Today is October 31, 2007; Halloween day. When you're a kid, this is probably one of the greatest days of the year, next to the last day before Christmas Vacation and Summer Vacation, of course. Halloween was one of those days you looked forward to all year long. You might've even had the idea for your costume picked out months in advance. Lots of planning goes into creating a costume because you want it to be the absolute best and most original. I can recall a few costumes that I had; a firefighter, a ghost, a soldier, a pirate, a bum and probably others that I can't remember. The firefighting costume was probably my favorite because it included a real fire hose, complete with a real nozzle and hose, that my dad took from work. I had the whole outfit down to a tee and it was fun showing off in it.
But as I'm sure you all know, the older you get, the less interested you become in the holiday, particularly dressing up in a costume. The fifth grade was the last year I took it seriously. A year later, I decided enough was enough and that I did not want to get dressed up at all. I went to school without a costume and I know I wasn't the only one to be without. A number of my friends also did not dress up. You know how it goes, we were too cool to be dressed up for Halloween and we weren't kids anymore. And I wasn't even going to go trick or treating that night, but I was more or less dragged into going by my sister's boyfriend at the time. He and my sister took me to a few houses around the neighborhood and I did get into the holiday spirit while trick or treating. All in all, I had a fun time that night, but that ended up being the last time I went trick or treating.
I don't believe I dressed up in costume for Halloween again until I was in college. Halloween just happened to fall on a weekend and while I was in college for a couple of years, I worked Fridays and Saturdays at a grocery store about 20 miles from home. All of the employees were encouraged to dress up for Halloween and not even considering that I would have to stand behind a cash register the whole shift, I dressed up as a construction worker, complete with a hard hat, tool belt, work clothes, and tools. At least I wasn't the only one to dress up and I had a fun time doing it. It made for an interesting night, that is for sure.
So here we are upon another Halloween and mine won't exactly be very exciting. In a few hours I plan to carve a pumpkin - it's a large one, so it's going to take me awhile. Then after that, I plan to sit by the TV, watching a marathon of the "Halloween" movies on AMC - a recent tradition of mine. After awhile, we'll begin to hear knocking on our front door which signals that start of trick or treating! We don't get as many trick or treaters to our house anymore. At one time, we had anywhere from 50-60 kids at our door on Halloween. Lately, we've been lucky to get 25! Not a lot of kids in the neighborhood anymore. But, it'll be nice to hear the kids yelling "trick or treat" as they go house by house looking for candy.
Here's hoping you have a wonderful Halloween, whether you'll be dressing up and going to a Halloween party, giving out candy to trick or treaters, watching horror movies on the TV, or carving a Halloween pumpkin; be sure to make the most of your day! And even though you may be grown up and too old to enjoy the holiday anymore, at least think back to those times when you were a kid enjoying the day. I know that's what I'll be doing.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
My Days as a Baseball Player
I was watching the movie "Bad News Bears" today (the recent adaptation starring Billy Bob Thornton) which reminded me of the spectacular times I had as a Little League and Pee Wee baseball player. I honestly do not remember how I even got into the Pee Wee League (for those that don't know, it's the league for players too young to be in Little League). During my very first year, because my hometown didn't even have a Pee Wee team, I went to play on the nearby town's team; which a lot of kids did from my town. I was one of the younger kids on the squad and I didn't play all that much, but I did get in the games from time to time. We had an awesome team that year; only lost one or two games and won the league's championship. I remember a few games where I hit an inside-the-park homerun or hit a triple. Heck, we even managed to score 40+ runs on one particular opponent. But despite all of the highs from that one season, it certainly wasn't the season I remember most while playing baseball as a youth.
