josh did not end up on the street like he did last year. I wish I would have kept that picture because it was funny as hell!

After we got done at AWOL, we went to TeeJay's Country whatever and had the barn yard buster. For someone who is watching what he eats and is measuring calories each day, it was decided that those should be put on Friday... 1600 calorie meal!

So, overall it was a great time. I really enjoyed Josh's birthday. I hope he did too. I love that little mexican! :)

Here is a clip that Marshall took from line dancing. I am towards the end, dancing badly with Chase!

Passing of a Dear Face in Acting...

Estelle Getty of 'Golden Girls' dies at age 84

Unless you watched the Golden Girls, you would not understand the significance of the show. This is a show that I watch every single day of my life. I Tivo the show because I cannot be home to watch it when it comes on.

As Sophia, Estelle Getty embodied someone who I wish I could have had in my life. She was full of life and humor that came across in such an impactful way that I encorporate quotes from the show in my every day life. She was such a great actress and the world is going to miss her dearly.

Here is the article from Yahoo.

LOS ANGELES - Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV's "The Golden Girls," has died. She was 84.

Getty, who suffered from advanced dementia, died at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at her Hollywood Boulevard home, said her son, Carl Gettleman of Santa Monica.

"She was loved throughout the world in six continents, and if they loved sitcoms in Antarctica she would have been loved on seven continents," her son said. "She was one of the most talented comedic actresses who ever lived."

"The Golden Girls," featuring four female retirees sharing a house in Miami, grew out of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff's belief that television was ignoring its older viewers.
Three of its stars had already appeared in previous series: Bea Arthur in "Maude," Betty White in "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and Rue McClanahan in "Mama's Family." The last character to be cast was Sophia Petrillo, the feisty 80-something mother of Arthur's character.

Food Diary Update

After 2 weeks of tracking what I eat and how i am doing, I am surprised at the results.

First of all, I have lost 4 lbs. That is great! I don't know if it is from tracking what I eat or working out with my trainer but I am attributing it to the combination of both.

I think that keeping track of what you eat, especially if you can see what you are putting in your mouth and see how it affects your body, you can start adjusting what you eat and learn to eat healthier.

I use this website http://www.fitday.com/ and it allows me to go and put in the food that I eat. It shows me the calories that are in the foods I eat and allows me to see how many grams come from fat, carbs, and proteins. It is just amazing at how bad food is for you. It is also amazing on how you can change your mind on what you eat... for example:

Chipotle Burrito, with chicken, rice, black beans, tomato and corn salsa, cheese, lettuce and a large coke (which is what I used to get) = 1350 calories!

NOW: Chipotle Burrito bowl, no tortilla, rice, black beans, tomato and corn salsa, lettuce and a glass of water: 455 calories!

That is the great thing about keeping track of what you eat. It makes me constantly analyze what I eat and helps me make better choices. If you wanna view what I eat, just click below.

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=shaun7220

Working as a team!

All I can say is... WOW!

We played the second best team in the division on Sunday. We played Somewhere Else. They were a good team and this time, we put up a fight. We only lost by one run! The final score was 12-13. Not bad for a team that has been last in the division!

We hit better. We fielded better. We encouraged each other better. We were great!

I am so proud of the team. We are playing the top team in the division on Sunday. I think we are going to show them that we don't just roll over and play dead.

The best part about this is that after all the turmoil, we have finally started playing as a team. It took something jarring to show the team that we can do it if we want to and we did!

This is stolen from Marshall... He sums it up better than I can, so thanks Marshall!!

Out-of-towners are always surprised to find out that Lake Erie has islands. Islands big enough to support intelligent life. Entire towns. Airports. Schools. Year-round residents.

That's right. The lake is that big. It's a Great Lake. You cannot see the other side. Don't let Tahoe tell you it has a "big" lake. The other shoreline is right there. Not the case with Lake Erie. You can not see Canada from Sandusky (unless you're on top of the 400-foot roller coaster at Cedar Point, then maybe... on a really, really clear day). Most of the world's seas are smaller than this.

