Category Archives: fun

Jul 04 2024
computers, fun

21!

Twenty one years ago I got a wild hair and spent a steamy holiday Friday afternoon installing Movable Type.

I can’t tell you how long it took me to find and resize that image of a glass of milk.

It was revelatory, following some printed instructions to install some code on a server which would enable me to be just like Kottke. I read more than a handful of blogs back then, but he was the inspiration. The archetype of what blogs were.

I harbored hopes that I might get some traction as a poor-man’s kottke (or a “we have kottke at home” in modern parlance), but that didn’t pan out. I lacked the drive to post with the necessary consistancy (obvs.).

That said, I am glad to have had this blog as a place to occasionally burp a thought or photo into the world.

Jul 03 2024
fun, photos

Summer Adventures 2

A crucial discovery of my mid-life has been the concept of “friend with a boat”. I’m definitely a “land” guy, but I can see the appeal of having a boat to go out and do water stuff. I certainly don’t have the resources (or temperament) to have a boat and all that boat-owning entails, but we have friends who do, and it’s a credit to them as people that they’re willing to invite us out on the water in the summer.

Sometimes you see pelicans.

Sometimes you see a forklift putting a boat away in the barn.

Other times, you spend 4 hours casting lines trying to catch bluefish, but the only thing you hook is a floatation cushion that blew off of some boat.

It’s always cool to grab a Maps screengrab so see where you were, though.

Also, boat dogs!

Jun 30 2024
fun, sports

Sunday USTA

I got added to a 3.5 roster this summer (I am a 3.0 player, so a 3.5 team is the next level up) and I have been lucky(?) to get a couple of matches because so many of the other folks have scheduling conflicts. This morning’s match was inside, in an effort to hide from the sun. So while we were, in fact, spared the sun, the dead and humid air inside was so much worse for me. I had trouble holding the racquet and eventually wilted from the heat. We lost 4-6, 0-6. I’m 0-3 in this league so far. It makes some sense, because I’m playing against better players, but man it’s a bummer to get repeatedly worked.

Jun 30 2024
fun, photos, sports

Summer Adventures 1

It’s been a sweaty time here in the RVA this summer. I’ve been trying to get out and do/see some cool stuff, but then I can only post about it if I get some photos. I try to spend my time practicing gratitude and manifesting abundance, you know, the classics, so it’s been a while between posts.

I’ve decided to try to play some more golf this year, and that’s what that photo up there is about. I usually play one round a year, that I get as a birthday present. For 2024, I took some steps to get a little more “serious”. I got my clubs re-gripped, so they’re closer to an appropriate size for my dumb paws. I’ve also hit the range a couple of times to practice. I’ve played twice this year already, which has been great for me. I’m a poor golfer, but I know the rules (and etiquette) and I play fast and I’m good for some laughs, so I’m welcome as a 4th with better golfers.

It also helps that a person can have a couple of cold pops during a round. I especially enjoy a sport where a beer or two isn’t going to hurt, and might even help.

May 07 2024
fun, sports

Big Day for me in Sports History

May 7th is a day that holds a couple of key memories for me, sports-wise.

Bartolo Colon’s only career home run cemented his status as a folk hero for the New York Mets and for me as a fully-portioned gentleman athlete. I still get some goosebumps when I watch it.

May 7th was also the date for the one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport. Liverpool erased a 0-3 deficit in the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi-final to win over Leo Messi’s Barcelona, punctuated by Divock Origi scoring on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner taken quickly.

I still watch this a couple of times a year. It gets me every time.

Apr 25 2024
fun, meditation, photos

Bonsai gang survived the winter

It’s Springtime-y as hell here. There was a frost warning three days ago and it’s going to be 80 this weekend. That was the last of the cold-cold, though, so I took these bonsai bros out from their winter cover and I’m going to set them up in their homes for the season. The azalea needs some partial shade and the fir gets full-blast sunshine. I was able to rely on rain/snow for winter watering, but I’m going to have to get back on my daily check-ins as things warm up.

I’m not even worried that the azalea didn’t bloom. It feels sturdy as hell and the leaves are strong and a great green. Maybe I’ll get a bloom or two? If I do, I’ll def. post them here.

This little fir, which was already trimmed up bonsai-style, got nice and wooly. I’m inclined to give it a year of regular growing and I’ll take a look at some pruning later this year.

Apr 16 2024
fun, photos

I can see your house from up here.

We go through bouts of travel a couple of times a year. It’s nice to be other places.

Back soon!

Apr 15 2024
art, fun, photos, sports

Big Norfolk Weekend

Had occasion to catch the end-of-semester dance show at ODU. I’ve seen a lot of these over the years and they’re almost always a great time. College dance majors are on a different level.

And since we’re in baseball season, we hopped over to the ballpark to see the AAA Norfolk Tides take on the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders. The Tides are apparently loaded, so we didn’t want to miss a game full of future major-leaguers.

Apr 13 2024
fun, sports

Thursday Game

I’ve been catching an earlier game on Thursdays, instead of playing in the standard 8pm start. It generally gets me home earlier, unless I stick around to watch the 8 o’clock guys play (and then meet them for a beers afterward)

I need to figure out how to translate my indie service game to outside. I was smashing the ball again, and I can’t seem to do the same outdoors.

We lost, which was kind of a bummer, but one of the other players was a 3.5, so I’m not taking it too hard. I fell into some old, dumb habits. I’d like to play a match where most (but certainly not all) of my shots are the “smart” play.

Apr 11 2024
fun, sports

Tuesday Tennis

I had some plans fall through so I was a late add into a game with some 3.5 players looking to tune up for our club’s member/guest tournament in a few weeks.

My partner was another 3.0 who I only just met but we had complimentary games so we clobbered our opponents, 6-2, 6-4, and the we played a 10-point set to use the rest of our time and we beat them 10-5.

We played inside and my serve was hot. I need to find a way to transfer my inside serving to outside play. I’d be a real tennis player if I could get that going.

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