It snowed the last few days- about 5 inches.
Its kind of nice knowing that winter isn't quite dead.
I'm not ready for the warm breeze and pollen.
I'm not ready for color to exist in the world again.
I'm not ready for longer hours of sunshine.
I simple want to enjoy the greyness that is winter.
And the snow has done the trick.
People were building this storm up quite a bit, and it was somewhat of a let down; however, it is snow nonetheless, the very epitome of winter. Because of the hype of the approaching snow storm Thursday Night, the entire day of Thursday was a wash (even though there was no snow or rain). Rumors of no classes spread like an epidemic, resulting in an afternoon of apathy. Complaining coupled with wishes and prayer accumulated, as did the falling sleet.
Powder piled up on Friday afternoon, producing pure panic from mid-western drivers. Roads were deserted, leaving a ghost town. The few cars that bared the "blizzard" slid back and forth like a sled being towed. Unfortunately, many of those cars needing towed themselves.
The beginning of the weekend came and past, and Saturday got stuck in the snow. The day drags on as mindless hours are spent in the dorm. Waiting for dissipation, the stubborn snow seems to stick around forever, stretching Saturday into what seems like a century.
And so, here is what snow in the mid-west boils (maybe not an appropriate verb to describe snow) down to:
Poor driving, elongated weekends, mindless hours, and my attempt at writing a descriptive narrative of a Mid-western Winter.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Absent Minded
I took a short reprieve from the blog world. Actually, i either:
a) had too many things to do or,
b) had nothing to do/write about.
But no worries, my mutterings have returned.
Quick Life Update:
I am not graduating till December. Part by necessity, part by choice, and part by preference.
I was enrolled in 20 hours to graduate in May. I didn't feel like it. So, December it is.
This means a few things: I will be in Joplin till December, voiding a previous blog post. Also, part time jobs are in the future. Finally, i need someone to live with- Any takers?
That's all for now.
a) had too many things to do or,
b) had nothing to do/write about.
But no worries, my mutterings have returned.
Quick Life Update:
I am not graduating till December. Part by necessity, part by choice, and part by preference.
I was enrolled in 20 hours to graduate in May. I didn't feel like it. So, December it is.
This means a few things: I will be in Joplin till December, voiding a previous blog post. Also, part time jobs are in the future. Finally, i need someone to live with- Any takers?
That's all for now.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Managing Baseball
I got bored and didn't feel like reading, or watching TV. So this is what i did:
I made my All-time baseball team.
Here is what the best baseball team of all time would look like from my perspective:
1. Ty Cobb CF - (L) Career average: .366. He had over 4,000 hits, but just over 100 Home Runs. Just the kind of guy you look to for a lead off guy. Also, he had 892 SB. He stole a base 1/4 of the time he got a hit.
2. Cal Ripken Jr. SS (R)- The iron man can flat out play ball. He ranks among the MLB leaders in hits, but he is most known by playing an absurd amount of games in a row. He is a good leader, and a guy you can count on at being consistent. His stats don't blow anyone away, but he has those intangibles that a lot of good hitters lack.
3. Ted Williams LF - (L) Career average: .344. Many consider him to be the best hitter of all time, making him a great option for #3. He also has the 4th highest AB/RBI Ratio. He wont steal any bases, but his fielding % in LF was around .980 which is pretty good.
4. Albert Pujols 1B - (R) Career average (so far): .334. As much as i hate the Cardinals, Albert Pujols is on course to be one of the best players to play the game. My 1B was going to be Lou Gehrig, but Pujols is percentage points behind Gehrig in OPS and has a ridiculous fielding %. Not to mention he is the most feared hitter of the 2000s.
5. George Brett 3B- (L) I hate George Brett. And he will probably be forever remembered for using too much pine tar against the Yankees. But if you look at Hall of Fame 3B, he is among the best. Mike Schmidt was my first choice, but his BA is too low and his stache was too gross.