During my second year in the Pee Wee league, I defected from the nearby town's team to play for my own town's squad (yes, they finally organized a team that year). Our uniforms had to have been hand-me-downs and I thought we were a pretty meager team; but we definitely did not quit. In fact, I think we had a pretty decent season, as well. I don't remember a lot of particulars about that season anymore. In fact, it's pretty forgetable to me. By no means was I the star player, but I would rate myself as somewhere in the middle. I often played outfield and more often than not, not a lot of balls came my way (one time I did catch a fly ball but got so excited at my feat that I totally botched up the throw back to the infield). I loved to bat, but was deathly afraid of being hit by the pitch. A lot of times I would step out of the batter's box, especially when facing one of the fast-throwing pitchers until I got comfortable being in the situation. There were even times when I would strike out looking; and apparently I did it one too many times before my dad bawled me out about it. So from that point on, if I struck out, I did so swinging the bat. I was supposed to play another season for my town's Pee Wee team (I committed to playing while laying down in the backseat sick of my parents car sick with the flu - not in the correct state of mind) when I changed my mind after learning I could step up and play Little League ball. Needless to say, my coaches were not very happy, but they got over it in time.
So for my third season playing baseball, I went over to play Little League ball. Once again, I defected and played for the crosstown baseball team (for which my friend also played - he, too, played on the team for which I enjoyed my very first season). I would say this was my least-favorite season of playing youth baseball. I hardly ever played, had a coach that I didn't have much respect for, and when I did play, I was sent out to play the outfield (again). Definitely nothing worth remembering anymore. If I recall correctly, we did win some games, but we also lost. We probably had a .500 record overall. No where near winning the league title, but still, it was fun.
And for my final year playing Little League ball, I once again played for the crosstown team. This was my absolute favorite year because my friend's dad was the new coach and I was the team's new regular second baseman. At that point in time, I needed glasses to play (but I never regularly wore them like I should have) and wore quite possibly the ugliest glasses ever invented. But hey, they weren't meant to show off, anyways. I remember one game where I forgot my glasses and had to play without them! It was very difficult seeing without them and one particular base hit from the opposing team came right to me! Luckily I had my glove in the hit spot and snagged the ball and threw the guy out at first. From that point on, I NEVER forgot my glasses. The sad part about that season is we lost more games than we won. In fact, I think we only won like three games out of 20. But I tell ya what, we really came together as a team at the end and that's where we did all of our winning. I think we won the final three games of our season. This was also my best season offensively as well; hitting many base hits. I never could hit the ball out of the park, but I could slap a good double down the right field line. It was a fun season and one that I enjoyed the most and remember quite fondly.
After that season, I decided to hang up the sport of baseball for good. I was too old to play another season of Little League and I just did not feel comfortable playing the next level of ball, Senior League. I know my dad was upset at my decision because he's one of those sport's fanatic kind of dad's, but he eventually got over it. Some of my friends continued on with their playing careers but at the time, I had my fill. I really thought that baseball was cramping my style at that point and I could not fully enjoy my summer vacation to its fullest. Now that I think back to those times, I do kind of regret not going on to play Senior League because I am getting older. I should've enjoyed playing baseball and lived in the moment because we certainly don't have those options anymore. At the time I figured I was doing the right thing. But I never did experience the Senior League level and at this point in time, I'll never know what it was like. But looking back on my four years of youth baseball; overall, I think it was a very enjoyable time for me. Even though I hated devoting time to practicing, it did make us do a better job in the games. We played during some very cold afternoons and some hot evenings; we even played a game during our town's homecoming celebration - complete with a PA announcer and the national anthem playing prior to the game. I certainly do have some good memories of those times and ones I hope I never forget (even though a lot of them I have forgotten). Baseball is America's pasttime and it's simply un-American not to play it at some point in life.
During my second year in the Pee Wee league, I defected from the nearby town's team to play for my own town's squad (yes, they finally organized a team that year). Our uniforms had to have been hand-me-downs and I thought we were a pretty meager team; but we definitely did not quit. In fact, I think we had a pretty decent season, as well. I don't remember a lot of particulars about that season anymore. In fact, it's pretty forgetable to me. By no means was I the star player, but I would rate myself as somewhere in the middle. I often played outfield and more often than not, not a lot of balls came my way (one time I did catch a fly ball but got so excited at my feat that I totally botched up the throw back to the infield). I loved to bat, but was deathly afraid of being hit by the pitch. A lot of times I would step out of the batter's box, especially when facing one of the fast-throwing pitchers until I got comfortable being in the situation. There were even times when I would strike out looking; and apparently I did it one too many times before my dad bawled me out about it. So from that point on, if I struck out, I did so swinging the bat. I was supposed to play another season for my town's Pee Wee team (I committed to playing while laying down in the backseat sick of my parents car sick with the flu - not in the correct state of mind) when I changed my mind after learning I could step up and play Little League ball. Needless to say, my coaches were not very happy, but they got over it in time.
