Loving. This. Team.

Loving it. Absolutely loving it.
So happy to be associated with them.

well.....

So, the Challenger is done. I still have to put together a recap for the USTA so I can get paid, and my friends can get some nice gifts for Christmas, but yeah, everything wrapped up quite smoothly.
I'm very thankful that I had Alex to spend the time with. He's very good at what he does, and despite all the crap that we give each other, it was a lot of fun all week long. Webbie was awesome with her Jimmy Johns runs, and her ability to make me laugh. Julia was sweet enough to deal with me when exhausted, and to come out twice to sit and enjoy some tennis. And Leigh kept me calm when I completely wigged on Friday.

Now, I am ready to focus on basketball, my personal life again, and my running. Exciting times are in front of me.
More later.

Before this takes over.

Let's see.....friend update: Ali is in Dubai. Unreal. She was sitting there, and Jelena Jankovic came up and talked to her.
Ted: Jamaica. Freaking Jamaica. And he recently went to Lebanon.
Intern: Living in San Diego, spent Halloween in Las Vegas.

Apparently I need to get cracking.

Things are really good, though. I have no major complaints. For the most part, I managed to get my house at least picked up and organized ahead of the tournament. Today I'm paying my bills, and I'm ready to start Christmas shopping once we're done here. I know this all sounds really mundane, but these are the things that I've failed to do the last few years. So.....I'll take it.

So downtown Champaign nearly burned to the ground yesterday. I have this conspiracy theory that somehow, someone who wants to continue with the new buildings that are being constructed around the area, did this on purpose. Just a hunch.

The soccer team is waiting this weekend to find out if they make the NCAA tournament. I'm going to think positively. In the mean time, you can (hopefully, if I post this correctly) watch one of our award winning versions of Corner Kicks.




Bye!

So, do you like Phil Collins?

I have two ears and a heart, don't I?

Today, Monday November 3rd, officially starts the two weeks of crazy that is the Challenger tennis tournament. This year, it has been toned down a bit for me, as the USTA would not allow us to do our own programs. Less writing for me, and less stress, but bad for fans. And isn't that what the USTA should be working towards? Building back up a dwindling fan base? Lord. I don't claim to know the answers all the time, but this is a no brainer. If there are bright and enterprising people at the tournament sites, take advantage of them, and let them do things that they think will enhance the experience for fans. If not, you're wasting money, and ideas. And that's disappointing.

First basketball game yesterday. From my standpoint, it went as well as can be expected. No flub-ups, a good amount of energy, and the voice held up. Of course, on the message board, there was still one or two "this PA guy.....he sucks. Long live Jim Sheppard." That's cool. It's to be expected. I guess. I'm just happy to be doing my job, and getting paid to do it. I'm pretty lucky that way.

While I look forward to the end of the Challenger on November 16th, I'm not sure if I'm more excited about the fact that I'll be down to just one sport for announcing/covering (basketball), or the fact that I'll be able to start planning the CrackMonkey trip to Las Vegas. I think I may have a problem. Correction. I know I have a problem. But dammit, it's just so much fun!!!

Final thoughts: Tonight is our final softball game of the year. My brain and my beat up body both say thank goodness.
- Now that I think about it, I'm also very excited to clean my house after the Challenger is over too. And hopefully, have Bonita take her cast off, so she's happy again.
- Had a chance to be a celebrity waiter at a benefit for CASA last week. Had a blast, took off my pants, and met some wonderful people.
-Oh, and the Bonita update: She hides all the time now, only coming out for food, and naptime with me. It's very depressing.

On that note, I'm off to go dress like John McCain.

My latest distraction and cause of lack of sleep:

I don't know how she did it. But she has a broken bone in her paw, and has to wear a cast, and collar, for at least 4 weeks.

Thankfully, during this time, I'm not working a lot or anything.......

Today, I've had to move my litter box and a mattress to the ground floor, since she's not allowed to go up and down stairs.

it's pretty sad, and she's a tough booger. She managed to shake the original cast off last night. She's also cost me several hundred dollars in the last 24 hours. YOU OWE ME, BONITA!