6. Hank Aaron RF- (R) He hit HRs and he hit over .300 for his career.
7. Joe Morgan 2B- (L) If all you know about this guy is his stint as the announcer on Sunday Night Baseball, check out his stats. He was legit. Especially for a 2B. honorable mention: Ryne Sandberg, the Best Cubs 2B of all time.
8. Johnny Bench C- (R) He's from Oklahoma.
9. Babe Ruth P- (L) Not only can he hit, but he can also pitch, ranking 16th in career ERA at 2.66. Not a bad guy to turn the line up around.
Bench Player: Pete Rose - Rose leads the MLB in hits. and he played over 500 games at 1B, 3B, 2B, and LF. Basically, he's a tool. Not to mention, he's a switch hitter.
Rotation:
1. Babe Ruth- (L)
2. Nolan Ryan- (R) this guy can fight. And he throws really hard.
3. Cy Young- (R) 511 wins and a 2.63 ERA.
4. Sandy Koufax- (L) He may have only pitched 12 years and tallied less than 200 wins, but he was really really good.
5. Greg Maddux- (R) location, location, location. Also, a ridiculous tailing fastball. And he could field.
Honorable Mention: Randy Johnson- (L) I limited myself to 1 power pitcher (Nolan Ryan), but Johnson may have had the most un-hittable slider of all time.
Closer: Mariano Rivera
There may be better players at each position, or players with better stats. But if you look at the mix of average, power, and which side of the plate they hit from, this line up is pretty legit. They would win the World Baseball Classic.
Let me know if you have any objections.
I made my All-time baseball team.
Here is what the best baseball team of all time would look like from my perspective:
1. Ty Cobb CF - (L) Career average: .366. He had over 4,000 hits, but just over 100 Home Runs. Just the kind of guy you look to for a lead off guy. Also, he had 892 SB. He stole a base 1/4 of the time he got a hit.
2. Cal Ripken Jr. SS (R)- The iron man can flat out play ball. He ranks among the MLB leaders in hits, but he is most known by playing an absurd amount of games in a row. He is a good leader, and a guy you can count on at being consistent. His stats don't blow anyone away, but he has those intangibles that a lot of good hitters lack.
3. Ted Williams LF - (L) Career average: .344. Many consider him to be the best hitter of all time, making him a great option for #3. He also has the 4th highest AB/RBI Ratio. He wont steal any bases, but his fielding % in LF was around .980 which is pretty good.
4. Albert Pujols 1B - (R) Career average (so far): .334. As much as i hate the Cardinals, Albert Pujols is on course to be one of the best players to play the game. My 1B was going to be Lou Gehrig, but Pujols is percentage points behind Gehrig in OPS and has a ridiculous fielding %. Not to mention he is the most feared hitter of the 2000s.
5. George Brett 3B- (L) I hate George Brett. And he will probably be forever remembered for using too much pine tar against the Yankees. But if you look at Hall of Fame 3B, he is among the best. Mike Schmidt was my first choice, but his BA is too low and his stache was too gross.
6. Hank Aaron RF- (R) He hit HRs and he hit over .300 for his career.
7. Joe Morgan 2B- (L) If all you know about this guy is his stint as the announcer on Sunday Night Baseball, check out his stats. He was legit. Especially for a 2B. honorable mention: Ryne Sandberg, the Best Cubs 2B of all time.
8. Johnny Bench C- (R) He's from Oklahoma.
9. Babe Ruth P- (L) Not only can he hit, but he can also pitch, ranking 16th in career ERA at 2.66. Not a bad guy to turn the line up around.
Bench Player: Pete Rose - Rose leads the MLB in hits. and he played over 500 games at 1B, 3B, 2B, and LF. Basically, he's a tool. Not to mention, he's a switch hitter.