So for my third season playing baseball, I went over to play Little League ball. Once again, I defected and played for the crosstown baseball team (for which my friend also played - he, too, played on the team for which I enjoyed my very first season). I would say this was my least-favorite season of playing youth baseball. I hardly ever played, had a coach that I didn't have much respect for, and when I did play, I was sent out to play the outfield (again). Definitely nothing worth remembering anymore. If I recall correctly, we did win some games, but we also lost. We probably had a .500 record overall. No where near winning the league title, but still, it was fun.
And for my final year playing Little League ball, I once again played for the crosstown team. This was my absolute favorite year because my friend's dad was the new coach and I was the team's new regular second baseman. At that point in time, I needed glasses to play (but I never regularly wore them like I should have) and wore quite possibly the ugliest glasses ever invented. But hey, they weren't meant to show off, anyways. I remember one game where I forgot my glasses and had to play without them! It was very difficult seeing without them and one particular base hit from the opposing team came right to me! Luckily I had my glove in the hit spot and snagged the ball and threw the guy out at first. From that point on, I NEVER forgot my glasses. The sad part about that season is we lost more games than we won. In fact, I think we only won like three games out of 20. But I tell ya what, we really came together as a team at the end and that's where we did all of our winning. I think we won the final three games of our season. This was also my best season offensively as well; hitting many base hits. I never could hit the ball out of the park, but I could slap a good double down the right field line. It was a fun season and one that I enjoyed the most and remember quite fondly.
After that season, I decided to hang up the sport of baseball for good. I was too old to play another season of Little League and I just did not feel comfortable playing the next level of ball, Senior League. I know my dad was upset at my decision because he's one of those sport's fanatic kind of dad's, but he eventually got over it. Some of my friends continued on with their playing careers but at the time, I had my fill. I really thought that baseball was cramping my style at that point and I could not fully enjoy my summer vacation to its fullest. Now that I think back to those times, I do kind of regret not going on to play Senior League because I am getting older. I should've enjoyed playing baseball and lived in the moment because we certainly don't have those options anymore. At the time I figured I was doing the right thing. But I never did experience the Senior League level and at this point in time, I'll never know what it was like. But looking back on my four years of youth baseball; overall, I think it was a very enjoyable time for me. Even though I hated devoting time to practicing, it did make us do a better job in the games. We played during some very cold afternoons and some hot evenings; we even played a game during our town's homecoming celebration - complete with a PA announcer and the national anthem playing prior to the game. I certainly do have some good memories of those times and ones I hope I never forget (even though a lot of them I have forgotten). Baseball is America's pasttime and it's simply un-American not to play it at some point in life.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Songs I Dig - 4
I find myself in the same situation as last month; although to my credit, I do have one blog in for October. With exactly 10 days left, I need to get some writing done to get at least six blogs in for this month! What a great way to start this latest writing spree of mine than by writing a new "Songs I Dig" blog. That's right, it's that time again. It's a new month and with it brings six new songs that I find rather enjoyable. This time around, one artist will have two songs of his featured in my blog. All in all, I think they are great songs and I hope you find them enjoyable, too. And if you haven't heard them yet, be sure to listen to them on YouTube. You'll always find music videos from a wide variety of artists on there. YouTube is definitely one of my favorite sites on the web these days.
