Football

I don't care much for football, per se.  I don't really think violent contact should be a part of skilled sports.  OK, boxing, wrestling, you have to contact or there isn't the sport at all.  If you like that the game is to beat the opponent unconscious, boxing is well-designed for that purpose.  But I don't consider that "sport".

"Sports" started to go wrong for me when pro basketball changed from a skilled shooting game to a "flying elbows cage fight" gradually in the 70s and 80s.  Football was no better; at least it STARTED with the idea of violence tackles and such.  So I watched College basketball for a while, until the violence was taught there.  I don't watch any of those these days.  I expect to see a video clip of some Middle School basketball coach exhorting his players to "throw those elbows around" and"trip that guy" any day now.

I played high school soccer in the mid 60s.  Like baseball, it isn't inherently a contact sport.  Yes, injuries can happen.  Mine was when an opponent and I reached the ball at the same time to kick it.  I got there just first.  HIS attempted kick landed in the top of my ankle.  It separated the joint.  My forward momentum made me land on that foot and popped the joint back into place.  I couldn't run for a month.  But at least it wasn't an intentional part of the game.  And I've never had any problems with the ankle since.

Speaking of high school soccer, when I joined the team, it was the first year it had been offered.  I played tennis, golf, and was on the long distance running team.  Most of us had general athletic backgrounds.  But the funny part was all the football players who got cut from the varsity team.  They thought they would just take over.  Not a single one made the soccer team. 

We wore them out fast.  They couldn't keep up with the constant play.  No huddles, no bench time, no alternating between offense and defense, hardly any padding, no helmets, no lackeys to run out and squirt water in their mouths.  After 2 weeks, they didn't get "cut" from the team, they just QUIT!

But I digress...

I watch football sometimes when my local team (The Washington Redskins) plays, when they are playing well.  I'm no diehard fan.  But when the local team is exciting, I may as well watch a good team.  Unfortunately, it has been years since they were any good.  But leads me to mention why I started writing this post.  The Superbowl game this year was pretty good (and not overly violent).  I checked in on it a few times and watched the last 5 minutes.

I decided I was rooting for the Giants to win the game. 

Why?  Because "we" beat them both games this year.  LOLOLOL!

Strange Weather

The next couple of days are routinely the coldest days of the year, usually down to the teens at night (F).


Tomorrow is expected to reach 64F and Feb 1st 69F!  That's not proof of global warming, of course, strange things can happen in any given year.  And this is a strangely warm Winter by any accounting.  Heck, 50 F would be unusual.  But the 10 day forecast says it will not drop TO freezing here and that approaches the normal high.

Don't get me wrong on this, I agree that global warming is occurring, and by human actions of burning fossil fuels.  What most people don't understand is that "global warming" really means that while the average global temperature is rising, weather can become more extreme in both directions.  I can have a warmer than average Winter this year and a colder and snowier than average Winter next year (as I did 2 Winters ago).  It means weather will fluctuate to extremes because a warmer planet means larger and greater weather changes.

On the other hand, I like to think (in humor) that I haven't had any serious snowfall here for 2 Winters because I bought a snowblower machine.  ;)

Garden Season is here!

1.  I ordered new seeds.  Not many because most of my seeds are recent (and refrigerated).  But some are only good for a year and some are 4 years old and needed to be replaced. 

Also, I started lettuces in a windowsill planter (inside).  I should get some mesclun harvest in a month.  YAY!

2.  Also, I turned on my seedling light stand yesterday.   Mostly for some perennial seedlings from last year I am trying to recover, but also some early "greens".

3.  The light stand works.  Each shelf has two 4' fluorescent grow-lights and two "daylight" bulbs,  I can't control the light outside, but at least I can give all the plants a good start inside.

Changed ISPs

It was a little bit of a fight.  I changed my cable and internet from Comcast to Verizon FiOS.  And my telephone from regular telephone to FiOS telephone.  Turned in my Comcast equipment today.  Know what?  They didn't even care.

This brings my total bill down to $140 from $210 per month.  And gives me free long distance domestic calling for free.  I think I'll call my Dad in Florida tomorrow. 

I'm not thrilled with the Verizon remote control.  Its fussy about aiming.  The old Comcast one worked anywhere in the room.  But the Verizon folks say it is a matter of pressing the buttons fast and not holding them down.  We'll see about that, but I'll admit I am getting better about that..

If you are getting a blank on the emails you try to send me, the new one is:

cavebear2118 AT verizon DOT net...
If its about the cats, it is:  marksmews2118 AT verizon DOT com.  You know to replace the words with the symbols, right?

I've emailed everyone who has contacted me in the past 2 years with the new address, so I hope that includes everyone I should tell.  I've updated my emails (with new fancier passwords) for all my existing commercial accounts.  I've copied the old emails into new folders.

If there is anything else I should do, a suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

They're BAACCKKK!

My crazy neighbors didn't leave after all.  There was the guy, his wife, his mother and some unrelated guy,

But it seems the bedroom furniture I saw being moved out was only the Mother's.  She was the sane one...The IDIOTS are still there.  In spite of the house being dark for about a week...  Curiously, I haven't seen the wife carrying the baby since early December...  Something is still odd.  But it is January and they are still here,

Sad start to the New Year...

Victory!

If you know the game of Risk, you know there are many nations to capture.  I have a sad fate of always coming in 2nd of 2-5 players.  And tonight I was down to 3 nations of (something like 70).  I nudged my way into NA, and got control of it while the others fought elsewhere.  Then I got SA!

If you know the game, you that means you get 2 continents with only 3 defense spots (Brazil. Alaska, and Greenland).

The 4 opponents worked together to kill me, but I survived.  I eliminated 3 (1surrenderred) and I was left with 1 opponent who had most of Asia, Africa,  and Europe.   And they were very good high-ranked players.

It took 2 hours to win the game.  I'm thrilled.  Risk is a hard game to win online.  The players are very skilled.  I win maybe 1 of 20 games.  I come in 2nd usually.  So a real win was SO GREAT!

The point is that we all have barriers, and I beat one of mine tonight. 

Cheers!