Rotation:
1. Babe Ruth- (L)
2. Nolan Ryan- (R) this guy can fight. And he throws really hard.
3. Cy Young- (R) 511 wins and a 2.63 ERA.
4. Sandy Koufax- (L) He may have only pitched 12 years and tallied less than 200 wins, but he was really really good.
5. Greg Maddux- (R) location, location, location. Also, a ridiculous tailing fastball. And he could field.
Honorable Mention: Randy Johnson- (L) I limited myself to 1 power pitcher (Nolan Ryan), but Johnson may have had the most un-hittable slider of all time.
Closer: Mariano Rivera
There may be better players at each position, or players with better stats. But if you look at the mix of average, power, and which side of the plate they hit from, this line up is pretty legit. They would win the World Baseball Classic.
Let me know if you have any objections.
Monday, January 4, 2010
My New Year 2010
I find New Year's Resolutions cliche. But i participate anyway.
So here is an incomplete list of my Life Goals for 2010:
1. Make a significant purchase.
This is a left-over goal from last year. That is why it is #1. I tend to make money and do nothing with it. And anytime i buy something, i struggle my way out the door (i.e. i bought Arrested Development for $13 at Target and Sonja had to convince me that i should get it). So, down with conservatism and up with Consumerism!
2. Give up Coffee, Soda, and Tea for a month each.
This, without a doubt, will be my most challenging goal. I really like Soda-- really, Coke. And i really like coffee. And tea is going to develop into a crutch when going without coffee. So, my personal will is going to be tested, but i am convinced that my pride will remain.
3. Read 20 books.
I haven't read very many classic, influential, AP-English, type books. And i want to do that. And i feel like 20 books is achievable. But this goal may compromise goal #2 since nothing accompanies good literature better than a good bitter cup of coffee.
4. Be More Active.
One of my goals last year was to get to 195 lbs. Goal achieved. A goal this year is to not exceed 200 lbs, which means being more active. Not necessarily weight lifting or running, just doing more physical activities. I'm pretty sure this is on every American's list, so enough said.
5. Play guitar at least once a week.
I have a guitar, albeit it is not the nicest. And i know how to play, but not very well. So, i would like to change that by committing time once a week to playing.
The last few merely need to be mentioned:
6. Get my savings account to a certain round number.
7. Pay off the small amount of debt that i have.
So, there are my goals for 2010. Last year i completed 75% of my goals. I'm not naive enough to think i will complete 100% of my goals, so this year I'm simply trying to complete a higher percentage than last year.
So here is an incomplete list of my Life Goals for 2010:
1. Make a significant purchase.
This is a left-over goal from last year. That is why it is #1. I tend to make money and do nothing with it. And anytime i buy something, i struggle my way out the door (i.e. i bought Arrested Development for $13 at Target and Sonja had to convince me that i should get it). So, down with conservatism and up with Consumerism!
2. Give up Coffee, Soda, and Tea for a month each.
This, without a doubt, will be my most challenging goal. I really like Soda-- really, Coke. And i really like coffee. And tea is going to develop into a crutch when going without coffee. So, my personal will is going to be tested, but i am convinced that my pride will remain.
3. Read 20 books.
I haven't read very many classic, influential, AP-English, type books. And i want to do that. And i feel like 20 books is achievable. But this goal may compromise goal #2 since nothing accompanies good literature better than a good bitter cup of coffee.
4. Be More Active.
One of my goals last year was to get to 195 lbs. Goal achieved. A goal this year is to not exceed 200 lbs, which means being more active. Not necessarily weight lifting or running, just doing more physical activities. I'm pretty sure this is on every American's list, so enough said.
5. Play guitar at least once a week.
I have a guitar, albeit it is not the nicest. And i know how to play, but not very well. So, i would like to change that by committing time once a week to playing.
The last few merely need to be mentioned:
6. Get my savings account to a certain round number.
7. Pay off the small amount of debt that i have.
So, there are my goals for 2010. Last year i completed 75% of my goals. I'm not naive enough to think i will complete 100% of my goals, so this year I'm simply trying to complete a higher percentage than last year.
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