"Apologize" by Timbaland (featuring One Republic) - Last weekend, I ventured out of the state of Michigan and went road-tripping to see my sister in Wisconsin. It's a five-hour drive to her location, so needless to say, I spent a good majority of the time listening to the tunes on the radio. A radio station from Green Bay started playing this tune and I was amazed at the incredible sound of this song. It was something unlike I had heard in a long time. This song has the potential to be the song of the year in 2007; it is really that good. One Republic is the group that originally recorded this song (which is set to be released on their new album), but Timbaland added a few new sounds making this his piece of work. I think he's definitely got a hit on his hands.
"The Way I Are" by Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson, D.O.E., and Sebastian) - I actually heard this song before the trip to Wisconsin on one of the stations that tends to play the more edgier hip-hop songs around here. I had heard of Timbaland before these two songs but I associated him more with rap and hip hop (can you tell I am not a huge fan of these kinds of music?). "Apologize" and this song I found to be pleasant surprises from him. "The Way I Are" has such an incredible beat - it's a song you can find yourself easily dancing to. Timbaland is proving to be an incredible artist for different genres of music.
"Calling You" by Blue October - I was absolutely thrilled when I heard Blue October back on the radio waves because I've been a fan of their music ever since I heard "Hate Me." I thought "Calling You" was a brand new song, but upon further research, it was a song released way back in 2003! So why was it that a radio station around here JUST started playing it? I love the song and it's one I've definitely been singing along to. The same classic sounds of Blue October are present with this song. Come to find out, "Calling You" is being re-released as part of a promotional package featuring songs off their previous album and a live performance. So technically it is not new but certainly new to my ears.
"Straight Lines" by Silverchair - I'll be honest; I can't really say I am all that familiar with this group, even though they have been around for awhile. They're an Australian group that created songs such as "Freak," "Tomorrow," and "Ana's Song." I took a listen to those songs on YouTube and they sounded more hard rock than anything. So needless to say, I am surprised it's the same band that produces this adult-contemporary song. Despite that, I find myself enjoying this song immensly. Like I mentioned before, I like songs that feature interesting beats and lyrics and this one definitely has those. Sounds to me like Silverchair will have their latest hit song here in the United States with "Straight Lines."
"Dance Floor Anthem (I Don't Want to be in Love)" by Good Charlotte - Ah, those pop-punk rockers. You gotta love 'em. All along I thought this song was titled "I Don't Want to be in Love," but after referring to their Wikipedia page, it's called "Dance Floor Anthem!" Go figure. Anyways, this is Good Charlotte's latest song from their album "Good Morning Revival." It's certainly a song you'll find yourself rocking out to. I kind of like a song that has the lyric "I don't want to be in love." Because honestly, love leads to break-ups and heartaches. It's a song that deals with real-life circumstances and people can relate to that.
And this month's honorable mention (which will now be a regular feature of my "Songs I Dig" blog) comes to us from KT Tunstall. Her latest song is titled "Hold On." Once again, this was a song I wasn't quite into when I first heard it, but after I heard it more and more, I started liking it. Now I find it to be quite enjoyable. KT Tunstall first achieved her success here in the United States after Katarine McPhee sang her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on American Idol. Ever since, she has reached music star status. I think "Hold On" will do quite well for her.
That wrap's up this month's edition of "The Songs I Dig." Please be sure to catch the latest edition sometime next month or in December (depending on if I hear songs that are worthy of appearing here). Until next time, keep listening to good music! It's definitely out there for all of us to enjoy.
"Apologize" by Timbaland (featuring One Republic) - Last weekend, I ventured out of the state of Michigan and went road-tripping to see my sister in Wisconsin. It's a five-hour drive to her location, so needless to say, I spent a good majority of the time listening to the tunes on the radio. A radio station from Green Bay started playing this tune and I was amazed at the incredible sound of this song. It was something unlike I had heard in a long time. This song has the potential to be the song of the year in 2007; it is really that good. One Republic is the group that originally recorded this song (which is set to be released on their new album), but Timbaland added a few new sounds making this his piece of work. I think he's definitely got a hit on his hands.
