As my head spins!

This last weekend I played in a tennis tournament. A common event for me one of which I truly enjoy. There are so many things I want to work on, the most important at this time is my mental game. I let the smallest things bother me and have to remind myself to just play the opponent and nothing else. This tournament had already upset me with numerous cheesy rules.
It really bothered me to play with no-ad scoring. I have never done that since high school and didn't think I would again. Then I had to wait an extra half hour to start while two courts went unused. Then four men played doubles on "center court" while the tournament players were sent down to the lesser courts. While I know one of the players was Brian Parrot, Travis Parrot's dad, or the father of one of the top players in the world, I have always felt if you are going to put on a tournament you can't go cutting all these corners. So I finally went out and played and never could drop my attitude long enough to focus on the game itself. I got crushed and was really upset that I wasted my time on the whole event. I went home gathered my senses and decided to play in the consolation event(AKA losers bracket). My first consolation match was against a really nice Asian guy who used to play in high school and college and was just getting back into it. He had an absolutely beautiful girlfriend who asked if she could sit courtside and watch because it was too hard to see from where she was supposed to sit. My head spun so fast I really wasn't sure the correct answer. First of all, her looks alone were distracting, second the feeling of lonliness and just being uncomfortable with someone on the court didn't seem right, third I wandered if he "planted her as a possible distraction for me," fourth I would feel bad if I crushed him in front of his girlfriend, and last I didn't like being put into the position of being a jerk if I am to say no. I quickly realized this IS the losers bracket and I have always played a lot better with people watching. I enjoy the entertaining aspect as well as the extra reason to play well. I won rather quickly and I think we both had a good time. I just played my usual game, and fortunately he could not handle off speed shots at all. Once he learns to pick those up he will crush me. I want to wish him good luck in the next tournament solely on the fact he had a great desire to build his game. One last complaint, the tournament director handed out used balls for the consolation bracket. I feel I owe him an apology for laughing in his face while making the rude comment, "now that's class." I'm sure the owner of the club gave him a stict budget, and it was beyond his control. For that I apologize. For everything else I just appreciate the other tournaments that much more. And by the way I lost in the consolation finals to a really good player visiting from Guam. At least I couldn't complain about travel time!

Pointless Rant!!

I know this subject is really old to pretty much everyone in the United States, but it really hit me hard today. As I was driving down 223rd Ave. there are a few spots where you can see so much area at the same time. I looked to the left and saw the endless rooftops adorning Fairview Village. When I first moved here I was staring at a huge forest in the same spot. Oh well, what hurt was when I looked right and saw a third big box building being built in the same complex. First Fred Meyer, then Lowe's, and now Kohl's. While the Dog Racing Track was closed down for lack of profitibility, every retailer and their mother have since moved in. Within 2 miles of this location a Target, a Walmart, and two Microchip manufacturing plants have been built and plans are now being submitted for a Costco. Ten years ago all we had was a Thriftway and a Zim's grocery store both which closed down for lack of money only to be eventually swallowed by the big boys. I understand the efficiency created by these businesses, how they help consumers stretch a dollar, and how many jobs they create, however, I remember getting up and driving to work at 6 in the morning seeing a coyote cross the road. I can safely say that will always be a fond memory that won't happen again here in my lifetime. Such is life, unfortunately driving by huge semis dropping off stock in the morning to these companies just isn't the same.

Truly Nice peoples!

Earlier today I stopped off at one of my favorite places to get a sandwich. While waiting for my sandwich to be made a young girl walked in a ordered a sandwich for her as well as her father. She was so well spoken, behaved, and just plain happy. As I watched her I started to feel sad that this was an abnormal sight to myself instead of an everyday occurance. A few minutes later her dad walked in and the girls eyes just lit up. She immediately hugged him and you could feel the love flowing through the room. She started to play with a stuffed animal on the counter, and really got a kick out of it when she found out that by pressing the dogs foot a tune started to play. We all thought for a minute when the owner correctly stated New York New York by Frank Sinatra. I briefly joined in on the conversation but had to go due to time restraints. I wish I could of spent a little more time talking with them because they seemed so genuinely real and happy together. I originally stopped at Grants Philly Cheesesteaks on Sandy as a treat to myself, and came away with much more than the usual great sandwich. Hopefully I will cross their path again in life as I know they were truly good people. You can always tell a child that has come from a caring family, and she definitely did.

Gales Creek Camp

As the parent of a twelve year old girl, I am constantly analyzing the importance or true value of activities my daughter participates in. Sometimes I bite my tongue knowing it's important to her, but will mean nothing in two weeks and other times I have to convince her that she really will enjoy it, even though it may not sound like fun. Over the years I have grown a real fondness for one activity that absolutely means the world to her. For the last 5 years or so she has attended a week long camp every summer. This camp is solely for children who have been diagnosed with Diabetes. This camp has brought so much joy to her life that I could not imagine how I would feel if I found out about it after she was too old. She has made many friends there, but most important she constantly reminds me how normal it makes her feel when she is there. Her current school has over 500 children and she is the only one with diabetes. While she handles it great, there is always times when it is hard to deal with. I truly appreciate Gales Creek Camp for what they do, and what they are about. If ever someone is looking for a great charity they can always use bulk sugar free foods, medical supplies, and items for their craft room. This camp doesn't start until July and we just got the registration packet today and Madison was so excited. I really hope Madison gives back to the camp and works as a councilor when she gets older, as much as she has got from the camp, I know she would get even more from helping younger ones as she gets older. While there may not be a lot of organizations I truly believe in, this one is probably at the top of my list. Ironically as I went to the website to find a few photos to upload for this blog I found one of my daughter so I included it as well. She is in the swimming pool looking as happy as ever. Thank You Gales Creek and we'll see you in July!!!!!!

http://www.galescreekcamp.org/

Game On!