The islands are a really fun places to visit. North Bass, Middle Bass, South Bass and Kelley's Islands are the main ones. Ferries leave from Sandusky and Port Clinton on a regular basis in the summer. In the winter, you have to fly. (Unless, when the ice is thick enough, you're brave (or crazy) enough to drive to the mainland. It's been a long time since the lake has frozen deep enough to drive semi trucks back and forth to the islands.) When there are enough kids at the local high school to field a basketball team, they have to fly to their games on the mainland, as long as the weather cooperates.

We made a field trip to South Bass Island in July. Ferry from Catawba. Rent bikes on the island. Make a full day of it. If you want to spend the night, try the B&B's... but reserve early because they sell out quickly in the summer.



The main town on South Bass is Put-In-Bay (pronounced/slurred together as "Puddin' Bay). It's a party town, to say the least. Plenty of bars and restaurants to entertain the tourists. The Heineman's Winery is a pretty good stop on a hot summer day.

The Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial commemorates the Battle of Lake Erie, won by Commodore Olive Perry during the War of 1812. Perry and his ships beat the British near South Bass Island and helped bring the war to a close. Today, there's an enormous tower and a national park on the island.

The Crystal Cave is fun tourist stop. It's actually part of the winery. It's gigantic geode about 30 feet under ground. You climb down the stairs and find yourself in a little room full of crystals. Walls. Ceiling. Everywhere. It's bizarre. And totally natural.

Quit? Really?

If you are reading this, you either know that I am an extreme team player or you don't know me at all, and at such point you decide to read this, you will now know!

I play on a softball team and I am the assistant manager. This is the first time I have ever played softball, so I am learning how it goes and learning how to play.

I am also learning more about my friends than I care to admit. The reason for this blog is to get my frustration out on how a couple of friends have quit or stopped caring about the game and the season.

First of all, if you are going to put your time and dedication into something, wouldn't it stand to reason that you follow thru with that? Well, that is what I think. I have had a couple of people, who I call friends, decide to just give up. WTF? Why?

One friend is frustrated because people were not showing up to practices. He was putting time and effort into going to practice and helping people learn how to play and also helped us learn how to play as a team. So, someone who from the beginning showed passion to play is now not caring when he is playing. Imagine the teams morale just by watching him.

The other friend of mine, just makes me irritated. He got made because I sub'd him for a game. He didn't feel that he should be sub'd because of the time and dedication that he has put in. I tried to explain to him that it was tentative and that he would get to play, but he did not want to hear it and quit over it. Can you believe it??? Quit... A 45 year old man acting like a 12 year old. I know I shouldn't care, but it really opens my eyes to stuff in the future. If he gives up so easily on a softball game because he didn't get what he wanted, imagine us as friends. If I ever make him mad, he will just give up on our friendship. So it just has me thinking.

I am just from the school of thought that you don't give up... PERIOD. If things don't go your way, you grow the F*&K up and finish what you start. Maybe that is just me...

Bottoms vs. Plugged Nickel

5 weeks off from playing

5 weeks off from practicing

No practice the week of the game

Recipe for Disaster? It seemed to be!

My softball team played for the first time yesterday in 5 weeks! Wow! We held our own and it wasn't a shut out but wow! We lost 16-7.

The day started by having the coach basically telling me that he doesn't want to be coach anymore. So, that was a great way to start the day and that pretty much set the tone. As we started practicing, I got to warm up and then, as the assistant manager, I had to go to do my job.

I FINALLY get the official line up going and its time to start the game. The umpire wanted to start early, but alas, even though I told people to get at the field at 1 p.m., people showed up as late as 1:55. So, at 2 pm, we start.

It was not bad at first! We were up to bat first. We did pretty good considering the circumstances. 0-0 first inning!

Well, after we got up to bat next, we were down 0-5. We get out there and tie the game! I was so proud of the team. Something clicked and we were able to get by them. Wow!

Ugh, then starting in the 5th... they found the weak spot in our defenses and exploited it. They had 11 runs on us and we thought we were in for. However, as we are doing our "high 5's" there was a challenge on the rules and we got to play for 2 more innings. We got 2 more runs in those 2 innings. So, we only lost by 9 and we put up a damn good fight!