"The Way I Are" by Timbaland (featuring Keri Hilson, D.O.E., and Sebastian) - I actually heard this song before the trip to Wisconsin on one of the stations that tends to play the more edgier hip-hop songs around here. I had heard of Timbaland before these two songs but I associated him more with rap and hip hop (can you tell I am not a huge fan of these kinds of music?). "Apologize" and this song I found to be pleasant surprises from him. "The Way I Are" has such an incredible beat - it's a song you can find yourself easily dancing to. Timbaland is proving to be an incredible artist for different genres of music.
"Calling You" by Blue October - I was absolutely thrilled when I heard Blue October back on the radio waves because I've been a fan of their music ever since I heard "Hate Me." I thought "Calling You" was a brand new song, but upon further research, it was a song released way back in 2003! So why was it that a radio station around here JUST started playing it? I love the song and it's one I've definitely been singing along to. The same classic sounds of Blue October are present with this song. Come to find out, "Calling You" is being re-released as part of a promotional package featuring songs off their previous album and a live performance. So technically it is not new but certainly new to my ears.
"Straight Lines" by Silverchair - I'll be honest; I can't really say I am all that familiar with this group, even though they have been around for awhile. They're an Australian group that created songs such as "Freak," "Tomorrow," and "Ana's Song." I took a listen to those songs on YouTube and they sounded more hard rock than anything. So needless to say, I am surprised it's the same band that produces this adult-contemporary song. Despite that, I find myself enjoying this song immensly. Like I mentioned before, I like songs that feature interesting beats and lyrics and this one definitely has those. Sounds to me like Silverchair will have their latest hit song here in the United States with "Straight Lines."
"Dance Floor Anthem (I Don't Want to be in Love)" by Good Charlotte - Ah, those pop-punk rockers. You gotta love 'em. All along I thought this song was titled "I Don't Want to be in Love," but after referring to their Wikipedia page, it's called "Dance Floor Anthem!" Go figure. Anyways, this is Good Charlotte's latest song from their album "Good Morning Revival." It's certainly a song you'll find yourself rocking out to. I kind of like a song that has the lyric "I don't want to be in love." Because honestly, love leads to break-ups and heartaches. It's a song that deals with real-life circumstances and people can relate to that.
And this month's honorable mention (which will now be a regular feature of my "Songs I Dig" blog) comes to us from KT Tunstall. Her latest song is titled "Hold On." Once again, this was a song I wasn't quite into when I first heard it, but after I heard it more and more, I started liking it. Now I find it to be quite enjoyable. KT Tunstall first achieved her success here in the United States after Katarine McPhee sang her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on American Idol. Ever since, she has reached music star status. I think "Hold On" will do quite well for her.
That wrap's up this month's edition of "The Songs I Dig." Please be sure to catch the latest edition sometime next month or in December (depending on if I hear songs that are worthy of appearing here). Until next time, keep listening to good music! It's definitely out there for all of us to enjoy.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The Changing Seasons
Today is October 4 and we are now in the midst of the fall season. The nights have cooled off, the days are getting shorter, and the leaves are beginning to fall off the trees. However, our days have been rather summerlike. Today, in fact, we reached a record high of 76 degrees. Usually we are in the low 60's. Absolutely gorgeous fall weather and a day one must not spend cooped up inside. Despite the fact of last night being the first midnight shift of this stretch for me; I got an adequate amount of sleep today and journeyed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. Because this time of year, you just don't know how long it is going to last.
The area where I live is not really condusive to walking. Yes, it is possible and I have seen many others trot along the street, but it is not that comfortable of an atmosphere for me to go walking in. There are no sidewalks and there's plenty of traffic; so usually when I go for a walk, I take a quick drive near the lakeshore and park the car and take a stroll around nearest the areas of the shore. That is exactly what I did and I was able to experience the many sights and sounds of a city that felt like it was in the midst of a late-spring/summer kind of day and not early fall. The university's sporting complex is rather close to Lake Superior and I noticed a couple of different soccer teams practicing on the soccer fields. Meanwhile, the marching band was busy practicing inside the dome, preparing themselves for this Saturday's football game. I heard children screaming in delight, the sounds of loud thuds from the skateboarding park, and the crashing of water against the shoreline thanks to a brisk wind coming inland. I was definitely not alone as people were out and about enjoying the day just like me.