Yesterday I sat down and played video games with my daughter and had an absolutely great time. I fight with whether they are good to play or just a waste of time. As with most of her toys or extra curricular activities I formed the conclusion, as long as all your responsibilities in life are being met, it is only fair that you can choose your activities. We played Megaman 5 on the original nintendo system and had a great time. It was interesting to see how differently we think when it comes to getting through a situation in the game. Every scene has to be handled differently and you will replay it over and over again each time you die. So often she would die quickly and try the same method again. Other times she would alter it so slightly and get right through it. It's great for learning how to adjust your thinking and testing your patience. We have also spent a great deal of time on Sudoku puzzles. She is much faster at thinking logically than I am, but she constantly misses the obvious ones. She often thinks more than necessary in life and actually ends up making things harder for herself. I don't think she actually realizes how smart she really is. I just appreciate how much she wants to learn, and how she knows how to have a good time as well. I learn more from watching her than anywhere else in this world.

Thanks for the honesty!

I just got back from tennis tonight at Vancouver Tennis Center, and had an absolutely great time for a number of reasons. First and foremost I played a couple of sets against a very good player. After the match we talked for a while and he spent a great deal of time diagnosing my game. He watched my set before I played him, so he got a good share of points to base his thoughts on. He was so brutally honest I had no choice but to respect his word. I truly hate coming off a court and hearing people throw compliment after compliment out. In this world we all know what we are good at, however we often are not aware of the flip side. Most tennis players don't seem to receptive to the mentioning of their weaknesses, however we are very quick to jump all over and exploit them while on the court. One of my major weaknesses in doubles is the backhand return on the deuce side. If you serve it 90mph or higher I have no problem at all, however if you take a good deal of speed off it and have a good volleyer at the net it gives me fits. I have a problem with to much time to choose how to play the point. It is easy to compensate for in singles, but you have too many factors in doubles. I am working on this every time I play. The absolute worst part of tennis is when someone figures out your weakness and proceeds to walk all over you because of it. Often in life you can dodge your weaknesses by simply going around it. How many times have you walked a little farther because you didn't want to attempt a parallel park, or by taking a different class instead of speech, just so you wouldn't have to speak in front of a class. The problem in tennis is there are no easy outs to hide a weakness. Good players will exploit it and if you are not careful they will take your confidence with them. He didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, however it was great hearing it from someone else. It turns out he is a elementary school principal, so I'm sure he is use to being blunt. Anyway I always appreciate it. The other highlight was getting to play mixed doubles with a lady who is an absolute sweetheart, but has zero intensity on the court. It is all about fun for her and it's nice to take a step back every once in a while and just play the game for what it is. However I detest doing so with any other partner in the world. To make the night even better I stopped off and got a burrito from my favorite 24hour shack in Vancouver and they even left the salsa fresca off it. I ask every time, but I am really only going through the motions because I know it will be in there anyways. And finally when I got home I cracked open a new beer and it is really good. Naughty Nellies Ale by Pike Brewing Co. in Seattle. The night could not be any better unless I could get this clock to slow down a bit. I have to be up early, but I don't want the night to end.

Random Thoughts!

Tonight's writing's will include a series of small thoughts going through my head, none of which really deserve a whole blog but all to important to not mention them. First of all, thank God the Rams finally fired Mike Martz. Great offensive coordinator but definitely not Head Coach material. Hopefully someone informs him that there is more to the game than just calling plays. Their defense, special teams, and turnover ratio all fell apart under his "control." Second of all, as I sat down to drink three random beers tonight I realized they all had something common, the names, Moose Drool, Elk Rock, and Scapegoat. While this seems strange to me that none sound appetizing I managed to buy a case of each for my store. I always sample one of every beer I have in order to formulate an opinion. FYI Moose Drool is the only one worth a darn. However, don't spread the word until I've sold all the six packs. Third of all, I finally made the big plunge. I bought Sirius radio. Oh my God, is it great. I never can get around all the channels because there are way too many good songs on. I found a great song by Social Distortion my first time around, and it wasn't one of the same three always played on old radio. My reasons for this were two-fold. First the obvious in Howard Stern. Having listened to him for so long, I couldn't imagine not having it. I have to say he is brilliant. This two week hiatis between the changeover has left me with serious withdrawals. The other reason is Portland radio stations absolutely SUCK. I actually get upset while driving because of the lack of one good station. Just one is all I ever asked for. With the exception of Daria O'neill and Mike Chase, this city has not had one good DJ in the last ten years. Sorry everyone but Marconi is great to listen to, but once you've heard ten minutes of his show, you are good to go for the week. The station just replays the same material over and over all week long. Besides his girlfriend(maybe wife, I'm not sure)
is unbearable to listen to. The feeling of sattellite is that to the days when we first got cable. It's incomprehensible going back to the days of three or four channels. Finally, after all the police shootings in Clackamas County, I can Safely say it sure is great living in Multnomah County. Wow I didn't think I would ever say that after the new county tax. Good Night Everyone!!!