So, all in all... it was not bad considering the circumstances. I know what needs to be done now and so shall it be! :)

A NEVER Ending Battle... Will I Win This One?

When I first moved here, I felt like I needed to lose some weight. Obviously, if you knew me, you would agree, even if you didn't tell me. I was up to almost 265 when I moved to Ohio. So, what to do? Diet! UGH.

First of all, I love to eat. Not the good food, but the bad food. McDonalds and Wendys are my good friends and they are invited to dinner all the time, but I decided since I was in a new place I would start a new life here and that included losing weight.

I started out by exercising. I enrolled in a local health facility and the personal trainer worked with me for the first couple of months and I really started to lose the weight. I was making sure I ran at least 500 to 750 calories off a day and that didn't include lifting. So, on top of that I changed my diet and really started to see the weight loss. I got all the way down to 219!

Fast forward to around February: I start feeling burn out from working out EVERY DAY. So, I stop going to the gym as much. Once again, I start eating unhealthy and stop looking at myself as someone who need to lose weight and started to look at myself as "ok."

Here we are now, after Pride is over and guess where I am at??? I am not back to 265 but I am at 235 and that is NOT acceptable. That is only 16 lbs over the past 3 months, but that is alot.

Time to diet and work out again! This time, I have help, or so I hope!

Jeremy, Marshall and I are going on this website to track our calories. http://www.fitday.com/ We are doing this so we can start to actually see where the weight is coming from and where all the calories are coming from. IT IS AMAZING HOW BAD I EAT!

So, with that, I start a new chapter hoping to make these changes permanent. I hope that I will be able to do it and I hope Jeremy and Marshall enjoy it, well... not ENJOY it, but benefit from its benefits!

A Little Civility and a Lesson in Manners

Now that you know I have a scooter, lets talk about manners when it comes to scootering along.

If you know me at all, you should be aware that I pay attention to just about any and all things that surround me. I generally know who is doing what at all times during my journey thru the day.

Today is no different than any other day, except...

I am driving along down South Central, yes, just like the corny movie, when I notice two kids walking along the right sidewalk. Nothing suspicious right...

As I start getting closer, one of the boys hides behind a light pole. Curious about to the reason, I start paying attention.

I get right up on the kids and notice an arm come out and some kind of liquid, which I found out to be Sprite, was thrown into my path. YES, usually I don't pay any attention to stuff like that, but since I was on my scooter and was headed to work, I decided to take action.

The little brats did not expect this, but as soon as I was hit by the liquid, I slammed on my brakes and turned around. Surprisingly, the kids did not run, but they did hurry up to try to get away.

I catch up to them and ask for an apology, of which they deny me. I get no where with the children and finally tell them that I want to speak to their parents. Once again, they take me to their mother.

I get the mom to come outside to the porch and explain to her what happened. She could not refute the evidence of which I presented and the apology was given, reluctantly.

It will teach them the next time to be deviant!

Here we go a Scootering!

I have something I never thought I would have. I have a Scooter!

First of all, there is a good reason for buying a scooter. I have wanted one for several years and since our move to Columbus, we have finally decided to buy one.

Well, those of you who know Jeremy know that he does not do anything off the cuff so after some extensive research, and a few dozen trips to a local scooter peddler, I finally have a scooter.

After doing some research for cost and use, we decided that a scooter would be feasible for us. Let's do some math:

My truck at 20mpg in-town gets about 300 miles to the tank. I fill the tank up about once a week, and on a busy week, I fill it up twice but for time sake, lets just go with the one.

My scooter, on the other hand, gets $90 miles a gallon and only has a 1.3 gallon tank.

Truck:

17 gals x 3.99/gal gas = $68

$68 tank x 4 weeks/month = $272 a month in gas!

Scooter:

$50/month payment

1.3 gal x 3.99 = $5.20 x 3 times week = $15.60

$15.60 week x 4 weeks = 62.40 month!

So, just by doing that math, I save almost $160 on JUST gas a month! Wow!

So, for all of you out there who are thinking about a scooter, just remember that if you are going to use it, it saves you TONS of money!

So, its out to the street with the wind in my hair! Wait, I have to wear a helmet!