Even though summer is over, various construction projects are still in full force. Although many of the roads that were ripped up over the summer are completed, a few are sill in the construction phase which meant those lovely detours. A few of the building projects are still ongoing, including the construction of a new bank building just a few blocks away from me. That building has been under construction since early spring and they just do not seem to be in a big hurry to get in completed; not that it really matters to me. And people are still busy mowing their lawns as the rains from last month have really greened things up. I'd say the grass is the greenest its been all season! One condominium complex I walked by had the perfectly manicured lawn and you could even smell all the fertilizers that were used to make this lawn look so beautiful. The smell of that grass was incredible and it felt just like mid-summer.
But as we know all too well around these parts, the weather can change in a hurry. In about a week's time, temperatures are predicted to fall back into the 50's during the days (more typical of October) and the cooler weather is expected to bring us more rain. By then, I'm sure most of the leaves will be off the trees and we'll be busy raking them up. It's not uncommon for the month of October to yield snow, either. I remember a few storms that have dumped as much as a foot of snow during the tenth month of the year, although usually it tends to melt pretty quickly this time of year. One such year I remember having a deep snowcover on Halloween! I sure hope the snow holds off until the end of the year.
So no matter what, there's no excuse not to head outside during such a fantastic stretch of weather. Even if only spend just one hour outside; at least you're enjoying it in some way. As long as it doesn't rain, I know I will be spending time outside all this week. Because one thing is for sure, things will be a lot different a month from now.
The area where I live is not really condusive to walking. Yes, it is possible and I have seen many others trot along the street, but it is not that comfortable of an atmosphere for me to go walking in. There are no sidewalks and there's plenty of traffic; so usually when I go for a walk, I take a quick drive near the lakeshore and park the car and take a stroll around nearest the areas of the shore. That is exactly what I did and I was able to experience the many sights and sounds of a city that felt like it was in the midst of a late-spring/summer kind of day and not early fall. The university's sporting complex is rather close to Lake Superior and I noticed a couple of different soccer teams practicing on the soccer fields. Meanwhile, the marching band was busy practicing inside the dome, preparing themselves for this Saturday's football game. I heard children screaming in delight, the sounds of loud thuds from the skateboarding park, and the crashing of water against the shoreline thanks to a brisk wind coming inland. I was definitely not alone as people were out and about enjoying the day just like me.
Even though summer is over, various construction projects are still in full force. Although many of the roads that were ripped up over the summer are completed, a few are sill in the construction phase which meant those lovely detours. A few of the building projects are still ongoing, including the construction of a new bank building just a few blocks away from me. That building has been under construction since early spring and they just do not seem to be in a big hurry to get in completed; not that it really matters to me. And people are still busy mowing their lawns as the rains from last month have really greened things up. I'd say the grass is the greenest its been all season! One condominium complex I walked by had the perfectly manicured lawn and you could even smell all the fertilizers that were used to make this lawn look so beautiful. The smell of that grass was incredible and it felt just like mid-summer.
But as we know all too well around these parts, the weather can change in a hurry. In about a week's time, temperatures are predicted to fall back into the 50's during the days (more typical of October) and the cooler weather is expected to bring us more rain. By then, I'm sure most of the leaves will be off the trees and we'll be busy raking them up. It's not uncommon for the month of October to yield snow, either. I remember a few storms that have dumped as much as a foot of snow during the tenth month of the year, although usually it tends to melt pretty quickly this time of year. One such year I remember having a deep snowcover on Halloween! I sure hope the snow holds off until the end of the year.
So no matter what, there's no excuse not to head outside during such a fantastic stretch of weather. Even if only spend just one hour outside; at least you're enjoying it in some way. As long as it doesn't rain, I know I will be spending time outside all this week. Because one thing is for sure, things will be a lot different a month from now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)