Thursday, May 31, 2007

Vacation!

Flight Friday, friends' wedding Saturday, flight to Seattle and cruise to Juneau Sunday. Back in two Wednesdays. Later!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

What a disastrous day, start to finish

I couldn't get a thing done at work because there's virtually nothing to be done in this no-news period before Memorial Day.

Brett Myers, the Phillies closer and second-best pitcher overall, got hurt throwing a pitch he shouldn't even have had to throw because the game should already have been over except that Rod Barajas is an idiot.

And then, of course, Lost. In case anybody who plans to see the finale has yet to do so, I'll put my thoughts in the first comment on this post. Read the comments when you're ready.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Faux toes

Here. They're from all over the past three years or so.

Double whammy

I slept atrociously last night and was draggin' ass all day. However, because it was so nice outside, I also really wanted to be out running or golfing instead of at work. Those two powerful factors made it nearly impossible for me to write today -- let's just say I won't be clipping tomorrow's articles.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Warning: golf post

After shooting a 106 at the Sand Barrens course at the shore last weekend, today I shot 105 at Iroquois, a few miles south of downtown Louisville. (My personal best is 95, accomplished twice. The first time, in high school, I opened with a 40, for crying out loud, and I was so overwhelmed that I happily shanked all over the back nine, lacking the discipline to take the course by the throat.)

These past two rounds are my first played with my "new old" clubs, inherited from my father, who just upgraded. My new clubs are superior to my old ones in several ways: 1) They are closer to 10 years old than 50; 2) They're the correct length for my height, whereas the old ones were a couple of inches too short; and 3) The grips are much grippier -- not surprising, given the difference in ages.

All my possible golfing partners in Louisville were either studying or out of town today, so I went as a single, played through a group or two until I latched on with a family of three. My pacing was a little hurried all day -- I was either playing through people or playing with people riding in carts, whereas I was walking. It was good exercise, but the poor pacing cost me a few well-struck shots, I think.

As for each specific phase of the game:
-Driving. Except for one gorgeous moon shot -- a slight draw that went 275 yards -- I was horrible with the big stick today, topping more than a few balls and hitting one or two wicked hooks. I was inconsistent in my address, feeling each time as if I was a little closer or further from the ball, and had placed it a little left or right, from what I'd done on the previous tee. It's a new driver with a head nearly twice the size of its predecessor's, so I'm still getting used to teeing the ball higher. It may simply have been a case of subconscious hurrying, the problem behind the majority of my golf screwups. Hopefully, a couple of range buckets should help me find a routine I can stick to.
-Irons. So-so. Again, inconsistent address, which led to comically bad aim on a few shots where I thought I'd taken dead aim. But more so than in the past with my old clubs, I felt lots of clean contact from my irons, even on less than desirable lies.
-Chipping. Surprisingly good. I took a tip from Dad and made it a point to emphasize relaxing my forearms, and except for a frozen-arm stab job on the final hole, my wedge play was my best I can remember.
-Putting. Slightly above average. I holed a 20-footer for par and I read the breaks well. In the last five or six holes, I was getting tired and (I think) becoming lazier with my aim and reading. I took 37 putts on the day, just above an average of two per hole, so that wasn't my undoing.

I really could have benefited from a range session before my round, and since I had no tee time and no real time constraints, I don't know why I didn't do that. As it was, I opened 8-8 on two par 4's, then closed 6-7-6 on a 4, 4 and 3. In between, I was pretty good, though I still killed myself with the driver.

I plan to squeeze in a few more rounds between now and the Alaska trip. Dad shoots consistently in the mid-80s to low-90s, and I'd like to compete with him on a regular basis.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

NOOOOOO!

If you saw Lost tonight, you know what I'm talking about. Otherwise, let's move on to other topics.
-If it weren't for sand traps, I'd have really done well golfing at, um, Sand Barrens last weekend. I inherited Dad's clubs after he purchased a new set, meaning I no longer have to play with irons forged by a blacksmith in the time of cholera.
-In response to Lone Star Pickle, here's another photo of a clearly exuberant -- not traumatized -- baby:

-I gritted my teeth and sank some money into a new clutch and engine mounts for my 1997 Nissan Altima. I'm really in that gray area, whether to go all-out to make the car driveable for several more years or to keep it cheap and sputtering.
-It's in the mid-80s all week here, and the running is really going to start to pay off around my waist soon. I'm not going to be a lunatic and say that I'm fat or anything. It's nothing drastic, I just don't fit in my pants, and I would prefer to do so. Elastic waistbands are not a good look in an office.
-Belated congratulations to Jill and Glenn, proud new parents of Gavin! Good lookin' kid, and now I have another friend (Joel) to join me in uncledom.
-Less belated congratulations to my cousin Glen and his beautiful bride Jessica. And thanks for doing the party boat/golf outing/cheesesteak lunch/beach town weekend combo... tough to beat.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Hollea!