A photo, and answers.....

1) A clear cloudless day-time sky is blue because molecules in the air scatter blue light from the sun more than they scatter red light. When we look towards the sun at sunset, we see red and orange colours because the blue light has been scattered out and away from the line of sight.The white light from the sun is a mixture of all colours of the rainbow. This was demonstrated by Isaac Newton, who used a prism to separate the different colours and so form a spectrum. The colours of light are distinguished by their different wavelengths. The visible part of the spectrum ranges from red light with a wavelength of about 720 nm, to violet with a wavelength of about 380 nm, with orange, yellow, green, blue and indigo between. The three different types of colour receptors in the retina of the human eye respond most strongly to red, green and blue wavelengths, giving us our colour vision.

2) Because it was not being publicized well enough, and with enough creativity. People need to think outside the box when they have fun ideas like this.

3) I think you should be a ballerina, Christina. I think you have the fluidity needed, and obviously, the dancing skills.

Basketball game #1 is in the books. Content with it. Good to get back in the flow. First exhibition game on Sunday. Should be a hoot, as my mother would say.

I'm Still Alive......

That is all. I'm willing to answer any and all questions, however.

Random thoughts for October 14th-

Lots of things to get to.
1) A shoutout to Grandma and Grandpa Cation, who apparently saw the video of Laura becoming a magician, and left a voicemail saying "dishes are supposed to stay on the table." Good point, Grandma....however, they were also not supposed to stay out all night!
(and neither were we)
2) A special shoutout of love and support to the ass who hit me in the nuts during our softball game last night, without a simple "my bad." I have three bruises on my body today from getting hit by you assholes last night. And 0 apologies. 0.
(for the record, my bruises are on my ankle, my left hand, which might have saved my ability to procreate some day, and right above my dillybar.)
3) I had a fun night at the Crackmonkey party on Saturday night, where we got to hand out all of our awards for the wonderful summer season, and as Jill Cappa so aptly put it, I was being a ham. Shocking.
4) I have found I have at least one friend who uses me in certain situations, but doesn't like to hang out on my time. Not sure how to handle that.
5) I think i'm going to start pulling a George Costanza, and start doing the opposite of what I normally would do. I'm interested to see the fallout.
6) My new vacuum cleaner is lovely. It actually works well.
7) On Saturday, there is a possibility that 15 or so 21 year old girls will be staying in my apartment, as my cousin and her club volleyball team will be in town from Madison. There is a whole hell of a lot of "what the eff are you doing there" possibilities. As in, Mike, this is not a good idea. But it's family.
8) Read an interesting article this morning, and I wish I could find and link it, about the possibility that Obama's poll numbers are overly inflated by white guilt. That when asked by another person, that many whites feel guilty saying they're not voting for the black guy, so they say they are. But when they're by themselves, they vote for the white guy. Interesting read.
9) Personally, I'm very excited that last Friday, I was able to run four miles. First time since May that I was able to go past 3.1 . Very exciting.
10) I would love to spend Saturday just cleaning and reorganizing this place, but don't have time. Any suggestions?

Did I miss anything here? Let me know.

I have Sunday off.

I'm going to try and use it well.

I obviously get freaked out and dramatic way too easily, as I did last night, but whenever those things happen, I try my best to learn from them.

So, I've made a promise to myself this morning that I'm going to do the best I can to pull a George Costanza, and try to do the opposite of what I would normally do.

In all, I'm going to try and put myself in better positions so that I don't get annoyed so easily. Because as most of you know, I get annoyed quite easily.

I wrote a bunch of other stuff, but then realized it was directed towards people, and was a crappy way to direct the disdain I'm feeling today. Because ultimately, it doesn't matter. People are who they are (self included), and I'm certainly not going to change them. I just have to make better choices for myself. That simple.

Yeah, so I've been rather busy of late.

Soccer, Ed and Kelly's wedding, the grandparents anniversary weekend, Leigh in town.....I'm rather worn out.
I don't have a heck of a lot to say at this moment. So I'm going to upload photos.